Komarran trade

[vorbarra]

It's not the first time this has happened.

Neither Gregor nor Duv are the sort of people to race to the finish line, as if sex were a contest or a task to be accomplished. They're both busy enough, Gregor especially, that when they do have time to see each other they're prone to savoring it, quietly and respectfully and, frankly, most of the time, sweetly. That suits Gregor just fine. Sometimes this leads to sex, as it had tonight, and when it doesn't it doesn't bother them. This attitude translates to their approach to intimacy as well, with their foreplay unhurried, almost more the point than getting each other off.

It's something Gregor has cherished deeply about Duv, this space to be completely unpressured about physical intimacy, where they are both on the same page without discussion. It means when they do sleep together it's emotionally affecting for him, love swelling up inside him and making him tender and overwhelmed. Sometimes, this also means he forgets himself. And even further down inside than Gregor's well of deep affection are desires that he has been ashamed of his whole life, and accordingly never let up for air.

With Duv, he's resurrected one of them: that he's attracted to men and not women, explaining a considerable amount of his early life problems with dating, or even caring enough to try to date, anyone. Gregor has mostly made peace with that now. But the rest of what's down there... when it does bubble up to the surface, with what Gregor can only think of as a misplaced sense of security, he corrects himself with alacrity.

His hand, which had reached out to reposition Duv where he wanted him, palm firmly to the back of his neck and pressing his head down to the sheets and holding it there, snatches back. His heart leaps to his throat. God, and of all people to do this to-- Duv, who already displays so much trust by being with the Barrayaran Emperor, to force him into acting subservient-- resulting nausea absolutely kills any arousal Gregor had been feeling, and he vainly tries to recover it. Tries to smooth over his reaction and move on, as he's always done before.

"Sorry," he breathes out.

Comments

[vorbarra]

It takes all the incentive out of avoiding things with him, as Gregor so deftly does with almost everyone else; because he doesn't need to. Duv never presses him. This tactic gets Gregor to admit to a lot more than he would otherwise.

He tries to muster up a tiny, appreciative smile for him, though it still looks hesitant, even wary. "If there's anything you run across that you think you would like, that's what I'm most interested in. And... I'll make sure to clear some time for you. More than we had tonight."

[komarran]

He returns the smile with a small one of his own and there's a small second of hesitation before Duv tugs Gregor towards him so he can hold the man.

"I'll make sure to underline the ones that appeal to me most," he promises. It's something he would like to enjoy as well after all and he knows his repertoire of sex acts is lacking at best. "Is tomorrow morning too soon for you to know when your next evening free will be?"

[vorbarra]

He's not expecting that, but he goes readily, even with some appreciation. It always takes Gregor a moment to internally get himself to relax enough to accept physical affection comfortably, a moment in which he lets down his habitual poise. But once he does there's nothing awkward or tentative about it; he curls around him willingly.

"For you, I'll make time," he says softly, letting the sappiness of it linger a moment before pushing on with more rueful humor. "Fundamentally ridiculous as I feel establishing a time for you to report to me on scandalous galactic sex practices." Gregor feels extremely Barrayaran at the moment.

[komarran]

He happily wraps his arms around Gregor. The man's taller than him by several inches, a fact that's more than obvious as Gregor curls around him, but Duv hardly minds. They fit together just as well and Duv enjoys the comfortable feel of his partner in his arms.

"It wasn't too long ago Komarrans were fully galactic," he muses with small smile. "It only makes sense for me to bring such corrupted practices to the Imperial bedroom."

[vorbarra]

Falling easily into sarcasm, he answers, "All those rumors of you corrupting me must finally be true. I knew you were just waiting for your chance."

Not that Gregor had ever much cared or listened to those rumors. It was so patently untrue as to be laughable, with Duv who Gregor thinks of as patently incorruptible. He's more than proven himself on that front ten times over; Gregor isn't about to make him prove himself to the Nexus as his lover. It makes for a particularly pithy joke.

[komarran]

"I would hate to make liars out of the tabloids," he returns flatly. "They could use every scrap of help we can throw their way."

Limelight Duv has never had to deal with until his relationship with Gregor. Being Komarran on Barrayaran had earned him a far amount of attention, but nothing groundbreaking with his position as an academic. Yet here he was, throwing himself into it willingly. He smiles softly as he watches Gregor and trails his fingertips down the man's spine, appreciating every inch he touches. There isn't anywhere else he'd rather be.