Q. (themaladjusted) wrote in valloic, @ 2022-05-21 14:02:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !: action/thread/log, ₴ inactive: eliot waugh |
WHAT A stargazing date + magic
WHEN Backdated to April 25th
WHERE The Fillory cottage
WARNINGS N/A, but it is fluffy af
STATUS Complete
Quentin grinned as he unfurled the quilt, laying it out on the grass at the edge of the mosaic. He'd rushed through the kitchen to grab a few provisions (snacks, wine, weed, etc) and shoved them into his backpack before they made their way to their cottage. He'd pulled out the makeshift tiki torches and lit them, but only enough so that they could see a path from where they were to the door of the small house.
"It's kind of weird to me how warm it's already getting when it's still April. Like, fuck, if this was New York? I'd still be bundled up in a coat or something. There'd probably be snow on the ground because spring doesn't know how to make up its mind there." He chuckled as he settled on the quilt and started rummaging through his bag, grabbing two plastic cups and the wine he'd snatched. "Want some?" he asked, holding up the bottle to Eliot.
"It is," Eliot agreed while helping spread out the blanket. Warm, but not hot and a gentle breeze just barely there. "Perfect for stargazing." Taking off his shoes he settled onto the blanket. "New York is a place unto her own. You're probably right, it probably is still cold with snow there." Eliot didn't let his thoughts linger on 'home' though.
"Yeah, that'd be good." He took one of the cups and held it out for Quentin to fill. "The tiki torches are a nice touch." It was all so reminiscent of that night. "Should we make a toast?"
Quentin carefully poured wine into the cup that Eliot held out to him before filling his own and setting the bottle aside. He smiled, glancing back over at the tiki torches. "It'd feel wrong to use like, actual lights, you know? Kind of ruins the ambiance of this place." He chuckled and reached over with his own cup, holding it close to Eliot's. "Hmmm. A toast to us? How about... to navigating the bullshit of this place together, its ups and downs, our own ups and downs, and making it through to a betterness -- even though that's not really a word -- on the other side." The smile on his lips brightened a little and he looked up at the other man. "Anything you want to add, love?"
"I know what you mean," Eliot smiled. Each time they came to the cottage it was almost like being transported back in time to the time they'd spent in Fillory. It was a harder life compared to the modern world, but they had found happiness unlike they'd ever experienced.
"Well said." They had come through to the other side, a better place. He fell silent for a few moments. "To our future and all the beautiful things it holds." Eliot clinked his glass against Quentin's then took a drink. "The beauty of all life," he said softly, smiling to himself then looked over to Quentin. "If you could have Teddy here with us right now, would you do it?"
"I have a good feeling it's going to hold a plethora of beautiful things." Quentin smiled at that, at the thought of what their future would bring the both of them, and he gently tapped his own cup against Eliot's before drinking. Then he set it aside, next to him, and leaned back against his hands to look up at the sky. The cottage had always been in the perfect little clearing in Fillory and that was no different here.
The beauty of all life. It had been fifty years of a near perfect life with people he loved. What could someone ask more of? "My gut reaction is to say yes, even though we've already gotten to raise him, and... fuck. We raised him so well, didn't we?" he asked with a smile, the memories coming to the surface as he thought about it. "I'd love to get the chance to raise him again. To spend even more time with him. But, I don't know. Is that kind of selfish of me? We had that life, but... I miss our son, too."
Eliot believed that as well. "Many things, I hope." He finished off the wine then laid back and looked up at the star filled sky. It made him feel anything and everything was possible in that moment. He felt good, really. He'd been thinking about ending his sessions, but had decided against it for now. It was too soon.
"We did raise him well. He was very loved, taught well and had a caring family. You can't ask for much more." For Eliot those memories would never be forgotten, forever treasured. "I don't think it's selfish in the least. We didn't remember everything, I don't think we could, so getting the chance to spend more time with him, to raise him again seems a natural want to me." He did wonder how Teddy would do being raised in a modern world as opposed to Fillory. He didn't believe it would change at his core.
"We did a good job, didn't we?" he asked quietly as he continued to look up at the sky. He was glad that the forest was far enough away from the city center that the light pollution was minimal; it made for easy star gazing, even if the stars did seem different from their own. He supposed that was only fair given the fact that they weren't even in the same galaxy, probably. "And there's enough other kids here that... you know, he would've gotten to go to school, and probably learn more magic." Quentin sighed quietly to himself, just thinking about it, and then finally moved his hands to settle and lay down beside Eliot. "But we can also, probably, take some comfort in knowing that a piece of us continued on in Fillory, you know? We have a family out there, somewhere."
They had, striving to give Teddy what they had lacked in their own families. While Eliot had never really given thought to being a father, it was without doubt the best "job" he'd ever had and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
It made him a bit sad to think about them having family somewhere in Fillory. Family they'd never know. "He would have liked all of that," Eliot replied softly. "I guess it's good to know that somewhere out there we have family, that maybe in some way we'll go on forever." He reached for Quentin's hand and laced their fingers together, giving it a squeeze. After the surreal Fillory dream he found himself missing Teddy more, thinking about him more.
"We should do some magic." Eliot still had yet to do any since he'd begun moving to a better place, feeling better.
"I think he would have, too. Not that he was lacking for much in Fillory, though." They'd taught him everything and raised him to the best of their ability, which had been pretty damn well, as far as Quentin was concerned. The thought was lingering in his mind when he felt Eliot take his hand and he smiled, squeezing it back gently before turning his head to look over at him.
"Yeah?" he asked softly in response, a hint of excitement in his voice. He knew that magic was something Eliot hadn't done much of at all since arriving in Vallo, so the fact that he wanted to now? Quentin felt like he knew the importance of that. "I'd really like that. Is there anything specific you want to do?"
"He had a very good life with nothing lacking." Well, there was the obvious, but he wasn't going to bring that up for many reasons. "We had the best life, and that's all that matters."
Eliot sat up feeling that buzz of excitement inside that he hadn't felt in quite a while. Maybe magic did come from pain, but it didn't have to always be that way. He looked up. "Illusion magic. Let's change the color of the stars and bring the moon closer to us. And I want a waterfall coming from the stars. And then I want to dance with you. How does that sound?"
Quentin couldn’t help grinning at Eliot’s sudden excitement over the prospect of doing magic again for the first time in a while. “I was thinking of illusion magic, too, and I love the idea of a dance.” He chuckled softly and sat up then, looking up toward the clearing in the trees. Then he brought his hands up and did a short series of tuts, watching as the moon appeared to grow larger before simply being plucked from the sky and brought down toward them as if it was a light over the mosaic. “Okay, that looks really fucking cool,” he remarked with a laugh. “Never did anything quite like this before.”
Eliot watched Quentin, watched as he pulled the moon down as if were simply plucking an apple from a tree. The moonlight on the mosaic was beautiful. "It looks amazing." He took a deep breath, lifted his hands and began his own tuts, first to pull the stars a little closer then to change their color. The changed to a rainbow of twinkling light and Eliot laughed as he stared at them, smiling. "I like all the colors, but it's clashing with the moon." He did another series of finger movements and they changed to a glittery, sparkling blue/gray color.
"Perfect." Now for the waterfall. Eliot stood and began a new set of tuts. Magically a waterfall appeared cascading from the heavens. "I love it!" He yelled out then turned to Quentin, pulled him to his feet, wrapped his arms around him then spun him around, laughing before sitting him down. He leaned in and kissed him deeply then touched his forehead against Quentin's, smiling like a loon. "It's beautiful and perfect, and felt damn good," he said with a grin.
Illusion magic had always been enjoyable for things like this, but it wasn’t something he actively partook in, for whatever reason. But this? It was perfect. He grinned, looking up at the faux moon that hung over them before turning to look at Eliot as he did his tuts. The stars enveloped the sky above them and twinkled in a burst of color. First all colors and then blue and gray; it was breathtaking. Not only the magic itself, but watching Eliot do magic again.
He laughed though when Eliot pulled him to his feet excitedly and spun him around, before smiling against the kiss as he returned it happily. “You’re amazing,” he replied with a grin, reaching up to gently caress his cheek for a moment. “Let’s dance, yeah? Then we can do more magic. I— I’m proud of you. For this. I know how hard it’s been, El.”
"I have my moments," Eliot replied with a grin. The expression on his face softened at the touch to his cheek. "Thank you. You were the only one who could bring me back to it," he said sincerely. He leaned in for another kiss. "You always believed in me," he whispered against his lips.
"I'm ready, but first a song." He took a step back and pulled out his phone. He did some searching then sat it down as the music began. "Maybe I'll show you how I pull a rabbit out of a hat," he chuckled softly. Eliot slid his arms around Quentin pulling him close as they slowly moved to the music. He closed his eyes letting the warm, gentle moment wash over him, relishing holding Quentin in his arms.
"A rabbit, huh?" he inquired with a chuckle of his own. Quentin let himself sink into the embrace, his own arms finding their way around Eliot as he leaned into him, head resting gently against his shoulder as they slow danced. After a moment of quiet, of listening to the music and just enjoying this, he moved his head a bit closer to nudge his nose against Eliot's jawline gently. "I will always believe in you," he said quietly, before tilting his chin and pressing a soft kiss where his nose had been. "I love you so much."
"Mmhm, a rabbit." Eliot opened his eyes to take in the scene, smiling again. This moment felt so good, like the world melted away and it was just them. Why couldn't it always be like this? He sighed contently and turned his head slightly at the nudge that was followed by a kiss. "I know, Q." He'd always known. "I love you more."
He kissed Quentin softly then pulled him close once more. Even as the music faded and the sounds of the night took over once more, Eliot kept his arms around Quentin slowly swaying, not yet wanting to let go of the moment.
Quentin smiled, scrunching his nose a little. “I don’t know if it’s possible for you to love me more than I love you,” he replied softly. “Equally, though? Absolutely.” Because Quentin loved him more than he’d ever thought it possible to love someone.
The kiss was returned before he settled against him, eyes closed as they moved to the music. He hadn’t even noticed the song ending; instead he just kept swaying with him, dancing slowly to the sound of the forest around them now instead. After a moment he pulled his head back and looked up at Eliot with fondness. “Tell me something that you like about yourself.”
"Oh?" Eliot grinned, giving Quentin a squeeze. "I can go with loving equally. And maybe sometimes I love you more," he added with a soft chuckle. He was definitely in the feels tonight and wasn't going to shy away from them.
In his mind other music played on as they danced. It was only interrupted when Quentin spoke. The question came out of the blue and Eliot thought for a moment before he answered. "I like my sense of style. You have to admit it's pretty good for a kid who grew up on a farm." Perhaps Quentin was looking for something deeper. If he asked for something else, he'd answer. The question made him think though. What did he like about himself? More often than not he was picking apart his flaws, his shortcomings, his failures.
Quentin didn't want Eliot to shy away from his feelings at all and he smiled back, more than happy to settle on that compromise. If Eliot sometimes loved him more, well, then other times maybe Quentin loved him more. It was just a bit of give and get, wasn't it?
"You do have really good style, especially for an Indiana farm boy, but I meant something less superficial than just your clothing." He chuckled a little and then leaned in again, his head resting on his shoulder. "Like... I love how loyal you are to those you love. You're the type who's willing to do anything to protect someone you care about and I think that's a really good trait to have, even if it might not feel that way sometimes."
"Thank you," Eliot replied quietly. He tried to be. His friends had become his family, but he knew he fell short of being loyal at times. He would do anything for those he loved and cared about. The circle grew smaller with time though. A great wave of sadness came over him. Why did it feel like he'd suddenly dropped into a therapy session? Fuck.
Eliot cleared his throat. "I like my sense of humor. I like that I don't give up even when I want to. How about some more wine?" He stepped back, pulled Quentin back to the blanket and sat down. Reaching for their cups he filled Quentin's and handed it to him then his own which he drank deeply from.
"Both of those are really good traits to have, too. Not giving up is especially hard sometimes and I know that."
He let Eliot lead him back to the blanket to sit down and when his cup was refilled, he took a small sip before setting it aside and looking over at the other man. "I'm sorry if that got kind of heavy. It wasn't my intention," he said softly, reaching over to brush his fingertips over Eliot's arm. Then he patted his leg, the cushy part of his thigh as an invitation for a makeshift pillow. "Lay down? I want to play with your hair, if that's okay."
Eliot finished off his wine, gave thought to more, but set the cup aside. "It's okay, I know you didn't. I just got to thinking and right now I just want to enjoy this moment." He smiled then shifted to lay his head in Quentin's lap, stretching out his long legs. He looked to the moon, stars and waterfall, calming and beautiful.
"Summer will be here before you know it. We need to get started on the garden this weekend. Get everything planted with the help of magic," he grinned. "Just to plow. We do planting. We need to get flowers and the tree for your dad's memorial, too."
“Then we’ll enjoy the moment.” Quentin’s response was soft but gentle and as Eliot laid down, settling his head in his lap, Quentin reached down to let his fingers slowly comb back through the curls on his head. He smiled as he watched the other man, his fingers continuously moving, pushing through the thickness slowly, tenderly.
“I think planting the garden this weekend is perfect. We can go pick up some starters from a garden store, and maybe any other supplies. Dirt, obviously, and lots of it. And I think we should add some stepping stones leading to the memorial, maybe. Or something. Maybe even just bricks around it to kind of section it off from whatever renovations we plan on doing out back. How does that sound?”
They would, he would. Eliot hummed contently as fingers stroked through his hair. It was utterly relaxing and if he'd let himself, he was sure he could fall asleep. "Feels good, beautiful." He smiled up at Quentin. "If only you were feeding me grapes it would be perfect," he joked, laughing then winking.
"Why would we need lots of dirt?" Eliot raised an eyebrow looking up at Quentin. "Yes, we'll need some soil if you want to plant some flowers in planters and such. And if you want to enrich the soil for the tree and flowers of the memorial, but that won't take lots. We can also add a layer of topsoil after the first tilling." Even though he'd grown up on a farm and knew his way around a garden Eliot was in no way trying to come off like a know it all. "I think some stepping stones would be great. We can't put a brick wall around it. The flowers will need sunlight. Maybe something like a gate or wooden privacy fence between the memorial and the renovations?"
"I've also been thinking that we really need to slim down our list of vegetables. Four or five is recommended for a beginner garden. Gardens can be a lot of work with weeding, thinning it out and general upkeep. I was thinking we could each pick two vegetables we want to plant. We can still do some herbs in containers or planters if you'd like also."
He could tell just how relaxed Eliot was becoming as his fingers worked through his hair with gentle movements; Quentin loved to see it. To see Eliot just so calm and content. "Maybe I'll find you a cabana boy for the summer," he teased, chuckling himself. "I'll feed you grapes and he can fan you. How's that sound?"
Truthfully... well, he'd only assumed they'd need lots of dirt. Gardening wasn't really something he had experience with, not with having been raised in New York City. "Oh, well. I guess that makes sense. I mean, I've never really made a garden before, but I suppose you do just kind of use the dirt that's already there, huh? But a gate or a fence works, too. For the memorial." He shrugged a little, but smiled and let one hand move from Eliot's hair to find one of his hands, threading their fingers together easily.
"Herbs are definitely something I want to do. Or try, anyway. But slimming down our vegetable options is a good idea. We probably shouldn't overload ourselves in keeping that going while also doing renovations, you know? What are you thinking you'd want to plant then?"
"Don't tease me, Coldwater." Eliot grinned up at him then pulled their laced hands to his lips and kissed over Quentin's knuckles. "The only cabana boy I want feeding me grapes and fanning me is you. We just need to work on getting you a loin cloth which would be optional."
Eliot shifted then sat up. "You can add to the dirt already there once plowed like I said. Some do, some don't." Eliot just stared at Quentin for a few long moments. "We can put up whatever you'd like for the memorial. Gate, fence, bricks. We can look at things online later. I want to plant cucumbers and tomatoes. You get to pick the other two veggies. A little bit of advice", he leaned a little closer, "I know you wanted to plant potatoes, but they're not a good beginner gardening/gardener vegetable. I'd suggest you pick something else. We'll get you some experience then throw you in the deep end of the garden," he smiled, pressing a soft kiss to Quentin's jaw.
Pulling back Eliot once again stared at Quentin. "I love you. Right now you're making my heart beat faster." He reached for his hand and placed it over his heart. "Because I'm so damn happy right now. I needed to say that." It was sappy as fuck, but he didn't care. Moments had been so few and far between in the last several months.
Quentin's face went screwy for a brief moment at the mental image and then he let out a laugh, shaking his head. "My hairy self does not need to be in a loincloth," he joked, though he was still grinning. "But I suppose if it's for your eyes only..."
He watched as Eliot shifted to sit up and raised an eyebrow slightly, out of curiosity; his body language was not matching what was coming out of his mouth and the discussion of vegetables mixed with the way he was looking at him was causing any thought of what he wanted to try and grow to fly far from his mind. But he smiled, eyes drifting shut for a moment when that kiss was placed to his jaw, and he chuckled softly. "Maybe a squash of some kind? Peppers? I dunno. I'll think on it."
The smile on his face brightened though as his hand was pulled over to Eliot's chest and he could feel the gentle beating under his palm. "I love you," he replied, before leaning over to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, then his chin, and finally his lips. "I'm glad you said it, because the happiness is so fucking mutual, Eliot."
Eliot grabbed Quentin's chin and pulled it up to look in his eyes. "Don't ever say that." His touch and words quickly softened. "You're the most beautiful and sexy man in the world. I love you just the way you are." He moved to caress his cheek. "I'd have you in a loin cloth or naked all the time if I could get you to agree to it." A smile spread across his face. "I'm a perv and there's no shame in my game." He laughed and kissed Quentin deeply. "I think butternut squash. It's easy enough. And peppers sound perfect."
Happy seemed like such a foreign word to him, to them, but at the moment Eliot felt like it was coursing through him like a rocket. It felt amazing. "We have so much to look forward to." Eliot slid his fingers through Quentin's hair, tucking a bit behind his ear before kissing him deeply. The kind of kiss that left them breathless. "What do you say we head home and I spend the rest of the night holding and kissing you."
"You are a perv, but so am I." Quentin grinned and leaned in to meet him at the kiss, smiling and relaxing into it as it lingered. "And if you want me naked around the cottage more, I'm happy to oblige. Clothes are a fucking nuisance most of the time, anyway." Then he nudged his nose against his sweetly before pulling back just enough to look at him, smiling. "Butternut squash and peppers it is."
When Eliot's fingers sifted through his hair, he closed his eyes and leaned his head into his touch before finding himself being kissed breathless again. That pulled a happy, content sort of noise from him and as it continued, he shifted and had nearly crawled into Eliot's lap before it broke. "I think that sounds like a really good idea," he agreed quietly, leaning in again to kiss him once more. "A really, really good idea. Though," and another kiss, "I can't seem to stop," another, "kissing you now."
"Mmm, well that was easy enough. Ask and I shall receive." Eliot smirked then let out a chuckle. "I want to see more of pervy Quentin. Get you using dirty talk more. You should talk dirty to me on the way home. It will be dark, you'll be covered if you get embarrassed."
Eliot couldn't help grinning into the kiss when Quentin practically crawled into his lap. "Well, I thought it was a good idea, too." He smiled between the kisses. "I don't mind if you can't stop." He slid his hands to the back of Quentin's neck, kissing him deeply once more. A soft moan escaped him. He loved kissing. As he trailed kisses down Quentin's jaw and downward he paused. He pulled the neck of his shirt to the side. "Still there," he smiled. The mark he'd given Quentin was fading, but still noticeable.
"Oh God. I'm so bad at dirty talk though," he said through another laugh, though he could already feel his cheeks starting to flush a little at the thought. "I feel like that's one of the things where sex is concerned that I need some guidance on, for sure. You're way better at it than I am." It didn't help that Quentin was just a literal walking anxiety attack at any given moment, either.
Quentin's back arched slightly when he felt Eliot's hands move over his neck, pulling him in closer to kiss him harder. He smiled and teasingly rolled his hips down against his lap, chuckling to himself as the kiss broke. "Mm, yeah, but I know it's a lot lighter than it was. Maybe you should do it again." He paused and the grin on his lips widened a little, pulling his head back enough to look at Eliot, he raised an eyebrow. His eyes darkened with lust and he leaned in again to nip at Eliot's lower lap. "In fact, I demand it. Mark me again."
"Which is precisely why you need to practice, darling." Eliot couldn't help smirking then stealing a quick kiss. "We'll practice together, but you will go first. You have to jump in the deep end sometime, beautiful."
Eliot bit back a groan when Quentin rolled his hips. "You're so bad," he spoke against his lips, "but I like it." The look in Quentin's eyes when he pulled was dark and lusty, he liked that too. "You demand it? That's so sexy." Very sexy. Especially coming from Quentin. He kissed the fading mark then nipped at it. "That's not something you do out here, Q. I'll mark you from head to toe at home." He grinned, kissed him once more then eased Quentin from his lap and stood up. He closed out the illusion magic and began gathering things up.
Quentin breathed out a quiet, content sound at the stolen kiss and then gave a playful roll of his eyes. "Just don't laugh at me and my inability to talk dirty," he said with a chuckle and a small shake of his head. But then the conversation veered a little at the roll of his hips and the demand to be re-marked. "I do demand it, yes, but I guess I can wait 'til we get home."
He shifted and moved to stand when Eliot eased him from his lap, helping to gather the things they'd brought and set them aside before focusing on the quilt he'd laid out from the smaller cottage near them. He folded it neatly, carefully, and then walked over to El to reach up onto his toes and steal another kiss with a smile. "I'm going to go and put this away," he said, holding up the quilt briefly, "and then we can head home, love."