sinbound. [Akira & Earinor] [ENG]

"Me? Jealous?", he quickly denied, yet it was seemingly obvious that he was incredibly jealous - he loathed the thought of having to share Caelan with anyone, whatever man or woman, and while he was inclined to believe that nothing would be happening, that Caelan wasn't going to just leave him hanging, he also knew that maybe, the blonde would grow bored of him soon enough, when there weren't any fun secrets left that he could pry out of him. "Do you now?", Ronan asked, with a raised eyebrow and while he was allowed to be doubtful of his fellow nobles decisions, he gave him the benefit of the doubt; it wasn't like they had anyone but themselves out here. He grinned, surely knowing that if he went on like this, his cheeks would hurt eventually - they were here to have a nice time, not to fight over fictious cheating or the assumption that at some point, one of them wouldn't be goot enough for the other any longer. "When we're both dukes? By the gods, have you heard? Duke Caelan of Fhaergus and Duke Ronan of Alster have been fraternizing with one another quite often. Actually, I've heard they are quite intimate as well, and they aren't married either ... isn't that quite suspicious?", he questioned, putting on his best, high-pitched voice for smacktalking both of them, almost as if he were a lesser noble woman that enjoyed gossip. To be fair, Ronan wasn't a lesser noble woman, but he did enjoy gossip - not, that he'd create it himself, though. "Dirty!?", he blurted out, feeling like his cheeks were burning with a red atop his cheeks that could only be described as the hue of a ripe tomato. "I can't believe you said I was horny when your mind wanders off into that direction all alone! No!" Gasping for air became even worse - thankfully, Caelan had already stopped tickling him. "I can't give you a literal piece of me, though. Hm, I do have an idea, though."

Cutting off a finger or a piece of flesh in general, just to present it to Caelan sounded ... vile and unneccessary, given the fact that the last thing that the blonde wanted was for him to injure himself in any way. There was nothing much that could be done, but there were other trinkets he could hand out, almost as if they were akin to a piece of him, to something the blonde longed for. "Take you back to the hut ... and ... you know ...", he begrudgingly admitted, flustered even, as he tried to hide his face with both Caelans coat and his hands, almost like a little kid - which he'd claimed not to be not too long ago - that had been caught red-handed. Given the circumstances, he probably could have brought some paper and coal to sketch with, to take in the scenery and leave all the hard work to his beloved, but Ronan felt like he had to prove himself, twist his body to crawl out of the shell he'd built around him; one that had been clammoring down on him for way too long. "Are you eager to surprise me or are you eager to impress me? Which one is it?", he asked eventually, fumbling with his own coat underneath the too-big one he had, generously, been allowed to borrow from Caelan. Were he to be taller and strong than the blonde - something unfathomable - he'd be able to return a simple favor like this, or even thwart his plans, but Ronan was none of that; he wasn't exceptionally intelligent or witty either, if anything, painfully average with a penchant for violence was all he was. "So you want to mother me?", Ronan inquired, raising both eyebrows and scrunching up his nose, almost in disgust, as if he would soon sneer at the mere thought that had been imparted onto him; Caelan was someone caring, loving and overall too good for him and he didn't even appreciate it, did he now? "How long is a while?" But while he was at it, he got back onto his feet, carefully patting the snow off of his clothing, lest it would warm up and seep into every nook and cranny it could find - wet socks in dry boots were vile. Ronan was finally able to breathe, now that he wasn't subjected to Caelans torture, however, which was why he grabbed a fistful of snow, which he formed into a ball, and aimed for the blondes chest, before sticking his tongue out at him - the throw was hardly anything remarkable, but it didn't need to be. "I wish I could paint it, it's absolutely mesmerizing. Though, there's still a view I enjoy more than that. You know that fairly well. Either way, o' great Caelan of Fhaergus, will you provide for this damsel in distress tonight? How very noble of you." Once more, he fumbled with his own coat, until he finally found the piece of metal he had been looking for. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, if anything, it was but an ornate silver chain with an emblem attached, somewhat old and maybe a bit gaudy looking, which he promptly affixed to Caelans coat instead. "Does that count as a piece of me?", he questioned soon enough, as if he wasn't sure if it qualified as a piece of him at all.

"Why would you lie to me? You really don't have a reason to.", Ronan admitted, but he also very much knew that Caelan had claimed everything was fine back in Alster and then - promptly thereafter - fainted from the blow he'd received to the face; a thought that, upon realization, made Ronan feel uneasy for a moment and throw a glance at the blonde, only to realize no, his face was healing perfectly fine, but there'd probably be a scar anyway. His entire stomach turned for a moment as he tried to imagine the goopy blood dripping from Caelans face and as soon as that thought came to him, he shook his head in disgust and buried his face in the coat once more, sniffing up its scent as if that would remind him of something more pleasant, something that didn't worm its way into his brain and was here to stay. "The most powerful people? You mean the most powerful couple?", he voiced instead, entertaining the thought itself, but ... they'd never be able to make it official either way, that much was abundantly clear. To hell with being the most powerful aside from the highest of ruling classes, whisking Caelan away to a life of freedom, all the way back in Thria did sound fun, if only for a few months at a time, but he couldn't say it like that, lest his fellow noble would get suspicious eventually. "You were leading yourself on, I didn't even say anything!", Ronan protested, embarrassed enough already. If only he would have brought something to draw, but ... that didn't matter now, he'd only be able to paint Caelan anyway - what a pain in the ass he was! And how lovely his laugh was, accompanied by that bright smile of his and thos- no, enough! "This silver chain - it's meant for someone special, and you're special to me."

Ronan had initially received it from someone very dear to him, but passing it on to Caelan seemed like the safest bet, considering the fact that it was meant to be used like that - it seemed kind of cheesy, though, if he thought about it in hindsight and it definitely didn't help with getting the color out of his already red face. "Ugh. Kiss you. Suck you off. Fuck you. The whole nine yards, Caelan. Do you need me to spell everything out for you?", he answered with grit teeth, almost as if he was genuinely annoyed by him - yet, the blonde knew the actual truth, most likely, or did he? Asking himself that ... all of that would lead nowhere, much like thinking and romanticizing days past would do nothing for either of them. "You want to tease me, first and foremost.", he corrected instead. Could he really be mad at him, though? No, Ronan also couldn't just storm off and pretend like he was genuinely mad at him when he clearly wasn't - he'd probably get lost, and worse, lose his footing and injure himself, only causing Caelan to worry some more about him. His thoughts were running haywire and Ronan felt bad about it, knowing that he had himself under control for once just before that and that right now, the last thing on his mind was dying - in fact, whenever Caelan was around and he was free from his shackles, he felt quite at ease. "So now you love me? Wait, no, I knew that." Now he was amused, but he still bore the same facial expression as usual, almost as if that was what he would have to do either way, to safe some face and enlighten himself that he, in fact, was supposed to be sour and unlovable, and yet ... that hadn't turned Caelan away just one bit. "A bath? I only want one if you share the tub with me!" Based on prior experiences, however, all of this was bound to be a mess and who knew if this tub could fit two people - would it? There was only one way to find out and if he was honest, Ronan was not opposed to it, in fact, it was quite the opposite. Soon enough, he had something to chuckle at, however. "You needn't bow, my darling. In fact, your words are praise enough.", he feigned a womans voice once more, he could use the practice for their little masquerade anyway. "And let me miss all the fun? I don't think so, lets get going!", Ronan urged, suddenly bursting with adrenaline, or whatever of that he could muster. He certainly was ecstatic, but not much more. "It's yours to keep. I do have something else, but I don't have it on me ... hm, I don't think we share a ring size, but I think I can find a chain so you can wear it around your neck, if you'd like."

Caelan oftentimes felt unpredictable, if not downright shameful to talk to, if he was completely honest. Not only was Ronan trying his utmost to understand where all of that boyish motivation came from, he also was wondering whether or not the blonde was simply playing a game with him - it seemed way too late for it to just be a game, though - or if he was enjoying the bond they both had created among one another. Factually, this meant nothing more than that he'd have to figure out the rights and wrongs of their relationship, ever inquisitive as he was, but there was no need for that - deep down, he was quite sure of all of this either way. "What would you call it, if not that?", he simply questioned instead, his expression unchanged and his eyebrows furrowed, almost as if he was trying to make sense of the cryptic statement that had been thrown his way. Did he enjoy that? Ronan was almost certain that Caelan enjoyed throwing him through a loop and making him second-guess half of the things he enjoyed, but he also couldn't be more wrong, probably. "Excuse me? Do you want me to go back at glaring daggers at you? By the gods, I have two damn hands, Caelan - if I wanted you naked, you'd be right now!", Ronan grunted, amicably impressed by the sheer stupidity of the statement that had fled from Caelans mouth. Was he admirable? No, not in the slightest, but Ronan was willing to let some of his imperfections slide - nobody needed to be perfect, even if he idolized the blonde as such. "You better."

Forcing opinions on Caelan or threatening him had done very little, especially in the past leading up to everything that had happened and would be happening - it was as if he, as a kitten, was pawing at a grown, giant dog, trying to tick him off, but the gentle giant did nothing more than to accept his fate and occassionally slobber all over him. "You like teasing me, you dork. Actually, I think you would like me to admit how very hot I think you'd be, wearing nothing, between my legs.", he sighed and for once, was happy that whoever heard them out here, had no faces and no names to attach to their voices and pin it onto them. Talking so freely about matters like these, it almost seemed like a scene from one of those stupid novels that he'd clearly read too many off. Whatever it was the cold or the blood that got to his face, it still was positively red and quite warm. "And so do I, if only you'd stop teasing all the time!" Naturally, he'd have enjoyed cuddling a bit more, but he couldn't, alas, they were in the middle of something else. "I do insist, it'd be quite the pleasure.", Ronan answered soon thereafter and then was already looking all over the place again, looking for a place to go and hunt for prey, though, Caelan probably knew all of the good spots up here and had them memorized. "P-Proposing? Are you out of your m-mind!?", he yelled, flabberghasted, but for an entirely different reason. "I haven't even asked you out! ... But I did court you, I presume.", he admitted, turning his gaze away almost ashamed, before hiding his face again. "Isn't it a bit early for proposing? We'd have to think of something for our honeymoon."

It did sound nice, that he had to admit, almost as if nothing could come between them, but not only that, it also very much meant that they'd be unstoppable, one way or the other. Ronan had to be honest, it was a bit much, especially considering their options and he also had no idea if it would work out for them in the end, but there was no harm in trying and if he were frank, they already were at a good pace to have an enjoyable life at this point. If everything stayed the way it was, maybe they'd bot live out their lives in quite the enjoyable matter, together, and without anyone between them. That would be ... ideal. "Caelan. Keep your dick in your pants and your hands where I can see them. We have plenty of time for this before we visit your parents, I reckon?", Ronan questioned instead. Theoretically, he was the horny one out of the two, yet, Caelan acted like the insatiable one and as if he were about to pull his godsdamned pants down if Ronan gave him the order to. Factually, those goddamn puppy eyes made his heart wrench for a second, as if he felt sorry for not adhering to his own - no, to Caelans - wishes. "I don't think you'd enjoy it if I tied you to a ... no, nevermind, get out of my head.", he grunted.

The sight was mesmerising, at least for his inner eye, but that was that and he very much wouldn't know what to do with Caelan, let alone did he think he'd like the cold as much as the blonde did. Fuck, this guy could probably have sex out here without any problems, wouldn't he? Ronan would catch a cold and five other infectious disease if he didn't wear at least two coats, apparently - what the fuck was wrong with him? "At least I can blame it on the steam getting to my head." That he could, yet, it would be hardly believable for more than one reason, that much was for certain. But whatever else should he do? There was no way of knowing, let alone was there any way of talking himself out of it - Caelan had already heard his so-called master plan. "Thank you.", he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, almost as if he'd been graced with an upcoming headache or something of the sort, but no, instead, he sneezed; loud at that. Was it that cold? No, it probably was a strand of fur or fabric from either of their coats that had gotten too close for comfort. "We can't really get married in Adrestia, but I suppose we can ... get engaged? Theoretically? And we can have a honeymoon after a non-official wedding, no?", he stammered, trying to collect his thoughts. Then he swallowed. Had he said something wrong. "Alright, alright, I'm coming!", he mumbled, following Caelan who - as expected - was going to know where to hunt for what. In theory, he could have helped and shown off, but ... the blonde wanted to impress and if Ronan were honest, he was very much thinking about how he'd have to ask Caelan out for real, instead of thinking of his dinner.

They both would lose their heads eventually, be convicted of blasphemy and committing countless sins in gods eyes, simply by laying with each other - happiness was something that would be thinly spread among their lives, at least it seemed that way, and Ronan had no problem with all of that, as long as it meant he could be with Caelan until the world ended; until none of this was painful any longer, but much rather an experience to look back upon. However, there still was one single problem with all of this - whatever or not he spend his last years with Caelan, especially in a life he wanted to cut short like this - there'd be someone left behind, someone who didn't deserve any of the pain the other would leave him with; that was ... unfair, at least and absolutely horrid, at best. All of those thoughts whisked his eyes away from the scenery and soon enough, Ronan was only focused on hunting down what needed to be hunted, as cold crept into his limbs like they'd been long abandoned in mounts of snow and his expression grew gloomier in the silence that he and Caelan didn't dare to break. Were his moodshifts intentional? Hardly, if anything, they were a by-product of his own idiocy. Much to his chagrin, it wasn't the blonde that found the two of them a dinner - it was him, hunting down something yet again, all the while he couldn't even get it himself - no, Caelan insisted on grabbing it for him.

The way back to the hut wasn't a long or eventful one, much like there wasn't much to talk about in the first place - not for now anyway, not until they both could shut themselves away from the world and spend some time with one another, unseen by all. One of the first things Caelan did, however, was rid himself of his damn pants and Ronan was stuck with trying to find something else to do; he didn't want to think about it, wanted to just fill up their bath now that the water was warm enough - and yet, there was no chance to, not when the guy without modesty, or pants for that matter, insisted he'd do it in his stead. "Caelan ... you are fairly aware I could have carried that bird here myself, actually could have gotten it myself and I'm plenty capable of carrying buckets of hot water from the stove to the tub. What is it with you and trying to do everything for me?", he grumbled. Not that he didn't appreciate it, however, he still felt bad about it all, almost as if he wasn't sure if this was an insult or praise from someone that probably wasn't bad at giving either; it was at least worth a try. "Fine, I'll go get some comfortable clothing. But next time you let me do something for you, you hear that?", the half-wolf grimaced, unsure if he wanted to bite the blonde for being a lovable idiot, or if his newfound aggression was a short-lived one. Either way, he was going to go places and he did pick out the softest clothing he could find, hoping it would stay that way as soon as he placed it in the bathroom, next to that of Caelan - actually, how fast was this guy? And more importantly, why was Ronan agreeing to all of this? "Judging by how eager you were, I thought you wanted to get into the tub as soon as possible, but ... you're still wearing your clothes, most of them at least.", he eventually teased, though, before he was starting to undo the buttons of his own shirt. All that he wanted was a relaxing bath, and maybe some cuddles - he didn't want to feel like he was frozen solid, though, the warmth in this room already did wonders anyway.

Embarrassing. That was the right word, Ronan was convinced. The right word to describe himself and his actions, the right word to describe Caelan and all their relationship stood for - they both were unnervingly sweet, to the point where Ronan wasn't sure if all the words falling from his mouth like honey dripping from a tree branch wouldn't wind up making his teeth rot before Caelan took over his brain. It was unnerving at at best, yet, he didn't care much - if all that he needed to stay happy for the rest of eternity was the blonde, he'd never ask for anything else ever again. "You never sit still and besides, even if I asked you not to, you probably would still do it. Why are you like this?", he sighed, admitting defeat just this once - almost like he was sure that he'd win again and get what he wanted the next time around. Surely, he knew his own weaknesses and unfortunately for him, one of them seemed to be Caelan - a thought that actually made him freeze up for a second before he begrudgingly got back to unbuttoning his own clothing and tossing it aside, not caring where it went.

"Yes, yes I was. I don't see why the two of us shouldn't enjoy something together." Given the fact that their ways would part after this rendezvous and they wouldn't see each other for the gods knew how long, it was only right for them to cherish every moment they had together; however insignificant it may be. Ronan kept his gazes to himself, tried to at least, and just undid his own clothing and tossed it aside - even though Caelan was much faster and much more eager than he could ever be. "Weren't you the one that kept insisting he wasn't horny?", Ronan grumbled, his gaze trailing after Caelan as he finally sat down in the tub - whatever or not he was blushing yet again would be hard to tell, given the fact his face was still red and somewhat cold, but that didn't matter much anyway! The blondes words didn't help and the invitation was too good to be true after Ronan took off the last of his clothing - he eventually stuck his hand into the warm water of the tub, before deciding he'd submerge the rest of his body in it as well; it was warm enough and he did quite like it, if he was terribly honest - but not as much as he liked Caelan and all and any contact he could have to him. Once he'd finally settled himself in the tub, he didn't immediately lean back and instead fidgetted with his fingers. "Why would you even want to know that? Speaking it out loud is embarrassing, you know!"

"Don't get cocky now.", he warned Caelan, but he also knew that it was painfully true. Not only did Ronan love him for who he was - both body and mind - but also because, for some inexplicable reason, Caelan was good at reading him, at reading between the lines and understanding who he was, even if that was anything but hard for those plagued by prejudice and the presumption of knowing it all. Fhaergus' heir, on the other hand, was entirely different - and while he seemed shallow on the surface, there soon enough was nothing of that left, at least for whenever Ronan had barged past the initial barrier that both of them had set up around themselves, without knowing; or had they? "I do love you for a lot of things, but I must admit, you are quite bold when fishing for compliments. Like a puppy, knowing it deserves praise for being so good and obedient, but on the other hand, you're stupid enough to eat every word out of the palm of my hand - or straight off of my tongue.", he confessed and he wasn't wrong about it, though, it sounded a bit too harsh in the end, didn't it? There was a silver lining for everything, though, and Ronan liked to tip-toe that line for quite some time, until he found a good pressure point at least and it didn't seem too hard to figure out what Caelan wanted. Given, he was a straightforward brute most of the time, albeit gentle in every other way - and Ronan wasn't keen on dragging out things that were better off buried deep within that person.

"Happy now?", he cawed, once more seemingly ticked off by the impatience that had been exerted upon him; but even then, he let Caelan whisk him into his arms as his body wanted to become one with the warmth of the water they now sat in, all the while he was still warming up. "Just because you're horny doesn't mean you already have to have a b- no! I don't want to think about that!", he lamented as soon as he had given that thought form and grunted, all the while he instead jolted from the sudden kiss he received on the nape of his neck - Caelan was a vile creature, one that was so full of love, people would eventually gag at how lovey-dovey he could be. Ronan, on the other hand, was looking for a place to hide his face at, but there was nothing but marred skin and water - nothing ideal. "You'll never learn patience, will you now? Fine." This was going to go somewhere, whatever it'd be south or north, Ronan was stuck in this damn tub until he told Caelan what he wanted to hear - or at least until he felt as if his cheeks were going to burst into literal flames. "For starters? A bed. Maybe a chair, if you want to try something new. Sometimes you don't need to be tied to anything at all, though - it suffices to tie someone up or one limb to the other with enough practice. Frankly, anything that involves an object can get quite boring - and I really don't feel like tying you to a tree outside, I'd freeze my own ass off just trying to fuck you.", he admitted, disgruntled, as he sunk deeper into the water, maybe a bit too deep - too far out of Caelans grip. "I figured I'd tie you up, have you kneel on the floor; maybe tease you until you can't take it any longer or until you beg me to stop. Considering you can't sit still, I'm sure you'd also wind up with enough chafing from the rope that you'd have some explaining to do to literally anyone who sees it.", Ronan eventually proposed, but there was no more tub to escape too and not enough heat to blame his embarrassed expression on.

Why was Caelan inquiring about something so silly? Affirmation felt nice, Ronan had to admit that, but maybe the blonde was truly - earnestly - fishing for all the compliments that he did deserve; however, there just was one problem. Hadn't Caelan heard all that there was to hear and wasn't Ronan someone that lacked a general understanding of what to say to those who actually deserved it? He pursed his lips instead, unsure of what to mutter, and yet, there was no escaping his lovers grasp, much like there was no saying no to him and his silly, yet deserved, requests. "Your bright smile, your laugh that just seems to be as sweet as honey - and all those stories you can boast about! And that aside, your hugs are warm and comforting, as are your words; and your reassurance, your voice, tends to be so soothing I'd love nothing more than to spend the rest of my days in your arms, cuddled up with you in front of a warm fireplace and listen to you talk ...", he admitted, not begrudgingly this time around, but much rather still embarrassed, still fairly aware that he was the one with honey dripping from his lips, trying to pass it onto Caelan who didn't know better than to ask Ronan - who was about as forlorn as him - for directions in a maze that neither of them had scaled yet. "And that aside, I like your hands, but that's really just scratching the surface." Normally he'd grab one of Caelans, interlope their fingers and show the blonde the stark contrast between each of their hands, but he'd rather let himself be held.

Sinking deeper into the tub and further away from his beloved proved difficult however and, as fate willed it, also got him nowhere - he was held tight, in a comforting embrace, and eventually sat up a bit, just to save Caelan from eventually neckpain. As soon as that was done, he reached back with his own hand, however, and patted the blondes head for just a bit. "I wanted to praise you. Not think about ... how ... we- I don't want to think about your dick, Caelan!", he soon grumbled. That didn't mean it was repulsive, it just wasn't something he did have on his mind before that and while he was getting awfully close to the blonde, that didn't mean that every time they made skin contact without all that much clothes on, they'd have to suck each other off or - as evidenced by their last rendezvous - have sex with one another, just because he got greedy. "I will, I will - calm down. I want all the hugs, as many as you want to give me, in fact. There'll be a time when I can't have as many and it'll suck." Not in a good way, especially considering that - if their missed their small window of opportunity to slip him into Fhaergus for the winter - he'd have to wait three whole months or, at worst, maybe even more until he could see Caelan again. His hugs were all Ronan needed for now anyway, he didn't want much more. "Sometimes, doing is easier than describing it in detail. Care for a challenge, then? If I can't manage to tie you up without dying from embarrassment, I'll let you do whatever you want with me.", he proposed instead. Wow, that would be embarrassing ... but Caelan wasn't him, so this would be way less embarrassing for both of them, right?

Caelan was asking for so much, all at once, and Ronan couldn't help but wonder if he was doing him justice - giving him everything he asked for, or if it was too little, if he should go into more detail and confess his undying love for him and all that entailed just that; and yet, Ronan quickly figured out that it wasn't that, that Caelan had heard all he wanted and apparently more than that - it made Ronan smile, maybe slightly grin, even, but there was no way that Caelan could see just that from this angle. "Maybe making you blush was my goal after all?", he proposed, though, it hardly had been, were it not for the fact that the blonde hadn't asked for a good round of praise in the first place. "Really? That's ... really the last impression I want to give you, I'm sorry.", Ronan apologized and he could see why, now that he thought about it. Even like this, he sometimes could act all cold and distant, driven away by the mere concept of too much touching or too many feelings flung into his general direction, and thus, he paid for it by making Caelan question himself, seemingly, and his own insecurities, wherever they were buried. For some reason it felt weird to consider that the blonde had some of his own, but in practice they all had, no matter who they were and how they looked on the surface. "Are you? And what if I throw of loop again by demanding to hear what you think I don't?", he asked, curious about what his lovers mind had cooked up. What was praise worth if kept to oneself anyway? The kiss to his neck and the words that trailed after it, they almost made him jolt, but not in a bad way - instead, he cupped his own face in his hands. "I love you too, Caelan.", he confessed.

Whatever they were made for one another or not, it didn't change anything about the fact that Ronan felt loved and cherished, welcomed in the embrace he found himself in, all the while he got to enjoy some not-so-rare skinship between him and the man he wouldn't want to trade for anyone else in this forsaken world. Not all hope was lost, however, that much was for certain. "Caelan, you know what happened the last time when we shared a tub and were thinking and doing things that are better done in bed? I'm sure you do, so please, will you stop? If you want to change the water again, be my guest, though.", he invited the blonde, sounding much more sarcastic - he was implying he didn't actually want to do anything for now and he was, very much, hoping that his little puppy would get the hint without having to be told straight away. "So, you'll never let go of me? How about you cuddle me all winter?" If that were the case, maybe Ronan wouldn't want winter to end, ever, and him being cold wouldn't be anything new - maybe it would even slide in public eye, as long as they had a suitable excuse for it. "I like them, and besides, as if you'd ever object to a new challenge. I'm sure you find them about as fun as I do. As long as the odds are even." They both played their own game with one another - and neither of them was particularly good at winning, though, they both accepted their defeat; and now that Ronan thought of it, they might as well stop striking up an endless amount of deals neither of them could remember. Instead, he cuddled closer to Caelan, as close as he could anyway, only to tilt his head a bit and look up at the blonde; damnit, he still was smaller. "We can do either, but ... now I'm curious as to what you'd want to praise me for. Won't you tell me?", his voice sounded ... sweeter than usual, but he'd soon regret having asked in the first place, he was sure about that.

Ronan was in awe. Caelan was incredible - he was a dream of a man, and so much more than he could've hoped for, it was almost embarrassing. "See? That means I got what I wanted." That didn't always happen, but whenever the blonde was around, Ronan felt as if that didn't matter - the world had stopped moving, they shared time with one another in a crummy, cozy hut, and that was, what was most important to him. While he never was one to radiate happiness, Caelan was the one that shined brighter than a thousand suns, that he searched for whenever he had to seek him out and that he held onto with his dear life. Right now, he radiated warmth and comfort - two things that Ronan was seeking, desperately at that, and he took both of them as he leaned back and cuddled up to the broad chest that he envied, not only for the wide variety of scars it carried, but also because ... he liked Caelan a tad bit too much, didn't he? "Bothering? No, no! Nothing's bothering me, I'm just ... neither used to any of this, or used to loving someone, genuinely, like this. There's ... so many firsts for me and whenever you praise me, I feel unworthy or don't know how react. It just gets to me, much more than I'd want it to." His heart skipped a beat and it felt like there were thousands of butterflies fluttering in his stomach, hitting every corner and wandering up his throat - Ronan was ready to throw them up anytime, but not now, he wanted to be close to the person that made him feel that way, and if anything, he wanted to dwell on something nice like this, something that would cheer him up whenever he had to go back home. "I ... I like cuddling with you. It's nice, it does feel like I belong right there, in your arms, and nowhere else.", he agreed, leaning his head against Caelans chest.

"I know, at this point I'm merely teasing you. And I'm not having horny thoughts, you're the one that started touching me in the tub!", he pointed out, embarrassed by the mere thought. Slowly, he reached up with one of his hands and put a wet finger on Caelans nose. It wasn't anything important, it was more like a tactical retreat and distraction of sorts, to get away from a topic that he himself had started in the first place. It was nice like this, the water was decently warm and whatever warmth was missing, Ronan could get from Caelan, who looked like he'd protect him anywhere at any time - it was admirable, cute and foolish, but he liked all of those things. "How about we run far away instead? Then I don't have to hide you. Somewhere remote, like out here, just the two of us, with your friends within an arms length ... can we go anywhere with the boats in Stenz?", he wondered. Despite the fact that he already hated Cameron and said beanstalk had the gall to get fed up with him, too, which only angered him - but he didn't want to think about that, he rather enjoyed the steamy warmth and think about all the Caelans he could hide under his bed in due time. "I ... alright, no more wins and losses.", he admitted with a slight pout, but even that cleared up soon enough and he turned a bit, so the blonde had a better view of his face and he himself did as well - the tub was crammed, and yet, it was impossible to enjoy some alone time like this in a mansion like Alsters or Fhaergus', he was sure of it. The warm water that finally hit his face, too, felt nice and so did the touches he received - one of the little things he was prepared for - he wasn't for anything else that was about to unfold. In fact, the more Caelan talked and talked, and the more Ronan heard, the brighter his face was turning and the more he was trying to hide against the blondes chest - he wanted none of that, and yet, he couldn't stop listening, especially not when his hand was held, when he started squeezing it back and when he realized that this was ... it was awfully nice. "You're ... I ... Caelan ...", he whined, finally raising his head - his bright red head and the confused expression on his face. "You think so highly of me, I'm not sure I'm really all that!" Not only that, but, but ...! "You make me happy, you know?", Ronan mumbled, averting his gaze and looking at the water for a bit, then trailing out of the tub, before shifting more and sitting down on his knees - he pressed his forehead against Caelans and thus followed a moment of silence. "You're so sweet ... I ... do you ... I ... I feel safe and loved with you around, I couldn't ask for more."