[ The next meow is a bit annoyed – no, he is not hungry!!
But he shouldn’t panic. He can figure this out. He is not living the rest of his life as a cat, even if the experience thus far has been pleasant.
X’rhun turns in a circle in his spot in the middle of the floor, plopping down to sit again. A look of such grim concentration probably looks odd on his feline features, but he wears it anyway as he tries to think back to what had triggered the change in the first place. He hadn’t been doing much – getting ready to step out of his own room and greet the day after a long while of putting his head back on straight.
He’d taken a deep breath, steeled himself, and—
And suddenly, in a brief flash of white, there is X’rhun again, Duelist uniform and rapier and all, sprawled inelegantly in the middle of Ardyn’s floor.
A beat, as he blinks owlishly at the ceiling, and then a relieved laugh. ]
Oh, thank the gods. I thought for a moment I was stuck like that.
It surprises him, and that instinct of his crackles to life, the feeling of magic just buzzing under his fingertips. But it's that familiar scarlet color that allows familiarity to sink into his mind, accompanied by an equally familiar form sprawled so unceremoniously in front of him.]
[Not one for ever being truly caught off guard, Ardyn opts to stand, looking down at X'rhun like the lazy cat he once was.]
Mm. That's rather misleading of you, isn't it?
[In his mind, he carefuly goes through all he said while he was carrying him on his shoulders. Nothing too revealing, he thinks; though preferably he would've known it was his friend instead of a stray feline.]
How long have you been able to change in such a way?
To the best of my knowledge? A few bells. It happened quite by accident earlier today.
[ Now he moves to get to his feet, plucking up his hat from the place where it slid from his head while he was on the floor. He takes a moment to brush himself off, giving his limbs a cursory inspection and seeming quite satisfied that everything is as it should be. ]
I did plan to tell you, but I ran into a bit of a hitch when I realized I did not actually know how to trigger the change.
[He considers this a moment, and Ardyn seems to settle on the idea of teasing X'rhun to make up for the fact that he was unknowingly carrying him around as a house cat.]
While I'm glad that you could return to your original form, I must say this -- there are worse fates, than being stuck as a rather-
[He reaches out... to scratch behind X'rhun's ear, since he's yet to place his hat back on his head.]
[ That is unfair. Would that he’d had a moment to brace for that, but since it catches him off-guard, he leans right into it. It seems his brief tenure as a cat has left him a little… susceptible to simple things like scratches behind the ears. How dreadfully embarrassing.
Thankfully, he’s long past the point of trying to maintain a semblance of dignity in front of Ardyn, especially when it’s just the two of them. ]
I am at all times a spoiled feline, no matter the form. You should know that by now.
[Well, Ardyn had thought that this might have been a tad bit more embarrassing for X’rhun, but it seems as if the man has become somewhat shameless in their interactions with each other. Not that it matters, of course. He finds it all the more amusing this way.
A couple more scratches behind the ear, then, as X’rhun leans into his touch.]
True. But at least like this, you’re less likely to shed all over my trousers.
[ Ardyn should realize that, given his proclivity for shaking X’rhun to pieces on a surprisingly regular basis, shame went out the window quite a while ago.
Besides, he’s kind of enjoying the attention. ]
There is a joke to be made here, something about shedding and trousers, but for the life in me I cannot come up with anything adequate. It could be that I am, perhaps, a bit distracted.
[Well, now. That's a different sort of shameless, X'rhun.]
Really? My scratching behind your ears ranks higher than subjects pertaining to shedding and trousers? I think you need to realign your priorities, my friend.
[What an unsubtle lean. So very salacious! But Ardyn drops his hand; or rather, he merely moves it to slide the light touch of fingertips along X'rhun's jawline.]
Oh, I suppose that is true. We could test a few of those ways right now, if you want. This room does afford a fair amount of privacy.
[A low rumble of amused satisfaction emits from the back of his throat.]
I'd have it no other way. Besides, what else is there to do to pass the time? [Being stuck on this blasted station, one must find ways to keep amused.]
Best start undressing now, since I see you're wearing the difficult uniform today. [His usual uniform, he means, jokingly.]
[ Nor did he get his usual “I’m coming over” text from Ardyn to allow him time to prepare. Suddenly turning into a cat will throw a wrench in anyone’s day, really.
He takes a moment more to enjoy the closeness, canting his head upward to press a kiss to Ardyn’s jawline, before he steps back to make with the process of removing his Duelist Uniform. Piece after piece gets draped over a nearby chair – this is a familiar process by now, even if he hasn’t been caught in his uniform by Ardyn in some time. ]
That's true enough. But it's as they say, one should always be prepared.
[The kiss earns a pleasant grin from Ardyn, but he doesn't chase it, giving X'rhun enough time and space to step away and undress. And though he's a patient man, usually, he can feign not being so.]
Says the man who yet remains fully clothed in no less than six layers.
[ Teasingly, with a playful flick of his ear in Ardyn’s direction. Off goes the shirt he wears beneath his jacket to join the other layers across the back of the chair. ]
[Likely it would not turn into something he'd allow to make a habit of, but Ardyn does not think he'd mind it terribly today. For however long it lasts.]
I've already done some of the work for you.
[Meaning that he's lacking his black coat, so you're already halfway there, X'rhun! ....well, maybe not quite half.]
[ That Ardyn acquiesces is a bit of a surprise, if only because he has ever held the reins in their encounters up to this point. He certainly harbors no delusions that this will be a regular occurrence, but mayhap some time spent cuddling a cat has put his friend in a charitable mood.
Whatever it is, he intends to make the most of it.
Dryly, as he sheds his last remaining layers, ]
Oh, thank you so much.
[ Ardyn’s coat is hardly the most difficult thing do deal with, oversized and heavy though it may be. He pads back over to his friend, bare feet cat-quiet (ha) on the floor. His gaze sweeps over Ardyn from head to toe, as if he is considering just where to begin, as if he did not already know just what he wants to do here.
His fingers curl around the fabric at Ardyn’s neck, as they so often do, but instead of pulling him down for a kiss, he works the scarf loose, pulling it free and casting it aside with X’rhun’s own discarded clothes. The ridiculous collar of Ardyn’s equally ridiculous shirt fans open when freed, and X’rhun greets the now-exposed line of his throat with the brush of his lips over Ardyn’s skin.
And so it is as he goes. He strips Adryn down by slow degrees, button by button, exploring every new ilm of exposed skin, every scar, with questing hands, with lips and teeth and tongue. As selfish as Ardyn is, surely he’ll not shy away from the attention, but if he wishes to change gears, X’rhun will happily oblige. ]
[He won't hide the shameless way he takes in X'rhun's own form as the other draws near. But it's something he should be used to by now, and he has to indulge himself a little, if he's going to allow X'rhun to seize control -- if even just a small amount.
Each layer is removed carefully, methodically, no doubt with the aid of familiarity. But it's the man's touch (the attentions of trailing fingertips, lips brushing against skin) that threaten to send a treacherous shiver crawling down the slope of his spine. It's held back, faintly, by the way he bites softly at his lower lip, hiding such an expression behind the skewing of a smile.
At some point, Ardyn's own hands rove around X'rhun's shoulders, his torso. Yet he doesn't rush to do anything else, seemingly content to let him do as he pleases for now.]
[ No matter how many times they do this, X’rhun will never tire of the way Ardyn looks at him with none-too-subtle appreciation. Whatever they may be to each other, that in itself is always enough to send a little thrill down his spine.
However, he regrettably misses the shift in Ardyn’s expression, the subtle catching of his lower lip between his teeth, as he is too busy lavishing languid attentions elsewhere. Ardyn seems to be in no hurry to stop him, which suits him fine. There had been talk about getting X’rhun to purr, but now he seems set in bringing something out of Ardyn instead, in stoking a slow, searing heat as he explores the other man. He doesn’t try to leave marks necessarily – not as though they’d stay if he did – as this isn’t about laying any sort of claim as far as X’rhun is concerned, but there is something almost reverent in his explorations. Even more so in the way he sinks slowly to his knees as he works Ardyn’s trousers loose, slipping them away.
Blue eyes flick upward at his friend’s face, as if trying to gauge a reaction, before he sets to working Ardyn over with his mouth. X’rhun likes to think he is possessed of a clever tongue, hopefully in more ways than one.
They will no doubt move to the bed eventually, but for now X’rhun wishes to take this bit of ground he’s been given to see how far he can go. Ardyn has ever been about control in their encounters, after all, and the fact that he is allowing X’rhun just a small bit of advantage, the chance to work him up and work him over with his mouth and the pass of his hands, deserves to be explored to its fullest. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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But he shouldn’t panic. He can figure this out. He is not living the rest of his life as a cat, even if the experience thus far has been pleasant.
X’rhun turns in a circle in his spot in the middle of the floor, plopping down to sit again. A look of such grim concentration probably looks odd on his feline features, but he wears it anyway as he tries to think back to what had triggered the change in the first place. He hadn’t been doing much – getting ready to step out of his own room and greet the day after a long while of putting his head back on straight.
He’d taken a deep breath, steeled himself, and—
And suddenly, in a brief flash of white, there is X’rhun again, Duelist uniform and rapier and all, sprawled inelegantly in the middle of Ardyn’s floor.
A beat, as he blinks owlishly at the ceiling, and then a relieved laugh. ]
Oh, thank the gods. I thought for a moment I was stuck like that.
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is not at all what he expected.
It surprises him, and that instinct of his crackles to life, the feeling of magic just buzzing under his fingertips. But it's that familiar scarlet color that allows familiarity to sink into his mind, accompanied by an equally familiar form sprawled so unceremoniously in front of him.]
...X'rhun?
[the. fuck.]
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He hasn’t moved from his place on the floor, and glances up at Ardyn with a grin. ]
Hello! I will admit this is not quite how I had planned to spend my day, but thank you for the ride around the station. It was lovely.
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Mm. That's rather misleading of you, isn't it?
[In his mind, he carefuly goes through all he said while he was carrying him on his shoulders. Nothing too revealing, he thinks; though preferably he would've known it was his friend instead of a stray feline.]
How long have you been able to change in such a way?
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[ Now he moves to get to his feet, plucking up his hat from the place where it slid from his head while he was on the floor. He takes a moment to brush himself off, giving his limbs a cursory inspection and seeming quite satisfied that everything is as it should be. ]
I did plan to tell you, but I ran into a bit of a hitch when I realized I did not actually know how to trigger the change.
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[He considers this a moment, and Ardyn seems to settle on the idea of teasing X'rhun to make up for the fact that he was unknowingly carrying him around as a house cat.]
While I'm glad that you could return to your original form, I must say this -- there are worse fates, than being stuck as a rather-
[He reaches out... to scratch behind X'rhun's ear, since he's yet to place his hat back on his head.]
-spoiled feline.
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Thankfully, he’s long past the point of trying to maintain a semblance of dignity in front of Ardyn, especially when it’s just the two of them. ]
I am at all times a spoiled feline, no matter the form. You should know that by now.
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A couple more scratches behind the ear, then, as X’rhun leans into his touch.]
True. But at least like this, you’re less likely to shed all over my trousers.
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Besides, he’s kind of enjoying the attention. ]
There is a joke to be made here, something about shedding and trousers, but for the life in me I cannot come up with anything adequate. It could be that I am, perhaps, a bit distracted.
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Really? My scratching behind your ears ranks higher than subjects pertaining to shedding and trousers? I think you need to realign your priorities, my friend.
[He says, still petting X'rhun like a housecat.]
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Oh, I don’t know. There’s more than one way to set me purring, after all.
[ Leeeean. ]
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Oh, I suppose that is true. We could test a few of those ways right now, if you want. This room does afford a fair amount of privacy.
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[ That little him is half-considering, half-appreciative as he tilts his head just so, with the brush of Ardyn’s fingers. ]
How could I possibly say no to such a generous offer?
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[As if to accentuate this, Ardyn leans forward to give X'rhun only the barest whisper of a kiss. A teasing thing, as one might expect. And then:]
You can't.
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You’re right. I do have a terrible time saying “no” where you’re concerned.
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I'd have it no other way. Besides, what else is there to do to pass the time? [Being stuck on this blasted station, one must find ways to keep amused.]
Best start undressing now, since I see you're wearing the difficult uniform today. [His usual uniform, he means, jokingly.]
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[ Nor did he get his usual “I’m coming over” text from Ardyn to allow him time to prepare. Suddenly turning into a cat will throw a wrench in anyone’s day, really.
He takes a moment more to enjoy the closeness, canting his head upward to press a kiss to Ardyn’s jawline, before he steps back to make with the process of removing his Duelist Uniform. Piece after piece gets draped over a nearby chair – this is a familiar process by now, even if he hasn’t been caught in his uniform by Ardyn in some time. ]
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[The kiss earns a pleasant grin from Ardyn, but he doesn't chase it, giving X'rhun enough time and space to step away and undress. And though he's a patient man, usually, he can feign not being so.]
A few less layers would go a long way.
[Pot, meet kettle.]
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[ Teasingly, with a playful flick of his ear in Ardyn’s direction. Off goes the shirt he wears beneath his jacket to join the other layers across the back of the chair. ]
Am I to undress you as well, then?
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[Because that's the important part. And because he'd let him, if he liked.]
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[ Let him dote on Ardyn for a bit – it will be a nice change of pace from their usual. ]
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[Likely it would not turn into something he'd allow to make a habit of, but Ardyn does not think he'd mind it terribly today. For however long it lasts.]
I've already done some of the work for you.
[Meaning that he's lacking his black coat, so you're already halfway there, X'rhun! ....well, maybe not quite half.]
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Whatever it is, he intends to make the most of it.
Dryly, as he sheds his last remaining layers, ]
Oh, thank you so much.
[ Ardyn’s coat is hardly the most difficult thing do deal with, oversized and heavy though it may be. He pads back over to his friend, bare feet cat-quiet (ha) on the floor. His gaze sweeps over Ardyn from head to toe, as if he is considering just where to begin, as if he did not already know just what he wants to do here.
His fingers curl around the fabric at Ardyn’s neck, as they so often do, but instead of pulling him down for a kiss, he works the scarf loose, pulling it free and casting it aside with X’rhun’s own discarded clothes. The ridiculous collar of Ardyn’s equally ridiculous shirt fans open when freed, and X’rhun greets the now-exposed line of his throat with the brush of his lips over Ardyn’s skin.
And so it is as he goes. He strips Adryn down by slow degrees, button by button, exploring every new ilm of exposed skin, every scar, with questing hands, with lips and teeth and tongue. As selfish as Ardyn is, surely he’ll not shy away from the attention, but if he wishes to change gears, X’rhun will happily oblige. ]
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Each layer is removed carefully, methodically, no doubt with the aid of familiarity. But it's the man's touch (the attentions of trailing fingertips, lips brushing against skin) that threaten to send a treacherous shiver crawling down the slope of his spine. It's held back, faintly, by the way he bites softly at his lower lip, hiding such an expression behind the skewing of a smile.
At some point, Ardyn's own hands rove around X'rhun's shoulders, his torso. Yet he doesn't rush to do anything else, seemingly content to let him do as he pleases for now.]
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However, he regrettably misses the shift in Ardyn’s expression, the subtle catching of his lower lip between his teeth, as he is too busy lavishing languid attentions elsewhere. Ardyn seems to be in no hurry to stop him, which suits him fine. There had been talk about getting X’rhun to purr, but now he seems set in bringing something out of Ardyn instead, in stoking a slow, searing heat as he explores the other man. He doesn’t try to leave marks necessarily – not as though they’d stay if he did – as this isn’t about laying any sort of claim as far as X’rhun is concerned, but there is something almost reverent in his explorations. Even more so in the way he sinks slowly to his knees as he works Ardyn’s trousers loose, slipping them away.
Blue eyes flick upward at his friend’s face, as if trying to gauge a reaction, before he sets to working Ardyn over with his mouth. X’rhun likes to think he is possessed of a clever tongue, hopefully in more ways than one.
They will no doubt move to the bed eventually, but for now X’rhun wishes to take this bit of ground he’s been given to see how far he can go. Ardyn has ever been about control in their encounters, after all, and the fact that he is allowing X’rhun just a small bit of advantage, the chance to work him up and work him over with his mouth and the pass of his hands, deserves to be explored to its fullest. ]
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