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“Oh I hope you don’t think I’m a thief. I’m a lot of things, but not that. But… you wouldn’t take my word for it, would you?” He smirks, cocky and bold.
To my surprise, the doctor shucks off his overcoat, and starts to unbutton his waistcoat. He throws it open with a flutter, arms outstretched, palm-up in submission.
“Search me. If you find anything of yours, I’ll show myself to the stocks. Go ahead. Search until you’re satisfied.”
He lowers his eye, presenting himself for inspection. The sight makes me grow hot at the ears, embarrassed.
“I think I will.”
From the stunned look on his face, he didn’t expect me to take him up on it.
“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” He’s lost his grin, but it comes back quickly. “Well then, don’t be shy. I promise I’ll be good.”
I step closer, eyes roaming over his body, unsure of where to begin. Tentatively, I reach up and run my hands over his shoulders. I’ve never been this close to him before. There’s barely a sliver of space between us.
“Not afraid to get up close and personal are you–“
He cuts himself off when I slide my hands under his shirt. His skin is soft, and surprisingly cool. When my fingers brush over his throat, I can feel his pulse jump. His face is faintly pink, and he’s not looking at me. The moment my hands reach his waist, he suddenly twists away, as slippery as an eel.
”No no no, not there!” Alarm tinges his features, before it collapses into the same embarrassed expression as before. “Er, ahem, I… I’m afraid I’m terribly ticklish.” The blush fades some as he shoots me a surprisingly soft smile. “Don’t tell anyone. It’ll be our little secret.”
I catch his arm. He almost overbalances, but catches himself at the last second. Just because he’s sweeter than I thought doesn’t mean he didn’t steal anything.
“Hold still.”
He bites his lip, flushing under my stare and obediently stands straight, arms at his side. His face is bright red, and he’s watching me with a lidded gaze. I take a step back, catching my breath. Julian blinks quizzically at me.
“Done so soon?” He seems to reign himself in, drawing his composure back together. “Why, you’ve only just started! You haven’t even checked my other side yet.” The grin is challenging, playful.
He’s baiting me, but he’s right; I haven’t checked his back yet. I circle behind him, and he twists around to watch me, not letting me out of his sight. His eye is bright with interest. My cheeks warm under his shameless stare.
“I had no idea you were so… hands-on.” It sounds like he wasn’t expecting me to touch him, even as he egged me on. “How daring of you. Aren’t you afraid someone will see?” Again, that cocky smirk, like he can’t go more than two sentences without it.
“Did I say you could move?”
“I, ah… no, you didn’t.” Surprise suffuses his features.
“Then turn back around.”
He complies without hesitation. I can see the tips of his ears turn red. Interesting. A fine tremor goes through him when I slide my hands down his back.
“Besides, shouldn’t you be afraid of being seen?”
“Er, well, I suppose that’s true…” He seems startled at my question, like it hadn’t occurred to him he should be worried for his own safety.
I run my hands over his hips, checking his pockets, and stop when I feel an unexpected hard edge.
“Ah, that, don’t worry about that.” Julian’s bright red again. All this blood rushing to his face can’t be good for him. But I’m not going to leave it alone, not when it could be something from my shop.
…It’s a knife, hidden in his pocket.
“But I am happy to see you. I can show you, if you like.” The reflexive smirk is nearly adorable this time.
He’s incorrigible, but I can feel him nervously shifting his weight. I walk back around to his front, trailing one hand over his hip. He sways in my direction, but holds himself still with a visible effort.
“Are you… are you done?” He’s trying to not react, but I think I can sense some disappointment under the serious mask.
“Did you want me to be?”
“I, well, um. No?” He obviously wasn’t expecting me to ask.
“Then step back.”
I nudge him back into the shop with one hand on his chest. Julian nearly stumbles, but doesn’t resist being moved. His face is bright red again. I push past him, starting up the stairs to where my and Asra’s rooms are. Julian stands where I left him, watching me with a lost expression.
“Coming?”
“Yes, of course, sorry.” His flush hasn’t decreased, and it doesn’t seem like it will any time soon.
Julian scurries up the stairs behind me. I can feel how anxious he is, and it resonates with my own nervous energy. I almost can’t believe I’m actually doing this.
“After you.”
I hold open the curtains that serve as my door, and follow Julian into my room.
“It’s beautiful.” The surprise in his voice is almost insulting, but the obvious delight he takes in the room offsets it. “Though not nearly as stunning as you.” And, of course, the smirk is back.
Honestly, he looks like he belongs among my pillows and crystals, the sun sparkling off his skin just as it did the stones and sequins.
“Thank you. But I think you’re here for more than simple flattery, don’t you?”
“I, ah, yes?”
“I thought so, too. Lie down for me, won’t you? Wherever you like.”
“Wherever I like? Why, how could I ever choose?” The wild grin he sends me looks like he wants to make this a game.
“If you don’t, I’ll pick for you.”
His eye drops to the blankets strewn around as he swallows thickly. A quiet shuffle later, and he’s lowering himself against my favorite pillow. He darts up a look for my reaction, sighing out a shaky breath at my nod. He’s red to his roots, the color almost matching the shade of his hair.
“Good.”
A shudder runs though him, and I step closer to kneel next to him. I reach out towards his face, but he pulls away. His eye goes wide, and he watches me with disbelief. I wait, hands still raised, until he settles his face in my palms himself. He’s almost sad now, like what’s about to happen is sad news he’s heard so often he can’t cry about it anymore.
“You… might not want to do that.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not the prettiest thing. I don’t want to scare you.” He leans into my hands, already mournful over my reaction.
“Let me be the judge of that.”
I slip my fingers under the strap of his eyepatch and pull it gently from his hair. Julian’s eyes are closed. There’s nothing unusual about the skin normally hidden under the patch.
“Open your eyes.”
One eye cracks open, Julian checking my expression before letting the other flutter open too. It’s red, discolored with the plague.
“What… how? The plague’s gone.”
“I don’t know. I don’t… I don’t remember.” He’s serious, unbelievable as it sounds.
I take a moment to feel for his energy with mine. Asra showed me this trick. It lets you feel the flow of someone's vital energy, and you can tell how they are by how it moves. His runs clear, if a bit turbulent from his emotions. It certainly doesn’t have the muddied tinge the energy of the ill has.
“Well. You don’t seem sick, so I don’t see a reason for stopping. Unless you don’t want to?”
“You want to keep going?” Surprise erases the solemn cast of his face.
“Of course. You did say you had something to show me.”
“Oh, um, I did?” Red slowly spreads across his cheeks again.
“Yes, Doctor, you did.”
“Then what are we waiting for?”
He reclines back against the pillow, spreading his arms in the same wide gesture he had used before. Rolling my eyes, I move to pull off his gloves. He lets me take them without hesitation. I set them aside and slide my hands back under his shirt. His skin has warmed from before, and he leans into my hands. He’s red as rubies again, biting his lip and watching me. Gentle, I push his shirt off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor.
“Can you sit up for me?”
He nods, moving so I can pull the shirt from behind him. I drape it over a nearby pillow, where it will be out of the way. He’s surprisingly muscular, though I suppose being on the run will do that.
“Boots now.”
“It might, ah, might be easier if I do those myself.”
It obviously embarrasses him to say, but I believe him. Those boots go higher than any others I’ve seen before. I sit back, letting him reach for his boots. A minor struggle ensues, but after a few minutes both shoes are off. I take them and place them neatly by his shirt.
“Pants now?” His hands hover over his belt, and he glances at me to ask.
“Yes.”
He’s eager, only untying his belt enough to shove it down with the rest. He turns to dump the pile down with the shirt and boots, then settles back against my pillow. I take my time looking him over, watching the flush bloom down his neck and over his collarbones.
“See something you like?”
He’s good at pretending he’s not nervous. A confident smirk and a challenging question and I’m sure most people would back down. But I’m getting better at seeing through him.
“I do.”
“Er, ah, good.” His eyes go wide at my words, obviously not expecting me to call his bluff.
I reach out and smooth my hands over his chest. His heart is racing; he must be more nervous than I thought. I trace the lines of his muscles, watching them jump and shiver under my touch.
“You’re so sensitive…”
“Is that, ah, is that a bad thing?” He’s still flushed, though not quite as bad as before. Shame.
“No.”
The satisfaction must be obvious in my voice, because Julian swallows thickly but doesn’t argue.
“I wonder…”
“You wonder wha-ah!”
Julian breaks into startled semi-screeching laughter as my fingers attack his sides. He flails, but he’s not trying terribly hard to get away. Or to push my hands away.
“Stop, stop, wait, Uncle! I surrender!”
He can barely talk through the laughter. It’s charming, but I set him free. He slumps down immediately, panting and darting wary looks between my raised hands. The anxious tension is gone from his frame now, though, so I consider it a job well done. Slowly, I let my hands fall back down to rest on his waist. He lets me, though it’s obvious he’s prepared for more tickling. I make sure my touch is firm, and I push long strokes against his skin, calming the frazzled nerves.
“Shh, no more tickling, I promise.”
Julian relaxes, going limp under my hands.
“Well, if you promise…” He sends the smirk my way again.
I roll my eyes at him, and reach for the oil buried in the pillows behind him. I shake the bottle in his direction, letting it sparkle in the sunlight. He obviously recognizes it, growing bright red again.
“I was planning on getting the show on the road, unless you had other ideas?”
“Oh, I, no. No, please.”
“Such a good boy…”
Julian’s breath hitches, and he somehow gets brighter red. I carefully drizzle some of the oil in my palm. It’s cool from sitting in the shadows, but it quickly warms in my hand. I slick both my palms, then move to sit between Julian’s parted legs. He spreads them easily for me.
“Hello, there.” He’s evidently shameless, grinning at me like he’s a prize that I won.
“Hello, yourself. Are you ready?”
“Ready when you are, captain.”
He’s putting on a confident face again, but I can see how hard his heart is beating in his throat. Gently, I wrap one hand around him. He startles, then drops his head back, biting his lip. I haven’t even moved yet and he’s already trembling. I trace delicate lines down him with my fingers, watching as he digs his own into the blankets under him.
“I-please.”
“Please, what?”
He whines, stomach muscles jumping when I change the direction of my hand.
“Tell me what you’re asking for, Doctor.”
A shudder rips through him, and he sighs out a shaky breath.
“Please, harder?”
“Harder? I can do that.”
My hand tightens around him, the oil making the glide frictionless as I pump him. He nearly chokes, then lets out a quiet moan. I keep moving, letting him twitch up into my hand. A litany of small sounds and cut off moans falls from his mouth. His hands tug at the blanket, fretful. But he doesn’t look back at me.
I stop moving, taking my hands off him completely. His head snaps up, eyes wide and a desperate whine escaping.
“Keep watching. Don’t look away from this.”
Julian swallows heavily, then nods. His brows furrow when my hand wraps back around him, but his eyes don’t leave me. I reward him with a faster pace, my other hand pressing gently under his balls. He jolts, eyes flying wide. I meet them and give him what I hope is a soothing smile.
“Just relax. I’ve got you.”
He nods again. Leaning back, he spreads his legs further for me, giving me plenty of room to work. I massage that spot under his balls, my other hand keeping its steady rhythm. I can feel him twitch with every press, and his muscles are slowly tensing to his limit. His eyes flutter shut every few seconds, but each time he forces them open to watch me.
“P-please, please, I’m, ah, I’m close-“
“Whenever you like, I’m not going to stop you.”
A long whine escapes him, and he reaches with one hand for my sleeve. It hampers my movement some, but Julian doesn’t seem to even notice. He’s nearly lost to pleasure, and only getting closer with every second.
Suddenly, he goes tense, not even breathing as hot come shoots over my hand and lands on his chest. I stroke him through it, massaging out every drop. Julian falls limp, shaking with aftershocks. I give him two more pumps, just to watch him twitch and his face twist with too much sensation, then softly release him. I grab a towel that was hanging nearby and start wiping him down. Julian hums contently, curling up around me. He buries his face in my lap and goes completely limp. I comb my fingers through his hair, the sweaty curls catching and tugging occasionally.
Eventually, I help him sit up and pass his clothes over.
“I’m going downstairs for some water. When you’re ready, get back dressed.”
“Kicking me out already? And I was just getting comfortable.”
His usual smirk is in place, but I can tell he would rather sleep the rest of the day away here, if only I would let him. Unfortunately, I’ve got places to be. I’m sure he does too.
“Come on, Doctor, you can’t dally here all day. Take a few minutes to gather yourself, then meet me downstairs.”
He flushes, but nods his acquiescence. I drape the curtains in the doorway open as I pass, and grab a glass and water from the kitchen before going down the stairs. I pull up a couple stools to the counter and settle in to wait for Julian. It only takes a few minutes before he shows up, creeping down the stairs like he’s in trouble. As soon as he sees me, however, a grin breaks across his face and he straightens.
“I was worried you’d have… Ah, well, it’s not important, never mind.”
He sits on the other stool and twiddles his thumbs. I push the glass of water over to him, giving him a pointed look. He drains it, then goes back to his nervous motions.
“Is that... is that it, then?” He’s definitely disappointed this time, but I don’t have much more time I can spend on him before I have to get to the town square.
“Almost. You’d better tell me what you were really looking for.”
“You’re very persistent, aren’t you? And, hmm. Thorough.” He flushes again. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was still feeling the aftereffects of our dalliance.
“Answer the question.”
Julian’s throat bobs when he swallows, and he lets out a slow, shaky sigh. Now that I’ve heard where that sound can lead, it’s difficult to stay impartial.
“I… I was looking for answers. But I didn’t find any. Not the ones I wanted.” His face drops.
I doubt he’d lie to me after all that. Besides, if he was here for anything concrete, he could have easily gotten away earlier, instead of telling me to search him.
“Alright. I believe you.”
“Huh? I, ah. Wait. Really?”
I don’t know why that would surprise him. He hasn't lied to me yet, and he has no reason to lie about this, as far as I can tell.
“Really.”
“That’s a terrible idea. You shouldn’t take anyone at their word, least of all me.” He seems to believe that, solemn caution overcoming the surprise. “But, er, well. I do hope you’re satisfied. I would just hate to disappoint you.”
He sends me a small smile, sweet, before reaching down. His coat is still on the floor of the shop where he had dropped it earlier. He retrieves his overcoat with a showy flourish and slips it back on.
“Well, I’m sure you have things to do, so I’ll just be getting out of your way…”
He takes a wide step, contorting his long form around me to pass.
“Doctor Ju- Doctor Devorak-“
“Take care now. If the powers that be should ever entangle us again... Call me Julian.”
His broad grin takes only a second to fade, before shock takes over his features. Bristling at the nape, I look carefully over my shoulder. Portia. She must have come to find me, but she pays me no attention at all. All of her focus, the suspended disbelief in her wide eyes, is on the man beside me. When she speaks… The quiet word that escapes her sounds different, an unused voice from the depths of her heart.
“Ilya?”
Portia stumbles, then runs to the steps. I back into the wall as she throws herself at the doctor.
“Ilya?! Is it really you?” Tears are gushing down Portia’s face.
Her shaking hands come to either side of his face. His eye starts to shine, I notice in wonder. He seems startled to see her, but like it’s a miracle come true.
“It’s me.”
“You- you- You bastard! What are you doing here?! Out in the open? Are you trying to get yourself killed?!” Portia looks like an avenging spirit, yelling through her tears as she is.
Her fingers curl, tugging at his ears and drawing a shameful wince.
“You’ve grown up strong, Pasha. I’m… sorry I wasn’t there to see it.” Julian droops, not even trying to free himself from Portia’s grip.
“Ohh, I’ll show you sorry! You unbelievable… Apprentice!”
Spotted, I can only offer Portia a curious look. She released Julian’s ears, tugging him off the stoop.
“I-I… I’ll catch up with you later!”
Without further ado, Portia hauls the floundering doctor away to an alley nearby, leaving me to ponder. Didn’t they seem like family?