I wish you would write a fic where both Damen and Laurent are inexperienced at sex and drink hakesh...
Kastor had been invited to join some of the women at the coupling fire, but the clan chief had waved a dismissive hand at Damen. “We sleep with men, not teenagers.”
Damen had wanted to protest–he was old enough to have his own favorites at the palace in Ios–but his father shook his head, and Damen swallowed his pride and accepted a wineskin of liquor as a consolation prize.
Since Damen was banned from the coupling fires, he was assigned to be the chaperone of the visiting Veretian prince. The prince was his own age, or perhaps a year younger. Damen understood from the Veretian ambassador that the prince was forbidden from being alone with women, because of the Veretian stigma about bastardy.
They were assigned a tiny tent together. Damen would have filled the tent alone; with the Veretian prince curled into a corner wearing a fur cloak Damen had to settle himself awkwardly on his knees in the remaining space.
Damen decided to be hospitable. He offered the prince the liquor.
The prince sneered. “Are you intent on torturing yourself?”
Damen defiantly took another drink.
“It’s like you don’t even know the effects of the drink,” said the prince.
“It’s polite to accept what the Vaskians offer,” said Damen.
“You’re not Vaskian,” said the prince.
“I’m Damianos of Akielos,” said Damen.
“I know,” said the prince, making no move to introduce himself.
***
A couple of hours later, Damen had drunk most of the liquor, and had convinced the prince to have a few mouthfuls. The prince had not lost his acid tongue, but Damen was ignoring most of his jibes and thinking fondly of his favorite slaves.
“What is it like, with women?” said Laurent.
“It’s wonderful,” said Damen. He could hear the sounds of sex from the coupling fire, and the drink and the noises and his thoughts had caused him to start to be aroused.
Laurent made a skeptical noise.
“You’ve really never?” said Damen, turning his head toward the prince.
Laurent swallowed the last drops of hakesh from the wineskin. “I don’t–” he hiccoughed, and Damen laughed lightly. “I don’t care for women.”
Damen nodded. “I prefer it,” he confided. “But men have their charms.”
Laurent set the winesack down. “You’ve–” he gestured, Damen was uncertain what it was supposed to mean. “–with men?”
“Yes.”
“And what is it like, with men?” said Laurent.
Damen shrugged. “One mouth is much like another.”
Laurent’s eyes were wide in the the darkness. “What about when they take you? As a man takes a boy.”
Damen shrugged again. “I wouldn’t know.”
“You haven’t?”
“It’s not done,” said Damen. “A man of lower rank cannot take a higher ranked one. I could only be fucked by a prince.”
Damen said it without thinking. There was a moment of silence while Damen thought about what he had just said.
