@beingsofkismet
the quiet afterward was his favorite part.
darius lay sprawled across elrik’s chest, one arm loosely draped over him, the sheets tangled somewhere around their legs. warmth still lingered in his skin, a pleasant heaviness settling through his limbs that made it difficult to imagine moving anytime soon.
lanternlight flickered softly against the ceiling beams. he watched it lazily, eyes half-lidded. elrik’s chest rose and fell steadily beneath his cheek. the slow rhythm of it was calming in a way darius rarely allowed himself to acknowledge. his fingers moved absentmindedly along the man’s side, tracing idle shapes without any real purpose.
he felt… quiet.
not just the room.
himself.
that alone was rare enough to savor.
his eyes drifted closed for a moment before opening again, gaze sliding upward. “if anyone in vissai knew i end up here half the times i visit,” he murmured, voice low and warm with lingering ease, “there would be an entire council convened about it.” the thought made the corner of his mouth lift slightly.
his fingers stilled, resting against warm skin.
“several councils, probably.”
he shifted a little, settling more comfortably where he lay. his cheek pressed more firmly against elrik’s chest, listening for a moment to the steady heartbeat beneath it. so simple. so strangely comforting.
darius exhaled quietly. “they already think lysain is a bad influence,” he added after a moment, tone thoughtful but light. “too many secrets moving through one city.” his fingers resumed their slow, idle tracing. “information travels faster here than anywhere else.”
he paused.
“the skywardens hate that.”
the words came easily, carried on the same soft current of afterglow and ease that always loosened his tongue. darius shifted again, stretching slightly before settling back down. “they’ve been adjusting patrol routes lately,” he said idly, gaze drifting back toward the lanternlight above. “further west than usual.”
a small pause. “closer to the coast.” he didn’t think much of the words as they left him. his body was warm. his mind quiet. and for the moment, the world beyond this room felt very far away.