The Mending of Time [M] [Goblin]

[Juno]

Aren couldn't help but pout a bit when he was evaded but he could hardly complain so long as Ocarern remained upon him. "How wrong you are," the human chuckled, keeping a careful eye on where the elf was wandering beneath clothing.

He could not hide how he was being affected as he watched him with such a look of pained longing in his eyes. "Are you at least...enjoying that?" he wondered, hoping the elf was not pushing his own boundaries for his benefit.

[GoblinFae]

Ocarern shoved the other man's tunic up, baring his chest to his own curious gaze. If Arensaenger wished to call someone unique then it was himself that the word applied to and not the tattered elf atop him. Said elf scooted himself backwards even further before leaning forward to rest his head upon the younger man's stomach, his arms wrapping securely about his waist. In response, he offered the human one curt nod of his head along with a muffled affirmative sound.

The elf did not remain still and in his place long as he allowed his fingers to trace the planes of the other man's abdomen. His touch feather-light and systematically exploratory as not a single patch of skin was left untouched. Further and further down the small fingers glided until they reached the waist of Arensaenger's trousers where they hesitated slightly, picking at the band in curiosity but making no move to go any further.

[Juno]

Taking his cues he remained as still and quiet as possible for him, though his mind ached to fidget and squirm under such intense and thorough scrutiny. A hand moved down to rest upon the elf's shoulder in a pitiful attempt at keeping him from slipping away, though he knew he would allow him to do whatever he wished. Ocarern was no prisoner, very far from it.

The light attention at the waist of his trousers had the human grunting lightly and sucking in his stomach away from the feather-light touch that sparked a slightly ticklish sensation in his belly. Pleading eyes turned to look down at the curious elf, silently willing him to end his torture before it began.

Aren would not ask him to go further than that line, clear as it was to him. He ran his hand across the back of his shoulder to a bicep and gave a gentle pull and squeeze to try and coax him back up and away from his exploring. He would take cuddles and kissing over mentally scarring his dear friend, as he feared, any day.

[GoblinFae]

Ever in-tune with the emotions around him, Ocarern snapped his eyes up to meet Arensaenger's tugging began. He did not understand the colors he saw swirling about his old friend, as their combination was unlike any other he had seen before. They caused him to tilt his head to the side and his ears to wiggle about in curiosity. "No want, no likey?" he asked apprehensively, fearing that he had hurt or even disgusted his friend with his intentions. Perhaps the kissing was only meant to be kissing and his friend's attempts to humor him but the human wanted nothing else from him. The elf sighed sadly, his ears and features drooping with depression. "Bad elf," he whispered under his breath.

[Juno]

"No, no. Not a bad elf," he sighed sadly, not liking the obvious disappointment in his friend. "I'm...scared," Aren admitted.

"Well, scared of scaring you," he explained further, unsure how to express that he didn't want to be the subject of innocent exploration of the male form when he harbored such feelings in his heart for him. He certainly didn't want to be responsible for what happened if Ocarern chose to continue.

"You should rest, I'm sure it's been a long day," he tried, hoping to direct his attention elsewhere. "Worried about you, you seem so sad."

[GoblinFae]

Ocarern looked at his friend critically for a moment before sighing miserably and gently flopping back down onto Arensaenger. His head rested on the other man's chest as he once more resumed curling himself around the younger man like a small blanket. "Long day," he agreed, burying his face deeply in the comforting scent of the human's balled up tunic. "Not worth worrying," the elf added grumpily, not liking such attentions upon himself. Some things never did change.

[Juno]

"Definitely worth worrying." Aren smiled a bit to himself, happy to have the elf remaining however he wanted to stay with him. He cautiously raised his arms to hug him loosely, taking up the careful petting of his hair again.

"You should rest," he whispered, feeling a bit guilty that he wasn't planning on doing so himself.

[GoblinFae]

The little elf melted at the soothing touch, sighing unconsciously in pleasure and relief. He felt incredibly drained and vulnerable in that moment as if someone had beaten the living daylights out of him before forcing him to run a marathon followed by another beating. In a way that was not so far from the truth though. Ocarern had scarcely dared rest for long once he had fled from the monster with a twisted aura.

"What about tomorrow?" he asked softly, terrified of what would come when the moment ended and reality crashed in on them both once more. He still feared being cast out again despite or perhaps even in spite of the moment that was happening between them. Ocarern had been fed lies and half-truths a plenty and was wary of even the purest of truths now that he had been burned so many times.

[Juno]

"Tomorrow?" Why was tomorrow so important? Did they really need plans? "Tomorrow I...can have my sister run the place a bit. Can spend as much time together as you'd like." Aren nodded, more for his own assurance than anything. That was the correct answer, wasn't it? Surely if he was asking he cared to know if Aren would be free.

"We could...catch up, yeah? Get reacquainted with each other." Well, more than they already were with the smaller man serving as a living blanket for him.

[GoblinFae]

Ocarern sighed and shook his head. The answer that he had received was not the one he had been looking for. "But after that? What happens when you're done with that? Done with me?" he whispered the last part into Arensaenger's tunic, afraid for the answer as much as he was to ask the question. He did not feel safe not knowing when he would be cast out again. He was always cast aside. Even the man whom he was so tightly curled about had sent him away and yet the elf had still come crawling back to him, a glutton for such punishments.

[Juno]

Aren frowned, not missing the elf's whispered words. He raised a hand to tenderly run through his hair, a troubled look on his own face as he pondered how to address such a delicate topic. He was beginning to feel like he really hadn't been clear at all in explaining his own feelings.

"I won't be done with you," he answered simply, tone a little stubborn yet also still hurting because he understood how he'd probably made his friend terrified of him in the past. "I want you to stay. Please."

[GoblinFae]

The elf hummed in answer although he far from agreed. Everyone else had cast him out, including but not limited to his friend beside him. Arensaenger would do so again too. Ocarern was positive it would be the case as it had already happened before and it had to happen again. That was just the way of things.

Trying to ignore such thoughts though, Ocarern reached for the covers to keep them both warm before burrowing underneath them. "Night night, Aren," he whispered wearily, finally allowing himself to succumb to sleep. There as no use worrying for tomorrow when he already believed in the outcome. He might as well asleep while he could before all the cruelty of reality caught up with him again.

[Juno]

While he wasn't surprised at a lack of any real acknowledgement from the small elf it was still quite unsettling. He'd been away so long and Aren had so many unanswered questions. He thought it would be good for them to also discuss their past for a proper apology from himself if nothing more, whether he might accept it or not.

The conversation seemed over, though, if Ocarern was going to close the door with sleep. He didn't really want to complain. He had gotten him into his bed after all their wasted years even if it wasn't exactly the way he'd imagined. It was a start, he tried to remember.

Even the elf curled atop him wasn't enough to lull him to sleep, though. In fact, it left Aren more troubled than he normally would have been and fearful that closing his eyes would leave him with an empty bed come morning. Close to dawn, though, his exhaustion finally overcame him and he drifted away into a light sleep.

[GoblinFae]

Ocarern slept fitfully but deeply through the night. He did not wake once and was completely unaware of the worries and concerns of the man whom he was using as a massive body pillow. When the dawn came the elf found himself beginning to stir against his will. He had always been an early riser and with his recent escape he was even more on edge upon waking. But the warmth and softness of where he had managed to tuck himself into for the night was far too tempting for him to want to leave.

Slowly he peaked an eye upon, shocked to find himself laying upon Arensaenger before he was able to remember the previous night's events. He tensed for several moments as if expecting the man beanth him to suddenly awake and violently cast him from the bed. When nothing happened though, he relaxed enough to try and wake up more slowly.

Eventually he decided he should get himself up before his friend did wake up and decide he really did not want Ocarern on top of him. The elf found that extracting himself was more difficult than he had imagined as every single one of Arensaenger's breaths gave the elf pause, ever fearful that he would wake the sleeping human with his unsuccessful wiggling.

[Juno]

Even in sleep Aren's arms formed a firm cage around Ocarern. Every little shift and sound of the morning had the younger man furrowing his brow in sleep and grumbling grumpily for stillness and silence. Whenever the elf settled he froze and the cycle began anew.

Finally comfortable, he attempted to roll over onto his side. In the process his hold on the elf was loosened considerably and eventually one hand fell away entirely to just rest against his hip. Aren mumbled happily instead for that, fond nonsense spilling from his smiling lips as he nuzzled against Ocarern.

[GoblinFae]

The elf breathed a deep sigh of relief when Arensaenger rolled away allowing him to slide off the human to lay beside him. For several moments he lay still and content to just observe his sleeping companion in silence. He was desperate to savour what could possibly be the last sweet moments he spent with the other man before the weight of the past came crashing down upon them again.

Such painful memories did cause Ocarern to wince slightly before gathering enough courage in his small body to place a chaste kiss to the sleeping man's brow. The elf's heart pines for this man and yet already Ocarern found himself rolling away fr him to sit on the edge of the bed. His back felt like fire once more after having been still so long and then forced to awaken and move. He struggled to convince himself to get up and get moving when the pain was begging him to lay back down and sleep instead. Curiosity won out though as he lifted the front of his shirt to view some of his wounds along his ribs that headed towards his back.

[Juno]

Despite the kiss a faint frown took up residence on Aren's face, his features a bit animated even within sleep to feel the loss of his companion. He murmured quietly, hands reaching for a body that was no longer close enough to him. He grasped at the air instead, a quiet grumble of frustration rumbling within him before giving up.

The soft sounds of rustling fabric and the growing light of morning seeping in through the window were enough to finally rouse him, though. For a few moments he was quiet, warm eyes blinking slowly into focus as he stared across to the edge of the bed where Ocarern was perched. He studied him, privately in awe of the smaller man as a slow smile reached his lips at the sight of just him after going so long without.

He wanted to greet him and thank him for staying, but it was too peaceful and there was no reason to disturb him just yet. Instead he studied the smaller man, smiling appreciatively as his eyes roamed over him. They settled quite quickly on the flashes of skin before him, but something seemed off and Aren's lips twisted into a scowl once he realized what he'd seen.

"Oca?" he called softly, snapping his eyes up to stare at the back of the elf's head instead, brow furrowed with deep concern for the markings upon his dear friend.

[GoblinFae]

In a single instant like an arrow to the heart, the peaceful and tranquil moment was destroyed by Arensaenger's waking. Ocarern flinched violently at the sound of his name. His hands immediately dropped the hem of his tunic as he all but launched himself from his perch. The elf spun himself around so that his back was to the wall and his arms were crossed protectively in front of his middle. He dared not speak as he feared that opening his mouth would only result in the straining of his beating heart to be heard. Instead his bobbed his head slightly in an attempt at a friendly greeting. He hoped that his friend would not notice his distress but if he had seen the size of his own panicked eyes he would know just how impossible to miss it was.

[Juno]

He hissed softly, feeling guilty for startling Ocarern so obviously. Without thinking he reached a hand out towards him, but the distance between them was too much to actually make any contact so he was soon withdrawing and curling it against his side instead.

His eyes flitted along what he could see of the elf in the dim light of morning, features slowly twisting to further concern at the way he so obviously shielded himself. It made him feel he wasn't meant to see what he'd seen, but he couldn't ignore or forget the abnormal, twisted markings along the smaller man's flesh.

"I'm sorry," he finally spoke, voice thick with sadness as he tried to keep calm and tell himself that Ocarern wasn't really afraid of him. Aren lifted his eyes to meet his own. "I didn't mean to scare you."

[GoblinFae]

Ocarern smoothed out the front of his tunic nervously, tugging and pulling at the hem to ensure it was down and stayed down. "You didn't scare me, Aren," he whispered nervously. He felt guilty for seeing the other man reach from him then recoil as if he was poison. It was the truth in his mind but he had hoped it could be avoided, that he wouldn't have tainted. Hesitantly the elf moved closer to the edge of the bed and sat down again slowly. "Sleep well?" he asked, kneading his hands in his lap while wishing that he could reach out to Arensaenger without causing him to run from him like he probably should.