[The Lyceum] Balm [Syllke]

[Seodai]

2 Winter, 511 AV (Early morning hours) It was still dark when Seodai convinced Caelum to free him of the gracious imprisonment of the Opal Clinic. His stiff, numb limbs had recovered beneath the attentive care of Denval's newest arrival, and caution had required that he stay put. Theo had dropped by, of course, to keep him company for a short while - but mostly Seodai was left to his own devices, his own thoughts. And that, at present, was not a peaceful place. The life that he had lived in Denval was absolutely insignificant and painfully simple in comparison with the one he had lived so many years before. Melchior, the mage he used to be, felt heavy and burdensome - too much to absorb, too great a mantle to carry. And yet, every time he closed his eyes, he could only see through those eyes - eyes that had belonged to him, once, but were so foreign now. He could only see Kova, blinded by the love he had felt for her then. He could see other faces, too. Brothers, friends. He found that Melchior seemed to be an open book, an existence he could explore if only he set out to do so, if only he thought about it. But the strength of emotion he had to withstand was barrier enough to keep the farmer from snooping too much at all, and left Seodai sleepless and frustrated. Assuming he would go directly home to the farm, Caelum had finally relented merely an hour past the time Seodai had arrived on his door the night before. Having spent just over a full day there, Seodai relished in the cold night air. Most of Denval slept, except for the watchmen, making the scuttle of his feet against cobbled streets sound far too loud. It didn't take long, however, for him to reach his destination. Caelum had healed his body, had even soothed his flailing spirit and mind. But, Seodai was weary and weak in a way that only one person could fix. He knew just which hall to turn, which door to press. With as much stealth as he could manage, Seodai entered the dark room which was his aim. He kicked off his boots, shrugged off the coat he'd borrowed from the clinic, and then slid into the occupied bed in the room. The Vantha was sleeping, facing the wall with his back to Seodai. The farmer didn't mind. He merely wrapped one arm loosely around his best friends waist, effectively spooning Syllke with the blanket tucked up over both of their shoulders now, creating a warm and safe cocoon. Unless Syllke stirred, or broached complaint, Seodai would be content to slip into the first moment of peaceful sleep he had found in several nights. It would take Syna's bright glare, or Syllke himself, to disrupt the Denvali - who slept heavily, and held tight all the while.

[Syllke Skyglow]

Syllke was a light sleeper. Perhaps his senses, never still during the day, were as in tune to the world about him even as he slumbered. Seodai had executed his entrance into the room with enough clandestine quiet that the Vantha had not awakened immediately. But by the time Seo was sliding into the bed behind him, Syllke was fully aware that something – no, someone – had intruded upon his rest. He also knew exactly who it was. Once again, his finely honed senses, operating in such a way that even he himself was barely aware of how they managed it, had detected the familiar sound of those boots, the scent of Seo’s hair despite the soaking it has received the night before, the rhythm of his breathing pattern. He knew it was Seodai, as those now bare feet took the one step necessary to bring him to the bedside, and those work roughened hands moved to pull the blanket ever so slightly aside. He knew it, and the realization paralyzed him, a deep frown creasing the face that was turned away from his best friend. Syllke was fully awake, so he could not blame his confusion on the haze of that state of wakefulness which is still half sleeping. No, the root of his puzzled glare at the dark wall, as Seo slipped in and pressed his body up against his back, the arm coming to rest across Syllke’s waist, was entirely known to Syllke – entirely familiar. As familiar as the scent of Seo’s breath as it warmed his ear. Familiar from having kept Syllke company many and many a night, in this very bed, as he tried unsuccessfully to turn his thoughts away from the young Denvali who had so completely infected his blood with a troubling miasma of unrequited feelings. The genesis of that frown was the boy who even now snuggled so confidently against him, making no overt sound to announce his presence, no attempt to rouse the Vantha. Syllke could no more fathom why Seo had shown up in that hour in which the body knew dawn was not so very far away, than he could determine how he was possibly going to continue on, day to day, being Seo’s closest friend yet never experiencing what he really wished to have with him. In Syllke’s mind, the light breathing which sounded gently in his ear was simply confirmation of what he already knew. Seodai was the greatest enigma he had ever encountered – a puzzle he would never solve. He was the source of intense frustration and equally intense hopeless fantasies of someday resolving this conundrum in a way that spelt happiness for the young artist. With Seo in his bed, as close as Syllke could wish, he still had no idea how to handle this. He didn't, he couldn't, trust himself to turn around. He waited. Ten heartbeats, twenty, fifty, a hundred. His eyes were open but they saw only the wall, as he wondered if Seo meant to say anything. But he felt his friend slipping away into sleep – felt his body relax, heard his breathing still and deepen. Within the space of three minutes or so, Seo was already in the first stage of slumber. For some reason, Syllke felt a smile twitching up the corners of his mouth. It was so ridiculous. Seo was so ridiculous, sneaking into his bedroom in the wee small hours and simply helping himself to bed and occupant, with absolutely no excuse or explanation. Having to suppress a snicker, Syllke thought of how ridiculous the two of them were, how insane this situation was, and how much he was enjoying the feel of Seo curled so comfortably around him. Slowly, his hand moved to cover Seo’s where it lay relaxed and limp against his belly. He wouldn’t disturb this. He would not for the life of him end this moment, this comfort. Not even making an attempt to stay awake, to remain cognizant of the extreme sense of peace Seo’s presence was giving him, Syllke too soon fell back into his typically light sleep. Before the sun’s rays had broached the shutters that covered the one window of the small room, Syllke had awoken. Their bodies were in the same basic position as when he had fallen asleep, though the blanket was shoved down and they were half uncovered. Syllke, who slept with nothing on other than his own skin, felt the chill of the early winter air, which surprised him, for Morwen’s mark typically warded off such minor drops in temperature. But without giving it much consideration, he reached for the blanket and pulled it up over his shoulder. He felt a stirring behind him and he stilled, not wishing to wake Seo up, waiting without breathing for a moment to see if his would settle again.

[Seodai]

Seodai awoke slowly. It was the chill, at first. Winter's breath stealing away his peaceful repose. Then it was Syllke, moving to pull the blanket back over them once more. Warmth quickly followed, the boy in his arms becoming incredibly still once again. Had he stirred in his sleep? Seodai didn't speak, assuming as much. He simply lay with his arm looped possessively around a narrow waist, feeling the steady rise and fall of Syllke's breathing once the Vantha let out his breath in a sigh. It was quiet in the Lyceum, as quiet as his dreamless sleep had been. Seodai felt peaceful, and he wished for a moment that he never had to leave. Life made sense, here, with Syllke caring for them in something as simple as tugging the blanket up again. Syllke always took care of him. Seodai realized now, in the quiet, that it was the very reason he had come here instead of going home. It was the same reason he had found himself drifting away from the farm on days that Syllke didn't come to him. For a long while it had been all Syllke, pulling at Seodai's attention and time. All Syllke in conversation and smiles, in ideas and adventures. But, for a length of time he couldn't measure, a time he couldn't recall the beginning of, Seodai had found something in himself pulling too. Like that day he had come to the Lyceum and first laid eyes upon the sculpture of himself. He'd been jealous, that day, because Syllke's beautiful smile and his hypnotic voice had been shared with a room full of children - that those colorful, adoring eyes hadn't been fixed upon him. And later, when he'd wrapped his arms around those smooth shoulders and crushed Syllke to him, he'd been filled with a satisfaction that had been difficult to name. It had come in a million smiles, countless hours of conversation, and the slow and gradual way in which Syllke had come to understand Seodai better than anyone else. Seodai had just been too blind to see it, too distracted, too busy. It took the haze of someone else's life, a whole different existence, to make any of it seem clear. Seodai had been infatuated with Lysander. His unearthly beauty made the initial attraction unfair, but it was the very fact that Seodai couldn't have him that prolonged it all. Just like Kova. Just like the love he had died for so long before. That wasn't real. It was a shadow of something else, an echo through time. Seodai did not know what the future held. He did not know what the gods had planned, or if the darkness that had fallen over Denval could be turned back. He did not know if Syllke, who loved everyone so freely and so vibrantly, cared as deeply for him as he did the Vantha. One thing was certain, though, in the peace of the morning. He wasn't afraid anymore. Weary, perhaps, but no longer terrified. "Syllke," Seodai murmured, fingers lightly stroking up the flat stomach his hand had curled so comfortably against. Up to the line of his jaw, as Seodai pushed himself up to one elbow. "Are you asleep?" The Denvali farmer tugged on a smooth, pale shoulder and coaxed Syllke onto his back. His hair was mussed from their shared sleep, his eyes soft and relaxed. Seodai smiled, a sleepy, gentle expression. "I hope you'll forgive my intrusion," he said, one hand lifting so that the pad of his thumb could trail across Syllke's full lower lip. "And my idiocy. I've had a terrible couple of days, and I needed you. You keep me together. Y'know that?" Seodai dipped his golden head, and kissed the corner of Syllke's mouth. Then he dropped his position again so that he could nestle his head into the shoulder of his dear friend. "Do you remember what the gods said, about remembering, Syllke? I've remembered, and I think I needed his perspective to see what a mess I've made of things." With a nestle that dislodged the blankets, Seodai reached to tuck it up over his shoulder again, unwilling to let the bite of the air distract him. He felt as close to level-headed as he had been in a long time. He didn't have it all figured out. Maybe he had nothing figured out. But, despite the sleepy pull of his heavy lids, and the way his long limbs tucked just so into Syllke, making sleep so appealing, he felt balanced. Even-keel. Something he couldn't even describe. "I kissed Lysander, Syllke. Because he was there, and I was freezing, and I didn't want to be afraid anymore. Afraid that I'd finally know I couldn't really have him at all." For all that Seodai had expressed to Syllke in the months prior, it might have been surprising, the calm with which he expressed this. This embrace he'd longed for with as much passion as Syllke had secretly longed for him. Seodai spoke about it almost clinically, though, watching his own fingertips as he traced an idle pattern across his Vantha's chest. "But when I kissed him, he wasn't even there anymore. It was all... who I used to be. It doesn't make sense, not really. But I know... who he was. Who he loved. And I think that is why Lysander was important. He was like her. Delicate, pretty. Someone I couldn't have. I mean, Melchior couldn't have. He couldn't have her. Like Lysander. I think it was just so that I could remember, Syllke. Zahari called us, Lysander and I, to the labyrinth that night for a reason. I'll never know what it was, because when the lights fell and everything went crazy, he died. But I think it was to help me remember." Speaking so much made Seodai restless, despite the fatigue of his body, and so he shifted so that his head was propped in his palm instead, supported by bent elbow. He could see Syllke better this way, anyway. "I'm not sure why. Melchior was this powerful magician. He was so strong. He was so different from me. I don't know what I'm supposed to take away from his life, or how it is supposed to help Denval." With brightly colored eyes in sight, now, Seodai felt the courage he'd been so certain of before wane. When he'd trudged through the streets of Denval, desperate to find Noc, desperate to be made well again, he'd thought of Syllke. Of the way his skin had been so warm, despite the cool day, when he'd embraced him by the sculpture. Of the salt of his lips, and the way they'd spread heat all throughout Seodai's body with just a touch. Seodai felt like he'd just woken up from a confusing dream, and he realized now, at least, what was important. He also didn't want to lose his friend. "I wish we could leave. I can't. I can't leave the farm, or Theo. I can't leave because Syna told me to stay, and I need Bala. But, gods, Syllke... I just... I just want..." Frustrated with the inability of words to express his meaning, Seodai simply leaned down and ghosted his lips across Syllke's own. Once, twice, and again. And then he buried his golden face in the curve of Syllke's throat, one hand lifting to splay against the other side. His voice was muffled when he spoke. "I'd have fallen apart without you, already. I don't know why you came, or how you came to be so important to me. But I wish we could just run away from this madness. We can find beached animals and saw off their horns, Syllke. We can climb cliffs and follow tracks and sketch things and anything else you want. I just want it to be like that, always. How easy it is, when it is me and you. I want to lay in the warm grass and kiss you, like we kissed that day on the cliff. I want to stay with you. I don't want to leave the Lyceum. I want to ignore all of it. Melchior, Lysander, Denval. I want you to make it better, because you make everything else better."

[Syllke Skyglow]

Syllke was content to nestle under the retrieved cover, warmed by Seodai, wondering what in the hell was going to happen when the Denvali woke up. There wasn’t a single explanation that Syllke could conjure to explain that warmth at his back. Nothing made any sense whatsoever. He assumed Seodai would offer him some reason for his amazing and bewildering presence, and, fearing that rousing his friend would simply trigger the cessation of . . . this . . . that much sooner, Syllke remained quiet. It wasn’t a long wait. Despite their shared heat, the sensation of Seo’s hand trailing up his stomach made Syllke shiver. He allowed himself to be pulled around, to be looking up into those beautiful blue eyes, still awash with recently departed slumber. His own eyes would be aswirl, reflecting the storm of uncertainty which that dear, achingly handsome face had triggered. There had to be some problem, some situation that had brought Seo here, to him. But the young farmer was smiling, the smile that tugged at the artist’s heartstrings so deftly. Seo didn’t appear to be upset or out of sorts. He looked quite at peace, and quite charmingly lovely, with his sleep ruffled hair falling into his face as he leaned over. “I don’t know – I might be dreaming.” Syllke teased with a return smile. “I seem to have a Seo in my bed and I can’t imagine why.” His fingers moved to stroke down Seo’s hip, coming to rest on his thigh, his eyes searching Seo’s but waiting patiently for this baffling mystery to be explained. Seo’s words, juxtaposed against the terrible feeling of his thumb brushing over Syllke’s mouth, made the Vantha’s heart do flips in his chest. He felt like he was filled with birds that were soaring and then diving, as he was unable to decipher what Seo really meant. Was it good to be the one he turned to when his life was getting rocky? Or did that depend on why he turned to Syllke? Syllke was just about to make some snarky come back, but then Seo’s head was dipping and their lips met. Once. So briefly. So lightly. Syllke never even got the chance to react, and then Seodai had cuddled into him - and started talking utter nonsense. For a moment, Syllke’s eyebrows drew together in a puzzled frown. Whatever he had been expecting – and that was nebulous to the point of being nonexistent itself – it had not been talk of . . . gods? And of some other fellow too? What? The next bit was more predictable, and Syllke was ready for it, really. Somehow, though he had told himself that he could not figure out why Seo had come to his bed – somehow, he had known it had something to do with Lysander. Those birds vanished and his heart dropped of its own accord, right down to his toes. With that smile and that calm demeanor, Syllke could only assume things had gone well for Seo, and he almost wasn’t listening. He wasn’t sure he could handle hearing this, but he was trapped. Seodai was going on and on and on about something that Syllke couldn’t make head nor tails of, honestly. And if he could have somehow gracefully extricated himself from the bed without seeming too . . . rude – too unwilling to listen, he would have. Syllke’s hand had dropped from Seo’s hip and when Seo went to prop himself up again, that hand went to his chest, almost as if Syllke could somehow stop him, somehow guard himself from Seo’s unwitting emotional assault. The farmer’s words changed to some talk of leaving Denval, and Syllke was sure he was dreaming. That was it. This whole weird event was only some dream brought on by his intense feelings for someone who liked him well enough, but that was about it. Both hands moved to press his palms against Seo’s chest, ready to push him away. He didn’t need dreams like this. He didn’t want dreams like this. He thought how unfair it was that even in sleep Seo had to be such an ass. But with no regard for Syllke’s affronted sensibilities, the dream Seo lowered his head and . . . and . . . The dream had suddenly just got better. But those lips were so warm – so real. As dream Seo - or maybe, was it the real one – dropped his head to Syllke’s neck, the Vantha raised his hand to tentatively touch his own lips. This was really Seo, and he was really in his bed, and he had really just kissed him . . . Seo was still babbling on. Syllke didn’t think he’d ever heard his friend talk so much at one go before. With a sudden movement, Syllke sat halfway up, dislodging a startled looking Seo from off his chest. With one hand planted firmly on Seo’s shoulder, he pushed him back so that now Seo was looking up at him. But Syllke wasted no times on crazy nonsense words or deep gazing into those blue pools. Seo was in his bed and had kissed him. Well, he was damn sure going to get in a kiss or two himself, if the boy was willing. Without hesitation, his mouth moved to cover Seo’s, as the fingers of one hand brushed against his soft, gold curls. His chest lowered to come to rest on Seo’s, his head tilting to better kiss those warm, full lips. His other hand gripped Seo’s shoulder still, and his fingers clenched in the fabric of his shirt. With no sound whatsoever, not even a moan of the desire that was pent up in him like a dammed river, Syllke resolved, without thinking to, without needing to think at all, to not leave off until Seo made it clear that he was done. Lysander could get his whenever he had the chance. Fucking beautiful Ethaefals be damned. This was Syllke’s moment, and Seo was his, for as long as he could keep him.

[Seodai]

Seodai had expected Syllke to speak with him, perhaps run those long fingers through his hair, to comfort him with understanding. He hadn't expected the Vantha to bolt upright as if he'd been stung by Theo's bees, and his own golden face was etched with confusion when Syllke moved so abruptly. And then one hand was on his shoulder, coaxing him firmly downwards towards the mattress. There was such a look of determination on Syllke's face that Seodai couldn't help but laugh lightly, though the noise was quickly lost in the embrace that ensued. Syllke was heat against him. Heat and muscle, pressed so very close, as hungry lips claimed his own. It was like the first moment he'd laid eyes upon the sculpture Syllke had created of him. He'd never felt so adored. He couldn't possibly understand how emotion had compounded since that day they had last kissed, on the cliff, but he could feel the weight of it in lips that moved against his own. It set him aflame, his grappling hands coming up to the smooth, bare skin of Syllke's back. That coil of hesitation, of uncertainty, of worry dissipated. It was impossible to misunderstand this, even for innocent Seodai, who knew nothing of love. For all that he wanted to taste Syllke's lips, the feeling was apparently mutual, which only made it sweeter still. He'd worry later over whether or not this was merely physical for his friend; he'd never seen Syllke with lovers, but the Vantha was so beautiful and gregarious that it wasn't difficult to imagine him with his own collection of them. No, Seodai didn't worry about that yet. He focused only on the sheer delight of those lips, familiar to him, delicious. "Mmph," he mumbled breathlessly, fingertips dancing down the length of a spine. Syllke pulled away to stare down at him, and the curtain of his dark hair fell against Seo's cheeks. What could the young farmer do but grin, a flushed, lopsided reflection of his emotional state. This wouldn't be like their first kiss. Seodai had no apologies for Syllke. There was no misunderstanding. "Syll-" Those lips, again, eager hands in his curls. The brush of teeth to lip, the haphazard way they both risked everything in the kiss, held nothing back - it was enough to turn the syllables of Syllke's name into a drawn out moan instead. Seodai shifted beneath the best of friends, so that the bony jut of Syllke's hip pressed into less sensitive flesh. With hands idly falling to the slender waist above him, only then did he discover that Syllke was as naked as the day he was born. That made the pleasing friction between their lower bodies so much more stark, and though it wasn't in a terrified skitter, it halted Seodai as much as it had before. "Syllke," he managed, nipping at the full lower lip before lolling his head just slightly aside so as to break the kiss definitively. He felt the change in body language in an instant, and though he didn't understand it, he was intuitive enough to counter it. He refused to let go, even as Syllke attempted to dismount. Instead, he slid his arms around the slender frame in an embrace, and allowed their position to shift so that they were both on their sides, face to face, with the soft pillow beneath their cheeks. Seodai nudged those slender legs apart so that one of his thighs could become their blissful captive, and when he was certain Syllke wouldn't try to escape, he relaxed his uppermost hand to lift it, first to Syllke's cheek. "I love kissing you," Seodai admitted in a whisper that was almost bashful. The pad of his thumb traced the elegant boning of Syllke's cheek, then traced a gentle trail along the line of his jaw, the length of his throat. Further still, the curve of his shoulder, the dip of his ribs, the bow of his waist. Finally his fingers came to rest in a possessive curve about Syllke's hip. The Denvali leaned in for one more kiss, chaste in comparison with the embrace of the moment before, and then settled onto the pillow again. "Syna will shatter the night soon. You'll not regret this in the light of day, will you, Syllke?" Despite all that Seodai had shared, and his blind assumption that Syllke understood every word, there was still an almost boyish sense of wavering. Not in his resolve. He held Syllke close, stubbornly, and lazily stroked hip and upper thigh. The big blue eyes that awaited a response were vulnerable, instead. Tinged with uncertainty.

[Syllke Skyglow]

One moment was blinding heat and hard muscles, soft skin and even softer lips. It seemed with the next breath, Seodai was resettling them, Syllke had slipped to his side and they faced one another. With an effort, Syllke refocused and he felt like the boy who had changed into an eagle, soaring above it all, finally, but eventually even an eagle had to tie itself once more to the earth. With their noses almost touching, and the taste of Seo still fresh and sweet in his mouth, Syllke fell into those blue oceans that now seemed to swirl with as much emotion as Syllke knew his own eyes must be doing. If Seo had not broken off their kiss . . . Syllke slowly disentangled his hand from the curls at the back of Seo’s neck and his fingers traced down over his friend’s throat, stopping only when they reached the open collar of his shirt. He felt like he had just run a race, and that he had won. Seo’s thumb left a trail of ice and fire in its wake, and Syllke could not help but snort slightly at his half question. “I regret nothing with you, Seo.” He replied with a sweet smile. “Not even the times when you aren’t around. Just makes me want you that much more.” He couldn’t help it. Seo was in the most talkative mood of their acquaintance so far, but all Syllke could think about was how it felt to be kissing him – to be stretched on top if him and imagining what it would be like to go even further. If Seo had his doubts, Syllke had just as many, because he knew Seo was more innocent than he was himself. Syllke was no Casanova, far from it. But he had enough knowledge to know that there was kissing just for fun . . . and then there was kissing, as a prelude to more. He didn’t even know if Seo knew what that more might entail. The boy grew up on a farm – he’d surely know the nuts and bolts of basic reproduction. But, that wasn’t exactly what this was. Syllke wondered if Seo had ever wondered – about more. His index fingers lifted to trace along Seo’s jawline, and when it reached his chin he pulled it forward in the most coaxing way, as his own lips reached for the ones he desired so wildly. The rest of his body was reacting to all this intimacy as could only be expected and Syllke let out a small groan. “Seo . . . tell me again why you crawled into my bed. Did you – do you really want to talk?” It was proving almost impossible for the Vantha to recall any of what Seo had been going on about, but he had heard the urgent need for . . . something . . . in his friend’s voice. But if Seo had merely wanted a nice convo, surely he would have woken Syllke up right away. Syllke was still very muddled by this whole episode, but he wanted to be what Seo needed. Above everything, that was what mattered most to him.

[Seodai]

"No," Seodai said, with a small smile, as he tipped his head to catch the inside of Syllke's wrist with a kiss. His fingers curled against the smooth skin beneath them, the curve of a hip, and he nestled closer. "I needed you. You know Seodai. I needed you to make me feel like Seodai. I needed... the things I love, now. To chase away the things he loved." Seodai dipped his head, tasting of Syllke. It was a playful kiss, prompting Syllke to part those lips for him, to taste the swirl of a tongue quickly becoming familiar. Before it could escalate to something much more, though, Seodai chuckled lightly into that precious flavor and nipped at the lower lip. With noses brushing, he pulled away a tiny bit. "I'm glad you came to Denval, Syllke. I'm glad... you've dragged me off the farm. I love the things you draw. And the sculpture is great." Seodai's random stream of compliments was interspersed with the spread of adoring kisses across the Vantha's face. With his lips brushing the elegant column of Syllke's throat, Seo continued, his hand idly stroking from knee to hip and back again. "You make me laugh," he said, the smile he wore able to be heard in his voice. "And I love the stories you tell. I love your eyes, I think I see the world in them." White teeth grazed along the curve of a muscular shoulder, nipping first, then kissing the smooth skin there with a small measure of wonder. Syllke had claimed his first kiss and now, this too. He'd never known the feeling of intimacy like this, of exploring another body so freely. He'd coveted it fiercely, with Lysander, but this was something different. Something different entirely. When he could no longer go further without entirely altering their position, Seodai lifted his golden head once again to kiss Syllke, and speak against parted lips. "I love your lips. I love kissing you, did I already say that? I needed to remember what I love, Syllke. What Seo loves. So I needed you."

[Syllke Skyglow]

Seo slid away from that intended renewal of what he had broken off, and Syllke listened with his senses focused on the feel of Seo’s lips on his wrist instead. But before he could make any sense of those words, the full lips were back, pressed to his, which parted easily as Seo’s tongue teased inside his mouth. And to Syllke it seemed just that – for what seemed like the hundredth time, Seo pulled away just as Syllke was only beginning to respond. Still, Syllke did not complain. How could he, with Seo’s mouth fluttering as softly and as gently as a butterfly over his hot skin – his face, his neck, his shoulder? Syllke basked in that attention, but Seo’s running commentary surprised him enough that he actually heeded it. Still, words escaped the artist, who typically found more relief of feeling through his fingers than his lips. All he could manage was a murmured, “Yeah, I think you did mention that . . . “ before his own lips claimed Seo’s once more, their tongues twining and darting and Syllke’s fingertips stroking along his friend’s cheek. What Seo had said, Syllke was trying to internalize and process and make a part of himself. For what had been said was . . . astounding – amazing – almost . . . unbelievable. Somehow they had gone from Seodai telling him that he had kissed Lysander to – this! Seo warm and soft and hard beside him. Seo kissing him willingly and with no apologies – no misunderstanding. Seo professing an affection and need for Syllke that was reciprocated entirely and unreservedly. Seo couldn’t know this – perhaps he had some small inkling of it – but all that he had just said, all that Syllke felt but could not find the words to say – all of it was in that sculpture. Syllke had poured himself into that work, and all of what he felt and thought and desired and hoped for when it came to Seodai was captured in its cool, smooth solidity. Syllke’s hand continued to trail down and this time it didn’t stop at the other boy’s open collar. On it went, feeling the fabric of Seo’s shirt under his fingers, reaching the waist band of his trousers where the movements of sleep had pulled the shirt tail loose. Sliding under to touch smooth, warm skin, feeling the jut of hip and moving round, fingers sliding in to trace over the front of Seo’s belly, feeling the beginning of soft hair under his navel. His own arousal was pressed tightly against Seo’s thighs, resting in the dip between his legs, and Syllke’s body seemed to move of its own accord. Against Seo’s mouth, he breathed the faintest murmur. “I’m glad you’re here, Seodai - I’m glad you came – I’m glad you need me." Each short phrase was punctuated by another kiss and an echoing motion of his hips, pushing against Seo, growing slightly more insistent with each thrust. He paused, kissing Seo deeply for a long moment. "I love . . . this . . . too,” he whispered against Seo's ear, though it might have seemed that he had substituted 'this' for some other word at the last moment.

[Seodai]

The sensation of Syllke was amazing. Against him, touching him, kissing him. Syllke was everywhere, and it was glorious, even as the blanket draped across their shoulders trapped the heat of their joined bodies between them. As Syllke explored with fingertips that felt fare more confident than his own, Seodai felt frustrated at the folds of his shirt between them. He recalled, then, that moment when he'd held Syllke against him in the Lyceum and wished that there had not been cloth between them. In this moment, what reason was there to keep it there? Seodai sat up abruptly, causing all of the warmth they'd accrued to be lost to the chilly air. He reached down to grasp his shirt and tugged it up over his head, discarding it carelessly on the floor beside the bed. With his bright eyes turned down towards Syllke's face, he seemed to consider something. The answer to whatever it had been was a blush, and Seo sank down into Syllke's arms without comment. When his lips found a partner in the sensuous dance they'd been previously engaged in, Seodai crushed Syllke to him. He reached down to grasp at the Vantha's uppermost knee, and he lifted it so that the long, strong leg hooked up across his own waist. Seodai answered the delicious motions of Syllke's body with a tentative thrust of his own, and as their bodies met in perfect synchronization, he moaned into the kiss. Everything about Syllke, about the moment, felt right. Except, perhaps, the fact that the blanket was nearly discarded at their ankles. As much heat as existed between their bodies, it was still petching cold, and so he dropped his mouth to a curved shoulder as he grappled downwards to pull the fabric up. Again hidden in their own little world, Seodai bumped his nose to Syllke's as he attempted to resume his position, and laughed a little into the lips that welcomed him. Syllke felt exactly like home, and that was just what Seodai had needed.

[Syllke Skyglow]

The sensation of Seo pressed so reassuringly against him, the presence of shared body heat – and exceptionally heated as they were – the distraction of Seo’s wild kisses, were almost enough to cause Syllke not to notice the cold. But it was such a strange feeling – one he knew subliminally that he should not be experiencing – that as Seo reached for the blanket, Syllke turned his head, not so much to catch Seodai’s lips again, as to look at the bumps on his arms. He was frowning slightly when Seo drew the cover up and their noses brushed. Their interrupted kiss resumed but Syllke could feel the cold seeping in around the edges of the blanket and, almost unbelievably, he was the first to move his lips away. He found that his body was shivering and he pulled Seo’s hot body closer, more for the warmth it exuded than for the erotic urges of a few moments before. Burying his face into Seo’s shoulder, he seemed to be burrowing into the other boy, as he whispered, “Gods, it’s freezing in here.” To his utter amazement, his teeth were actually chattering as he spoke. “How did it get so fucking cold so quickly?” He chattered, feeling like his blood was turning to ice.