Who - Enjolras and Grantaire What - A step forward Where - Their Room When - Tuesday 20th Jan Rating - Low, lil bit of kissing Status - Complete
It had been a normal evening. Or as normal as it got for them. Enjolras had been doing some reading about women and people of colour in politics and had been waxing lyrical about how amazing it was for the last hour. Grantaire had not been arguing any opposing arguments this time, but seemed to be growing bored even of his orations. Occasionally nodding. Perhaps he was simply sad he didn’t have their friends there to cause mischief for him again. He did enjoy that far too much after all. But here they were.
“Is it that you agree with me that has you bored R? Shall we discuss the Dragon incident. Or continue our previous argument?” he joked. He even stopped pacing as he normally managed to do when feeling particularly strongly about a topic.
“Alright. We can sit here. Do you want to get on with some sketches or anything?” It had become a sort of a routine. Sitting, discussing things. Grantaire painting. Himself, discussing or studying, taking notes from books he’d borrowed. He was quickly devouring the non fiction they held in the library here. He was already considering learning the Grounder tongue.
He rested his head against the older man’s shoulder as he spoke again. “I could just stop talking?”
~~~
Grantaire had been sketching, as he was wont to do, even while he was paying attention to Enjolras’s rants. Not that this was a rant as such. His Apollo was enthused by the seeming progress made in politics. And, he actually couldn’t argue with that. It was probably shocking to some, but there were actually some things that the pair of them could agree about. And, yes that was very rarely politics. But, the fact that progress had been made, was indisputable. He could tell that just from the presence of a woman being in charge of their little community. And, he liked Dr. Griffin. Which was another thing he found remarkable. Female doctors. So many of them. It was completely unheard of in their time.
Still, he’d put his sketchbook down a short time ago, to give Enjolras his full attention, even if he did end up answering his own questions near the end. And smirking he wrapped his arm around the younger man. “Never stop talking, Apollo.”
He could never get bored of this. Being able to touch. To hold. Even if it wasn’t everything he might need on a physical level. Emotionally, any form of intimacy he was able to have with his god of living marble was more than enough for him. Even if they hadn’t even kissed yet. It was okay. Because he knew that his angel cared for him. And that was all he needed.
“If you stopped talking, I wouldn’t have anyone to argue with. And then where would we be?”
~~~ “Unable to argue, that would be a tragedy indeed. We would surely wither.” he joked, aware very much of Grantaire’s presence in his arms. How he felt there. It was all something he was getting used to. But he couldn’t deny it felt nice. Strange but, comforting. He felt for this man in a way he knew he had not felt for anyone in a lifetime. Was that love then? It seemed not to different from how he had felt before. Perhaps a deeper sensation. But he worried all the same. Grantaire was a man who had always desired touch, contact, intimacy. And maybe one day he could offer him that but it was not a thing that had ever appealed to him.
“What were you drawing?” he asked, allowing his fingers to trail along R’s arm, giving him that at least.
In truth he felt desperately guilty that he could not give Grantaire all he needed. He had suggested he find sexual gratification with Lexi. The woman clearly enjoyed such things without demanding more from her partners. And he knew now the depth of feelings the other man held for him. He would not be worried that he would be abandoned for the vampire.
“I always enjoy your work, there’s always some meaning to it I can’t always see. Obtuse when it came to art as well as feelings it seems.”
~~~
“Wither and die” R agreed, smile slightly too bright. Not quite reaching his eyes. Sometimes his mouth ran away with him, and he said things before he even realised what he was saying. And, this was one of those moments. Although, normally he’d have had more to drink, when that sort of thing happened. But, his mind had been on other things lately. The longer they’d been here. The more he’d missed their friends. He wanted them to have a chance at life. At happiness. The way that he did.
He leant into Enjolras’s touch briefly, before leaning forwards to retrieve the sketchbook. “This time, I think even you will understand the meaning, mon ami.” He smiled softly, as he opened the book to the page he’d been working on. A sketch from memory of the back room of the musain. It wasn’t completely finished yet. But, anyone who knew them would have been able to recognise each of their friends in their normal positions. With the blonde leader stood on a chair in the middle of the room clearly in the middle of speech. A scene from right before it all started.
~~~
The phrase, and then the picture, it was all so much all at once. Every one of their friends, brought to life on the page as only Grantaire could. He missed them, they both did. He knew that too. He could see it in his eyes, even without all of this. He saw himself there, atop a chair delivering some speech or other that the people would fight with them, that things would change. And Grantaire he hadn’t believed any of it. He watched them. The painting was from the perspective of the painter, he’d always sat on the edge of it all, never gathered around him as the others were so fond of doing.
But not the cynic. And in the end, he had been perfectly right. And yet still he had chosen to draw them like this, happy, confident, believing in the people. Believing they could change the world.
“It’s beautiful. Perfect. You’ve captured it all so well.” he told him, tilting Grantaire’s head toward him and brushing his lips, hesitantly admittedly against the other man’s. He knew how it worked of course He knew what came next but not how to initiate it entirely. Instead he curled his fingers at R’s neck. And waited.
~~~
Grantaire beamed at the praise, easily allowing Enjolras to guide his head towards him. But, he froze slightly at the touch of lips to his own. He’d not expected it. But, it only took a couple of seconds for him to react. Hesitantly, he pressed his lips against the other man’s, quickly gaining confidence, and pressing more firmly. His eyes fluttering closed, and his heart beating in his throat. He knew how important this was. He wanted it to be perfect for his Apollo. Not only was it their first kiss. But, he knew it was the younger man’s first one, ever. And, that was important. Special.
He tried very hard to keep control of himself. Take his time, as his hands slid up firm marble arms, to entangle themselves in blonde curls. This was perfect. Better than he could have ever dreamed. He never wanted the moment to end, as he slowly and gently started to coax Enjolras’s mouth open with his tongue. Trying not to scare the younger man. Making sure to keep very still. And not just press himself against the blonde.
~~~
Enjolras was, for the time at least, happy to go along, defer to the other man’s experience. It was definitely all new to him. But this, he didn’t hate it. It was intimacy. But it wasn’t messy, it wasn’t anything other than warm. And...wet, he supposed. Perhaps he was overthinking it. Of course he was overthinking it. He was overthinking the first kiss he’d ever had. ...He was overthinking his overthinking. He needed to stop that.
He decided to focus on what Grantaire was doing, which seemed to be pressing his tongue against his teeth. Oh, he wanted to do that…Florentine...
He allowed it, opening his mouth slightly and allow the kiss to deepen. He would pull away if he became uncomfortable, but Grantaire was taking things slowly. What was he supposed to do? he thought confused. Was his tongue to do the same as Grantaire’s. He tentatively attempted this.
~~~ Grantaire was in heaven. Literally in heaven. He was kissing Enjolras. And, nothing in heaven or earth could be better than this moment. Or at least that was what he’d been thinking before Enjolras started trying to mimic his own actions. And, it was then that he realised that it really could get better. So much so, that he couldn’t stifle the inadvertent moan that emanated from deep within his chest. His fingers unconsciously clenching within his Apollo’s curls, while one hand skated down his spine to rest on the small of his back.
It wasn’t long before he needed to pull back to take a breathe, however reluctantly. As he did so, he leant his forehead against the blond’s. His eyes opening to look into his Apollo’s steely blue gaze. “Mon dieu!” He sighed.
~~~
Enjolras had, well, he didn’t know that enjoyed worked in the way that he suspected R had enjoyed it. But he had been comforted by it. It hadn’t turned him off the whole idea and it was something he could do again to please him. To give him some kind of intimacy. He had quite clearly done something right given the moan that had left the older man’s lips as he now leant against his forehead.
“Was that alright?” he asked hesitantly. “I’m not well versed in how that is supposed to be done to be most pleasurable but, hopefully it did not disappoint.”
He matched R’s gaze with a soft, almost shy smile.
~~~
Grantaire couldn't help but laugh. Was it alright? That was the funniest thing he had ever heard. The fact that Enjolras wanted to kiss him at all was the best thing that had ever happened to him. The only thing that could have ruined it would have been if Enjolras had accidentally head butted him, and well even that would have been overshadowed by the intentions behind it.
“You were nothing if not perfect, mon ange.” His Apollo would never not be perfect to him.
~~~
Enjolras laughed at the idea that he was perfect, he couldn’t imagine he was although he knew R thought him perfect in more ways than he could claim to be even good.
“I hardly think I was perfect. But I am glad you enjoyed it.” he said. At least he could do this. Give him this. It was something else he could offer Grantaire. “I have much to learn I expect but as long as it pleased you.” he added, moving his arm to pull Grantaire into his arms again, letting him lean on him.
“I am sorry I can’t be all that you deserve of me. But perhaps in time I can offer more. For now R, would you be satisfied with just this.”
~~~
All that he deserved. This. All of this was more than he deserved. Grantaire knew that. But, he wasn’t going to push it away. He was too selfish for that. He had everything he could have ever wanted. Ever wished for. Anything else was a wonderful bonus in his opinion.
“The fact that you wanted to kiss me, is perfection Apollo.” He replied, allowing himself to be pulled into Enjolras’s arms. His face burying into the blonde’s neck. As he breathes in his scent. “This is perfection, mon amour. I am more than satisfied.”