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Chapter Text

Rilienus 

The club was packed wall to wall with gyrating hips and the scent of sweat and smoke. Waves of men in every shape and size, their skin damp with sweat. 

Rilienus had always hated crowds, but he appreciated getting lost in them from time to time, if he could slip in unnoticed. 

His husband loved them. 

It was easy to find Dorian in the middle of the crowd, despite the crush: a simple matter of following the movement of bodies towards a source of attention. 

Dorian’s arms were in the air, head thrown back, his dark tan flesh gleaming with the sweat of exertion. He had always been excruciatingly beautiful, even when they’d been children, and he’d grown more so over time: muscles that were tight and carefully sculpted, flexing as he moved, a debonair mustache above full lips curved in an ecstatic smile… 

It was a feast to watch the others gape at him. 

Rilienus sipped his hard seltzer, smiling against the edge of the can, as men writhed around his husband, hands gliding over his bare skin to catch his attention. They’d gotten caught in a cannon of edible glitter earlier in the evening and the flecks caught the changing lights to make Dorian look like he was on fire. 

The music was too loud to hear much, but Rilienus knew him well enough to summon the sound of his laughter from memory - low and rich - as he accepted kisses from strangers and allowed their hands to roam over him as he danced. 

He could have any one of them. He might. There was something thrilling in the knowledge that Dorian might crook a finger and any one of his handsome admirers would fall towards him, on him, for him… and when the shouts faded and the sweat dried, Rilienus would always be the one he returned to, bearing tales - and sometimes footage - of his exploits if Rilienus hadn’t been present for them to begin with. When the lights turned back to dim fluorescence instead of colorful cavalcade, he would still wake each morning to that face, and those eyes, and those hands. He’d kiss them over coffee, or taste the dew of a morning shower on his neck while Dorian worked a crossword.

Rilienus ran his tongue over his teeth, leaning back against the wall, content to observe for the time being. 

“You’re a really lucky guy,” the blond, freckled man beamed as he passed him another can with a wink. The rainbow lanyard slung over his shoulder marked him as staff, the word bartender emblazoned in all-caps. Fake sunflowers were woven into a short braid that reached just past his shoulders and a cheeky crop top that said ‘nurses do it better’ ended just above his belly button. “On the house.”

“Thank you.” It hardly seemed fair to call him a bartender when his job for this establishment was to provide one of the three promotional canned beverages that had sponsored the event. Human vending machine was perhaps too insulting. Rilienus tapped his chit to the register and tipped the man twenty dollars as he popped the new lid, his gaze slipping back to the dance floor where someone was kissing up Dorian’s chest to his armpit. He could barely hear himself speak, let alone think. “In what way?”

“You and him,” the blond nodded towards Dorian, the flowers dancing in his hair. “I saw you come in together.”

“Oh.” Rilienus smiled, lifting his can. “Then yes. I am. Exceptionally.”

“And this,” he pointed to his ring finger, unadorned. “Was also a good clue.”

“You make a lot of assumptions,” he purred, tapping the side of his can idly. “That could easily peg me as one of the fellows here married to Linda Sue. Poor woman, stuck at home with the five children while I’m away on business.”

“Yeah, right.” He rolled his eyes. “You can tell.”

“That I’m desperately un-heterosexual? Poor Linda couldn’t.”

“Poor Linda, indeed,” the bartender-nurse chuckled. “I imagine you can tell when someone’s married to Linda Sue as well. It’s a certain energy.” He had a warm smile that reached amber-gold eyes. “He’s lucky, too.”

“You think so, do you?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m surprised you’re here and not over there. You could have a really sexy guy in spandex kissing your neck instead of talking to me.”

“Ah,” Rilienus sipped, the searing alcoholic bubbles gliding over his tongue. “But I abhor spandex. I prefer a softer texture, and room to breathe.” He brushed his fingers across the edge of the man’s shirt. Soft, worn cotton that had that feel of having survived a few hundred washes. The light heat of his skin rising to touch the backs of Rilienus’ fingers. “ Are you a nurse?”

“Yeah, but it’s no fun to sit around hoping for someone to fall over to give me something to do.” He beamed, eyes glinting in the low light. “So right now, I’m a bartender, too.”

“I doubt very much that you would need to wait for them to fall over. A gentle nudge could get you a patient fairly quickly.” Rilienus lifted a brow, thumbing the soft fabric. “Racing hearts and overexertion and all.”

“Yeah, alcohol and heat is a poor mixture. Usually I’m just helping with dehydration at these sorts of things.” He reached up and touched his hand. “I’m Anders, by the way.”

He blinked slowly, carefully releasing the fabric so Anders could move his hand away if he chose. “Hello, Anders. I’m Rilienus.” He tilted his head. “I suppose being flirted with by wallflowers grows wearisome after a time. You could also be out there amid the writhing masses,” he reminded him as the music shifted and the crowd began jumping. “I’m certain that you could locate yourself a rapidly dehydrating spandex-clad fiend eager to slake his thirst on any number of bodily fluids, should you endeavor to do so.”

“Some of my favorite people are wallflowers.” Anders squeezed his fingers once. “And I’m still on the clock for another ten.”

“Ten minutes is the perfect amount of time to collect a small entourage.” Rilienus smoothed his thumb over the tips of Anders’ fingers. Calloused. Warm. Narrow. “A selection from which to elect specific interests.”

“It sounds as though you almost want me to abandon my post and frolic with the masses.” Anders lifted his brows, smirking. “You seem like a very bad influence, Rilienus.”

“And you: an excellent judge of character.” He tapped Anders’ fingers lightly. “You have seen what I did to my sweet, retiring husband.”

“Your husband . I knew it.” Anders grinned, looking altogether too pleased with himself. “Retiring?”

“Loves reading. Crosswords. Sitting at his computer doing calculations.” Rilienus chuckled darkly, looking back to where Dorian was gyrating, shirtless, between three sweaty, muscled men. “The dear. I’ve exposed him to so many terrible things.”

“It doesn’t seem like he minds in the slightest.” Anders quirked a brow. “A change for the better, maybe, if only to keep things interesting. You have very striking eyes, by the way. It’s usually hard to tell in such a poorly lit place but that green . Really pretty. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything quite like them.”

Rilienus traced the fragile muscles of the man’s fingers down the backs of his hands to his wrists. “Would you like a closer inspection? That could be arranged.”

“If you don’t mind.” Anders motioned his head towards the dance floor. “And he doesn’t, either. I don’t like being that guy. Feels… regrettable. I don’t like feeling like I’m someone’s regret.”

“I wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” Rilienus agreed, touching the inside of his wrist lightly. “Be assured that we work very hard to live a life without regrets.”

“Alright,” the man leaned in and kissed his cheek, the touch feather-light. “Ten minutes, okay? Should be easy to find you again if you’re still rooted to the wall.”

“It's only that I find the sensation of unexpected pleather disconcerting.” He kissed him in answer. “But, for you, I will brave the restless sea.”

“Will you now?” The way his face lit up was intoxicating; warm soft smiles paired with an eager glint in his eyes. He took Rilienus by the hand, leading him into the throng towards the other side of the bar, beaming as they crossed paths with people he recognized. It took ages to get through all the people, but Anders eventually paused outside of what looked like a small storage closet, flicking a key out of the pocket of jeans that sat below his hip bones. “Just need to get my stuff, yeah, and then I’m all yours for the evening if you’d like.”

“Do you mind meeting my better half?” Rilienus asked, leaning against the doorframe behind him. “I do like him to know where I’ve wandered off with and with whom.” 

“Oh, no, I don’t mind at all.” Anders laughed, rummaging through a pile of discarded bags for a particularly tattered backpack. “I was actually hoping you’d ask.”

“Yes, it rather seemed as though you might find that reassuring.”

“I’m sure you can’t blame me for it.” Anders peered up at him with a fond smile as he hoisted the bag over his shoulder, dropping his lanyard off on a hook with a collection of others. “I’d have to be blind to not want to meet him; you’re a really pretty pair. Like you both stepped off of a movie set and we’re all just audience members.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Rilienus purred, collecting the man’s fingers gently to guide him through the crowd. It was a simple matter of following heat, gazes, movement until they found his husband again. 

A movie star. That would bring a smile to his love’s lips. Though he was already smiling when they arrived, his head tilted back, wrapped in a pair of broad arms as one of his shapely shoulders had attention lavished upon it and one of the man’s hands dipped past the waist of his lobster red shorts. 

“Happy Pride, darling,” Rilienus called just above the pulse of the music and leaned close to kiss Dorian, drawing a lingering groan from his lips. “I’ve made a friend. I thought I might absent the festivities, if that’s suitable.” He leaned back, lifting his brows at the fellow attempting to burrow through his husband’s skin. “Salutations.”

“Sal-what?”

Rilienus smiled slightly. “Hello.” His pupils were huge and dark. Molly, perhaps, or ecstasy. Something that made the man boil. He turned back to Dorian, thumbing his lower lip gently. “Darling?”

“Hm?” Dorian blinked, as though emerging from a trance. He wriggled out of his admirers’ embraces and dragged Rilienus close to kiss him hard, wrapping his arms around his waist. “There you are.” His skin was sweat-slick and hot, flecks of glitter still sparkling from his shoulders. “I’ve missed you, philomela mea. Happy Pride, indeed.”

Rilienus chuckled, turning with him, tasting the scent of his sweat mingled with others. “I’ve made a friend,” he repeated. “Dorian, Anders. Anders, my beloved: Dorian.”

“Oh, hello,” Dorian extended a hand as though they were at a conference, grinning sharply when Anders took it. “You picked my nightingale up from his perch, hm? Impressive.”

“Is it?” Anders glanced between them, his cheeks shifting to a deeper shade of scarlet than the one the heat had brought out. 

“Oh, very.” Dorian leaned to kiss the top of his wide-eyed suitor’s head. “Another time perhaps,” he shouted above the crowd before turning back to them. “Consider me suitably intrigued.”

“Now, darling, as you were thoroughly occupied, I’m afraid I failed to inquire as to whether my new friend wanted an excess of attention,” Rilienus chided, kissing his cheek as he looked back to Anders. “Do you mind if my husband joins us?”

“…no.” Anders exhaled, smiling as he studied him. “No, not an excess at all; I’d relish the attention.”

“Excellent,” Dorian purred, wrapping his arm around Rilienus’ shoulder, the little rainbow flag painted on his cheek only slightly smudged. “We’ve got a gorgeous view, if you’re partial. I’m bloody parched .”

“And I wouldn’t refuse a libation that isn’t half sugar,” Rilienus agreed. “What happened to your shirt, by the way?” he asked, collecting Anders’ hand again and resting his lips to the tender muscles behind his knuckles as they headed for the exit. “You had one and then I turned to get a drink and when I’d returned, it was entirely absent.”

“You know, the very lovely fellow who took it off me seemed so enamored I offered to let him keep it.” Dorian shrugged. “I don’t particularly fancy branded tee shirts, anyway.”

“I imagine you could pull them off, though,” Anders smiled at him.

“Just because one can does not mean one should.”

“The unimpeded view is preferable,” Rilienus murmured. Outside, the air was brisk relative to the fetid feast indoors. The walkways were still crowded with revelers and colorful celebratory decorations, but there was room to move. Room to think. “I’ve been remiss. A thousand apologies.” He tugged Anders closer, tipping his chin up to glance between his eyes for the space of a breath. Alert and lively, curious and clever. He brushed his lips to the corner of Anders’ smile, then deepened the kiss to taste him more thoroughly as someone cheered nearby and Dorian’s fingers flexed with interest at his hip. Anders tasted like lemons and honey, heat and salt. Very pleasant. Very clean. He leaned back a hair’s breadth, brushing a gilded strand back from Anders’ cheek. “That’s better. No?”

“Oh my god,” Anders beamed, nudging him with his nose, his expression soft and warm. “Yeah, kissing you is wonderful. You’re wonderful. Yes.” He breathed in deeply, exhaling a sweet little sigh. “You smell like spices and… ink? It’s really nice.”

“And he’s a connoisseur ,” Rilienus nipped gently at his lower lip. “Provocative.” Provocative, breathing deep, his tight abdomen expanding and contracting with each- He tasted again, skimming his fingers down soft cotton to touch hot skin. Wonderfully provocative. Better with Dorian pressed against his back, warm against his spine, smooth and slippery. “Mmhm. Drinks. View. Better views.” The dip of a navel. The drip of sweat down a side. Rilienus summoned his willpower and broke for breath, continuing their tripping path down the boardwalk to their rented cottage. “How does one become a nurse slash bartender? Are you local? Do you volunteer?”

“Oh, I volunteer every year and the organizers are always itching for people with medical training.” Anders slipped his fingers into Rilienus’ hand. “It’s kind of magic, you know?”

“We do,” Dorian agreed. “It’s been quite the tradition for us for some time.”

“Yeah?” There was a warmth to Anders that seemed entire genuine and easy, not always the default for people they met on their little ventures. “Have you been together for long?”

Rilienus chuckled darkly as they passed another club front and were blasted by a wave of pop music. “Nearly twenty years. Not long enough.” He slipped his free hand into Dorian’s back pocket. “Only married for pitiful six.”

“ Pitiful ,” Dorian rolled his eyes. “It could’ve been ten by now if someone had taken my offer.”

“Acknowledged.” Rilienus leaned against him. The seltzer, however saccharine and sharp, had done its work loosening his muscles and his nerves, and he peered at Dorian with batting lashes. “I can be a stubborn idiot sometimes, I won’t deny it. It’s part of my charm.”

“One of many.” Dorian tilted his chin to brush their lips together. “Very many, I’m happy to report. Though I imagine I don’t need to tell you.”

“I caught a few, sure, but it’s always nice to hear someone fawn over their partners.” Anders sighed again, a little smile curling his lips. “I love love. In all of its many forms.”

“You’re in the right place, then,” Rilienus informed him, enjoying the way those expressions always made it to his eyes and seemed to give them a glow. “If there were any more love in this town, we’d have to wear galoshes.”

“Galoshes. Yes,” Anders agreed, squeezing his hand. “I hope I’m not intruding upon your getaway.”

“How does he imagine he’s intruding when he was invited?” Rilienus asked, glancing at Dorian curiously. “Are we not being welcoming?”

“No, it’s not that.” Anders shook his head. “I just like to make sure, is all. I’m… Feeling a little guilty that I left with the two hottest men at that bar by far.”

“Well, it was that free seltzer. You quite swept me off my feet.” Rilienus squeezed his hand gently. “If I’m very lucky, I intend to have you do so in a more literal sense.”

“Do you?” Anders beamed, kissing his wrist. “I’ll remember that when we get back to your place.”

“He is adorable, isn’t he?” Dorian chuckled. “Where did you find this one, darling?”

“I keep telling you: there’s no way to actually get to know someone in the middle of a dance floor.” Rilienus ran his fingers through the scruff at Anders’ jaw as they walked, leaving his wrist in kissing distance. “He is adorable; I agree. We shall have to rid him of his guilt somehow.”

“I’ve got an idea or seven.” Dorian winked, tugging gently on the fellow’s braid. “I’ll need about a gallon of water and then we can see where the evening takes us, hm?”

“A gallon .” Rilienus chuckled, “That will give me a great deal of time to get to know our new friend.”

“That’s only fair. You were the one who invited him.” Dorian chuckled, bumping his hip. “Besides, I’m partial to watching you with other men. It’s like living artwork.”

He knew that, of course, but it was good for Anders to hear, and every time Dorian mentioned it, Rilienus felt his ego swell… along with other particular parts of his anatomy. “Likewise, darling,” he admitted in turn. “And it’s been ages since we had an opportunity to share someone adorable.”

“Oh my god ,” Anders skipped a step, grinning from ear to ear. “Not how I expected tonight to go. This is a lot better than watching YouTube videos of cats and crashing. A lot better.”

Rilienus cleared his throat. “Excuse me? What videos of what?”

“Cats?” Anders’ cheeks reddened again. “I like watching videos of them playing. Like ASMR? Helps me sleep.”

Heat. It boiled in his gut and laced through his veins, lowering his lids as he stared at the man. Blushing. Rilienus felt a sudden, precise need to pin him down and bite his belly. He smiled, sharp, instead. “Oh, yes?” He spun Anders to face him as they walked up the steps to the cottage, nudging him back against the window by the door as Dorian unlocked it. Blushing. And smelling like lemons. Rilienus palmed his stomach, skimming his hand up underneath the decadent little scrap of soft, soft cloth, and kissed him until he was panting. “Let me help you sleep,” he whispered against his lips, kissing a path across his jaw to nibble at his ear. “I would like to compete with these cats.”

“Oh-“ Anders groaned, wrapping his legs around Rilienus’ waist, melting in his hold. “Yes. I’d like that very much.”

“Good.” His voice felt rough in his throat and he didn’t particularly care. He rocked forward, pinning Anders to the window, and ran his hands down over his thighs to hold him aloft, kissing down his neck. “You taste very good.” He was light as a feather, and limber. Rilienus rolled his hips again, finding Anders tight and trapped in his skinny jeans. “I wonder if you taste as good everywhere. Do you know?”

“Do I know what I taste like?” Anders laughed. “Yeah, I’ve got an idea. Will you like what I taste like? I really hope so.”

“Let’s find out, shall we?” He scooped the man from the wall, carrying him through the door as Dorian opened it, and guiding him down onto the outrageously oversized couch that the cottage was appointed with. Wide, deep cushions that felt like clouds, where Dorian had plowed him only hours before until he’d thought he might melt and never resolve. Rilienus leaned down over him with a lazy smile. “Can I get you anything? Water? A snack? I do want to be a diligent host.”

“I wouldn’t call you a snack.” Anders wiggled his brows. “You’re definitely a whole meal.”

Rilienus groaned in the back of his throat, glutting his senses on all the skin he could easily reach. Soft, like velvet, and pale as milk dotted with cinnamon sprinkles. He lapped at the inside of the man’s elbow as he guided his hands over his head, drawing the scrap of a shirt higher. “You have high expectations,” he mumbled, raking his teeth over sensitive skin just enough to watch the pink rush to the surface. “And I appreciate that. I enjoy challenges.”

“You seem like the type,” Anders smoothed his hands through Rilienus’ curls, his breaths coming faster and shorter. “I switch. If that’s helpful to know.”

“My, my, someone’s eager,” Dorian leaned against the doorframe with a pitcher dripping with condensation. 

Tender, nervous, giddy, blushing smiles. Was he supposed to control himself when they were there combined with kissable flesh and a willing spirit? It would have been downright churlish. Rilienus kissed down his chest, nudging his shirt up further to lap at the salt sweat on Anders’ belly. “You can switch. What do you want ?”

“Really?” Anders tilted his head back with a low, needy groan. “I want to be between you both. That’d be- Oh, that’d be really, really nice.”

Rilienus glanced back over his shoulder, watching water slide down Dorian’s chest from where a bit had spilled down his chin. “Well, darling? Can we help him?”

“Oh, I think that can be arranged.” Dorian set his drink aside on a side table and padded towards them. “I’d be more than happy to oblige, but- We do have a bed, you know.”

“You said that you needed to hydrate,” Rilienus reminded him, thumbing Anders’ fly open button by delicious button. “The nurse here says we must take extra care about dehydration,” he added, licking the words to swollen denim. “Isn’t that so?”

“Yes, yeah, that’s right-“ Anders rolled his hips. “Water first, then bed.”

“A show , then,” Dorian grabbed his water and perched on the edge of the couch. “Fair enough. Carry on.”

Rilienus hummed in the back of his throat as he peeled the stretchy denim down to reveal a shockingly bright yellow jockstrap that did next to nothing to conceal what lay beneath it. “Mmhmm.” He palmed Anders, stroking him through the cloth, and lapped at the gilded trail that disappeared beneath his waistband. “More than happy to. Use your words, Anders. A show has stage directions, after all. Tell me what you want.”

“Oh- Oh- “ Anders panted, lashes fluttering. “Sorry. My thoughts went-“ He whistled. “Right out of my mind.”

“‘Rilienus, please, won’t you suck my cock?’ is an option,” he offered, snapping the tight, bright cloth with his teeth. “Or ‘put your tongue inside me, you devilish stranger’. Or ‘gods above and below, I need to be naked and trussed up like a holiday feast’. Some variation thereof, perhaps, or something as yet unmentioned?”

“Rilienus-“ Anders groaned, eyes fixated on him. “All of the above. I’d like to be your feast.”

He felt his smile grow wicked and he didn’t particularly care. Instead, he peeled the cloth down, freeing the man’s delectable member and lapping at it from root to stem until it drizzled bitter and thick on his tongue. Good. It was always such a very pleasant experience to taste someone for the first time, feel the weight of them as he drew them into his mouth, felt the shape of their sack in his palm, listened to the various dulcet sighs and sounds that he could evoke with fingers, lips, and tongue. He tugged the jeans down lower, over narrow hips that did not want to stay still. He grinned around a mouthful, twisting his tongue over yearning flesh, and peered up to find Anders’ gaze. Melting honey eyes, heavy-lidded. Rilienus skimmed his thumb down to pet the flesh between his legs, massaging him lower and lower as Anders’ knees fell apart, ankles caught together in unshed denim. “‘Rilienus, don’t stop,’” he suggested, pressing a kiss to the deepening pink head of Anders’ cock. He thumbed lower, skimming his warm entrance, tracing it. “‘Pretty please with sugar on top.’”

“I want to feel you inside me,” Anders murmured, head falling back against the cushions. “Your tongue, your fingers, your cock- Anything and everything, Rilienus.”

He spat on his thumb and smoothed the slick digit over Anders’ entrance, his gaze slipping up to Dorian’s as he nudged it inside, rotating the tip, pressing kisses up and down Anders’ length. 

Dorian lifted his brows, a slow smirk curling his lips.

“Oh, fuck-“ Anders moaned, hips bucking in his hold. “Oh, fuck, yes, touch me-“

“Friend, indeed,” Dorian lifted his glass in salute, tucking Anders’ braid over his shoulder and untying the ribbon at the end. “Much better than the cinema. He’s quite the talent, hm? Those long, beautiful fingers. He plays the harp, you know. Can take apart a man with his index finger and nothing else. I’ve seen it. Felt it. Extraordinary, in every sense of the word.”

“ Flattery ,” Rilienus mumbled, mouthing the base of Anders’ shaft and working his thumb slowly further in, plucking at the rings of him until the man quivered delightfully. 

“Will get me everything, I know,” Dorian murmured, running his hand through the strands of Anders’ hair.

“Extraordinary,” Anders repeated, bucking his hips wildly. “Yes. You are- You are- You feel so good , Rilienus-“

“Keep spoiling him, dove,” Dorian murmured against Anders’ cheek, his gaze never leaving Rilienus’.

“ Spoil him, should I?” Rilienus wondered, licking lower. He spread Anders thighs wider, lifting his hips.

Dorian bent to whisper something into Anders’ ear before flashing him a smirk and a wink.

“Oh god, Ril-“ Anders groaned, hands clenching against the cushions. “Fuck me, please-“

“Very nice,” he rasped, tugging his wallet out and peeling a condom from it, allowing the leather to fall to the floor as he tore the pack with his teeth and slipped it on. “Fuck, you’re going to be tight,” he licked his lips, rubbing the lubricated tip against his entrance. “Beautiful. You’re beautiful.”

“Might’ve loosened myself a bit, earlier,” Anders panted through his nose, leaning up on his elbows as Rilienus angled against him. “I can take it. Just give me time to adjust and- Oh, yes- Yes, I can take you, you beautiful wonder of a man.”

“Mm,” Dorian hummed, smoothing his palm up Anders’ chest, tugging his shirt up and over his head. “You heard the man, philomela mea . Make him sing.”

Rilienus pressed on. However much the man might have loosened himself - how, when, with whom - he was still tight and hot and- He bowed his head, thrusting inch by inch, slowly and surely, until they were both gasping and he was hitting deep to the hilt and watching Anders’ throat work with swallows and moans. “Take it.” He gripped Anders’ thighs, plowing him. “Take it.” He bent to kiss the man hungrily, eating his moans like canapés by the mouthful. “Take as much as you can, sweetling, because he is much, much larger than I.”

“Don’t ruin the surprise , darling,” Dorian chuckled, tilting Anders’ chin away from Rilienus to kiss him for the first time, lingering, smiling as he pulled away. “You do taste decadent .” 

“ You taste decadent,” Rilienus panted, watching Dorian as he pressed a suite of kisses down Anders’ throat. “Let me taste you. You promised that you would.”

“Kiss me,” Anders begged, running his hands up Rilienus’ back. “Kiss me and fuck me and don’t stop.”

“Oh, but you sweet, clever man, we can both fuck you if he brings out that beautiful gift from the gods of his.” He licked a line up Anders’ throat, then bent to gnaw lightly on his clavicle, punctuating his words with thrusts. His hands were fantastic . Narrow and strong, nails gripping him. “Fuck you,” he promised, grasping at him possessively. “Feast on you.”

“Is that what you’d like?” Dorian touched Anders’ cheek gently. “Both of us at once? You’re sure?”

“Please,” Anders whined, kissing a line up Dorian’s wrist. “Let me taste you. I want to- Feel you on the back of my throat.”

“You are delightful .” Dorian unbuttoned his shorts, sliding them off perfectly sculpted thighs, drawing his boxers down to pool on the floor. Already hard, but still not quite there yet, and Dorian stood, stroking himself like a god while Anders whimpered and writhed.

“I told you.” Rilienus kissed the words to his lips, thrusting harder as the sight made him ache and sweat. No matter how many times he saw Dorian in all his glory, it always made him wild to watch him in motion. By himself, with someone else, and - perhaps best of all - with Rilienus. Glorious mirrors and wonderful films. Even the memory made him swell, pounding Anders until the man was practically bouncing on tbe cushions and holding onto him with knees and claws and making the sweetest plaintive sounds-

Muffled as Dorian pressed his glorious length to Anders’ lips and rolled his hips into the man’s mouth. His muscles flexed deliciously as he moved, sweat dripping between his pectorals, eyes falling shut in pleasure.

“That’s it, lovely-“ Dorian murmured, stroking the stubble on Anders’ cheek. “You take us so, so very well.”

He did. Gloriously. Eagerly. Riding him and slurping, salivating, over Dorian’s cock with abandon- 

Rilienus groaned, kissing him around Dorian’s member, tongues twisting and tasting as they pumped and writhed. 

“Kiss me, Ril,” Dorian murmured, leaning down to catch his lips. “Gods, the way you move .”

Rilienus laughed wildly, hooking an arm around his shoulders, kissing him hungrily. “I love you,” he gasped. “I love you. Dawn light, I love you. You’re impossible.”

“ Invincible ,” Dorian corrected with a chuckle. “You and I are very possible.”

“Improbable.” Rilienus licked sweat from his lips, gazing up at him. “Wonderful and improbable and everything I ever wished for.”

“Beautiful things usually are improbable, darling,” Dorian nipped at his lips. “You’re the answer to all of my dreams, too.”

Rilienus whimpered, tangling his fingers in Dorian’s hair. “And my wakings.” He looked down at the blond masterpiece they were piercing and drew his fingertips through the sweat gathering on his chest and belly. “How are you faring, Anders, sweetling?”

“His lips are a bit occupied at this very moment.” Dorian slipped from them with a low moan. “Ah- there you are.”

“Why’d you stop?” The slender man whined, exhaling shakily. “Come back. I want you both inside of me.”

“That’s an answer.” Rilienus met Dorian’s gaze with a wide, breathless grin. “Gods above, darling, give the man what he wants. Not for the first time, your cock is dangerously addictive.”

“I heard him,” Dorian’s smile turned sharp as he slipped past waiting lips once again. “It’s so very nice to be so tangibly wanted.”

“Yes, you-“ Rilienus grunted, angling and thrusting deeper. “You’re so- unappreciated- I could see- All those men- ignoring you- all evening-“

Anders arched beneath him, squeezing him, nails raking down his back, and Rilienus groaned, sipping breaths between kisses to keep himself from tipping over the edge. “Dorian, you need to fuck him. He feels so- so very good.”

Dorian touched his cheek. “If you insist, darling, but you seem to be enjoying yourself.”

Rilienus blinked sweat from his eyes, leaning into his touch. “He’s going to make me come,” he admitted, nuzzling Dorian’s nose. “And if I’m going to- I want to see it dripping down his very pretty chin.” He ran his fingers over Anders’ lovely, bobbing cock, collecting dew and bringing it up for them both to taste. “Ride my cock hard if you want me to come in your mouth, sweetling,” he cajoled, holding himself still and looking down to watch the man whimper and grind down restlessly on his cock, his own dripping a steady stream of precum on his belly. “All night. I want to keep him writhing and moaning all bloody night, darling. I want to take turns fucking and sucking this glorious beast until he’s begging us to stop. Look at him-“ He panted, gathering more of that delicious drip and rubbing it over Dorian’s lips to lick it away. “Look at how he’s so hungry for it.” He stroked Anders more firmly, pumping him until he was throbbing in his grip, grinding, groaning. “Fuck. Fuck, he loves it so much. How can we deny this beautiful fuckfest of a man?” 

That was what he was. Throat working, gagging as he attempted to take as much of Dorian’s massive member as he could fit in his mouth, saliva slicking down his chin, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes, and still grasping at Rilienus, pulling him in, riding him like his life depended on it. Sweat and precome. Muscles bunching and flexing. 

“Isn't that it?” Rilienus asked, dragging a slippery string of Anders’ drippings up to rub into his nipples. “You love our cocks so much. You want us to sate that hunger until you’re nice and full and loose and fucked.”

“Mmph-“ Anders mumbled around Dorian’s cock. His husband chuckled and drew back, letting the man speak.

“Yes! Gods, yes, I want to take you all night, please Rilienus, I want to taste you when you come-“ His pupils were blown and his hips still rolled, matching Rilienus’ thrusts and making him gasp. He glanced up at Dorian, reaching up to touch his cheek. “Will you fuck me- while he comes? I don’t want to feel- empty-“

“My god, the man does love our cocks,” Dorian grinned, winking at Rilienus as he dropped down to rummage in his pockets for a condom. He tore the package and rolled it on over his thick, dripping member. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, once you’ve sated us for the moment, I’m sure my dear husband would be overjoyed to lavish you with those magic fingers of his.”

It was a fight to maintain, to hold on, listening to the snap of latex as Anders begged and rocked. He withdrew, peeling his condom off and knotting it. The summer air was warm, but nothing compared to the heat inside of Anders, and he immediately wanted to sink inside of him again- really feel him- 

Anders gasped as Dorian dragged him to the edge of the couch and turned him over, lifting Anders’ hips and fitting himself to his lovely, waiting hole. 

Rilienus admired them as he took Anders’ chin in his palm. The tight lifted cheeks, spread wide for his husband. The way he looked with his ankles pinned together, knees spread. His mouth was open and waiting, breaths hot and quick over Rilienus’ thumbs as he pulled at Anders’ lower lip and guided himself towards that tongue. “You’re beautiful.” He watched the moment Dorian began to press inside him - the surprise and want as Anders’ eyes widened and then crossed slightly. Rilienus slid past his lips when he groaned, cupping the back of his head and tangling his fingers in his hair, rocking into wet heat. Better. Much better. 

He was definitely going to come. He could have come just watching Dorian plow this eager, cock-hungry man, let alone watching it knowing that he’d just been there, filling him- fucking him- himself. The thought stirred something primal in him and he thrust as Anders’ lips closed around him. 

“That’s it- That’s-“ Good . He was so good. 

How much could he take? he found himself wondering, absorbing the undulations of the man’s spine, the eager fluctuations of his pale hips in Dorian’s big, dark hands. It was beautiful to watch: dark and light, thick and narrow, an oak splitting a birch. 

And the man could suck . Fuck. Even being pierced and inexorably stretched and filled, he was eagerly bobbing, his tongue making- 

Rilienus panted through his nose, meeting Anders’ eyes and thrust against that tongue. “Yes?” He thrust again, stroking Anders’ jaw as he began to fuck his face in earnest, watching the pleasure seep across his expression even as he coughed. He took the man’s hand and squeezed. “You can tap out whenever you need to. There’s no shame.” He thrust again and felt Anders moan around him, tongue pressing against his length. So be it. 

And so he lost himself to the rhythm, pulling Anders tight and losing himself to make the man gag and gasp around him while he watched his husband continue the endless process of fitting his massive member into a nice, tight ass. Until he couldn’t control it anymore and he spent. It felt like he spent a river, wave after wave shaking through him and the man eagerly swallowed  it until Rilienus drew free to shake the last rush over his lips and chin so that they’d glisten. 

“Good,” he rasped, petting Anders’ hair as a dribble of his come slid down a full, flushed lip and into the gilded scruff on his chin. “You’re good.” He slid down to kiss his cheeks, wiping reflexive tears away, admiring the way Anders looked all mottled pink and bloodshot and blown pupils and sweat. “You’re doing so very well.”

Anders tongue flicked, lapping up as much as he could from his lips, curling into Rilienus’ arms. “Kiss me?” he asked, gaze flicking hopefully between Rilienus’ eyes. “Please?”

Rilienus cupped his cheek and answered as asked, drinking him deep, tasting Dorian and himself mingled on the fellow’s tongue. He slid a hand down to take hold of him again, stroking him firmly and slowly. Lingering, lazy kisses as he drew the plastic flowers from Anders’ hair one by one and kept him well in hand while he was plundered. “You’re very lovely,” he murmured between kisses. “You’re exceptional. I do hope that you’re feeling thoroughly welcomed.”

“I am,” Anders purred, nuzzling against Rilienus’ cheek. “Very, very, very-“ He groaned as Dorian seated himself, eyes rolling and lashes fluttering. “Yes, very welcomed.” He lifted his chin, glancing to Dorian. “Do you mind if- I’d like to ride you. Would you like-“

“Yes,” Dorian bared his teeth, panting sharply through his nose. “Yes, I would. Would make for a-“ He slipped loose again on a sigh, his cock bobbing as he moved to lay on the ridiculously large couch. “Very nice show, hm?”

Anders nodded, stretching out his long, narrow muscles to straddle Dorian, grinning eagerly as he traced the outline of his cock. “Been a while since I’ve had a chance with someone this big. Brings back lots of old, really nice memories.”

“Hopefully we’ll add some new ones into the mix,” Dorian hummed, rubbing Anders’ thighs. “Ril is absolutely right; you are phenomenal.”

“Thank you,” Anders beamed, guiding Dorian between his legs as he sank, low and slow, head thrown back in exultation. “I try. I- really do try.”

“And succeed,” Rilienus assured him, massaging his back and kissing his shoulder as his motions made Dorian groan. “My handsome dawn.” He could have fallen to the cushions and slept for an hour or longer, but then he would have missed watching them move together, sweat and slick, arching spine and bunching muscle. He wrapped his fingers around Anders’ again, grinning at Dorian over the blonde’s shoulder. “Wouldn’t you say, darling?”

“Mmhmm,” Dorian assented, his eyelids heavy over moonlit silver irises. “Very much so. God, this is nice.”

Rare to find someone who could take Dorian to the hilt. Unexpected. Anders had seemed curious and funny and sweet, certainly. Pleasantly confident without being one of the streamlined braggarts they often found in the clubs, but not… He ran his fingers over Dorian’s skin, watching the blond mount him, head thrown back in exultation, come still drying on his chin. Wanton. Pleading. Blushing. 

Fascinating. 

The blushing was fascinating. The moments of vulnerability when Anders very clearly knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it. 

Two days into their trip and they’d found a remarkable specimen indeed. 

“Oh, you’re-“ Anders gasped, biting his lip as he dropped lower, holding on to Rilienus for support. “Mm, it’s amazing to be properly filled. That stretch . God, I’ve missed that.”

Rilienus couldn’t very well disagree when he thoroughly enjoyed exactly that sensation. Filled to his eye teeth, sweating from the exertion of simply taking . He cupped the back of Anders’ neck, kissing him warmly as he stroked him. “It is an exceptional feeling,” he murmured when he’d drunk his fill, smirking down at his husband. “There’s so much of him and it’s all extraordinary.”

“Flattery,” Dorian chuckled, breathless. “Oh, I do love the flattery.”

“I should hope so, with the way your shorts seem to collect your attributes more pointedly every year.” He bent down to share the taste of them with him, tugging gently at his earlobe. “I’m almost expecting a neon sign next.”

“Hmph,” Dorian rolled his eyes, nibbling on his lips. “That’s hardly necessary. If I invested in signage, I’d never be able to extricate myself from the dance floor and come back to you. Absolutely intolerable.”

“But I adore watching you be adored,” Rilienus purred, pressing to his side, petting the firm, warm, smooth planes of his sculpted form. “You deserve a harem of hungry eyes feasting on you as they peel you grapes and bow in supplication for your attention. Preferably ass up.” He gazed up at Anders as the man posted, panting. “ His , for instance, is very, very nice. The grip , no? Squeezing around you as though he’s trying to pull you in further when you’re already as deep as you can go.” He squeezed the base of Anders’ shaft, enjoying the throb of his pulse in the thick vein. “And his mouth - It's difficult to determine which is preferable. It may require extensive experimentation.” 

Lucky. He was so thoroughly, thoroughly lucky to have Dorian’s love and attention, to be tucked against him, in the fold of his arms, on any given day, and especially when he was rocking up into a very eager “switch”. Switch, Rilienus mused, tilting his head to watch him bottom out on his husband again and again, riding him like he was trying to escape the Inquisition. And the way he’d taken them both at the same time, begging and writhing - Submission and clarity and truly excellent muscle control. 

Ropes , was all that Rilienus could think. Ropes and a nice big red ball gag in his mouth. Something that would keep him drooling and groaning. 

He exhaled slowly, nuzzling under Dorian’s chin as he enjoyed proximity as the two of them mated eagerly. Just the sounds of them. Gasping and grunting, the slap of sweaty flesh, the sizzle of touch. 

“Fuck, Ril, kiss me-“ Dorian groaned, grabbing him and tugging him closer. “I’m- Damn, how did you keep it up so long? Already- Already close-“

“ No ,” Anders bottomed out again and stopped moving, his fingers tightening around the base of Dorian’s shaft. “No. Not yet. Not- Not done with you, yet.”

Rilienus chuckled darkly, running his fingers through Dorian’s hair. “He’s a hungry devil,” he murmured, nipping at Dorian’s lips. “We have to feed him. We brought him home.” He winked, smirking, and left his mounted husband to aid him, rearranging himself so that he could take Anders in hand and mouth. If he wasn’t done, then Rilienus would jolly well finish him. 

Anders’ hands tangled in his curls, his fingers tracing the hollow in his jaw. “Mm, you’re a helpful sort, aren’t you?” He began to roll his hips, slower than before, petting Rilienus’ hair, his cheeks, his neck. Dorian moaned, breaths coming in sharply with each move of Anders’ hips.  “And an excellent host. Better than excellent. Phenomenal. You’re- Oh, you’re really good at this.”

Chatter. Chatter and confidence. Rilienus gripped the base of his shaft and swallowed him whole, rolling his tongue over and around him until the man’s moans grew sharp enough to slice. He walked his fingers up Dorian’s chest, tucking them past his husband’s lips to gather the warm wet from his tongue, gently thrusting his fingers there. They smelled good. They tasted incredible. He longed to sweep his tongue around inside of Anders to taste how they’d fucked him the same way he’d tasted how they’d taken his mouth. He shouldn’t have been able to get hard again so quickly, but he felt his body trying. Aching. Growing heavy with want. So he took. Because he could. Lavishing attention with his fingers and tongue over Anders’ cock and sack, and massaging the tender bundle of nerves beneath. 

“Oh, fuck, Rilienus-” Anders groaned, grip tightening in his hair. “Yes. Yes, yes, yes- I want you- I’m so close-” 

Rilienus grinned fiercely around him, blinking sweat from his eyes, gathering them in his arms. Was there a better way, he wondered, to spend a Tuesday evening, than making sexy confident men crumble to powdered pleasure? He couldn’t think of one. It was a kind of magic, a power, drawing them up tight string by string and then cutting them loose so that they collapsed in a wave. There was a blessed harmony in their rising staccato cries, in their undulations, the growing meaty scent of them. 

He felt when Dorian came. He knew the rhythm of his heart and the pattern of his breaths, the way his lips closed in a long, low moan around Rilienus’ fingers. Rilienus hummed around Anders when he felt it, salivating. Close. Very close. And the man had such an excellent grip , fingers pressing into Riilenus’ scalp as he rocked between them. 

He gathered the sticky drizzle from Anders’ head and surged up, kissing it to the blond’s lips as he gripped him in turn, tugging gently on his hair. “Come for me.”

Anders shattered in his grip, spilling between their stomachs as Rilienus stroked him through it, breathing deeply from his lungs. Groans and gasps and whimpering sighs, stolen from his lips, as sweet as candy. “Anything you want,” Anders whispered, collapsing limply against his chest. “Anything you want from me is yours.”

“I know, sweetling,” Rilienus murmured into his hair, petting the back of his neck gently. “I know.” He met Dorian’s eyes with a lazy, predatory smile. “Sated, darling?”

“Hmmph,” Dorian mumbled, kissing his wrist. “Mmhmm. For the moment, in any case. Love, you’ve got excellent taste in friends.”

“In men,” Riienus agreed, following a bead of sweat down Dorian’s chest with his fingertip. “I do. So excellent I sometimes surprise myself.”

Which was very true, especially in this case. Anything you want. The words fluttered through his mind like falling leaves as he peeled boots and jeans free and guided his husband and their new friend to their bed as the sunset turned their bedroom a pleasant shade of violet. 

He still felt a bit weak in the knees himself, but he filled a carafe with water and made a pot of tea before he slipped into the bed with them, settling their guest between himself and Dorian where the man cuddled close like a kitten brought in from the rain. 

Anything. 

The occasional bout of laughter and shot of glee echoed through the open windows, punctuating the sigh of the ocean over the sand. “How are my lads doing?” he murmured, resting his chin on Anders’ shoulder, stretching his arm out across him to hold Dorian’s hand. 

“Magically,” Anders mumbled, stroking his cheek with his thumb. Lazy and languid, like that damp kitten had curled up by the fire on a cushion to dry out. “Better, now that you’ve returned.”

“This,” he kissed sweat-damp skin, peering at them both. “This is why I reserve my energy off the dance floor. The both of you look exhausted. Exhausted and delicious.” He scooted closer, gathering Anders half onto himself so he could lean against Dorian’s shoulder. “Would you look at that,” he pointed his chin towards the wide windows. “That’s a hand-painted sky with all the colors of the universe.”

“Your eyes, amatus ,” Dorian hummed, kissing his cheek. “There’s no better way to see the world than through them.”

Rilienus wrapped his arm around him, nuzzling him to kiss, lingering, watching the mercury grey of his husband’s eyes in slow melt. “Perhaps, but, darling, you’re the one who opened them. You’ve only yourself to thank for the view.”

“This is a very nice view, too,” Dorian murmured, skimming his fingers down the pale freckled skin along Anders’ back. “Even better, I’d entertain, than the one out the windows.”

“Quite possibly,” Rilienus concurred. He’d always enjoyed watching Dorian touch other men. It allowed him to study the lines of his fingers, his wrists, the shift of muscles, and the way that his perfectly tan skin looked against other tones. Brandy and Baileys. “A little respite,” he hummed, pressing a kiss to Anders’ head. “If our guest doesn’t mind overmuch being admired at rest.”

“No, I don’t mind.” Anders beamed up at him. “I like both resting and being admired. Especially if there’s cuddling involved.” He nestled closer, nuzzling against Rilienus’ chest. “Thank you for having me.” He wiggled his brows. “And having me. Thoroughly.”

“You’re thoroughly welcome.” He traced those dark blond brows, watching Anders’ eyes. “You’re quite comfortable? That was- well. Aptly put. Thorough. Tylenol? A massage? A soak? We have a hot tub.”

“Mm, that sounds nice. After a while, though. I need my fill of skin-to-skin before I go anywhere.”

“Good lord. He hasn’t had his fill of flesh.” Rilienus widened his eyes. “I’m not sure if we’re enough for the man, darling.”

“Less kinetic skin-to-skin,” Anders chuckled, shaking his head. “I need to be held after. I can’t help it.”

He touched Anders’ chin lightly. “Why should you? You’ve just accomplished incredible feats. Incredible feats deserve admiration and reward.” 

“You’re very complimentary,” Anders murmured. “Thank you.”

It wasn’t an accusation he often heard from strangers. “Hm.” Rilienus sat back and looked out the window, watching the colors twist and twine through the evening clouds over the sea. 

Year after year, they migrated to this island. Sometimes for a week. Sometimes two. Parties and music. Packed rooms and open beaches. They’d seen plenty of pretty faces and sharp hips and biteable muscles. They’d taken turns, and shared, and taken lazy days away from the crush sipping white wine in the sand and reading. They’d had a wide variety of experiences with a wide variety of men. Making up for lost time. Exploring. Experimenting. 

He’d never felt an inclination to coddle any of their guests. He’d never found one who seemed fragile one moment and bold the next. 

Except his heart. 

He brushed his fingers idly through Dorian’s hair, watching the colors in the sky change and deepen.  

And showing Dorian that he had a heart that could be bruised had taken… oh, far longer than it should have. He’d had so many protective walls around himself when they’d met, it had taken a bulldozer to crash through them. A bulldozer with impeccable facial hair and eyes that melted and hands that could turn Rilienus inside out with the barest of touches. He was everything. He was the whole world, every wonderful moment, poured into one living being. He’d never wanted a connection with anyone else. Physical satiation, certainly. Mental stimulation. Nothing more. 

Maybe he was getting old. The thought made him wrinkle his nose. 

“I know that look,” Dorian walked his fingers up Rilienus’ chest. “A penny for your thoughts, maritus meus ?”

“If you know the look, then you’re overpaying.”

“For you?” Dorian lifted his brows. “Any price would be a steal.”

“Then you’re under paying.”

“Changing the subject, are we?” Dorian placed his palm over Rilienus’ heart. “Tricky, tricky.”

“I do need to keep some of the mystery alive, otherwise I’ll lose you to the glitterati. They’ve already invaded our sheets.”

“…do you want me to go?” Anders asked quietly, his expression falling. “I can, if you-“

“I meant the actual glitter.” Rilienus lifted a brow. “It’s the herpes of craft supplies, edible or not.”

“Oh. Yeah.” He ran his hand through limp blond locks. “Alright.”

“ Ril .”

“What?”

“Something’s the matter, despite the lovely evening and our lovely company.” Dorian touched his cheek gently. “I do hope you’ll tell me, when you’re ready.”

Rilienus sniffed, kissing his fingers. “You make a good point. It’s far too pleasant an evening for a malcontent. I suppose I ought to feed you, no? How long are your shifts?” he wondered, peering down at Anders. “Do you need anything?” 

“ Long ,” Anders chuckled, nestling against his side. “Stay here for a while longer, won’t you? The tea is enough for now. It’s nice to have you close.”

“So when do you get your vacation from your vacation?” he wondered aloud. “It seems like coming out to the Pines and spending most of your time scanning wristbands and handing out cans of subpar beverages is a poor use of time for someone so accomplished.”

“Accomplished?” Anders’ cheeks reddened. “I don’t know about that. I just like to know there’s a safe space for people that - frankly - don’t always get to have them. To be a part of making it happen. It’s important to me.”

“Made safer by the consumption of ketamine and rockstar energy drinks?” Rilienus inquired, lifting a brow. 

“ No ,” Anders rolled his eyes. “I can’t control what people do, but I can give them naloxone when they crash and condoms before they go out.”

“The altruism .” He traced Anders’ nose and cheek. “And to think of all the years I spent crawling out of bars with hangovers with no one to hand out either.” 

“You seem to have managed pretty well.” 

“Barely.”

Anders turned his cheek to kiss Rilienus’ wrist, his fingers. “I’m glad you did.”

“Yes,” Rilienus mused, glancing to meet his husband’s eyes. “As am I. Life, as it turns out, is rather pleasant on the whole, with the right company.”

“Exceptionally pleasant,” Dorian agreed, his smile softening. “And there’s no better company than yours, my heart.”

“It’s really beautiful, what you have together, if you don’t mind me saying. You don’t see love like this every day.”

“We don’t?” Rilienus widened his eyes dramatically. “Why? Is something wrong with my eyes?”

“I don’t, anyway.” Anders rolled his eyes. “I’m trying to say: it’s really special.”

“No, not everyone can be as lucky as I am.” Dorian nudged him with his nose. “Twenty years with this handsome devil. I shouldn’t wonder why people don’t turn green with envy in the streets.”

“They do, darling. Then they realize that I’ll share you.” Rilienus leaned back against the headboard with a contented sigh. “Never let it be said that I’m selfish.”

“Only when it comes to those spiced chocolates.” Dorian lifted his brows. “And only just so.”

“Those are precious and I earn them.” Rilienus narrowed his eyes. “It’s uncouth to give someone a box of chocolates and then demand a portion of them.”

“I thought you enjoyed sharing, darling.” 

“ You . Not my chocolates.” Rilienus lifted his chin, peeling the remains of a plastic stem from Anders’ hair. “The chocolates do not grow more expansive when shared.”

“Perhaps I’ll simply buy two boxes next year for Valentine’s.” Dorian huffed a quiet laugh. “You’re very handsome when you’re testy.”

“In all of his moods, as far as I’ve seen,” Anders added with a kiss to his temple.

“Now who’s complimentary.”

“I’m only saying what’s true.” Anders lifted his chin. “Do you want help in the kitchen when it’s time? I’m not a terrible cook.”

“A rousing endorsement. Not terrible.” Rilienus tugged at Anders’ ear gently. “Is there anything you are terrible at?”

“Singing,” Anders laughed. “I’m horrible. Truly awful. My choir teacher in grade school told me I should lip sync with the rest of the class.”

“There’s that lip syncing competition at the karaoke on Fridays. Have you been?”

“Not yet. Fridays are usually pretty busy for me.”

“Nursing or vending?”

“Nursing. Fridays and Saturdays can get a bit touch and go.”

“Gods and monsters, Saturdays .” Rilienus shuddered. “Remember when we used to look forward to those? Now it’s all I can do to keep the windows open while the youth run naked down the beach.” He grimaced. “Fuck. I am old.”

“You’re beautiful and my favorite person in the entire world.” Dorian cupped his cheeks and kissed him hard. “Silver strands and all. Perhaps we keep our reveling to our little cabin, hm?”

“And deny you your frenetic fanboys?” Rilienus sniffed. “Perish the thought.”

“It does feel increasingly strange every year to get hit on by men who are barely out of college,” Dorian admitted. “Flattering, of course, but odd if I muse on it.”

“Why odd? You’re far more attractive than them, as you always have been. More attractive and more intelligent.” He chuckled. “I do worry sometimes that their eyes might fall out of their heads, along with their tongues, like cartoons.”

“I could’ve sworn I saw that tonight,” Anders laughed, gazing between them with heart-melting fondness. 

“A tongue lolling like a cartoon’s? You're certain that wasn’t mine as I watched you ride my husband like a champion racehorse?”

Cheeks that turned scarlet from nothing but words. Delightful to have such power over him. 

Anders cleared his throat. “I’ve had a thing for well-endowed men since I was a teen. My first boyfriend kind of ruined me.”

“How kind of him.” Rilienus touched that rosy cheek and found it warm. “And how kind of you to allow for a less-endowed exception.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean-“ He reddened more, impossibly. “I like sex, in all its forms, with all sorts of people. I don’t really have a type.”

“He doesn’t have a type.” Rilienus looked to Dorian. “An altruist in the Pines with no preferences.”

“ …what ?” Anders looked mortified. “What’s wrong with that?”

“ Everyone has preferences, sweetling.” He trailed his thumb down Anders’ throat. “There’s no shame in it. You seem very well aware of exactly what you want. That’s to be commended.”

“Are you making fun of me?” Anders blinked. “I can’t tell.”

“He’s amused,” Dorian offered. “Perhaps slightly at your expense, but only just so.”

“What expense? I am merely observing. Shall I pretend that I am not aware of what I do and do not have to offer?” 

“I like you,” Anders murmured, tracing the line of his jaw. “I’m sorry if I made it seem as though I didn’t.”

“My point ,” Rilienus collected his hand to lick his fingers one by one, “was that I rather enjoyed your enjoyment. I’m not thin-skinned. But do go on about how you like me. I won’t stop you.”

Anders exhaled a pleased little sigh, nestling closer. “I’ve already mentioned your eyes.”

“And yet you’ve had no time to properly admire them.”

“What do you think I’ve been doing the past half hour?”

“Attempting to swallow us both whole by all means possible?”

“Oh, well, after that, I meant.”

“Napping?” Rilienus asked. “Being adorable?”

“You… think I’m adorable?” Anders lifted his brows. “I’m almost fifty.”

“What has that to do with anything?”

“I’m not adorable ,” Anders pouted, completely disproving his point. “How dare you.”

Dorian laughed, a low, rumbling sound that echoed through the room. “You’re curled up like a cat and flushing the color of strawberries and you expect us to not think it’s adorable?”

“And these.” He plucked another plastic flower petal from the man’s hair. “Maybe he does think we’re blind.”

“I was going for gorgeous,” Anders sniffed. “Not adorable.”

“And you managed both, wouldn’t you say, darling?”

“Among other accolades. Scintillating. Wanton .” He bent down to kiss his cheek. “Edible.”

“I’ll take edible,” Anders murmured, cupping his cheeks and deepening the kiss. “I think the way you move is beautiful. Sleek and almost feline. And I really, really like cats.”

“ Two reallys.” 

“And I really, really like you.”

He didn’t need to be liked. Wanted. That was the point of these visits. Lusted after. Not- But the words plucked something nefarious inside of him. “You don’t know me,” he mumbled, his throat growing tight. “…perhaps you would revise your opinion after further inspection.”

“Maybe,” Anders frowned slightly. “I can’t say that’s not possible. I wouldn’t mind seeing you both again, if you have time while you’re here. That’s all.”

“If we have time. You’re the one busily keeping the baby gays on their feet.”

“I’ll have time.” Anders lifted his brows. “I’ll make it.”

Rilienus ran his tongue over his teeth. “As you will. You know where to find us.”

“I do now.” Anders smiled warmly, kissing his cheek. “Thank you.”

“Thank you ,” Dorian chuckled. “We haven’t had a repeat visit in some time.”

“That’s not entirely true. Last season, there was that twink who tried to climb through the bathroom window.”

“Poor man.” Dorian sighed, shaking his head. “Fine, I revise my statement: we haven’t invited someone for a repeat visit in some time.”

“True.” 

“Then I’m honored,” Anders hummed, kissing them each in turn. “Just let me know if you change your mind. I won’t climb through windows.”

“Not adorable enough. Perhaps a magic door.”

“I’ll look for one in the morning, when it’s light out.” Anders winked.

“You ought to try real flowers.” Rilienus brushed his hair back over his shoulder. “They would suit you.”

“They wilt by the end of the day, though, so I’d need a fresh stock on hand.”

“Hm.” He ran his palm down Anders’ chest, gathering him close. “Perhaps if you find a magic door, we can see about appropriately stocking-“ What the hell was he saying? He wrinkled his nose and rolled the man to the mattress. “Feast. You did say feast before, I believe.”

“Oh, yes,” Anders agreed as he was kissed into a frenzy. “I’d like that very much.”

The first encounter wasn’t a fluke. They had the man four ways before he insisted on returning to his lodging, and that insistence set Rilienus on edge because of course he ought to return to his own- Of course he should. It was so often the case they practically had to peel people off of Dorian to send them home. A relief, he reminded himself as the door closed. A relief to find someone their age with sense and decency.

Dorian leaned against the counter near the kitchen with a knowing smirk. “Are you ready to tell me yet?”

“Tell you what.”

“Mm,” Dorian lifted his brows. “So that seems to be a ‘no’.”

“I’ll tell you whatever you like, my dawn; it’s simply that I’m not sure what you’re asking for.” He slipped his arms around Dorian’s waist, resting his chin on his shoulder as they waited for a new pot of tea to steep.

“You like him.” Dorian murmured against the crown of his head. “A significant amount, judging by the face you made when he slipped out the door.”

“I don’t- What? No.”

“ Ril .” Dorian shook his head. “Really.”

“I like you.” He hugged him. “Anders is… He’s interesting. And flexible.”

“I have no doubts that you like me.” Dorian kissed the top of his head. “And I have a very strong feeling you like him, too.”

“…do you?” Rilienus nudged the teapot in a circle on the counter. “Because I made a face.”

“And you want to braid flowers in his hair.” Dorian nuzzled his cheek. “I know you, philomela mea .”

“Thank the gods for that. And may no one else ever be forced to suffer that particular torture.” Rilienus shifted to his side, tucking under Dorian’s arm. Strong arms. Strong arms that had carried him across a threshold and through rainstorms, held him when his mother had died, taught him that he could love. Taught him that he deserved love. “He has nice hair. What’s-“ Did he like Anders? Was that why those tender little smiles made his stomach grow tight? He’d only known him a few hours. That wasn’t- Not that he hadn’t been fond of their lovers before. Obviously he had. But not- “I love you. I love you more than I thought was possible. Is it- …Should we ask him not to come back?”

“I like him, too, darling.” Dorian hummed against the top of his head. “If that changes anything.”

“He-“ Rilienus wrapped his arms around Dorian’s waist. “You do.” He found his gaze slipping back to the door. “I find I rather want to pick him apart and put him back together again.”

“What do you mean by that, darling?” Dorian nudged him with his nose. “Does it upset you?”

“The idea is upsetting. I’ve never actually been interested in-“ He pursed his lips, skimming his hands over Dorian’s arms. “I’m very comfortable not feeling anything for anyone other than you.”

“So you do have feelings for the fellow.” 

“I didn’t say that.”

Dorian smiled, turning in his arms to face him. “Why is the idea upsetting? It doesn’t change at all how I feel about you, nor the reverse, I imagine.”

“No, of course not.” He rested his cheek to Dorian’s, breathing in the baked scent of their evening’s activities. They were supposed to be like tissue paper. Or origami. Played with for a while and sent on their way. That was the point of these- He’d meant for Dorian to be origami as well, when they’d met. And then he’d woken up with the man in his arms and wanted nothing more than to do so for the rest of his life. It had terrified him. It had been the first time he’d ever wanted to keep anyone. And he had. 

Anything you want.

How was he meant to explain this when Dorian enjoyed relationships? How was he meant to use words to clarify the sense of chaos that accompanied them in his own heart? 

A few hours. A few very pleasant hours. That was all. And perhaps a few more, before they returned to the mainland and their lives. Rilienus studied his husband’s eyes- optimism and confidence and love. He cupped the back of Dorian’s neck and kissed him. “You’re right. It’s silly.”

“Of course I’m right,” Dorian murmured against his lips, squeezing his wrists. “We can have a lovely time and when we pack up, we can decide whether or not we want anything more than a summer fling.”

He nodded, running his fingers into Dorian’s hair. “Alright,” he breathed. “Come to bed. There’s still hours before brunch and I want to spend them cleaning glitter from you with my tongue.”

“As you’d like, my darling,” Dorian kissed his cheek and wrapped his arms around him, hoisting him into the air. “I am, as always, yours to enjoy.”

Chapter Text

Anders

The island was still swathed in cool pre-dawn blues as he ambled, somewhat bow-legged, back to the cabin he shared with a dozen other volunteers. Faces from across the country, all gathered together to revel in the jubilation that always seemed to come with a gathering of people the world seemed eager to hide away.

Lots of empty sleeping bags lined the floor, but Anders stepped carefully over belongings and sprawled sleepers towards his little corner. A pillow and a battered old sleeping bag he’d spent way too many nights in when he was young and cut adrift, floating between the couches of generous friends and shelter cots when he didn’t feel like asking for any more favors.

He lived for the bustle of festivals, the throngs of people, the music and dancing. Sharing in joy that not all of them could find at home. The environment was electric and bolstering and most years he was more than content to just let it buoy him through long hours of working, occasionally falling into bed with some stranger or another, living vicariously through couples like Rilienus and Dorian who had managed to find something real and lasting through all the glitter and glitz.

Not that he hadn’t had his share of love. Things just never seemed to work out, in large parts due to his own sabotage. 

People who wanted relationships didn’t want them with someone who worked ten hour shifts and then drove off to Western Kansas to volunteer at pop-up clinics and mobile STD clinics or trekked across borders to drive teenagers to Planned Parenthood. 

And that was okay. He’d come to terms with Marian leaving years ago. She was right to do it. She needed things he was never going to provide.

But to bask in the glow, even if only for a night, a week, was lovely. Lovely and welcome and so very wanted. To feel love radiating off of others and soak it up like a sponge for a little while was enough. It was wonderful. It was certainly more than he expected.

Anders rolled into bed, stretching out his muscles to try and catch whatever sleep he could before the island woke from its festivities once again.

A few more stragglers stumbled in just after dawn while some of the early risers hopped up for morning swims and hikes. No judgement. Not about where they’d been, anyway. Potentially what they’d been wearing, but that was rare among the volunteers. Once the changing of the guards had quieted, he rolled over and dreamed.

He slept like the dead until his alarm sounded to rouse him for another day of distribution- Tylenol and water bottles for those still nursing hangovers, condoms for those getting a jump on the evening’s festivities. There were sun burns, too, and rash burns for the surfers, along with the usual crop of STIs and colds. 

By the time he emerged from the tent clinic a few hours later, his back ached and the fresh, open air of the boardwalk was a welcome change. 

He’d meant to stroll back to his bunk for a sandwich when he spotted the small gathering of men leaning over a low fence towards the pool. There was soft music playing, none of the loud chatter that accompanied tea or parties. Anders slipped up beside them to see what they’d been watching. What everyone around the pool seemed to be watching. A long, muscular body streaming effortlessly back and forth across the pool like a dolphin, splitting the water with hardly a splash, gleaming like melting caramel in the sunlight. 

“Wait until he does one of those little flip turns,” one of the observers murmured to his friend, resting his chin on his fists. “That speedo should be illegal.”

“Or mandatory,” his friend chuckled. “Hello, zaddy.” 

The swimmer dove under the surface at the edge of the pool and rushed back to the surface on his back- Bright red speedos showing off an impressive package, abs that could have grated parmesan, and a very distinctive mustache. 

Dorian. 

His gaze immediately leapt from the pool to the people along the sides until he found Rilienus. He was stretched out on a cushioned lounge chair under an umbrella, a tattered book resting against his knee, smirking to himself as someone whistled. He turned a page. If it hadn’t been for the showstopper in the pool, Anders would have been shocked if he hadn’t had his own gaggle of admirers. He was lanky where Dorian was muscular. Sharper where Dorian was rounded. But they were both extraordinary. 

He knew now, from personal experience. 

Anders chuckled, shaking his head as he slipped past Dorian’s audience and through the wooden gate to the pool. He kicked off his sandals and rolled up his jeans to dip his ankles in the water, taking a seat in Dorian’s lane and letting them dangle.

Another flip turn garnered a smattering of applause from the guys assembled at the fence and Anders watched Dorian swim towards him, a shiver of pleasure down his spine as he watched him slice through the water.

When he reached the edge, Dorian lifted his goggles up onto his swim cap, blinking up at him until a smile bloomed across his face and a pair of wet arms lifted out of the water to rest on his lap.

“Hello, gorgeous,” Anders beamed, bending down to kiss him. “The kids by the fence are calling you ‘zaddy’.”

“Are they? Which?” He was soaking through Anders’ jeans where he leaned and slick against his lips. Chlorine and some spiced sun oil. “Any of interest?”

“What’s of interest?” 

“Interesting.” He rested a hand on either side of Anders’ lap and pushed himself up, shoulders rippling as a cascade of water sluiced down from him. “You look good wet,” he chuckled. 

“So do you, but you know that already.” Anders kissed him fondly, a little sigh escaping his lips. “No need to deprive your fan club of their show on my account. I was going to curl up in the shade with Rilienus. Too much sun and I burn.”

“I’m certain he will be delighted to have your attention.” He kissed Anders’ nose, a gentle brush of lips, still holding himself aloft. “It’s fortuitous that you stumbled upon us. We had meant to ask if you were free for dinner this evening. Or a late lunch.”

“Had you?” The thought warmed him to his toes. “I’d be happy to join you for either, whenever you’d like. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

“Oh, yes? Let me finish my laps and we can go and stuff you.” His lips curved merrily. “With food. Of course. Sort it with Ril.” Dorian pushed off and dove in a backwards arch back under the water as a number of svelte young men in tiny bath suits took spots along the edge of the pool, dangling their feet in the water.

Anders padded towards Rilienus’ lounge chair, tucking his hands in his pockets, a pleased little smirk curling his lips. “I think I started a trend. Sorry your view has been obscured.”

“Oh, he swims almost every day. It’s the audience that changes.” Rilienus dipped his sunglasses low on his nose. “Are you looking for a perch? I’ll share mine.”

“I was hoping you’d offer.” Anders tucked his backpack under the side table, lowering down to lay next to him, admiring the sharp lines of his shoulders, sun-warmed and tanned. “What are you reading?”

Rilienus tucked a bookmark between the pages and offered him the book. It was full of Latin passages, black and white images of vases and sculptures between the pages. “History.” He lifted a brow, tugging at the branded tee shirt. “You’ve been working.”

“Mmhmm. I’m done for the day, though.” Anders lifted his brows. “Are you trying to undress me?”

“I’m not trying to do anything at all. It’s only that it’s quite warm and we’re beside a pool.” He smiled lazily. “And if you keep sitting beside me in a tee shirt that says clinic, someone’s going to think I’m diseased.”

“If you want to take my clothes off, you’re free to do so.” Anders wiggled his brows. “In public , too. Do you dare?”

“ You are exceptional.” Rilienus smoothed his hand up under his shirt, thumbing his navel. “You’re done for the whole day? I wasn’t sure what your schedule was.”

“You were thinking about my schedule?” Anders smiled, lifting his arms over his head so Rilienus could slip the tee shirt off more easily. “I’m flattered.”

“We were thinking of going to the Island Mermaid. Reservations can be a nightmare.” Rilienus shook his head, folding the tee shirt and watching Anders. “Why do you have to smile like that?”

“Like what?”

“It’s infectious.” Rilienus wrinkled his nose.

“I thought you said you weren’t diseased.” Anders poked him in the side, chuckling. “Do you need a check up? I can get out my stethoscope.”

“Is that a euphemism?” He set the folded shirt onto the side table and lay back, running his fingers down Anders’ bare back. “I’m fairly certain that’s illegal, even here.”

“What? Stethoscopes?”

Rilienus wiggled his brows. “I enjoyed your stethoscope.”

“And I enjoyed yours. Immensely.” Anders nudged him with his nose. “What’s wrong with my smile?”

“Too soft.” He cupped the back of Anders’ neck, drawing him down. “Too sweet.”

“You’ll need to show me how you want me to smile, then, I’m afraid.”

“As am I.” Rilienus kissed the corner of his lips. “Mermaid?”

“Anything you’d like,” he grinned, unable to help himself. “I’d love to join you.”

“You keep saying that. I wonder if you would if you knew what I’d like.”

“Inform me, then.” Anders lifted his brows. “I know a couple of things you like.”

“You do indeed.” He narrowed his eyes, lips pursing in amusement a scant few inches from Anders’ own. “Stethoscopes, for starters.”

He closed the distance between them, tangling their legs together and kissing him gently, his hands sliding down Rilienus’ side. Unable to help himself, not with that smirk or the slight wrinkle to his nose. Rilienus tasted just as intoxicating s the night before, spices from the tea they both drank and something fruity, perhaps from whatever was in the empty glass on the side table.

“Stethoscopes, yeah,” Anders agreed quietly. “They’re wonderful.”

“And tea.” His arms slid around Anders’ waist. “And couches. And sunsets.”

“Handsome men in Speedos,” Anders offered. “Drinks stronger than seltzer.”

“Significantly stronger, yes.” His beard was soft as it rubbed to Anders’ chin, some fragrance like sandalwood and ink that seemed expensive and intoxicating rising from him in the heat. “Do you have a bathing suit?”

“…yeah?” Not that it was one he wanted Rilienus to see. “I wasn’t planning on sitting by the pool. I just followed the commotion.”

“What about tomorrow?”

“If you’d like.” He felt his cheeks warm and he glanced away. “They, um… aren’t super sexy.”

“Are they shorter than these?” Rilienus asked, slipping his hands into the back pockets of Anders’ jeans.

“Yeah. Definitely shorter than my jeans.” He wrinkled his nose. “Do you like cats?”

“Anders, I like you, but I don’t want to watch a video on the internet at the moment.”

“No, I just meant-” Anders puffed out his cheeks. “They’ve got cats on them.”

“The sites. I’m aware. I investigated after you mentioned them last night.”

“No, my swim trunks.” Anders rubbed his hands over his cheeks. “They’re not super sexy. Wait-“ He blinked. “Did you say you like me?”

Rilienus squinted up at him over the edge of his designer sunglasses. “Your swimsuit… has cats on it?” He squeezed his ass through denim. “You’re turning into a strawberry again.”

“You like me?” Anders shook his head, undeterred. “Forget about my swimsuit. You like me?”

“Why must we repeat this?” Rilienus’ emerald eyes glinted as he glanced to the side. “I did ask you to dinner, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did.” A smile spread across his lips. “And you looked up cat videos and wondered about my schedule.”

“My, my, the man’s Hercule Poirot. If there’s a murder, we’ll be in luck.”

“I like you, too, Rilienus.” Anders touched his chin gently. “I was thinking about you all day. You and Dorian both.”

Rilienus sniffed, rolling his eyes and tipping his head back to scoot his glasses further up to hide them. “Lovely. Now that that’s settled.” His voice sounded odd, as though he’d swallowed a pebble. “…what precisely were you thinking about again?”

“I like the way your nose wrinkles.” Anders kissed it, chuckling. “Kind of like it is right now.”

“Horrifying. Certifiable.” He leaned up to silence him. “Never again refer to me with the word wrinkle again, please, thank you.”

“There it is again !” Anders laughed, kissing his nose, his cheeks, his chin, before settling back on his edible lips. “What’s better? Crinkle? Scrunch?”

“Dear god why.” He tugged at Anders’ ponytail. “What did I do to injure you?”

“Nothing that a soak in the hot tub and some ice packs won’t cure.” Anders leaned back, studying what little he could see behind shaded glasses. “Do you want me to stop?”

“I want you to kiss me.” Rilienus linked his arm around Anders’ neck. “And then tell me one of the things you were thinking about my husband and I. And then tell me you’ll waste your precious free time with us.”

“I can do that,” Anders nodded, closing his eyes to brush their lips together. Lip to lip, skin to skin. He wished he could shuck his jeans and Rilienus’ trunks and they could float in the pool, naked, fingers skimming along each other’s bodies without a care for who might be watching. “I thought about you taking turns with me in your hot tub, our bodies covered with bubbles. For one.”

“That can be arranged.” Thick against the inside of his thigh. His voice was definitely rougher. His hand flexed in Anders’ pockets. “Absolutely. For you, of course. Altruistically.”

“You can be selfish.” Anders nipped at his lips. “I don’t mind. Did you think of me, too?”

“Some.” 

“Yeah? Good things, I hope?”

Rilienus nodded slowly, tugging gently on his ponytail again. “I was wondering… whether you might find it comfortable to be splayed out on our dining table, rather helplessly.”

“A proper feast.” Anders grinned, nudging him with his nose. “I accept, wholeheartedly and without reservation. Do you have a ball gag? Then I could look like one of those roast pigs.”

Definitely something of interest in the pocket of his swim trunks. And some sort of jungle cat hiding beneath the lounge chair, purring. Rilienus’ nostrils flared. “I do, as it happens.”

“Excellent,” Anders hummed low. “And when you’re done taking me from behind, you can replace it with yourself and I can taste what you’re like after you’ve been inside me.”

Rilienus nipped at his lower lip, hard, and tugged. “You’re deviant.”

“In my view, that’s a very good thing.” Anders panted, glad to be wearing something less easily tented than swim trunks. “I hope it is in yours, too.”

“Oh, yes. One of my favorite traits, in fact.” He nuzzled Anders’ nose, breathing deep. “You know you have to stay here now.”

“Stay where, when?”

“Sweetling, you’ve had an effect and now you’re my camouflage. It’s a matter of teamwork now.”

“You want me to get you off?” Anders wiggled his brows. “In front of all these people ?”

“Yes,” he admitted roughly. “But you shouldn’t.”

“But you want me to.” Anders nudged him with his nose. “Can you be quiet?”

“Of course I can be quiet, but there’s quiet and then there’s-“ Rilienus glanced towards the lounge chair a few feet away where a trio of men were laughing and chatting. 

“Look at me,” Anders lifted his brows. “And shift a little to the side. I’ll make you come without anyone being any the wiser.”

Behind dark lenses, through his own reflection, Anders watched Rilienus’ eyes focus on his own. “…which side?”

“So you’re facing me.”

He scooted slightly on the cushion, dampening his lips with his tongue. “…really.”

“If you want me to and you trust me.” Anders quirked a brow. “Do you?”

He exhaled sharply, kissing him hard. “You realize if we’re caught we will not be coming back to this pool.”

“I have had a lot of sex in public.” Anders lifted his brows. “Never once been caught. Scout’s honor.”

“Oh, yes?” He lifted his chin. “Show me.” 

Anders bit his lip on a grin, turning onto his side and shifting their hips closer until they were plastered against each other, slipping the hand trapped beneath himself between them to stroke Rilienus through his shorts. Slow, almost imperceptible movements, more wrist and fingers than anything else. He caught his lips, breathing with him, feeling for shifts in his body, in his exhales, listening to their surroundings in case anyone seemed to approach.

“Who had you been prepping for?” Rilienus whispered against his lips. “When you picked me up?”

“…no one?” Anders answered quietly. “I just like the feeling.”

“With what?” Rumbling, breathless, hot and hard through smooth fabric. 

“I brought a few things from home. I figured I’d be too tired to really play the field, but…” He winked. “Guess I found a way to manage.” 

“Too tired?” he panted. “You gave the impression you were inexhaustible.”

“When I crash, I crash hard .” There was a spot of dampness on Rilienus’ trunks and he desperately wished he could lap it up. “Not yet, though.”

“No. Not yet.” He squeezed Anders, his lips curving into a sharp smirk. “A few things. Like what.”

“God, do you want an inventory of my sex toys?”

“Absolutely.” Rilienus grinned fiercely, quick breaths through his nose, the damp spot growing slightly. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

“Yesterday was just the vibrating six-inch. Nothing too impressive.” Anders tilted his head to the side. “I’m staying in communal housing so… Didn’t want to spend an eternity.”

“I’ve a four inch plug, remote controlled, precisely for eternity.”

Incredible. Hard and pliant under his fingers, the man’s breaths beginning to hitch. “Have you ever given him the remote?”

“Oh, yes.” Rilienus shivered despite the heat. “He’s very choosy about when we use it, but it’s always pleasant.”

“Smart man,” Anders chuckled low. “Probably much, much smarter than me.”

“I don’t know about that,” he panted. “You’re a nurse. He’s a physicist. Different kinds of smart.”

“You’re too kind.” Anders kissed him hard to keep him from making so much noise. The scent of him seemed to shift, deeper layers of musk as he was brought closer to the edge. Anders wanted to bathe in it, in him, until they were both sated and panting. “I brought something similar. I’ll let you use it on me whenever you want.”

“Let me?” Rilienus asked, a low roll of breath escaping him before he kissed Anders again. “Or beg me?”

“The second, definitely. You’re pretty irresistible.”

“That’s a good- hmmmm- good way to warm up-” He huffed a sharp breath. “Close. What- nnnnn- what if I were to- hmm- get you started before we got you home?”

“At dinner?”

“...less-” He swallowed. “Less romantic than I’d planned-” 

“Tomorrow, then.” Anders smiled, kissing him fondly. “I like romantic.”

“Good- good- good to know-” He shook, pressing his cheek to Anders’, breaths quick and hot against his skin. “I want you to feel me working through you while you’re pitching your wares to pretty club boys.”

“Oh-“ He exhaled sharply through his nose. Perhaps he might be able to take care of Rilienus’ unruly erection, but his own was beginning to strain against his denim. “Anything you like, Rilienus.”

“You- I like you-” His teeth caught Anders’ jaw as he groaned low, shuddering, then stilled, slumped against him, panting. 

“I like you, too,” Anders beamed, mentally notching his belt once again. “I really, really do.”

“Well, that was refreshing!” Dorian’s warm baritone called, bare feet padding against the flagstones. “Are you ready for dinner? Do we have plans sorted and all that?”

“Oh, yes, but Rilienus was just telling me I need to get more Vitamin D.”

“Hm?” Rilienus wondered, leaning against him, still catching his breath. 

“So don’t worry about us!” Anders kissed the top of Rilienus’ head. “Take all the time you need to… dry off. Nothing worse than putting on jeans when you’re still wet. And I need my sunshine-“

“You said you hadn’t eaten since lunch,” Dorian said curiously, tilting his head as he scruffed his raven-dark hair with a towel. “But alright. Wet shorts are truly a blight.”

“Mmhmm,” Rilienus agreed. “Dry.”

“Exactly.” Anders wrapped his arms around him in an embrace. The sweet, delightfully adventurous man. “Ten minutes, tops.”

“…as you say.” Dorian pulled up a chair to sit next to them, his audience dissipating somewhat as they realized he was finished for the time being. “Take your time, then. I don’t mind.”

The bearded man nodded slowly, easing back against the cushion with a sigh. “Warm.” His voice was still peak-rough and low. “Mermaid. I think.”

“Yes, you said as much.” Anders kissed his forehead. “Rest a while longer, sweetheart. No one is going anywhere until you’re good and ready.”

Dorian tugged a second towel from the end of the lounge chair with a curious expression. “He’s been resting all-” Dark brows tilted. “You didn’t . What. Just now ?” He glanced over his shoulder towards the busy couches and lounge chairs. “ Here ?”

Rilienus smiled with the predatory laziness of a panther after a kill. “I like him.”

Dorian huffed, shaking his head. “Did you make a reservation first?”

“Hmmm- no.”

“Then we’re going to have a rather late dinner,” he murmured, collecting his phone from the table. “And our new friend needs a meal.”

“I’ll make something.” Rilienus reached for him, squeezing his arm gently. “I love you.”

“So you demonstrate on a daily basis,” Dorian muttered, casting a wry look at him. “I love you, too. I can get us a table at nine.”

“Good.” Rilienus held Anders’ hand gently, resting it on his belly. “Plenty of time before that to feed our friend and then turn him into jelly.”

“I like that plan,” Anders murmured, snuggling in closer, smoothing his palm up Rilienus’ chest. “Plenty of time for me to lick you clean.”

Dorian tossed his towel over them with a chuckle. “It’s a pool , not a bath house or a dark room.”

“Storage,” Rilienus purred, stretching out under Anders touch. “Hedge gardens. That gazebo looking out over the harbor.”

“Yes, yes, true, I don’t know what I expected.”

The way they looked at each other, teasing and melting, plucked at Anders’ heartstrings. 

As Dorian laughed, Rilienus curled his toes over Anders’ ankle and exhaled low, sliding his thigh to press between Anders’ and up. “I haven’t your skills for subtlety in this arena, I’m afraid. Come home with us. You can have an appetizer before lunch and siesta.” 

“I’d love to.” Anders met his smile, nuzzling against Rilienus’ sweet-smelling beard. “You’re purring . How can I possibly say no when you’re purring?”

“I’m not purring .” Rilienus rolled his eyes. “I’m breathing . You’ve got cats on the brain.” 

Maybe he did, he mused, watching how the man arched as he climbed to his feet, stretching in the sunlight, his hips swinging just so as he led them both back to the little blue cottage with the fluttering gauzy curtains. Fingertip touches and sharp little smiles. 

Feral. The quick watchful looks out of the corner of his bright green eyes as he moved around their kitchen. 

Rilienus liked him. 

Oh, wanted him, sure. That had been obvious. The man moved like a predator, eating up the space between them until he could gnaw on Anders’ skin and draw quaking noises out of his throat. 

Rilienus spilled him over the kitchen counter and swallowed him whole while his husband made a smoothie and sat back to observe with a pleased curve of his lips. And when he was done, he rested his hand on Anders’ bare thigh with a quiet “stay” and fed him morsels by hand while Anders lay sprawled in the middle of the room like a platter. 

Liked him. 

Romantic. 

He’d said he’d meant their dinner to be romantic. 

But this was romance, too. Olives from fingertips. Dolma traced over his lips, dripping olive oil. Thinly sliced cucumbers dragged across his skin before they were slid past his lips. Gentle hands massaging almond oil into his skin as they baked beneath the shaded awning on their balcony. The nip of teeth as slices of mangos and strawberries were nibbled from the small of his back. 

Everything with them was decadent, from their taste in clothes to the scents they wore to the food they ate to the places they rested their heads at night. Nothing like the world Anders had grown up in or lived in day to day. Even their manners of speaking were as polished and sharp as their collarbones. 

A very welcome change of pace from his sleeping bag, for a certainty.

“I’m going to burn if we stay out much longer,” Anders reminded them, eating candied dates out of a bowl. “I don’t have your complexion.”

“Don’t you?” Rilienus stretched out beside him, twining their fingers together. “You’re not pink yet.”

“I will be.” Anders nudged him with his hip. “The point is to go inside before I turn into a lobster.”

“I think we need to procure you a hat,” Dorian chuckled. “One of those floppy, wide-brimmed monstrosities so that you can sunbathe with us for longer.”

“I like your mottled strawberries,” Rilienus murmured, lips pressed to Anders’ thumb. “Reflecting the light like a bowl of whipped cream.”

“I’m glad you do,” Anders whispered. He’d been called pasty before, but never so elegantly it sounded like a compliment. “But you don’t want to see me peeling . Not a cute look.”

“Hm.” He rolled over top of Anders, pinning him to the thick, fluffy towel on the balcony. “There. Now you’re in shade.”

“Rilienus?” Anders smoothed his hands over the man’s back, smiling up at him. “Are you always this sweet?”

“That’s the dates talking.” He kissed Anders’ chin, then the line of his jaw. Beard catching at scruff, gentle tugs and soft contact. “Clearly the man cannot handle his sugar.”

“That’s definitely not it,” Anders asserted, shaking his head. “I love sweets. It’s most of what I eat.”

“And here I thought that was stethoscopes.” That smirk . The glint in the green right above the wash of red, like blood spilled over precious gemstones. 

“This is how he gets when he likes someone,” Dorian slipped a bookmark into his dense-looking book full of strange equations. “Interestingly, I’ve only ever seen it once.”

Rilienus looked up with narrowed eyes. “Hush, you.”

“Hm?” Dorian ran his hand along Rilienus’ spine.

“ Non terrent eum. ” He skimmed his fingers back to brush Dorian’s knee. 

“What?” Anders blinked. “Are you speaking in Latin?”

“Yes.” Dorian rolled his eyes. “We have a guest, darling. Many would consider speaking in a foreign tongue in their presence quite rude.”

“Would they? Why?” Rilienus peered down at Anders curiously, bending until they rested nose to nose and eye to eye and lip to lip. “Am I being rude?”

“Not if you kiss me,” Anders hummed, hugging him close. “I didn’t know people spoke Latin.”

“Not enough do. It’s a travesty.” Words that were kisses. “As is the foreign tongue they mangle as they invent new languages to communicate what has already been said by those that came before.” Harpist’s fingers, Dorian had said, skimming down his skin and leaving warm, shivering trails in their wake. “See. He doesn’t think I’m rude.”

“As you say.” Dorian rolled his eyes, apparently unconvinced. “You could teach him some,” he suggested. “Then even I couldn’t accuse you of rudeness.”

“So it’s you I must convince.” Rilienus tucked his head, resting his cheek to Anders’ shoulder and pawing lazily at Dorian’s abdomen. “Come here and let me soothe your concerns, my dawn. In any tongue you like.”

“You are in a very particular mood, my heart.” Even so, Dorian rolled onto his side, kissing him gently. “Very particular and very vigorous.”

“Mmhmm.” They kissed like new lovers, sipping each other like fine wines. “How can I fail to be vigorous when presented with bourbon caramel and sun-warmed milk? I’ve always been a glutton.”

“And only becoming more so,” Dorian chuckled, humming low. “I cannot believe you were so bold at the pool. What if someone had seen you? Absolutely preposterous.”

“Absolutely magnificent,” Rilienus disagreed softly, rubbing his cheek to Anders’ chest. “No one did see. And why should they, when they had nature’s bounty demonstrating the pinnacle of what it is to be human before them?” He smiled, snapping his teeth in the air. “ If they had, I imagine the polite thing to do would have been for them to thank us for the opportunity.”

“Rilienus,” Dorian huffed. “You could have gotten cited, or worse . Both of you.” 

“Ah…” Anders frowned. “I’m sorry for worrying you. It was… maybe not the best idea.”

Rilienus shook his head, looking up to meet his eyes. “Nothing’s wrong. Nothing went awry. It was exceptionally pleasant. And I have always believed that what you can get away with is exactly what you deserve. There are too many rules that have been built to hound us and put us in boxes. We weren’t hurting anyone but the angels, and they’re only jealous.” He looked back to Dorian, brows lifted. “‘ Could have’, darling? It’s so desperately close to should .”

“You know I don’t mean that.” Dorian cupped his cheek. “I worry, is all. Okay?”

“I adore you.” Rilienus kissed his palm. “Don’t worry about me, aurora meus . You’re a work of art to be preserved; I shouldn’t want to be the one responsible for ruining a masterpiece.” He nuzzled Dorian’s thumb. “Not more than I already have, anyway.”

“Then try to find somewhere a bit more private next time, will you?” Dorian asked, gaze shifting between his eyes. “Just a bit . Please. If only to keep me from wrinkling prematurely.”

“Mmhmm.” Rilienus tilted his head, blinking slowly. “Does this mean I’m not allowed to play with my remote control to make him blush and shiver?” he asked, the beginnings of a pout filling out his lower lip. “I was looking forward to that.” He batted his lashes, the pout becoming more pronounced. “ Zaddy .”

“ Vishante kaffas ,” Dorian rolled his eyes. “You’re impossible.” He lifted Rilienus’ hand to kiss his knuckles. “That’s… fine. Potentially. In a location where no one will hear the buzzing or… be able to see the effects. Yes?”

“But seeing the effects is the point, darling.” He leaned up over Anders, a shadow of smooth tan skin and sharp teeth. “These lashes fluttering against his cheeks like butterflies landing on daffodils.” He touched Anders’ brows, skimming down to his cheek. “This skin like dogwood petals softening to the color of roses. This lip being caught tight between teeth.” He thumbed Anders’ lips, studying him. “The myriad results must be itemized and studied, my dawn.” He lifted a brow, tracing Anders’ features. “And if I’m not thorough, then I will have to wait even longer to watch him sink down onto you like a pommel horse.”

Dorian huffed a quiet laugh, rolling his eyes. “You’re persuasive , I’ll give you that.” He sighed. “I trust you, you handsome, frustrating devil.”

“ Wonderful ,” Anders whispered, exhaling a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “I love trying to stay quiet.”

“I’m beginning to wonder if there’s anything you don’t love,” Dorian chuckled, brushing his lips across Anders’, the whiskers of his mustache tickling his nose. 

“Let’s try very hard to keep the streak, hm?” Rilienus nuzzled his husband’s cheek. “Otherwise he might call me a cat again, or wrinkled, and my fragile ego cannot take any more of that.”

“I like cats.” Anders pouted. “It’s a compliment .”

“Hmm.” Rilienus leaned back, gaze fondly flicking between him and Dorian. “Is it? I like compliments. Try another.”

“I like sound of your voice. I feel like I could close my eyes and just listen for hours without getting bored.” 

“I know several young something or others who would disagree with you. Perhaps you’d like to come to one of my lectures and demonstrate the proper way to absorb my wit and wisdom.”

“What are they about?”

“The self-importance and short-sightedness of modern men.” Rilienus leaned against Dorian. “And their associated civilizations. Given what has been learned and not put into practice vis a vis social and technological invention.” He lifted his brows. “Are you sleepy yet?”

“No,” Anders shook his head. “I didn’t get to take many electives when I was in school, but I’ve seen plenty of short-sightedness and self-importance.”

“Of course you have, my dear, because it is a disease that can only be corrected when it is recognized, and those who see it swifty unsee it as soon as their toes touch the very spaces in which change might be possible. Tricky little devil of a social virus.” He smiled beatifically. “I would suggest we simply murder them all a la Hobbes, but my better half has advised against such things.”

“Men aren’t inherently evil.” Anders lifted his brows. “Their institutions are the source of corruption.”

“Institutions that did not build themselves,” Rilienus murmured. “Nor keep themselves active or in power. ‘Institution’ and ‘government’ are merely the means by which so-called ‘good people’ can get away with doing objectively terrible things.”

“So you think everyone deserves to be culled .” Anders studied him curiously.

“Not everyone .” Rilienus shrugged. “And I wouldn’t presume to decide exactly who, because that would certainly put me in the category of one of the ones who should be eliminated. But that a culling would be the most expedient means by which to stop the decay so that a fresh matrix might be installed in the place of crumblings ruins… yes, I think so, until someone convinces me otherwise.”

“Horrifying,” Dorian sniffed. “I deeply dislike this thread of conversation.”

“Fortunately for those with rose-tinted lenses,” Rilienus drawled, kissing Dorian’s shoulder. “I am but a mere philosopher, standing on the shoulders of other mere philosophers, and no one has ever given a whit what any of us think.”

“Perhaps I should run for office,” Dorian lifted his brows. “That would put you in a predicament.”

“Not at all. I trust you inherently. I’ve never yet seen you fail to make the right decision. Sometimes a bit too cautious,” he added, smirking, nipping at his ear. “And sometimes a trifle brash. But always the kindest and most thoughtful.” He chuckled darkly, lazily stretching out across them both. “And your parents would be tickled pink. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“ Ugh .” Dorian grimaced. “You’re right. Forget I said anything.”

“What is it that you do?” Anders asked. It was strange to think he’d seen every inch of their skin without any basic knowledge of their lives outside of the island. But… that seemed to be the way of his relationships recently. 

“I’m so glad you asked.” Dorian winked, glancing at Rilienus as though this were something that happened regularly. “I’m an astronaut.”

“…I was being serious.” Anders puffed out his cheeks. “You don’t need to make fun-“

“Why would I ever do such a thing?” Dorian raised his brows. “You can look me up. My surname is ‘Pavus’. I made my poor husband move to Texas. Texas . I’m going to be paying off that one for the rest of my days.”

“You’re-“ Anders blinked. “Really?”

“Indeed, I am.” Dorian wiggled his brows. “More likely to meet royalty than one of us, but here you are.”

“It’s hot.” Rilienus stuck his tongue out. “I like heat, but it’s hot . And there are tiny little bugs that eat you if you have any bare skin. And-“ he sighed. “Yes, go on. Talk about space .”

“You’d have rose colored glasses, too, if you could stare back at the entire world at once.” Dorian sighed, looking up at the sky. “It’ll be over soon enough and then I’ll begin my illustrious career as a house husband.” 

“Never. You’d be bored within two days. It’s hard enough to keep you here with me for a week where I have many, many handsome helpers.”

“Well. In any case, we won’t live in Texas forever.” Dorian kissed the top of his head. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“I thought the plan was Mars.”

“No bugs on Mars,” Dorian nibbled on his lips. “Check.”

“Mmmm. Just a nice little expensive convertible. Some warm red sand. A very handsome national treasure.”

“Sounds perfect, doesn’t it?” Dorian hummed, brushing his lips to Rilienus’ temple, drawing him into his arms. “No. It’s going to be your choice after. You’ve been more than patient with me.”

To listen to them plan, building their dreams together brick by brick filled him with a sea of regret. Seven years he’d spent with Marian, focused on his own endeavors instead of theirs until they’d become two ships passing in the night. Years before, in the service or studying or drifting aimlessly from place to place, trying to keep a roof over his head and food in his belly.

And now he was forty-eight and alone, surrounded by swathes of kids who didn’t plan beyond the next few hours.

Anders swallowed, ducking his head as he rose to his feet, his skin too warm from the sun and from a prickly sense of shame. That he was there. That he was listening to them when he didn’t belong. That he was even thinking any of these things when he should be thinking about sliced mangoes and the endless expanse of velvet-soft skin stretched out in front of him.

“I’m going to cool off, if that’s alright,” he said softly. “I need to put on more sunscreen.”

Rilienus watched him, brows tilted in curiosity. “There’s water in the fridge, too. Lemons and mint. Our home is yours. Be comfortable.”

“Thank you.” It was an exceptionally sweet thought, even if it wasn’t true. Anders slipped through the sliding glass door and into the bathroom so no one would need to see him get upset over nothing.

A few minutes went by in the welcome dark of the bathroom, the tile cool on his cheek. Then a few more. Until he began to wonder if there was a way to gracefully exit without either of the models who were renting the house looking at him as though he’d been ill. 

A soft knock interrupted the worried cycle of thoughts. “Anders?” Dorian. 

“Oh!” Anders bit his lip. Opportunity missed. “Hey. I’m- Just got a little overheated, I think. Dehydration. Half the people I see here are dehydrated. Guess I forgot my own medicine.”

The door cracked open and Dorian peered inside. “You do seem a bit wan.” He slipped inside and drew one of the towels off the rack, folding it and tucking it under Anders’ head. “Water. I’ll fetch it. And… ice?” He rested his fingers to Anders’ forehead. “What do you need?”

“Ice and water are fine,” Anders murmured, peering up at him from the floor. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. To be honest, it’s a little bit of a relief. I’d wondered if we hadn’t gone and made you feel unwelcome.” He squeezed his hand. “Be right back.”

He was too sweet for words. The kindest and most thoughtful, Rilienus said. Liked crosswords and reading. Swam like he was born in the water. Stared up at the sky. 

Dorian was the sort of person they made documentaries about. The type of guy who won medals and was placed in commercials. An astronaut . How did someone like that even exist outside of the movies?

Yet Dorian returned, with water and ice, a concerned furrow between his brows.

Kind and thoughtful. 

He wouldn’t have expected kind and thoughtful from the man at the club who was being groped by a half dozen distinct strangers.

“I don’t feel unwelcome,” Anders murmured finally, sitting up and resting his head against the wall. “I’m sorry if I made you think I was.”

“You needn’t apologize. You told us you were feeling overheated earlier. I’m sorry we didn’t listen adequately.” He tucked an icepack beneath Anders’ knees, handing him the glass of water. “I’ll be more careful.”

“I’m not your responsibility.”

“You aren’t,” he agreed. “But you are my something else. I like to care for what’s mine, even when it’s only loosely so.” 

“Something else,” Anders turned to meet his gaze. “That’s a way to put it without putting it in a way.”

“Yes, well. Ril seems to think you might turn into a rabbit and scurry away if I use more definitive language.”

“…what do you mean?” Anders studied him. “The Latin?”

“Well spotted.” Dorian soaked a washcloth and sat against the wall beside him, wrapping it around the back of Anders’ neck. “Which says something on its own. He’s usually the one sweeping people out the door.”

“So they can climb in through your windows.” Anders leaned against him, closing his eyes. “That feels really nice.”

“He was especially irked about that,” Dorian chuckled, trailing cool damp fingers up through his hair, scraping his scalp. “The humor came later.” 

“Well, when I overstay my welcome, just let me know.” Anders ran a hand through his hair, brushing Dorian’s fingers. “I won’t try to scale the fence.”

“No?” Dorian’s lips curved softly in the dim light sneaking through the closed shades. “Is he right? Are you a rabbit?”

“No, I just-“ He pressed his lips together. “I don’t see the point in staying somewhere I’m not wanted. Not that I’m feeling- In general, I mean.”

“What are you feeling, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Overheated.” Anders sighed softly. “Maybe a bit sore from yesterday.”

Dorian nodded slowly, patting his back. “We could eschew the dinner plans. Pick up a pizza and eat it in the bathtub.”

“You’d do that for me?” Anders felt a familiar fluttering in his chest. “Even with your reservation?”

“I’ll make a different reservation. For when you’d like to join us.” He looked at the closed bathroom door across from them, that same little furrow of concern between his brows. “I didn’t intend to… to shame you. Earlier. I wasn’t even thinking about- I hope that you’ll forgive me.”

“I got carried away,” Anders admitted, wrinkling his nose. “He just gets that look , you know? Like he wants to eat you alive. I wanted to indulge it. Not the time or place, though.”

“Perhaps not.” Dorian pulled the washcloth away, folded it inside out, and then put it back - cool once more - on Anders’ neck. “All the same, I do know that look and the fever it brings, and you weren’t caught. This time. That’s what matters.” He huffed a quiet laugh. “He has always enjoyed pushing boundaries.”

“I can tell. He’s…” Anders smiled, rubbing his cheeks. “Really someone special. I’m happy for you both. You seem perfectly suited to each other.”

“We’ve had a lot of time to find our way to here.” He leaned back against the wall again, wrapping an arm around Anders’ shoulders. “He is special. People rarely see that.”

“How could they not?” Anders peered at him. “He’s got a really brilliant way of seeing the world. Even if I don’t necessarily agree with everything.”

“I used to wonder that, too. When you’re in the eye of the storm and all his passions are focused on you, on seeing you a way you haven’t been seen, it’s difficult to see how he could manage to slip through the world nearly invisibly. But that’s because he’s busy looking at us. What he doesn’t care for,” Dorian shrugged. “He slips past the notice of. I’ve watched him flicker from rainbows to camoflage under unwanted attention. It’s a choice, showing that side of himself.”

“So he really does like me, then.” Anders rested his chin in his hands. “And thinks I’m keen on running away from that?”

Dorian lifted his brows with a little hum. “If it makes you feel any better - I think he’d be rather sad if we agreed with his philosophy. I think he needs someone around who can see the good when he can’t.”

“It does, yeah. A little bit.” Water dropped down his shoulders, cool against the tile. “I think most people are just muddling through as best as they can. Maybe selfish. Maybe short-sighted. But it’s damned hard to think long term when you have three kids to feed and your spouse just got laid off.”

“…you have children?”

“What? No.” Anders waved a hand. “It was just a notional example.”

“Ah.” Dorian inclined his head, watching him curiously. “Are you feeling a little better?”

“A bit, yes.” He closed his eyes, exhaling deeply. “…thank you for checking in on me.”

“Thank you for staying.” He kissed Anders’ cheek tenderly, rocking him in his arms. “I do have two questions, if you’re up for it. One is momentous. One is rather minor.”

“Let’s start small, okay?”

“As you like.” Dorian leaned back. “Would you like to stay here tonight? With us? And the solemn promise that we will not overbake you again?”

“Is this an official invitation?”

“I wasn’t going to break out the stationery, but I could inquire of the artist to render something appropriately calligraphic if that’s on order.”

“No. No, it’s not in order.” Anders leaned into his arms, kissing him as butterflies took flight in his chest. “I’d love to. I’d really, really love to. And not just because I’ve been in a sleeping bag the last three nights.”

“That’s unacceptable. Never mind the night. The week.”

“Yes, yes, yes.” He kissed the words to Dorian’s lips. “I’d love to. As long as you’d have me.”

“Excellent.” The myth of a man laughed warmly, fingers tangling in his hair. “I’ll have you. We will. Are you ready for the larger query or do you need another moment?”

Anders frowned, biting his lip. “…I’m going to start to get nervous if you don’t go ahead and ask it.”

“I know we’ve only known each other a very short time,” Dorian sighed. “And it might be intrusive. But circumstances force me to inquire.”

“Inquire about what?” His heart rushed, heat rising to his cheeks. “Have I done something- Said-“

“Pizza.” Dorian cupped his cheek. “I need to know what you put on your pizza.”

“…oh.” Anders nodded, only a little crestfallen. Why hadn’t that been first? “Pepperoni, mushrooms, and black olives if I have my way, but I can eat anything.”

“Why don’t we allow you to have your way. Just this once.” Dorian kissed his forehead as he held him close. “Do you care for my husband?” He whispered the question against his skin, sending shivers down Anders’ spine. 

“I adore him,” Anders admitted quietly. “I’ve really enjoyed the last day or so.”

“Ask him to let you stay,” he murmured. “It’ll make him happy, or at least less worried that you’re going to escape out a window.”

“Why would I want to escape anywhere?” Anders lifted his brows. “You want me to stay. I- Yeah, I’d really like to.”

“Tell him.” Dorian kissed his chin. “I’ll order the pizza and decant something light.”

“Alright,” Anders agreed, squeezing his hand before rising a little unsteadily to his feet.   

“Inside. I turned the AC on.” He caught Anders’ hand, collecting his glass of water from the floor. “Drink, will you. I’ll be cross if you have heatstroke.”

“I will.” Anders smiled to himself, hugging the glass to his chest. “Dorian? Thanks for letting me be your something.”

“You’re very welcome, Anders. And likewise.”

As they stepped into the hall, he saw Rilienus shift in the kitchen chair, resting his book on the table beside a glass of white wine. “Shall I call your compatriots?”

“No, no, I’m okay.” He rubbed his hand through his hair, wrapping the cool towel tighter around his neck. “No, actually, I was wondering- hoping, I suppose- Would it be too much trouble if I stayed the night?”

Rilienus nodded, padding towards him to collect him into his arms like a long-lost treasure. “Yes, of course. I mean- No. It’s no trouble. Of course it isn’t. Dorian?”

“Absolutely.”

“There, you see.” Rilienus kissed his cheek. “I- Yes. Please do.”

“What about the rest of the week?” Anders searched his eyes for a sign of hesitation. “It would be nice to wake up close to you.”

Sharp green gaze. Soft whiskey hands. It was like watching movement beneath the waves, tracking the swell of different expressions as they rose to the surface and slipped out of sight again. Unnameable thoughts rising to the surface, tender and cautious, then dipping away. “…you’d want to?” he murmured, tucking stray strands back behind Anders’ ear. “If you are quite certain you wouldn’t-“ He glanced towards his husband again, brows lifted in silent question, then pressed his forehead to Anders’. “I would like that.”

“Excellent.” Dorian lifted his phone. “I’ll delay our outing, shall I?”

Clever man. Very clever and very observant and so kind, to engineer a moment where his husband might be able to comfortably express himself. 

Rilienus nodded, combing Anders’ hair gently with his fingertips. “A very large hat,” he murmured. “And perhaps a kaftan. You seemed alright. I didn’t- I thought you were worried about burning, not…” He exhaled, tracing Anders’ cheeks lightly. “I’m glad that you’re okay.”

“I’m okay,” Anders murmured, kissing him gently. “I… am very interested in getting to know you better than I have. If- that’s something you’re interested in.”

Rilienus blinked, his gaze quick and flighty as a hummingbird. “You want to see the pictures of him in his space suit, hm?” he murmured, his smile quick and a trifle nervous. 

“No, I meant-“ Anders frowned, shaking his head. “Sure, I suppose but- That’s not all I want. I want to know you, too, if you’ll let me.”

“...like what?”

“Like… what’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?” Anders lifted his brows. “Heavy hitters, first.”

Rilienus looked at him as though he’d asked him to square root the circumference of the earth. He swallowed, dampening his lips. “...Cioccolato gelato. With sea salt. Sometimes almonds.” He tilted his head and the curl that fell across his brow gentled him further. “...is that acceptable?”

“Of course it’s acceptable. It’s your favorite, not mine.” Anders grinned, cupping his cheek. “Besides, it sounds delicious anyway.”

“If I’m going to do something, I might as well do it to it’s pinnacle. We only live once.” He leaned into Anders’ touch. “Why. What’s yours? And why is this the ‘heavy hitter’?”

“I was being facetious.” Anders stepped closer, wrapping his arms around him. “You seemed like you needed a warm up.”

“Ah. You and my husband share a sense of humor. I abhor having a type.” But his arms linked around Anders’ waist. “There’s only one thing I need warm ups for, and it isn’t questioning.”

“Really? The furrow in your brow begs to differ.”

Rilienus sniffed, thumbing his own forehead self-consciously. “You still have a cold compress on your neck. I’m allowed to furrow in moderation.”

“You’re allowed to do whatever you want,” Anders agreed. “I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable if I can avoid it.”

“I teach reasoning and rhetoric in a university in Texas. I don’t mind being uncomfortable if it’s to a purpose.”

“Okay. What did you say to Dorian in Latin?” Anders lifted his brows, drawing back just enough to study his gaze.

He sighed. “You did think it was rude. You could have said so in the moment.”

“…I just want to know what you said. I’m not judging you for it.”

“ Non terrent eum .” He pursed his lips. “You didn’t need to learn any Latin for nursing school?”

“…only the ones that are anatomy-related.” Anders frowned. “Non is… no? Or not?”

“Something like that.” He smiled slightly. “ Libertas perfundet omnia luce . Have you heard that before?”

“…freedom? And light?”

“Very good. Freedom floods everything with light, an impossible wave to withstand. Something to be sought and wished for, but it’s also chaotic. Unpredictable. No one really wants chaos, so they give up the freedom that causes it, happy to trade almost anything for that sense of certainty.” Rilienus rested his fingers on Anders’ chest. “I try to be careful. That’s all.”

He didn’t understand entirely how the phrase was related to his question, but the sentiment made sense. “Careful to avoid giving up your freedom or careful to avoid chaos?”

“More the former than the latter, but I’ve been guilty of both.” He hummed quietly. “...I know how it can seem… I wouldn’t want to ask anyone to feel as though they’ve had any portion of their freedom… dimmed. Alright?”

“Dimmed?” Anders blinked. “Wait, you’re talking about me ?” 

He exhaled sharply. “Obviously.” He glanced down the hall, but Dorian had slipped off into another room. “In any case, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“No?” Anders nodded, unsatisfied but unwilling to push any farther. “Have you ever been to Kansas City?”

“No.” Rilienus peered at him curiously. “Why?”

“There’s a shop there that sells my favorite ice cream flavor.” He smiled, as gently as he could manage. “If you’re ever in the area, I’ll take you there.”

“There’s nowhere else that makes it?”

“No, and they don’t even, really.” Anders bounced on his toes. “It was experimental, but I liked it so much that the owner makes two gallons a month just for me.”

“That’s where you’re from. Kansas City.”

“Not exactly. It’s where I live.”

“I see.” He cleared his throat. “You eat two gallons of ice cream a month?”

“Well.” Anders bit his lip, feeling his cheeks warm. “My roommate helps.”

“Right. And he’s… not here? Not a fan of parties?”

“She’s watching the cats and she’s not that great with crowds. She got lost in the supermarket once.”

“Those places are a maze. It took me an hour and a half to find a jar of olives when we were traveling on the west coast.”

“They are a maze.” Enough that he took care of the shopping from then on. Anders frowned, glancing towards the curtains where the sun still streamed in from outside. “I’m really glad I got up the nerve to talk to you last night.”

“The nerve? You seemed perfectly sure of yourself.”

“Good!” He winked. “Fooled you, then.”

“Thoroughly.” Rilienus ran his fingers down the inside of Anders’ forearm. “I’ve never been so pleased to be misled. Why would you be nervous to talk to a wallflower?” 

“Have you looked in a mirror recently? Ever?”

“I have. On a semi-regular basis.”

“You looked so serious, the way you watched him. Like if you missed a single swivel of a wrist, the sky would fall on your head.”

“I would hesitate to say there were a number of people who were watching him the same way. Freedom and light, no?”

“What do you mean by that?” Anders tilted his head to the side. “By freedom?”

“A lack of bars. What else could I mean?” His touch at Anders’ wrist was warm but sent a shiver across his skin. “When someone is entirely without restriction, you can trust them to show you exactly who they are. When he shows exactly who he is, he’s irresistible. And so I watch. And so do they. But not you.”

“Not me?” Anders frowned. “Does that upset you?”

“No,” he chuckled. “It’s interesting.”

“He’s not how I expected him to be.” Anders glanced back to where Dorian had wandered off to. “He’s gentle. Sensitive. Caring.”

“He is. What did you expect?”

“I don’t know.” Anders pressed his lips together. “People can only be so good at so many things, right? So usually if you meet someone as pretty as he is, there’s something else that’s off, just for balance. But he isn’t. That’s the strange thing.”

“‘Off’.” Rilienus touched his palm, lifting his hand gently. “What’s your balance, then?”

“I drive people away after a while, I guess.” Anders resisted the temptation to pull away, to tuck his hands into his pockets. “I’m stubborn and hot-headed. I’m… Lonely, more often than not. Do you think that’s enough?”

“I think you just described me.” His lips tilted wryly, his gaze dropping to Anders’ wrist where he traced the soft blue veins. 

“Is that you? Or just who you think you are?”

“According to Descartes, those are one in the same.” His nostrils flared softly as he thought. “I’m less lonely than I once was, certainly. He taught me how to do that when he refused to allow me to drive him away.” 

“Why did you want to?”

“Hot-headed and stubborn,” he mused, glancing up to meet Anders’ gaze. “Distrustful. I was very convinced that I couldn’t be loved, so it was best not to think that I was in the first place. A shorter fall, I reasoned: fewer bruises. But I was lonely. It didn’t matter who I was with or how many. I was always alone somehow anyway.”

“I know the feeling,” Anders said softly, dipping his chin. “I had someone like your Dorian, once, too. Bright and beautiful, sweeping into my life like a hurricane and carrying me along for a while. I didn’t give her enough of myself, because I didn’t think I could exist outside of work. I get such tunnel vision sometimes, obsessive, and- I’m glad she finally left. It was probably good for her. I hope she’s happier now.”

He held him, steady and still, skin to skin in the sun-warmed kitchen, white-washed wooden floorboards under their bare feet. “And what about you?” he asked quietly. 

“I’m the same as I’ve always been.” Anders smiled, wan, gaze darting towards the floorboards. “Well enough.”

“Hm.” Rilienus rested his chin on Anders’ shoulder, his breaths fluttering against the back of his neck. “What about now?”

“Better, I think.” Anders closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of him. “I don’t feel lonely when I’m with you.”

“That is an exceptional compliment.” Rilienus’ lips brushed the side of his neck, his beard softly brushing his skin as he moved. “I’m very glad to hear it.”

“I’m glad to feel it,” Anders murmured, leaning into his touch like a dehydrated fool stretched out before an oasis. “Really, really glad.”

“Isn’t this a lovely sight?” Dorian beamed as he returned, resting his phone on the table and crossing his arms at his chest. “You look so cozy. Don’t let me interrupt. Unless you want a group hug. I love a group hug.”

“I’d like one, yes,” Anders whispered, swallowing past the lump in his throat. “If it isn’t too much trouble.”

A moment later, the broad, muscular chest of an astronaut was pressed to Anders’ back, arms folding around the both of them. “This is nice.”

“Thank you,” Anders sniffed, holding them tighter. “Thank you for letting me stay.”

“Thank you for asking,” Rilienus murmured, kissing his earlobe. “…I missed you when you left this morning.”

“I missed you both when I left, too,” he admitted.

“Problem solved,” Dorian mused. “No more missing.”

“No,” Anders agreed. Even if it was only for the week, he’d make every moment count while he could. “None of that business here.”

“Absolutely not.” Rilienus hugged them both tight. “Just us.”

Chapter Text

Dorian

The trip felt different than those that had come before. They’d had lovers on previous visits to the island; one or both of them. For a night or a few days. 

A few days. 

Anders cuddled as though his life depended on it, which made sense as the man seemed to throw himself in his entirety into whatever he was doing in a given moment. Cuddling. Having sex. Eating. Working. Sleeping. Each and every one done with reckless abandon. 

He didn’t drink, which was odd, but neither did he scoff when they had their mimosas or their wine. He simply cuddled. Which would eventually result in him blushing, which set Rilienus into a tidal wave of lust each and every time. 

Not just lust, though.

Dorian could see that clearly enough now, Anders’ cheek pillowed against Rilienus’ chest as he dozed after his shift. The book Rilienus had brought with him was within arm’s reach, but it sat untouched on the coffee table while his husband stroked Anders’ bare shoulder, studying him as though the man might disappear if he stopped.

Eventually, of course, he would. They all would, jetting across the country to return to their lives, leaving behind trails of confetti and glitter.

It would be a shame to lose the diamond they’d found to time and distance. More than a shame. It was going to hurt Rilienus to let him go, but pride and fear of rejection would more likely than not keep Rilienus from asking for anything more.

Those two particular traits had nearly ended he and his husband before they’d begun. Fear of rejection. Fear of vulnerability. He’d softened over the years, substantially. That much Dorian could see just in how much he’d peeled back his layers in a matter of days. Anders had drawn them into hours of quiet conversation that would have terrified the man Rilienus had been when they’d first met. 

There were layers to him, too. 

There would have to be, for Ril to actually care; his husband, with his love for puzzle boxes and ciphers and unresolvable problems. 

Rilienus traced an almond sliver down the line of Anders’ back, like a skier dancing past the moguls of vertebrae, and Anders smiled sweetly, half asleep. 

They were good for each other. The island was good for all of them. 

He had never seriously considered bringing a piece of the island back with them, but watching the two of them together in the early morning light, Dorian couldn’t help but picture the cozy blond in their house outside of Houston, sleeping in against Rilienus’ shoulder after he slipped off to train.

Love. He could see the fragile tendrils of it beginning to bloom in his husband’s eyes, as they had so many years ago. Not quite there, yet, but with time and care-

Dorian couldn’t help but feel a swell of affection himself. Exceptionally rare for someone to see not only him, but Rilienus. To actually look beyond the surface into something deeper. To manage to hold his husband’s attention for any stretch of time. Dorian could love him for that alone.

Then there was the way he danced. The way he laughed in wild bursts. The way he made love…

Given time, Dorian was sure, he could find his way there. 

For every one of those reasons. For the way Anders looked at Rilienus, sometimes: blushing and breathless. 

He was looking at him that way now, a wide, sleepy smile curving his lips, breaths quickening as Rilienus dipped his fingers into Anders’ boxers. Rolled his hips. Flexed his wrist. 

A quick nasal whine escaped Anders’ as he shifted towards Rilienus touch, gazing at him. 

“Say please,” Rilienus murmured, kissing his chin.

“Please.”

Rilienus grinned, gathering him closer, and tugged Anders’ shorts down around his thighs, massaging between his pale cheeks. He rested fingers to Anders’ lips. “Wet.” And they disappeared into the man’s mouth as their lover eagerly sucked the harpist’s fingers, gaze locked.

Rilienus nuzzled his nose, trading hands, sipping saliva-slick digits one by one into Anders like he was playing an instrument, coaxing sighs from him. 

“Relax,” Rilienus whispered. “I’m just going to make you come and you can go back to sleep.” His finger pumped deeper, gentle, and the man laying on top of him bent and sighed. Deeper. A second.

“Say please.”

“Please, Rilienus,” Anders gasped between kisses. “Please fuck me.”

“Nnn.” A third. A trio of skilled fingertips, combing him from the inside out, adagio . “Later.” 

Anders ground himself against Rilienus’ belly, caught like a fly in a web, as his breaths grew uneven and his kisses hungrier. “Please.”

“Yes.” Rilienus nudged his free hand into Anders’ mouth, fucking him with his hands, kissing him where he could reach. Slicking and sliding until he’d softened Anders’ hole and made him ripe and pink and eager. 

“ Please .” Plaintive. Hands on Rilienus’ skin. 

Rilienus shook his head. “Later.” He looked so delightfully pleased with himself, the muscles in his shoulder and forearm flexing the way they did when he played. “I could,” he murmured, kissing the words to Anders’ lips. “I could slide inside of you right now. You’re so soft. You’re so warm.” He remained slow and steady, plucking away at Anders’ resolve until he unraveled entirely. “You’re going to feel sensational when we fuck you. Ready. Hot from the oven.” 

They’d been planning the scene since they’d met, collecting props and discussing boundaries and safe words. That, too, was yet another reason he could love the man: he gave all of Rilienus’ darker forces an outlet. Not only that, but he seemed to thrive on his husband’s sharper moods and rougher inquiries. 

When Anders groaned, Rilienus chuckled- quiet and exultant- and pet him until he settled down against his chest again. “Good.”

He kissed the praise to the top of Anders’ head. “You did so very well.”

“Would’ve been better with your cock inside me,” Anders mumbled against Rilienus’ shoulder, body draped around him loosely. “I need basting, anyway, don’t you think?”

“Basting and stuffing, certainly,” Rilienus agreed with a chuckle. “Proper feasts take time to prepare and are gone all too soon.”

“How much more preparation do I need ?” Anders whined, curling in his arms. “Put me in the oven already, Rilienus. Aren’t you hungry?”

“Oh, yes, exceptionally; that’s part of the fun.”

“You are drastically underestimating his levels of patience,” Dorian hummed, setting his novel aside. “During our honeymoon he was an absolute menace.”

“Was I?” Rilienus smiled, sharp and lazy at once. “I don’t recall you registering any complaints.”

“No complaints,” Dorian murmured, padding over to them. “Not one. Worth the wait, for a certainty.” He kissed Rilienus’ temple, wrapping his arm around his shoulder. “Do you want me to pick up smoothies from the coffee shop for breakfast?”

“Absolutely. Kale and ginger.” Rilienus leaned against him, tilting his chin to request a less modest show of affection. “Are you going to help me baste the creature once it’s rested, or do you have other plans?”

“If you’d like,” Dorian nipped at his lips. “I didn’t wish to detract from your moment.”

“When have you ever detracted from any situation?” his husband asked softly, watching him intently. “My only concern is keeping you from your hard-earned festivities.”

“ My festivities?” Dorian raised his brows. “Which?”

“Yes, yours. Your glitter and confetti and dancing until your feet fall off.” He cupped the back of Dorian’s neck, meeting his gaze. “I’ve been intolerably selfish. This is your time to let loose and be admired for all your gleam and glow.”

“I’ve been enjoying watching you,” Dorian admitted, flashing a wry smile. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not remotely.” Rilienus took a deep breath, leaning against him. “I’m very content. I enjoy watching you, as well, you know. Your pleasure is mine.”

“And yours mine,” Dorian skimmed his hand down Rilienus’ thigh, wondering if he had begun to recognize the week for what it was. “I’ve no other plans, darling.” He brushed his lips against Anders’ shoulder. “Kale and ginger for you as well?”

“No,” Anders wrinkled his nose. “That peanut butter chocolate one sounded good, though.”

“Saccharine,” Dorian chuckled. “Of course you would fancy dessert for breakfast. Is that everything?”

“Give me ten minutes and time to shower,” Anders turned in Rilienus’ arms. “I’ll come with you.”

“You don’t have to, sweetheart,” Dorian smoothed his hand across Anders’ sweat-damp forehead. “Stay here. Stay comfortable.”

“I want to.” Anders stretched his long legs out in front of him. “I need to remember how to use my knees before this one makes me forget again.”

“You’re very welcome.” Rilienus preened, snuggling back against the cushions. “Go stretch your limbs. It’ll be more challenging to make them wobble again.”

Anders kissed him, breathing against his lips and running his hands through Rilienus’ sleep-tousled curls. “I’ll miss you.”

“Of course you will,” he purred, nipping at him. “I’m delightful.”

“You are,” Anders agreed wholeheartedly, rising to his feet then pausing in the doorway for a moment to lean against the doorframe, sighing contentedly. “If I could have a portrait painted of the two of you, just like that, I’d be a very happy man.”

“Good lord,” Rilienus murmured, chuckling as he nuzzled Dorian’s cheek. “A portrait of us. There’s an idea.”

“Statuary,” Dorian corrected him. “For the hedge maze. One day, when we don’t live in the bloody desert.”

“I’d like to see that. One day.” Anders winked, slipping off into the bathroom.

“The first statuary on Mars,” Rilienus whispered against Dorian’s ear. “What a tribute to earth’s mightiest hero.” He tugged Dorian over him, hugging him tight. “You’re certain you’re alright?”

“I’m wonderful,” Dorian lifted his brows. “Why do you ask? Do I not seem so?”

“You’ve been quiet since he returned this morning,” Rilienus glanced between his eyes, lowering his voice. “And reserved. Is it the bondage? Or something else?”

“The bondage?”

“You’ve never wanted me to- with you. If it’s bothering you that I’m planning to tie him up, you should say so. Plans can change. I don’t think either of us want you to be even the least bit uncomfortable.”

“No, I have absolutely no reservations about the endeavor, even if being restrained isn’t to my particular taste.” Dorian squeezed his hand. “I’m glad you found someone who wants to explore the possibilities with you.”

“So something else then?” The rush of the shower echoed down the hall. Rilienus lifted his hand to kiss his fingers. “Tell me?”

“I’m just… trying to give you space.” Dorian tilted his head to the side. “I don’t wish to stifle you-“

“I don’t want space.” He nibbled at Dorian’s thumb. “That’s your thing.”

“Freedom, then.”

“Dorian.” Rilienus shook his head. “I have more freedom with you than I ever had before. You needn’t absent yourself, unless- Is it that I- I know I haven’t previously become… attached… Is that-”

“It is and it isn’t.” Dorian lifted his brows. “I want you to have this. Time to figure out what ‘this’ means. Okay?”

“What do you mean: what this means? It’s… what it is.”

“What is it, then, darling?”

“It’s…” Rilienus blinked slowly. “I don’t know,” he admitted softly. “He lives in Kansas City. There isn’t- I don’t see a way for it to be… I like him. I keep waiting to find something that would- but I like him. Maybe the cats? I've never understood wanting a pet.”

“What do you want ?” Dorian lifted his brows. “If you could have anything at all?”

“I can’t have ‘anything at all’. He has a life and a roommate and creatures and some ice cream that can’t be made anywhere else.”

“Humor me.” Dorian rested his chin on Rilienus’ shoulder. “One of your thought experiments.”

“I’d want… time - more time - without asking him to give up his world to give it to me.” Rilienus sighed. “Who knows if we would get along back in reality anyway, with work and the occasional reporters camping out on our sidewalk? Who knows if he would still like me when I’m cross from grading insipid papers? And I can’t very well ask him to test drive that when he has his own-” He grimaced. “I like him. It’s your fault.”

“How on Earth is it my fault?” Perhaps the blossoms were more developed than he thought. Dorian hugged him, beaming. “He said he adores you. Days ago. I think that’s worth at least a brief trial run, don’t you?”

“You made me like this. With feelings .”

“You’ve always had them,” Dorian chuckled, shaking his head. “Despite your efforts to the contrary. I’m happy for you, by the way.”

“I’m happy with you,” he whispered. It had been ages since he’d seen this kind of bewildered uncertainty on his husband’s face. Not since they’d moved to Houston from the sunny little flat in San Luis Obispo where he’d been teaching. “Surely it’s greedy to want more than everything I could ever ask for.” He shook his head slowly. “Can’t we just be with him while he’s here and not ask questions that might take him away before he has to go? Can’t I just truss him up like a turkey and make him forget his name?”

The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. Only now he had the inside scoop on what was going through Rilienus’ mind all those times he’d sidetracked conversations about living together and then getting married by plaintively pawing at him, using those talented fingers and focused passions to avoid what scared him. That he was happy. That he wanted to keep what was in his grip. That trying to- wanting to too much- even naming it- might crush the very thing he wanted to hold onto. 

“Yes,” Dorian murmured, pressing his lips into Rilienus’ curls. He was going to need to intervene on his husband’s behalf, but that was alright. He didn’t mind, when it meant Rilienus could relax and enjoy everything he had. “I’ll help you with the forgetting.”

“ Good ,” Rilienus exhaled, relaxing and wrapping his arms around him in answer. “Good. I was hoping I hadn’t somehow scared you off. It’ll be fun. You’ll see. He gets so frustrated .”

“I’ve noticed,” Dorian laughed low, kissing his chin. “How do you think I’d best serve in that regard?”

“Just be yourself. You are naturally everything that anyone could wish for.” Rilienus winked. “And don’t untie him if he begs.”

“Because he likes to.” Dorian lifted his brows. “That’s it, isn’t it?”

“Yes. He likes to. He’ll say the safe word if he doesn’t.” He nudged him. “You could play a little, if you wanted. Experiment within the boundaries set. You might find that you enjoy it.”

“Are you asking to tie me up, now?”

“No.” Rilienus glanced between his eyes, brushing his hair back behind his ear. “And I won’t ask. I know where you stand on that. But maybe you’ll discover you don’t mind being on the other side of it.”

“…do you want me to tie you up?” Dorian studied him curiously. “It hardly seems like that would be something of interest to you, but I’ve been wrong before. Once or twice.”

“Just see how you feel,” Rilienus traced his lips lightly, kissing him between touches. “If you find that it stirs something in you, we can talk about it.”

“ Really .” Dorian lifted his brows. “Intriguing.”

“If.” His husband settled back against the cushions, peering up at him. “Maybe I’m curious, after watching him bend for you.”

“ Are you?” Dorian hummed, tapping his fingers on a pair of narrow shoulders. “You don’t say.”

“I’m allowed to develop new interests. I’m not dead yet.”

“No, you’ve always been exceptionally adept at demonstrating your vivacity,” Dorian leaned down, pressing into his shoulders with his palms. “I will admit… I wouldn’t mind seeing you wound up in silk scarves.”

“ Really .” Rilienus echoed him, a smirk flickering at his lips. 

“Something exceptionally soft,” Dorian added. “No rope burns for your beautiful skin. Hm?”

“Certainly not.” He arched slowly beneath Dorian’s hands, his lids falling heavy over his eyes. “Though there’s something lovely about the marks sometimes.”

“…is that so?” Dorian leaned down to brush his lips against the sharp lines of his collarbone. “I wasn’t aware you felt that way.”

Rilienus sighed, his head falling back. “When we were first beginning, you’d leave little bruises behind from where you’d become particularly amorous with your lips or your fingers. I treasured them.”

“When we were teenagers?” Dorian kissed him again a little bit higher, nipping lightly at his flesh. “You treasured my hickeys? Why am I just finding this out now, maritus meus ?”

His husband pressed his lips together, muffling another sigh. “It seemed uncouth to register either a request or a notice at the time.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Dorian murmured, drawing a circle on Rilienus’ skin with the tip of his tongue, then brushing the spot with his teeth. “It wouldn’t do to deny treasures to my beating heart.”

“I- ah-” Rilienus’ fingers delved into his hair. “I’ve never felt denied. Have you?”

“With you? No. Never.” Dorian lingered, sucking a stretch of skin between his lips until Rilienus groaned. “Even so, I’m glad you’re able to explore something new.”

“Like- hnn- likewise. Te amo, maritius meus .”

“Te quoque amo,” Dorian breathed, kissing spots to his chest until he was breathless. Just kissing, and Rilienus melted before him, fingers curling in his hair. “Like this?”

“Mm- mmhmm.” Melted and stretched. Pulled at him eagerly. “Just. Exactly.”

“Like those first time snuck into the store room at the pool after I locked up?” Dorian nibbled on his side, sliding lower. “Back when I thought you liked swimming and not just enjoying the view?”

“I liked you swimming.” His voice was rough and a trifle needy. “The way you moved. How pleased with yourself you were in the water. I still like it.”

“I like knowing you’re watching.” Dorian nudged his waistband with his nose. “I like to think of what’s going through your mind while I go back and forth.”

“I count your strokes,” he admitted softly, massaging his shoulders and his scalp: a gentle encouragement. “I revel in how strong you are, and how your arms will soon be around me. I think of all the people who see you and want you and think they know you. I think of how you’ve chosen me over and over again, and that some day you might not.”

“Even now you think that?” Dorian rested his cheek to Rilienus’ hip, peering up at him. “That there’s some future in which I wouldn’t choose you?”

“You’re the physicist. There are an infinite number of possibilities springing out from every moment.”

“ Possibilities don’t affect likelihood.” Dorian frowned, sighing. “I made a vow, amatus . One I intend to keep, even if you grow a second head or inexplicably start speaking in riddles.”

“I don’t already speak in riddles? I’m fairly certain I’ve had that review for my courses more than once.” He blinked slowly, peering down at him. “I don’t think you that you will,” he explained in a bare whisper, “but the possibility lingers and along with it, a reminder that I have to enjoy each and every moment that I have with you.”

“I can agree with that,” Dorian nodded, smoothing a palm up his side. “Let me cherish you for a little while, hm?”

“Mmhmm. Just a little while. A few more years. A few dozen.”

“A few hundred,” Dorian chuckled, fingers dipping below his waist band. “I’ll go to medical school. Perhaps I can discover the secret to eternal life before we leave for Mars.”

“Wondrous. So long as I don’t wrinkle,” he chuckled. The laugh devolved into a groan as Dorian peeled his shorts down. Down the hall, the roar of the shower ebbed away. 

“I’m going to need to delay our breakfast sojourn,” Dorian whispered against his thigh. “I hope you don’t mind.”

The tilt of his husband’s hips was an answer. The press of his head back into the cushions. A thousand silent communications, a vocabulary they’d built over the decades.

“Alright, I’m about ready to-“ Anders stopped in the doorway, a pair of shorts hanging loose on his slender frame, a towel wrapped around his shoulders. “Oh.” He lifted his hand to his lips, cheeks already changing color as a smile blossomed. “Hello.”

Dorian met his gaze, licking a lazy line along Rilienus’ length.

“Hi-” Rilienus whined softly, his grip shifting to the back of Dorian’s neck. “Just- a delay- A very- very nice delay-”

“Mmhmm,” Dorian agreed, watching Anders’ gaze dart between them, eyes going wide. “If you’ve a moment, I could use a hand.” He lifted his brows. “Perhaps even two.”

“Alright.” Anders licked his lips, padding over and letting the towel fall to the ground. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”

“Rilienus mentioned a fondness for lover’s marks,” Dorian murmured, staring into his husband’s eyes. “I rather think we should indulge him, but only in places no one else will see. Yes, darling?”

“If that’s the case-” Rilienus puffed an uneven breath- “Then I’ll have to wear shirts for the remainder of the week. I might have to steal Anders’- hmm- kaftan-” He shivered, his skin tightening as they touched him. 

“Right here, sweet,” Dorian tapped the inside of his hip and Anders dipped, kissing him until Rilienus writhed. “Good. Yes. Keep kissing him while my lips are-“ He hummed low over the surface of Rilienus’ cock. “Otherwise occupied.”

“Ah- yes-” Rilienus stretched beneath them, spreading his thighs apart, his heel dropping to the floor. “That’s- hnn- thank you, well done-”

“You haven’t been inside of him yet,” Dorian smirked, lapping at him lazily. 

“You’d have noticed, no?” Rilienus asked; quick breaths through his nose. 

“A reason for it, or an oversight?” Dorian lifted his brows. 

“The more he asks,” Ril admitted, his lips curving mischievously as he combed his fingers through Anders’ damp hair, “-the more plaintive he becomes.”

“Deprivation, then,” Dorian tsked, shaking his head. “You poor man. I think we could turn the tables on him if we wanted. I’m more than willing to assist.”

Anders reached up and thumbed Rilienus’ lip. “Yeah? Is that true?”

“I’m not-” His husband kissed down the offered digit, watching them both. “I’m not going to fuck you until you’re bound to my dining table. I’ve told you.”

“Rilienus,” Anders whined, biting his lip in the most adorable pout.

“He didn’t say you couldn’t fuck him,” Dorian suggested with a smile. “Words are very important, darling. Lack of specificity can kill.”

“I said what I meant.” 

“He also didn’t say that I couldn’t fuck you,” Dorian murmured. “Did you, my love?”

Rilienus squeezed his shoulder. “I don’t want to overuse him… before we overuse him.”

“ Fine ,” Dorian said with a low chuckle. “I suppose we’ll need to take turns with my dear husband, then. Mustn’t let him start to think he’s unwanted. Poor, sweet man, always giving everything to others. My beloved altruist.”

“I’m not-“ He exhaled a nasal whine, his head falling back again. “Not- altruist- I’m a glutton. I’m deviant.” He rolled his hips, running his fingers through their hair. “Definitely- hmm- do not feel unwanted-“

“No,” Dorian cupped his sack, dipping down to lap at him languidly. “I shouldn’t think so.”

Anders cupped Rilienus’ cheek, peering into his eyes. “Tell me what you want me to do to you.” A demand, even if his tone was gentle. “I want to hear you say it.”

“Damn it,” Rilienus gasped, then swallowed as Dorian thumbed his perineum. “You’re giving my dinner ideas , darling,” he mumbled, drawing Anders closer. “Kiss me, dinner.”

“Only if you promise to fantasize about my rump being roasted,” Anders chuckled, flowing over him like a river. 

“I promise. I-“ Rilienus moaned, bending beneath them both. “Yes. Warm to the touch, red and rosy, stretched and suckled.”

Dorian smiled around him, thumbing lower to make the man moan and spread his legs. Wanton. 

“Fuck, yes, that.”

“It sounds like you want to be stretched and suckled, too,” Anders chuckled, breathless from kissing. “Don’t worry, handsome. You absolutely will be. I’m looking forward to feeling you. To filling you up and watching you drip.”

“Are you?” Rough and low, melting like a candle between them. “You could have mentioned.”

“ When ?” Anders chuckled. “When would I have had the chance, the way you’ve been plucking me like it’s your job?”

“I do sleep,” Rilienus mumbled against the man’s kiss-ripened lips. “And wake up. And eat. And drink. And sun bathe. There have been moments, I’m sure of it.”

“I told you I switch,” Anders mumbled against his lips as Dorian bobbed, reaching for the little bottle on the coffee table and slicking his fingers. “You could’ve surmised. Who wouldn’t want to be inside of you?”

“What a question-” His breath caught in his throat when Dorian traced his entrance. His toes curled. “Oh, that’s good.”

“Mmhmm,” Dorian nuzzled his thigh, drawing him deeper between his lips. 

“No need to be so quiet, dove,” Anders kissed his chin. “I want to hear you enjoy it.”

“Deviant,” Rilienus rasped, rocking towards Dorian’s touch. “I shant. You can’t make me.” He breathed deep, tugging Anders’ hair lightly. “No matter how much you try.”
“Do you want me to try?” Anders pressed his palm over Rilienus’ mouth. “Is that what you’re asking for?” He chuckled, snagging his hand back. “Biting is unfair.”

“Not what you said last night.”

“You’re right,” Anders winked, pressing his palms into his shoulders. “I did not. I like your teeth. Dangerous and sharp. I like you, Rilienus.”

Thick and warm on his tongue. Drizzling languorous bitters as he exchanged quiet feints with the man they’d taken into their little getaway. His fingers brushed Dorian’s ear as he looked down to meet his eyes, soft and wondering despite the bite and biting wit. 

“As you will,” Rilienus whispered, drawing his gaze back to Anders’. “Do your worst.”

By the time Dorian slipped a third finger inside of him, Rilienus’ skin was covered in dark brown marks and Anders’ back was covered in his husband’s claw marks. Fascinating, watching them move together, winding each other up until they were gasping and shouting. Feeling the way Rilienus’ body flexed, reacting to his own touches and Anders’, leaking hot against his tongue, body squeezing tight around his fingertips.

“More-” Rilienus groaned, grappling his shoulder, a shudder running through him. “More. Dorian- Fuck- More-”

“More what?” Anders murmured, bending down to nip at his lips. “Fingers? Tongue? Something else entirely?”

He snarled playfully, snapping the back of Anders’ shorts. “What do you want, greedy deviant?”

“ I asked you .” Anders laughed, grabbing his wrists and pinning them over his head. “You have to say what you want more of if you’re keen on getting it.”

“Tongue, then,” he smiled, sharp, nipping at Anders’ chin. “Yours. I need to kiss my husband.” 

“Yeah?” Anders turned back towards Dorian with a devilish little smile, the amber in his eyes glinting. “And what would you do if I wanted to kiss him instead?”

“That depends on what he wants.” Rilienus traced Dorian’s cheek, watching him from beneath lowered lashes. “What would you have, my dawn?”

Dorian released him with a pop, stretching the sore muscles of his neck, fingers still quirking inside of Rilienus and making him shiver. 

“I have a suspicion that watching me kiss you will make him all the more eager,” Dorian breathed, reaching for Anders and tugging him close so he was within reach. “As loath as I am to deny him. What do you think?”

Anders lifted his brows, crossing the distance between them to catch his lips, kissing him hard, spices on his tongue making him taste like Ril. Dorian groaned, reaching his free hand into Anders’ hair, driving into Rilienus at a steady pace.

His husband crooned. Crooned . Hungry and heated. His touch raking hot over their skin. His hips ricocheting down to meet every thrust of Dorian’s fingers. “Beautiful.” He bent to meet them, wrapping his arms around them both. “You’re fucking beautiful.”

“I like hearing you sing, philomela mea,” Dorian murmured, meeting his gaze for a moment before trading lingering sips with their lover. “One of the most enrapturing sounds in the world.”

“Yours. Yours, yours, yours.” He nipped his refrain to Dorian’s earlobe, fingers raking into his hair. “Fuck me. Fuck me, darling.”

“You’re not ready for him to fuck you, sweetheart,” Anders smirked, kissing Rilienus on the forehead like he was a petulant schoolboy. “Perhaps soon, if you’re very good.”

“I’m very bad ,” Rilienus rumbled, grasping the back of Anders neck and bending him close to suck on his tongue. “Fuck me open for him. Anders-” He panted, glancing between his eyes. “Now.”

“Mm… I don’t think so.” Anders wiggled his brows, nipping at his lip and tugging. “Someone’s very greedy this morning. I wonder why.”

“Now.” Rilienus insisted, a whine in his voice, gripping Dorian’s wrist to ride his hand. “ Now . Dinner. Skewer me.”

“Hm…” Anders turned to kiss Rilienus, caressing his cheek with a gentle fondness. “Alright. You’ve convinced me. But I’d like to watch you do all the work. I’m very tired, you see, and I need to save up my energy for later.”

“See what you’ve done? You’ve created a monster.” Rilienus growled, climbing onto his knees and pressing Anders down to the cushions. “Telling me he likes me and making demands.” He turned, pressing back against Dorian, rocking his hips back against him as he stroked himself. “Wanting to be ridden, like livestock.”

“A prize pony, yeah,” Anders grinned. “You can hold my hair like reins.”

Dorian tried not to laugh at Rilienus’ grumbling and Anders looking so decadently pleased, splayed out and already standing at attention. The blond seemed extremely capable of putting Rilienus in a very particular mood. Fascinating watching it unfold, watching them interact, give and take, pushing each other until they were both half-mad with passion. He held Rilienus tight for a moment, brushing his lips to his husband’s shoulder, slipping just the tip of his length in between his cheeks before drawing out again with a gasp.

“Nnnn-“ Rilienus arched back against him, sinuous as a snake, as Anders watched them. “Again,” he purred. “Let me feel you again.”

“Not this time, love,” Dorian tilted his chin to kiss him deeply. “I want you to stretch yourself on him, first.”

From a purr to a growl, Rilienus rubbed back against him, taking the offered condom from his fingers and tearing the packet with his teeth. “Alright, my prized pony,” he smiled wickedly. “Let’s saddle you then, shall we?” he asked, breathing sharp through his nose, dipping his tongue into the sheath and bending over Anders’ cock to slide it down with his lips. 

“The sexiest saddle I’ve ever seen,” Anders beamed, smoothing his hands down Rilienus’ arms. 

“Tell me you want me,” Rilienus murmured, gripping the base of his shaft and climbing over him. The lean muscles in his legs and ass flexed as he eased down, positioning Anders against himself. Dorian watched as the other man’s sheathed cock pressed into that stretched hole and the two of them moaned in tandem as Ril worked his way down onto it. “Tell me how much you’ve been thinking of fucking me.” His husband trailed his fingers up his belly to brush his nipples, his head falling forward with the effort of taking Anders’ cock. 

“I think of it whenever you’re inside of me,” Anders groaned, staring up at him in wonder. “I wonder what you look like when you’re taking. I wonder what it feels like to have you- mmm- wrapped around me, squeezing me tight-“

“And now?” Rilienus breathed, bending low to brush his lips across his cheek. 

“Better than-“ Anders tilted his head back. “I imagined. Mm- You like taking Dorian, don’t you? I bet he looks- Really fucking nice stretching you out around him.”

Rilienus looked over his shoulder, reaching out for Dorian. “He looks really nice all the time,” he sighed. His lashes fluttered at his cheeks, his lips parted on snatched breaths as he took more and more. A trickle of sweat slid down his spine. 

Dorian knelt behind him, resting his cock between the high, tight globes of his ass as he took Anders deeper, rubbing at the base of Rilienus’ spine to make his husband moan. 

“I love riding him,” Rilienus gasped, reaching a hand back to hold Dorian close. “I love watching other men take him. The way they stroke him with both hands. The way they drool around him when they’re sucking him off.” He rested his head back to Dorian’s, humming nasally as he bottomed out and began to lift and lower, guiding Anders’ hand to his cock. “I love how you sweat when he’s fucking you. I love how you beg for it.”

“Who wouldn’t- beg for him?” Anders panted, stroking Rilienus in slow motion, the words sending a wave of heat between Dorian’s legs. “Would you? Beg for him?”

“I would. I have.” Rilienus rolled his hips back to press against Dorian, then down onto Anders. Again and again. Slow. Hot. One hand gripping Dorian’s hip, the other splayed on Anders’ belly. “I will again, until my dying breaths.” He sighed low, bowing his head as he picked up the pace. “Fuck, you feel good.”

“How does he feel?” Dorian murmured into his ear, kissing his shoulder. “Tell me how he makes you feel.”

“Good,” he repeated, a whine in the back of his throat. “He’s so hard . He rubs- nn- right against- Ah- Starlight in the morning- Fuck-“ He flexed his hand on Anders’ skin. “I’m going to come on you and you’re going to fucking wear it, aren’t you, sweet? You’re going to feel me drying on your skin and think of how we’re going to fuck you ragged.”

“Badge of honor,” Anders agreed, leaning up to kiss Rilienus. He glanced up at Dorian with a sharp-toothed grin. “Do you think he’s full enough yet?”

“That’s rather up to Rilienus, I would imagine.” Dorian kissed his neck, nibbling on his ear. “Are you, darling?”

The rumble of his husband’s breath as he hungrily lapped at their lover’s lips was answer enough before Rilienus eased off of Anders and rocked back, unerring, to find Dorian’s cock and rub against it. “Show him how you take me,” he moaned as the head of Dorian’s cock slipped more easily past his entrance this time. Then an inch. Rilienus groaned, holding onto them both like a drowning man. 

Dorian held him tightly, pressing kisses to his shoulders and neck as Rilienus sank down. “My heart,” he murmured, his voice a low rasp. “You feel so gloriously loose.”

Rilienus assented, quiet and slow, rolling his hips to take more of Dorian by the minute, his breaths catching between kisses traded with Anders. “Yes-“ Aching. Always wanting more. Always hungry for him, even in slumber, reaching. 

“Until your dying breaths,” Dorian murmured, hands around his waist, kissing marks to his back. “Always the romantic, maritus meus .”

He was shaking by the time that Dorian was halfway inside of him. Trembling like the songbird that he was, overwhelmed by what swelled in his heart… and other parts as well. When he reached Dorian’s hilt, he was groaning wordlessly, stroking himself and Anders in tandem as he bucked. “Fuck-“ A refrain that escaped him at irregular measures. 

“Just so,” Dorian hummed, nibbling and nipping, helping him rise and fall over his length. “Fuck, darling, you are delightfully edible, you devilish deviant.”

Tighter now. Slick from the lubricant and the condom before it, but tight with pleasure. Erratic. Riding the tip of his cock and then sinking down, exclaiming with sighs and the occasional shout. “Don’t stop-“ He moaned.

“No, not until I’m dripping out of you,” Dorian hummed, gasping as Rilienus slammed against him again. “-and our mutual friend has a chance to lick you clean.”

“Love you- I love you-“ Rilienus gasped, deeper and tighter, hot to the touch, sweat between them. “I love feeling you come inside of me. Dorian-“

“Mmhmm?” He turned Rilienus’ cheek to catch his lips, beard scratching against his skin. “What is it, my heart?”

“I love you,” he gasped, redundant but heartfelt, his gaze swimming with unshed emotion.

“I love you, too, amatus,” Dorian murmured against his shoulder. “I adore everything about you. A thousand years- will still not be enough- time for me to be with you- my heart-“

Rilienus beamed, damp with sweat and tears. “Good- God- Yes -“ He arched, nuzzling Dorian’s temple, and grasped Anders’ shoulder as Dorian’s thrusts bent him forward. “Yes-“

He traced the ridges of Rilienus’ spine, his muscles bunching from the effort. They settled into a punishing pace, Rilienus meeting him thrust for thrust, the slick slap of their skin a delicious metronome. Always good, feeling him like this, tight heat wrapped around him, body pliant and eager- But there was something decadent in watching Anders’ eyes as they made love, wide with wonder and lust and need as they fucked on top of him.

Dorian raked his teeth across Rilienus’ shoulder as they met, eliciting a low, carnal growl from his husband. “I’m close, philomela,” he gasped, gripping Rilienus’ waist tightly. “You’re so bloody good-“

His husband peaked, quaking, as he spilled over Anders and half collapsed onto the man. Rilienus groaned, cheek to Anders’ shoulder, his fingers twining with the blonde’s, as Dorian followed suit. 

They could’ve stayed like that for a lifetime and Dorian wouldn’t have minded. His husband still wrapped around him, his fingers drawing shapes across Anders’ shoulder as the handsome blond dozed. He’d seen that look before, but never from this perspective. The quiet gentleness with which Rilienus had so often shown him fixed on another. Beautiful to watch him soften, to feel comfortable enough to do so.

“Darling,” Rilienus whispered. 

“Yes?”

“After.”

“After what?”

“After dinner. Alright?”

“After dinner, what?”

Rilienus dropped his gaze back to Anders’ shoulder. “We can ask.”

“Good,” Dorian murmured, kissing his shoulder. “That seems wise.”

“Hardly,” he mumbled, a worried frown creasing his brow. He swallowed, tucking his cheek to Anders’ chest and peering back at Dorian. “I love you.”

“And I you,” Dorian agreed. “And I very much think he will, too. You’re infinitely loveable, when you let yourself be.”

His loving husband scoffed, grumbling, “You’re thinking of yourself.”

“No, I’m thinking of you .” Dorian rolled his eyes, cupping his cheek. “I’m well aware of our differences, philomela mea.”

“Are you?” He leaned into the touch, gazing at him. “It’s the swimming, isn’t it? I never saw the point in learning more than a backstroke.”

“I like your backstroke,” Dorian murmured, smiling fondly. “And when you’re floating on an inflatable raft with a piña colada.”

“I prefer your colada grande.” He winked, desperately amused with himself. 

Dorian rolled his eyes, trying to suppress a laugh. “Shall I share that bit of brilliance with the blond when he wakes?”

“That was for you.” Rilienus squeezed his hip lightly. “You’re sharing quite enough as it is.”

“I like to watch him realize how wonderful you are,” Dorian admitted, tracing his spine. “Like watching a masterpiece being brought to life.”

“Hmph.” He wrinkled his nose, closing his eyes. “You’re being very effusive. It’s almost like you love me.”

“Almost, isn’t it?” Dorian chuckled. “Perhaps one day.”

“And marry me? Do you imagine you might one day do that as well?”

“I just might, if you keep up with the dreadful puns.”

“Then I’ll need to,” Rilienus smiled softly, closing his eyes. “A hundred pundays.”

“Mmhmm,” Dorian kissed his brow. “Just so, darling. Rest up; you’ve quite the evening planned.”

Chapter Text

Dorian

They’d massaged the almond oil into Anders’ skin until every inch of him was pink and gleaming, stretched out lazily on the bed in a daze. Then Rilienus had gently turned him over, tucking a pillow up beneath his hips, and spread him out, cuffing his wrists to the headboard and tying his ankles to the sides of the bed frame so that he was on his knees, padded, his ass lifted high, his back arched. Each knot was done with purpose, their eyes meeting in agreement before Rilienus moved to the next until he was adequately trussed, soft ropes binding his chest down and his knees apart, then more of the almond oil, massaging his back and shoulders, hips and thighs, to bring Anders to helpless, wanton sighs again.

“He seems well basted,” Rilienus murmured, stepping away from the bed to towel off his hands. 

Basted. Glistening. Anders was squirming in his ropes, thrusting into his pillows. 

“I think we can move on to stuffing.” He spoke lazily, despite the rock hard, bobbing proof of his arousal. “Unless you think he needs more external seasoning?” He unrolled a towel on the side of the bed with a variety of implements. Dildos of various sizes, a packet of gloves, a frankly enormous bottle of lubricant. “It will take… quite a lot of stuffing,” he explained, snapping a glove onto his hand and drizzling lube over his fingers. “To fill him entirely. It could be quite challenging.” He spread Anders’ pale cheeks and smoothed his fingers over the man’s entrance, dipping them gently inside. “Fortunately, we did get an early start.” He worked his fingers deeper as Anders moaned, rocking back onto his fingers. Two. Three. Combing him from the inside out then delving again. “You see why the ropes are necessary,” Rilienus murmured, tucking his pinky in with the others and working his fingers in- pulse by pulse- squeezing lubricant over his knuckles as they slipped inside. “It’s very difficult to lie still and take it. Isn’t that right, Dinner? Nod if you agree.” 

Anders whimpered around the bright red gag in his mouth, his head bobbing in assent, tugging against his restraints to draw Rilienus in deeper.

“My, my, someone is eager,” Dorian murmured, lifted a brow as he studied Rilienus. “I do wonder where you managed to find this one.”

“At the same club where you were receiving a handjob mid-dance.” Rilienus eased his hand deeper, pulsing, until only his wrist emerged from the man before them. He bent and pressed a kiss to Anders’ tailbone. “He is spectacular, though, I think.”

“My god,” Dorian watched them, exceedingly impressed as the tendons in Rilienus’ wrist flexed. “I think you’re right, darling. That is… phenomenal.”

“Gives you a different perspective on what it looks like when you’re inside of us, hm?” Rilienus smiled, pleased, carefully easing his hand free to leave Anders moaning, empty and stretched and gaping. He drizzled more lubricant over his fingers and traced the opening, looking at Dorian with a slight smile. “Would you like to slide in? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. Would you, Dinner?”

“Mmph-“ Anders rolled his hips, grunting when the ropes pulled him back again. He nodded vigorously, whimpering around the ball gag. 

“And you intend to join me, shortly thereafter?” Dorian murmured, rolling the rubber along his length before plunging into delicious heat with a sigh. Thank the Maker for all the sex they’d been having or it would’ve been difficult to contain himself, their lover tied up and moaning helplessly for them. “Mm- Astounding, love, you’ve- really outdone yourself, yet again.”

“Of course I will. Now, don’t be stingy, darling,” Rilienus murmured, peeling the glove off and leaning against Dorian’s back. “The trick to a good feast is a thoroughly stuffed beast. We have to be certain he’s been absolutely filled, every little crevice.”

“What do you suggest, love?” Dorian turned to him, lifting a brow. “I would hardly call myself ‘stingy’.”

Rilienus wrapped his arms around him, chin at Dorian’s shoulder, and ran his hand over Anders’ backside. “I’ll show you.” He squeezed the base of Dorian’s cock, leaning back with him until just the head lingered inside of Anders, and as Anders began to moan and lean back towards them, they pressed in hard and fast. 

Anders was so warm . Warm and slick and loose . And Ril was hard at Dorian’s tailbone, his lips mapping the back of Dorian’s neck. Guiding both of their bodies like a maestro.

“Remember that night we went to see my friend’s band, at the beginning?” Ril asked rough against his ear as he rubbed himself between Dorian’s cheeks, easing them back again. “I took those poppers and we fucked in the dark room until my legs didn’t work and you had to dress me and carry me home.” 

Anders strained against the ropes, thrusting back, trying to keep as much of Dorian’s cock as he could until Rilienus held still and they knelt there with the bound and gagged man furiously fucking himself on the engorged head of Dorian’s member. “He really loves it.” Rilienus kissed the back of his neck, stroking Dorian’s length in the sheath. “Think of how hard he takes you when it’s up to him, riding you like he’s in a race. Let me be the careful one, darling. You need only give him what he’s begging for.”

Dorian groaned and drove deep again, then again, the memory of that dark sweaty night fueling his hunger. Wall to wall, sweat slick and whisky sticky, heat and bass- 

Rilienus peeled Anders’ cheeks apart and sighed, “Beautiful. It’s so good to see you throbbing and thrusting, darling. Make him scream for me.”

So he did, laying in pipe until the man beneath them was shouting around his gag, gripping his cuffs, driving back onto him with wet solid slaps, all to the music of his husband’s encouragement, until he gave way. 

Dorian eased to the side, allowing Rilienus to slide the used sheath off, tie it and bin in, kiss the last breaths from his lungs. 

It was only as he slowly began to hear again that he noticed Anders moaning deeply once more. It was only as he slowly blinked sight back to his eyes that he saw Rilienus wrist deep in the gutted man, plumping his hole with a slicked hand as their lover writhed. 

“Good,” he purred as he sipped between Anders’ thighs and bent to lap at his entrance where it stretched around his wrist. “You’re such a good boy.” He slid his hand slowly free and kissed the gaping hole, massaging Anders’ cheeks. “That I could taste his come from this chalice.” His voice was muffled and low and hungry. “You’d be spilling with him and I would drink and drink deep.” He groaned, mouthing and tonguing and fingering, intermittently sliding his hand deep again to fuck the man then returning to making love to his ass. Shouts to whimpers to shouts. All that detail-oriented focus laser sharpened to unspooling the man before them. 

He slipped a condom on and fucked him- folding over him- pumping as he let Anders’ gag free so he could taste himself on Ril’s fingers one by one. 

“Are you about ready to bake, do you think?”

“Yes, gods and monsters, yes, please, Rilienus, just-“ Anders groaned, tilting his head back. “Nngh- you feel- so fucking- yes-“

Dorian massaged Rilienus’ thighs as he plundered Anders, each thrust eliciting a cry from the handsome, helpless blond.

Rilienus smiled, glancing over his shoulder to Dorian. “Darling, does three yes’s count, do we think?”

“I believe so.” 

Delighted with himself. Delighted with them both. That smile was such a rare touchstone; one he’d sought for months and worked to keep alight like a fire in a thunderstorm. Now it bloomed regularly for him, but rarely before other spying eyes. But for Anders. That was a magic all its own. 

Rilienus nipped at the back of the blonde’s neck, licking sweat from his skin; he slipped a hand beneath him to stroke him to a finish as he bucked against him, deep and slick, grinding pulses and groans from their lover until Anders shook and shouted. 

He lay with him after, stroking his back and shoulders and head, carefully untying knots and soothing where they’d rubbed and gripped. 

“Best dinner I’ve had on the island in some time,” Rilienus murmured, kissing his shoulders, his fingers straying to tangle with Dorian’s. “Perhaps I should open a restaurant.”

“Mm, I’m not certain I’m ready to share you with the entire island, philomela mea ,” Dorian hummed, nuzzling his back. “A private setting, certainly. You’d have to reserve a table months in advance.”

“Mine now,” Anders mumbled, muffled against the pillow. “For next year.”

“You haven’t even been properly cooked yet, sweetling,” Rilienus chided, even as his brows did a little dance. “This was just a sear. There’s still the bake, and the sous vide.” 

“I could’ve sworn I was medium-well.” Anders wrapped his arms around Rilienus, gathering him close. “Your hands .”

“Oh, yes? You seemed fond.” Positively smitten, that smile. Rilienus nuzzled and kissed, lingering. “You took them very beautifully; it’s almost a shame you couldn’t see.”

“I could imagine though and that was nice, too.” Anders lifted his wrist and kissed it. “I love your hands.”

And there was the panic, as Dorian had seen it years ago. Quick blinking bewilderment. Rilienus stared, still, watching Anders’ lips press to his wrist again and again. There were still red pressure marks from the gag on the man’s pale cheeks. “…alright.”

“I love your body,” Anders grinned, undeterred, kissing his way up Rilienus’ arm to his shoulder. “And your mind . The way they work together is… truly fantastic. I’m… going to miss seeing you every day.”

“I… yes,” Rilienus mumbled, his gaze beginning to flit. “…likewise.”

“Which is why we’d like you to come visit us after we leave. If you’d like, at your leisure.” Dorian squeezed his shoulder. “Yes?”

“Only if you’d like,” Rilienus murmured. “There’s no need to decide now.”

“Yes,” Anders hugged him close, kissing his chin. “I want to. If it’d make you happy.”

“Alright, alright.” Rilienus answered his kiss gently, smoothing his hair back. “I’m not holding you to anything you say right now when your eyes are still dilated.” He nuzzled him. “Just think about it.”

“I’m thinking about you .” Anders beamed, nipping at his lips. “You really don’t like it when people say they like you, do you?”

Rilienus grimaced. “Sweetling, the gag is still in reach.”

“I’ll take my chances.” Anders wiggled his brows. “Maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll get round two.”

“Addled, that’s what you are. There’s a round two and three, unless you elect otherwise.”

“I’m not addled. I’m of perfectly sound mind and body.” Anders stretched, groaning as his joints popped. “Okay, maybe just mind.”

“Mmhmm.” Rilienus combed the man’s hair gently with his fingers. “Raw and unbaked.”

“ You’re raw and unbaked.” Anders nibbled on his thumb. “But still delicious, like a fresh peach. Fuzzy on the outside and soft and squishy and sweet when you bite in. I want to see you again after this week. Put you in a proper pie with a nice cinnamon crumble and eat you slice by slice- Ah, the metaphor is gone and I’m just making myself hungry.”

“You can come to Houston and try the peach pies, then,” he acquiesced quietly. “We’d like to see you.”

“I’d like to see you, too.” Anders beamed, kissing his brows. “I’ll work out when.”

“Good.” Rilienus released a long breath, closing his eyes. “Good. Alright.” He rested his cheek to Anders’ and sighed again. “Now rest. I’m not close to finished with you today.”

“I hoped not,” Anders grinned, snuggling into the curve of his husband’s arms as though he was meant to be there. Perhaps, Dorian mused, he had been. “Many hours left in the day for you to eat your fill.”

“Mmhmm.” Rilienus ran his fingers over his skin, massaging where red lingered. He gazed at Dorian and smiled softly. ‘Thank you,’ he mouthed.

“Always,” he murmured, kissing Rilienus’ shoulder with a grin, settling into his spot next to him on the bed. 

They slept through a portion of the afternoon before pouring into the hot tub on the balcony, passing Anders back and forth between them like a glass of shared wine, then crawled out - lazy and lethargic - to bask on the lounge chairs overlooking the sea. 

He’d become such a fixture in such a short time, drawing Rilienus out in a way that few could. In a way Rilienus didn’t like to allow. Protecting himself. Protecting them. 

But he was softer by the moment, sillier and more demanding by turns. Playing the hairs on Anders’ calves like strings. Nestling into the crook of Dorian’s arms to listen to Anders chatter about his cats. Tying the man to their dining table and covering him with slices of fruit. 

They ate well. A feast to be remembered. And by the end of it, Dorian wondered just how long Rilienus had been wanting to play out this exact fantasy. Every element of it seemed to have been scripted in his head and somehow Anders played the part without access to that script. Instinctively fueling the fire and nudging Rilienus along without needing to ask. 

Of course they had been planning it for days, but even that… All the little details that had built to the moment of Rilienus pouring warm, sweet cream across his belly and licking it up, plundering him with his fingers again, swallowing him whole while Anders shivered and groaned and held still enough not to dislodge his edible landscape. 

It was a different dynamic to his and Dorian’s, certainly. Less impulsive. Darker. Sharper and softer at the same time. More demanding, certainly. Almost punishing, to be honest, though Anders didn’t appear to find it so. He seemed… overjoyed. Each time Rilienus offered him to Dorian - like an appetizer, like a nibble of something sweet, like a fine vintage - the man seemed to preen . And take . 

And even as he took them both, over and over and over, used past the bounds of decency, Dorian kept remembering how he’d plowed Rilienus, thrusting up into him, strong and unyielding. 

The memory made him want him more. 

And they’d have it, even after the revelers left the island, flocking back to their nests and leaving behind nothing but a trail of glitter in their wake.

They’d have the unexpected once-stranger in their home where they could do it all over again. And more. Watching Rilienus melt and resolve again under someone else’s hands other than his own.

A delightful prospect at the end of an exhilarating, exhausting week. 

The sunset painted the bedroom a gentle rose hue as they tangled together in the bed, arms and legs winding like the braids Rilienus had plaited into Anders’ hair after they’d bathed. 

“One of our better weeks,” Rilienus murmured, watching Dorian fondly as he pressed light kisses to his fingers. 

“It has been, hasn’t it?” Dorian hummed, leaning closer to wrap his arms tighter around him. “Without a doubt, one of the best.”