A Clearing in the Preserve, Wednesday Afternoon

[not_every_mage]

The different calendars made it hard to track exact dates, but Anders reckoned it was right about a year since the last time he got dragged back to the Circle -- and almost a year since what he hoped was his final escape had taken him to Fandom.

It was a victory. As far as he knew, no runaway his age had ever lasted anything like that long.

The thought of all that kept him cheerful as he set up for a picnic in the preserve with Nathan. He spread out a blanket, laid out the pasta salad, cheese, and fruit -- and then, out of restless energy, started picking violets. He wasn't sure what he'd do with them, but they were pretty.

[OOC: For the boy, please.]

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[not_every_mage]

"They couldn't see us, could they?" Anders asked. He wasn't sure how to read the stillness, so his hand stayed about where it was. (It was a good place for a hand, anyhow.) "We're too small. Maybe they talk about the shapes they see in the land and the water and the big buildings."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan just didn't want to jostle him, that was all. He didn't want to squirm away even if it tickled a bit.

"You think we're too small?" he asked, glancing over at Anders. "The sun and clouds are big. They could have big eyes. Somewhere."

[not_every_mage]

"I can't argue with that," Anders had to agree. "We can't see them, but you aren't supposed to look right at the sun anyhow, and the the ones on the clouds might be hidden in ... cloud stuff. Fluffiness."

He lowered his head to kiss just beside Nathan's navel. Which probably would tickle, but he was feeling reckless.

"What do you think they think of us, if they are watching?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"That we're small," he said, letting a laugh slip through because that did tickle. "Small and sometimes ridiculous."

[not_every_mage]

"The sun and clouds are smart." Anders smiled up slyly and kissed a few more times in a rough triangle. "We are small and sometimes ridiculous."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I think you're just talking nonsense now," Nathan said, peering down at Anders and snickering. "Barely even paying attention."

[not_every_mage]

Anders raised his chin to look up, mock confusion on his face.

"Am I supposed to deny that?" he asked, and then dropped the act for a moment. "I'd just ... rather kiss than talk right now. It doesn't help my concentration."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"You could have just said that," Nathan laughed, shaking his head, "instead of going along with my ridiculous talks about clouds and sun."

[not_every_mage]

"But I like the way you think, and besides, that takes all of the fun out of trying to get you to be so overcome by desire you can't help yourself," Anders said -- and laughed, because he was being slightly ridiculous. "All right. Nathan, we've had a rotten couple of weeks, and I would really like to just make out with you until we forget about that. Interested?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"It might be hard to make me become overcome with desire," he admitted, laughing. "I'm pretty low key in that area. You'd have to do a lot of work."

Still, he turned a little more towards Anders.

"But yes, I am interested."

[not_every_mage]

"I know, but luckily I like challenges," Anders told him, and stretched upward again, leaving his hands at Nathan's waist as he went to kiss him -- more deeply this time.

[OOC: Best bad icon ever?]

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan went to say something in response to that but ended up just smiling and leaning up into Anders, returning that kiss and sliding closer.

This was a much better way to communicate his amusement at Anders enjoying challenges. Much better.

[not_every_mage]

Anders agreed with Nathan's communications philosophy, there. (Surprise.) He grinned into the kiss, opening his mouth to deepen it while one of his hands stroked lazily along Nathan's torso.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Hey, Nathan could respond to that. Eagerly, in fact. His body relaxed further, one arm looping around Anders' waist and he sighed inwardly.

If the sun and clouds had eyes, guess they'd be seeing this right now. Nathan found that he didn't mind that.

[not_every_mage]

The sun and clouds probably had more interesting things to look at -- but even if they didn't, Anders didn't mind so much either. Nothing mattered as much as this moment.

He let himself be drawn closer under the arm and made a tiny, pleased noise,then shifted his legs to tangle then with Nathan's.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan would have smiled if his mouth had been otherwise free but he'd save that smile for another time. Later on maybe when it was dark and he was ready to fall asleep for the night.

So, no smile. No real sounds either. He kept kissing Anders, kept his arm tight around the other boy and let the sun warm him as well as the proximity of another body.

Warm all over. That was nice.

[not_every_mage]

Anders settled into the warmth and the kissing for long, lazy moments, free hand lightly touching and stroking along Nathan's form but never settling anywhere for long until it snaked between their bodies.

He was going to see if he could get Nathan's belt undone without looking or breaking the kiss. Just in the spirit of liking a challenge.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan twitched just slightly at that touch only because he hadn't expected it. He relaxed quickly and kissed Anders again, slower and lighter but still eagerly and there and good.

[not_every_mage]

Anders kissed back just as eagerly, fingers fumbling just a bit from nerves before he got the pants unfastened. His fingertips rested lightly at the waist of Nathan's underpants as he slightly rolled his hips forward.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan pulled away for a second, taking some time to breath in, breathe out and his eyes looked down, watching Anders' fingers. He blinked a few times, focus going in and out before his head cleared a bit.

[not_every_mage]

Anders' fingers had frozen where they were when Nathan pulled away. He wanted to make Nathan feel the same thrum of desire he did, not just get him to give in.

"Tell me what you want?" he asked, mouth close to Nathan's neck.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"What I want?" Nathan repeated, closing his eyes and taking a deeper breath. "I just -- not everything. Maybe we could just keep doing this? Touching and kissing for awhile?"

He just knew he wasn't ready for everything yet. It still made him nervous.

[not_every_mage]

Anders closed his eyes to steady himself. "All right," he said. "Hands above the waist until you say otherwise."

They both had enough people at home acting like their bodies were not their own property. He didn't need to add to it.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I'm fine with a lot of touching," Nathan told him quietly, gently. "And a lot of kissing. All kinds."

Quieter then, he said, "Thank you."

He figured he'd be ready for more at some point. He just needed more time to be comfortable in his skin, he figured.

For now, lots of touching and kissing was about what he could handle.

[not_every_mage]

"Don't worry about it," Anders told him. He'd already shifted his hands up to Nathan's ribs, and he absently rubbed his fingers against the flesh as he spoke. "I like the kissing and touching, and everything is better when you really want it anyhow."