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Edmond's skin was so warm to the touch that Eiden could feel heat in the air between their bodies, even in the cool desert night. The echoes of their voices still lingered in Eiden's ears as he pressed his lips against Edmond's bare shoulder; Edmond turned again to meet Eiden's mouth with his own, seeking out the affection and pleasure so desperately that it almost stole the air from Eiden's lungs. After spending so much time encouraging Edmond to not subdue his moans and cries, a vague voice in the back of Eiden's arousal-hazed mind noted the irony that the first thing he did to help them both come down from the high was to kiss the Vice Captain silent, but Edmond writhing in his lap to chase the last vestiges of pleasure in his body as they slowly faded away proved to be a very effective distraction from higher thought.
Eiden took a long, calming breath as their lips parted, finally allowing Edmond to regain some semblance of control of his own body by carefully assisting the Vice Captain with getting both of his feet firmly back on solid ground.
"How are you feeling?" Eiden questioned, one of his newly-freed hands rubbing up and down the side of the other man's body, following the contours and curves with tips of his fingers. Shivering at the fresh contact amidst the sensitivity that came in the afterglow, Edmond licked his lips wet and cleared his throat. The rest of his body may have been slowly returning to normal, but the rosy flush of his skin lingered all over him. His cheeks, his ears, his shoulders, the jutting curves of his hip bones. Eiden wanted to find every single one of those blushing patches of flesh and map them out with his tongue.
"... fine," Edmond replied, voice low and soft, a perfect contrast to how he'd been screaming not even five minutes prior. Eiden hummed, content with the answer and turned his head to kiss the palm of Edmond's hand, still resting against his face. Edmond's fingers curled inwards sharply at the contact, his nails leaving faint, perpendicular red lines on Eiden's skin.
"Glad to hear it!" Eiden replied. "Do you need help? I mean, we're still…"
He glanced down between their bodies. They were so close that he couldn't see anything, but he could definitelyfeel where their bodies were still joined, and Edmond was still as deliciously slick, tight and hot around him as the moment he'd first pushed inside of him. His cock twitched despite how hard he'd just come and Edmond groaned, sensitive as he still was.
"Are you ever satisfied?" Edmond asked in a way that sounded suspiciously excited for words that were probably meant to sound exhausted. Now that he was speaking at a regular volume again, Eiden could hear how husky the Vice Captain's voice had become from how loudly he'd been screaming, begging for him not to stop. Despite his words, Edmond's hips seemed to be moving in slow, small circles against Eiden's half-hard cock in a way that made Eiden wonder if the other man was even aware that he was doing it in the first place. And God, as tempting as it was for him to just grab onto Edmond's thighs again, spread them so far apart that he gasped from the strain on his muscles and fuck him until he was crying from overstimulation… the Royal Family was anxiously awaiting Edmond's return and the salvage of their stolen heirloom.
Damn it, why did he have to be the rational one when Edmond was acting like this?
"How could I be when you're acting like this, Vice Captain?" Eiden finally replied. "But that doesn't mean we have to keep going. What's already happened has been amazing."
"Thank you," Edmond murmured, voice soft once again. "And, ah… I feel the same."
Those words sinking in just made Eiden want to embrace the Vice Captain more, but instead he offered his hand to the other man to steady him as he got back to his feet on rather shaky legs. The moment that their bodies parted, thick droplets of Eiden's release began to run down the insides of his thighs. Eiden could see the blush colouring his cheeks even in the dark, but there was no way he was going to miss the chance to see something so deliciously obscene as the Vice Captain's perfect ass and thighs stained with his come. The soft sound of mild annoyance he heard Edmond make when he noticed Eiden watching him only made Eiden smile wider.
Once Edmond was looking reasonably stable on his feet, Eiden got up and gave himself a once-over and was unsurprised to find that he was a mess. The desert was colder at night, but it was not enough to prevent him from sweating between both the body heat that he and Edmond had shared and the exertion of doing all of the work. His lap and abdomen were covered in a combination of Edmond's bodily fluids and his own, which wasn't exactly pleasant now that he was recovering from the afterglow and he sure as hell didn't want to be crossing the desert in this sorry state. Not that he was complaining; he would fuck Edmond like this any time he wanted him to if it meant hearing the sweet sound of his pleading again. Luckily, the stars had aligned and the solution to his problem was right in front of him.
He'd given a cursory glance to the oasis lake when they'd arrived, of course, and had marvelled at the reflective surface of the water as the night had set in and the stars had appeared in the sky. Not to mention how much it has helped him with seeing the state that Edmond had been in while he'd been inside of him… but now that he looked at it from a different perspective, he was stunned at the crystalline clarity of the lake. Even if it hadn't been so clean, it was still preferable to being covered in a sticky, flaky mess under the desert sun. Mind made up, he shrugged off his coat, leaving it where it fell in the sand. His shoes followed, and his headwear became the last piece of clothing to be discarded soon after that. The soft jingling on the chains attached to the cloth caught Edmond's attention, and he looked over from where he had been shaking the sand out of his discarded clothing to find Eiden standing behind him, naked as the day he was born save for his neon gemstone, still securely hanging around his neck.
"W-what in the blazes do you think you're doing?!"
Edmond's blush was back with a vengeance, and Eiden caught his eyes flickering downward briefly to look at his cock. The Vice Captain's eyes repeated this motion several times, and Eiden's lips curved into a smirk. He liked Edmond's gaze moving over his body like this, unabashedly taking in his nakedness before he came back to his senses and reined himself in. Heck, if he kept it up any longer it would start going to Eiden's head and he'd be tempted to start striking a pose or something! Simply put, it felt nice to be desired so openly when Edmond was usually so restrained.
"Like what you see?" Eiden finally questioned, and that was when Edmond averted his gaze. "You don't have to feel embarrassed about it, you know. I appreciate it, actually!"
"I know," Edmond said after a moment of pause. "But…"
Eiden got it, he really did; although they were working on it slowly, it took more time to undo the years of strict conditioning that Edmond had imposed on himself. It didn't deter him at all though. He was going to be patient, and he was going to help.
But for now, there were other issues on his mind as well. Things like getting clean so he felt human again. Luckily, he could work on both of these tasks at the same time.
"Still not fully relaxed after all of that fun, huh?" Eiden asked, raising one hand to his chin as if he were in deep thought. "Well, I guess I did say I was doing everything tonight and you just had to enjoy it… which you did, I think! That time you were screaming for me not to stop… wow."
"You–!"
"Don't worry, I have an idea," Eiden interrupted gently, before grinning broadly and walking to the edge of the lake. He dipped his toes into the water to test the temperature, and found that it was as cold as he'd figured it would be. Still, it was better than riding across the desert without washing himself off. It was better that he just bite the bullet instead of putting things off, and he stepped into the water up to his waist.
He'd been right; it was cold at first, but his body adjusted to it quickly and the water felt amazing against his skin, soothing the dryness caused by the hot, arid Solarian summer weather. Eiden sighed in contentment, ducking his head below the waterline and reaching up to scrub at his hair until he no longer felt dirt falling free from it. They obviously didn't have anything to wash with properly like soap, but it was enough that he could wash the grit off after a day of travelling.
Eiden emerged from the water with a gasp, wiping his sodden hair out of his face with one hand. He held the same hand out to Edmond, an offer.
"Want to join me, Vice Captain?"
Edmond seemed to hesitate for a moment, but apparently hardened his resolve and stepped towards the lake, doing the same test of the water's temperature that Eiden had done with his fingertips. As opposed to Eiden, however, he jumped backwards in shock.
"The water is freezing!"
"It's not freezing," Eiden replied. "It's, ahh… really refreshing?"
Edmond looked doubtful, and Eiden honestly didn't blame him… he had a pretty good tolerance for the cold, preferring it over the heat. His little experience with heat stroke earlier in the day was proof enough of that. But if Edmond's body temperature and tolerance ran the opposite way of his own, there was another option. A better one, even!
"You want to rinse off, right? You'll feel better. And I'll keep you warm."
Edmond frowned a little, but after a few moments he began to remove his sandals and gloves, placing them next to the pants that Eiden had removed from his body mid-kiss earlier in the evening. The prim and proper Vice Captain apparently didn't appreciate that Eiden had left the item of clothing haphazardly on the ground, and he took the time to arrange them neatly before moving on to removing his shirt. He seemed to hesitate… which was hilarious to Eiden, because the other man was still completely bare from the waist down and Eiden was enjoying the sight of Edmond's ass as he took his time undressing. The soft, plump, round flesh, the tracks of his come still just barely visible on Edmond's thighs, the hints of pink where the sun had gotten a little top hot on the pale skin… it was enough to drive him wild! The tiny golden accessories from his hair and the rest of his jewellery were the last things Edmond removed, and he held them in the palm of his hand before he placed them all on top of his nearly folded clothing. He worked the tight braids out of his hair with his fingers and let his hair down, allowing himself a soft sigh of relief at the sensation. He turned on his heel to look at Eiden, looking just a little embarrassed, almost as if he'd just remembered that he was completely exposed to his eyes. Nonetheless, he walked to the water's edge and took Eiden's hand when it was offered to him, and when Eiden interlinked their fingers and gently squeezed he shyly squeezed back.
Edmond hissed at the chill as the water reached his stomach, and Eiden had to hold back a grin at the Vice Captain's disgruntled expression.
"We can try to make this fast so you don't get too cold," Eiden said. "But feel free to huddle up to me if you want to! Sharing body heat with skin-to-skin contact is one of the best ways to stay warm. I think."
Edmond gave Eiden a look that seemed to suggest that he knew that this statement held truth, but he still somehow doubted it because it came from Eiden. Still, Edmond began to adjust himself and soon he was leaning against Eiden's side with his head resting against his shoulder.
Well, this probably wasn't as good for conserving body heat as full body contact, but Eiden wasn't about to ruin the moment.
"Feeling any warmer?"
Edmond hummed softly in agreement.
"A little."
"Once you've warmed up a bit I can help you get the sand out of your hair if you like."
Edmond nodded slowly. "Thank you."
Over the next few minutes Edmond's breathing slowed and evened out as he relaxed and got used to the temperature of the water. When he was comfortable, he parted from Eiden with a movement that was heavy with unwilling energy and let the water take him, submerging his body beneath the inky surface of the water for a few seconds before he reemerged, leaving a cloud of fine grains of sand in his wake. He leaned back with a soft groan of relief, the fine strands of his hair fanning out around his head like a halo. Eiden was transfixed.
"It's been a while since I've seen your hair like this," Eiden said, catching a stray lock of Edmond's hair between his fingers.
"There's nothing special about it," Edmond muttered. Eiden shook his head and began to run his fingers through Edmond's hair, starting at his scalp and working his way to the ends.
"It reminds me of a certain night… when was it again?" Eiden mused, a teasing lilt to his voice that made colour bloom in Edmond's cheeks.
"Fiend."
"Ah, so you do remember."
Edmond hummed softly as Eiden's fingers worked over his head for the last time before moving away.
"How could I forget…?"
The heat of the summer air. The fireworks exploding into blooms of dazzling colour above their heads. And the ticklish sensation of Edmond's quivering breath against his lips, just before…
"There's something else I remember about that night," Eiden breathed, slowly leaning forward into Edmond's space.
That first touching of lips. Their first time sharing a kiss together, Edmond's first time sharing it with anyone. Since then they'd shared many more, and Eiden couldn't stop himself from adding one more to the count, leaning down to brush his lips over the Vice Captain's. Edmond's eyes fluttered closed at the contact and he simply followed Eiden's lead; meeting the other man's tongue with his own, lips sliding slowly but messily against the other's before they broke apart and let things come to a natural end. Edmond's eyes were almost the same colour as the lazuline shade of blue of the oasis water when he opened them again, and they reflected the distant light of the desert stars just as well. Neither of them said anything at first, both unwilling to break the comfortable silence until Edmond sat back up, the crystal clear droplets of the oasis water running from the ends of his hair and down his skin in rivulets.
Eiden reached up to brush away some of the sand that had become stuck to the skin of Edmond's back, following the curve of his spine with his thumbs as he brushed off the right side of his body and then the left. He moved his hands up to Edmond's shoulders and applied gentle pressure, signalling him to turn around so that they were face to face. Edmond's features had more of a softness to them in the dim light, and his hair being down instead of tied back in its usual no nonsense style made him look almost ethereal in the blue light of the moon. Sighing through a soft smile, Eiden reached up to clean a smudge of dust away from Edmond’s skin that reached from the dip of his left collarbone to the curve of his shoulder. After that, he leaned in to press a gentle kiss to Edmond’s lips that was readily accepted; Edmond closed his eyes so pre-emptively that Eiden could see the dewy shine of the excess water on his long lashes.
When they parted again, Eiden felt the warm puff of Edmond’s exhaled breath on his lips.
“There,” Eiden said. “Perfect.”
The very last of the warmth of the day was now well and truly leached away by the darkness of the night, and Eiden could feel gooseflesh forming under his fingers where they rested on Edmond’s skin. It probably wasn’t wise to stay in the water much longer, as tempting as the idea was.
"We should probably get out and get dressed before we get too cold," Eiden said softly. He made to move back to the water's edge, but was stopped by the feeling of Edmond's hand once again finding his own. The Vice Captain used the counterweight of Eiden's body to pull himself into his embrace, the Grand Sorcerer reflexively opening his arms to let him in.
"A little longer," Edmond murmured, burying his face into Eiden's chest to hide the blush on his face. "Please."
Eiden froze for a moment, stunned by Edmond's openness, but soon relaxed and closed his arms around the other man, securing their embrace. Somehow, he wasn't surprised that Edmond's skin no longer felt cool to the touch.
"Anything you wish, my Vice Captain."
They stayed like that until Eiden could barely take the cold anymore himself, at which point they left the water and made their way back to the rocky outcrop on the bank of the river. Eiden covered them both up with his coat and pulled Edmond close, revelling in the warmth and intimacy of skin against skin. They had a long way to go until they were back in Light Territory, but Eiden wasn't going to let a chance to let Edmond rest pass by when Edmond was tired enough to comply. And if Eiden drew Edmond in close to him, until there was barely space for air to breathe between them and then kissed him, that was just another way to get Edmond to unwind. And if that led to more, which resulted in them running behind on time and having to travel through to the next morning to make up for it, well… Eiden could live with the consequences of his actions just for the chance to hear Edmond's voice break as he begged him again and again to not stop.