for Cremisius

[iwasmore]

Noah was so much busier in Darrow at night than he had been back home. Without Ronan around, he occasionally kept Gansey company when he was alone with his insomnia. He had Al to look after, to try and keep him from having nightmares. He checked on Ronan to make sure he wasn't having any nightmares - or dreaming anything dangerous into the world. He didn't check on Ronan when he was at Adam's, though, giving them privacy in case they wanted it. He didn't check on Blue, because she was a girl, and it seemed impolite to show up in her bedroom in the middle of the night.

And then, there was Krem. Noah wasn't trying to be creepy, but he wanted to peek in to check and make sure he was okay. The common theme among everyone here was being displaced, and that alone was enough to cause poor sleep, or even nightmares. And Cremisius had also been a solider, and Noah could imagine that came with it's own set of problems.

The first night Noah checked in on Cremisius, he appeared to be sleeping just fine. Prunam was even curled at the bottom of the bed near his feet. Noah left a small handful of glitter that had been left over from Adam's birthday party on the bedside table and disappeared. The second night, Cremisius was awake, sitting up in bed and looking pensive. Noah wanted to say something, but felt to shy just showing up, and left. The third night, Noah came in the middle of an awful nightmare. Cremisius was making a pained sound, curled in on himself, and Noah could see he mind conjuring blood and the bodies of friends, strewn among rubble and smoke. He tossed, one hand clutching at his chest even in sleep, and Noah's own unbeating, useless heart gave a pang of sympathy, because even if he was no longer alive he could still feel.

Noah joined Krem in bed, too worried to spare a thought for whether he'd want him there or not, too worried to even remember to go corporeal, and stroked his hair in soft, soothing motions. Shh, he whispered, trying to calm Krem's nightmares from growing worse. He didn't have any magic to change thoughts or stop nightmares, but he always hoped his cool touch would soothe and interrupt; like his family dog, when he was a child. Sadie would sometimes woof and growl in her dreams, and if Noah put a gentle hand on her stomach, or stroked her back, the dreams would calm without her truly coming awake, and she'd sleep soundly.

Comments

[krempuff]

Whatever flush he had in his body was lost in the darkness, but Krem could feel just the hint of it, beating back against the chill of him. Krem ran his fingers along Noah's smooth jaw and fine cheeks.

"This feels nice," he assured gently. It did feel good, to kiss and be kissed, and go slowly and gently. "I'll tell you if something doesn't."

[iwasmore]

"Okay," Noah whispered. He leaned in to kiss Cremisius again, giving a gentle squeeze with his hand before running his palm up Krem's arm and along his shoulder. He moved his hand to the small of Krem's back, then, after hesitating at the hem of his shirt, slid his hand underneath. He wanted, most of all, to feel skin, and traced his hand along Krem's spine, still kissing him with soft, lazy kisses.

"You feel so good," he murmured against Krem's mouth. "It's a little overwhelming."

[krempuff]

Krem shivered a little, kissing Noah back and wondering curiously at how very real and present he seemed. He didn't suppose that Noah would feel any other way, though, even if he did sometimes go fuzzy around the edges and could disappear.

His chilly fingers, under Krem's shirt, made Krem gasp slightly. He shivered, and laughed a little, but he smiled into the kiss.

"I'll try to be more underwhelming next time."

[iwasmore]

"Probably impossible. You're like, unfairly gorgeous, for one thing," Noah said with a smile that matched Krem's. He knew his touch was cold, and tried to keep it light so it wouldn't be too much. Part of him threatened to spiral into that familiar place of self-loathing, of wanting his old body back, but he ignored it. Everything was so nice just then, he desperately wanted only to enjoy it.

He kissed the corner of Krem's mouth, then up his jaw, to his ear. He nipped Krem's earlobe with the barest hint of teeth before nuzzling behind his ear, moving down to kiss along his neck with the lightest touch of his lips.

[krempuff]

Krem laughed again, a little more pressed and shyly. He kept one of his hands on Noah's cheek, sliding the other down his arm slowly as his mouth went roving.

The nip to his ear drew a slightly more earnest noise out of him, deeper, lower in his chest, and Krem blushed, biting his lip as he tried to contain the sound. He snuck his fingers under Noah's sweater and shirt as well, thinking it only fair he could to touch skin too.

[iwasmore]

Noah didn't mind at all, he craved touch, affection. It was unfair, really, everyone else felt so warm to him, but he couldn't imagine his own skin - or whatever it was - felt so nice to anyone else. But Blue had liked the kiss, and Krem seemed to like kissing him, so he would't bring it up.

He traced the path his mouth had made along Krem's neck with his tongue, stopping to lightly suck. He moaned low in his throat at the taste of Krem's skin, hand stroking idly along his back.

[krempuff]

Krem shivered again, though this time it was not so much from the chill. He felt over warm, not just from the flush that was suffusing his cheeks but from the arousal boiling low in his belly that he couldn't bring voice to. He squirmed a bit closer to Noah, tilting his chin up.

"Are you trying to mark me up...?" His shirt hitched up a bit from Noah's touching, but he kept his own fingers fleeting and teasing around Noah's sides and stomach. "I'm going to cause a stir at work."

[iwasmore]

"I'm being careful," Noah replied in a husky voice that sounded strange to his own ears. He had experience having fun while avoiding hickeys with girls who didn't want to risk having their parents see. "Unless you want me to." His mouth moved higher, and he sucked a bit harder, but only briefly, like a question.

[krempuff]

Krem laughed softly, taking his hand out from under Noah's shirt briefly to guide Noah's hand under his own--up his back and around, back to his chest now. He smiled and moaned briefly at the brush of suction.

"Yeah...yeah, I'd like that." He surprised himself to say it, but it kept the smile on his face. He rolled onto his back a bit more, tilting his head back into his pillow, and grinning.

[iwasmore]

"Oh." Noah smiled in muted delight, feeling flushed drowsy with desire. Krem rolled to his back and Noah followed, exploring Krem's chest with his hand and leaning up to kiss him on the mouth again, brief but firm, before moving back to his ear, remembering the sound he'd made earlier. His free hand found it's way to Krem's head, fingers tangling in his hair, making sure Krem's head was tilted just so. He nibbled teasingly at Krem's earlobe, slowly kissed along his jaw. Finally, he returned his mouth to Krem's neck and began to suck at the warm, smooth skin, gradually sucking harder, his fingers teasing Krem's nipple, then the other.

[krempuff]

Krem sighed into the brief, hungry kiss and sprawled slightly beneath Noah. He lifted his arms and wrapped them around Noah's shoulders loosely, his body trembling with a combination of sensations far more enjoyable than hiss standard nerves and the low chilliness of Noah's fingers drawing noises out of him just as much as his nibbling was. Every kiss and nibble and suck pressed the heat in him higher, drove his breath out, made him squirm a little underneath Noah as he whispered his name,

[iwasmore]

Noah moaned from the sounds Krem was making, from the way he said his name, from the way his body responded, from the fact that it was him making Krem feel good. His mouth left Krem's neck and he kissed him soundly, his fingers moving from Krem's hair to cup his cheek.

His other hand tugged at Krem's shirt, pushing it up his stomach, but stopping there. "Can I...see?" he asked, breathless, against Krem's mouth.

[krempuff]

Krem stilled for a moment and contemplated the requests. Not because he didn't want to, but because Noah was still so gentle, so kind, almost uncertain. He ran his fingers slowly up the back of Noah's neck and through his hair, and then brought his hands down to his shirt. He arched his back and pulled the shirt off, tossing it off into the darkness, and then laid there in his shorts beneath Noah for a moment.

"Well," he said, breathless and soft and husky with sleep and arousal. "There I am."

[iwasmore]

"Oh." It was so much, Noah almost disappeared. He went fuzzy for a moment, but his appearance became solid once more as he gazed at Krem's muscled stomach, his chest, and the inviting dip of his collarbone. He wasn't sure how someone could be so perfect, and he thought he should say so, but all that came out was, "Wow."

"I don't know if I can...take off my clothes. Completely," he said, feeling a sudden overwhelming sense of embarrassment, melancholy, otherness. His voice became almost inaudible. "It's what I was wearing when-- they aren't real, so--" He struggled to explain something he didn't even have all the answers to.

[krempuff]

Krem blushed a bit under Noah's intense attention, so much more direct than Thomas's more furtive glances had been, but less hungry than Hild's. He watched him carefully, curious to see his reaction.

When he spoke, Krem sat up a bit. He cupped the back of Noah's neck and leaned their foreheads together. "It's alright," he said. He closed his eyes, and touched Noah's sweater. "They are real--you're real, Noah. It's alright, if I can't see you right now."

[iwasmore]

Noah chest ached with emotion, and he became overwhelmed with a different feeling entirely; a deep affection for Krem's kind heart. It drowned out the panic that had been edging it's way beyond the corners of Noah's mind. No one had ever tried to affirm his realness, they usually only noticed the ways he wasn't real. "Thank you," he whispered, and wrapped his arms around Krem.

"You have so many muscles," he said after a long moment, trying to lighten the mood he'd kind of ruined.

[krempuff]

Krem laughed softly and smiled. He pushed Noah back, not unkindly, but so that he would straighten a little, and then leaned over to turn on the bedside lamp. He didn't really want to have his mostly-naked body seen in the light, but it would make it more impressive when he showed off.

With the light on and them both sitting up, he lifted his arms up, and flexed.

[iwasmore]

Noah gazed at Krem, admiring his how toned and muscled his stomach and arms were. He was so cute showing off, Noah's smile widened until he was beaming, and he clapped softly. "Incredible."

He touched one of Krem's biceps, giving a gentle squeeze. "You could probably bench press me, even if you are like a foot shorter."

[krempuff]

Krem pushed Noah gently, scoffing. "I am not a foot shorter than you, Ser. I know exactly what that dimension looks like against me."

It made it sound like he'd been against people that much taller than him, and he hastened to say, "I mean, there are a lot of people a lot taller than me that I've worked with."

It still sounded a bit silly. He pouted, and kissed Noah instead. "I'm not that short."

[iwasmore]

Noah looked amused and laughed into the kiss, holding onto Krem's waist. "Kinda short." He kissed him again, and then leaned in closer and whispered against Krem's ear, "But it's okay, because you're also more than kinda sexy." He hid in Krem's hair, embarrassed to say it, even though it was true. He didn't know if real people called each other sexy, but Krem definitely was and he thought he should know.

[krempuff]

Krem laughed a little, softer and lighter, kissing Noah back. He wrapped his arms around Noah's shoulders again, laying back down. Now, with the light on, he knew his blushing would be more visible. He felt more visible and vulnerable overall, but it was not so scary this time.

"I think I can settle for sexy."

[iwasmore]

"Oh, good." Noah smiled down at Krem, feeling more confident that Krem hadn't laughed at him in a teasing way. He ran his hand up Krem's side, across his flat stomach, up to his breasts; anywhere there was skin to touch. The light made no difference to him, he could see just fine in the dark. "Because I wasn't sure if they had that word in medieval times, with all the dragons and elves and things."

[krempuff]

Krem snorted, pouting a little bit at the teasing. It was mostly ineffectual, since Noah was touching him all over. He peered up at him softly, combing his fingers up into Noah's hair gently.

"We have to have something to call the dragons and elves and things." He even managed to keep a totally straight face.

[iwasmore]

Noah tilted his head into Krem's touch, wanting, for a moment, to purr like a cat.

"Oh? Do you know any sexy dragons? I'm a little jealous," he replied, also keeping a straight face.

[krempuff]

"I have no opinions on sexy dragons," Krem said, rubbing at Noah's scalp and kissing at his cheeks and along his jaw gently. "The Chief certainly seemed to have quite a few opinions, though."

His head was ticking toward a dangerous, sad spiral, and he pulled himself away from it as hard as he could. Noah was here, Noah had come here--maybe not with this intention, but to see him. He didn't need to see the dark, sad thoughts in his head.

"We're getting off track..."