Long time no f~ (Ariel/Markise)

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

Ariel pulled his hazy eyes open and looked down at Markise as he tried to figure out what he was talking about. Then when it clicked he let out a light bark of a laugh, "You could say that." Then he transferred one edge of the cloak into his other hand and let his newly freed one move forward on Markise. He had absolutely no plans to stop returning the favor. "Now I can watch the path," he said softly, though he knew he was more likely to be watching Markise than looking out for any possible onlookers.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise licked his lips again, his eyes already fogging as anticipation washed through him. "I don't think I can be quiet," he murmured. He'd try, though. Markise wanted to kiss Ariel, to keep his mouth busy, but then Ariel wouldn't be able to watch out. There was nothing he could besides cling to Ariel, and bite his lip to remind himself. He watched Ariel as long as he could, then closed his eyes, unable to keep himself from that last sound before he he rested against Ariel, pulling quick breaths.

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

Ariel got a thrill from seeing Markise's reactions, and once he set his clothes back in place he tucked his hand just underneath the clothes at Markise's back to lay against the warm skin there. He really did think he was addicted to getting that reaction, to making Markise feel so good, Ariel could do something right for once. "I thought you said you didn't think you could be quiet," he said, eyes sparkling in light humor. That last little sound he could overlook when talking about being quiet, considering Markise had barely made a sound until then.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise blinked hazily up at Ariel, his words taking a while to filter through his mind. "I tried," he said breathlessly. "I didn't want anyone to stop it." Ariel made him feel so amazingly good, and he hadn't wanted to attract attention. Markise tilted his head up and pressed lazy kisses against the edges of Ariel's lips, and down to his chin. "I missed you. I didn't have you being pissy all the time, so I had to do it myself." It wasn't any fun being angry all the time. Markise moved his fingers lightly against Ariel's back beneath his shirt, just enjoying him for now.

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

Ariel closed his eyes, though his self-preservation instincts screamed against it. "I was even more pissy," he admitted softly. "Like I was before I came here." He remembered the new people he had met and how rude he had been. Not that it would change very much since he had Markise back, but he would have at least tried to tolerate them. "But being pissy helps," he said, spreading his hand out over Markise's lower back.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise gave a low chuckle, continuing the light path of his lips until he spoke again. "Be pissy, then, if it makes you happy," he said. "I'd rather watch it than do it." Markise didn't directly comment on Ariel's confession, letting Ariel have his distance since he liked it so much. All the same, those words affected Markise. It was heartening to hear that he'd been missed, or at the least that Ariel had disliked being without him. "You don't have to be pissy if you don't want to, though," Markise added, his lips pausing at the edge of Ariel's jaw. "I won't tell anyone."

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

How could he not be? The last couple years of his life had been nothing but bitterness and anger. Ariel couldn't remember the last time he had been truly happy, excluding his birthday, but even that had held at least a little bitterness. It was how he had survived, really. If he hadn't been angry then everything would have torn him apart, it all would have come on him so hard that he couldn't have dealt with it. He didn't know if he could stop.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise didn't mind Ariel's silence right now. He was happy, and Ariel felt content enough. Markise was determined to keep him that way for as long as he could, to prove to Ariel that he could let his guard down once in a while. Markise continued light, teasing little kisses against Ariel, then down his neck, just exploring someplace he usually missed. His hands stroked against Ariel's back, bare fingers and gloved palms purposefully tempt him. He wanted Ariel to enjoy this. Look, we can be happy without sex, too!

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

Ariel was content to just stay like that for however long Markise wanted to, it felt good, and he was allowed to think about whatever he wanted for however long he wanted without being interviewed about it. He had never thought it would be so good to have at least the small release he had while with Markise, the short escape from the reality he was sure would come back to haunt him.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise was in no hurry, and it took a while before he'd finally sated his curiosity. He lifted his head, his darkened lashes lifting as he gave Ariel a pleased smile, much like the cat who'd been in the cream. He was having fun letting himself wallow in Ariel's unspoken promise and in neither of them being in low spirits right now. "I'll have your coat in two days," Markise murmured, pressing another light kiss to Ariel's lips. He'd have to work hard, and work a lot, but he could do it. He'd been able to see how cold Ariel was, and it was still only fall.

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

"Thank God," Ariel breathed. "I stole this thing from a Ravenclaw." He blinked then and looked down to meet Markise's eyes. He was certain that the guy he had taken it from wouldn't miss it, the thing was in horrible condition, which was one of the reasons Ariel had taken it. In his eyes he was doing the guy a favor, he could go get a better one now. "How much colder does it get, anyway?" he asked, foolishly hoping for Markise to say it didn't get colder.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise could see enough in Ariel's eyes to give him a fair idea what he was thinking about. "Snow melts if it's over 32 degrees Fahrenheit," he said, tightening his arms a bit around Ariel's waist. "There should be standing snow for a while." It was a fair warning, though not at all an admission of how cold it would get. If Ariel was this bad off in the mid-50's to low-60's, he didn't need to be told about the negatives. "I'll make sure you don't freeze to death," Markise promised.

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

Ariel wrinkled his nose. He didn't know how cold it was currently, but he knew that it didn't at all sound like fun to be stuck somewhere that it was cold enough for snow. He made a crude parallel of Celcius and Fahrenheit in his mind and grimaced slightly as that thought sunk in. "Good luck with that," he said, glancing out over the lake and sighing softly. He was going to miss swimming so much.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise nuzzled lightly against the edge of Ariel's jaw, then parted his lips for a distracting taste along that line. "I'll keep you busy," he promised. He knew that Ariel would still want to swim, and probably go a little stir-crazy at being stuck inside so much, but Markise would do what he could to get him through. Markise fully intended to stick around if he could manage it. For as quickly as he'd gotten physical with Ariel, Markise knew he wasn't made for casual relationships like that. He got attached too easily, and once he was attached, it took a lot to get him to truly pull away. As evidenced by the fact that he was already back with Ariel and thinking through the winter.

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

Ariel closed his eyes and then parted them just enough to move his head to get a short kiss. "It's going to be a long winter," he said. "And that's not counting the fact that I just got out of winter." Two winters in the same year, it seemed like a nightmare, but the one in Australia hadn't gotten any colder than it was there at Hogwarts. At night, when it actually did get cold.