Servienne (LGBT)

22-Settling Sand

   Aaron laughed after a moment with Noll joining back in as he turned sideways, scooping up Aaron's naked body against his own, burying his face into Aaron's hair. "You're something else, Aaron..." Noll whispered, voice still husky and low. Aaron couldn't help but smile contently. "You're not so bad yourself, idiot."

  It was barely ten minutes by the time Noll had passed out, and Aaron slipped out of bed. When Noll came to, it couldn't have been a half an hour later, the sun setting out on the horizon of the window overlooking the gardens. The room filled with steamy air as he looked over at the bathroom door, just opening with Aaron emerging, a towel loosely slung around his waist. He leaned against the bathroom doorframe, smirking at Noll who was sprawled out naked on the bed, Aaron's eyes glossing over his skin layered with a sheen of sweat, sweat that intensified scars and burns and tan. Noll did likewise, taking in the prince's small frame, lightly toned and with warm, light, fair skin. Noll's green eyes captured Aaron, and Aaron's wandering oak ones sparked a curiosity in Noll. They simply stared at one another for a moment before Aaron's smirk deepened, and he walked over to his closet. "Your turn for showering. I would have asked you to join me, but you looked so peaceful."

  "You should wake me up next time anyways," Noll insisted, smiling as he stood, jogging over to slip his arms around Aaron's waist before he could make a run for the closet to get dressed. Noll grinned, shifting the towel ever-so-slightly so that it slipped off completely, running his hands up and down Aaron's side--over his ribs, his waist, his hips. "Hm... You're so warm," Noll mumbled, Aaron scoffing and pushing his face away as he tried to bury it in the crook of the prince's neck. "Then go take a shower and join me after we're dressed, dimwit."

    "But that's not as much fun!"

    "Yes, but I'm too tired for your shenanigans. Go take a shower, Noll."

  To the command, Noll playfully pouted before chuckling, kissing Aaron's neck and reluctantly drawing away, heading for the bathroom after scooping up his clothes from the floor. "Next time, I'm joining you in the shower."

  After ten minutes or so, Noll stepped out, letting out a long sigh of content. He hadn't had a nice, hot shower in years before he had taken up the assistant cook position, but he still found it strange to now be taking hot showers everyday. How had he gone from scullion to valet so abruptly? It was dizzying, how fast everything had happened, and it had only been six months. It almost didn't feel real. Noll's eyes shifted over to Aaron who, despite seeming so awake before, had passed out on the bed. Noll couldn't help but smile.

  Running a towel through his hair, he wandered over to Aaron's desk, sifting through the documents there with curiosity. His eyes widened in surprise. These were documents about military movements against the Liberation Syndicate. They were going to use force to take them out now. This troubled Noll deeply. The Liberation Syndicate, while he would agree their methods were a little extreme at times, were only trying to get things to change for the better. The fact that King Erwin's only solution at that point was violence only served to intensify feelings against the crown and thus strengthen the Liberation Syndicate.

  He quickly read through some more information  before returning the documents to the way they had been found, albeit not perfectly, before he walked back over to the bed, throwing the towel on the floor and climbing in next to Aaron. He pressed his chest to Aaron's back, spooning him lightly, arm draped over Aaron's hips. The prince was too asleep to even noticed, only shifting and snuggling back into Noll before drifting off to sleep again. Calm had returned to Aaron's body, and Noll was glad that the anxiety Aaron had felt those few days ago had dissipated. If being some ridiculous valet meant he could calm Aaron like that, it was more than worth it.

  The sands of life were settling once again into place. But Noll felt a storm coming on that fiery horizon. Whether that storm would come as a result of the gala or by the Liberation Syndicate, if not both, he did not know, but it was coming. He was new to valetship and one mistake could slip the truth of his and Aaron's activities, and rebellion rose within the people by the day, whether Aaron realized that or not. Still, for now, Noll buried his face into the crook of Aaron's neck, sighing contently as he allowed himself to drift off into the calm of that warm, mid-week afternoon.