Relationships: Farkas x Aril, Aril & Vilkas, Vilkas & Farkas
Rating: G
Content Warnings: none! this is pure fluff!
This takes place fairly early in their relationship - not long after Farkas has started spending more nights at Aril’s place than his quarters at Jorrvaskr, and a while before Aril joins the Circle.
If you’d prefer to read on Ao3, you can find the story here!
Farkas awakened just after dawn to the warm, sweet scent of Aril’s favorite spiced tea drifting up from the kitchen. He couldn’t hold back a grin as he got up and tugged on one of Aril’s soft, fluffy robes — his heart felt warm and soft today, too.
Full.
As he made his way down the stairs, the morning light was starting to drift in through the cottage’s windows. One ray of light fell across the back of Aril’s bowed head, illuminating his snow-bright hair… and Farkas went still without even meaning to, appreciating the beauty of the moment.
Aril was sitting in a strange position, one leg curled up to hold the cloth he was working on — a grey-wool scarf, it looked like, still in-progress. He had a strand of yarn looped around his right-hand while his left was busy working with a hooked needle, growing the cloth a little more with each swift-stitch.
His lips quirked into a little smile as he glanced up from his work, his sky-blue gaze just as soft and warm as the morning sun. “Good morning,” Aril said. “I made enough tea for two.”
Farkas grinned as he made his way over to the stove. An empty cup was already sitting by the kettle, waiting for him, and as he filled it with tea he felt the joy and affection in his heart spill-over.
Gods, I love this man.
“How did I get so lucky?” he asked aloud, beaming as he turned to face Aril again. “I didn’t know you could knit! Is there anything you can’t do?”
Aril laughed, shaking his head. “This is crochet, dear. Ironically, knitting is something I could never wrap my head around. Two needles was too many for me.” He tugged more yarn up, sighing contently. “I find this work is more forgiving of the occasional mistake, too. I’m far from perfect.”
“I beg to differ,” Farkas scoffed quietly, taking a seat across from him. Aril was blushing, now, and that was absolutely adorable. “I mean, look at that! That’s amazing. I wish I could make my own scarves!”
Aril’s ears perked up just a little as he smirked, in the impish way Farkas was beginning to realize meant he was being coy about something. He arched one of his eyebrows and leaned in. “Alright, spill it.”
“This scarf isn’t for me,” Aril admitted. “It’s a gift. For someone’s birthday. Of course, I had made one already, but… I didn’t want the other twin to feel left out, so…”
Farkas blinked, the puzzle pieces finally falling into place. “Wait — ”
Before he could say more, however, Aril had paused his work to pull a neatly-folded scarf out from behind his back. It was made of grey wool, too, but embellished with little stripes of the lovely periwinkle-blue he’d begun to associate with Aril.
“Happy birthday, love,” Aril said. “I hope it keeps you a little warmer in these cold months.”
.
Around noon, Aril and Farkas finally left home and meandered through the Whiterun market as they made their way to Jorrvaskr — and Aril smiled each time his eyes fell on Farkas, taking in the sight of him wearing his new gift.
A ward against the wind’s chill.
It was an old belief his grandmother passed on to him: that there is a special kind of magic in the act of crafting something with your own hands for someone you love. Each step of the creation becomes a prayer.
Stay safe. Stay warm. I love you.
In his hands, those prayers do tend to become enchantments. Both the scarf Farkas now wore and the newly-finished one Aril had tucked in his pack had mild wards against chill and magic worked into them. After all, no matter what the nords might claim… Aril’s sure they are not completely immune to winter’s cold.
His own heart was warmed, now, seeing Farkas wear his gift with such pride.
“That’s a pretty scarf,” Carlotta said, smiling as Farkas perused her stand. “It suits you.”
“Thanks,” Farkas said, grinning as he gestured toward Aril. “He made it!”
Aril knew he was blushing, now — the awe and praise in that simple statement was too much for him to handle, and the way Carlotta’s expression softened as she looked at them, now, together…
“How sweet,” she said, chuckling as she passed each of them a fresh apple. “Here. These are on the house, today.”
The whole city was bustling with activity and the scents of baking — the last big harvest was well underway, now, and Aril was astonished by how efficiently the people of Whiterun were preparing for winter.
When Farkas gave him a curious look, Aril reached out to thread their arms together and smiled up at him. “I was just recalling harvest-time in Anvil. It was never this busy, but… winters there are milder, and the sea provides bounty year-round.”
Farkas placed one of his hands over Aril’s, and it felt like a promise. “Don’t worry,” Farkas said, his voice soft. “I’ll make sure you…”
Before he could finish, though, his brother’s voice rang out from the steps leading to the mead hall. “Farkas! There you are! I was wondering when you’d show up!” As Farkas turned to face Vilkas, he didn’t release Aril’s hand — and Aril, already blushing, flushed more as the way he was tugged along by the motion made him stumble a little.
Vilkas raised his eyebrows. “I see you brought Aril, too.”
“Hello, Vilkas,” Aril said, clearing his throat. As close as he’d grown to Farkas these past few weeks, Vilkas remained distant and aloof. Aril wasn’t sure how to change that. “It’s, ah, good to see you?”
“He has something for you,” Farkas cut in, gently nudging Aril to step forward. “A gift.”
Vilkas raised his eyebrows even more. “Oh? Really? Now this I must see.”
Aril reluctantly let go of Farkas so he could take the little scarf-bundle out of his pack. He’d tied a bright blue ribbon around it, but the soft grey-wool of the scarf was still clearly visible. Bundled up inside it were a few extra surprises — a book he knew Vilkas had been wanting to add to his collection, and a sachet filled with a herbal tea blend of his own making.
“Happy birthday, Vilkas,” Aril said, holding it out. “I hope you like it.”When Vilkas took it, he held it as though it were some priceless artifact. After he tugged the cloth open to see what was inside, his expression grew softer than Aril had ever seen it — and the resemblance between him and Farkas was undeniably clear.
“Thank you,” Vilkas sighed. “This is… very thoughtful.”
And as he draped the scarf around his neck, Aril felt as sense of calm wash over him, as though he’d finally left behind a rocky, turbulent sea.
Okay I have another question for Eira and Aril: What do you think about one another's significant other?
ask my characters anything
Aril: “Niruin’s alright. He’s handsome, witty... a bit lofty, sometimes, but Eira doesn’t mind that sort of thing. He’s obviously sweet on her, and she’s sweet on him --- that’s the part that matters. I wouldn’t mind having him around.”
Eira: “Oh, Farkas is adorable. Not the sort of man I would have expected Aril to go for, but... seeing them together, I can’t imagine anything else would be better for my brother. I bet he gives the most wonderful hugs.”
“Do you ever think about how lucky we are?” Aril asked one night — his fingers tracing one of the more nasty looking scars Farkas had on his chest. “Sometimes I see these and think of all the times I could have lost you before I even had a chance to know you.”
“You shouldn’t worry about that,” Farkas said, reaching out to ruffle Aril’s hair. “I’m here. You’re here. That’s all that matters.”
That earned a little smile from Aril, which made his heart flutter. “I suppose you’re right, Farkas. That is all that matters. I’ll be here to patch up whatever wounds your beast blood doesn’t heal from now on.”
Farkas pouted, but before he could speak up to say that wasn’t what he’d meant, Aril was leaning in to follow his fingers with his lips, kissing each and every scar he found… and as heat rushed to his cheeks, Farkas decided against saying anything for a while.
He didn’t want Aril to stop…!
After, though, when Aril was curled up next to him, Farkas couldn’t help but brush the soft, silvery hair away from Aril’s cheek to get a better look at his most prominent scar.
It spanned from his cheek to his temple, crossing over his left eye. He was a great healer, so it was odd that this wound hadn’t been fixed up before it scarred so badly. Unlike Farkas, he only had a few small scars, mostly things that were still healing.
Tracing the line with his thumb, Farkas frowned. Perhaps Aril had a point. They had both done so much, survived so much, to get to where they were now. He sighed and curled up around Aril, moving slowly so he wouldn’t disturb him.
He thought of all the times Vilkas or one of the other Companions had dragged him back from a battle he’d gone down in, all the times they’d patched him up or taken him to the temple of Kynareth for healing. He’d always had his brother and the others watching his back, since he’d been a little whelp who couldn’t even lift a sword properly.
He knew Aril had always been safe, because he’d always had family that looked after him, too. His sister and brother, and his parents… they’d always had his back. Neither of them had ever been alone.
Maybe that did make them lucky.
He felt Aril shove him gently, and heard him give a tired little laugh. “I got you thinking about it, didn’t I?”
“Bah,” Farkas grumbled. He could feel the elf smirk against his chest, though. He knew he was right. Too smart for his own good, that one.
“I love you, you silly wolf.”
From this list of intimacy prompts, as requested by Alexis of @nirnwrote!
Kiss Prompt: "30. Weak, sweaty kisses because it’s unbearably hot." I figure this could work well for Aril x Farkas? 😊
50 Types of Kisses - Writing Prompts
If you prefer to read fic on AO3 instead, you can find it here!
“Dunno how you can stand it,” Farkas said, standing a little ways back from the forge. It was hot, and Aril was sweating as he worked with the metal — one unexpected quirk of the beast blood was that it made everything hotter when the moons were high and bright, and they had risen early this evening. “You sure this can’t wait?”
“No, I can’t stop in the middle of this task,” Aril sighed. “It would ruin the finish.”
He could, however, pause for a moment to shrug his shirt off. The protective layer wasn’t worth it if the heat did him in. Plus, he got a little thrill from knowing Farkas would appreciate the look.
“Damn,” Farkas breathed, making Aril smirk to himself.
He quickly resumed the process of folding the metal. It was tough work, but the lovely swirls and waves it would give the finished blade would be worth it. Plus, with the moons up, it was easy for him to flood the heated metal with some mana. The cool glow from his hand was a stark contrast to the warm light of the forge.
“What’s that for?” Farkas asked. He did always love to hear Aril explain things, even if Aril wasn’t sure the details stuck.
“I find it helps with the enchanting process. I think exposing it to mana in this state lets it take more later. But that’s a secret to everybody,” Aril said, winking at him. “Don’t tell anyone.”
“Not a word,” Farkas promised.
By the time he was finished with the folding process, Aril was a weak, sweaty mess. He desperately wanted to go home so he could shuck off the rest of his clothes and take a nice, long, hot —
His train of thought was interrupted by Farkas swooping in to pin him against the nearest bench, kissing him hard enough to make his knees want to buckle. One was followed by another, and Aril gripped the other man’s shirt as he returned every one, his fingers trembling from the effort.
“I’m a mess, Farkas,” he groaned. “Can’t this wait until I’ve had a bath?”
“No,” Farkas said. “I like it when you smell like this.”
“Like… sweat and hot iron?” Aril asked, incredulous. It was something his siblings had never appreciated, but the way Farkas was scooping him up into a fierce embrace was proof enough that Farkas was being honest.
(Not that Farkas had ever lied to Aril about anything.)
“Yes,” Farkas breathed, kissing Aril again. This time, he was sure his knees would have given out if Farkas wasn’t holding him several inches off the ground. It was cute, in an incredibly frustrating sort of way.
Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?
How do they celebrate holidays?
ship questions
Aril/Farkas:
Did either of them try to resist their feelings?
Nope! It did take Farkas a little while to realize he was crushing on Aril, though... and it also took him a little while to say anything. Aril figured it out right away and was just amused by his lover’s antics and shyness. He wanted to see how long it would take Farkas to get around to actually confessing, so he kept quiet about his feelings... but yeah, neither of them resisted the process. LOL.
How often do they cuddle/engage in PDA?
ALL THE TIME. Neither of them is shy about physical contact, but they (usually) keep it somewhat tame in public spaces. In private, they’re also always touching each other and they both love hugs and spooning.
Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?
It’s the first serious relationship for both of them. Aril is also the first man Farkas has been sexually intimate with, so he gets the firsts that come with that --- but Aril had experience before Farkas (which is probably a good thing.) Farkas is, however, the first person to propose to Aril.
How do they celebrate holidays?
Depends on the holiday, but there’s usually some sparring, drinking, and merry-making. Aril also likes to play some music, which Farkas joins in with (usually slightly off-key) and they both use holidays as excuses to give each other gifts and special treatment.
Heart’s Day is a big one, though, since it’s both the holiday for lovers AND the eve of Aril’s birthday. Farkas likes to make sure they stay up until midnight so he can wish Aril another happy year and give him lots of kisses. ;D
Eira/Niruin:
Did either of them try to resist their feelings?
They BOTH did to some degree, but for different reasons. Niruin’s feelings about romance are complicated and he tends to avoid his problems instead of facing them. He’s not fond of the idea of being “stuck” in a relationship, either, which was one of the reasons Eira’s nonchalant attitude about physical intimacy was appealing to begin with.
Then he caught feelings and started to worry that she wouldn’t want to be with him anymore if she found out, since it changed the nature of their relationship (which was supposed to be a “no strings attached” sort of thing. Oops?)
On Eira’s side, she was caught up in so many other things herself that she didn’t really notice the hints that he was having these problems. She had to lay low to avoid the Thalmor for a while, which was the catalyst for her realizing she was also in love with Niruin. (And, sadly, a thing that kept them apart for a while...)
After THAT ordeal, though, they both had a heart-to-heart that made them both feel a LOT better about their future. ^-^
How often do they cuddle/engage in PDA?
They engage in a lot of flirty banter and some light PDA around others and cuddle a LOT in private, especially when it’s cold.
Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?
It’s the first time Eira’s been romantically interested in someone, though that takes a while to develop. It’s also the first time Niruin’s been willing to seriously commit to a relationship and been HAPPY to say “I’m yours.” (Bonus: Eira’s not the first person he’s been engaged to, but she IS the first person he actually ties the knot with.)
How do they celebrate holidays?
Holidays are VERY busy days for members of the Guild, so they usually spend a good part of the day doing “work.” Eira also likes to check up on the poor and make sure their affairs are sorted... and then they end the night with drinking, having fun, and love-making.
Once they settle into a serious relationship, she starts to take the few days around Heart’s Day off (since the day after is ALSO her birthday) and they often travel to Riverwood for some rest and relaxation away from the bustle of the city.
I’m just going to do my 3 Skyrim muses this time, but I may revisit this idea later with other OCs of mine. ^-^
Eira:
Leather, smoke, mint. She chews mint leaves a lot to stay fresh and also bathes with mint-scented soaps and oils. She likes the clean smell of it, and it’s potent enough to get rid of other less-savory scents (like the ratway stink.) She will also splurge and spoil herself with nicer soaps quite frequently, so sometimes she’ll smell like lavender, rose, vanilla, honey, juniper, etc. She usually smells soft and sweet under the leather scent.
Aril:
Juniper leaves, smoke, leather, fresh metal. He works as a smith so the smells of the forge cling to him and eventually permeate most of his clothes. Metal, leather, wood smoke... etc. He also loves the smell of juniper, so he does scent his bath supplies with crushed juniper leaves. It’s strong enough to cover up some of the forge-smell, but not all of it. He usually smells warm and earthy.
Syrus:
Cedarwood, mint, medicinal herbs. He bathes frequently in strong-scented water to get rid of the smell of blood because he hates that smell, especially when it clings to him. He also covers up a lot of his poison-making by also making medicines and antidotes, so herbal smells do permeate his things. He usually smells woody and fresh, almost too clean.
This question is for Aril and Eira: What do you like most and least about each other?
ask my characters anything
Eira: “He’s loyal. I know I can always count on him in a pinch. He’s covered for me so many times... Sometimes he’s too good, though. It’s annoying when he’s the one that gets all the credit for doing something nice. I’m nice, too! Most of the time, anyway.”
Aril: “She’s a handful, and I get roped into her messes more often than I’d like to. I don’t know how always manages to convince me it’s a good idea. She’s so damn good at getting people to do what she wants them to... Which is honestly pretty amazing.”
They both are very soft, affectionate types when it comes to romance, but Farkas is the kind of guy that doesn’t do anything in half-measures. (Neither is Aril, but he’s SLIGHTLY more subdued.)
