Gift
(Viren/Kasef, Prince Consort AU) A Dragon Prince fic:
“Priya, down!”
Viren taps his heel lightly against the large elephant’s shoulder, and she sinks onto her forelegs to let him dismount. Behind him, Kasef begins to slide off, but Viren captures his arms, wrapping them around his waist again for just a moment longer. Kasef tucks his face into the crook of Viren’s neck, and they breathe together, once, twice, before Kasef plants a gentle kiss on Viren’s skin and finally slides to the ground.
This part is always a bit tricky, with his bad knee, but Kasef holds his arms out. “Come on, my Prince, I’ll catch you.” And he does, smiling and holding Viren steady.
They linger like that too, sharing soft touches and light kisses, until Priya huffs out a bellow of air, clearly annoyed with having been ignored.
Viren chuckles and pats her twice on the shoulder to let her know she can stand up. When she rises, she bats him playfully with her trunk. A rebuke, but a jesting one. Viren gives her trunk a rub. “Who’s my girl?” he coos, “who’s my smart, strong girl? That’s right, you are! Priya is!”
She seems to take this as apology enough, and he pats her again as she turns toward the elephant house for a cool drink and some rest.
Kasef’s laugh echoes through the courtyard. He captures Viren around the waist from behind, again nuzzling his face into his neck. “You know, when we met, I never would have pictured you using baby talk. It’s cute.”
“I could say the same for you.”
Viren can feel Kasef smile against his skin. He smiles too. He’s happy here. With his husband’s arms around him, and the warm evening breeze gently tossing the loose fabric of his clothes, and the chorus of frogs beginning to sing in the nearby garden pools, he’s so happy.
“I had a wonderful day,” he continues. “Thank you for Priya. I’m honored you would gift her to me. I know she’s one of your favorites.”
“She likes you,” Kasef says into his shoulder. “Besides, everything I have is yours anyway, my Prince. And the day is not over yet. Come on.”
Kasef tugs him backward, until they’re both stumbling a bit, and Viren’s heart jumps for a moment, part shock, part giddy thrill. Kasef soon rights them both, chuckling. He unwraps his arms from Viren’s waist and finds his hand instead, and they make their way up into the palace. When they reach their suite, Kasef nudges him inside. “Go, freshen up. Meet me in the gardens in an hour. I’ll have dinner prepared.”
“Won’t you be joining me in ‘freshening up’?”
“You take this time for you. We have the rest of the night for us.”
Kasef brings Viren’s hand to his lips and kisses his knuckles softly. “Also, I have another gift for you. And I know you’ll want to surprise me with it. It’s waiting on the chaise in the sitting room. Go. I’ll see you soon.”
As Viren closes the door to their suite, he racks his brain for what gift Kasef could give him that he’d possibly want to turn around and surprise him with. True to Kasef’s word, there is a wide, flat, rectangular box resting on the chaise, with a note that reads, “open me after you bathe”. His husband is like this sometimes, leaving little mysteries for Viren to puzzle out, tiny adventures to pique his curiosity. It’s a small thrill, and Viren loves it.
As requested, he heads to the bath first. Warming the water with a quickly muttered spell, he steps over the pink marble edge and sinks in. The sweetly fragranced bath salts relax his muscles, drawing out every ache from the day’s ride and walks. He lets himself drift there until the water cools. After rising and drying off, he sprinkles a light dusting of his favorite perfumed oil over his skin. The spicy scent mingles with the lingering sweetness from the bath salts.
Finally, he wanders back out into the sitting room. Gently, he undoes the ribbon around the box and lifts the lid. Rich purple fabric greets his eyes, and a flash of golden trim. It’s a soft, almost sheer fabric, he notices, as he lifts it from the box, and two pieces. The first piece, traditional Neolandian pants, cascading in flowing folds from his hips to end in a delicate taper wrapped around each ankle. The second, a long, wide sash, meant to twist around him and drape over his shoulder. Each piece is edged with tiny embroidered gold elephants and white lotuses. The delicateness of the fabric allows the henna that Kasef had drawn on his back and shoulders the day before to show through.
His husband was right. Viren can’t wait to see the look on Kasef’s face when he sees him in this.
He slips on a pair of sandals and heads to the gardens. True to his word, Kasef is waiting for him in their favorite spot. The low table nestled between sumptuous cushions is laden with curries, breads, sauces, rice, and other foods. Kasef’s back is to Viren as he bends over the table, adjusting the layout. His hair is loose over his shoulders, the way Viren likes best. He wears a long, sleeveless, high-collared tunic of white and gold woven together in a subtle pattern, adorned with ornate purple embroidery around the collar and the bottom hem, and in a deep inverted triangle design from his shoulders to mid-back. Simple but richly hued purple pants peek out beneath the tunic. When Kasef finally straightens and turns around, Viren sees that the embroidery continues in another deep triangle over his chest. It’s stunning.
It’s clear Kasef is thinking the same thing about Viren, because he freezes for a moment, mouth partly open. His eyes take in Viren’s form. It’s a kind of gift in itself, to be able to stop Kasef in his tracks like this. It makes Viren feel…good. Confident. Wanted.
Kasef doesn’t stop for long, though. Soon he weaves his way through the cushions, to wrap his arms around Viren’s waist and pull him close for a kiss. “You look incredible, my Prince,” he murmurs.
Viren hums into the kiss. “As do you, my love. Thank you.”
“Always.”
Kasef coaxes Viren to the cushions, and they sit side by side as they begin their meal. It’s all of Viren’s favorites, full of contrasting spices for complex flavor and aroma. Kasef finds every excuse to feed Viren from his fingers, which Viren gladly accepts. Touch is as important a part of Neolandian cuisine as smell and taste, and here with his husband, it only serves to strengthen their bond.
When Viren doesn’t think he can possibly eat another bite, he leans back against the cushions with a satisfied groan. Kasef soon follows. He puts his arm around Viren’s shoulder, fidgeting gently with the hem of Viren’s sash.
“Perhaps we should make this a national holiday. Then everyone could celebrate you the way I do.”
Viren snorts. “Oh please, Kasef. The people don’t love me nearly as much as you do.” But he can feel the flush heating his face. “Thank you, though. You’ve given me so much today.”
Kasef scoots in closer still. “What else can I give you, my Prince? Anything; name it and it’s yours. The kingdom itself, if you ask it of me. This is your day.”
Viren’s chest tightens with emotion. It’s still sometimes so hard to believe that he is loved the way he is. He doesn’t take a single moment for granted.
“I don’t want the kingdom,” he says, shifting so he can lay his head on Kasef’s shoulder. “I already have the greatest gift I could ever ask for.”
“And that is?”
Viren drapes his arm across Kasef’s waist. “You.”
He hears Kasef’s breath catch on the way in, and then feels the press of Kasef’s lips against his forehead. Kasef’s voice is soft, and full of warmth.
“Happy birthday, Viren.”
(Also available on AO3)
