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Lumi cautiously opens the door to their room and peeks his head out as he peers across the bathhouse. None are present, apart from a pair some distance away. It is not that he is afraid of bathing before others, but more so that he would rather not be recognized. Since Lumi had become known as the Saint of Flames, he had taken more precautions with maintaining his anonymity when traveling. Of course, it had not helped that the devout followers of the Gods of Light and Flame quickly uncovered his relationship with Khimi and made known areas he would frequent.
With another cautious peek up and down the hallway, Lumi darts from the room in his nakedness, quiet as a mouse. Khimi walks from the room, a thin cotton wrap around his waist, his body mostly exposed. It is difficult for Lumi to keep his eyes off of Khimi’s perfect form, but he had learned tricks to keep himself from feeling aroused at the sight of Khimi. Think of all your duties. The Gods want you to do so much. Vampires, he thinks to himself. Sometimes it works. However, he quickly finds himself needing to turn away from Khimi as his skin grows flush with color.
“What’re you doing?” Khimi drones as he shuts the door behind him with a thud. “Are you hiding?”
Lumi bares his fangs playfully. “No, I’m…making sure there isn’t any…you know.”
“Followers? Acolytes? Faithless? False priests?”
“All of those,” Lumi croaks.
“You know…Agnes has people to protect us in this place. No one’s going to harm you,” Khimi says thoughtfully as he brushes his fingers through his raven hair.
Lumi stands abruptly from his crouched position. “You say that…with a shamshir under your pillow,” he snorts aggressively.
“You’re being ridicul—”
“And the daggers under the mattress,” Lumi interrupts with a serious glare.
Khimi palms his mouth, hiding his expression. “Well, I mean…there are always dangers. And you know Ennui isn’t around right now.”
Lumi tosses his hands in the air. “SEE! You even admit it,” he cries out. “There are dangers!”
“Hells…no one is going to get us in the bath. You have your choker, not that you need it. You can just catch them on fire,” Khimi mutters with a sideways glance.
Lumi paces in front of the steaming water and contemplates Khimi’s words. “The bath would be the perfe—”
A sudden yelp echoes throughout the Athera as Khimi shoves Lumi into the water with a hearty snicker. The few individuals in the bathhouse turn to them and stare. Lumi rises from the water, an impossibly grim scowl on his face.
“Khimi,” he squeaks angrily.
Khimi raises a brow as he removes the wrap from his waist and begins to step into the steaming water. “You were going to keep talking, may as well be bathing.”
“You could have just said…Lumi, get in the water,” he grumbles as he tilts his head from side to side, draining the water from his ears. “I was going to go get oils…” his voice trails, his eyes following Khimi.
Lumi fumbles over his words while Khimi takes the first steps into the water. During their time together he had grown accustomed to seeing Khimi naked, but there are times when his form is impossibly gorgeous. Khimi, he thinks and turns away suddenly, his body growing progressively more flush as he begins to splash through the water.
“Where are you going?” Khimi inquires with a confused look.
“Away from you,” Lumi croaks nervously.
“Why’re you being so weird?” Khimi growls and pushes himself into the water which only rises to his waist. With ease, he reaches for Lumi’s foot as he’s swimming away and pulls him back. “Huh?” He questions in an amused tone.
Lumi is dragged through the water and pulled against Khimi. With another scowl he stares up at Khimi. “You,” he groans under his breath.
Khimi hangs his head, a shallow smile forms across his lips. “Can’t resist me, can you?” He questions, his brazen confidence glowing before Lumi.
Lumi bares his fangs in jest with a hiss. “You’re…just you,” he stammers. “Y-You only have to be you…you don’t even gotta try.”
“Well, I mean,” Khimi begins with an air of confidence. “The same goes both ways, you know?”
Lumi sighs and allows Khimi to hold him. “I know…but…you don’t always gotta look so…so…” he says, struggling to find the words to describe Khimi’s form.
“Erotic?” Khimi finishes for him.
Lumi blushes and pushes his face against Khimi. “Yeah, you know how it’s…hard to keep together around you.”
Khimi chuckles and playfully twirls Lumi in the steaming waters. “I thought you would have learned to contain yourself by now,” he says as he looks down at Lumi in his arms.
Lumi snorts, “Fat chance. You get more attractive by the moment.”
Khimi almost looks taken aback. A hint of color fills his cheeks and he presses his lips into Lumi’s hair. “You’ll always be perfect as you are,” he adds in a slow and silvery tone.
A lengthy silence follows while Lumi weighs the words just uttered by Khimi. There is so much depth and purpose to them, that Lumi cannot help but feel moved. Near the onset of tears and not wanting to ruin their visit to Sidi, Lumi quickly brushes the wetness from his cheek and musters a smile. Damnit, Khimi.
“Ah…where are the oils?” Lumi whispers, his nose sniveling profusely.
Khimi bites his lip and smiles. “There’s some in those jars,” he says, motioning to an assortment of clay jars against a column. “But I don’t know if they have the scents you like.”
Lumi swims from Khimi, paddling with little splashes to the stone side and hurriedly pulls himself from the water. In his haste, he nearly slips as he nears the column. Another bather from across the way eyes Lumi suspiciously as he tucks several clay bottles under his arms along with a pumice stone and rushes back to the water’s edge, placing them side by side on the stone. Each one he brings to his nose and takes a deep sniff. Jasmine, the scent is much too strong to Lumi’s preference and he quickly moves the bottle away from the others. Lavender, freesia, rose, finally he finds the one; honeysuckle. A smile crosses his lips as he backs into the water, his tail swishing behind him happily.
“You could have just…smelled them all over there,” Khimi mutters and begins to dip his lips beneath the water.
Lumi’s brow pinches. “What, why?”
“Nevermind. Ignore me,” he adds quickly.
Lumi puffs his cheeks as he grabs the small painted clay jar and pours some of the essence into his hands. “What if I changed my mind? I’d have to keep getting in and out?” He questions, mostly to himself. He scoffs, “Is that what you want? To see me getting in and out of the water?” He prattles, his words catching together.
Khimi shakes his head and pushes his wet bangs from his eyes, “Hells, you slept too much…you’re rather excitable,” he laughs as he brings himself behind Lumi.
Lumi backs against the stone wall while Khimi moves against him in the water. Lumi cannot help but feel small as he looks Khimi up and down. The top of Lumi’s head can only reach just above Khimi’s nipples and even on the tip of his toes, he could barely reach his shoulders. Khimi’s mass is easily more than twice his own and he always had a way of making Lumi feel so small next to him.
Back against the wall, Lumi squirms with the oil in his hands, quickly stroking it through his hair and placing the jar beside the bath. With a smug look on his face, Khimi reaches for Lumi’s arm and drags him back towards himself then cranes his neck as he takes a whiff of the oils dripping through Lumi’s wet hair. Lumi knows honeysuckle has always been one of Khimi’s favorite scents and the reaction is just as he hoped. Khimi bites his lip as he flips Lumi’s back to his chest; His fingers squeeze over the golden bands on Lumi’s upper arms.
“Honeysuckle?” Khimi questions quietly, his hips pressed against the middle of Lumi’s back. “You did that on purpose,” he whispers as his fingers trace down Lumi’s arms, then branch down to his waist.
As Lumi feels the heavy length rise against his back, he almost hopes Khimi will force him over the side of the bath and fuck him in the Athera. “I also happen to like the scent,” he states plainly with a knowing smile on his lips.
“C’mon, Kitten…don’t be coy with me,” Khimi replies as he lifts Lumi and wraps his arms around his stomach.
Lumi brings his feet behind Khimi and locks himself securely in place and holds onto Khimi’s arms. The rough stubble runs against his neck as Khimi licks his nape. “I p-promise,” he whimpers. “It wasn’t on purpose,” he lies.
“Liar,” Khimi snorts as his teeth skim across Lumi’s soft skin. “If you weren’t wearing this choke–”
“It’s okay,” Lumi says hurriedly, his fingers fumbling for the golden clasps. “Y-You can –” he stutters as he frees himself of the choker. The ornamental neckpiece clanks against the stone at the side of the bath. “P-Please,” he begs quietly.
Khimi chuckles quietly while he brings his lips back along Lumi’s nape. As he pushes Lumi against the side slightly harder, he moves a hand along his abdomen. “You’re so soft,” he murmurs before he presses his teeth against his skin.
The bite is gentle at first but grows in force, causing Lumi to gasp. Khimi’s teeth steadily sink deeper before he takes a second bite along Lumi’s shoulder blade. Lumi groans, “Trying to eat me?”
“You are irresistible,” Khimi breathes before he takes another bite on the opposite shoulder. “And now…everyone will know you’re mine.”
“Everyone in the Desert Cities already knows that I’m yours,” Lumi whispers, his arms resting on the side of the bath.
Khimi’s fingers squeeze into Lumi’s waist then run along the lines of his hips down to his twitching arousal. “Do they?” He asks in a whisper at the back of Lumi’s head.
“Y-You know they do,” Lumi stutters. “You q-quit hiding it.”
Khimi does not respond, but forces Lumi more roughly against the stone side. The water splashes around them as Khimi begins to fondle Lumi’s length.
“I don’t need to hide it,” Khimi finally manages as he fingers along Lumi’s foreskin beneath the water.
Lumi pants; His ears and tail twitch in unison. He purses his lips and looks back with bright eyes, “Are you going to fuck me?” He says finally.
Khimi pushes against him, forcing Lumi’s chest against the stone side. “You’ve already had your fun for today.”
“W-What?” Lumi asks in disbelief, knocking one of the small jars over as oil spills over the stones. He quickly scampers to bring it upright.
“Don’t you want to go to the market? We can see if we can find someone who is selling masghati,” Khimi teases while he works over the small length in his hands.
Lumi growls, “You’re going to…talk about food while touching my dick?”
Khimi wiggles his hips against Lumi’s back, his rigid cock rubbing against Lumi. “I’m hungry,” he whispers.
Lumi lets out a sigh of resignation and attempts to pull himself from the pool, only to be tugged back by Khimi. “Really?!” He cries defiantly as he’s sucked into an embrace.
With a limp Lumi in his arms, Khimi whispers between his ears, “Let’s get you clean then.”
Without warning, Khimi dips below the water and holds Lumi tightly against himself. Lumi kicks his feet and splashes about. He’s trying to kill me, he thinks before Khimi surfaces again and shakes his head from side to side. Water splashes around them and Lumi pushes his hair from his eyes. Still holding Lumi in one arm, Khimi runs his free hand through Lumi’s hair to disperse the remaining oil throughout his hair.
Lumi purrs quietly at his touch. Khimi has a way of being both rough and passionate at the same time; It is just one of the many things Lumi had learned to appreciate about him. He reaches up to Khimi’s face and cups his cheek, his thumb brushing over the scar along his nose.
“Lumi?” Khimi whispers while he spreads the oil throughout his hair.
Lumi grins and pushes away from Khimi. “Let me wash you!” He exclaims excitedly while he rushes to the side of the bath.
“I-It’s fine,” Khimi mutters as he follows. “I promise, it’s fine.”
Lumi snickers while he grabs the jar of honeysuckle oil and the pumice stone. “No no, sit down on the stairs,” he instructs.
Khimi rolls his eyes as he situates himself on the stone stairs and Lumi hurries behind him, exiting the water and sitting on the lip of the bath. With one hand he pours the slightly opaque liquid over Khimi’s shoulders and into his hair. With a sudden force, Lumi scrapes the coarse stone across Khimi’s upper back, leaving red marks in their wake. Khimi winches, his brow pinched as Lumi moves the rough stone along his skin.
“You don’t have to be so rough,” Khimi grumbles quietly.
Lumi snorts and leans against Khimi’s back slightly. “Don’t be a baby,” he teases as he continues to scrub more vigorously. “You’ll be smooth as a babe after.”
“Is that what you want?” Khimi asks, trying to peek over his shoulders at Lumi. “For me to be as smooth as you?”
“W-What? No! I just meant that…your skin will be smooth…I don’t want you to shave or nothing,” Lumi whispers, taking the stone in both hands and running it up and down in long swathes.
Khimi winches again as the pumice’s jagged edges rub over his back. “You’ve shaved me plenty of times.”
“I’ll shave your face…but I like the rest of your hair,” Lumi murmurs quietly. “Especially your tummy hair,” he adds under his breath.
Khimi leans forward and palms his face. “I know you do,” he whispers, “you can never keep your face out of it.”
Lumi scoffs and shakes his head before putting the stone beside him and massaging his fingers through Khimi’s dark hair. “You make me sound like some sort of…pervert.”
“Well…” Khimi whispers, his voice trailing off before Lumi brings his fingers around his neck playfully.
“I am not,” Lumi barks before he returns to massaging the oil through Khimi’s hair, working up a gentle lather. “I’m…just horny.”
Khimi stifles a laugh and hangs his head, “What was it Lilith had said back in Rhaz?”
Lumi sighs as he recalls the words vividly in his mind. “I am not sure there is another individual among the Desert Cities with the sexual appetite that Lumi has,” he repeats, mimicking the Head Priestesses words. “She was so cruel about it.”
“She wasn’t wrong though,” Khimi replies quietly. “I mean…you tried to get me to bed yo–”
Lumi shushes Khimi, “I don’t wanna hear it…and you know she was exaggerating,” he whispers as his fingers tease through Khimi’s locks with increasing ferocity.
Khimi hums to himself thoughtfully. “No, I think she was being sincere.”
Lumi’s fingers coil into Khimi’s hair and he pulls him back against the stairs, placing his head between his legs. “Khimi…do you mind?”
“Mind?” Khimi whispers as Lumi brings his legs on top of Khimi’s shoulders and crosses his ankles over his chest.
“How I am?”
“If I minded how you were, Lumi. Do you think things would be as they are now?” Khimi asks plainly as Lumi’s fingers course through his hair. The sweet scent of the honeysuckle oil surrounds them.
Lumi twists his fingers, pulling at the hairs until Khimi tilts his head back over his waist. He beams down at Khimi, “I dunno. Maybe…but you’re happy, aren’t you?”
The deep pools of blue look up at Lumi. Khimi’s lips peel back to reveal a cheerful smile. “You already know the answer to that,” he replies as he closes his eyes.
Lumi cups a handful of water in his hand and pours it over the top of Khimi’s head. “Do you know how beautiful you are?” He whispers, changing the subject. The water trickles through the gaps in his fingers. “I remember when you called me beautiful…that first night we shared a bed.”
“And a tub,” Khimi scoffs, his brow pinches as he begins to chuckle. “I meant it, I said you were the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Is it still true?”
Khimi peeks an eye open. “Yes,” he whispers.
“Good!” Lumi smiles and bends forward. His lips press against Khimi’s forehead. “Then we’re both the most beautiful things we’ve seen.”
The bathers across the bathhouse rise from the water and begin to leave after having watched Lumi and Khimi for some time. Almost instinctively, Khimi opens his eyes and smiles at Lumi as their footfalls fade into the distance. Lumi knows exactly what the smug smirk on Khimi’s face means.
“Thought you wanted to go to the market?!” Lumi sasses, tilting his head playfully from side to side.
“How about we get you cleaned up first?”
Lumi hangs his head and laughs to himself as his lengthy tail whips across the stone in his excitement. “You could have just…done it when they were here,” he says with a sudden pep in his tone.
“Mmmm,” Khimi sounds as Lumi pulls his legs back and lays his back flat against the cool stone. “Did you want them to see me fuck you?” He asks with sharpness.
Lumi rolls his shoulders back and forth as his tail drags over the stone. “Wouldn’t have bothered me,” he prattles as Khimi slowly begins to leave the water and crawl over Lumi’s small form.
The lust in Khimi’s eyes seems to intensify, every bit of Lumi’s body he takes in. His hands move along Lumi’s leg and onto his inner thigh, stopping as he brings his lips to them and sucks at the flesh. After a moment, he draws himself further atop him and begins to kiss along his stomach. “I think it would have bothered them,” he whispers finally.
“They would have been fine,” Lumi encourages, his head tilted back against the stone. “Don’t you wanna fuck me?”
Khimi hangs his head, his body trembles as he growls. “You know I want to,” he whispers. The soft pink nipples beneath him stand on end at his words and he ravenously laps his tongue against one.
Lumi wiggles beneath him and wraps his hands behind Khimi’s head, forcing his mouth over his nipple. “Hurry up and fuck me before you change your mind,” he begs with a helplessness in his voice.
Khimi pulls back and murmurs against Lumi’s skin, “I’d never change my mind.”
Lumi forces Khimi’s lips back over his nipple and closes his eyes as he feels Khimi’s teeth stretch the perky nipple, only to allow it to set back in place. “Hurry,” he whispers again, reaching a hand along Khimi’s abdomen and touching the base of Khimi’s arousal.
“Don’t you want to take your time?”
Lumi grimaces, “Not right now,” he utters. “Not now.”
The sound of footsteps along the passage bring them both turning to look at the source of the sound. A heavy set man in a dark tunic makes haste in their direction, his sandaled feet clopping along the stone. Khimi lowers himself over Lumi’s body as he releases a heavy sigh. The man stops a distance away from them and gives them a look of disapproval.
“We’ll go back to our room,” Lumi says before the man has a chance to speak.
Khimi snickers against Lumi’s chest and turns to face the man, “We’ll finish up and leave.”
“Finish up?” The man asks with wide eyes.
Khimi chuckles and places another kiss against Lumi’s flat chest, “Finish bathing,” he adds with a look out the corner of his eyes at the balding man.
Lumi moves onto his side slightly, “You do know who this is, right?” He asks as he brushes his fingers through Khimi’s hair. “This is –”
“Just a man,” Khimi says, giving Lumi a knowing look.
“Lord Zeybek,” Lumi finishes with a proud look as he raises his chin, “and I am his paramour!”
“Partner,” Khimi adds, “he’s my partner.”
The man shakes his head and his frown of disapproval changes to one of worry. “Lord Zeybek…I-I am so sorry,” he stammers, lowering his head.
“Leave the man alone, Lumi,” Khimi murmurs as he begins to stand.
Lumi growls and grabs hold of Khimi’s forearm. “K-Khimi,” he whispers defiantly.
The man turns his back to them as Khimi rises from the stone floor. “I’ll take my leave…”
Khimi pulls the cloth wrap around his waist and looks down at Lumi. “Come on,” he says as Lumi takes his hand. “Let’s get you clean,” he adds as he tugs him from the floor.
Lumi rises from the stone tile and wraps his arms around Khimi, giving the attendant an angry glare. The attendant begins to walk away and Lumi curses under his breath. Khimi sits on the edge of the stone and sticks his feet into the steaming water. The light from the sun shines through the open ceiling and spreads across the area as the clouds roll past. Lumi plops into Khimi’s lap with an angry thud. The golden choker clatters over the stone as Khimi reaches for it and brings it back around Lumi’s neck.
With the small clay jar in his hand, Khimi dumps the remaining contents into Lumi’s hair. “Sorry,” he mutters as the sound of the attendants’ sandaled feet recede back into the Athera.
Lumi sighs, his ears drooping as Khimi massages the oil around his thick rounded ears. “It’s fine,” he pouts in Khimi’s lap. His ears twitch against Khimi’s touch, “You’re lucky I like you…I hate it when people touch my ears,” he whispers as he bats away Khimi’s hand.
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“I know,” Khimi smiles while he moves his hand along Lumi’s naked form. “I can at least…finish what I started earlier,” he adds with a smirk, leaning back to glance up and down the passage.
Lumi lays his hand on top of Khimi’s and slides it back to his warm inner thigh. “Promise?”
Khimi’s golden earring glints in the light, “Promise,” he replies, repeating the word as he squeezes at the softened length between Lumi’s legs. Lumi lets out a pleased gasp as he tilts his head against Khimi’s chest.