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The night before this year's Winter Veil's feast was one of the coldest Anduin could remember. Even the fires in every room couldn't dispel the lingering chill that seemed determined to seep into every thread of every tapestry, every fiber of clothing, and every cell in his body. He had spent the evening beside one of the four roaring hearths in the great hall, listening to the after-dinner festivities that had started to hold less and less meaning as time went on....first a choir of orphans sang traditional hymns about the guiding Light and how it would bring peace to the world. The Light had not spared Azeroth from the Legion's wrath. Anduin pretended to be engaged, while mentally counting the flat notes and making a game of determining which orphan was off-key and by how much.
A troupe of Dwarven dancers in truly hideous blinking red and green patterned sweaters that were nevertheless fascinating in a horrifying sort of way...Anduin found he was sort of afraid to look away...he got the feeling that if he did, someone was going to miss a step and another dancer would get kicked in the face, or worse...he could see their breath, for Light's sake, leaving their mouths in little puffs of frost.
And then there was that mixed group of performers re-enacting the saving of Metzen the Reindeer from the Abominable Greench. Anduin slowly slid down in his father's throne with one hand over his face, peeking between his fingers as "Metzen" (a tall draenei wearing a red foam nose and antlers tied to his horns) proclaimed his thanks at being freed from the wicked Greench and his doubtlessly horrible plans, and galloped off with a gnome riding on his shoulders before a company of hideously-besweatered gnome and draenei children did a song and dance routine about being Father Winter Veil's helpers. Then they moved through the crowd, handing out candy canes. Anduin surreptitiously checked the program notes. Oh, thank the Light, that was the last act. He rose to his feet and clapped enthusiastically, bringing some feeling back into his chilled fingers. Crap, now they were all looking at him expectantly...what was he supposed to do? What had his father done? He shot the nearest advisor a 'help-me' look.
"Perhaps a blessing?" Mathias Shaw murmured, and Anduin relaxed. A blessing, of course! He cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders.
"Our thanks again, for your efforts this Winters Veil Eve..." he started, and there was another round of polite applause. He had to look away from the performer wearing the red foam nose, his lips twitching. "And may the Light bring you joy and hope in these darkest days of winter, a reminder that behind the winter's chill is the coming warmth of spring." he concluded, spreading his hands. One final round of clapping, and foot stamping that he supposed had less to do with actual approval and more with trying to warm frozen arms and legs. Really, you'd think in a room with four hearths, all of which were blazing, it would be slightly warmer than Kharanos on a spring morning. Off in their corner, a band struck up the cheerful holiday music that they were honorbound to play through the night until Winter Veil morning.
"Your Majesty!" he couldn't ignore the small voices calling for him, and hitched a smile back on as he turned. It was two of the orphan children, nervous and being shepherded by their Matron. Anduin's smile turned genuine, and he dropped to one knee. The taller of them, a girl with ginger hair and bright green eyes, was shyly holding out a crudely wrapped package, evidently homemade. He accepted it graciously, rattling it a little.
"For me?" Anduin asked, his eyes sparking. She gave him a gap-toothed grin and nodded. The little boy beside her shuffled his feet nervously. The matron cleared her throat a little.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty but they were so set on it and..." she started to explain, but Anduin held up a hand.
"It's quite alright." he said, and made a show of unwrapping the package.
"Be careful, it's a fragile!" the girl informed him. Anduin proceeded to be very careful, indeed.
"Oh! What's this? Homemade nut brittle?" he asked, his enthusiasm genuine. Both orphans broke into beaming smiles. Anduin leaned forward a little. "Thank you so much for this. I'll be sure to keep it close...my guards are always stealing my sweets for themselves." he told them conspiratorially. And they were...there was always some drivel going around about the latest poisoning plot that had or might have been foiled and Anduin had long stopped paying attention. The matron hurried the orphans away and Anduin rose back to his feet with a wince. Even after so many years, his left knee still twinged a bit....especially now, when he could feel the cold leeching into every joint he had.
It was easy to slip into the crowd....most were bundling back into cloaks and capes and coats. Those that weren't were pressing towards the fireplaces, trying to get that last bit of heat before spilling out onto the streets of Stormwind and back to their homes. The program over, the rest of the night was his...he passed by the dining hall, where the remnants of the feast were being packed up to distribute to the poor. He wasn't sure he had liked that tradition, it felt dirty somewhat...handing out his leftovers. But the cooks had convinced him it was a very much needed and appreciated gesture. Really, what could he say to that? He slipped past the servants and even managed to duck the guards, stepping into an alcove and waiting for them to pass by before he started up the spiraling stairs to his room, munching nut brittle. The music from the band drifted up the stairs, making the atmosphere almost festive, if it hadn't been so mind numbingly cold.
It wasn't any warmer up there, either, the large round chamber was positively frigid, though there was a large fire laid in the fireplace. Anduin shivered in protest, setting his box of sweets down on the bed and striding towards his window....which someone had left open! No wonder it was freezing in here. He shut the casing decisively, and slammed the sash home, jerking the heavy brocade curtain over it. It cut out what was left of the light, but also, hopefully, some of the chill.
"Now, how am I supposed to get back out?" came a petulant drawl from the bed that sent a chill of an entirely different sort up Anduin's spine.
"Wrathion!" he hissed, turning around. The Black Prince was lounging on Anduin's bed, wearing nothing but a pair of white silk trousers....and he was eating Anduin's nut brittle!
"Hey! That's mine!" Anduin yelped, lunging for it. Wrathion held the box up out of reach and Anduin sprawled gracelessly across the bed on his front. Wrathion promptly added insult to injury by propping his feet on Anduin's back.
"What are you doing here?" Anduin asked, squirming out from under him and going to make sure his door was locked. Wrathion's eyes flashed, and he leaned back, tossing a piece of nut brittle in his mouth and crunching it.
"Mm, this is very good......what's it called?"
"Nut brittle.....and it's MINE....and what are you doing here?" Anduin repeated, shoving another couple of logs onto the fire. He took off his cloak and tossed it onto a chair. Wrathion ignored him completely for a moment, licking a few crumbs off his fingers. Anduin's eyes followed their progress.
"I wasn't aware I needed a reason to visit....but if you insist on one, I thought I'd drop in and offer seasons greetings...isn't that what you mortals say? Seasons greetings?"
"Seasons greetings, yes." Anduin said, yoinking the box of nut brittle out of Wrathion's hands successfully. A brief struggle ensued, which resulted in him laying pinned underneath a gloating dragon prince, the sweets confiscated.
"Usually seasons greetings are supposed to be peaceful." Anduin grumbled, squirming. He couldn't see Wrathion with his face pressed into the mattress but he could practically hear him grinning, as he twisted one of Anduin's arms behind his back. Anduin hissed.
"I am being peaceful." Wrathion insisted, and his face and one glowing eye came into view as he leaned over to beam at Anduin. "If my intentions had been less-than, you would have known."
"Honestly I'm never sure WHAT your intentions frrnngmm..." Anduin's words were cut off as Wrathion pressed a bit of brittle into his mouth. He glared at the Black Prince, but chewed obediently. It really was good. He would have to send a personalized note to the orphanage...
Wrathion smirked down at him, letting go of his wrist now that his point had been made. Anduin sighed softly as he propped himself up a little, helping Wrathion remove his sash and tunic.
"Titans, my king, you are freezing." Wrathion said abruptly, once they'd gotten him down to nothing but his shirt. He ran his palms down Anduin's chest and Anduin hissed again, leaning helplessly into the heat of those hands.
"It's freezing in the castle, in case you hadn't noticed." he panted. Wrathion tilted his head and blinked.
"No, I hadn't." he said honestly. For a second, Anduin was almost nonplussed...how could he have NOT noticed...but then he remembered who and what Wrathion was. He opened his mouth to say something, but his words died on his lips when the prince moved forward, covering them with his own.
"Let me warm you, then."
Heat....spreading down from the kiss where their lips and tongues tangled together...and up his back where Wrathion's hands were pressed against his hips, his sides...fingers sliding under the waistline of his trousers. Anduin groaned helplessly and let Wrathion turn them both, driving him back into the nest of pillows that he'd evidently made waiting on him. After the cold, he sought it out hungrily, burying his fingers in Wrathion's hair, parting his legs and pulling Wrathion down between them by hooking a leg around the back of his knees. Wrathion fell against him with a soft, breathless laugh.
"So eager..." he purred against Anduin's ear. Anduin didn't even offer an answer, just tugged insistently at Wrathion's waistband.
Wrathion took the hint, and divested himself of the trousers, kicking them unceremoniously to the end of the bed. Anduin's took a little more effort to remove, with the belt and the undergarments getting in the way. Wrathion lost patience and tugged, the long ripping noise as satisfying as Anduin's following groan.
"That's...the third pair this month..." the king mumbled accusingly.
"I apologize." Wrathion said, not sorry in the slightest, moving the box of nut brittle over to the side table and fumbling in the drawer for the flask of oil that Anduin had taken to keeping there. His movements were hampered by Anduin's cold-clumsy movements, trying to both burrow underneath him and hold as much of him as possible. They weren't going to make any progress at this rate. His fingers were like icicles.
"Here, hold still." Wrathion said finally, pulling back a little. He looked down at Anduin fondly, stroking his thumb across a cheekbone. The young king finally did still, panting and looking adorably disoriented. Wrathion turned his attention downwards, and began to exhale, spreading his heated breath up Anduin's body from his ankles all the way to his throat. Anduin groaned and squirmed, his toes and fingers curling into the sheets.
"Ah....ah...." he panted, a fine sheen of sweat breaking across his forehead as Wrathion bent down to kiss him.
"Mmm....too much?" he asked, pulling back and worried for a moment. But Anduin was shaking his head.
"Perfect..." he panted, his fist back in Wrathion's hair, all but yanking him back down to crush their lips together.
Wrathion's hands smoothed over Anduin's hips, stroking the insides of his thighs before he wrapped his fingers around his cock and tugged once. Anduin muffled his groan against the dragon's shoulder, feeling him grin again.
"Perfect." Wrathion echoed, beginning to stroke him in earnest. It didn't take him long to bring Anduin to full hardness, he was already bucking his hips back and forth against that teasing hand. Wrathion caught his hip with his free hand, forcing him to still, and Anduin bit back a whimper.
"Patience, my king." Wrathion whispered, picking up the oil again. He swung a leg over Anduin's thighs, settling down on them as he tapped his chin with one finger, eyes narrowed in thought. All Anduin could do was stare up at him in breathless anticipation.
"Hmm. Tonight I think I shall have you just like this. I want to see your face." Wrathion murmured, bending down. Anduin allowed himself another faint groan...it had been a while since they had coupled face to face. It had been a while since they had coupled at all...things had been so crazy. A few stolen kisses here, a hurried grope behind a curtain there....Anduin supposed he couldn't be blamed for his earlier surprise at finding Wrathion in his room, lounging on his bed as if he belonged there.
But he did belong there. The longer it went, the more Anduin realized that Wrathion had wound his way not only back into his bed, but back into his life as well. His thoughts were abruptly derailed by the feeling of a slick finger pressing against him, and he sucked in his breath sharply against his teeth, back arching at the breach that was followed almost too quickly by a second.
"Ah...." he gasped, wincing at the sting. Wrathion's kisses soothed along his jaw and along his throat.
"Mm, I apologize for my impatience." he could hear the growl in Wrathion's voice and shivered. The fingers working him open were still gentle, despite the quick movements, and it didn't take him too long to adjust. Another oil-slicked finger and he groaned again.
"You know...if you let me stay here full time, I doubt I'd have to prepare you this....thoroughly." Wrathion suggested, punctuating his words with a sharp thrust of his fingers, which sent a jolt up Anduin's spine.
"I don't....don't think it works...ah...like that." Anduin protested, but his mind was caught around something else. "And I thought...thought you didn't want to...stay here full time. Saving the...saving the world and all that." he panted. Wrathion's smile was beatific, and he guided Anduin's hand down between his legs. Light, even his cock was almost uncomfortably warm. He wrapped his fingers around and it and stroked, watching Wrathion's expression change, his eyelids flutter a bit, the heat from his eyes dissipating a little before they fixed again on his own with burning intensity.
"Maybe I've changed my mind...." the dragon growled softly, slowly fucking him with those fingers in time with his words, and Anduin felt his heart catch a little in his throat. "I find myself coming back here over...and over..." He thrust those fingers in...and in again...Anduin was starting to shake.
"Wrathion...." he gasped, bucking his hips up. He wasn't sure if he could take Wrathion's teasing tonight. Another wave of heated air passed over him and he moaned from the sheer pleasure of it, melting back into the bed.
"Good boy." Wrathion murmured, at last withdrawing his fingers and wiping them on his thigh.
Anduin obediently lifted his legs when Wrathion patted him sharply on the hip, settling his knees against the dragons hips and angling himself up and back. Wrathion nuzzled into the side of his neck, teeth squeezing on Anduin's skin as he pressed himself inwards. Anduin shuddered, letting the feeling of being filled, of being claimed, take over his senses. Wrathion was tangling their fingers together and Anduin clutched them, letting his breath out in a shaky moan.
"You sing so beautifully, my king..." Wrathion hissed against his skin, tongue flicking out to soothe the skin he had just bitten. They started to move together, on a rising tide that neither of them could resist. Anduin found all thought driven from his mind, his vision gradually taken over by dark skin and red eyes....until a particularly sharp thrust from Wrathion touched something that made him white out for a brief second. He didn't realize he'd cried out until Wrathion changed angles to force those cries repeatedly from his throat.
"Louder..." Wrathion growled darkly in his ear, and Anduin found himself heeding, more glad than ever for the echoing music through the halls that hid his increasingly desperate sounding moans.
"Wrathion...please...." he panted, twisting beneath him. Wrathion let go of one of his hands long enough to drop his fingers between them and grasp Anduin, stroking him quickly in time with his own thrusts.
"Mmm? Something you need, my king?"
"Please!" Anduin gasped, as another particularly deep thrust sent stars popping across his vision. Wrathion smirked into his throat, dragging his teeth over Anduin's jaw.
"You know the rules, my pretty one..." the dragon all but sing-songed in his ear, and Anduin let out a frustrated whimper. The next hard thrust had him shaking too much to hold out any longer.
"Wrathion...please...let me cum." he whispered, feeling the usual flush of color creep up his neck at the words. Lewd...raw...but effective.
Wrathion shivered, his own thrusts becoming erratic.
"Yes, my king...of course..." he breathed, tightening his fingers around Anduin and all but pulling his orgasm from him. Anduin bit down on a yelp, his back arching sharply off the bed. Two more strokes and he climaxed hard, his seed painting thin ropes across Wrathion's skin. The dragon was panting harshly, and Anduin felt the familiar heat flooding him on the inside. Usually it was almost uncomfortable...tonight it felt incredible, soothing and warming away the chill that had permeated his body. He groaned, winding one arm around Wrathion's back and pressing his forehead against his shoulder.
For a few minutes, they simply held each other, each coming down off the high that great sex brought. Wrathion was breathing hard, sending more waves of heat over Anduin's body, and he shamelessly leaned into it, basking in it, curling his hands under Wrathion's chin until Wrathion captured his wrists and moved them down, holding them between their chests. Anduin let himself be taken and held, and eventually Wrathion twitched the blankets over them both, burrowing into his side. He should get up to clean himself off...but he didn't. He was too comfortable, too sleepy...too warm.
"Will you be here when I wake?" he asked after a few minutes, when he had almost succumbed to sleep. He felt Wrathion stir beside him.
"What a question."
"Wrathion..!" Anduin opened his eyes, now genuinely needing to know. Wrathion stretched and turned to him, red eyes fixing on blue.
"Yes, my king. Someone has to keep you warm." he said finally, lips turning upwards in that familiar, superior smile. Anduin felt his chest tighten. He didn't dare ask if that meant Wrathion was staying for good this time. One day at a time was alright by him.
The castle didn't feel as cold anymore. He doubted it would again.