sinbound. [Akira & Earinor] [ENG]

"I'm not!", he chuckled as an answer. Ronan wasn't even close to tickling Caelan, yet he got accused of doing so and everything he could muster in his defense was another damn scratch on the blondes thigh and a smile on his lips. If he didn't know better, he'd damn himself, simply for existing and he also damned himself right here, right now, for not taking the opportunity earlier to crawl on top of Caelan and straddle his hips, just to see how he'd react when being confronted with such a situation shortly after waking up. Would it be a shocked expression or was he going to remain calm and composed, unbothered by his fellow noble seemingly becoming a goofball, the more time he spent with him. "Sure, wake up first then punish me if you dare, master", he joked instead, but he knew that there was no sense in talking like this right here, right now. They both had better things to do, better things to preoccupy themselves with and they couldn't just spend all of their time in this hut fucking like rabbits, seemingly afraid of being seperated from one another at some point, sooner or later. What about packing Caelan some indecent books and masking them as novels about trivial things? Maybe he'd appreciate that.

"Jokes on you, I'm not wearing pants right now and being a wizard is boring. I want to live in a shitty hut in the woods ... oh wait", as if he hadn't said that on purpose, Ronan let out some more laughter. Was this really what he wanted, a life out here, undisturbed only to eat the damned that found their way out here, lost and hungry? Only time would tell, but for that, he was sure, he'd have to lose all of his marbles first and thankfully, he was quite sane for a noble. "Then at least offer me your hand so I can bite back." Whatever the purpose of that would be, Ronan wasn't sure, but he knew for sure that it was alright for him to just exist and endure this for a while, to have fun of his own and just let the puppy do what he deemed neccessary. "You can't have both, at least not at the same time!", he chuckled, finding the whole situation hilarious, despite the sore throat that kept on hurting with every sound he made. This was, by far, the worst idea, but he'd take it and endure what he'd been given, even if that meant he'd have to be patient with the blonde. "Alright, alright. Some cuddles for the big puppy first so he can carry me out of bed later." Ronan put his arms around Caelan, which worked semi-well, only to start stroking over his back and press a kiss on his hair once more, since he wasn't showing his face. "Is that alright? Or do you want something else?"

"Don't you dare whine!", he retaliated pretty quickly. It was about time they got up, but like this, they couldn't. Ronan was confined in the blondes arms and had no chance of wresting himself out of his grip, let alone could he figure out an escape route. He was, once again, at Caelans mercy despite not even wanting to be in this bed right now ... though, it was cozy holding Caelan like this and would be a lie to say that he didn't enjoy the comfortable bed that - despite all things - held up pretty well. They both could laze around in here all day and spend their tme however they saw fit, but that would get boring pretty fast, so it wasn't exactly something that Ronan would call desirable. "It won't? Dream on and come up with a better curse for me, will you? What is a sore throat gonna do for any of us?" That would just mean that he'd learn to live with the stinging and the hoarse voice and Ronan didn't mind that, it just meant that Caelan wouldn't be allowed to bring anything near his mouth ever again, it was as simple as that, really. That would work, wouldn't it? It was worth a try, at least.

"A sleeping curse? No, I'll curse you with insomnia and now get up or I'll actually bite you, hard", that was - actually - a threat. Ronan knew that he could bite hard and that also meant it would probably draw blood, something that a normal bite shouldn't do. His teeth were uncharacteristically sharp for a sheep, but nobody had to know about the wolves blood that was flowing through his veins and - very much - was responsible for the way he looked, yet, everyone believed his mother when she claimed he was Darraghs rightful son. "I want to bite it off, that is", the young noble answered, knowing fully well that there was no satisfactory response to be had from this, but one could at least try to be who he was and that also meant that they - for one reason or another - they'd have to show more of their true colors to one another, didn't it? Well, being together with Caelan felt nice enough for him to melt, simply because his fellow nobles body temperature was so damn warm and comforting. "I can bite your dick off next, if you prefer that", he said, chuckling in the end because he actually didn't mean it like that. "Then get your ass up!" But instead of urging Caelan to do anything, he continued patting his back and finally bit into the hand that was offered to him - without holding back and that ought to hurt. "It's going to be even better when you get up."

"No idea, maybe because I dreamt of you!", he joked. Ronan wasn't even sure what he'd dreamt about, or who, but in the end, all that came to mind was Caelan and what arose with that were questions about himself, about the urgency and necessity of being awake this early and asking himself if the fog out there was capable of swallowing them all, even though it let through the faint, still pale orange rays of a waking sun. Right here, right now, he'd usually spend his time with laying around and forcing his body to wake up, forcing it to get a move on and do as its owner commanded, but truth be told, it never would and believing that his own body would obey him, sooner than later, was nothing more than a damn farce and nothing more than something he could only dream of. Hell, maybe he wasn't even awake but pestering a very real Caelan in a very ... real dream. "You're never going to know if it stopped hurting or not if I won't tell you!", the black haired youth said, meaning it. One could feign sickness or pain as well as one could do the opposite - if one was a good actor, anyway.

"Then bite back, puppy!" All of this was mere play and the two of them were merely having fun with one another, at least Caelan was waking up, wasn't he? Well, that meant they both had something they'd spend their time on and that, in turn, also meant they could just get out of this god forsaken, comfortable bed and not fall asleep again. This seemed like a good opportunity, didn't it? "Yeah, sure. If that's what makes you happy. I'm already cooking and cleaning for you, so dressing you is the least of my problems." Though, thinking about was bewildering to say the least. It would be as if they'd been a couple or god knew how long, as if they were married and yet Ronan wondered if he could even do that or if it'd kill him instead. "I think you're overreacting, that couldn't have hurt!" Actually, Ronan was fairly aware that it probably did and that that, very much, meant that they both were going to be stuck doing one thing or the other. "Caelan, what are you-!" All of this happened so suddenly and as soon as he figured out what the blode was going to do, he sighed - and then had to bite back and exasperated gasp, just to not let Caelan know that he liked this and that the goosebumps he got weren't from just that. "Urgh, yes. Now get your ass out of bed."

"Nothing that I can remember, actually", he answered and stuck out his tongue at the blonde, knowing fully well that he might as well just do whatever to tease him a bit, to annoy him for a moment and then just push the right buttons to ... do what, exactly? Ronan wasn't shy, but he wasn't one for jokes either and while Caelan gave him the chance to unfold himself, he normally wouldn't get a chance to, let alone even attempt to. Besides the blonde, there were just a few people that he enjoyed being around, one of them being Henry and the rest of them nameless, faceless people that didn't have any significance in the world of a noble, who's biggest worry was what he'd punish his servants for the next time. "Then you'll have to come to Alster every two days, I'm afraid." His father wouldn't let Caelan drop by even once to begin with, especially if it was an announced visit - of course the Fhaergus nobles were invited to any festives but everyone was, even the peasants that could afford to look a little nicer at least once a year and join those whose worries were almost laughable in their world of glittering dirt. Being a noble was hard, but probably something preferable for any peasant.

"Yes you did, but you're the one who said he dislikes cleaning. I have no guarantee that you won't go back on your word", he sighed, almost as if the argument alone had defeated him and Caelan would do nothing but lie from here on out, especially about things he was or wasn't willing to do. Sometimes he wondered why he was the way he was and why someone like him, of all people, fell for someone like Caelan. They were opposites and oil and water had never mixed, not even once, even though they were trying to make that work out right now, weren't they? "Did it now? How do I make it up to you? Lick your wounds?" They both were still going, were eventually going to ruin each others moods just by playing a game, but he didn't care right now, all he wanted - besides winning, that was - was simply being loved, cherished and held. But unless they stayed in bed, that was impossible. "No, you have to try harder, actually", he retaliated, a sly grin on his face before he got up himself, felt his head hurt for a second and then his vision blur, but all that was over sooner than later and he started gathering the clothes Caelan had laid out for him yesterday, dressed himself and just tucked the oversized shirt into his pants. "Hmm, do you want to go for a walk? A nice morning stroll and maybe, just maybe, we can go get some meat while we're out. Or do you want to eat the last bits of broth?"

"You wish I did - but you're not occupying every single thought I have, not yet", he laughed, knowing that Caelan would want to win this, to make him think about nothing or no one else and that was everything that was important, there wasn't anything else and yet ... why was that even important? If Ronan dreamt about something that involved neither of them, not a single person they'd ever spoken to, would that even matter or would it be considered a waste of his precious time? Was it so that he could reprimand himself that the little time he had with Caelan was precious, or was there something else that was telling him that it was somewhat important to understand the blonde, to get a grasp on the basics of things and then continue to love him regardless of whatever stupid things they'd do from here on out? Who knew that? Ronan didn't, he was preoccupied with other things and many of those included his own insecurities, his desire for his skin to bear more scars than the ones he had and yet he could only do so much that would decide whether or not fate was on his side. "I doubt our parents will let us but you can try - and fail." Spending time with the blonde wasn't something he wouldn't want, though - but the sheer thought about seeing him multiple times a week felt surreal to begin with.

"Then I'd love to see you try!", Ronan blurted out, as if it was so strange to see a fellow noble clean up his mess. Well, it was - Caelan was someone he didn't take for the down to earth guy he was, at least at first. Some of their fellow heirs were entitled, spoiled brats and yet, the two of them longed for nothing more than a normal life without the burdens of the higher class, even if that meant they might not even have time to spend time out here, definitely not together. "I'll bite you again, I swear to god", he sighed, before he took the blondes hand in his own and started licking over the spot he'd bit bloody earlier, like a kitten lapping at a fresh wound, trying to make it up to the owner it had injured. What else was there to do, anyway? "They didn't, idiot." Sometimes, however, his boyfriend was insufferable for one too many reasons that he'd rather swept under the rug and ignored, like now, when he turned to make the bed look at least somewhat presentable and went to the window to open up the curtains and get a better look at what the world outside of the hut was offering. "We can do both, at different intervals", he retaliated quickly before he mulled over the question - did they have a bow? Well, it wouldn't hurt to check - but for that, he needed shoes and a candle. "Give me a second", he said and waltzed off, back to where he'd left his shoes when they came here, put them on and then frantically searched for a damn candle - now he'd have to get into the basement anyway. "Traps work too, but that's slower."

"My waking thoughts are occupied with you either way. And you gave me a sore throat. Much to think about, if you ask me", he answered the blonde knowing fully well that his answer wasn't exactly satisfactory. Instead, the truh was - as told by himself, most likely - that they both would be happy to have reoccurring dreams of the other and stop their own suffering, their own predicaments before they became too much. An escape to places unknown, like out here, was something one were to prefer over the usual things - and it showed, Ronan knew that what he wanted was beyond what he could have and yet, he was the one sliding back into his annoying boots and pulling aside the single piece of cloth that served as a carpet in the kitchen, once he'd located a candle and a matchstick to light it with. A lantern would have been better, but the basement wasn't a vast system of catacombs made to help the nobles escape, it was just a moist, dark place full of moist, dark dirt and the occassional wet stone, place to keep the construct from collapsing in on itself. "Your father seems generous in that regard, but lets not overdo it, shall we?" Ronan had put the burning candle onto a fitting holder once he'd dribbled some wax onto it and knew it would stick.

"How in the hell could I see that while I sleep? And might I remind you, I swallowed you-know-what to save ourselves cleaning up a bigger mess." Why were they still talking about this anyway? He'd smeared some of it onto his shirt to, albeit his own, but that could hardly be everything that the blonde had to clean up. His hands were fumbling with the floorboards and the not so obvious hatch among them, before he got a good grap on the iron part to pull it up. Humid and moldy smelling air wafted against his nose and for once, he immediately regretted wanting to go down there. "I hope you have impeccable aim then, because if there's one thing I can do without training, it's killing a rabbit", at least his aim wasn't shit, that was good, no? There were many things a noble needed to be able to do and Ronan knew that hunting - for fun - was one of them. "The last time I was here, so ... hm. I'd say two months ago? Something like that?" Actually, he wasn't sure - he barely remembered most of it. A hunt had happened the second day he was here, but after he'd gotten what he wanted, the rest of his days were spent ... differently. Now, he sat there, at the open hatch, peering into the darkness of the theoretical basement and grabbing the candle - there was no ladder and it was a steep place anyway, so dropping down - and being swallowed by darkness - was fine. Actually, now that he was down here, he could get the rope too. "Why are you asking?"

"Like that damn hickey you gave me? That's going to be an eyesore unless I wear shirts with high collars", he sighed. Even the excuse that he fell flat on his neck seemed unlikely, so he'd have to put on a scarf or something and then figure out if he could hide it with some of his winter clothing and frills around his neck, or if he'd have to apply powder until it was invisible. Caelan was, as expected, an idiot but he'd planned that, he wanted Ronan to remember him and that was ... alright, wasn't it? They both would have to spend some time apart sooner than later so it was only natural for them to have to figure out what it was that would - eventually - put them out of harms way and into each others arms, preferably out here. "So he just likes to please both friend and foe alike, almost as if he's hellbent on satsifying everyone ... and then we have my father, who'd try to figure out a way so that he could legally rid himself of his enemies." Darragh was a schemer that, by all means, would always try to win every single argument he found himself in. Was this what they both wanted, or was it alright to just give up and enjoy something else if someone didn't want to cooperate? "Maybe we're just fundamentally different, especially in our upbringing, but I don't think so."

That wasn't it, it actually was about something else and that was, in fact, about Ronan who had to think about his own heritage as well as the goals he set for himself. If he were to outlive his father, if he were to become duke and if he were to gift his heart to Caelan, he'd die. This would be too much stress to keep up with and yet, was there any other option? Was this the way to go, or was it alright for him to try and figure out all this stuff once he'd done and did it? Well, now that he found himself in the basement, searching for so much more than just a simple answer, he only heard Caelans voice and barely had visual impressions - and his voice was enough. "Alright, alright! You did a good job and still, it's unexpected to have you clean! But thank you, Caelan of Fhaergus, for cleaning after your humble servant", and Ronan meant it, despite not even knowing why he responded like that. Was it just the way things went or was it that he, in the end, ended up with what felt like a myriad of decisions that were his to make? "I doubt I have more than one bow that's working, but if you know how to fix them, be my guest. Otherwise, I'll be careful to not hit you with an arrow." This hunt would be a mess, especially now that he figure out where all of the stuff was and he was rummaging for it in some places - the dim light didn't do him any favors. "It's dark, damp and moldy down here so no, I doubt that. If I had a secret dungeon, you'd be in it since yesterday." Ronan didn't have the luxury of his own, personal torture chamber anyway. "I hate going out, I hate the cold and I hate it when you slip on ice, hit your head and split open your skull but ... it could be worse, you know? I'm just antisocial, that's all. I hate people."

"That's what you say! I like having something that reminds me of you with me, but dear god, the others are going to run their mouths", he answered. Ronan was fairly aware that rumors could crop up faster than he could hide the mark on his skin, but why should he? He could run as fast as possible, could try to hide in his room and figure out a strategy, but eventually someone would notice. Their relationship was only starting, but it was doomed to fail already and truth be told, he didn't expect this to work out over a span of many, many months or even years - but he'd have to see for himself. Either they were found out or they broke up at one point, yet, were they even together? Despite Ronan calling Caelan his boyfriend, did they ever formally ask anyone for anything? That was a decision that had come on a whim and that had been about it, really - he was, as one might say, just trying things out and unsure about so many things himself that he wasn't even sure if anything was supposed to make any sense. "Darragh of Alster would look for a way to break your bones and torture you if he dislikes you, trust me. Don't get on his bad side, he's ... not the friendliest fellow. Why do you think his enemies keep disappearing?" His father was full of himself, wasn't he?

"You didn't want to wake me up? You're cute", he laughed and then rummaged some more - he found the bow from last time, he found the arrows and while he looked through the chest, he even found the broken one he'd talked about. Well, it was broken - the wood kind of almost snapped in half - but maybe that was fixable, one way or another. While he was down here and saw something, really, anything, he grabbed the rope he'd talked about earlier and then walked over to where Caelan was peering down from. "So you can shoot me in the leg? Sure." Caelan wouldn't do that now, would he? After all, he was nothing more than an idealistic puppy that had enough optimism for two people that had no idea what this world would be like once they'd come to the conclusion that they could just swear an oath to one another. "Tie you op and whip you for being a bad dog, do I need to be more in depth?", he asked, as he jokingly grabbed a fistful of blonde hair for a second, before his hands found their way upward to the wooden floor and he put the candle there, so he didn't have to hold it any longer. "I will go hunting with you, I can hunt and just because I dislike the cold doesn't mean I get to stay inside. Plus, why not hate things? You like too much. And now give me a hand." He wanted to get out of here, didn't he?

"ME? A GIRLFRIEND?", Ronan spouted, sounding almost offended. Was Caelan going insane? The day someone would actually buy that Ronan of Alster had a damn girlfriend was, probably, the day he died. If he told them he did, his father would want to know her and from then on out, that would mean that he'd have to deal with one thing or the other, figuring out too much, too fast. Truth be told, it was a hassle to keep up with one too many things and in reality, it would mean that he'd to actually find a girlfriend and draw the ire of Caelan - Ronan wasn't that social and his father knew as much. Nobody would believe that, not in a million years. "He dislikes your existence, to be precise", the black haired noble explained, a sigh parting from his lips. That was right, Darragh had never explained why, but he disliked the Fhaergus bloodline for one reason or the other, whatever that might be in the end. "Just because you're my friend doesn't mean he won't make you his enemy so I don't actually know about that, but we'll see. Maybe, just maybe, he'll let you live, you know?" An empty threat by Ronan was not going to be the same for his father, but ... wasn't it weird to call Darragh his father? After all, he was merely raised by him and not actually his son - but that was something he couldn't tell the blonde either.

"Why my ass, of all places? Are you that horny?" Things like these were uncalled for in public, but out here they weren't. They belonged to one another and that was everything their was - they could struggle as much as they wanted to, they could spend as much time together as they wanted to, their bond would only deepen and that would mean that they'd have a harder time once they'd have to be apart from one another. "Sure, if you say so", he said and stuck out his tongue, just to tease the blonde. Spending time together and having something like a friend, no, even a lover in this case, felt incredible. Ronan thought about his life as bleak and the hardships he had were his own battles to fight, but Caelan made all of it better, somehow, some way. Now that he was out of the basement, it all felt better than it was and he could just blow out the candle - they no longer needed that. "Went for a hunt, slipped on some ice, hit my head against a stone and probably fell onto that things. I don't remember much, there was just blood everywhere", he sighed. He wasn't clumsy, but the amount of times he did hit his head on some places, or broke something, were astounding. "Fixing it seems like a pain in hindsight and I doubt I have leather out here, unless ... we use one of the satchels from my saddle, if that works?"

"My father doesn't need to know something he doesn't even see, so I'll just hide it and when it doesn't go away until he actually sees it, I'll come with an explanation. That's ... going to work out, I think", Ronan wasn't sure. Sometimes Darragh was sharp and noticed things almost on a whim, other times his old man was as dull ass an old blade, ravaged by the flames of war and couldn't pinpoint a single thing. It was almost as if he was selective about the things he noticed, unlike some other people who were neck deep into business that didn't even concern them. Truth be told, he was tired of living the way he did and he would tire even more, once he'd figure out what it was that gave him such trouble with simply being alive. Wasn't Darragh the only reason, or was there more to it than the eye could see? Ronan would have to find an answer to said question himself, even if he didn't want to. "You'll visit me, I'll visit you and I'll definitely write you a letter or two - sooo, how about I spend the winter in Fhaergus? Or is Allard of Fhaergus going to send me home?", he asked, almost jokingly. Darragh would rip him apart for being gone for three months with no chance of returning, that much was painfully clear.

"Well, at least you like looking at it, then?", he asked, almost as if he was just trying to figure out what his bodyfriend liked about him and if there even was anything he disliked about him at all. It didn't seem like it, that was almost painfully clear and Ronan wondered why that was and why he couldn't find anything about him to hate, dislike or slander. "No, it's happened a few times, but not often enough to leave scars or even permanent damage. Sometimes I just do stupid shit and wake up hours later, without much recollection of the event and pretty much covered in my own blood. Though, it hasn't killed me, which is kind ... no, anyways. I won't let myself get treated like a clumsy housewife, I can hunt as well as the next person!" Some of those times were actual advances to kill himself but all of them had hilariously failed, one way or the other. His head would hurt for hours, sometimes even days, but nothing had killed him so far. "One bow, alright then", he said and let Caelan go to change, while he himself buttoned up the shirt properly and then put on a mantle, thick enough to keep him warm and still thin enough to allow precise movement, while he started fidgetting with gloves. Caelan was ready soon enough, so Ronan just opened the door, grabbed the key and once they were out, locked the hut up behind them. "Well, it is cold - but who the hell cares."