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Gyr Abania is warm. Hot, even. They had only spent a bell outside with the family before J’mhati (their Nunh , G’raha has to remind himself) decided they should head inside where it is cooler. Something about not wanting G’raha to roast in the sun. It’s only slightly cooler inside, but anything was a mercy compared to the unrelenting, ambient heat outside. They toe off their shoes in the cluttered doorway and abandon them among the mountain of smaller children’s shoes. The entire living room littered with shawls, coats, books, toys, all evidence of a life preexisting their relationship, preexisting his awareness of his hero’s very existence. The air smells cloyingly of J’mhati’s and his kits’ scents, along with the spices they cook with and the incense the eldest son burns. Despite it not being his home, or rather, G’raha’s original home, it still feels homey. An atmosphere he could find himself curled up on the couch in, perhaps with a book and a cup of milk tea.
“It’s okay, you know.” J’mhati’s ears perk up when G’raha speaks softly behind him. He turns to look at G’raha, finding the younger man smiling at him. It’s a small and fragile thing though, the way G’raha only smiles when he knows something another doesn’t and derives some wry humor from it. “I would not begrudge you the life you already have. Your- our culture.” The redhead comes closer as he drops his scarf on the couch, ears pressed down against his hair. Reaching up, the younger miqo’te fluffs J’mhati’s curls with delicate fingers. “Truly, Mhati, don’t stop yourself on my account.”
Normally, talking around the point would bother the older man, but he understands it this time. Having spent so much time with the outside world, perhaps the intricacies of their culture are a sensitive topic for G’raha. He’d reached out to caress one of his huntresses without a second thought in front of the other man and had only thought about it in the moments after. Nothing about the Tia at the moment seemed out of the ordinary, but J’mhati would be lying if he said he hasn’t been thinking about it. At least G’raha had the good graces to wait until they were alone to speak about it.
“Are you surre?” the Nunh asks as he watches the other.
“Very. I have, admittedly, given much thought to what your status entails, and what it means to our own people.” G’raha meanders around the couch and sits heavily on the middle cushion; “When I allowed myself to…. Fantasize, in the years apart.” The younger man blushes slightly, though his smile softens when his eyes close; “... The outside world doesn’t look very kindly upon our people. I spent much of my youth ignoring that fact, though it became nigh impossible to ignore ‘pon my waking.”
J’mhati circles the couch as well, reaching down to move his kits’ shawls and coats out of the way so he can join the other.Relaxing back onto the couch, G’raha lets his head fall back with his eyes closed and exposing the delicate column of his throat. Reaching over, Mhati gently brushes G’raha’s fringe from his eyes and traces his fingers down to toy with the end of his braid. He watches the gentle bob of the Tia’s throat before speaking.
“What happened?” he asks. G’raha chuckles, shaking his head.
“I sought writings, of course. Biographies of the warrior of light, perhaps a few…. Creative writings. Anything I could get my hands on. Some were very dry, speaking only of your actions within the public sphere.” The redhead’s head lulls to the side, trapping J’mhati’s hand between his plump cheek and the cushions of the couch. “ Many more were fiction masquerading as fact. The most lurid writings about a perverted man seeking- Well. You can imagine. T’was particularly nasty when including Lord Haurchefant.” Ah. That makes sense.
“You’ve seen how they wrrrite about our women, Rrraha.” Really, that is the only thing J’mhati can offer in response.
“I have, no matter how much I tried to avoid such writings…” The redhead sighs. Mhati, however, grins and leans in closer.
“Oh, but you sought out such wrrritings about me? Those ‘creative wrrritings’ you mentioned?” He can’t help but tease, really, not with the lovely way G’raha flushes in the face and purses his lips to pout.
“Perhaps.” the reply is clipped, but more than enough for Mhati to work with. The nunh wraps his arm around G’raha, thumb drawing lazy circles on the younger man’s hip as his other hand continues to play with his braid. He leans in closer to murmur in the younger man’s ear.
“What kind? Perrrrrhaps it painted me as some beast? I would take you in the dirrrt after slaying some big, fearsome monster, perrrhaps saving your life.” A shiver chases down G’raha’s spine. He knows full well that Mhati is toying with him, using his accent to rile him up.
“... Perhaps the ones I kept were more… domestic.” he retorts, as if that is somehow better.
“Or the ones with Haurrrchefant? You’d keep those.”
“Perhaps I would.” G’raha opens his eyes finally, ears pressing down into his hair again; “I understand the relationship you have with the women here, who you are as a Nunh. Just- ah….. Just to be clear. They are your family.”
“And you are the one I love rrromantically, yes.” nodding, Mhati settles back to a more comfortable, casual distance.
“I just wanted that to be absolutely clear. To keep from muddying the metaphorical waters, seeing as how we may have to-”
“Rrraha. Don’t ramble, it’s fine. We don’t have to explain anything to anyone. We do not have to justify how our culture worrrks, nor how our perrsonal lives work.” the older miqo’te cuts him off and shakes his head; “Don’t worry about it. Really.”
“... And I would very much, when all of this is over and calmed, like to… perhaps raise a kit with you. And the huntresses, of course.” An admission, made in a soft voice; “... It felt as though I never had enough time with Lyna. Not with everything going on.”
“Mn. There will be plenty of kits for you to help with, if I don’t end up drrriving you crazy.” A soft chuckle and Mhati leans in to press a gentle kiss to the other cheek; “I could show you the dunes. And cliffs. The biggest beasts within my hunting grounds. There’s a lot to show you, Rrraha.”
“And I look forward to seeing all of it.”