#visilyacha

[devoraqs]

Yekatarina Ilyinichna and Antonín Ilyich Senadz Devorak

Or

Katya and Antosha, twin troublemakers extraordinaire

@vissentasenadz

[devoraqs]

touches #6 forrrrrrrrrr visilyacha 👀

Let’s pretend this hasn’t taken me an age to finish 😅 💀

—

"Smell that? Proper sea air!" Julian crowed excitedly as the three of them clambered onto the deck, painted in shadowy tones of lilac and orange by the rising sun. Malak, Lughnasa, and Étienne wasted no time at all, swooping into the brisk morning air and arcing round the rigging and crow's nest.

Vissenta stretched her arms out, relishing the space after a night in the cramped cabins, and batted Julian playfully on the shoulder as she did,

"Salty yet bracing, just like you," she remarked and Julian snorted in laughter.

Alexander lingered behind, letting the cool morning breeze caress his face even as the gentle warmth of the first few rays of sunlight glowed across the horizon, and simply watched them chat, the casual, comfortable fondness and familiarity of their interactions. It made Alexander's heart twinge and flutter in his chest.

"Sanya, are you coming?" Julian’s voice broke Alexander from his reverie, "It was your idea to watch the sunrise from deck in the first place."

"Aye, I am," Alexander called back, "just getting my bearings."

Julian and Vissenta shifted slightly from where they’d been standing, making a space for Alexander to slot in beside them both. Side by side they leant on the balustrade, watching as the bright orange disc of the sun slowly climbed over the waves on the horizon. The blue grey waters of the sea were painted a glassy, twinkling rosy colour as the light hit it, the gentle shush of calm water lapping against the side of the ship the only sound save for the occasional calls of their familiars high above. Julian sighed contentedly, letting his weight sink onto the rail of the balustrade, and as he did his hand brushed against Alexander’s own just slightly, lighter than the soft breeze, but enough for a spark and a shiver to run along Alexander’s spine and for a small bud of heat that was nothing to do with the sunlight blossom across his cheeks.

They watched a while longer in comfortable, companionable silence, until eventually Vissenta leaned back and said,

"I need coffee. And breakfast. Thank the gods we were docked yesterday, we still have proper food."

As if in response, Julian’s stomach growled loudly,

"I’m inclined to agree," he said, "I’ll go to the galleys, we shan’t starve on my watch!"

With a flourish, he pushed himself up to standing, stretched his back out, and strode back towards the lower deck.

"We should go… supervise," Alexander said, "While I trust Ilya not to burn water, I still feel dubious about letting him in any kind of kitchen unaccompanied for too long,"

"Not to mention the cook won’t take kindly to it," Vissenta added with a knowing smile.

They both turned, and made to follow Julian in.

As they walked, arms hanging loosely by their sides, Alexander’s knuckles brushed Vissenta’s. Another spark, and his heart fluttered again, an uncertain yet hopeful thrumming rhythm beating up through his chest. Out of the corner of his eye, to his complete and joyous surprise, what must have been another flush of colour on his cheeks were mirrored on hers, and that spark shot through him again, now strong as a bolt of lightning.

Gods strike me, he thought, I’m fucked

[devoraqs]

And a #25 kiss for Visilyacha?

They had been in Nalba for two and a half months now, and it had been three since they escaped from Firent. Those months had been some of the longest and most arduous of Alexander’s life, and he was including the Plague in that. The worst of Julian’s wounds had been healed fairly quickly after the fact, in those frenzied moments on the ship as they had sailed away from the burning city, but ‘healed’ did not mean ‘recovered’, and recovery was taking its time. This, as his father was wont to remind him, was true for him and Vissenta as well, “I’m fine,” Alexander had said gruffly the first time Meirneal had said something, “I’m not hurt. And they both need me.” “They do. And you need them,” his father said, uncharacteristically stern, “and I will not see you hurt yourself further by denying that you need help, and rest.”

Being in Nalba, safe, sure, comforting Nalba, admittedly was helping. As soon as they were able, and as soon as Julian was robust enough, they had begun to hike through the woods and the mountains around Beinn nan Craobhan Giuthais, with its well trodden paths and lush green forests. It was worlds and worlds away from politics and papicide plots and… well, everything really. Everything, of course, except the people who Alexander realised more clearly each day he loved more than anything. Loved, and was in love with.

It was on one of these hikes that found him, Vissenta, and Julian resting in a small clearing at the foot of Craobhan Giuthais, that the clouds rolled dark overhead and sheets of heavy rain suddenly began to pelt down on them. Vissenta swore at the shock of the freezing water, leaping to her feet and pulling Julian up with her. Suddenly feeling a bolt of energy and daring, Alexander grabbed both their hands, “Come, I know where we can shelter til this passes!” Fast as they could, they sprinted through the trees. As cold as the rain was, and how slippery it was rendering the soil and the grass, there was something exhilarating about it. Beside him he heard Julian howl with laughter, and their hands were warm in his.

The place in question was a small rocky cave found during some boyhood exploration, which he identified by a pattern that he himself had etched into the mouth with some juvenile magic. He pulled the other two inside just as a flash of lightning streaked the sky followed by a low rumble of thunder. It was a fairly tight fit, but there was just enough room for them all, pressed nearly cheek to cheek. “Ah,” Julian quipped once they’d gotten their breath back, “Prydic weather at its finest,” “At least it’s not a blizzard,” Alexander replied, “Then we’d really be in trouble.” “Please, we’re experts at being in trouble,” Vissenta said, wringing out the end of her braid, “a little snow is nothing. Or rain, for that matter.”

All three of them looked a bit worse for wear, drenched to the bone and streaked with mud from running. Alexander’s hair had come loose in their mad dash, hanging in sodden strands about his shoulders, and Vissenta’s fringe was plastered to her forehead. Compared to the levels of dishevelled they had been in recent months, there was something slightly charming about this, as uncomfortable as it was. Perhaps it was because, Alexander realised, they’d finally had some fun again. However, uncomfortable it certainly was, exacerbated by the chill stone around them, and it didn’t take long for them all to start to shiver. Alexander took their hands again, and drew them both in closer (not a difficult feat in the restricted room of the cave). He could feel the light puffs of their breaths on his skin, almost hear the thrum of their pulses, racing still. Steadily, carefully, he brought their hands to his lips and grazed them across their joined fingers, and as he did so a warmth spread across their bodies that sapped the rain-wrought cold from the inside out. He heard Vissenta’s breath catch, and felt Julian clasp his hand tighter. He glanced up, and they were both staring at him with wide eyes,and expression that was almost certainly mirrored on his own face.

“Sanya,” a barely-voiced whisper from Julian.

Barely a further heartbeat passed before he pulled Julian down to him with an urgency, a hunger he couldn’t quite describe, and crashed their lips together. In that same heartbeat Vissenta also surged forward, wrapping her arms around the two taller men as much as she could in the cramped space. Julian sighed into his mouth, Vissenta’s hand curled into his damp hair. He broke off from Julian and turned in his arms, and with that hand anchored in his hair Vissenta kissed him with the same intensity. Heat that had nothing to do with the warmth charm spilled out of his core and enveloped him from head to toe, even as cool drops of rainwater continued to slide down from his hair into his collar. Julian’s mouth was at his neck then, trailing every inch of skin he could reach with a hot open mouthed kiss. Then, as he and Vissenta parted, hers and Julian’s lips met and Alexander held them both closer and closer. The rush of blood pounding in his ears melded with the hammering rain and rolls of thunder outside.

Time outside that tiny cave stood still as the storm raged outside, and there was an unspoken sense of finally among them.

Finally, finally, finally.

Finally, they had time. Finally, things made sense. And finally it was so clear that this was right; it was right for them to be here in this cramped little alcove, so entwined it was as though they had become one being. Proximity aside, they were close, so close to each other. Alexander kissed lingering raindrops from the cheeks of the other two, Vissenta traced patterns across their arms as she held them tight, Julian buried his head into their shoulders and they breathed together.

When the rain subsided, then they could try and reckon with reality, but for now the three of them were out of the storm and away from the world, and had each other. That was all they needed.