for fenris

[samahl]

Magister Anguis had once belonged to an impressive Tevinter household. Once upon a time, the name had had weight and power behind it. Now, though he still had the title of Magister, it was widely known that his house was deeply in debt. He had sold most of his estate and slaves in effort to save face, keeping only a small house close to the edge of the Starkhaven border and three slaves; one young maid, a footman, and his most prized possession, a Dalish elf whom he kept close to him nearly every moment.

The Dalish elf was called Cervi by the Magister but that was not the name given to him by his Clan. It had been years since he had been called his given name and though Cyril kept it in his heart he was rather protective of who knew it. The two other elven slaves who tended to the house were teenagers, Cassia and Viridi, and even they knew him only by the name their master had given him.

The summer of 9:40 Dragon had been remarkable so far because the south had been plunged to chaos since the Nevarran Accords had been annulled. They were at war, with mages and templars bring death and fire every where they went. That and the tensions between the Empress and her cousin had boiled over into a Civil War that ravaged the Dales.

Chaos in the South brought profit for Tevinter, and Master Anguis had wanted to take advantage of that. He had been so desperate to regain his family's standings that he had even crossed the border into Starkhaven. He allied himself with mercenaries turned slavers and preyed on those caught up in the chaos. He was so set in the idea of finding a fortune by selling the disenfranchised that he had even brought Cassia, Viridi, and 'Cervi' with him - ignoring the fact that technically once they crossed the border the three were technically no longer in bondage. To him they were property, and always would be.

The night was warm, but not nearly as hot as it would have been north of Vyrantium. Cyril was finishing up setting up a bath that he and Anguis would have shared. Cassia and Viridi were cleaning up in the kitchen after creating a modest meal for their master. The Magister was in his study going over papers that tracked the transportation of the slaves his men had found.

He had no idea that those men were now likely dead, nor that the one who had attacked them had found information on him and his location. No one in the house would have dared to believe that the Magister would not make it through the night.

Comments

[samahl]

Cyril feels a pang in his chest over the idea that Fenris thinks this is indulging him. He moves closer and gently puts a hand on Fenris's arm.

"If this is indulging you, I'll happily do it every day."

[wolfuncaged]

The flush crosses Fenris' face before he even knows its there. He feels he should be beyond this. Feeling like a teenager with a newly bloomed crush. And yet, it's more than that too. Something deeper, something...much more vital. He shifts a little closer, enjoying the touch, his free arm moving to brush some hair behind Cyril's ear.

"You know, there would be no protest from me, if that were the case."

[samahl]

Cyril feels as if his breath has stalled in his chest at the way that Fenris moves closer. Then he's touching Cyril and his fingers brush against Cyril's ear and Cyril feels a thrill that moves through his body, all the way down to his toes.

Before he can reconsider it, Cyril closes more of the distance between then and kisses Fenris. It's very chaste and gentle, but when he pulls away he looks embarrassed. "I..." he starts, but he's already worried that maybe that kiss was a bad idea.

[wolfuncaged]

The kiss was not something Fenris had anticipated. There's a brief moment of panic, where he wants to push away and run. He hasn't let anyone get so close in a while, Isabela notwithstanding. It would be easier to run, to put as much distance between himself and Cyril as he can.

He finds he doesn't want to, though. Not truly. He trusts Cyril, and that goes an awfully long way in his eyes. It's always hard earned. And so, his lips quick in a little smile, as he leans in to press a kiss of his own on Cyril's lips. Chaste to be sure, but a touch more lingering. He pulls back a little smile still there.

"I have wished to do that for a while."

[samahl]

The idea that the kiss would cause Fenris to panic was the thing that scared Cyril the most. He wasn't sure how they could recover from such a thing. Then Fenris returns the kiss instead and everything seems to be right with the world.

He chuckles, the noise of it pure relief. "Oh, me too," he admits after a moment. "Though next time I won't spring it on you." Consent is important to him, even more so now, and he never wants to violate's Fenris's autonomy.

He can't stop the smile from spreading across his face then, and he doesn't even try, as he settles back down. He feels light and happy, more so than he has in a long time. The relief of knowing that he hasn't ruined anything mixes with a giddy affection for Fenris. "I think I got carried away because I missed you so much."

[wolfuncaged]

The respect Cyril had for his choices always mattered so much to Fenris. Perhaps it was because Cyril had been there too. That he understood how deep the damage went, when ones freedom was taken away from them. He knew how vital autonomy was, how precious.

He lets out his own low chuckle, settling back down again, his hand hesitates for a moment, before moving to brush through Cyril's hair.

"Oh...thank you," he pauses, clearing his throat. "That came out more awkward than I intended. I missed you, too."

[samahl]

Cyril wants to tell Fenris how he was able to buy a bow and has been practicing with it so that someday soon he'll be able to join him on these quests, but the whole idea of explaining all of that seems so distracting when all he wants to do is curl up with him and sleep.

That urge isn't helped when Fenris keeps touching him and moving his fingers through his hair. The motion is so soothing and Cyril can feel his eyelids dropping.

He supposes they'll always have tomorrow. "Then it's a good thing we're back together. And that we both can get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning?"

[wolfuncaged]

That would be something Fenris would be exceptionally proud of Cyril to hear. He'd be all for testing it out, training, learning more. But now, now sleep is at the forefront of everything. Exhaustion hangs on him deep.

He lets out a rumbling 'hmmm' him response, his own eyes starting to close as he settled into the bed, hand moving to rest on Cyril's shoulder.

"Yes, we can get properly caught up then. But now, I think sleep is vital."

[samahl]

Cyril turns and ends up pressing gently up against Fenris. He doesn't want him to feel trapped so it would be easy for him to pull away. It's still nice to be able to touch him more openly. The kiss makes it feel like he isn't going to ruin anything by doing so.

He settles in to sleep then, and sleeps better than he has since Fenris left.