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Post by Mano Berwyn on Dec 13, 2013 22:21:24 GMT -5
A year. It had been a year since he had had the crisis of heart that lead to a spur of the moment trip to Singapore with his best friend. Mano looked out the large windows of his living room, out over the rolling waves blurred by the gentle fall of snowflakes, and swirled amber liquid in a squat, round glass with a short stem. He knew Eros was as likely to tell him to put away the drink as he was to ask for a glass of his own, but for now he needed the warm comfort.
Maybe he shouldn't have bought a gift, but he felt he couldn't ignore the day. However infrequently he professed his feelings, he knew Eros knew them well. How could the man not? So he had a gift, one that would help his friend in his incessant search for knowledge, and he had invited the man to visit. Perhaps if Mano had the warmth and comfort of brandy rushing through his limbs he would be able to be more candid in his words when Eros arrived.
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Post by Eros d'Avonderre on Dec 13, 2013 22:45:48 GMT -5
Eros's mind was nowhere near the seriousness of his friend's. He arrived with a dusting of snow on his hat, on the shoulders of his thick, fur-lined cloak, and clinging to the edges of his boots as he let himself in. It wasn't at all unusual to be invited to Valfirdu, especially as Mano seemed to prefer the place over Diagon Alley.
"Christmas approaches, and the streets are filled with merriment," Eros noted, drawing his wand for a quick drying spell. His gaze settled on Mano and the pensive look on the man's face gave him pause. "Are you well, Mano?" he asked.
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Dec 13, 2013 22:50:20 GMT -5
Mano turned as the door opened and took a moment to look over his friend before nodding. "I am. Sit, would you like a drink? There isn't anything quite like sitting here with a fire and a drink while watching the snow fall," he said. His eyes flickered to the coffee table where a mostly nondescript package sat. He gestured to the couch for Eros to sit. A certain relaxation at seeing Eros again went to war with tension at the thoughts it brought.
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Post by Eros d'Avonderre on Dec 13, 2013 22:59:57 GMT -5
"Of course," Eros said. He made quick work of putting up his outerwear, then moved to sit and pour himself a glass. He noticed the package, yes, had seen that momentary glance, but wouldn't say a word about it. Mano would say something when he wished to.
"I was considering another brief trip this winter," he said, then fell silent. Mano was rarely so thoughtful and brooding, and it almost felt like an intrusion to speak. He'd been invited, however. Things would happen in their own good time.
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Dec 13, 2013 23:04:52 GMT -5
Mano managed a smile at that. "Head off to another Asian country with little to do but get lost in the jungle?" he asked. He rounded a chair and sat next to Eros, holding the glass lightly in both hands as they rested between his thighs. "It's been a year since shopping in Singapore," he noted, gazing into the liquid in the glass.
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Post by Eros d'Avonderre on Dec 13, 2013 23:09:28 GMT -5
Ah, so Mano was thinking about them, was he? Eros tended not to even try wondering what his friend felt about things between them. It was all working quite well, and that was enough. "It has, hasn't it?" Eros mused. He looked away from Mano, and out onto the water, out into the snow-speckled skies. "It's been quite a year. I've enjoyed it," he added, glancing aside at Mano.
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Dec 13, 2013 23:13:42 GMT -5
"I've enjoyed it may be an understatement," Mano said, his jaw clenching slightly once the words were free from his lips. Instead of thinking about things further, he nodded toward the package. "That's for you." The trinket itself was relatively plain. A silver wand that aided the possessor in seeking out specific themes, terms, or ideas in books. It wasn't much, but the device was rare and he knew it would be used.
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Post by Eros d'Avonderre on Dec 13, 2013 23:28:54 GMT -5
"Is it?" Eros asked, a spark of tease in his violet-blue eyes. "Shall I open it, then?" He set his glass on the table beside the package, then picked up the little box and worked off the paper. He hadn't torn wrapping in years, and though his friends had teased him on occasion, he persisted in folding it lightly and setting it aside. Then he drew off the lid and looked at the contents with some curiosity.
"It's beautiful," he said, removing a bit of parchment which described the wand. Two slender brows arched, and there was a moment of profound silence before he looked at the gift again.
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Dec 13, 2013 23:35:29 GMT -5
One corner of Mano's mouth quirked up in amusement and he finally looked over at his friend. "I thought you might find it useful," he said. He'd known Eros would appreciate the gift, though he'd doubted his own reasons for purchasing it. "You are always searching for something in your books." Eros could lose himself for hours in the pages.
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Post by Eros d'Avonderre on Dec 13, 2013 23:42:37 GMT -5
"I am," Eros breathed, lifting the wand in both hands to look at it closer. "It's magnificent," he said. "Well, a stay in Japanese hot springs hardly compares to this." He ached for his library just then to try it out. It would make his ancestry searches so much easier! It almost felt like cheating, and yet no part of him wished to resist using it.
He pulled his gaze away from the silver wand to eye Mano. "I suppose it's worth a bit of fellatio," he teased.
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Dec 13, 2013 23:49:02 GMT -5
Mano chuckled slightly and shook his head. "I didn't buy it in hopes of sexual favors," he said. He knew why he had bought it, though he preferred to keep his reasons silent even if he knew Eros probably knew already. "I'm just glad you like it." It didn't take much imagination to see Eros making use of the gift in his library.
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Post by Eros d'Avonderre on Dec 13, 2013 23:54:06 GMT -5
Eros allowed his lips a quirk of amusement. Yes, he knew that Mano cared, at least as much as the man was capable of and likely more than he'd prefer. Somehow that fear of true intimacy wasn't truly present between them, and Eros didn't feel that it needed said. He cared for his friend far more than was wise, and what they had, whatever they had, supplied that something he'd searched for.
"Hot springs, then?" Eros asked. "I'll find some business which needs done and requires your input. I'm sure we won't get away with it forever, but two years in a row shouldn't alarm anyone."
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Dec 14, 2013 0:08:42 GMT -5
"I certainly wouldn't object to spending the holidays with you again," Mano said. It would be more dangerous this time, if only to himself. He hadn't quite opened himself up again like he had before their trip. There had been no begging or near-confessions of feelings, though he knew he had come uncomfortably close a couple of times when he was less than sober. He brought his glass to his lips and finished off the amber liquid.
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Post by Eros d'Avonderre on Dec 14, 2013 0:28:55 GMT -5
Eros didn't need declarations of tender feelings. The games he and Mano played, whether with or against one another, were a bit of fun, and took nothing away from the rest. Eros no longer felt the pressure to marry, no longer looked at every woman as a potential wife and mother. His life was vastly improved by their arrangement.
He lay the wand back in his box, which he then replaced on the table before turning to Mano. "About that fellatio," he teased. A kiss certainly wouldn't be amiss right now.
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Post by Mano Berwyn on Dec 14, 2013 0:39:54 GMT -5
Mano grinned and set his glass to the side. "Fine, fine, if you're going to twist my arm about it," he said. He wasn't about to turn down a kiss from Eros, or to keep his hand from lifting and threading his fingers into his friend's fine, light hair. It really was nice how the hair slipped through his fingers, and how Eros' lips felt against his own.
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