: Saintsmourn - Nicholas & Patrick :

[dangernerd]

Nicholas Kirkland (Nicky to those who he considered friends) was at this moment finishing up the last of his reading for his college classes. In the little dorm-room that himself and Patrick shared, it was a muddle of books and random objects that they'd collected. Not only that but also bits and bobs of their friendship tied into neat little nostalgic notes.

The last rays of the sun was streaming in through the window and he was poised, feet crossed on desk and balancing barely on the back two legs-- precarious yes, and honestly he knew that he should not really be doing this. Coordination be damned, he'd never worried about it before despite the bumps and bruises he regularly got because he was perennially distracted.

It was almost time for Patrick to come home from his late evening classes and then they'd start their foraging for dinner.

After that, well the evening was still young and there was trouble to be had. All of which he looked forward to, after all Patrick had for as long as he remembered, been his favorite partner in crime.. they had grown up together and they had a special bond.

As close as brothers, except not quite-- and honestly? Nicholas was glad for that.

Comments

[giveanything]

Riley totally understood Liam's vision here. This was one of the reasons he couldn't help but fall in love with the priest. Without the concern of being seen and discovered and getting Riley into problems with the church he did not need or deserve, there was nothing that had Liam keeping his hands to himself. They had drifted into one another's space, and it felt so much like home that Liam had no idea what to do with himself.

So what he did was decidedly not hushing. Emotions were hard. Liam had so many of them, and had tried his damnedest (pun intended) to keep them bottled up for years. Carnality on the other hand? That came easy enough, so what he said was only a little wicked, "I wonder how much we could get away with in public now," murmured into Riley's ear even as they headed out the door.

But wickedness aside, Liam too cast a glance back at Declan. All right, Ducky. Well-played. Liam had effectively been out-maneuvered by Riley's infuriatingly rational arguments and Declan's obvious kindness.

Damn it all.

Declan offered them both a smile and then fell into humming cheerfully to himself as he let Liam and Riley leave and turned his attention to his day job.

[eblouissant]

If Riley had not loved Liam as much as he did, he would have shoved him into a wall or something.. especially with such a cheeky and slightly impetuous remark as that-- that was absolutely top tier gremlin behavior, and he was rather enlightened to see exactly where Trick got it from. The apple did not fall far from the tree, it appeared.

"Are you suggesting we try that out?" he said with an almost horrified hiss as they walked out the door hand in hand, arm in arm and with none-the-wiser; thereby and quite unknowingly passing by the man that they had just talked to Declan about (and given advice in regards to.), they were in their own world now.

Nothing could drag them out save an act of god, and at this moment Riley did not think that would happen.

[giveanything]

Oh it absolutely ran in the family, and underneath the guilt and sadness and fear, the little bits of who William Leary actually was were starting to stir. He had a gremlin streak, a playfulness. Now if he could just understand how to properly handle emotions other than guilt, he'd be unstoppable.

A laugh at Riley's thoroughly appalled reaction and he leaned in to press a sweet kiss to his cheek. "I mean, it would be the only way to find out how far this magic goes. Or would that be tempting fate, you think?"

And then because he could he leaned his head against Riley's shoulder.

[eblouissant]

Being a priest, it was a wonder that Riley was not filled with more catholic guilt, but here they were in all of their flawed and human glory; together filling in the puzzle pieces until they became someone a little bit more together. Even though healing had to happen individually, still the support helped; ah, did it help.

"I am..." and he said this very tentatively, glancing around, "up for it, as long as we sort of give this time to settle." give them a little time to grow a bit bolder. "We do not know if others would be able to see us naked when we are together and making out and that may be a slippery slope."

No jokes Liam.. none.

[giveanything]

"...wait really?" Oh wow okay Liam was not expecting Christmas to come quite so early, but here it was. And look at his Riley looking around like he was revealing state secrets how adorable was he?

He lifted his head to look over at his... oh god what were they? Boyfriends? That seemed so official and simultaneously not nearly significant enough for what he felt for Riley. In any case, he couldn't help another dangerously mischievous smile, nodding. "We'll give it time. But Angel, you're underestimating how much fun you can have mostly clothed."

Because the whole running around naked was a good point. Declan's spell didn't make them invisible, after all.

[eblouissant]

"What did you expect, we have engaged in..." and then he leaned in to bump his nose lightly against Liam's temple, he was two inches taller, so it was no real hardship to do so. "..carnal activities." thus his tongue was starting to grow a bit too used to being profane. This was of course all Liam's fault (despite the aura of light that would always hang onto Liam like icicles dripping off a tree).

"But the lead up is always important.." then a huff because he understood what Liam was suggesting. "I suppose that I have much learning to do, and a very willing teacher to show me his ways." who would have thought half-clothed shenanigans? Certainly not Riley.

[giveanything]

"Carnal activities..." Liam repeated in a hush, affecting his best scandalized tone. "Do you take communion with that mouth?" He teased with a smile that he failed entirely to hide.

He lifted their joined hands up to press a kiss to the back of Riley's palm. "I'll teach you everything I know and we'll find out everything I don't know yet together." Half-clothed shenanigans were thoroughly enjoyable, though they came with an increased bit of tension and frustration, but oh that was half the fun.

A smile over at him. "I love you, you know. More than I knew I could love someone..."

[eblouissant]

"They are very carnal activities!" he said with a hushed tone even as they walked side by side and now with the boon of their bodies standing close together, holding hands-- and with Liam doing something so irreparably romantic by kissing the back of his hand in such an eloquent gesture. This made his heart thrum as fast as possible in his chest, he found himself biting his lower lip as he glanced upon Liam with those sparkling eyes.

"I trust that you will corrupt me quite thoroughly." though he did add in, "You could not corrupt me truly though, because I love you.. and love is what matters, love is what makes what I feel for you sacred." and ah, Gregory would have a hard time convincing him of anything otherwise.

[giveanything]

Another laugh, but he nodded in agreement. "They are extremely carnal, Angel." Carnal and delightful, and Liam believed they'd only scratched the surface so to speak. Looking over at Riley and seeing the way his priest was biting his lip and looking at him that way, Liam had to fight for his life to not reach over and pull Riley into a kiss until both of them were breathless.

But Riley was speaking and saying the most impossible things to him. His eyes widened. How could anything associated with him be sacred, least of all someone like Riley choosing to love him? He'd spent his entire adult life being shown and told over and over again how tainted he was, how damned and hellbound. Here was Riley offering him the gentle grace that was simultaneously so human and entirely divine.

"Loving you is what kept me losing the last of my humanity. I'm sure of it. You're the miracle I was never brave enough to hope for."

[eblouissant]

"Then I suppose I will just have to stick around you to keep you on a virtuous path." Riley said, giving that hand a squeeze, the proximity was something he could get used to and he was not too keen on drawing away anytime soon. "And if we stray into less virtuous territory? Well I suppose we shall do it together."

He looked right to Liam though. "Though I am afraid that I will have to tell a lie tomorrow on why I wasn't able to attend Mass." he then attempts a sniffle, which only causes his nose to twitch a little bit.

"Because I will be laid up in bed sadly enough." not laid up in bed, attending some fairyland ceremony more like. "Feel my head, do I feel feverish to you?" he was not given to dramatic so the fact that he was doing this with utmost sincerity was both touching and cute.

[giveanything]

"You can keep me from straying too far from the path of virtue, and I can make sure you don't miss out on the more enjoyable parts of the road to ruin, mm?" They would be a good balance for one another.

The twitching nose and the attempted faux sniffle and that oh so sincere attempt at his adorable little ruse was impossible not to melt at. A wonderstruck shake of his head, and he leaned up, maybe on tiptoe, that small difference in their height eliminated so that he could press his lips to Riley's forehead, lingering there. "Oh yes, quite feverish. I'm afraid there's no help for it. You'll have to skip mass."

For their fairyland appointment, yes.

"...and if you want to make it less of a lie, I'll be happy to make sure you're good and properly laid in bed once we get back from Ducky's."

[eblouissant]

If it helped, Riley did stoop just a little bit to ammend it a little bit so that Liam could press a kiss squarely within the center of his head, you know-- for the sake of feeling for a fever. He felt rather naughty, but once again he could not be made to feel guilty about it. There were demons to fight and that would balance it out, right?

Right!

"Laid in bed, that sounds like a double entendre." he said this with a knowing smile. See, he knew where Liam's mind was, the same place it was when he had talked about clothed semi-public sex. "But as long as you make sure that it's thorough and that I cannot escape, then it surely will be the truth." also he knew that his body temperature would spile a little.. and that constituted a fever, right?

Right.

[giveanything]

"It is emphatically a double entendre." Quadruple entendre even, given that Liam fully meant that he'd happily indulge in all the carnal activities that Riley could ever envision. And then spoon the everloving fuck out of him.

A little laugh and he leaned his forehead to Riley's since they were well in proximity to do so, and Liam Leary was so starved for gentle, affectionate touch that he'd gobble up every opportunity for it that presented itself, as long as it was with this particular man.

"No way I'm letting you escape. If I'm witnessing you be inducted into Fae Champion status, I'm not letting you out of my arms for a long while." Just to make sure that he wasn't swept off after all.

[eblouissant]

Oh what a face worse than anything, to have to be in the circle of Liam's arms; his own continued duty or not-- he was not going to let Liam out of his sight either which meant that he would have to smuggle Liam in to his dorm room, it was the only way. The absolute only way--

"So here is the plan then, I am going to house you in my room because something happened with your brother and that means that you have to keep a monitor on him. I will still have to make my rounds this evening, but I suppose that if your brother and Nicholas can sneak a cat into their room, I can hide you in mine."

He was thinking about this though not very quickly. "As they are down the hall, it makes sense that you would stay with me."

[giveanything]

"I'm a little bigger than a cat, Angel." Jella had the advantage of being little and stealthy, after all. But he wasn't going to argue. He didn't want to leave Riley's side right now, not with so much danger in the air. He could still see the mended edges of the other man's soul, that reminder that Gregory knew who he was and where he was and had tried to hurt him.

Gregory had hurt Riley because of Riley's connection to him. And Riley was still here, was still willing to stand by his side. Still loved him. It was overwhelming how much that thought made his chest ache, too full of wonder and affection for Liam to entirely know what to do, unused to the feeling.

And through all this that guilt still nagged at him sharply, but he was slowly spinning its fibers into anger that his bastard Keeper had dared to hurt this gentle, kind, shining beacon of a man. He'd see Gregory pay for that.

"If anyone asks, we can tell them I'm doing some intensive penance for all my various bad acts, and you're just a... very hands on priest." More double and triple entendres. Oops. "I expect it'll involve a lot of time on my knees..."