( why so vague, huh. kirma startles at the sudden arrival, having ignored the watch notification entirely— he, too, has been occupied, though in a much different way.
specifically, he's holding up one of the baby rabbits esi so thoughtfully left behind by the ears, with a certain level of intent he was specifically told not to have. though his arms partially lowers at seeing esi, he doesn't release it just yet. )
What took you so...
( his voice trails off as it all clicks together. oh. so that's what this is about, then. )
( He steps closer, and now his focus is on helping the bunny get down to the floor gently. Despite everything else, he does seem to care about these little creatures. )
( would that esi showed a single ounce of this tenderness towards others. though he'd meant to evoke jealousy in a far different way, kirma finds himself staring with a more envious hunger at the shivering bunny in his arms. he can't even remember which one that is— kiki, maybe. a waste of food, definitely. it isn't fair... it isn't fair. )
It's fine. ( for once, he gets to be the dismissive one. who cares... ) You shouldn't have taken so long.
( at this proximity, he can only stay distracted from esi's pointed setup for so long. as he coddles the rabbit, kirma slides past him, as if to move on in the most roundabout path possible; he stops just behind esi, though, leaning up and in to sniff at his hair. )
Where were you, exactly.
( he's got quite a big hunch, but he's not happy about it. )
( ...On the one hand, he's deeply offended to be sniffed like that.
On the other, there's a significant amount of something like pleasure from causing Kirma to be so visibly jealous. He turns only slightly, lifting a hand to press gently at Kirma's face rather than pulling away. )
( as much as kirma wants to pry, demand answers, context, the like— a soft touch is more than enough to still his words. how pathetic. despite his considerable misgivings, he leans against esi’s palm, though the cheek that rests against his fingers surely burns hotter than normal. listen… )
Put the rabbit down, then.
( the implicit demand of pay attention to me is obvious in those terse words. mr. sniffer has some requests, it seems. he leans even harder into esi’s hand, threatening to put all of his weight on him if he doesn’t comply, an outcome that will surely end in disaster— though not for him. )
( After a couple of soothing pets to the rabbit that he might not have normally given, he crouches to release her to the room. She hops away, seemingly forgetting the situation she was just in, and moves to do binkies in circles with the other rabbit a room over. Esikko stands up slowly from this, back towards the hand he'd been holding out at Kirma and sort of just halfheartedly kept there.
The leaning wasn't lost on him, but he had to put the bunny down. )
Jealous of a rabbit?
( The smile that Esikko gives is exceedingly proud, but he turns his full body towards Kirma now, moving that hand to playfully tuck some of the other man's hair behind a human ear. )
( she binkies, because she doesn’t even know she’ll be dinner someday. oh, to have no concern for the future. another thing to be envious of, but one he’ll have to shelve for the time being, as esi turns back around.
the gesture is surely meant to be something lighthearted and cheery. neither adjective is particularly trustworthy, coming from the son of a king. kirma’s mouth tightens for a brief moment, and he grabs esi by the wrist, before he can pull his hand back. with that as a point of leverage, he drags him close, nose to nose, eyes narrow. it’s not all aggression; his other arm snakes its way around esi’s waist, hand balling into a fist and taking a firm hold of his coat while its at it. )
Do you think you’re something worth being jealous over?
( it’s not much of a bluff, nor is it meant to be. just the usual bickering. there is part of him that’s troubled by the fact that he feels this way at all— only a few months ago, and he was counting down the days until they could justifiably part again. so what’s changed? )
You wasted my time. ( an inexpensive thing, here, but a commodity all the same. huff. )
( The way his wrist is grabbed like that is certainly a surprise— slightly widened eyes that he tries to quickly adjust, a little race of his heart... It's all exciting, though, rather than anything scary. In fact... )
Are you mad?
( Even the way that question falls out of his mouth is telling. He's practically elated by this reaction, sparkling blue eyes searching Kirma's face for more of an answer. He curls the fingers of his captured wrist into his own palm, his free hand slipping between their bodies to grip lightly at Kirma's chest.
What a strong little man his bodyguard is. He humors him with a duck of his head, so that the inches are even closer, and their noses almost touch. )
Maybe I'm not. But that has me all the more curious about a reaction like this, you know.
( he is not LITTLE he is a PERFECTLY AVERAGE HEIGHT )
Why is it surprising? You’ve been infuriating since the day you— woke up.
( met was almost the word, there, but that wouldn’t have been wholly accurate. scared the fuck out of him, sure. but in those first blissful days, before esi regained consciousness and kirma was none-the-wiser as to what he’d picked up in the forest, things weren’t so bad.
still. isn’t he enjoying this just a bit too much? kirma supposes that was the whole point— a trap that he’d walked into without a thought, as usual. already a regular occurrence, it seems to be happening more and more these days. could he blame the house for that one, too? his grip on esi’s wrist tightens enough that his finally-regrowing nails dig in with points. )
Here’s what I’m curious about.
( steering them towards the bedroom, now. kiki and ollie better make themselves scarce. )
How does the crown prince debase himself so easily, here? ( just because he sees the trap being sprung doesn’t mean he’ll try to resist it. ) After all your complaints about mingling with us casteless folk…
( said complaints are many months old, even without their time in this place counted— but still. )
( That hurts? And yet, he makes no motion to pull his hand back or try to resist the encouraging shuffle towards the bedroom. If anything, he's entranced by this side of Kirma, looking all too pleased by the results, despite the serious upset here.
There is offense at the last part, though. )
Who are you to decide if my chosen partners are on that same level? ( Defensive, because he feels that it's a complex sort of thing. Impatience led to desperation, which led to realizing a lot of his interests didn't quite align with castes. )
Or to decide what's "debasing easily" or such? We're all playing a game here, you know. Would you rather I held back until that mark of mine made me crazy?
( in the same way that his would, for himself. even with the mark of the spade barely traced on the back of his neck, though, he’s beginning to understand the appeal of those feelings. at the same time, he knows he shouldn’t get carried away, no matter how much he’d like to— the gritted teeth is as much to keep his thoughts in check as it is from annoyance at esi’s continued yapping. )
For someone so concerned with appearances, you don’t seem to care much about your dignity. ( is he one to talk? the scar on his arm says otherwise, but you know. it’s different. ) Why come here at all? Go back to your proper room.
( the words are fairly meaningless, when he has esi’s wrist held so tight. go back to your room, he says, while making sure there’s no way he could possibly do so. only when they bump against the edge of the bed does he hesitate, distracted by the obstacle, the logistics. deeper in the throes of a suit, it would be easy to move forward—
without that, he simply lets go, averting his gaze. the set of his ears and low angle of his tail speak enough to his upset, sulking even, but that’s all. )
( Just when his excitement is at its highest point, Kirma lets go, gives up. It's disappointing, and Esikko can't help the sigh that comes with it. Things are different now, though. He's not about to let this moment go to waste.
His own hand snatches back at the one that released it, fingers interlacing with such ease that it's like one fluid motion. He leans closer, body pressing into Kirma's just barely short of pushing him onto the bed. )
You're feeling neglected.
( His free hand settles on Kirma's shoulder and pushes down, now, to get him to sit on that bed. And just as quickly, he presses a knee onto the bed to his side in order to straddle him, bringing their held hands to his lips for a kiss. )
If you need attention so badly, you could ask, you know. Insulting my character isn't very nice.
( kirma isn’t necessarily agreeing with the assessment. he just doesn’t resist as he’s pushed down, though his face turns away, a pointed gaze directed back towards the way they came— and more importantly, distinctly away from esi. sulky dog… )
Didn’t I.
( do you know how hard it is to find someone to text on these fucking watches, man. he tugs back on the hand esi is holding; not quite enough to actually free it, only enough to feign a disinterest. no more paw!!
— all that said, he’s not exactly fighting to leave. the recognition of his feelings is a small thing, one that surely won’t amount to much, but it does take the edge off his upset all the same. kirma assumes esi has already become more than aware of how easy he is to please, and thus elects not to volunteer any more indication of this than he needs to. what he does give is a subtle lean in, still refusing to face him, but one downturned ear pointing esi’s way just a little more than it was previously. keep going… )
( Esi is firm in that, smiling at the tiny little tugs and those obvious ears of his. His other knee sets down, and now that he's properly straddling Kirma, he kisses further down Kirma's hand, to his wrist, gripping tighter.
His other hand undoes the tie on his own durumagi, eager to increase temptation for Kirma. His intentions are clear enough. )
Hmm, let's see...
( He pauses, leaning in, and presses his face to the side of Kirma's face, kissing.
...But he's also sniffing that hair to detect when his last bath was. For reasons that will determine what he does next. )
( you probably don’t want to do that, dude. to give kirma some credit, he’s certainly bathing with more regularity than he ever did, back home— but he also did kill a lot of time today chasing rabbits after being expressly told not to. while the grime is more surface-level it certainly isn’t absent: grass, dirt, sweat, livestock, all things you generally wouldn’t want to make a perfume out of.
none of these things bother him, of course. mollified by the combination of attention and temptation, he turns to nip at esi’s ear, by the piercing. he’d tug on the earring itself, but he’ll probably get scolded for putting his filthy mouth on something so precious, or some other eye-rollingly spoiled complaint. with only one hand free— something that keeps happening, lately— he slips it under esi’s durumagi in the spot conveniently opened for him, running a hand up the back of his shirt and only leaving a little dirt behind. you know, for him. )
No, I did— perhaps you’re the one who needs reading lessons?
( it’s more flirting than it is any real argument, but this is a pretty good turn of events after the bickering from earlier, at least in kirma’s opinion. )
But honestly, it's nowhere near as stinky as he usually was back home, so he can keep his smile in place and react calmly. He's being soooo nice right now, he thinks he should get a reward for it. When he pulls back, he makes sure to do it slowly, lingering under the touch no matter how filthy it is. His hands trail behind, and he tugs not just at Kirma's hand, but the front of his clothes, too. )
Maybe you're not messaging what you mean to message.
( Think about that for a while, because now Esi is sliding off the bed and tugging him further. Towards the bathroom. )
( maybe so. kirma would be the first to admit that communication isn’t his strong suit— language has always been one of the few subjects he’s truly felt clumsy with, which likely explains his resistance to literacy, even in a place where he truly doesn’t have anything better to do than learn. he takes the time to ponder this anyway, as he’s pulled away, following obediently.
at first.
once he realizes the direction he’s being pulled in, he balks, digging in his heels. (well. his beans.) ears flattened and tail tucked, he shakes his head. resisting esi’s strength isn’t difficult, of course; he doesn’t fully wrest himself from his grip, hoping that merely taking a stand is deterrent enough. )
I took a bath two days ago!
( said the most sufferingest of dogs, who spent all day rolling in the gardens. )
( Okay. In the good mood he's in currently, that does make Esikko laugh, but he tugs more insistently, even leaning in to plant a peck of a kiss on his cheek first. )
Two things. One, bathe daily.
Two... You're going to like this. I promise.
( Now, despite the nature of Esikko's everything, it can be said that he's never broken a promise. He simply so rarely makes them. They're reserved for important things, final things, things that he can't go back on. It's always felt to him like a promise is something sacred, like the seal of a magic spell that should never be broken...
Maybe it's one childish thing about him that he was allowed to keep. )
( his ears rise only slightly at the kiss, but they shoot straight up at the word promise. truly, there’s something loaded, within those syllables— even a dog can recognize that much. for all of esi’s cajoling, whining, demanding, never once has he said such a thing, not even while trying to convince kirma to protect him all the way to yangsa. for the first time in their current lives, he thinks: maybe i can trust this.
and if he can’t, if he doesn’t end up liking it…
there are ways for dogs to get their revenge, too. )
Daily is too much. I’ll never have a dry tail again.
( it’s easy for esi to insist on such a thing, when he only has hair to worry about. though kirma is less furry than he could be, the fur he does have is thick, to better insulate against the bitter cold that defines their home; no towel could ever hope to stand against the power of such an undercoat. bathing complaints aside, though, he is moving again. with caution, but moving all the same. )
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The door is open.
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I'll be there after a bit.
( hours pass. )
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Did you get lost?
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I'm almost there.
( Sure enough, after just a few minutes now, Esikko shows up, strutting in in the way that says he's definitely trying to make something apparent.
Something he's done. )
Hello. I got caught up in something.
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specifically, he's holding up one of the baby rabbits esi so thoughtfully left behind by the ears, with a certain level of intent he was specifically told not to have. though his arms partially lowers at seeing esi, he doesn't release it just yet. )
What took you so...
( his voice trails off as it all clicks together. oh. so that's what this is about, then. )
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Would you put her down? What did I say?
( He steps closer, and now his focus is on helping the bunny get down to the floor gently. Despite everything else, he does seem to care about these little creatures. )
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It's fine. ( for once, he gets to be the dismissive one. who cares... ) You shouldn't have taken so long.
( at this proximity, he can only stay distracted from esi's pointed setup for so long. as he coddles the rabbit, kirma slides past him, as if to move on in the most roundabout path possible; he stops just behind esi, though, leaning up and in to sniff at his hair. )
Where were you, exactly.
( he's got quite a big hunch, but he's not happy about it. )
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On the other, there's a significant amount of something like pleasure from causing Kirma to be so visibly jealous. He turns only slightly, lifting a hand to press gently at Kirma's face rather than pulling away. )
It seems like you might have a guess.
( Mr. Sniffer. )
Does that matter? I'm here now.
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Put the rabbit down, then.
( the implicit demand of pay attention to me is obvious in those terse words. mr. sniffer has some requests, it seems. he leans even harder into esi’s hand, threatening to put all of his weight on him if he doesn’t comply, an outcome that will surely end in disaster— though not for him. )
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The leaning wasn't lost on him, but he had to put the bunny down. )
Jealous of a rabbit?
( The smile that Esikko gives is exceedingly proud, but he turns his full body towards Kirma now, moving that hand to playfully tuck some of the other man's hair behind a human ear. )
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the gesture is surely meant to be something lighthearted and cheery. neither adjective is particularly trustworthy, coming from the son of a king. kirma’s mouth tightens for a brief moment, and he grabs esi by the wrist, before he can pull his hand back. with that as a point of leverage, he drags him close, nose to nose, eyes narrow. it’s not all aggression; his other arm snakes its way around esi’s waist, hand balling into a fist and taking a firm hold of his coat while its at it. )
Do you think you’re something worth being jealous over?
( it’s not much of a bluff, nor is it meant to be. just the usual bickering. there is part of him that’s troubled by the fact that he feels this way at all— only a few months ago, and he was counting down the days until they could justifiably part again. so what’s changed? )
You wasted my time. ( an inexpensive thing, here, but a commodity all the same. huff. )
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Are you mad?
( Even the way that question falls out of his mouth is telling. He's practically elated by this reaction, sparkling blue eyes searching Kirma's face for more of an answer. He curls the fingers of his captured wrist into his own palm, his free hand slipping between their bodies to grip lightly at Kirma's chest.
What a strong little man his bodyguard is. He humors him with a duck of his head, so that the inches are even closer, and their noses almost touch. )
Maybe I'm not. But that has me all the more curious about a reaction like this, you know.
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Why is it surprising? You’ve been infuriating since the day you— woke up.
( met was almost the word, there, but that wouldn’t have been wholly accurate. scared the fuck out of him, sure. but in those first blissful days, before esi regained consciousness and kirma was none-the-wiser as to what he’d picked up in the forest, things weren’t so bad.
still. isn’t he enjoying this just a bit too much? kirma supposes that was the whole point— a trap that he’d walked into without a thought, as usual. already a regular occurrence, it seems to be happening more and more these days. could he blame the house for that one, too? his grip on esi’s wrist tightens enough that his finally-regrowing nails dig in with points. )
Here’s what I’m curious about.
( steering them towards the bedroom, now. kiki and ollie better make themselves scarce. )
How does the crown prince debase himself so easily, here? ( just because he sees the trap being sprung doesn’t mean he’ll try to resist it. ) After all your complaints about mingling with us casteless folk…
( said complaints are many months old, even without their time in this place counted— but still. )
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( That hurts? And yet, he makes no motion to pull his hand back or try to resist the encouraging shuffle towards the bedroom. If anything, he's entranced by this side of Kirma, looking all too pleased by the results, despite the serious upset here.
There is offense at the last part, though. )
Who are you to decide if my chosen partners are on that same level? ( Defensive, because he feels that it's a complex sort of thing. Impatience led to desperation, which led to realizing a lot of his interests didn't quite align with castes. )
Or to decide what's "debasing easily" or such? We're all playing a game here, you know. Would you rather I held back until that mark of mine made me crazy?
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( in the same way that his would, for himself. even with the mark of the spade barely traced on the back of his neck, though, he’s beginning to understand the appeal of those feelings. at the same time, he knows he shouldn’t get carried away, no matter how much he’d like to— the gritted teeth is as much to keep his thoughts in check as it is from annoyance at esi’s continued yapping. )
For someone so concerned with appearances, you don’t seem to care much about your dignity. ( is he one to talk? the scar on his arm says otherwise, but you know. it’s different. ) Why come here at all? Go back to your proper room.
( the words are fairly meaningless, when he has esi’s wrist held so tight. go back to your room, he says, while making sure there’s no way he could possibly do so. only when they bump against the edge of the bed does he hesitate, distracted by the obstacle, the logistics. deeper in the throes of a suit, it would be easy to move forward—
without that, he simply lets go, averting his gaze. the set of his ears and low angle of his tail speak enough to his upset, sulking even, but that’s all. )
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His own hand snatches back at the one that released it, fingers interlacing with such ease that it's like one fluid motion. He leans closer, body pressing into Kirma's just barely short of pushing him onto the bed. )
You're feeling neglected.
( His free hand settles on Kirma's shoulder and pushes down, now, to get him to sit on that bed. And just as quickly, he presses a knee onto the bed to his side in order to straddle him, bringing their held hands to his lips for a kiss. )
If you need attention so badly, you could ask, you know. Insulting my character isn't very nice.
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Didn’t I.
( do you know how hard it is to find someone to text on these fucking watches, man. he tugs back on the hand esi is holding; not quite enough to actually free it, only enough to feign a disinterest. no more paw!!
— all that said, he’s not exactly fighting to leave. the recognition of his feelings is a small thing, one that surely won’t amount to much, but it does take the edge off his upset all the same. kirma assumes esi has already become more than aware of how easy he is to please, and thus elects not to volunteer any more indication of this than he needs to. what he does give is a subtle lean in, still refusing to face him, but one downturned ear pointing esi’s way just a little more than it was previously. keep going… )
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( Esi is firm in that, smiling at the tiny little tugs and those obvious ears of his. His other knee sets down, and now that he's properly straddling Kirma, he kisses further down Kirma's hand, to his wrist, gripping tighter.
His other hand undoes the tie on his own durumagi, eager to increase temptation for Kirma. His intentions are clear enough. )
Hmm, let's see...
( He pauses, leaning in, and presses his face to the side of Kirma's face, kissing.
...But he's also sniffing that hair to detect when his last bath was. For reasons that will determine what he does next. )
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none of these things bother him, of course. mollified by the combination of attention and temptation, he turns to nip at esi’s ear, by the piercing. he’d tug on the earring itself, but he’ll probably get scolded for putting his filthy mouth on something so precious, or some other eye-rollingly spoiled complaint. with only one hand free— something that keeps happening, lately— he slips it under esi’s durumagi in the spot conveniently opened for him, running a hand up the back of his shirt and only leaving a little dirt behind. you know, for him. )
No, I did— perhaps you’re the one who needs reading lessons?
( it’s more flirting than it is any real argument, but this is a pretty good turn of events after the bickering from earlier, at least in kirma’s opinion. )
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But honestly, it's nowhere near as stinky as he usually was back home, so he can keep his smile in place and react calmly. He's being soooo nice right now, he thinks he should get a reward for it. When he pulls back, he makes sure to do it slowly, lingering under the touch no matter how filthy it is. His hands trail behind, and he tugs not just at Kirma's hand, but the front of his clothes, too. )
Maybe you're not messaging what you mean to message.
( Think about that for a while, because now Esi is sliding off the bed and tugging him further. Towards the bathroom. )
Come with me. I want to try something with you.
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at first.
once he realizes the direction he’s being pulled in, he balks, digging in his heels. (well. his beans.) ears flattened and tail tucked, he shakes his head. resisting esi’s strength isn’t difficult, of course; he doesn’t fully wrest himself from his grip, hoping that merely taking a stand is deterrent enough. )
I took a bath two days ago!
( said the most sufferingest of dogs, who spent all day rolling in the gardens. )
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Two things. One, bathe daily.
Two... You're going to like this. I promise.
( Now, despite the nature of Esikko's everything, it can be said that he's never broken a promise. He simply so rarely makes them. They're reserved for important things, final things, things that he can't go back on. It's always felt to him like a promise is something sacred, like the seal of a magic spell that should never be broken...
Maybe it's one childish thing about him that he was allowed to keep. )
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and if he can’t, if he doesn’t end up liking it…
there are ways for dogs to get their revenge, too. )
Daily is too much. I’ll never have a dry tail again.
( it’s easy for esi to insist on such a thing, when he only has hair to worry about. though kirma is less furry than he could be, the fur he does have is thick, to better insulate against the bitter cold that defines their home; no towel could ever hope to stand against the power of such an undercoat. bathing complaints aside, though, he is moving again. with caution, but moving all the same. )
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