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Nov. 30th, 2006 10:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rmAnd a new Swordspoint fic: http://community.livejournal.com/_riverside/11466.html
TITLE: Children
PAIRING: Richard/Alec
RATING: PG
NOTES: This takes place shortly after Jessica has arrived for her visit. So significantly after the end of The privilege of the Sword. Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
wordsofastory for the info, as I’ve not read Fall of the Kings yet.
DISCLAIMER: As ever, these lovely characters belong to Ellen Kushner.
Alec was curled as small as his long limbs would let him, head resting on Richard’s chest.
“It would be easier if she’d been a boy,” he said.
“Why? You did all right with Katherine.”
“I didn’t do anything with Katherine. She raised herself.”
“Well,” Richard said shifting slightly and unable to keep the smile out of his voice, “I’d like to think I helped just a little.”
“More than me, certainly. But I’ll need an heir.”
Richard made a non-committal sound and didn’t twitch, tense, or move a muscle. It was a perfect stillness Alec knew. Designed to betray nothing, it revealed everything.
Alec laid a hand on Richard’s chest and sat up slightly for a moment, to look him in the eyes that couldn’t see. “I’m in no hurry, and I’m not moving from you.”
Richard smiled faintly. “Then lay back down.”
Alec did as he was told.
“I wish I could see her. Does she look like you?”
“She looks like a child. It’s hard to tell. In the jaw. The hair.”
“Yes, I’ve felt that.”
Alec snorted.
“I’m glad sometimes though.”
“Of what?”
“Jessamyn was with child,” he said, skipping ahead and regretting having brought any of it up. It had always been easier for them to talk about the difficult things in the dark, in their bed. Now that he was always in the dark, he always seemed to say more than he meant.
When Alec said nothing, only moved a hand to run it lightly up and down Richard’s arm, Richard continued.
“What do you think we fought over?”
Alec rolled his shoulders, his neck, still leaning on Richard. His long hair tickled and Richard, not sure what Alec was trying to do, pulled his arms away so Alec could get comfortable. His friend, though, just pulled the arms back to where he wanted them.
“Supper. Or money or men. Maybe you went out wenching all the time in those days. I never think about it.”
“You’re unsettled,” Richard said, ghosting his fingers lightly over Alec’s face.
“I forget you’re a worse man than I think.”
“No. Just more mortal.”
“I wish you weren’t.”
Richard smiled. “It’s easier this way.”
“I suppose,” Alec said, sounding pouty and frivolous again.
“For the record, she didn’t want to raise a Riverside urchin and wanted me to take a job for a house on the Hill.”
“The child wouldn’t have been safer.”
“Just less hungry, I know.”
“Were you hungry a lot as a child?” Alec asked, derailing the conversation again.
“As a child, no, not so much. When I first came to the city? Yes. Often. We both were.”
“Did she whore?”
Richard shrugged. “Sometimes.”
“Was the child yours?”
“I don’t know about these things, Alec,” Richard said, his voice getting tight, but with sadness or anger it was hard to tell, “but it’s how I lived then, and it’s how I live now, I suppose.”
Alec made a soft, soothing noise. “You had a fight; your fights are thorough. Things more terrible than that happen over children all the time.”
“I know.” After a long moment, Richard sighed harshly and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Do you think Jessica will get used to us?”
“You, certainly. She likes you better.”
Richard shook his head and brushed the hair away from Alec’s face. “No, no she just likes you the way you like to be liked.”
“How’s that?”
“A little cruelly.”
“I thought that’s how I like to like.”
“Well, yes, that too,” Richard said, laughing a little.
Alec took Richard’s hand and kissed the palm, his gesture in place of certain declarations. Richard made a soft sound, and kissed Alec’s wrist in confirmation of all for which they either couldn’t or wouldn’t find words.
Alec smiled. “Do that again,” he cooed softly.
And Richard did.
TITLE: Children
PAIRING: Richard/Alec
RATING: PG
NOTES: This takes place shortly after Jessica has arrived for her visit. So significantly after the end of The privilege of the Sword. Thanks to
wordsofastory for the info, as I’ve not read Fall of the Kings yet.DISCLAIMER: As ever, these lovely characters belong to Ellen Kushner.
Alec was curled as small as his long limbs would let him, head resting on Richard’s chest.
“It would be easier if she’d been a boy,” he said.
“Why? You did all right with Katherine.”
“I didn’t do anything with Katherine. She raised herself.”
“Well,” Richard said shifting slightly and unable to keep the smile out of his voice, “I’d like to think I helped just a little.”
“More than me, certainly. But I’ll need an heir.”
Richard made a non-committal sound and didn’t twitch, tense, or move a muscle. It was a perfect stillness Alec knew. Designed to betray nothing, it revealed everything.
Alec laid a hand on Richard’s chest and sat up slightly for a moment, to look him in the eyes that couldn’t see. “I’m in no hurry, and I’m not moving from you.”
Richard smiled faintly. “Then lay back down.”
Alec did as he was told.
“I wish I could see her. Does she look like you?”
“She looks like a child. It’s hard to tell. In the jaw. The hair.”
“Yes, I’ve felt that.”
Alec snorted.
“I’m glad sometimes though.”
“Of what?”
“Jessamyn was with child,” he said, skipping ahead and regretting having brought any of it up. It had always been easier for them to talk about the difficult things in the dark, in their bed. Now that he was always in the dark, he always seemed to say more than he meant.
When Alec said nothing, only moved a hand to run it lightly up and down Richard’s arm, Richard continued.
“What do you think we fought over?”
Alec rolled his shoulders, his neck, still leaning on Richard. His long hair tickled and Richard, not sure what Alec was trying to do, pulled his arms away so Alec could get comfortable. His friend, though, just pulled the arms back to where he wanted them.
“Supper. Or money or men. Maybe you went out wenching all the time in those days. I never think about it.”
“You’re unsettled,” Richard said, ghosting his fingers lightly over Alec’s face.
“I forget you’re a worse man than I think.”
“No. Just more mortal.”
“I wish you weren’t.”
Richard smiled. “It’s easier this way.”
“I suppose,” Alec said, sounding pouty and frivolous again.
“For the record, she didn’t want to raise a Riverside urchin and wanted me to take a job for a house on the Hill.”
“The child wouldn’t have been safer.”
“Just less hungry, I know.”
“Were you hungry a lot as a child?” Alec asked, derailing the conversation again.
“As a child, no, not so much. When I first came to the city? Yes. Often. We both were.”
“Did she whore?”
Richard shrugged. “Sometimes.”
“Was the child yours?”
“I don’t know about these things, Alec,” Richard said, his voice getting tight, but with sadness or anger it was hard to tell, “but it’s how I lived then, and it’s how I live now, I suppose.”
Alec made a soft, soothing noise. “You had a fight; your fights are thorough. Things more terrible than that happen over children all the time.”
“I know.” After a long moment, Richard sighed harshly and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Do you think Jessica will get used to us?”
“You, certainly. She likes you better.”
Richard shook his head and brushed the hair away from Alec’s face. “No, no she just likes you the way you like to be liked.”
“How’s that?”
“A little cruelly.”
“I thought that’s how I like to like.”
“Well, yes, that too,” Richard said, laughing a little.
Alec took Richard’s hand and kissed the palm, his gesture in place of certain declarations. Richard made a soft sound, and kissed Alec’s wrist in confirmation of all for which they either couldn’t or wouldn’t find words.
Alec smiled. “Do that again,” he cooed softly.
And Richard did.
