Work Text:
Shunye firmly planted his hands against the door, shutting it and pinning the surprised Veena in one swift motion. The scent of a day’s labor was on his lover, momentarily making the alchemist lightheaded with desire. Steeling his resolve, he pushed such carnal matters aside for the moment. He had important matters to discuss.
“M-Master?” Trapped between the Shetona’s arms, Uvlo slipped into his more subservient honorifics, his athletic body squirming nervously. The taller, stronger male could have easily pushed free if he so desired, but in these close quarters Shunye’s limbs may as well have been bars of adamantite and he knew that.
“Uvlo…you have been hiding something from me lately,” the older leporine said sternly, looking over the gatherer’s tensed muscles and their subtle glisten of sweat.
“I don’t know what you are referring to…” It wasn’t quite a whimper, but still tinged with guilt at being scolded.
Shunye pointed at his own ruby-red ears, rather short by Shetona standards, flicking and fanning with irritation. “These do not lie, Skybun, nor do my eyes for that matter. Unless you think your elder is going dull in his senses?”
“No!” Uvlo let out a sharp gasp. There was a time when such an implied insult would have brought the Veena literally to his knees in terror. Now, however, it was both an arousing game they played and a means for Shunye to take charge when he sensed his bondmate wasn’t taking care of himself.
“Good, because he notices you wincing at work recently, not to mention groaning each time you pick up a box of stock. Have your mining trips become more taxing as of late?”
Uvlo turned sideways, leaning his head against the door and hiding behind the azure curtain of his braided hair. “We’ve been so busy at the Apothecary and keep running out of our tonic! Aether-rich Ihuykanite has been harder to find lately, and I’ve had to dig in more places to make sure I’m not disrupting the flow of the riverbed. I guess the extra effort has put more strain on me than usual?” he confessed.
Now that his lover was willing to talk about it, Shunye adjusted his stance and tone, now less of an interrogation and more of a healer’s diagnosis. “You need to be more careful and aware of your limits. A wearied muscle is easily sprained if pushed too far and that can take weeks to heal, if it ever does…” he said concernedly, stepping away from the door.
Uvlo bashfully rubbed his hands together. “I would never wish to become a burden to you, Master Shunye.”
The Shetona massaged his right temple and sighed. Sometimes the gap in their age and behavior was glaringly apparent. “That’s not—All I’m asking is that you let me know whenever you’re feeling sore so that I can help make sure your body recovers. We have an obligation to take care of our customers, and we can’t do that if we’re bedridden ourselves.”
“Right. Sorry…” the chided gatherer apologized with a boyish pout. “Soooo what do we do then?” his drooping ears perked up. “Another trip to the Urqopacha hot springs??”
Shunye chuckled good naturedly at the emotional rebound. “While last time was quite the treat, I don’t think we should rely entirely on Ropli’s connections and good graces.” His eyes roamed back over the Veena’s body. That powerful, intoxicating body. “I was thinking instead I could give you a massage?”
“A m-massage, Master?” Uvlo repeated meekly. “Isn’t that a bit…below you?” If the words had come from anyone else, Shunye would have been deeply hurt. However, he understood the cultural struggle the younger man was still wrestling with here in the city far beyond the Skatay Mountains. In his world, you served an elder’s every need and disrespect for that hierarchy was a very dangerous, even deadly thing. It was a delicate dance Shunye was still learning the steps of, making sure he was respectful but not exploitive.
He folded his arms adamantly. “It’s not ‘below me’ in the slightest. You face risks frequently outside of the Tuliyollal and toil so hard for our business’s success all the while I sit safely at an alchemist’s table. I would gladly put these hands to work on you!” The Shetona’s eyes averted, cheeks reddening at the erotic charge those words held. With a self-conscious cough he managed to regain his composure.
“However, if you need a reason to view this as helping me, I have been working on improving our therapeutic oils for muscle aches and tension. What better opportunity to test out the new recipe?
This proposal put Uvlo immediately at ease, that eager smile brightening his face. “Of course! I would love to help you!”
One day you will learn that this doesn’t have to be so one-sided, my love, but I know this lesson will take time…
Shunye inclined his head towards the bedroom. “Well then, I would have you dress down to whatever you are comfortable with and lay on our bed. I will there in a few minutes.”
“Okay!” the gatherer bounded across their entry room, dodging furniture and disappearing into the back of the house. The Shetona took his time so that his bondmate could disrobe, performing some limbering stretching of his back, arms, and fingers first before washing his hands. Next, he meandered over to his at-home workshop to gather bottles with temporary labels and measurements marking them. Confirming he had a safe grip on everything, he approached their bedroom.
“Are you ready, Skybun?” he asked quietly.
“Ready!” a cheerful voice called from inside and the apothecary crossed the threshold.
Uvlo was completely naked.
It really shouldn’t have surprised Shunye. While the Veena used to remain fully clothed in his presence, such modesty grew laxer once the two of them became romantically involved. However, when Uvlo normally undressed for the day, he at a minimum kept his smallclothes and undershirt on. Wearing nothing but one’s skin was usually reserved for bathing…or fucking.
His nude lover wiggled expectantly on their bed, his pale skin aglow on the brilliant tapestry of woven Turali blankets as his bare feet played with one another, idly scratching an itch on the left ankle. Shunye swallowed hard, his heartbeat quickening at the maddeningly attractive man in front of him. Sensing his presence, Uvlo rested a cheek on his arms to peer alluringly at him.
“I figured you would want to make sure the oil reached everywhere that I am aching?”
The Shetona walked forward, honestly at a loss if his bondmate was flirting with him or just that damn committed to helping. “Have you ever had a massage before?” he asked, placing the bottles onto a nearby table.
“Hmm. Once or twice at local bathhouses? Never received one from someone I’m…intimate with, though…” he admitted with a deep blush.
The apothecary nodded and pulled out one of the bottles’ squeaky stoppers. “Many people assume that massages must be painful to be effective. While I may find areas of high tension that require extra pressure to release, going past your comfort level will make you clench up and render the entire session meaningless. That means you will need to take deep breaths, stay relaxed, and tell me anytime something feels uncomfortable, especially if there are sensations radiating from where I’m working to other parts of your body, okay?”
Uvlo nodded attentively, resting his face against a pillow as his arms draped down at his sides. Shunye carefully walked his fingers along his bondmate’s neck, down between the shoulder blades, and along the curve of his back, lightly prodding and bouncing his digits as he did so. The miner’s back was a tree trunk of knots and he mentally mapped them; this would likely take at least an hour to get everything.
“I’m identifying some places where I can work, but I’d like your guidance as well. Where are you feeling the most pain or discomfort?”
There was some more shuffling and squirming on the bed as Uvlo felt things out. “My lower back, I guess? Loading what I dig into the basket involves a lot of bending and twisting.”
Shunye hummed in affirmation as he splashed the bottle’s contents into one palm, vigorously applying it to both hands and filling the room with wet, slick sounds. “I’ll be sure to spend significant time there, but loosening up your shoulders and upper back first will help the rest of you relax.”
Uvlo’s ears fluffed for a moment before flattening down into a rested state. “Okay. I think I’m ready.”
Shunye began working on the Veena’s neck and shoulders, mixing brushing and circular motions to oil him up. These areas of the body usually responded well to a gentle touch, and he let his palms and spread fingertips do most of the heavy lifting.
“Ahhhh….oooooo…” Uvlo was already starting to vocalize his enjoyment, a fact that the Shetona found adorable…and arousing. He shifted his thoughts to the oil, pleased to find the new formula was working exactly as he had hoped. He felt the Viera’s body temperature rising with increased circulation and the gliding motions of his hands were mostly unencumbered. For someone who worked outdoors for a living, the Veena’s milky skin was lusciously smooth and free of blemish, an effect of purer aether in the remote mountains of Northern Othard, perhaps?
“Mmmf~ Where did you learn how to do this?” His lover asked airily, as if having a dream.
Shunye’s hands traveled back betwixt the Veena’s shoulder blades where he began applying a light pressure with both thumbs. “My home village. My mother was also adept in the healing arts and taught me how wellness was not simply taking medicine when sick or bandaging a wound when injured, but a process of awareness and preventative care. She was quite renowned for her skill in applying nopalitender needles to key points of the body to help with aether flow.”
“N-needles?” Uvlo gulped nervously and, though he certainly wanted to poke the Veena with something else, the masseur offered a reassuring pat.
“It was never something I studied myself, but I learned that the application of my cures for muscular issues often worked better if accompanied with a massage. My mother taught me the basic techniques which I continued practicing and refining during my travels. If you can believe it, I had considered offering such services at the Apothecary when I started, but alas the physical demands of consecutive appointments and the fact they kept me from crafting my remedies ended that venture quickly.”
“Well, I’m glad that you still remember how to do it! This feels ahhhmmmaaaazinnnnggg!” the naked Viera shuddered with a long low groan as some resistance finally gave way and Shunye’s thumb slid unimpeded along the full length of the right shoulder blade. He spent some time afterwards stroking the other leporine’s arms, palms, and fingers, knowing it was important after a particularly intense manipulation of the muscle for the body to settle into the new posture.
Having completed the preparatory work up top, it was now time to examine the core area of his lover’s complaints. Despite many people citing lower back pain as the issue, it was a tricky area to work and just as often a tightness of the hips and legs instead of those higher muscles. His bondmate had been receptive (bodily and verbally) to the massage thus far, however, so he was hopeful he could help with the rest.
Once again, he took the time to cover the Viera’s body in oil, hearing a satisfied sigh exhaled mutedly into Uvlo’s pillow. Shunye decided to switch to an elbow for a more focused application of pressure, cradling his arm between the thumb and pointer finger of his other hand to ensure it did not veer off course. Using his body weight, he slowly pushed into the muscle of Uvlo’s toned back. Just below the surface he could feel them, stubborn knots of stress halting his path. Rather than try to rush past and finish a rotation, Shunye focused on these points, combining pressure and stretching to coax out a release. He paid close attention to the tightness of his arm, making sure that the effort didn’t result in a transfer of tension which would lead to discomfort for the both of them. Better to have the movement be gentle and rhythmic, like the tide lapping at the sands of the nearby beach.
Throughout the massage Uvlo’s body was speaking to him in a language of quick gasps, rich moans, and flexing fidgets. The Shetona’s cock twitched, goading him that such “words” were also spoken whenever they had sex. But no, this was a different feeling, an opportunity to admire the full landscape of a body forged by hard, dirty toil in the earth rather than focusing on specific zones of pleasure. He silently pledged to relish every ilm he could during the session.
Indeed, as the minutes passed, he took time to revel in his bondmate’s physical beauty. The Veena’s steely arms and shoulders did not bulge with muscle, but rather had been refined into lean bastions of power from swinging a pickaxe day in and day out. Similarly, the Viera’s back was firm and defined like chiseled stone, capable of carrying heavy weights down rocky mountain paths and through dark forests.
Himself, on the other hand…
Shunye’s worship was interrupted by nagging thoughts about the way his own clothes hung loosely on his body, his arms and hands not wiry, but delicate. Memories flashed of him looking in the mirror, fingers tracing along his visible ribs. He had always been rather scrawny, the other kits in his village tauntingly calling him a ‘runt.’ Meanwhile, his lover was at peak physical form. Did Uvlo feel like he had to be careful around him? That he was a fragile thing easily broken? It was something he tried not to dwell on often; but here, with his bondmate so tantalizingly laid out before him, the differences in their physique poked and prodded his mind mockingly.
“I didn’t realize I was feeling so tense everywhere…” Uvlo mumbled into his pillow, snapping Shunye back to focus on the task at hand.
“Many do not, Skybun, thus it is a healer’s to help the body adjust and positively reinforce what it has been missing out on.” He frowned as found the largest knot of the session, just above his lover’s left hip. It was clear to him Uvlo had been nursing this one for a while, a collection of acids and other wastes from astral stasis of aether. First, he had to make sure it was indeed a knot instead of something more severe. “What do you feel when I apply pressure here?” he asked, rubbing a thumb back and forth against the buildup.
“A-ah! Doesn’t feel great…” the Viera winced before remembering some of his prior instructions. “And I can feel it down lower in my legs?”
Shunye nodded, taking additional time to confirm it was not a herniated disk or sprain. “Thank you for telling me. There is quite a large knot here that I am certain is responsible for a lot of your pain. I’m going to try and improve flexibility and blood flow first. You’ll feel a bit of a shift here, but don’t worry; I have you.” Shunye lifted one leg and then the other into his underarms, clenching around the ankles and lifting the Veena’s lower body off their bed. Anchoring his feet, he shifted from side to side, using the pendulum-like movement to apply gentle motion to the hips and back.
“Heh..eeehee! That feels weiiiiiird!” Uvlo stifled a giggle while trying to look over one shoulder.
“But not painful?” the Shetona confirmed, continuing his rocking as the Veena nodded amidst fighting back laughter. He knew his Skybun was ticklish, but even this was a new level of sensitivity he had been unaware of (and would need to take full advantage of later). After several full rotations he settled Uvlo back down flat. The movement had placed the Veena’s plump balls on display, alabaster and covered in the tiniest curls of blue hair. How the apothecary hungered to reach down and play with them, just for a little bit, basking in his bondmate’s virility; but his damned oath as a healer took priority. Returning to the knot, his fingers felt around. Thankfully the size of the buildup had started to diminish. Time to apply the finishing blow and vanquish this stubborn snarl.
Positioning himself at an angle, he clasped his hands together for some additional leverage on his elbow.
“I’m going to need you to breathe in for me. Nice. And. Slow,” he guided, watching Uvlo’s back slowly expand. He started to press down against the knot, the fulcrum he had formed shifting weight against the hipbone.
“And breathe out. Out…out…” he hummed, continuing to apply pressure until finally there was a rewarding shift and an audible pop!
“By the kami!” Uvlo gasped loudly, his entire body jerking before collapsing limply on the bed with a satisfied moan. Shunye leaned forward and kissed the tip of a cerulean ear.
“Feeling better?”
The Veena didn’t use words, instead letting out an unintelligible gurgle as his lover smugly noticed he was drooling.
“Good…well you just lay there, nice and comfortable. I’m going to work on your hips and legs for a while,” his elder smiled with an intimate brush of his bondmate’s cheek. Moving to the side of the bed, he leaned over the curvy mounds of Uvlo’s buttocks and placed his forearm across the left cheek. The Veena had an amazing ass that sensually showed off the dip of his lower back, sculpted of firm muscle but just pillowy enough to grip when he needed to. His libido was pondering just how many fingers, currently oiled, he could fit inside, making the Veena squirm like a worm on a fisher’s hook. Silencing such desires with a clenched fist, he moved his arm over and under the curvaceous muscle like a rolling pin, maneuvering down the left leg and along the foot. Normally he would use his knuckles to work the soles, but that would surely send the ticklish rabbit squirming onto the floor. Instead, he continued massaging the splayed-out gatherer’s lower limbs, realizing at this point it wasn’t so much treatment as it was pampering. Uvlo was so still on the bed he wondered if the younger man had dozed off, although he couldn’t hear any of the soft snoring that usually accompanied his slumber.
At last the rolling motions ceased and Shunye stood up with a grunt. Bracing his hands against his own back, he took a long stretch and deep breath. Glancing at his motionless bondmate, he figured now was the time to pack away his oils and get cleaned up. The new formula had quite exceeded his expectations, and he looked forward to getting—
“Master Shunye~~”
The Shetona’s ears shot up at the melodic calling of his name and he spun back towards the bed. Uvlo had moved onto his back, sprawling lackadaisically and stretching his limbs like he was more feline than leporine.
His cock was also fully hard and dribbling clear beads of precum onto his toned belly.
“Sun’s heat! Have you been aroused this entire time?” Shunye sputtered, his eyes locked onto that ready, throbbing shaft.
“Mmmm…not the entire time. Whatever you did to my back? I think my body liked it! Seven Hells I did not realize how much I had been carrying all this recently…” Uvlo drawled before propping himself on an arm. “But I would feel bad if you spent all this time helping me and I didn’t serve you in some way.” His emerald eyes, though half-lidded, were looking at him needily.
“Please, Master Shunye, come here; let me pleasure you~”
The Shetona’s dick was stiff inside his pants, aching for freedom. He held out his hands in a halfhearted gesture of resistance. He had to make absolutely sure this was what his bondmate wanted. “Th-there’s no need, Skybun. Getting to touch your strong, beautiful body was indulgence enough for me!”
It had not been enough.
“You said we need to take care of ourselves if we want to help our customers, right? This is taking care of you.” The pointed echoing of his words bashed down what remaining walls Shunye had like a sledgehammer and the apothecary stumbled forward, horny and entranced. Hands gently pulled at his pants, undoing his belt and pulling out his erection to leave it bouncing in front of the Veena’s delighted face.
“Mmm. Hard already? Was seeing me naked that enticing to you?” he asked sweetly, cupping his bondmate’s needy orbs and slowly pumping his shaft. The alchemist bit into his own hand with a hiss.
“Like you wouldn’t believe.”
Another pleased hum from his lover. “And how shall I pleasure you tonight? I noticed you spent plenty of time on my backside. I’d happily let you breed me~” the Veena said lustfully, lifting up his ass and wagging it suggestively. “As you can see, I’m quite limber at the moment thanks to you!”
Shunye huffed, trying to sound in charge but that was very difficult at the moment! “And ruin all my hard work on your back? I think not!”
“As you wish! I have other ways to attend you,” Uvlo promised, leaning forward and kissing his length. The alchemist’s body reacted immediately, offering healthy drops of precum to his partner’s waiting tongue.
“Nnngh! That feels amazing, Skybun!” Shunye gasped. “Please don’t stop!”
The prone leporine’s eyes narrowed with need. “May I touch myself as I devour you, Master?”
“Uvlo you know that gets me off when you do tha-aggghhhfffffuck!” Shunye swore as his lover pounced upon him, engulfing his entire shaft in one quick and eager motion. Immediately the man fellating him started moaning with delight, eyes closing in bliss while sucking his tip and tonguebathing the underside of his cock. The Shetona briefly lost feeling in his legs and he gripped the bed as if his life depended on it. For someone who had their sexual awakening not too long ago, the Viera was a natural at giving head.
Pale fingers gripped his wrist and haphazardly deposited the hand atop Uvlo’s bobbing, azure-crowned head. Understanding instantly, Shunye clutched his lover’s hair, keeping the taller man in place as his hips began rhythmically thrusting. Uvlo did not back down, nostrils flaring against the trimmed tuft of red hair trailing down the Shetona’s stomach as he inhaled flesh and air with equal desire.
Amidst the grunts and throaty gulps, sounds of masturbation joined the chorus of their bedroom encounter. Shunye could picture it clearly, the Veena’s virile cock that young horny males of Kuguma Village had dubbed “Uvlo’s Great White Serpent” being pumped and stroked. It turned out this whole time the massage had been foreplay. This was going to be a quick and messy fuck as Shunye could already feel the pressure building.
“U-vlo! I’m close! I’m already close!” a needy whine burst from his throat, using his free hand to take both his partner’s velvety-soft ears together and stroke them. While not as loose as lop ears, they still flopped and tilted within his gentle grip, helping the Shetona get at Uvlo’s favorite spots leading up to the tips. The touch drove his bondmate feral, growling around the Shetona’s dick as his shoulders started shaking with the desperation of his jerking off. Releasing the Viena’s hair so he could go at his desired pace, Shunye started pinching and playing with one of his own pert, umber nipples.
“Unnf!” Uvlo twisted sideways on the bed, taking his cock deeper in a way that made the world melt into hot, sloppy colors. There was no stopping that perfect mouth around his length now, even if he wanted to.
“Uvlo! Ahhhhhhaaaa!”
As much as Shunye wanted this to continue, the pent-up arousal from the past hour would be denied no longer and he shot a heavy load into Uvlo’s mouth. Growls turned in a prolonged yelp as the gatherer climaxed shortly after, splattering the Shetona’s thigh and leg with his thick hot seed. Shunye stumbled backwards, his energy entirely drained. His bare ass hit the floor and he stared panting up at the bed where he could hear a shaky gasp as airways had become suddenly unoccupied. He cursed his slender legs for their betrayal, thinking how pathetic he must look with his shirt hanging like a curtain atop his cum and spit-soaked flagging shaft. However, the face that peered down at him showed no sign of disgust or pity, only love and concern.
“Are you okay!?”
The knot of shame in Shunye’s stomach released and his ears drooped in embarrassment. “I’m fine, Skybun. Turns out I really needed that. That said, a bath would not be amiss, I think.”
“Ohhh…good idea! I’ll draw up the water for us!” Uvlo said, swinging his legs onto the floor and standing up vigorously with a rejuvenating shake of his limbs and wipe of his mouth. Shunye could tell the massage was already doing wonders to his movement and energy. As the taller leporine approached, he offered his hand which was still messy with seed. Shunye declined with a smile.
“I think I will just rest here a moment, but I'll be there soon. Sun's Promise.”
Uvlo nodded and continued his course out of the room.
“Oh! And make sure to drink lots of water!” the Shetona called after the departing, perky bunny butt.
“Heehee. Yes, Master!”
Kicking off the pants bunched up around his ankles, the Shetona lay on the warm stone floor and reflected on how it felt against his body. He held that image of Uvlo’s face in his mind, storing it away like one of his medicines. The next time he looked in the mirror and disliked what he saw, he would return to this memory, a reminder that, in the eyes of the one most important to him, he was everything he needed to be.