Everything ached. His head ached, his eyes ached, his back and arms, insides down to balls, legs and feet. There wasn't a place on him, that Yoon did not currently hurt. Nothing sharp, nothing that would warrant a trip to find the short blond elf to ask for a perk up spell, but enough that he was moving slower than normal, his gait a little more shuffling than the confident swagger he normally carried himself with. Even if he was doing his best to hide it, adept at the acting required to hide all manner of things, this was enough to partially override it. Especially now that he was home. Near the dorm where his bunk lie, the bunk that had his blanket and pillow and would be the deepest sleep he could afford.
Somewhere safe, surrounded by those who he could partially trust, because he never could fully trust anyone, not again, but he trusted this group enough not to slit his throat in the middle of the night. The tunnel opened up into the mess, and Yoon had half a mind to keep along the way to his bed, both rapiers slung over his shoulder, as he ducked down under a beam and then straightened up on the other side, grey braid falling down over his shoulder. He caught sight of a different blonde though, and as much as Yoon could kid about going straight to bed, he couldn't ignore the only person here who actually could read him.
More like wouldn't. Haulean was adept at reading past the cold exterior Yoon showed the world, the persona he portrayed to keep his heart safe after the lessons his parents had taught him about trust, love, and opening up. And with that ability, Yoon saw the opportunity for ... a friend. Maybe. Eventually. He could hope, without really hoping. If he didn't actually want it, if he could trick himself into thinking he didn't need Haulean's tenative friendship, then it wouldn't hurt when it ended, when the younger man would leave. Everyone always left. Haulean would be no exception, Yoon reminded himself as he came to the mess table, raised a leg to get into the bench seat and then lowered himself down.
The ache in his thighs the only reason why he flopped the last three inches, glad he hadn't been positioned in a way to crush himself on the landing. He already ached there. No sense in adding more ache. His voice was raspy when he finally spoke, dry with three days of disuse. Fucking hells.
The hissed breath was low as he got himself a glass of water from the pitcher on the table, drinking deep to chase away the dryness, before scrubbing the stray rivulets away from the corners of his mouth. Thirst now semi-sated, he poured another glass, and then rolled his eyes up to the other man. I know you're waiting. Come on then.
To anyone else, the tone probably sounded annoyed.
Haulean had been a little restless. He often was, when anyone in his innermost circle were out and away, though he hid it well. Cos nobody needed a worrywart looming over everyone's good day like a storm cloud, did they? Nope. But at the end of the day, it made it hard to sleep. So what was the little sunshine rabbit doing at this hour? Poking around for things to make himself some hot milk. Maybe he'd steep some lavender and chamomile in it, to make it more effective. Ooh and honey! He couldn't forget honey, it had to be sweet didn't it? Hmmm... Oh but wait, maybe instead he should just have a snack? Or... well goodness, now he didn't know what he wanted. All mixed up, the little half-elf was putting things back where he'd gotten them, when he heard the sound of heavy, shuffling footfalls. There was a curious tilt of the head, and in lumbered who but an exhausted-looking Yoonije, the source of his current restlessness.
Haulean was so excited that he wanted to bounce over and tackle-hug the older male! However, observing not only how tired he was, but the stiffness in his movements as well, the eager boy refrained. Instead, he just lightly and silently bounced on the balls of his feet, waiting for the eventual invitation to approach. It was a sort of ritual between them, sometimes. Haulean's show of restraint and patience eventually won out, as it usually did, and the invitation came like music to his little pointed ears. First things first! "One sec!" he chirped, and scampered to the little nook where he'd squirreled away a surprise for his friend, yesterday. Soon enough, he produced a small-ish bag, and bounded on over.
Caring nothing for personal space or ceremony, Haulean stepped up onto the bench, and settled his rump (carefully) on the table in front of Yoon, so he could face him and hold out his present. "I saved these for you! Only managed to grab three, before everybody else snatched the rest up." In the bag were three tangerines. One of them was a tiny bit bruised, but definitely still edible. If and when Yoon took the offered present, Haulean's freed hands would wander up to start massaging the dour gent's scalp, like it was the most natural thing in the world to do. "You look awful. All sore. And gritty. You should have a bath- ooh! I could wash your hair! And your back. My hair could do with a wash, too- eh, it's fine." He gave a dismissive shrug at the notion of seeing to his own needs. "Anyway, first eat at least one. Unless you've already eaten?"
Yoon took the bag, and pried the fold open, his face neutral as he looked inside. Tangerines. His favorite, and there were three. Citrus was hard to come by, but as Haulean settled there in the table, Yoonjie felt the urge to hug the younger man. He wouldn't, he had a reputation to uphold if being a cold bastard after all. Did good kid. Her muttered, fishing a tangerine out of the bag and instantly starting to peel it, unable to hold back until later. The fruit was a treat, and it was one of the few treats he allowed himself. The waxy skin found itself to the table next to Haulean's leg as dexterous fingers placed the first wedge of juice flesh between his lips. Perfection, just ripe, and sweet as all get out.
His eyes closed as he enjoyed the fruit, before popping the next piece in, scowling at the hair ruffle, but it didn't push Haulean away like he might someone else. Gonna offer to wash my dick too, little rabbit? He fell silent as deft fingers worked across his scalp, not exactly minding the touch, he knew the younger man was one for physical affection, and while it might now be his own way to show affection, he liked Haulean too much to fuss about it. Eventually he relaxed enough to enjoy the gentle scrape of fingers across his skin, and the tease fell on his conscious, I didn't mean that. Yoon muttered quietly between bites of the tangerine, offering up a piece. When was the last time you washed your hair anyway? And I rinsed off under the waterfall. I can finish cleaning up later. Her plucked at his shirt and took a sniff, his nose wrinkling some as he decided maybe he shouldn't wait on a bath. He smelled like stale sweat, ale, and the cloying scent of blood underneath the wood smoke, and pipe smoke that clung to his shirt, to his skin.
A bath would be good, and an offer of help with his hair was always a nice thing. It was so long now, down past his waist, that he had to keep it braided all the time. Maybe not wash it, but I'll take you up on helping me braid it. Too damn long, almost cut it off with a knife this time out.
He reached into the bag and started to peel the next one, offering Haulean half of the fruit this time, once he had it peeled, popping a wedge from his half between his lips as he finally sat back some, so he could see Haulean's face. Yeah, bath, braid, bed, and I'll tell you about the tavern fight and the song the songstress sung while I was there.
Strangely adept at reading between the lines, when it came to Yoon, little Haulean grinned at the very scant but very direct bit of praise from the other male's lips. Giggling, he leaned forward to give Yoon's nose the slightest little bunny nuzzle; one of the little trademark habits that had lent credence to the nickname 'Rabbit'. But Haulean kept the contact feather-light and brief, not wanting to agitate his friend too much. Well. Not in a way that wasn't enjoyable. Mutually playful teasing was one thing, but doing it when it upset someone was just not Haulean's style. He wanted to help Yoon relax, not get riled up and cranky.
The boy continued to thoroughly massage Yoonjie's scalp, but his hands faltered a moment and a hot, vivid blush crept up his neck and over his freckled face, clear past the roots of his cornsilk hair at his friend's rather crass and colorful question. Color him speechless. Was he... did he mean...? How did he mean...? Suddenly rather cotton-mouthed, the boy gulped and averted his eyes. "If... if you want me to?" he murmured softly. Haulean was no stranger to joint baths, or helping wash other people. But... while normally he would assume it was meant in a straightforward manner, quite literally just washing, he... well. He'd lived in a brothel for the first six years of his life. And some of the older kids had made some rather crude jokes, because of it. At first, they'd sailed right over his head. But lately, he'd started to catch on a bit. Did Yoonjie see him that way, and he'd completely missed it??
No, of course not! Pfft. That couldn't possibly be a thing. Especially when his friend apologized and gifted him some of the prized fruit. The younger male was still blushing profusely, even to the tips of his somewhat pointed ears, but he ignored it. Talk turned to the last time he'd washed his hair, and Haulean blinked. "I think a couple of days ago? And rinsing isn't the same was washing, Yooni." The last was said in a very gently scolding tone, before he popped the wedge of fruit between his own lips, and did a happy little seated wiggle as he ate. "I wish my hair were as long as yours." he replied, reaching out to lightly run a braid through his fingers.
Haulean's hair had once been long. When he'd first been brought to the Coterie, it had been almost halfway down his back. But he'd been bullied rather viciously, and one of the adults had shorn it off, saying he looked too much like a girl. That was before Nairn had come. He'd been rather too afraid to grow it back out, especially when he still had a 'baby face', but... seeing more and more men in his life -especially Nairn and Yoon- sporting long locks and still maintaining their masculinity... it had given Haulean the itch to grow his out again. Presently, it was just slightly past shoulder-length. The longest he'd had it, in years. "I'd be sad if you cut it, but less sad if it made you happy!" he said quite sincerely, at the thought of his friend almost taking a knife to the braided locks.
Haulean's color-changing eyes practically lit up, when he was offered a whopping half of the second tangerine. He'd forgone having any of them to himself, because he'd wanted to save them for Yoonjie. But it was nice to be able to share the treat with his friend... so nice. Happily, the blonde tucked another piece into his mouth, and did his customary wiggle of delight. Even his toes curled against the wood of the bench! "And I can show you the fancy soaps I got for my birthday! Well. It's not my birthday yet, not for another week. But I couldn't resist, they smelled so good! It also made him happy that he could wash and smell nice when he uh... snuck out to visit his mother, on that day. But only Colt knew about him sneaking out. The less people knew, the less would be in trouble, because they wouldn't have to lie about not knowing about it. Yup.
He shrugged at the blush and then gently tugged on a lock of Haulean's hair. Not me. Not ever. Not like the other who tease with the intent on trying to shame you. He slowed down on his remaining wedges of tangerine and chewed them longer, preferring to feed over andothwr quarter of thst second tangerine to Haulean's stomach. The boy needed some meat on him, the smirk at the bunny kiss, followed by a roll of his eyes. You keep doing that though and someone is probably gonna get the wrong idea, Bunny.
He nodded as he fished the last tangerine out of the bag and set about peeling it, rhe pile of skins sitting on the table for now, Yoon would slip them onto his pocket to dry out. They were good for cooking when mixed either other spices and he knew a nice hearty meat and veg dish that used the peels in the initial stir frying. It was good at putting muscles on the body, needed meat to build meat on the bones after all, and he could help Haulean in that regard. Feed the bunny well, so he could learn how to defend himself properly. It's getting pretty long now. After you wash it tonight I'll braid it for you.
Another few sections of the tangerine were handed over, as Yoon finally grabbed the peels and stuck them into the pouch that hung from his belt, listening about the soaps, and taking note of the mention of a birthday a week from the day -- seven sun downs. And since Haulean liked to make sure he was clean and then the confession about his hair... Yoon had some time before he had to ship off on the next job, maybe he'd go find a nice lavender and cedar hair oil for the younger man. They were scents the girls at the taverns always said they liked on his, so he reasoned they'd smell nice on Haulean too.
"Probably should take him to a bar for some ales for his birthday too." He thought as he shook his hair back out of his eyes and stood up, took one of Haulean's wrists and then had the younger man up over a shoulder before he was striding towards the baths. A good one, something about love and flower petals. "But lips like velvet petals part, when married love becomes a rouse, the age old tale writ into art, while the other man doth snooze". An implication of an affair without fully calling out an actual affair. Come to think of it the verse about the overflowing tanks of ale should have been a clue it was a baudy drinking song.
After a couple more steps he righted the younger man and set him back on his feet. I'll meet you at the baths, so go get your soaps. I'm going to go get a clean set of clothes and my own soap. He didn't wait long, grabbing his stuff from his bunk and finding his way to the baths, unbraiding his hair as he walked along the corridors and into the baths a few moments later.
Haulean's blush deepened at the tug on his hair, though it was quite the relief to know that one of his best friends wasn't intent on embarrassing him like some others had. Some of them had even attempted to turn jokes into actions, but he wouldn't talk about that; it'd spoil the rest of the moment. He giggled at Yoon's quip about people getting the wrong idea, and shrugged. "Pfft. If they do, that's their own silly fault. Besides, wouldn't be so horrible. Might even make some people back off." The last was said with another giggle, and he nibbled another piece of fruit.
The idea of Yoon braiding his hair made Haulean perk up all the more. "I dunno if it's long enough, but you can try!" he chirped. "I s'pose it's only fair to let you play with my hair, since I get to play with your- ack!!" Suddenly, the small blonde found himself hoisted over Yoon's shoulder. He gave a surprised yelp, which then devolved into giggles. "Don't you drop me!" he cried out, though he was only teasing. They both knew that Yoonjie was strong and dextrous enough to keep someone as petite as Haulean safely aloft. Likely with one arm.
Yoon's recital of the flowery lyrics made Haulean giggle more, though the implications sailed straight over his head. "That sounds like the songs they used to sing at the Rose!" he said between his little fits of laughter. "Supposedly they were all really dirty, but I never got why. The gals would always say 'we'll tell you when you're older'." The Blooming Rose was the prominent brothel in Kirkwall. Still was, as far as Haulean knew. But that was where he'd been born, and had lived until his mamae had been too sick to work. Then... he'd been brought here.
When he was finally set down, Haulean wobbled a little while the blood that'd rushed to his head attempted to right itself. However, he was as chipper as ever. "Yesser, Yooni!" he declared, with a goofy salute. And with that, he scampered off to get his bath things. Being that his bunkmates were mostly sleeping, he was quite as a chantry mouse, and was in and out before anyone could stir; perks of being a skilled thief. Soon enough, he was skipping toward the baths. He'd even brought the fancy comb that one of his "aunties" had gifted to him, last birthday. It had a lovely scene carved into it, of rabbits scampering and playing beneath a sunny sky.
Yoon made the decision then that if it kept the other guys off his back, by pretending to have a thing either the younger man, then so be it. He didn't like his friend getting teased, even less so when it was by the guys there in the dorms. And Yoon couldn't always be around to death glare someone into backing off, but he sure as the hells could put the fear of the gods into someone that Yoon himself would show up at a bunk in the middle of the night, with a sharp dagger and a vendetta in mind.
No one else knew he didn't like to kill, and would try and resolve a fight without a fatality. No one else needed to know either. The first time he pulled up on someone in the middle of the night with a dagger to the throat and a hushed threat of violence for touching or teasing Hau...
It would go one of two ways. Hau would get relief from the teasing, or would make him an even larger target. He might would have to actually go through with a murder to make a point. Fuck. As he watched the younger man, his own fingers still moving through his oily hair, getting the tangles and knots loose, he weighed if he would be willing to kill for his friend. I'll explain lyrics for you if you don't get them, sometimes it's wrapped layers deep, or in the alliteration of the words, the flow of the syllables, you don't get it until you hear it set to a proper timing, and cadence.
He didn't know why he liked it so much, the deeper meanings of songs, of the poetry, sometimes you had to dig for the real meaning, puzzle it over and then spoken word could burst alive, just like paints on canvas, with a talented enough artist, of course. Tossing his clean clothes down on a bench, he finally got the latest braid free and untangled, hands instantly scrubbing along his scalp with a heavy, satisfied sigh. It felt good to not have any tension on his scalp after having his hair up for a whole week.
Then he frowned. Damnit, Haulean had got him talking, but he supposed it didn't really matter, they were the only one's up at the moment, no one to keep a front up around. He shrugged out of his clothes, glad he had taken the few pieces of leather armor off in his bunk and already stored them to be oiled and maintenance in the morning. Scrubbing a hand down his face he yawned. Alright sir, here is me, doing more than just rinsing off.
And with that he stepped into one of the baths and vanished under the water, raising up after a few beats to where only his nose was above water, eyes barely open, as he let the heat soak into his tired and sore muscles. He lived there now, mad at himself, that he had forgotten how good being submerged in warm water could feel.
It was almost comical, the way Haulean needlessly and borderline theatrically snuck around the place, like he was on some impossible mission. He was just so happy and excited that Yoon was home, safe and sound, and that they were getting to spend some quality time together. Quality bath time! Haulean loved baths, and he was thrilled to get to help his friend relax. He was gonna wash Yoon's luxurious locks good and proper, with his fancy soaps, and then comb it all out and braid it. Yup. Might even see about scrunching some of those aching muscles a bit. He may not have had professional training, but he had a good instinct for it, in his own way.
Once he was in the vicinity of the baths, Haulean set his own stuff on the same bench, and just stripped down to his smalls. He wasn't planning on getting all the way in, just yet. For now, he plopped his rump on the edge, letting his feet graze the step or seat below. "See? Told ya you needed a bath. Now c'mere so I can wash your hair. Yours'll take longer to dry than mine, so you should get pampered first. Plus. Well. You should just go first anyway, cos you're all achey and tired." Haulean gave a firm nod, then smiled brightly. "Gonna pamper you right proper."
While waiting for Yoonjie to eventually make his way over -if he was in the mood to, yet- Haulean just idly let his legs glided up and down in the water, doing his best not to actually kick or splash. Gawd he wanted to slip right in and submerge, like Yoon was doing. But not yet. First things first. "It's nice being in here when it's all quiet like this. Most of the time it's all noisy and rowdy. I mean I s'pose I could come at night more often, but... I..." He hesitated, and shook his head. "I-I don't like coming alone. You never know what could... I-I mean what if I fell asleep? Yeah." Gods he shouldn't have started talking. Haulean was a good pickpocket, but a terrible liar; even by omission.
Yoon listened to Hau talk as he moved to where the younger man could have a good go at his hair. In the past, when Yoon had been a teenager, he would have freaked out about someone touching his hair, let alone seeing it down. But it didn't seem like that custom had crossed the millennia, men still wore their long hair up, but not all of them, and definitely the younger of them, born most recently wore their hair short even. You know when I was little, before the big sleep, men and women wouldn't let anyone see them with their hair down, let alone let someone wash it for them. It was something only someone's wife or husband did for them.
He dunked his head under again, and offered his head over to Hau's dexterous hands. Don't think that custom carried over or is as observed as it was back then, so I'm fine with you doing it Haulean. I don't have anyone else I'd want to do it right now. He closed his eyes as he heard legs slip into the water, a brow arching nearly to his hairline as his hands clenched into fists under the water as he realized why Haulean was scared to go to the baths alone.
The younger man was very effeminate.. and some of the boys thought a hole was a hole, even if it was only semi-willing.. and sometimes not even willing at all. Can't have you drowning. You come get me any time I'm here and you wanna take a bath late at night. I'll come sit with you any time. Besides, I might start smelling better if you remind me to bathe regularly, right? And that way I can keep you awake so you don't fall asleep. Slowly Yoon's fists eventually unclenched, and he forced his jaw to relax, to stop grinding his teeth and letting the tension that had immediately crawled up his spine melt away. Those things hadn't happened yet, but Yoon knew enough about life that he had known immediately why Hau was scared, and he hated every moment of it.
The sick feeling that had brought bile up his throat. He was glad that he had tapped it back down as fast as he could, but a little recreational murder might not eventually go amiss, should someone lay a hand on his friend.
Haulean practically beamed when Yoon made his way over, though gave a look of wide-eyed reverence when his friend described that long-ago tradition. "Ohhhhh....." was all he said, and gingerly stroked his fingers over the wet tresses. "Y'know... that kinda makes sense, now I think about it." he cocked his head thoughtfully, thinking about every elvhen or half-elvhen person he knew. Mostly the men, cos he didn't know a whole heck of a lot of women, and women in general tended to keep their hair up, in his meager experience. Heck, even Nairn kept his at least tied back, though Haulean always managed to find a way to play with it.
Yoon's declaration that it was alright if he did it, though, made that freckled face blush, and he smiled. "Well. I'll just be your friend-wife, then!" the boy said chipperly, as if it were the most natural conclusion in the world, and proceeded to start just combing his fingers through the wealth of wet hair. "Kind of has a nice ring to it." He giggled softly, lightly massaging Yoon's temples for a moment.
The tension in his friend's body did not go unnoticed, though, and Haulean immediately began massaging soap into Yoon's scalp in an effort to help alleviate it. "Well that sounds like a win for both of us, now doesn't it?" said the younger boy, gently. He was trying so hard to keep the conversation light, and not go into the unpleasantness that had been occurring. Even Nairn didn't know. Nobody did. Haulean didn't like causing trouble, or having a fuss made on his behalf, especially when he felt like maybe he'd done something wrong in the first place.
"Did you know they make soap that smells like tangerines? Apparently they can make soap that smells like just about anything. Even chocolate! But obviously you can't eat it, because it wouldn't taste very pleasant."
Finger tips and the slight trace of nails down his scalp had his eyes fluttering closed soon enough as he relaxed further into the water, gray locks clinging to his face and shoulders, ignored for the most part; they didn't register at the time as being an annoyance, and neither did they occasional pull across bare flesh as Hau's fingers continued their trek across his head. Friend-wife. He spoke the combined word softly as his eyes went back open, focus fixing on a spot across the bath house so that he didn't let himself get too relaxed. It would do no good to slip under and worry the man who was the closest thing to a friend, to family, that Yoonjie had in this new waking world, the only one he ever let close enough.
It did nothing to alleviate the fear that one day he'd lose Hau too, or that one day someone would do something to the younger man that Yoon would find himself questioning his own moral compass of not killing anyone. So far, no one had crossed that line, but Yoon had already started to prepare himself for that day, both mentally and physically. Depending on who, he would have to answer to Nairn, but, it could probably be explained. Probably. Especially if he made it look like an accident. When those fingers slipped to his temples, he lost the train of thought, his arms raising out of the water to set on the lip of the bathing pool, his head falling back into Hau's hands. At least I wouldn't smell too terribly bad any more when you come crawl in my bunk when you have nightmares. It was a tease, Yoon couldn't remember a time that had happened, but, that didn't mean that Yoon just didn't remember it, between his occasional drinking, and being knocked up the head a few times, he didn't doubt there were things he had forgotten in the past. That and he never was too terribly good at remembering things in the first place.
Chocolate huh? Don't know if I'd want to smell like chocolate, especially when I'm trying to sneak in somewhere, but maybe something like cedar might be nice. He paused, handing back the bar of soap he used for his hair, it was unscented, just a rough bar for getting clean. Like the woods. Food stuffs would just make me hungry, probably. I spend enough time between meals that if I smelled it on my skin I might accidentally take a bite, especially in my sleep. He smirked, and then raised an eyebrow, head turning back some to give the other man a look. Ever have a dream where you're about to take a huge bite of something? Crunch down on skin, cause it smells delicious and you're asleep, and one would be rethinking gourmand scents.
The petite blonde was glad to see the tension in Yoon's body easing up, though he could tell his friend seemed not entirely at ease with fully relaxing in the bath. As such, the smaller male scooched a bit closer and just gently wrapped his legs around Yoonjie's torso. It was his silent way of saying 'Don't worry, I've got you' and not verbally drawing attention to his friend's worrying. A lot of their friend language was nonverbal, even with Haulean's penchant for chit-chatting and rambling.
Haulean giggled when Yoon commented how he'd smell better when the blonde crept to his bunk when he had nightmares. "You've never smelled terribly bad, just maybe a little sweaty sometimes. And only when you've been too tired to bother with rinsing off."
Speaking of which, after the first round of lathering was done, Haulean reached over for the simple wooden bowl that he'd brought over for the purpose of helping rinse. Water was scooped into the bowl, and Haulean used a hand to shield Yoonjie's eyes as he carefully poured the water over his scalp. This was done multiple times, until he was sure that the hair had been properly rinsed. Then he resumed scrubbing his scented soap into Yoonjie's hair, to make sure it was extra clean.
Again, he giggled at his friend's words, pausing only in his ministrations to take the plain soap and set it aside. "They're not supposed to scented strong enough to make something like that happen." he countered with another giggle. "Though now I'm curious about getting the tangerine soap, and seeing if you try to nom on me in your sleep." Clearly, he was very amused at the prospect, and not at all worried.
"The one I'm using on you is kinda a mix; sandalwood, coffee and leather. When I smelled it at the shop, it made my toes curl all happy-like! And the lady said it was a nice neutral scent. Good for gents or ladies alike. I think it's my new favorite smell! Kinda made me think of you 'n Nairn." It was definitely a subtle scent, and indeed one that could be either masculine or feminine, or neither.
Once more, the boy carefully rinsed his friend's hair, then laid it up over one of his thighs and out of the water, so it wasn't in the way. "Time to wash some of the rest of you!" he chirped, and would attempt to soap up Yoon's neck and shoulders. "I figure I'll wait to comb and braid until you're ready to get out." He'd made sure to bring the bottle of hair oil, of which he would only need a very scant bit.
When Haulean's legs tightened around his chest, he let one hand come up and wrap around the younger man's ankle, thumb rubbing over the calf muscle there, trying to return the favor of safe physical touch. Yoonjie had a theory in his mind, that Hau had been the victim of unsafe physical touch at some point in the past, so he had always done his best to let Haulean touch him freely, and only return touches that weren't easy to mistake as being overly intimate in nature. All touch was intimate in nature, when two people trusted one another enough to allow one another in their personal space.
It was easy to forget the Woman, and his dad, and the impending trip to Tevinter, what he'd have to do there gathering information, easy to forget the things he had done, stolen, broken in the past sitting there in the tub with Hau, letting the younger man wash his hair. He made a noise that wasn't exactly a reply to the comment about being too tired to bother with a bath -- that was many times when he came back from a mission, an outing that either taxed him physically or spiritually. He was over taxed mentally all the time, so he felt there was never going to be a time that he'd recover from that.
It smells like something I might have passed over in the store. He reached back and plucked the soap from Hau's little stash, his thumb stopping where it was working the muscle in the man's leg, before he brought the bar to his nose and gave it a good sniff. It was good, almost made him think of being on the road, a cup of black coffee on the small camp fire, in black leathers to move easily through the night, the acidic bite and then smooth finish of earth and woods. Just as long as you don't call me Nairn, we're good. I'm much more handsome.
It was easier for him to be playful, the more he was away from the different masks and faces he had to wear with others, Haulean never made him wear any of them, he was free to just exist with Haulean. But then deft fingers moved from his scalp to his shoulders and neck and he was putty, head falling back into the young man's lap and eye's fluttering closed. My wife gives the best shoulder massages.. he breathed, both hands coming up to work Haulean's calf muscles now, anything to do with his hands, even if his intrusive thoughts were telling him to playfully pull the other man into the water. Yeah. Don't think I'm gonna forget you need to wash your hair tonight too. I already have an inkling you're gonna try and crash my bunk tonight, aren't you?
He patted Haulean's leg, twice, and then went to stand up, and step up out of the tub, to switch places with the man. In. Get your hair wet.
Haulean made a soft, content sound in his throat when he felt Yoonjie's hand on his ankle. It was very much a comforting touch, and it made him smile. Haulean always felt comfortable and safe with Yoonjie, dressed or undressed. Funny enough, he couldn't remember a time when he didn't feel safe around Yoonjie; even back when they barely knew each other, and Haulean had just... latched on and decided they would be friends.
While Yoonjie sampled the soap's aroma, Haulean continued to work on his friend's hair, smiling in amusement when the stipulation that he was not to call the other male Nairn and made a quip about his handsomeness. "I'd say you're both very very handsome, in different ways. But. Maaaaaybe I think you're more handsome." he said with a soft giggle.
Another giggle left his lips when Yoonjie went all melty under his ministrations and declared his 'wife' gave the best massages. "Only the best for my husband!" he chirped, then groaned in delight when both of Yoonjie's hands began working on his calves. That felt like heaven.
Though then Yoonjie spoke and started to stand up out the water. He blushed and smiled shyly. "Okay guilty, I am gonna crash your bunk." But when his friend insisted on switching places, Haulean folded his arms and huffed. "Hold on, I gotta wash the rest of you first. Not movin' til I do." And he seemed to genuinely belief that just declaring it would keep his rump firmly planted in place.
There's no denying it, I am certainly more handsome than the boss. Yoon's hands continued to work muscle, even as he felt more of the tension slide from his own shoulders and back, nursed away by fingers that knew where to press to release even the most stubborn of cramped muscles. Then there was the confirmation that he's have a little rabbit in his bed for the evening, and Yoon nodded, it wasn't the first time the younger man had found his way into Yoon's bed, and Yoon was certain it wouldn't be the last. Haulean had a habit of being physically affectionate, even when Yoon was here nor there on physical touch.
His mother hadn't exactly been the most loving to him after his father left. He probably could have used a few more hugs growing up, might have saved him from putting a couple people's eyes out in the past for looking at him funny, but then he'd not be able to give the tired "wasn't raised on an abundance of hugs and silk cushions" excuse he gave sometimes for being a rat bastard to some people. You just remember the next time someone gives you shit, you tell them I'm your husband now, and wait till you tell me about what they've done, let 'em think I've got a sharp pointy stick for their eyes. Maybe he had a bad habit of poking peoples eyes out, he realized, belatedly.
One silver brow raised slowly, the smirk that crossed his face with it enough that Haulean should know what was about to happen. Yoon hadn't been raised like the Woman had, under his dad's tutelage, able to fight like some sort of damn... whirling dervish, but Yoon was good enough that it wasn't too difficult to immediately grab the younger man under the legs and armpits to sweep him up, and if he was able to capture him, turn and flop into the water at the same time -- if Haulean did manage to get away quick enough, Yoon would just sink under the water alone, dejectedly.
