Clearing in the Preserves, Tuesday Afternoon

[not_every_mage]

Anders was relieved to see the day he and Nathan had set for their picnic had dawned clear and warm. He made his way to the clearing and got the space organized, spreading out a blanket and putting the cookies, fruit and drinks he'd brought to one side.

The shop had refused to sell him the ale he'd wanted -- something about drinking laws -- but he'd gotten lemonade and sweet cider, and those seemed almost as good. Not that he thought the choice of beverage could ruin his time with Nathan, but fussing over that kept him from fussing over anything else.

He was, perhaps, a tad excited. (And a tad nervous.)

[OOC: For that one boy.]

Comments

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan did have a lot of hidden strength that he'd developed during his time with Celia and then his time running from Hunters. He'd tried to stay in shape to make escape easier.

But, he wasn't thinking of that right now. He was only feeling and hearing and touching. Feeling Anders' lips against his and the hands at his head. Hearing the noises and then reaching out to do some of his own touching. He wasn't sure if his hand found Anders' side or his shoulder or what but he didn't care. It was more touching and that was what he wanted.

[not_every_mage]

Anders' left hand wandered down, clutching at the back of Nathan's shirt. His mouth opened wider to let his tongue dance with Nathan's.

Kisses weren't new to Anders. Kisses that made him feel like the rest of his body was filled with electricity and about to float away -- that was another matter.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

That particular movement drew another sound from Nathan even if it was mostly muffled against Anders' lips. He'd heard people talk about kisses like this back home, how they felt and ranking those they kissed. He always kept quiet because he had no experience but he did pay attention.

And now that it was happening to him, he could try and give as good as he was getting, leaning forward, responding as eagerly and as capably as he could manage. What he might lack in technique, he was trying to make up for in affection and emotion.

[not_every_mage]

Technique was overrated in a moment like this, really. The affection and emotion were all that really mattered. Anders' heart was beating faster and faster, thudding in his ears as they kept kissing.

(In Kirkwall in a decade or so, as the ruins of the Chantry smoked and Hawke raised a knife, the little bit of Anders still mixed with Justice might remember the pressure of Nathan's mouth against his and cling to it for comfort.)

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan didn't pull away either. Eventually, he figured there'd have to be breathing but he could prolong it a little further, kiss Anders for a little longer so he could remember this for later when he was alone.

His fingers curled into Anders' shirt, clinging tightly while he kissed the other boy. It felt good not to worry about disappointing someone, to not worry about someone dismissing and to just like what he was doing and who he was doing it with.

[not_every_mage]

After a long moment like that, the need to breathe became too pressing and Anders unwound himself, sprawled dizzily on the grass.

"Give me a minute," he said. "Two healers. You'd think we'd work out a way to go without air a bit longer."

And also he wanted to see Nathan's eyes again.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Laughing, Nathan flopped down beside Anders and stretched out, feeling the buzzing in his body from his head to his toes.

"If you're able to figure out something to combat the need to breathe, I'll be very impressed," he teased, glancing over and smiling. "Not that you're not already impressive."

He licked his lips and tasted Anders there and shivered just at being able to think that.

[not_every_mage]

"I am extremelyimpressive," Anders said, mock-haughty, "but I'm stuck breathing. At least for now. Someday I'll figure out a way around it and become a champion swimmer."

He groped in the grass between them for Nathan's hand.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Anders wouldn't have to look far. When he felt fingers against his own, he turned his hand a bit to make it easier for Anders to hold his hand and for him to hold Anders' hand as well.

"A champion swimmer and probably exceptionally famous as well," he added. "Imagine all the people just here alone who would want to know your secrets so they could kiss people without breathing."

[not_every_mage]

"And of course I'd have to charge them for the lessons, so I'd be rich and famous and athletic," Anders said through a breathless laugh, as his fingers twined through Nathan's. "But I think I would still mostly want to kiss you."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"And I'd let myself be selfish enough to try and keep your kissing skills to myself," Nathan admitted, giving Anders' hand a squeeze. "Everyone else can be jealous of your intelligence, athleticism, and wealth."

He laughed again, light and quiet, before shaking his head at the conversation. "Everyone else can be jealous."

[not_every_mage]

"They'd be jealous of me for having you, too," Anders added. "But we'd be too amazing to care."

He was too kiss-drunk to be modest.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Of course the jealousy all depends on you finding a way to not need to breathe for longer than usual," Nathan pointed out, laughing a bit and looking over. "So, we might need to deal with the whole breathing thing for awhile longer. But, maybe after practice we'll get better at it."

Was that too forward? He hoped not but it was already out there and couldn't be taken back if it was.

[not_every_mage]

Apparently not too forward at all, from the fond smile Anders was giving him. "Which means we need to practice and hope some way to put off breathing comes to us." A pause. "It would take time. We might not be able to manage it this afternoon."

Now that was forward enough to make Anders nervous.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Well, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." So, he didn't find it too forward at all. Or maybe he found it supremely comforting to know it wasn't a one off thing and he could be excited about someone and not worry about it blowing up in his face. "There's a lot of days in the week and lots of weeks in the months. Plenty of time."

[not_every_mage]

"And lots of months before either of us will need to do anything else," Anders added, luxuriating in it. Time where he wasn't either running, thinking about running or recovering from his last escape attempt was still pleasant and strange -- and more than a bit comforting. "How long is it until you're 17, anyhow?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I turned seventeen just before I got here," Nathan told him, flashing back to that time in the snow with his father and his ceremony. Right before he'd run, right before realizing Gabriel was gone and Annalise was in Mercury's hands. "Maybe a month or so before I ended up here, I turned seventeen. Happy late birthday to me."

[not_every_mage]

"Happy late birthday," Anders answered automatically. "Happy late nameday, even, which is what we say at home. I was 16 a few weeks after I got here."

He glanced over, squeezing Nathan's hand again. "I thought you said you would get your gift when you were 17?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"We do but it doesn't always appear immediately," Nathan said, making a face at how his world seemed to work. "Sometimes it takes some time before you discover what you can do. Like your gift is being chosen and prepared for you or something."

[not_every_mage]

"What, like it's an order in a restaurant and you just have to sit and wait?" Anders checked. "I'd be crawling out of my skin trying to figure it out."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I'm not going to deny that I'm curious," Nathan said because he was. He knew the powers his father had and wanted to see what side of the spectrum, basically, he'd fall on. "I just don't know the timetable on this. It sucks. It's just a lot of waiting."

[not_every_mage]

"Can you test it at all?" Anders wondered sympathetically. "Jump out of a tree and see if you can fly -- all right, that might not be the best idea. But something like that."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I haven't really tried that to be honest," Nathan admitted, rubbing his free hand through his hair. "My grandmother's gift was potions so I did try that one day. Just some simple balms and healing salves she made when the thing with my back happened."

[not_every_mage]

"How'd it go?" Anders wondered. "I still don't know the herbs here. I should figure it out someday."

He said this with no sense of urgency: It was easier to hoard the elfroot that came into the Magic Box than to figure out an entire different way of making potions, which he'd never particularly enjoyed anyhow. There were too many fiddly bits.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I nearly got my hands stuck to my shirt," he said, shaking his head at himself. "I don't have my grandmother's touch. And I had no injuries to really test it out on either so maybe it worked but I'm not sure."

And he wasn't about to injure himself to find out. He'd done that enough for Clay and his Hunters awhile ago.