093 » but i can't hide my true desire

[drave]

[ every now and then, benvolio can be a difficult man to find. it isn't that he's unpredictable. the problem is that his duties often take him almost everywhere in verona castle, and so any page or messenger-boy tasked with the prospect of locating him can often get caught in a fruitless journey between his office, the library, the dining hall, the chambers of parliament...

but an enterprising young prince from afterglow savannah probably has his own means and methods of tracking his prey (his scent, perhaps?). in any case, benvolio is standing in the middle of a hallway today, carefully balancing a small stack of books in his arms — but it doesn't quite look safe to interrupt him at the moment. he wears a smile on his face, but one that is somewhat stiff, and the tone of his voice is uncharacteristically distant as he speaks. ]

...Of course, Lady Juliet. I am glad to see that you and Lord Romeo are doing well.

[ who is he talking to? ah, two people, actually: a blond man and a brunette woman, both of them smiling and blushing and holding hands in a way that suggests they're either on a date or have just gotten married. the family resemblance between benvolio and the young man is subtle, but striking: given that the man stands some inches taller than benvolio despite not being overwhelmingly tall, one would not quite notice it if they were not side-by-side, but they have the same blond hair, the same gently sloping blue eyes. the young woman, for her part, is nothing like the women of afterglow savannah, being that she has a delicate build, a soft and girlish demeanor — but the chime of her voice is almost angelic, and she has a sweet, pleasing aura about her.

benvolio likes her. he tells himself that he likes her.

on some level, he still hates her.

"we are doing well!" the young man — lord romeo — laughs. he still has a boyish awkwardness to him, a sort of gangly youthfulness to the way he runs a hand through his hair. "i do most of the cooking in our home, still, but juliet has gotten... better at it. why, just the other day she managed to cook soup without the, er — without burning it."

without the pot exploding, benvolio thinks, his smile unwavering.

"and is the same true for you?" juliet asks, a newlywed's sparkle to her gaze. "we have been away from the council for some time, but it brings me joy to know that more people respect you now than ever. i confess, romeo and i were a little worried that you wouldn't make any new friends, but i heard that you've gotten close to an ambassador from afterglow savannah recently... oh, what was his name?" ]

...Prince Leona Kingscholar, my lady. He is...

Comments

[delionquent]

—Charmed.

[ and right behind benvolio, apparently. his timing couldn't have been more impeccable, considering his search for benvolio had only started some ten minutes ago (after rousing from one of his midday naps with the sudden desire to spend some time with his lover); with the tracking skills of a beastman, any search isn't really much of one at all. ]

To make your acquaintance, that is, [ he clarifies, stepping forward so that he is now just beside the blonde advisor, sufficiently inserting himself into the small circle of intimacy and familiarity the three had otherwise occupied for themselves. he spares one of his rare public smiles for them, either unaware or uncaring of the intrusion, and even takes it a step further with a hand he lifts to settle it along benvolio's opposite shoulder, the gesture both natural and full of intent.

his sharp eyes scan across the features of both nobles, but they linger on on a pair of familiar baby blues. he holds romeo's gaze for a long moment, as if daring the other male to glance away. ]

You must be the Lord and Lady Montague.

[drave]

Leona? When did you get here?

[ startled, benvolio turns to look at the familiar features of his lover, but it is telling that he doesn't move or pull away from the hand on his shoulder, even in front of his relatives. he isn't embarrassed, after all, and it doesn't bother him to think of romeo and juliet finding about his clandestine relationship. his predominant emotion is simply relief at how well leona is conducting himself — that the man didn't show up yawning and didn't simply drape himself all over his benvolio demanding attention.

romeo stares at leona for a moment, but he doesn't seem to realize where the intimacy between the ambassador and the advisor is coming from, or that he's (sort of) being challenged to some kind of alpha male competition. he just blinks, then breaks into a big smile. "ah, well, you don't need to call us that, your highness," he says genially, and with an adroit flexibility that does suggest he is at least accustomed to being with foreign royalty. "the throne of verona sits empty now, and we are just two more of its citizens."

"it would be more accurate to say that verona no longer has need of a throne," juliet gently corrects her husband. "but, yes — now we are just another loving couple within its walls. benvolio is only standing on tradition when he calls us by our old titles." ]

It doesn't feel appropriate to refer to you two in any other way...

[ "is that so?" juliet asks, eyes sparkling. "and yet you don't seem to call prince leona by title, benvolio."

her eyes come to rest on the hand leona has on benvolio's shoulder. this only seems to make the advisor flush an even brighter crimson as he fumbles for excuses. ]

I — well — that's —

[delionquent]

I imagine partly because it'd be a mouthful to have to say my full title in bed.

[ ah. he behaved for exactly five seconds. that's got to be some kind of record for him, for sure. but also, let's all take a moment to be honest with ourselves here. the rumors about benvolio and leona are abound, and by far one of the spiciest things to happen with the palace walls in months. if romeo and juliet are surprised at all by a confirmation, that's their fault for being so caught up in their own little world not to notice.

not that leona would otherwise care for propriety. but the point remains. there's more than one way to mark one's territory, after all. ]

[drave]

— Leona!

[ benvolio's voice almost breaks as he turns, scandalized, towards his lover... his wonderful, beautiful, tragically vulgar lover who has just ruined his sterling reputation in front of lord romeo of all people. okay, fine, it's true that they haven't really been subtle in recent weeks, and most of the castle has already stopped believing that benvolio's unusual friendship is just a friendship, but — but to say that out loud —

it doesn't bear thinking about... and by the look of things, romeo and juliet seem to agree. two pairs of long-lashed eyes grow wide with surprise as they stare between leona's casual smirk and benvolio's increasingly reddened face; they don't look offended, but they're definitely surprised and a little shocked. which, uh, is only natural. after all, who would have ever guessed that benvolio would get involved with a man... like this?

after a pause, juliet is the first to recover, her cheeks turning a little pink as she says, "well! we should, ah... leave you to your work, perhaps."

romeo is generally not a stupid man, but he seems to be a little slower on the uptake with this piece of news. he is staring, brow furrowed, a strange mixture of interest and fear on his face. "wait — but how does it work between the two of you? i mean, do you take his — or do you just sort of rub it together, or" — his expression grows slack with sudden horror — "or, wait, is this because i — ?"

"we're going, romeo!"

"oh, er — yes, coming, juliet! i just, ah..."

he stutters awkwardly, still staring between benvolio and leona, but ultimately, as in all things, romeo chooses his wife, and runs to catch up with her as she delicately yet quickly walks away.

benvolio falls silent. he thinks the pressure caught in his throat might be a suppressed scream. ]

[delionquent]

[ all things considered, leona is actually acting quite tame. given his overall possessive nature, it wouldn't have been entirely outside of the realm of possibilities for him to wrap his arms around benvolio, nibble on his ear, and casually make mention of just how eager the young advisor had been to say his name (again and again) just the weekend prior in full and explicit detail. but he had refrained! he had displayed a remarkable amount of restraint based on the sheer inference alone that these people were no mere everyday citizens to benvolio... surely that accounts for something?

...no? ah well.

unbothered by the other couples' discomfort, leona reacts to their flurried exit by turning to benvolio as if the pair hadn't been there at all. leaning in, he nuzzles his nose along the delicate curve of benvolio's jaw, burying itself along the soft tufts of hair around his ear. ]

You smell nice. Is that a new perfume?

[drave]

[ it's a mark of how whipped benvolio is (in spirit if not in body) that, despite the fact that he's livid with his boyfriend over what just happened, he nevertheless relaxes and turns docile, dutifully allowing leona to nuzzle him and sniff his hair. how is he supposed to stay mad when leona is being so cute... ]

Do you like it? I was worried the other one was too harsh for your sense of smell, so I thought I'd start using something more floral...

[ not that the other one was terribly harsh or spicy, but it was a bit more of a classically masculine — wait, that's beside the point! mustering his best Angry Face (it's not all that angry), benvolio frowns in leona's direction, still somewhat pink-cheeked from the whole affair. ]

But never mind my perfume! Why would you say something like that in front of my — in front of them?!

[ my relatives is the most honest truth, but benvolio's never really thought of romeo as just his cousin... ]

[delionquent]

[ the lion prince is equally unperturbed by his boyfriend's ire, and not just because it is about as mild as midday in spring. rather, he finds that frown quite cute, but resists the urge to suckle that plush lower lip for the moment and instead busies himself with lifting his hand from benvolio's shoulder to begin gently tucking some errant strands of blond behind an ear. ]

She was clearly probing for something salacious. I just gave her what she wanted.

[ does that make him a villain? he should think not! after all, it's not his fault the lady knew not what she was getting herself into... curiosity and nosiness has its repercussions! (though, truthfully, were she a female of afterglow savannah, he would not have dared to rile her up as much, but she wound up being as harmless as he had assumed.)

regardless, she is not his main concern. ]

That Romeo... [ his tone is as idle as his touch, but there is a sharpness to his eyes as he looks over his lover's features, telling of how keen his gaze is for any sort of reaction. ] A bit odd he would factor himself into our personal matters, don't you think? [ why yes, he did catch that last bit: is this because i—? what a strange thing to say. ]

[drave]

I-Is it? I don't think he meant anything special by it.

[ benvolio's face steels over, unexpectedly stony and gloomy in the way that he can be from time to time. he leans into leona's touch, however, accepting and even a little covetous of the attention being lavished upon him.

benvolio has an inkling of what romeo meant by that remark, but it's nothing like what his cousin is imagining. it's not even really important enough to talk about. but clearly leona's attention is piqued, and benvolio is not the kind of lover who thinks it ought to be necessary for him to keep things from the man who has shared his bed and claimed his heart. he sighs, divulging information that is true, but not necessarily relevant to the situation at hand. ]

...Every now and then, you'll hear people in town call me the last of the Montagues, but that isn't exactly true. Lord Romeo was the true heir to the Montague family. If things hadn't changed, he would have been king of the Montague half of Verona, and I... would have been his advisor.

[ he doesn't want to disturb the hair that leona has just tucked behind his ear, but he feels like fiddling with something. awkwardly, benvolio fingers the cuff of his gloves, tugging the wrists this way and that. ]

I left Verona at the age of fourteen to study abroad for just that purpose... but by the time I came back, the political situation was already nothing like my boyhood dreams.

[delionquent]

[ leona is just as happy to lavish his lover with attention as benvolio is to indulge in it. not once during the blond's speech down leona's tender touches falter. in fact it isn't until he's finished entirely does the prince's hand drop, settling once again along the other's shoulder. ]

Ah, so he is irrelevant. [ why, yes, those particular choice of words are necessary. for someone so prone to arrogance, it's only natural that leona would presume others could have the same inclinations.

is benvolio still carrying his tomes? those will get an idle tap from leona's free hand, the magic that makes them suddenly weightless and hovering harmlessly before benvolio a mere afterthought. ]

Still, what a strange thing to come to mind...

[ his head tilts in that uniquely cat-like way it's wont to whenever he is particularly distracted. the sharpness in his eyes hasn't faded, watching benvolio closely still. ]

Unless he thinks ours is just the sort of relationship an advisor would have with a noble?

[drave]

[ benvolio's never mentioned it, but a little thrill goes through him every time he gets to see leona doing magic. part of it is that the lazy prince is magnanimously helping him with his books, yes — but another part is that leona has such physical presence that it's absurdly pleasant to be reminded that his core competency is actually in the magical arts. the blond advisor's eyes sparkle and his lips lift in a small smile as he watches his books levitate harmlessly beside him. he's probably too easily impressed by little things, but that's all the more reason it's a good thing that leona has already claimed him... right?

anyway, irrelevant is a strong word, but it's to be expected of leona, who has strong opinions. benvolio lets out a little sigh, wrestling with his tendency to give leona the benefit of the doubt in every situation, as well as his own lingering attachment to romeo. it's bad form to keep secrets from a lover, though, so benvolio figures he may as well be completely honest... ]

No, it's more that, er... Do you promise you won't do anything to him?

[ he has to ask! the cuffs on christophe's jacket spontaneously burst into flame one evening and no one knew why. though benvolio had an inkling... ]

I... liked Romeo a great deal when we were children. We were young, obviously, and we were cousins, so I never expected — well, I understood, even at that age, that my feelings would never be reciprocated. For one thing, we barely spoke, largely because I was too shy to approach him. But he picked flowers with me once, and we acted out a play together. I think that he knew, or he must have realized by now, how I felt at the time...

[ he shrugs one-shouldered, finally looking up into leona's catlike green eyes. there is no trace of doubt or uncertainty in benvolio's gaze, at least; he is happy with what he has now. ]

To summarize, he probably thinks that he's the reason I like men. I would say that he was more of an effect than a cause, but he's likely never had anyone explain this to him before, so...

[delionquent]

[ first — let it be known that leona never technically agreed not to do anything to romeo.

second — it's worse than he suspected. leona was perceptive enough to notice there was definitely something more to the lords and lady montague than the commonality of their name, but he hadn't wanted to presume something as disconcerting as what the truth wound up being. he's being melodramatic, of course, but leona often is when it comes to the few good things in his life. whether it be a redheaded guard for still daring to direct a longing gaze benvolio's way, or a past love that never had any hope for fruition, leona doesn't particularly care — his hate will flow and flow freely, with likely no end in sight. such is his will and fancy. somehow, in spite of that, benvolio still seems to care for him, so why should leona even bother to change? ]

Shall I explain it to him, then? He seemed as confused as he was interested.

[ far too interested for leona's liking, but that just makes him want to share even more. turning full towards benvolio, leona lifts both his hands now to gently cup either side of his boyfriend's face, thumbs gently sweeping across rosy cheeks. yet, despite the tenderness of his gestures, there is an unmistakable sharpness to his tone, an edge that only seems to highlight the angles of his fangs that flash when he smiles. ]

Maybe he would appreciate it if I told him, in explicit detail, just how we consummate our love?

[drave]

H-He doesn't need to know, does he?

[ a strange mixture of guilt and embarrassment is curdling in benvolio's stomach as he looks into leona's intensely possessive gaze. of course rationality wins out, and he knows he should really stop his boyfriend from proclaiming to all and sundry just how often they have sex — this is really getting out of hand, and he's half-worried that leona's territorial streak won't be satisfied until he's fucked benvolio in front of the entire castle, which, as erotic as that might be, absolutely cannot happen...

...but for benvolio, who is used to being on the sidelines, it's intoxicating to be the focus of so much attention. his soft cheeks are a bright pink beneath leona's thumbs. he can't help but turn his head just to press a kiss to the prince's palm. ]

There are really some things that we should keep between us, Leona...

[delionquent]

[ those eyes watch benvolio closely, keen for any sign of discomfort. the lion prince enjoys pushing benvolio's boundaries, but never to the point it would actually harm. ]

Mm. Maybe you're right. [ said regretfully, begrudgingly. leona does so enjoy being petty and vindictive, but the more he considers it, the more he is wont to agree that he'd much rather keep the more illicit details of their relationship to themselves... especially from someone who may have, in another life, have what he has.

..bleurgh. he's getting into a mood just thinking about it.

swiftly, he waves a hand at the hovering books, and one by one the tomes begin to hobble and dance their way down the halls to eventually pile themselves neatly outside of benvolio's room. a place that leona should probably take benvolio to now, as a sudden urge begins to overtake him, but said urge is always quick to make him impatient... and perhaps a part of him still really would like for the entire castle to see.

taking hold of benvolio's hand, he begins to direct the man down the other end of the hall, back from where he came. his steps are quick and swift, not stopping until he has led them into a narrow hallway where large tapestries hang along the walls, artful depictions of verona's history. without a word, leona tugs benvolio behind one of them, pressing the blond's back to the cold stone wall while his hands come up on either side of his head to cage him in. ]

There's a bad taste in my mouth now, [ he announces, eyes bright in the shadow that engulfs them both. slowly, one hand slips down between them to feel along benvolio's front, stopping only when his fingers come to curl around the front of his crotch. ] Would you like to do something about it?

[drave]

Wh-What...?

[ walking quickly so as to keep pace with leona's longer stride, benvolio obediently slips behind the tapestry where a slight architectural divot between the bricks gives them some space to hide together. they're really only barely hidden from view, though; if some scribe or pageboy comes down the hall, he probably won't notice any irregularities in the way the tapestry is falling, and the fabric is heavy enough that wild movements won't jostle it too much — but who even notices these things, walking through the castle? how is leona so good at finding wild places for them to have sex in?!

he's excited, though. benvolio may be many things, but he's a poor liar, and he can't hide the glimmer of interest in his bright blue eyes as he's felt up and fondled. leona seems so hungry — though the mention of a bad taste in his mouth does give benvolio pause. principled as he is, he can't take advantage of his lover's sudden interest in sexual distractions if leona is actually upset about what he's heard. if there's an emotional misunderstanding here, then he really needs to correct it... ]

L-Leona, I really only belong to you. I promise. You don't have to feel bad about — about anything. I'm yours...

[ and yet, well, when he's being looked at like that...

he shivers a little, thighs inadvertently pressing against the arm that's between his legs. there's that look on his face now, the one he gets when his good-boy exterior is starting to crumble, his morals falling like sand by the wayside in the face of leona's intensity. ]

...But if you want this, I'll give you plenty to eat...

[delionquent]

[ already, the lion prince had made quick work of the fastenings of benvolio's pants. by the time the blond stumbles through his earnest words, leona's already got his cock warmed in the waiting palm of his hand. as hungry as he had been just moments ago, he can't help but pause when those words reach his ears, which twitch and turn towards benvolio in immediate response.

hmph. he supposes it's fortunate that at least one of them is mature... they'll certainly fare all the better for it, in the end, even if it does put a little of the fire out; nothing quite douses a flame born out of irrationality than reason, after all. fortunately for them both, leona's got more than enough passion on his own that it doesn't make much of a difference in the long run.

carefully, he lifts his free hand to cup his lover's chin, ensuring there is no room for misunderstanding in the short space between their heated gazes. ]

I want you. Always. I don't need a reason to crave you. [ if that's ever a concern of benvolio's, he wants to eradicate it from his worries entirely. that isn't what this is about, flimsy as the excuse had been to begin with. sure, flickers of his insecurity flare up every now and then (it's unavoidable, given how long he's lived with them) but there's nothing insincere about the advances he makes.

tenderly, he'll place a soft kiss to the corner of the blond's mouth, right where his frown is deepest. but before he can do or say much else to dampen the moment, the prince lowers himself down to a kneel right in front of benvolio, slowly dragging his greedy tongue over every inch of that pretty pink cock in his hand. ]

[drave]

[ every time — every time this happens, benvolio has the exact same thought: skies above, what a view.

he has to clap a hand over his mouth to muffle the strained mewl that rises up from his throat when he feels leona's hot tongue glide slow and sensual over the length of his cock. despite the tapestry concealing them from view, they're still outside, and he knows he needs to be quiet — but it's so, so hard when all he can focus on is leona's handsome face pressed up against his face, sexy and languid in the way that only he knows how to be, his ears flicking ever so sweetly, pointed canines providing just the barest hint of danger...

benvolio has it bad, in other words. his blue eyes are wide and just a little giddy as he watches leona lick and suck ever so tantalizingly along the warm length of his cock — they've had sex so many times by now, so many, so many times, but still, benvolio always swears he's being rewarded by the gods when leona is on his knees spoiling his little lover rotten. ]

I want you too... [ another soft, contented sigh. ] You make me want like no one else, Leona.

[ the hand not covering his embarrassed mouth from view slides into the brown tangle of leona's hair, thumb flicking gently over his boyfriend's ears in the way that always gets the lion prince all worked up. it's only fair, of course: leona's ministrations are already starting to make his cock ache. ]

If you ever... left me, I — I don't think I'd ever find someone who could make me feel this good...