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Gale followed Aarav up the narrow stairs and towards a wooden door at the end of the small hallway.
“Last room,” Aarav announced as he unlocked the door. “This is where I sleep. So it's, um, my bedroom I suppose. Gods, forgive the stuffy smell. I’ve been away for quite a while, as you well know.” Aarav made his way to the window and opened it wide; the crisp evening air immediately rushed in and sent a shiver up Gale's spine as he took a few steps inside.
It was a relatively small, but well-furnished room: a mahogany wardrobe stood in one corner, a small desk drowning under piles of papers in another. Most of the wooden floor was covered by a large persian rug that made the whole space feel cozier. The bed hosted several fluffy pillows and was overall pretty large, Gale noticed, fitting two people easily.
“Look at this bed,” he said amusingly. “Quite the size, for such a small room and someone who has been living here alone this whole time. You never struck me as a diagonal sleeper before. Always perfectly vertical when we share a bedroll, which is very considerate of you if I do say so myself.”
The tips of Aarav's slightly pointy ears turned red as he spoke, and he suddenly worried about having said something offensive. Maybe Aarav had been a diagonal sleeper this whole time and just held back when they slept in the same tent for his sake? Maybe he'd been sleeping like shit every time they shared a bed and Gale simply never noticed, being always the first one to pass out, so exhausting were their traveling days. Oh, how could he have never seen it before, how inconsiderate a lover he had been! And of course Aarav was too polite to bring the issue up to him.
But instead, Aarav stammered an answer that immediately put his initial worries to rest— only to replace them with a different emotion entirely, one he would have rather not invited in.
“Um, well, I wasn't always alone here,” his lover said, gaze fixed on a spot on the wall next to him, avoiding his eyes. “It's just. You know. More comfortable and… easier? To have a bed that fits two people, so...”
Right, Gale thought, mentally chastising himself. This wasn’t anything new, he tried to reason: Aarav did tell him that he had some relationships and flings in the past. But somehow, he never thought about those men coming to Aarav's place, spending time with him in the living room, eating dinner together in the kitchen, having sex on his bed, which was right here in front of him— no, stop, he told himself, trying to push the image out of his mind as a tingle of jealousy pinched at his heart.
“Oh,” he muttered, voice weaker. “Right, no, of course, that makes perfect sense, yes.”
He felt stupid and out of place, suddenly. Aarav had a whole design before their shared affliction. His goals had never been clearer, especially now that Gale got to see the underlab and what it all entailed. They’d carved a little space for the two of them on the road, but what would come of it once this was over? Aarav had convinced him once to choose him, the one who loved him. But that was back in the bowels of the earth, while he stood near the precipice, ready to jump for the sake of some ultimate sacrifice. All to earn the forgiveness of a goddess who did not really want his redemption. And now, how would they fit in each other's lives, once it was all said and done?
Aarav was looking at him from the corner of his eyes, his expression feigning calmness. “Are you… bothered by this?”
“By what?”
“My past relationships. If one can even call them that.”
“No! No, I mean, considering my own… unique experience in the domain, that would be highly hypocritical of me,” he answered, perhaps a bit too quickly.
“And yet I can see something is bothering you,” Aarav retorted, not looking convinced. He took a few steps and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at him expectantly. “Please be honest with me?”
As much as Gale tried to focus on the objective situation at hand, watching Aarav sit on that bed was doing something to him. He couldn’t help but picture his lover sitting exactly like this, naked, spreading his legs slightly as a faceless man dropped to his knees in front of him. Aarav would throw his head back, a satisfied moan escaping his lips as the other man would take him into his mouth.
The tingly sensation of jealousy spread further in his chest. It was humiliating, feeling like this: Aarav was his partner, who told him he loved him, and he had no reason to doubt that. What did it matter whatever he got up to, before they even knew each other? And yet, something in a dark corner of his mind kept bugging him. He couldn’t help but compare himself to those nameless men who once stood here, right where he was standing now. And what made him actually different from any of them? Did Aarav ever do this before? Having a house tour, showing them the underlab, before perhaps ending up in bed with them?
“Gale?” Aarav inquired at his lack of response. Gale blinked, the soft-spoken voice of his partner bringing him back to reality. “Are you alright? Where did you go just now?”
“Nowhere,” he responded, a decision taken in his head. “I am exactly where I need to be.”
He wanted to fuck Aarav on this bed, fuck him so good he would forget that any other man ever pleasured him in this room before him. He walked towards Aarav before his nerves could get the better of him, took his face in his hands and pulled him up in a passionate kiss. Aarav made a small noise of surprise before melting into it, raising his hands to grab Gale’s waist. The kiss quickly deepened; Gale hungered for more and Aarav answered by parting his lips, letting Gale’s tongue chase his own.
“It does bother you,” Aarav smirked as he pulled back slightly, looking at him with nascent lust in his eyes.
“My love, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Aarav huffed. "I rather think you do," he said, and then he leaned back, hands pressing on Gale's lower back to bring him down with him.
Their bodies collided on the bed, but Gale, with a skillful movement of his elbow, narrowly prevented their faces from hitting each other. The intensity in Aarav's eyes was electrifying; Gale could feel the arousal low in his belly stir up, pinned under his lover's gaze. He wanted more, needed more, wished Aarav would never stop looking at him like this, with eyes that said he was the center of his universe, that nothing and nobody else would ever compare. He resumed kissing him and pressed his full body length to the sorcerer, starting to grind against him. Aarav dropped feather-like kisses on the corner of his jaw, and then his ear, nipping at the mystran symbol attached to his lobe.
“You want me to be all yours while you are still wearing this on your ear,” Aarav murmured disapprovingly. “So greedy, my love. One day, I will make you an earring so beautiful the gods themselves will be jealous that two mortals can adore each other more than they could ever be worshiped. I'll make it myself, and Mystra will understand what she fumbled by letting you go.”
A moan escaped Gale at the words. He felt Aarav’s erection grow against his hip in response, breath catching in his throat.
“I'll throw it away,” the wizard panted. “You are the only one that matters to me.” His fingers found Aarav’s waistband and hurriedly busied themselves with unbuckling the belt. “Let me show you how much.”
Aarav let out a shaky sigh. "Of course," he breathed.
Gale pushed Aarav's trousers down to his knees, revealing his velvet red boxers. He was visibly hard under them, and Gale gently palmed his bulge, bringing his face closer. He breathed into it, welcoming the aroma of his partner that he was now so used to. It was warm and sharp and could only be described as his, and Gale couldn't get enough of it. Aarav's hips squirmed a little under his touch, leaning into it for more as Gale planted a kiss on the fabric.
"Oh…" he heard Aarav whisper above him, his countenance breaking a little.
Alright, enough, he thought. He needed to have Aarav’s cock in his mouth, immediately. Maybe he would feel embarrassed by how quickly he caved in if his mind wasn't entirely clouded by desire, but he was luckily too far gone to be bothered by such thoughts at the moment. He untied the boxers' string holding Aarav's dick captive and watched it bob out happily for him.
"All you have to do is relax, my dear," he said. "I will do all the work tonight."
He wanted to have Aarav's full undivided attention on him. To make him forget his every burden: the Far Realm, the tadpoles and the Absolute, the impending doom towards which they were headed, until all that remained was Gale's wet mouth wrapped around him, bringing him to the very edge of pleasure.
He kissed his way down his happy trail and, as lightly as he could, started carefully licking the side of his length. Aarav's body jerked at the new sensation.
"Ah—" his lover bit back a faint moan, one hand gripping the bed sheet tightly as the other slid down to find purchase in Gale's hair.
Aarav was not a screamer, Gale had learned early on. He expressed his appreciation through words, or panting gasps when the latter failed him. An open-mouthed moan was rare, but all the more satisfying when Gale managed to drag one out of him.
He hummed to himself, undeterred, and took the head of Aarav's cock fully into his mouth. The sorcerer's back arched in response, hand tightening in his hair and Gale started bobbing his head up— and down.
He set a slow rhythm, taking the time to run the flat of his tongue across Aarav's entire length and slide the tip of it across his slit.
"Oh, you always know exactly how to do this," the half-elf exhaled.
Well, Gale did have many occasions to refine his strategy, he supposed. He'd learned the ways in which his lover liked to be touched inside and out, and was more than happy to deliver. He made an approving sound and brought one hand up to caress Aarav's balls. Then it traveled further back, until it found his entrance.
"May I…?" he asked. Aarav nodded wordlessly— and then inhaled sharply as he started teasing the sensitive skin there.
"Gale, ah— Gale," Aarav repeated.
Gale liked it when he chanted his name like this when they were intimate. It sounded like a secret and a promise all at once; like he needed something badly that only the wizard was able to give him. He quickly parted with Aarav's dick to coat his fingers with saliva, not caring to ask his partner where he kept oil for such occasions. Then he returned to the task at hand, working Aarav with his mouth as he pressed one digit inside his hole.
"Oh, fuck," Aarav sighed. "That feels good."
From between his thighs, Gale saw him grab one of the pillows on the bed and bring it towards his face, biting on it idly as tension built up in his body. He could start tasting precum on his tongue.
Gale quickened his pace with renewed resolve, determined to tip his lover over the edge. He added another finger in for good measure, earning him another low noise coming from somewhere deep in Aarav's throat. He could barely register his own soft, involuntary moans escaping him and joining Aarav's choked up gasps in unison. The sheer anticipation of bringing the sorcerer release with his mouth made his cock ache in his underwear and he couldn't help but grind his own hips against the bed, searching for contact.
He hollowed his cheeks out, sucking hard, one hand closing the distance he couldn't take in his mouth, the other pressing fingers inside his hole, timing a back-and-forth movement to the rhythm of his mouth. Aarav started to tremble, coming undone from the constant, pulsating friction.
"Gale, wait," he warned, "I'll come—"
His hips jerked up involuntarily; and then he fell silent as he came, white ribbons hitting the back of Gale's tongue. The wizard swallowed back his gag reflex to keep him in place, determined to catch every drop in his mouth. The sensation of it all was so overwhelming, so intimate that his own knees went weak, and, to his greatest embarrassment, his neglected dick had the audacity to betray him as he felt himself come inside his pants, untouched and shivering.
Finally, he came back to himself, a string of saliva and cum sticking to his lips as he let go of Aarav's softening cock. His fingers were threading in Gale's hair, urging him closer for an open-mouthed kiss. His half-bun had come loose at some point during all this, and his hair was splayed around his face messily, a few rebel strands sticking to his forehead. Gale took a second to drink in the sight of him, laying there on the bed, half-lidded eyes looking up at him adoringly, sweat glistening slightly on his neck and temples.
"You look absolutely divine, my darling," he murmured under his breath before closing the distance between them, remnants of Aarav's semen smearing slightly on the sorcerer's lips.
Aarav moved one hand under his robes and towards his crotch, and Gale shifted uncomfortably as the half-elf realized what had happened.
"Oh," he said, "did you…"
"I'm afraid so," Gale was forced to confess, a redness creeping up his face. "I'm sorry, I wanted to give you more, but then you came, and I just— I couldn't—"
Aarav chuckled a bit, which highlighted the crow's feet at the corner of his eyes. Gale wanted to kiss them.
"Darling, it's alright," he reassured him. "It is actually quite flattering, do you know that?"
Gale groaned and covered his flushed face with his hands.
"I have a shower," his partner continued. "And there are plenty of clothes in my dresser that you can borrow."
The idea of stealing Aarav's clothes was an attractive one indeed. Maybe some good would come out of this after all.
"Besides," the sorcerer added, "the night is still young." His voice dropped an octave as he whispered against the shell of his ear: "Don't think I'm gonna let you get away so easily without putting my hands on you."
Gale made an inarticulate sound, and Aarav smiled again.
Later that night, they were bundled up under the blankets in Aarav's bed, their limbs intertwined together. The regular, beating sound of his lover's heart lulled Gale to sleep as he rested his head on his chest.
It was Aarav who broke the comfortable silence first.
"You know," he started softly, "you shouldn't think about my past flings. They mean nothing compared to what we have."
Gale opened his eyes but didn't respond yet, waiting for him to continue.
"I… thought you understood the significance, when I showed you the underlab earlier." His voice sounded uncharacteristically small, hesitant even. "Nobody else has ever been in there before you."
The wizard raised his head slightly and turned to face his partner better. "Nobody else? Truly?"
"Well, besides Ayesha," Aarav conceded. "But that's different. She's like a little mouse, wandering wherever she pleases. But I didn't… explain everything to her."
The words were coming out with difficulty, and Gale knew Aarav was admitting something of great importance to him.
"I didn't show her the heart of my research. You're the only person I've ever met that I trust with it. The only one I've willingly wanted to share this with."
Aarav looked down at the blanket he was fidgeting with between his thumb and index finger. "I just thought you needed to know how special that is to me."
At his words, the gears in Gale's brain finally clicked into place.
Aarav was the most secretive man he had ever met. He was self-sufficient to the point of sabotage and distrusted magic institutions to a fault. Above all, he hated wizardry mentality, which was the background Gale came from; they had many heated debates about that in their early days. But Aarav was able to get past all of it, because he loved him. He'd shared the most precious and personal part of himself with him. Realizing just how much Aarav trusted him shook him to his core, and he couldn’t help but feel a little silly about his jealousy from earlier.
For once, he found himself at a loss for words.
"I love you," he answered, not knowing what else to say.
Aarav intertwined their fingers together. "I love you too," he whispered.
"I'm not gonna take it for granted," Gale added after a pause. "Everything you just said. Everything you've given me. And every day, I'll give it back to you, a thousand times over."
Aarav sighed contentedly and closed his eyes, nuzzling closer against Gale.
"I hope I get to fall asleep next to you every night for the rest of my life," he said.
Gale smiled, and leaned in to kiss him gently on the cheek.
"There is nothing else that would give me greater pleasure, my love."