This will be happily ever after...

[prince_of_vere]

From here.

"Tears of laughter?" Laurent asked. "You might not have to wait that long."

His breaths came quicker, sharper, jagged on the exhale as Damen unraveled his clothing. He wasn't sure what Damen had in mind, but he didn't want to question it for fear of their tentative peace dissolving yet again.

"How copious of me," Laurent responded, wondering if Damen's skill was anywhere near the level that his recounting of their fictional night would suggest.

Groaning softly as Damen's hand slid under his clothing, Laurent reached for him, winding his arms around Damen's neck and pulling him in for a kiss. There was no need to hold back, especially after their night together had been lost. Laurent's feelings for his new husband were deepening quickly, and he wanted.

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[notmyarena]

Damen's face turned stony. He would not show Laurent how pointedly those words found their mark, how much he dreamed of being that kind and honorable husband, to love and to be loved, and how deeply it cut to be branded everything Laurent didn't want. He'd already offered too much of his heart this day, only to be met by coldness and rejection.

So. This was how it was to be, then. There would be no joyful reunions in their tent tonight, or any night. A marriage of convenience, a pretense. Damen had never felt so trapped. "If that is how you wish it to be," he said, and the flicker of hope was gone from his eyes and voice alike. If Laurent thought his affections not worth keeping, there seemed little point trying to pursue it further.

He turned back to camp, and informed them he'd be going on a hard ride up ahead with two of his guards. He needed to work off some of the pent-up turmoil, and since stopping to drill midday simply wasn't in the cards, Damen rode his frustrations out.

He didn't see Laurent again until nightfall when they made camp. Servants drew up the royal tent, and Damen watched from across the fires to see if Laurent would give an order for another tent to be drawn up for himself. How far would Laurent take this?

[prince_of_vere]

Laurent kept to himself for the rest of the day, speaking to no one unless he was directly addressed. He told himself a dozen times that he was a fool for being hurt, or for wanting Damen's respect. It was no surprise at all to discover that he was desirable but not lovable.

Damen probably deserved someone sweet and yielding. Laurent couldn't find it in himself to care. Akielos would be better served by him as he was. If Damen was stupid enough to want a trinket in place of a diplomat, then Laurent wanted nothing to do with him.

He entered the royal tent as soon as it was up, summoning his usual servant to aid him with his laces as he changed into his sleepwear. He tensed as Damen entered, but did not look up. "I thought I might exchange my Veretian clothing for Akielon, tomorrow, as a symbolic gesture. Unless you would prefer I keep the Veretian."

If he made the decision without Damen, he was sure that Damen would fly into another jealous rage over his showing too much skin.

[notmyarena]

Veretian sleepwear was just as covered as their daywear, Damen's eyes took it in with one sweeping glance over Laurent's body, knowing he would not be taking it off him. But they would share a tent at least, and Damen was considerably calmer now than he had been earlier in the day.

"I think they would like it," he said simply. It was wise of Laurent to prepare him for it, for Damen began mentally steeling himself for the sight of Laurent bare-thighed and bright-haired laughing and flirting with half of Akielon. It wouldn't be so bad, if Laurent would also stoop to laugh and flirt with him too.

Those days were over. Laurent had caught his prize, his kingdom, and now there were other prizes to be sought with his favors.

"It is your choice, of course," Damen added in a low voice, not looking at Laurent as he moved to pour a flagon of wine. There were two of them; he poured the second as well, and offered it to Laurent. Then he sank down on the pallet - two overlong ones that had been laid out side-by-side to form something near to the size of an Akielon bed that could accommodate the King and his partner - and stared at his wine. "I'm guessing this is not your only plan for tomorrow?"

[prince_of_vere]

Laurent ignored the wine, considering it to be too much of a risk. Too much of a temptation. If he started drinking, he wasn't sure he'd ever stop.

"No need for you to worry," Laurent said, hollow. "The other plans involve keeping my head down and not speaking to anyone."

He crossed to the bed, giving the coverlet a yank. It didn't move, caught under Damen's weight. Laurent fixed him with an icy glare. "Move."

[notmyarena]

Damen shrugged and set the wine aside. He'd poured it from a single decanter, if Laurent was worried about it being poisoned - as if Damen would ever resort to something as cowardly and underhanded as poison to kill someone - but...it didn't matter.

Still angry then. Laurent's idea of acceptable behavior in Damen's eyes was such utter nonsense, Damen would have laughed if things hadn't been so dire between them. "That's a little extreme, don't you think?"

He stared up at his husband. "Fresh out of civility for the day?" Damen didn't move.

[prince_of_vere]

"Yes," Laurent snapped. He gave up on the coverlet, taking one of the pillows, and going to the far corner of the tent to curl up. There was a rug, at least. He'd slept in rougher conditions, after having spent a year as a foot soldier serving a term of guard duty at a fortress. He'd been kept well away from potential battles, but it had still been the life of a soldier, with no comforts added.

Back turned to Damen, Laurent closed his eyes, hoping that his husband would have the simple sense to let him sleep.

[notmyarena]

"Laurent..."

Sighing, Damen rose, drew the covers into his arms, and padded over to where the slight figure was curled in on himself. He draped the blanket over his husband without a word, then lowered himself onto his side a chaste distance from him on the rug. It was far from the worst he'd ever slept on. The air had never been more chilly, though.

"The bed's more comfortable," Damen commented mildly. With anybody else, he'd be stroking their shoulder, their hair. With Laurent, he was offering comfort (or attempting to) by respecting his physical boundaries. That, at least, Damen was learning.

[prince_of_vere]

Laurent's heart quickened as Damen approached and covered him with the blanket. It was a kind gesture, the sort that Laurent desperately needed. He was acutely aware of Damen's presence near him, and it made him feel both safe and spooked.

"So go sleep in it," Laurent said, tugging the blanket a little closer.

[notmyarena]

Damen was quiet behind him. Here in the low lamplight, Laurent looked so boyish and young, peeking from beneath the coverlet. Had Damen moved too fast, too afraid of the chances of a long courtship? His own feelings had not changed, in spite of his anger and hurt. He could not be sorry for his choice. He could only wish they'd had more accord in their union. It would make things so much easier now.

He tucked a corner of blanket around Laurent's shoulders. "I'd rather be a little uncomfortable." And near you. The sound of his low, steady breathing combined with the drone of night insects beyond the thin walls of their tent.

"You are weary." Damen had been part of that wearing out, and Laurent had had a hard ride after their consummation. "Can I - do you need anything?"

[prince_of_vere]

Laurent was quiet, thinking over the request and Damen's apparent desire to make peace with him. It was an alluring prospect, but Laurent couldn't bear to play this out again the next day, or whenever Damen next flew into a jealous fit for no reason.

"I won't share a bed with a man who calls me a whore," Laurent said, but rather than it being a sharp dismissal, there was a slight hesitation in his intonation, as though Laurent was expecting something specific to be offered in response.

[notmyarena]

"Laurent." Damen let out a long, low breath. The word had cut Laurent, deeply. It had lingered with him throughout the day. It was with honest regret that Damen bent his head closer and said, as if only for Laurent's ears. "Forgive me. I should not have spoken thus, even in anger. I - that's not how I think of you."

He was close to the huddled figure, not touching, but feeling the proximity and the distance keenly. "I hurt you, and I did not want to." Damen wished to do so much more than simply not bring continual hurt to Laurent, but the words caught in his throat and he stared at the line of Laurent's back beneath the covers, aching to curve around it and hold him.

[prince_of_vere]

Laurent hesitated over it for a few moments longer, struggling with his pride and his desire for affection. Finally, he sat up.

"We can move to the bed," he said, taking the coverlet and the pillow and moving back to the bed. It was a measure of forgiveness, and as much as he could offer at the moment. Damen's belief that a little bit of charm and flirtation would indicate a deep disloyalty in him was more than he could easily forgive, particularly when it was so much of how he negotiated and held power in a court. Particularly when Laurent was still so skittish over having allowed Damen to possess him physically.

[notmyarena]

It was perhaps more than Damen had been expecting. He followed Laurent silently, watching him keenly. There was so much that he still didn't understand about his husband. It seemed that for every one thing he learned, five more popped up, more important than the last

Carefully, Damen settled next to him, unclasping the shoulder of his chiton so that the metal wouldn't rub in the night, but not moving to untie the belt around his waist. Normally he would remove more of his clothing for bed, but if Laurent tensed at his very approach, his husband's naked body beside him couldn't improve matters. As it was, the lamplight glinted off of long bare stretches of bronzed skin, illuminating the sculpted paths his limbs made in repose, and he seemed to occupy so much of the bed without even trying to.

Damen's eyes were all for Laurent. "How do you imagine I think of you?" he asked, never one to avoid the subject at hand.

[prince_of_vere]

"As some petty, fickle, stupid thing," Laurent answered, knowing that the image of himself was one that he carefully cultivated. He'd thought that Damen had seen past it, and was horrified that Damen had let himself believe it after Laurent had given so much of himself to Damen. "Who does things lightly and without purpose. And who would give himself cheaply. And, simultaneously, as some cruel and vile tempter who toys with your heart for amusement."

Laurent felt sick as he described the impression Damen seemed to have gotten. His stomach clenched. Keeping his back turned, Laurent curled a little tighter into himself.

[notmyarena]

Damen too felt a twisting in his stomach, cringing to think Laurent would believe him capable of such cruel and insulting views of his own husband. He exhaled audibly behind Laurent. This was worse than he'd even realized. Where did he even start to repair the damage?

"You are no more any of those things than I'm an unfeeling, punishing brute," Damen said quietly. He ran a hand over his face. "I'll tell you what I see. A young, brave, brilliant man who's alone in a strange land, uncertain and fighting the way he's always fought. Who acts in ways his husband doesn't understand and doesn't always agree with, but who is nonetheless a man worthy of all pride and honor." His tone much warmer, Damen moved closer and offered a quiet hand on Laurent's shoulder. "That's the man I married. I am sorry I lost sight of him today."

[prince_of_vere]

Laurent exhaled shakily, overwhelmed with emotion at Damen's description of him. It was a true peace offering, and the sort of apology that Laurent could accept.

He turned, keeping his eyes averted because he didn't want Damen to see the depths of his emotion and vulnerability. Swallowing, Laurent released his pride, resting a hand on Damen's chest and tucking himself closer.

[notmyarena]

Damen hardly dared move as Laurent turned to him, touched his chest, leaned infinitesimally toward him. He was afraid that the slightest movement would startle Laurent away, and yet Damen sensed, hoped he sensed, how hungry for affection and comfort his young husband was.

Very gently, Damen bent his head and kissed the top of Laurent's, lips against the fair hair. His arm slid even more gently, with the same deliberate patience he'd showed when they'd made love, around Laurent's waist. "Husband," Damen whispered, and the name was rich with the warmth that filled his chest at holding Laurent with tenderness once more.

[prince_of_vere]

Laurent softened a degree further, accepting that Damen forgave him for their misunderstanding, and that Damen was willing to try and trust him. His body trembled once, intimidated by Damen's physical presence and scared of emotional intimacy. "We should sleep," he murmured, by way of providing an excuse for himself. He had some idea of what Damen's sexual appetites were like, and didn't want to risk the renewed quarrel between them that a refusal might bring.

[notmyarena]

Damen breathed out in relief, feeling Laurent relax against him rather than pull away from his touch. He knew not everything was solved between them - they still had a lot more to work on - but it was enough for tonight. Even Laurent trembling a little didn't strike him as an ominous sign.

"I know," he said softly, more to the meaning behind the excuse than the bare statement. His fingertips strummed down Laurent's back beneath the blanket, over his bedclothes. He would love to have Laurent again, or simply touch him, kiss him, twine with him, any sort of physical intimacy. But everything was too new and raw. They already knew how fraught the prospect of sex was for them. They didn't need to throw it into the mix tonight.

He gathered Laurent against his bare chest with a careful affection. Damen's face nuzzled against his husband's forehead. "What chances would you say I had, if I asked for a kiss right now?"

[prince_of_vere]

"Not bad, since you're asking," Laurent murmured, smiling fondly because it was a request, and Damen seemed to be starting to understand that Laurent's affection was a rare gift, not a right. Not something Damen could expect as a matter of course. He didn't give the kiss, since Damen hadn't actually asked, had only hinted, but the slight teasing affection between them was a welcome balm. He curled his hand over Damen's shoulder, ever so slightly possessive and clingy.

[notmyarena]

He was starting to understand. Laurent was unlike any other lover Damen had ever pursued. It was such a careful dance, but the burst of fierce delight that even that subtle touch clasping at his shoulder evoked was a reminder of how worthwhile it was. Damen knew he was besotted to a dangerous degree, given how little he knew of how Laurent felt towards him. But...this was a start.

He touched Laurent's chin and tipped it up towards his face. "May I kiss you, fair prince?"

[prince_of_vere]

Laurent smiled, because he couldn't resist that careful request and the fond sobriquet. Whenever Damen was gentle and careful with him, it made Laurent want to melt.

"Yes," Laurent said, and then playfully tilted his head when Damen leaned in to claim it, kissing Damen's cheek instead, and then dipping to kiss Damen's chin, all temptation and challenge.

[notmyarena]

Damen was smiling too, and then he laughed, for Laurent's lips eluded him and the chase made him all the more eager for them. He felt Laurent's soft skin against his lips, and kissed wherever they touched, but he let his husband dance around what he knew Damen really wanted. Playful Laurent was a most hopeful sign.

And when they had kissed everywhere but the intended target, Damen nuzzled and found the corner of Laurent's mouth. "Your lips, princeling." And his big hand was cupping Laurent's face, tilting him the way Damen wanted him, spreading warmth wherever he touched. In the next breath, their mouths were on each other's, and breath shared, lips parting, and Damen made a low poignant sound there, etched with need.

[prince_of_vere]

Laurent yielded to it, surrendering the kiss to Damen as fairly won. He kept it soft, chaste, heart pounding with nerves that Damen would think it an invitation to more, would feel that he had a right to expect more.

Laurent wanted, but his nerves and doubts were too strong after the day they'd had, and giving himself to Damen had been difficult enough before. Laurent could still feel the strain of it in his muscles.

One day, he thought--he hoped--it would be easy. This affection between them. Their shared desire.

[notmyarena]

Feeling Laurent's mouth melt against his relieved much of the tension of the day for Damen. The man nestled against him, on the other hand, only became more taut in his arms, like he was preparing to resist something.

It was harder than Damen wanted to admit, to pull himself away from the pleasures of Laurent's mouth and of his body, and to deny his own fervent need for him. And yet, he did. Slowly, he disentangled themselves from the kiss and and exhaled, his control back in place. It was a wordless, deliberate gesture. He would not pursue more, not tonight. He knew that Laurent needed time, that they needed time.

But it took all Damen's strength to let go, and it left him tortuously hard. It was going to be a difficult night, he knew, lying beside this man and wanting him and knowing he couldn't, not yet. It was for Laurent's sake that he let distance fall between them now, though he did not take his arm away from a loose hold around Laurent's waist, not unless his husband seemed to wish it removed. "Thank you," Damen said, quiet, almost formal.