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rmAnother new Swordspoint fic.
http://community.livejournal.com/_riverside/9357.html
Tomorrow I will post more re-worked Ghosts and hopefully we'll have Descensus for you soon. This is just a rough time of year for the Slytherin-apologist duo.
What the scholar who insisted his only name was Alec was doing hanging around Riverside, Richard St. Vier couldn't figure. Not that he was complaining, much. Alec was funny, weirdly beautiful and had a nasty upper-class drawl that couldn't help but make Richard hard. He also clearly had enough of his own business somewhere not to be suffocating, even if he had gone home with Richard four nights of the last nine only to sleep late, complain about the cold at noon and dissapear back to wherever he was from by early each evening. Now Richard found himself glancing at the door to Rosalie's every time it opened, not for reasons of personal safety, but because he wanted the strange creature to come back -- to him, for him, he didn't care which.
"Looking for that boy?" Ginnie Vandall teased him.
"No," Richard said, but it wasn't an answer to her question, more a suggestion she should drop the topic.
"Sorry to be so dreadfully late," Alec said grandly as he breezed in, pushed her aside and sat himself down in front of Richard.
"I didn't know we had plans."
"We didn't."
"But we do now?" Richard asked, amused and chuckling into his cup of cheap and not entirely potable wine.
"Oh yes."
Richard nodded and smiled at his drink. "Good."
"I haven't seen you kill anyone yet."
"There hasn't been a need, and I try to avoid doing it here."
"Why?"
"It doesn't pay down here. It pays up there," he said, nodding towards the Hill.
"Oh," Alec said, suddenly far less amused. "Do you only do it for the money?"
Richard shrugged. "It's what I'm good at. If you don't kill, it's not really done. Most fights aren't worth it."
*
The sex had been good so far. Not spectacular, to Richard's relief. Spectacular sex with weird strangers you didn't know who kept hanging around was definitely one of those things that invited unpleasant complications. Not that he'd know really. Jessamyn wasn't weird and hadn't really been a stranger for long besides. Men were different, and even when Alec talked a lot he seemed to contrive not to say very much at all.
"I keep thinking of not coming back," Alec said, taking Richard's face in his hands and kissing him. "But then I realize I can't stand the thought."
"Am I leading you into ruin? temptation?" Richard asked through the kisses as he unbuckled his sword and dagger so the rest of his clothes could be disposed of more easily.
"No, not those I don't think."
"Which then?"
"Hunger."
"Ah," Richard said. "Bed," and gave the other man a gentle push.
*
Alec was begging, a beautiful little patter of breathy desperation. "Oh, no, please Richard... not yet... no... oh perfect... fuck... please," and Richard would have chuckled had he been aware of anything other than that Alec was beautiful and he was half certain he was going to die like this, sunk into this man who wanted him like water. He turned his face to kiss the inside of Alec's knee, and did what he could to slow down, pausing to run a hand up Alec's chest, along his throat, up over his chin until the nonsense words were punctuated with little bites to the pads of his fingers.
This, Richard realized, was spectacular, the kind of thing excised from fairytales and blamed for wars. The kind of thing he'd been happy to avoid.
"You --" he breathed.
"What?" Alec gasped against the fingers, eyes fluttering open to focus on Richard's face, certain that whatever he was about to hear was terribly important.
Richard closed his eyes, shook his head and thrust hard.
Alec arched and gasped. "Don't stop. Don't you dare stop... oh good god, ah... that...." And then he gave up on actual words altogether.
Richard let his hand slide into Alec's damp hair and leaned down so that they could kiss, awkward and violent.
"I won't stop," he said, breathing it over Alec's lips, realizing it was a promise that made no sense, eventhough he knew he would keep it if he could.
*
He rolled off Alec with a heavy sigh, slightly stunned. He heard the bedding rustle next to him and knew the other man had curled on his side to watch him. That's what Alec did, watched him and hoarded blankets; Richard had never thought it was unnerving before. But then, whatever it was they were doing had never seemed like part of a story before either.
"Richard," Alec said, reaching out to comb his long fingers through the back of the swordman's hair.
Richard made an interrogative sound, but kept his gaze fixed on the wall, wondering if he could stretch the silence far enough for one of them to fall asleep.
"Richard, come here," he said very softly, no question, no whine, just a gentle order.
And Richard suddenly felt like this was all very much beyond his abilities.
Alec watched the swordsman expend all his energy not to move and finally just scooted across the bed and gathered Richard up anyway.
He let out a breath and turned in the scholar's arms, eventually falling asleep with his face pressed to Alec's neck.
*
Knowing something was wrong before he'd even gotten the door to his rooms halfway open, Richard drew his sword. Whatever this was he was certain it would be exactly the sort of drama he couldn't have been less in the mood for. Three days now and Alec hadn't turned up and Richard assumed he simply wouldn't again. Which was fine. He just had to get used to it was all. That and kill whoever had broken in to his flat.
A figure with long brown hair sat on the floor by the fire, fidgetting absently with the poker.
Richard stopped, stunned, as Alec looked up. He kicked the door closed behind him, but didn't sheathe his sword.
"How in the world did you get in here?" Richard asked, alarmed. He hadn't taken Alec for one with the skills for Riverside. Not a thief or a murderer or anything like that, and yet he'd broken in. And if he'd done that, it meant he'd fooled Richard as well and was therefore a very dangerous thing.
"I asked the whore downstairs," he said innocently.
"Marie."
"She's very nice."
"What did you give her?"
"What do you mean?"
"How much money did you pay her to let you in here?" Richard was angry and getting angrier. He'd have to move, and he'd always trusted Marie. That stung as much as anything.
"I didn't. She figured after all that noise the other night, you'd want me back."
Richard blinked at him a couple of times, decided he was telling the truth and sheathed his sword. "I don't like unannounced guests."
"Don't think of me as a guest then."
"I could have killed you," Richard roared at him.
"Would you?"
"Is everything a joke to you?" He could hear his voice growing shrill and winced. All he had wanted over the last few days was another night with this man, and now here they were, screaming at each other in the dark for reasons unknown.
"Nothing's a joke to me," Alec said, his voice cold, serious and more than a bit hateful.
Richard crouched down in front of him, intending to ask what he wanted or what he meant or why he was here or what he himself could do to fix all or any of it, but the words wouldn't come and so he just kissed him gently instead.
"Why didn't you come to Rosalie's?"
"I didn't want to be there. I wanted to be here. I didn't think it would be cold."
"I can't leave a fire burning when I'm not here," Richard said, unable to figure out why he sounded as if he were apologizing to Alec who still wasn't making what could strictly be termed sense. "Even if I am expecting unexpected guests."
Alec smiled. "So I made one. For waiting."
"You can't startle me like that. It isn't safe. Do you understand that?"
"You're never safe, are you?"
"Alec."
"No startling Richard," he recited like a dutiful child, which Richard was most certain the scholar was not and had never been.
He sighed. This was all far too bizarre.
"The University and I have parted ways," Alec announced loftily.
"Do you need somewhere to stay?" Richard asked, feeling both perversely hopeful and old, eventhough he doubted he had more than a couple of years on Alec.
Alec shook his head. "No. If I needed to beg favours, I'd do it elsewhere."
Richard nodded and stood, offering his arm to Alec to help him up.
"I'll talk to Marie tomorrow, get you a key," Richard said and headed for the bedroom.
Alec watched him for a long moment and then followed, shedding clothes, even as he was still cold. His eyes darted around the darkeness and peeling paint but really only wanted to be fixed on Richard.
"Tell me about a fight," Alec said, as he climbed into bed and tangled their legs.
Richard smiled. "Once, I came home and found a boy sitting by my fire."
"What did you do to him?" Alec asked, sounding blood-thirsty.
"Oh, so many things."
http://community.livejournal.com/_riverside/9357.html
Tomorrow I will post more re-worked Ghosts and hopefully we'll have Descensus for you soon. This is just a rough time of year for the Slytherin-apologist duo.
What the scholar who insisted his only name was Alec was doing hanging around Riverside, Richard St. Vier couldn't figure. Not that he was complaining, much. Alec was funny, weirdly beautiful and had a nasty upper-class drawl that couldn't help but make Richard hard. He also clearly had enough of his own business somewhere not to be suffocating, even if he had gone home with Richard four nights of the last nine only to sleep late, complain about the cold at noon and dissapear back to wherever he was from by early each evening. Now Richard found himself glancing at the door to Rosalie's every time it opened, not for reasons of personal safety, but because he wanted the strange creature to come back -- to him, for him, he didn't care which.
"Looking for that boy?" Ginnie Vandall teased him.
"No," Richard said, but it wasn't an answer to her question, more a suggestion she should drop the topic.
"Sorry to be so dreadfully late," Alec said grandly as he breezed in, pushed her aside and sat himself down in front of Richard.
"I didn't know we had plans."
"We didn't."
"But we do now?" Richard asked, amused and chuckling into his cup of cheap and not entirely potable wine.
"Oh yes."
Richard nodded and smiled at his drink. "Good."
"I haven't seen you kill anyone yet."
"There hasn't been a need, and I try to avoid doing it here."
"Why?"
"It doesn't pay down here. It pays up there," he said, nodding towards the Hill.
"Oh," Alec said, suddenly far less amused. "Do you only do it for the money?"
Richard shrugged. "It's what I'm good at. If you don't kill, it's not really done. Most fights aren't worth it."
*
The sex had been good so far. Not spectacular, to Richard's relief. Spectacular sex with weird strangers you didn't know who kept hanging around was definitely one of those things that invited unpleasant complications. Not that he'd know really. Jessamyn wasn't weird and hadn't really been a stranger for long besides. Men were different, and even when Alec talked a lot he seemed to contrive not to say very much at all.
"I keep thinking of not coming back," Alec said, taking Richard's face in his hands and kissing him. "But then I realize I can't stand the thought."
"Am I leading you into ruin? temptation?" Richard asked through the kisses as he unbuckled his sword and dagger so the rest of his clothes could be disposed of more easily.
"No, not those I don't think."
"Which then?"
"Hunger."
"Ah," Richard said. "Bed," and gave the other man a gentle push.
*
Alec was begging, a beautiful little patter of breathy desperation. "Oh, no, please Richard... not yet... no... oh perfect... fuck... please," and Richard would have chuckled had he been aware of anything other than that Alec was beautiful and he was half certain he was going to die like this, sunk into this man who wanted him like water. He turned his face to kiss the inside of Alec's knee, and did what he could to slow down, pausing to run a hand up Alec's chest, along his throat, up over his chin until the nonsense words were punctuated with little bites to the pads of his fingers.
This, Richard realized, was spectacular, the kind of thing excised from fairytales and blamed for wars. The kind of thing he'd been happy to avoid.
"You --" he breathed.
"What?" Alec gasped against the fingers, eyes fluttering open to focus on Richard's face, certain that whatever he was about to hear was terribly important.
Richard closed his eyes, shook his head and thrust hard.
Alec arched and gasped. "Don't stop. Don't you dare stop... oh good god, ah... that...." And then he gave up on actual words altogether.
Richard let his hand slide into Alec's damp hair and leaned down so that they could kiss, awkward and violent.
"I won't stop," he said, breathing it over Alec's lips, realizing it was a promise that made no sense, eventhough he knew he would keep it if he could.
*
He rolled off Alec with a heavy sigh, slightly stunned. He heard the bedding rustle next to him and knew the other man had curled on his side to watch him. That's what Alec did, watched him and hoarded blankets; Richard had never thought it was unnerving before. But then, whatever it was they were doing had never seemed like part of a story before either.
"Richard," Alec said, reaching out to comb his long fingers through the back of the swordman's hair.
Richard made an interrogative sound, but kept his gaze fixed on the wall, wondering if he could stretch the silence far enough for one of them to fall asleep.
"Richard, come here," he said very softly, no question, no whine, just a gentle order.
And Richard suddenly felt like this was all very much beyond his abilities.
Alec watched the swordsman expend all his energy not to move and finally just scooted across the bed and gathered Richard up anyway.
He let out a breath and turned in the scholar's arms, eventually falling asleep with his face pressed to Alec's neck.
*
Knowing something was wrong before he'd even gotten the door to his rooms halfway open, Richard drew his sword. Whatever this was he was certain it would be exactly the sort of drama he couldn't have been less in the mood for. Three days now and Alec hadn't turned up and Richard assumed he simply wouldn't again. Which was fine. He just had to get used to it was all. That and kill whoever had broken in to his flat.
A figure with long brown hair sat on the floor by the fire, fidgetting absently with the poker.
Richard stopped, stunned, as Alec looked up. He kicked the door closed behind him, but didn't sheathe his sword.
"How in the world did you get in here?" Richard asked, alarmed. He hadn't taken Alec for one with the skills for Riverside. Not a thief or a murderer or anything like that, and yet he'd broken in. And if he'd done that, it meant he'd fooled Richard as well and was therefore a very dangerous thing.
"I asked the whore downstairs," he said innocently.
"Marie."
"She's very nice."
"What did you give her?"
"What do you mean?"
"How much money did you pay her to let you in here?" Richard was angry and getting angrier. He'd have to move, and he'd always trusted Marie. That stung as much as anything.
"I didn't. She figured after all that noise the other night, you'd want me back."
Richard blinked at him a couple of times, decided he was telling the truth and sheathed his sword. "I don't like unannounced guests."
"Don't think of me as a guest then."
"I could have killed you," Richard roared at him.
"Would you?"
"Is everything a joke to you?" He could hear his voice growing shrill and winced. All he had wanted over the last few days was another night with this man, and now here they were, screaming at each other in the dark for reasons unknown.
"Nothing's a joke to me," Alec said, his voice cold, serious and more than a bit hateful.
Richard crouched down in front of him, intending to ask what he wanted or what he meant or why he was here or what he himself could do to fix all or any of it, but the words wouldn't come and so he just kissed him gently instead.
"Why didn't you come to Rosalie's?"
"I didn't want to be there. I wanted to be here. I didn't think it would be cold."
"I can't leave a fire burning when I'm not here," Richard said, unable to figure out why he sounded as if he were apologizing to Alec who still wasn't making what could strictly be termed sense. "Even if I am expecting unexpected guests."
Alec smiled. "So I made one. For waiting."
"You can't startle me like that. It isn't safe. Do you understand that?"
"You're never safe, are you?"
"Alec."
"No startling Richard," he recited like a dutiful child, which Richard was most certain the scholar was not and had never been.
He sighed. This was all far too bizarre.
"The University and I have parted ways," Alec announced loftily.
"Do you need somewhere to stay?" Richard asked, feeling both perversely hopeful and old, eventhough he doubted he had more than a couple of years on Alec.
Alec shook his head. "No. If I needed to beg favours, I'd do it elsewhere."
Richard nodded and stood, offering his arm to Alec to help him up.
"I'll talk to Marie tomorrow, get you a key," Richard said and headed for the bedroom.
Alec watched him for a long moment and then followed, shedding clothes, even as he was still cold. His eyes darted around the darkeness and peeling paint but really only wanted to be fixed on Richard.
"Tell me about a fight," Alec said, as he climbed into bed and tangled their legs.
Richard smiled. "Once, I came home and found a boy sitting by my fire."
"What did you do to him?" Alec asked, sounding blood-thirsty.
"Oh, so many things."
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no subject
Date: 2006-11-11 08:36 pm (UTC)favorite line from this one.
mmmm delicious, overall. especially like the part where Richard feels that his life feels like a story. mmm. yes.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-11 10:06 pm (UTC)And you're one of the ones that hasn't even read Swordspoint yet, aren't you?
no subject
Date: 2006-11-11 10:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-11 10:31 pm (UTC)