WHAT. Del has no concept of personal space but thatâs ok cause he learns some new skincare stuff for it. WHERE. Their bathroom! WHEN. This morning! WARNINGS. Itâs PG-13 but suggestive, and FTB. Thereâs kissinâ STATUS. Complete!
The mornings didn't feel so fraught. The night didn't feel so lonely. Del was still woefully incapable of sleeping in a bed for long periods of time, but he was finding himself coaxed into being horizontal more often because of Eli and Cayden. He wasn't embarrassed to look at them with hungry stares and greedy unspoken desires anymore. There would be a moment where he would second guess a gesture or a touch, and while kissing had not become a regular occurrenceâonly because his body would forget that he couldâit continued to happen. Slowly, curiously, tentatively.
There were still times Del would barge into a room, demanding attention in the same full-bodied draconic type way. He was still loud and blunt and moody. Nothing about him was different, just released. He imagined it might hold the same sense of relief if he was no longer in this mortal body, but one thing at a time. One day at a time. Because time now, between the three of them, was so dangerously precious.
Except that right now, Del had been pacing furiously for Eli to come out of the bathroom. This was not new, hardly different. But what changed was that Del was no longer willing to politely wait until Eli was done getting ready. Before there had been a fine line between them, and Del had not wanted to come anywhere near it, knowing full well it added to the complex that he gave Eli about not wanting to be around him. Del always did, it was mentally consuming.
But this was where things were different. Waiting was not an option. "I'm coming in," was all Del managed to say before he did come into the bathroom. He needed to take a shower, and the closest he felt to himself was when he was standing under the spray of water that was inhumanly hot.
"Pay no attention to me, I'll be quick. Continue to do what you do in here," Del said, as he promptly tossed his clothes and slid, almost shyly, into the shower. His eyes were purposely averted away from Eli at the sink. He was thankful that the steam from Eli's previous shower, though dissipating, still lingered enough to give him some privacy. He was still abnormally reluctant about his own body on display when it wasn't on purpose.
With the water on again, beating scorchingly into his back, Del asked over the noise, "What is it that you do in here? I've wondered."
It was probably a good thing Eli was a master at tweezing his eyebrows, because they moved too much as Del entered the bathroom, then stripped, then entered the shower. This had happened before, and every single time it took every ounce of his willpower to not jump in the shower with the dragon, or have to excuse himself to stick his head in a bucket of ice.
Eli knew he took more time than the usual man in the bathroom, and he wasnât sorry about it. âI donât just naturally look this hot and have this perfect skin, you know.â His little array of pots was out on the sink, in order. But he still had to finish tweezing his eyebrows. âAlso if I let these go more than a few days, Iâm pretty sure theyâd overtake my face.â
Pull, pull, pull. Heâd gotten used to the pain over the years, at least, so it was nothing to quickly ghost over the tiny hairs over his eyes. It helped distract him from the want settling in his stomach to look over. See what he could glean from looking through the steam.
It was no more of an invasion of privacy than Del just barging in, right? He risked a quick glance towards the shower. âHave you ever even used moisturizer? Exfoliant? Lip scrub?â
Without missing a beat, Del said, "I would still find you beautiful." For a brief moment, he thought he shouldn't. That was an old habit of not speaking honestly with Eli before. And then he realized it might be too much to say now when they had just restructured how they thought and spoke to one another. Del had made this so much more complicated when he didn't need to.
What he needed to do now was show Eli that every moment, every goddamn second, he had thought that Del didn't want him, Del had. He had bit his tongue so hard it bled in order not to voice his needy wants. So no, he wasn't going to lessen his wants.
Del's expression soured under the spray as he considered Eli's questions, though. But the answer was the same for all. "No. I haven't seen the need. Or had the opportunity," Del said, picking back up where he left off which was scrubbing shampoo furiously into his hair. He never stopped feeling strange about hygiene; not that he was against it, but there were so many places on this body and things to do, that he got overwhelmed quickly and was economical with what he did in the shower. Passable for public consumption. There had been times thoughâbefore Eli, before Caydenâwhere passable wasn't an option at all.
With suds in his eyes and the shampoo barely out of his hair, Del poked his head out from the shower door. "Do I need a lip scrub? Are mine not, uh..." Shit he didn't know how to ask if his mouth was not good enough for kissing, now that that was something they had on the table. "Nevermind."
Eli flushed, and Del couldnât even see it from his spot in the shower. Cayden called him beautiful a lot and it warmed him all the same as this compliment did. He was a vain creature, especially if his skincare routine was any indication of it. But he had endless amounts of product, and then Del was presenting his head as if it was an offering and Eli was grinning.
âEveryone needs lip scrub, câmere.â He didnât actually want Del to step out - Eli probably couldnât have handled the full nudity right now anyway - but he could bring himself to the edge of the shower, tiny pot in hand. It smelled like watermelon, and looked like pink sand. Eli dipped his finger in and then brought it to Delâs damp lips and spread the sugar scrub around on the surface. Back and forth, slowly. It wasnât the first time Eli had thought about Delâs nice lips - not even the hundredth time.
After about fifteen seconds, Eli stepped back and screwed the pot lid back on. âAlright, now just rub your lips together some, and then rinse it off. Now you canât say youâve never used lip scrub.â He pointed to Delâs sudsy hair, âBesides, arenât you the one that keeps stealing my shampoo and soap?â
Panic seized him. Del was unable to move. Didn't want to move. He liked Eli near him, enjoyed the presence of him in every room. And now this close, with little in between, Del thought he might never move again. Being rooted forever under the hot water and the enticing stare of Eli was not a terrible way to spend his remaining immortality, if this had to be it.
So, Del went from wildly animated to uncharacteristically still under Eli's touch, despite a pleasantly warm desire pushing for him to take more than just the gentle rub against his lips. Del wanted to devour him whole. These were not thoughts he thought were appropriate for the bathroom. They, maybe, required more clothes first.
He made a small displeased noise when Eli was done, but then experimentally rubbed his lips together because listening to directions was not Del's forte. "I like the way it tastes, how are you not supposed to eat itâ" was his outloud musing as he disappeared back into the shower to rise off.
"And I'm not stealing. I thought it was communal. And this is a bad time to be telling me not to, because I'm wet and in the middle of the shower and your soap is the only thing in here to use," Del said, grabbing for said soap, which he promptly rubbed into a washcloth. He did not like the loofa. "I'm not used to having things that smell like this. It's nice. It smells like you." It had been the only way to be close to Eli for a while, but he thought that also sounded ridiculous to say out loud.
Eli laughed quietly, and that pleased little smile stayed on his lips. He liked being the first for both Del and Cayden, teaching them things they didnât know and introducing them to all things of the mortal world. The fact that it was something as small and simple as lip scrub still pleased the fuck out of him. âIt wonât hurt you if you lick it off, but donât eat it out of the pot or anything.â It was made with sugar, but Eli was pretty sure if Del got a taste of it that he liked, heâd have no lip scrub left. Better to be safe than sorry.
He made a little noise and had to focus. Heâd be here even longer if Del kept talking about wanting to smell like him.
All at once, Eli remembered he could say those sorts of things out loud and it was okay now. With a little happy hum, he squirted serum on his fingers to pat into his skin. âI like when you smell like me, so itâs not a big deal. Itâs why your hair has never looked better, I buy the high-quality shit.â And even higher quality shit when heâd gotten the money from a Yule gift.
The mirror was pretty fogged still, from Delâs hot as fuck shower, but Eli leaned in and inspected his face closely. âHow do you think Iâll look blonde?â
In this moment, Del was sad that Eli could not see the wide smile that crossed his face. He stilled under the spray, and just grinned. This was a game, the two of them trading compliments to one another, getting bolder and braver with each turn. This was much better than the single-player bullshit Del had been playing against himself every time Eli was in a room. As the days passed, and the truth of the situation grew between them, Del had realized that keeping anything from them had been a mistake.
Unfortunately, all his smiling made it impossible to not lick off the lip scrub. He rinsed it, and himself, off before he shut off the shower. He was losing sight of himself in all the steam, and he wanted Eli to touch him again. He could want these things without the shame hanging overhead.
"I have seen you blonde before," Del said, with the weighty note of history attached to the statement. He had never seen this version of Eli blondeâand the prospect excited himâbut he wasn't going to lie. His arm shot out from the shower to grab a towel from the wall, wrapping it around his waist in the stall, before stepping out into the bathroom. He was woefully underdressed. But so was Eli.
"It suits you, it will suit you, just as your hair does now. But I'm a biased party." His fingertips skirted tenderly across the small of Eli's exposed back as he leaned in toward the mirror. There was still space between them but not in an avoidant type way. Del, distracted, added, "You have never not looked good to me, and I refuse to say otherwise."
There was a strip of gooseflesh that trailed around Delâs fingers as they went up Eliâs back, and his mouth opened just a little with a gasp he couldnât contain. If Del got overwhelmed easily by the kisses, Eli got overwhelmed easily by hands on his bare flesh - it was something heâd wanted for so long now that it felt like his entire body lit up like a yule tree with the lightest touch.
âMy ego thanks you for the compliments,â he wanted to do so many things. Lean into Del, ask more questions about being blonde, about their previous lives, about things Del was more willing to talk about now that it was all on the table. But he also wanted that hand on him more, and not to ruin whatever this was.
No doubt Del could see him slowly falling apart in the foggy mirror, but Eli didnât fucking care. He leaned back, into the touch, erasing that last bit of space between them. âWhat about if itâs a terrible wig? Have I always been an entertainer? Do things like that stay the same for us or is it random?â
To be fair, Del had not intended for the shower to be anything more than that. But it was impossible with Eli there, like a magnetic pull that seemed to always point him toward both of them. So naturally as Eli leaned back into the touch, Del gave into all his instincts and met him halfway. His arms slid around Eli's waist and pressed his face into space where his neck met his shoulder. Del took a deep breath, and sighed dreamily on the exhale.
He was content to just hold him like this, his chest to Eli's back, chaste and innocentâwhich was only so much with towels separating them, but Del wasn't worried about that at the moment. He was warm, from the shower and naturally, and he wanted to share that warmth with Eli.
"Even if it's a terrible wig," Del echoed, clearly distracted, but his response was instinctual. Physical attraction had been a benefit, but not a requirement. He wanted to say that Eli could be a pessimistic hermit living in a cave and he would be drawn to him all the same. But not this time, not this life.
"You have always been spirited, creative, and bold. How you use those talents in every life has changed, but the core of you is the same." Del's hold on Eli tightened protectively, as an unpleasant memory flitted into to his awareness, but he continued. "Sometimes it has gotten you into trouble. Sometimes I am not around to see what you have done or become. I always ask when we meet again, though. When you remember, I will ask again."
Eli was torn between gripping the edge of the sink and moving his hand up to grip Delâs hair instead. He settled for the sink, for now, even if he felt doubly pleased by the warmth radiating off of Delâs body and seeping into his. It helped soften the push of sadness he hadnât been expecting as their emotions tangled together.
But that sadness was a familiar one. Heâd felt it many, many times before when he was around Del, and had always assumed it was for various reasons unrelated to him - like the fae, or being in this human body, or missing his soulmates - now it was different, as if things clicked into place. He had a flash of fire in front of him, and then nothingness, and Eli moved his hand from the sink to grab on Delâs forearm. It was a firm grip meant to keep him there, if he could.
âSoul meets soul on loversâ lips.â Leave it to Eli, in this moment, to quote Prometheus Unbound, as he silently tugged a little on that strand of sadness caught in the air, and pulled it from Del and into himself. A move he didnât do often, but felt right in this moment. He dropped his head back to Delâs shoulder, as if trying to connect every part of their bodies together. âGold coin for your thoughts?â
He almost let go. Eli's hand on his forearm did keep him there, and instead of loosening his hold, he clung to him, like he was always meant to. Del couldn't believe there was a time before this when he hadn't. Lesson learned forever.
But he could feel what was happening. His own sadness, that foundational moodiness that came and went with memories, seemed to be tempered as if someone had smoothed down a wrinkle. Del could easily figure out who that someone was, as Eli tipped his head back onto his shoulder. Del tucked his face further into Eli's exposed throat, as a thank you and seeking comfort of feeling his freshly scrubbed lips on Eli's smooth skin.
"You don't have to pay me for my thoughts", Del said, pressing his voice into Eli's mind through their telepathic connection. "They are yours to have, whenever you'd like." He just couldn't promise they would be good thoughts, and his hesitation now came from spoiling this moment, with the both of them tangled together like this. He risked a quick glance at their reflection in the steamed mirror, found himself overwhelmed by the tableau they presented, and closed his eyes.
"The last time I saw you is not a kind memory. Nor is the one before that," Del continued in their shared, private mental space. He finished out loud, murmuring against the soft spot behind Eli's ear. "I just want to spend time changing that. Only good ones. This helps."
Eli huffed out a little laugh, but only when Del hit that sensitive spot in the curve of his neck. It was a little ticklish, and a lot sensitive, like the rest of him when he was being touched by them. Having Del in his head months ago had always felt-- right, comforting. It was annoying at times when Del was being annoying on purpose, but even then it felt right.
Like a presence that was meant to be there, meant to have a spot occupying his brain at all times. He didnât like that there were unkind memories in Delâs brain, but he couldnât take that away, and now he wasnât sure if his sadness was because of Del or because of his own worries on that end. The mortal worries of someone that knew full well he was not as long for this world as they were.
Heâd much rather focus on the warm body behind him. âMnestaes.â It wasnât often he used Delâs full name, it felt so-- heavy. And almost like that was Caydenâs thing. âIf I can make up for past memories, just say the word. Iâm ready and willing.â
Then, not as an afterthought, but as a continuation of the way his body pressed against Del, he arched into the touch and his hand gripped a little harder onto Delâs muscles. âColor?â
His name slipping from Eli's mouth, in his mind, nearly took Del out at the knees. He exhaled, a fluttery shuttering breath as he steadied himself on his feet. His whole body couldn't stop the shiver that ran through him, goosebumps immediately prickling across his arms. There was no hiding the way it affected him, despite his own attempts to do so. He didn't mind; he wanted Eli to know what he had done to him, was always doing to him.
"So you do know my name," Del said, as he peppered feather-light kisses down Eli's neck, ending on the top of his shoulder, and playfully nipping there. "You do not need to make up for any memories, I will take the new ones as they come. The ones we make. It has just beenâ" His hands were trailing aimlessly now, across Eli's waist, along his ribs, his touch firm and sure. "A long time. A very long time. I want to take my time relearning the both of you, when I'm like this. It is new for me, too."
Eli's arch into him threw him off, and Del felt hot, hotter than any dragon should be. The ebb and flow of his emotions were a chaotic tidal wave in his chest, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss Eli senseless against the counter, and wrap him up to protect him from everything outside of this space they had.
His hands slowed their memorization of Eli's body, and he pressed another kiss to his shoulder, and murmured a soft, hesitant, "Green."
âOf course I know your name,â came Eliâs response, into Delâs head. But he was smiling to himself as he arched into Delâs touch. âItâs just more fun to say Mesties.â Nicknames would forever be one of his love languages, the way he felt overly fond of someone enough to shorten it in a loving tone.
Heâd never gotten this much from Del, though, when it came to touching. Before everything came out, heâd always been touched as if his skin burned, despite Del being able to handle the heat, and now he was eating it up, desperate for more.
Eli turned in Delâs arms with the go-ahead, he didnât want to scare the dragon off but green gave him a little more courage to face this head on. His hands were on Del before theyâd even felt like theyâd shifted and moved, skirting across his hot, wet skin, and to his back to pull him in closer. âIf the lip scrub gets you going, Iâve got toner, serum, sunscreen, moisturizer, and a body brushing to go. Or we could just kiss. Iâm really into that idea too.â
He should have expected Eli to be a purposeful menace, but he let out a breathy laugh at Mesties all the same. What Del didn't expect was that green would have Eli turning around in his arms, facing him with the same hungry look that Del had done a terrible job of hiding from both of them in the previous months.
Del nearly forgot he only had a towel around his waist, and he inhaled sharply when Eli put his hands on his bare back to pull him closer. Instinct drove him to curl away from the touch, but instinct also told him that it was Eli, and it was okay, okay, okay. Still, Del slid his hands down Eli's arms, guiding his hands back to be between them. With their hands clasped together, and the awkwardness swiftly passing, Del began to kiss every knuckle. His eyes were on Eli, dark with want.
"It's not so much the lip scrub, as it is you and your hands on me," Del said, leaning in to continue his path of kisses from Eli's shoulder to his collarbone. He didn't want Eli to think his momentary lapse had anything to do with what they were doing now. He only paused his trail up Eli's throat at hearing the steps that were left in his routine.
"Don't let me interrupt you." And then like the interruption he was, his mouth captured Eli's in a kiss, hot and insistent. He might have interrupted, a little.
Oh, but Eli wanted to be interrupted. Now it was as if a dam had cracked and Eli was barely contained, he didnât care about skincare routines in this moment, that could wait. All he wanted right now was Delâs hands and mouth on him and he was getting both, why would he ruin that?
He didnât. He wouldnât. He maybe sounded a little desperate as he leaned into Delâs kiss, giving as good as he got.
That was until he slowly brought the kiss back to the surface. Light, delicate. Something that wasnât intended to overwhelm, but to just feel. For all of Eliâs desire to push his newfound soulmates on the bed and dirt the sheets, he wanted to savor this, to prolong it, and not run Del off. Even when his lips left Delâs, they moved down to his neck, to nuzzle. âWho needs a skincare routine? Not me. Look at me, Iâm gorgeous.â He laughed a little against Delâs skin. âTouching you is way more top priority.â
Del could sense the shift of their heated kisses into something more tender and soft. He hadn't realized that in the rush of the moment that his whole body was prickling with that overwhelming, overstimulated suffocationâthe too much at once, too much too soon feeling. But Eli did, Eli had navigated this heady breathlessness into something more manageable. Del was dizzy, and thankful that Eli was pressing his face into his neck. He leaned into it, gathering Eli in his arms.
"You are gorgeous," Del echoed, in that dreamy way that he didn't mean only now but always. He let the feeling settle over him for one breath, then another, before Del came to a decision. He leaned down, scooping Eli up from where he had pressed him against the sink. The towel was doing so much work at the moment not slipping from either of their hips.
Del smiled, conspiratorial, as he carried Eli out. "If it's your top priority, let's save it for somewhere outside of the bathroom?"