Nasir (noturlittleman) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-05-03 23:07:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !trigger warning, maxwell trevelyan (the inquisitor), nasir |
Who: Nasir and Trevelyan
What: Some couples bond by watching movies or getting massages together. Others, they punch spiders.
When: Early May
Where: The Deep Roads
Warnings: High towards the end, some description of sexual slavery, extreme violence towards spiders
Status: Complete when posted
The first time Trevelyan was down in the depths of the Deep Roads, Hawke made a quip about a romantic stroll through the caverns - and Max didn’t think it’d really happen, yet here they were. This was an actual date, wasn’t it? Stress relief. Break from studying. Celebration of the summer? Whatever Nasir wanted it to be - Max was just happy to spend time with him, and he went to do the MMA thing so often anyway, working out aggression. Here, what would be presented to him in the underground, would be a sufficient challenge. A lot different than just throwing punches.
Apparently Hawke and Isabela had already looted all the riches to be found though, after celebratory fucking on the top of a pile of gold. Trevelyan didn’t need a pile of gold, however - he wasn’t too proud to find any spare surface.
He wore his light armor, which he’d finally received - it was comfortable, easy to move in, and finely crafted, made of all sorts of different materials which fit him perfectly. Everything from royale sea silk to velvet, to bits of dragon bone and bloodstone. The Staff of Corruption was slung over his back, the three spiraling snakes pointing upward and visible over his shoulder, the weapon ready to grab at a moment’s notice.
“Ready for this?” he asked with a tilt of a thrill-seeking grin; at the infamous park, where the entrance to the Deep Roads was sealed off, he’d just use a bit of magic to get them in. Then seal it up again later, when they were done. “Maybe you should kiss me for good luck.”
Nasir grinned at him as he finished wrapping his hands - his knuckles were still a little bruised from Carolina defending her honor or whatever she wanted to call it, but not enough that punching giant spiders was out of the question, just that he wanted to take a few extra precautions. He flexed his fingers to make sure that they’d be able to move well enough before turning to Max. He felt a little underdressed in his gym shorts and tank top, compared to Max’s armor, but he could hardly argue with him wearing it because he looked delicious. “I’ve been ready since you told me about this,” he said, leaning into Max’s side with a smile. “Luck for who, exactly? Or is that just an excuse to kiss me?”
Oh, sweet Maker. Nasir was the ballsy sort to really go for punching huge spiders - then again, he was kind of a tank, similar to how Cassandra was. Those types were good for flying into battle in a berserker rage and pummeling a path for everyone else. Max missed her a bit. Even so, he’d probably feel better if his...companion (they really did need to have that boyfriend talk, didn’t they?) had a knife or a sword or something. But alas, it’d give the mage a chance to practice his barrier spells, at least.
“It’s both,” he admitted, slipping an arm around the spider-puncher and drawing nearer. “Luck for us, a successful exercise in battling disgusting creatures found deep in the Earth’s core, and just because...I want to kiss you.” A gloved hand cupped Nasir’s face, index finger stroking the cheekbone - and Max, of course, attempted his best puppy face.
‘Flying into battle in a berserker rage’ was...actually a pretty good description for how Nasir fought. He might have done well with a sword, given all the training in his dreams, but for some reasons words were kind of hard to come by, so he’d work with what he had. Besides, there was something that sounded extremely satisfying about punching a spider in the face.
Almost as satisfying as having Max wrapped around him. Nasir leaned into the touch with a smile. “Well if that’s what we’re kissing for, I guess we have to.” Nasir grinned and cupped Max’s face as well, stroking his pouting lower lip with one of his thumbs before he moved in for a kiss, still grinning.
He tightened the embrace a little, kiss deepening and becoming one of those dizzying ones - even before they descended into the Deep Roads, Max felt a bit light-headed. Not that it was a bad feeling at all, no - more like it was being wrapped in cotton and fuzzy, the magic in his veins, in his bones, also responding in a way that sort of softened everything. Pulled forth all the very best sensations.
“I’ve got your back,” he reminded the other man, hands sliding down to emphasize his point - well, that was actually an ass grab, but Trevelyan didn’t think Nasir would mind. “Necromancy has a bad reputation but it’s useful.” For resurrecting fallen companions especially. Revival was something he’d cast if necessary, no questions asked.
Another kiss given, and he stepped back to remove the sealing that he and Hawke had put back the last time. Storm magic, pulled from the Fade and summoned to his hands, unleashed in an electricity blast that had rocks and debris scattering every which way. Revealing the entrance to the darkness and dankness that awaited them. “Age before beauty,” Max said, with a wink (since he was a few years older anyway) before going first.
Nasir smiled and leaned in for another kiss, whispering, “That’s not my back,” against Max’s mouth. He pulled back a little more. “Are you gonna summon anything particularly spooky? Just give me a warning if I’m going to turn around and come face to face with something.”
Once he saw the electricity starting to crackle he took a few more steps back, almost on instinct, and covered his head as things when flying. But once it was over and the entrance was revealed, he returned to Max’s side and gestured for him to lead the way. “Not that being back here is such a bad thing. It’s got a nice view,” he said as he followed him in.
“Flatterer. And I don’t plan to summon anything spooky. Well - “ Trevelyan really shouldn’t make any promises regarding that. “Let’s just say that it’ll be an entertaining show?” he glanced back over his shoulder, eyebrow lifting ominously. “In the meantime, enjoy the romantic architecture. It looks like something from Lord of the Rings, doesn’t it?”
All of it really sort of did - those vaguely rounded edges and sharp angles, huge vaulted cavernous spaces. Dwarves were the masters of carving stone in Thedas, and a lot of their design was straight lines because a hammer and chisel wasn’t exactly easy on curves.
Falling back a little, he wandered with Nasir through those caverns, and then when something caught his eye he motioned with his staff. Right toward the fungi growing on rocks, the tops of the growth looked blackened. “Hawke said these mushrooms were here,” Max noted. “In Thedas, the dwarves would send those on the lowest rungs of society to retrieve them - if they’re not prepared right, they’re poisonous. If they are, they add kind of a unique flavor to dishes. Know anyone you want to give diarrhea to?”
More like insanity and death, but sometimes that was useful. And besides that, he was joking. Mostly.
“I’ll take an entertaining show. Have I mentioned that watching you do magic is kind of hot? And not just when you’re setting things on fire.” He grinned at he looked around. “It is beautiful and, yeah. I knew quite a few people in high school who would have creamed their pants over this.”
When Max fell back to stand beside him, Nasir, quite stealthily, he thought, slipped his hand down and tangled their fingers together. He glanced over at the mushrooms, smiling. “Not at the moment. At least not any that are available. What kind of interesting flavor?” He wondered how many more things from Max’s dreams were in these caverns, how much else there was to explore. Quite a bit, he imagined, and he wanted to know more about it all.
Oh, yes, that was a very stealthy hand-hold, Max had to give credit where it was due - it made him smile a little. “Mm, mostly like...something, uh, savory? They tend to grow on dead spider bodies and it’s said that’s what gives them their unique flavor, so that must mean we’re near a pocket of them...” Hell. He tried not to shiver, but swallowed hard at the thought because spiders.
If Nasir thought it was hot to see Trevelyan ‘do magic,’ then just wait. There would be all kinds of sexiness going on pretty soon here.
Still, he pressed on. And continuing to hold hands, of course. “Is it...strange?” he wanted to know. “Being here with me, I mean. As you dream more of Agron.” That was a question he’d had for awhile, and needed to know before he potentially offered up his beating heart on a platter.
Nasir wrinkled his nose. “That sounds extremely appetizing but I...think I’ll pass on any spider-corpse-mushrooms in my food. Let me know if you see anything that isn’t spider-corpse related.” But he had to smile a little at the shiver, knocking into his side for a moment. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from the big nasty spiders, I promise.”
He considered the question for a moment. “It’s...weird, I have to admit. He kissed me for the first time the other day. In the dreams!” he was quick to clarifying. “And it’s...I definitely feel something for him. Fondness, I guess you would say. Nothing like what my dream self feels, it’s more muted and friendly. I guess if neither of us were spoken for I might try something but…” He squeezed Max’s hand and turned to smile at him. “I think we’re both happy with what we have now. I know I am. Happier than I thought I could be, considering...everything. But Agron and I are good as friends. Our personalities mesh well. Some might say that’s a bad thing, actually.”
In the dreams, the Inquisitor had a penchant for crafting potions - a little, sort of as a side hobby and nothing serious like his other skills, but he’d make regenerative elixirs and also poultices that could be smeared on weapons, things like that. Since he was due to meet with Regina and work with her a bit on potions, in the OC, he took a few of those mushrooms - for learning purposes. No intentions of causing mass diarrhea epidemics.
Then he tucked the delicious fungi away, turning over what Nasir was saying. That hand squeeze was returned, a fond clench of fingers. “I understand,” he nodded. “I feel something for Dorian too, I knew the first time I saw him I would. But while I won’t ever forget the role he played in the past I can’t hang onto that, I don’t want to. Maybe the stars just aligned differently in this life.”
He, amidst the dwarven ruins and on the verge of probably walking into an actual spider web, felt happy - and he smiled at Nasir too. “I just want you.”
Nasir gave him a look as he picked up the mushrooms. “I find those in any food I eat and I’m kicking your ass. Just letting you know.” There wasn’t much fire behind it. He meant it when he said that he trusted Max, in all aspects, not just to back him up in a fight.
“I can say better than anyone that letting the past or...whatever the dreams are, letting them rule you, it doesn’t work out too well. You miss out on a lot. Like fighting giant spiders with an extremely attractive man. Never would have seen that in my future when I was younger but look at me now.”
He stopped, pulling Max to a stop as well - because as romantic as getting a face full of spider web would be, he didn’t want to necessarily deal with that at the moment. “I want you too. I...I’ve never felt like this before, with someone. It’s terrifying, I have to admit, but I’m happy to do it.” And speaking of terrifying...that was movement behind Max, and Nasir had to grin a little. “I hate to kill the mood but I think there’s a spider at your seven.”
“I’ve never felt like this before either, not here,” was Max’s own confession, and that was true - he hadn’t really fallen for someone yet, even though he’d had his share of flings and experimentations, the whole of his undergrad experience spent figuring out he liked men as much as women. All he remembered in terms of feelings was loving Dorian so much he would do anything for him, so proud of everything he’d accomplished and how much he’d changed, how he’d grown. But it was like Nasir said before, it was muted. Behind glass, something unreachable - Trevelyan wouldn’t love Dorian like that here, it just wasn’t meant to be. He had to open his heart for the possibility of something new. “So does this mean you’ll be my boyfrrrrrfffff....fuck - “
Not the most romantic interjection, but a spider was definitely on his seven. And his ten, his two, also right at midnight - because they all dropped from the ceiling, as they were apt to do.
He jumped back, grabbing for the staff - then flipped it around, a spin of the weapon that he brought back down, casting a barrier spell. Not for himself, but for Nasir - the ground around him lit up in a flash of white runes, the energy surrounding him shimmering like heat on asphalt, resembling a force field. “Be careful!” Max reminded him, and now with the barrier it would absorb any damage, rather than him absorbing damage. It was generally a good maneuver, casting the barriers around the ones who were considered tanks since they were in the thick of things.
Nasir was about to say yes, or maybe just tackle Max and kiss him a lot, but that was slightly interrupted by the arrival of the spiders. Already buzzing from the conversation they were having, he was all afire to just start in on some spider punching when there was a sudden rush of energy around him.
It was hard to describe exactly what it felt like - the air was different with some kind of presence. Not thick and hanging over him, and definitely not hindering him in any way. He felt safer, actually, especially since he knew this one - Dorian had practiced it on him, before. A warm rush of affection coursed through him, and he looked up as the first spider came scuttling at him, snarling at it before rushing in.
They were bigger than he’d expected, but, well, Nasir was used to fighting things bigger than him. Whether it was a guy mouthing off at the gym about his height or appearance or whatever, or a spider, or the sometimes terrifying weight of his own past, he was used to dealing with it all. And sure, his technique was maybe not the best - he still had a lot of learning to do, after all, but he had the fire of a seasoned fighter, and a lot of shit to work through.
Was that a snarl or a hiss, Nasir? Max would have teased him, but alas, not the time - there were just so many spiders, so many, and did Trevelyan mention how much he hated spiders? Because he really did - whether they were teeny tiny or the size of large dogs, he just despised them.
The way he twisted and spun the Staff of Corruption was instinctual - blast after blast of magic, here and there, magic that was a flash of color and sound, the targets catching on fire. They went up in a heat flash that was searing, scorching to the retinas, and a skittering spider marked with a blazing spell left a trail of flames in its wake - before it too exploded in a literal inferno.
“You’re going to be covered in spider guts, you do realize?” Max called over the fray - well, he supposed he didn’t mind. It was endearing.
If there was one thing Nasir was good at, it was focusing on a task. He’d often been praised for it before. and it was coming in handy now because seriously, the ability to explode spiders should not be anything approaching attractive. And yet it was. Nasir had it bad.
He plowed through the second spider and onto the next. Max, despite his fear, seemed to be dealing quite well with the rest of them, although one exploded a little too close to him and left him positively drenched in spider innards. “I’ve been covered in worse,” he shouted back, before tackling a spider and getting it on its back to do his best to punch its face in. It tried to bite him but the spell kept it from doing any damage - which was good because it seemed like it wanted to tear him to pieces. He pulled his fist back and punched it, then kept doing it until it’s legs quit kicking. He gave it one last good hit for good measure before climbing off it. “Like sushi. Do you know how weird sushi is when it’s on you?”
Nasir, getting spiders on their backs. And literally punching them in all of their eight-legged creepy-crawliness. Max would be bragging about this later to anyone who would listen. For now, he had to adjust himself in his armor - because it was hot in here, and not simply due to the flashfire.
“I really want to hear that story. About why you were covered in sushi, because my mind isn’t going to clean places.”
To get rid of the last of them, he lifted the staff and then struck the ground with the end of it - the result was a purple flash; in the center of the circle the apparition of a skull floated above forebodingly and then when it disappeared the magic rippled outward and touched the remaining spiders with spirit mark. Now the space was sort of tripled by spiders - because the spirits of the dead ones appeared and began targeting the ones marked.
Max would just let them take care of each other - spider wars, going at it. Until they were all dead and the corpses remained.
“Ugh,” he shuddered. “I...hate...spiders.” And he was visibly twitching, so it was true.
“People were eating it off me, and it was just - so gross. Slimy. And cold!” Nasir gave an exaggerated shudder.
He jumped as the skull appeared, and all but ran to Max’s side when the dead spiders started coming back to life - a strategic retreat, he would call it, because he could deal with spiders but he was pretty sure spider ghosts were a little outside of his abilities. But they seemed - friendly was not the right word to use, but con-combatant against the two of them. The rest of the spiders were not going to have a good time, it seemed.
Nasir took Max’s hand again. “Spider on spider violence. What has the world come to? Fun though,” he pronounced with a grin. “And, for the record? Yes.”
“I had a feeling you’d think it was fun,” Max chuckled, catching his breath. Now that they were surrounded by spider corpses, which was oh-so-romantic. Not like it seemed to matter that he did try to catch his breath, however, because he pulled Nasir closer and kissed him - what he was covered in was inconsequential (and Trevelyan’s attire wasn’t exactly pristine either) because despite the sweat and gore, he just wanted a kiss anyway.
Walking around covered in blood and guts was kind of a thing in Thedas. Probably in the era of Nasir’s dreamworld too, so who cared?
Max’s hands splayed on his back, holding him as close as possible against the leather and softer materials of his armor - it wasn’t chainmail by any means, just a lot of material crafted with a bit of magic, meant to be worn by the ones with that connection to the Fade. “Yes you’ll be my boyfriend? And let me eat sushi off of you?” Maybe not that. “Sounds kinky.”
“Most fun I’ve had in a while. And sorely needed. Thank you.” Nasir kissed him back, hardly minding the mess. In his dreams, dirt and viscera seemed to be standard accessories at any given time. Besides, he hadn’t been kissed much in his life before this, and he was making up for lost time.
He rolled his eyes at the comment. “Sushi, no. I’m sure we can find something else, though,” he all but purred. His hands found purchase on Max’s chest, toying with the fine material of his armor. “I like this. Makes you look delicious.”
“Delicious?” Max repeated, eyebrow quirking. He wasn’t expecting that, when he’d worn the armor gifted to him by whatever dream fairy forces brought things - but it was a nice bonus, he had to admit. Made him blush a little. “I hate to disappoint, but as soon as we find a fountain it’s coming off so I can bathe.”
Surviving in the Deep Roads for long periods of time was a tricky thing, but dwarves had managed, it was part of their culture and history - and Trevelyan didn’t intend to be here for very long. But in various old thaigs, those underground settlements, there were fountains with fresh running water - magical in nature, of course. Some of them had been destroyed and lost to Darkspawn in Thedas but here, he doubted it since so far they’d gotten lucky with the lack of Darkspawn.
“Up for some more exploring?” he asked, hand covering one of Nasir’s, thumb stroking along the back of it.
Nasir couldn’t help a mischievous little grin, stroking his thumb over that blush. “You naked? That’ll be even better.”
He ducked his head at the vaguely ticklish but not at all unpleasant feeling. “With you? Always.” There was a layer or two extra behind that statement, but he could ignore that for now. “But, and I hate to admit this, I’m going to need to rest a little before I go punch any more particularly large spiders.”
“We shouldn’t run into any more on the way - I hope,” Max tacked on there, chuckling warmly. “And you just want to see me naked, don’t you?” Not like the Inquisitor was complaining, not at all.
And he knew he shouldn’t be curious about what else was down here, but he sort of was. Especially since Hawke had told him about everything he’d faced - not just the room full of riches, but the dragon and her babies, not to mention the Deepstalkers they’d both seen. Max didn’t really want to see them again now - their meat was decent if you roasted it but he’d probably just go for burning them to a crisp because ugh.
Continuing on, he turned down one tunnel near where the mushrooms had been, because he knew he’d find the lyrium here. “Look,” he motioned, toward where a bright blue glow - bluer than anything he’d ever seen, like azure crystals charged with energy - emanated from around the corner; the spiraling, twisting growths looked like nerve endings. Max made sure not to get too close, however.
“It’s a pocket of raw lyrium. Lyrium is...this really dangerous but powerful substance, in Thedas. Only dwarves have a resistance to it so that’s why they mine it down in the Deep Roads but mages use it to strengthen their connection with the Fade, in rituals. In its purest form though, it can kill us if we go near it. Same with Templars - it has to be processed, and it’s used to sort of activate their own abilities,” he explained. “But they get addicted to it, and the Order keeps pushing it on them so they’ll stay loyal. It’s not easy to survive the withdrawal, if you try to quit,” Max added, thinking of Cullen.
Nasir smirked, slinging an arm around Max’s waist as they started deeper into the caverns. “As attractive as the spider guts are, I think naked might be an even better look on you.”
He examined the glowing jewels - it was pretty, if slightly unnatural. He was hesitant to get too close, and apparently for good reason. He tried not to be too obvious about putting himself between Max and the lyrium, nudging him as far away from it as he could. “The Templars sound fun and not at all horrifying. Is it not really well known or do they join anyway?”
“The fear of mages is so widespread, every social ill blamed on magic...Templar abilities are a way to contain and control us,” Max replied, lifting one shoulder in a shrug - he was tenser than he let on, and sort of began side-stepping away from the path that led to the lyrium vein - Nasir didn’t have to do much convincing, though the protective nudges were sweet. “So their own broken system isn’t really given much attention. Some also are forced to join the Order, for various reasons.” There were times when he really couldn’t bring himself to care, trapped in the Circle as he was - a sheltered existence, and he hadn’t been allowed to do anything for himself. But working closely with Cullen showed him that Templars didn’t have it so easy either, not that it made up for the abuse toward mages.
When he saw the fountain, far enough away from the lyrium, he gratefully began stripping down because cleanliness. The belt with the pouches attached came off first, then the sash, then his boots, like he couldn’t get rid of clothing fast enough. “Feel free to join me,” he grinned, since he wasn’t the one punching spiders in the face. Or whatever constituted as a face.
Nasir could sense some of his tension, rubbing his back and sticking close as they skirted around the lyrium. “Why do people hate them so much?”
He rolled his eyes but couldn’t help but smile and started undoing his wraps, folding them neatly before stripping off his tank top. His hand went to his side automatically, feeling the raised skin of the latest ‘gift’ from his dreams - he did it every time he took his shirt off, just to see if maybe it had gone away somehow. So far, it hadn’t yet, unfortunately. He sat on the edge of the fountain as he toed off his shoes, dipping a hand into the water to test the temperature.
It was actually pleasant down near the water - now if only a herd of nasty creatures didn’t decide to stampede by, Max would be happy. He wasn’t much for modesty, or clothes at this point, so he was already in the water and letting it wash off the grime and dirt and spider remnants, for the love of Andraste.
“Because we, they - we in this case,” he included himself in that; Trevelyan had been born a mage, he couldn’t exactly help it, “...have power. Because throughout history, mages with that power in their blood decided that world domination wasn’t enough. They wanted to challenge the Maker himself. There’s this proverb, you know...” He sloshed closer, folding his arms on Nasir’s knees and resting there while he sat at the edge of the pool. “A mage is fire made flesh and a demon asleep.”
One eyebrow lifted menacingly, though he might have been teasing. “Does that worry you?”
Not one to be left out, Nasir shucked his pants and boxers and took the tie out of his hair to try and work some of the more stubborn gunk that had gotten itself tangled in, listening as he worked. He frowned a little, dropping his hands to lace his fingers with Max’s. Whether he was teasing or not, it was a legitimate question - he’d seen some of Max’s power and knew that he hadn’t seen anywhere close to all of it. “I’ve seen quite a few demons in my life,” he said softly. “And you aren’t anywhere close to any of them. Although that devilish little smirk of yours, that’s something else.” He ran a hand up through Max’s hair, tugging a little. “Want me to wash your hair?”
“It was a long time ago anyway. In the Tevinter Imperium...” he murmured, then made a noise which suspiciously resembled a purrrrrr - but fingers in the hair, it was a way to turn Max to putty. And to get his insides all gooey, like melted chocolate chips. “Then every mage was meant to pay the price from then on, I suppose. For being what we are.”
But enough about that, choosing to tug Nasir closer to him instead - and scoot back against the edge of the pool, hooking a leg around him as a way to keep him close. Nudity and the water was a heady combination. “Yes,” he responded to the question, referring to the hair washing. “What devilish little smirk?”
Of course he had to do it again, for emphasis. Winkwink.
“The Tevinter Imperium?” Nasir asked. Or, well, maybe that question wasn’t very important. What was definitely important was Max all but melting in his lap. He smiled and skritched behind his ear. “I mean, world domination and trying to defy god is pretty big. But it hardly seems fair to keep you all locked up. Especially with demons pouring out of the sky. That seems like a good time to have magic on your side.”
He allowed himself to be pulled into the water, settling into Max easily. It was pleasant, much nicer than he would have expected from a fountain in an underground cavern that seemed to be full of things that wanted to kill them. Definitely a little romantic, even. He rolled his eyes and sat up on his knees, pinching Max’s cheek. “You’re cute. Close your eyes and tip your head back.”
Explaining Tevinter was kind of a challenge, though pretty much anything was a challenge at the moment - anything requiring thinking that is. He shifted a little, following instructions, with Max offering himself up for anything Nasir wanted to do to him - his own personal Herald (it was sort of like Jesus, if he wanted to make a joke about it).
“It’s kind of like the Roman Empire. In the way the classes are structured, the way politics are structured - but it’s one of the few places in Thedas where slavery is legalized,” he said. “They take magic and bloodlines very seriously, the whole idea being to create better and more powerful mages. You’d think it’d be safer for mages but it’s really not - considering how obsessed they are with power and having it.” Not everyone in Tevinter was a mage, so he didn’t mean to generalize though - but there were reasons that much of the pitfalls of Thedas could be attributed to the actions of the Imperium.
That nose of his crinkled then, the cheek pinch causing the amused reaction. “How cute am I?” His hands stroked down Nasir’s sides, coming to rest on hipbones that he sort of wanted to nibble on. “Is it cute that I got all hot and bothered watching you beat up spiders?”
Nasir scooped some water into his hands and let it trickle over Max’s hair before letting his fingers thread into it, scrubbing at his scalp and rubbing his temples and down to the hinge of his jaw. He’d picked up a few useful skills in his time - couldn’t feed himself or drive, but he could give an excellent head massage. “That does sound a little like Rome, yeah. At least from what I’ve seen in my dreams. Everything’s about status, and bloodlines, and how much money or how many slaves or shiny things or slaves in shiny things you have. No one’s safe in a world like that.”
He didn’t answer the question, leaning in instead and blowing a raspberry against the side of Max’s neck. And while he was there, he took the opportunity to nip at the join between his neck and shoulder. “It’s pretty cute. Is me wanting to jump you any time you cast a spell cute too?”
“They survived because they’re ruthless. But ultimately no one’s safe in a world like that, you are unfortunately right...I hope it changes. I hope I live long enough to see a little of it.” Max didn’t know what was in store for him and Dorian, but he knew that the latter felt strongly about doing what he could to redeem his homeland - a place he still loved, despite its problems. Whatever happened though, Trevelyan would support him. There was beauty and culture in Tevinter, for all of the bloodshed and horror.
But really, those fingers; they made him rumble and purr like a large cat. He’d gladly stock his partner’s cabinets with real food, teach him to drive, but some skills you just had a knack for - like head massages. Like this one. “You want to jump me everytime I cast a spell?” he chuckled, his own fingers carefully stroking along the scar Nasir had on his side, a light caress of skin. “Also cute. You could just jump me now though, even if I’m not casting anything.” Alright, he did, it wouldn’t be on purpose.
“Maybe you’ll be the one to start it. You seem to be doing things to save the world on the regular. People have to respect that, at least.” Nasir kept running his hands through Max’s hair, feeling him relax little by little as he did and - well he didn’t know what those noises were but they were clearly good. He had to smile as he ran his hands down to rub Max’s shoulders.
“I definitely want to jump you every time you cast a spell. Have you ever seen yourself? It’s an attractive thing. Just saying.” He flinched away from the touch a little - it wasn’t exactly sensitive but he was still wary of it, and also, ticklish - but he was quick to lean back into it. “Oh good, I was hoping it was. Hate to be the only not-cute one around here.”
He sat back at the proposition, raising an eyebrow before shrugging. “If we’re doing this, I’m going to have to insist that I wash the spider guts out of my hair, as sexy as it is.”
Max wasn’t used to being told that casting spells was attractive, given the climate for mages in Thedas and what he was remembering. But it was still flattering to hear, just different. “I haven’t really seen myself when making magic, but I imagine I look like I’m concentrating way too hard, or pretty ridiculous,” he laughed lowly. “Next time you’ll need to wear a hairnet...”
Teasing, as he scooted behind Nasir and began running fingers through that black-as-an-oil slick, guts-tainted mess. “Now you know better.” Yet, he still had luscious locks, which Max would wash for him - first he combed all the nastiness out, then got busy with his own version of the scalp rub, tips of those fingertips digging in slightly, not enough to be painful. Blunt nails even scratched a little too, for the sake of tingly sensations.
“How’s that? Not like you have any trouble being sexy at anytime, you know.”
“Well the good news is that pretty ridiculous looks good on you. Like most things.” Nasir rolled his eyes. “I’ll take spider guts over looking like a lunch lady, thanks. The spiders might judge me, otherwise.”
Nasir let Max start to work on him, letting out a soft moan as those exceptionally talented hands started to run through his hair. He melted back against Max. Maybe that didn’t make the job any easier but goddamn it felt good.
He couldn’t really answer the question when Max got finished and just kind of mumbled at him, but hopefully that got the message across well enough. He finally managed a weak thumbs up, just in case.
“Ridiculous looks good on me? You’re so sweet.” Unfortunately, the location wasn’t the best for a romp - it was uncomfortable in the water, water was not a lubricant, water meant lots of pain and awkwardness, since squeaky clean skin-against-skin led to friction and with nothing there as a buffer? Well. Even if he had thought to bring vials of oil like in ye olden days, the water would just wash it off anyway.
But Trevelyan was all for fondling and making out.
There was another husky chuckle from him, summoning heat to his fingertips - just enough - and with Nasir already melted back against him, it was easy to stroke down the ripple of muscle all on his abdomen, further down to give him a taste of his own medicine. If Max had to fight spiders with an erection, then his booooyyfriend had to wander back to the surface of the earth with one too. “When we get back I think you should fuck me in front of a roaring fire,” he added, teeth grazing Nasir’s neck. “Feeling clean yet?”
Nasir managed to pull himself together long enough to splash Max, but went right back to being a boneless lump as soon as it was accomplished. “Everything looks good on you and you know it,” he grumbled.
He quickly came back to life again when Max touched him, arching up into the touch with a pleasantly surprised gasp. He clutched at Max’s knee and his head tipped back against his shoulder. A soft “Oh!” came out of his mouth, and he rolled his head to look at Max with a slight pout. “That’s cheating. Does being clean mean that this is going to stop or continue? Because that’s going to affect my answer.”
That reaction was what he’d been going for, and Max chuckled, not just nibbling - but he decided he’d stake his claim, maybe make a bruise on Nasir’s neck after deciding where the best place was to latch his mouth onto. And he wasn’t thinking about anyone else, didn’t want to be with anyone else - a lot of his feelings were muddled from dream cross-over but that couldn’t be helped, and as he worked through them he knew who he’d be with when it was all said and done. It was the person he was with now, the one he chose.
“Well, I don’t know,” he murmured, with a low vibration in his throat that was perhaps a laugh, languid strokes up down, palm brushing over the tip - the male cock was a sturdy organ but it wasn’t a race to shoot his spider-punching partner off like a rocket. “I guess that’s up to you. But I kind of like when you pout at me.”
However, he didn’t want to blue ball the man, so he’d stop. There was a difference between teasing and just plain cruelty. “It wouldn’t take long to get back to my place though, so in theory it’d continue.”
Nasir was not against hickies in the slightest, and if he could get his mind off the track of more-more-more-don’tstop-more for a few seconds he’d certainly consider giving Max one. Turned out he was a little possessive, apparently, but he was pretty sure that was okay. Right after he’d been freed, he couldn’t stand people touching him. Even someone brushing by him in a crowd was enough to set him off. He’d felt constantly bruised, raw and open and pained. But he’d been working on it, working himself toward a place where he could be okay with contact again, to enjoy it, even, and here, writhing under Max’s touch, was proof that he was succeeding. He’d had too much taken away from him and he wasn’t letting anyone get their hands on anything of his again. He’d earned it.
Pouting? Pouting he could manage. But a more tempting offer was laid before him and he wrapped his fingers around Max’s wrist, pulling his hand away from his cock. “You did say something about a fire, didn’t you?” he said, turning his head to nose along Max’s jaw. “And what I could do to you in front of it?”
“Right, because I’ve got that crackling fireplace...” His fingers curled around Nasir’s instead, linking their hands. “That you could fuck me by.” Such language, Inquisitor, but not like he cared. “I think that’s what I was saying.”
Emerging into the fresh air again would be nice, after a bout of working off aggression and working up a carnal lust - and good things were to come, anyway. Nuzzling back at Nasir, Max planted a kiss or two on him before scooting away to climb out of the water and reach for the clothing he’d discarded. “I promise our Disney trip will be a little more...low key,” he said. “But I’m glad you had fun with this otherwise.”
“That does sound like what you were saying.” Nasir pressed one last kiss to Max’s jaw, sneaking in a quick nip of one particular tendon in his neck which looked positively delicious, before pulling away as well. He was reluctant to get out of the water, pleasant as it was, so he gave himself a few moments to calm down and watch Max redress, folding his arms on the edge of the fountain and taking the opportunity to openly ogle. “You mean you aren’t taking me to punch the Mouse? Damn, there go my plans.”
Max rolled his eyes fondly. “You would punch the Mouse.” His armor wasn’t all that intricate - not compared to some, anyway, just a lot of clasps and buttons to fasten on the front, and to make sure all the pieces were in the right spot. But he’d gladly give Nasir a show, taunting with all that birthday suit nakedness before he was unfortunately all covered up.
“Ready?” he grinned, a bit of a flush touching the tops of cheekbones from all the heat and activities, as he slung the Staff of Corruption across his back, in its holder and ready to grab in case he needed to swing it around and down for some channeling of magic.
Nasir sighed, slightly overdramatic, and pushed himself to his feet, letting Max get a good eyeful of him while he rung out his hair and tied it back up so it wouldn’t drip on his neck, before stepping out to redress himself. If he had to adjust himself a little to keep his semi from being too obvious for the walk home, well, you had to do what you had to do.
Straightening his shirt, he slung an arm around Max’s waist. “Let’s get out of here. You’ve got a promise to keep.”