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So... up the stairs they go, mostly side by side. Mark lags by a step or two.
There is a persistent silence.
"I... didn't think you'd react the way you did," he says finally. "I mean, I thought you might—that there might be something there, but not that you'd actually."
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unmarred
unmarred
"Good wow?" hazards Mark; he has a pretty good idea, of course, but he feels like making sure.
first-and-final
"Good wow, amazing wow, get-up-here-and-kiss-me-immediately wow," says Stalas, reaching out to haul Mark closer.
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"I just had a bath, curse it," he mutters between kisses, but the complaint is heavily undercut by his enormous grin. "C'mere, you... it's my turn."
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Stalas laughs.
He gets Mark out of his clothes in gratifyingly short order, and rolls on top of him, pinning him to the bed with dwarven strength and the weight of dwarven bones. It's the first time he can ever remember being able to physically overpower someone this way, and there is a definite thrill to that, even though - perhaps especially because - he's sure Mark could hold his own if it came to a serious fight.
"You're pretty glorious yourself," he says, and leans in for a slow and thorough kiss. "Mmm..."
His kisses wander down over Mark's jaw and throat, and then his chest, and onward from there. This is nothing he's ever done before, but Mark is in the same quarter as far as he can tell and it sure didn't seem to stop him. Stalas is inspired to adventurousness.
He gets Mark out of his clothes in gratifyingly short order, and rolls on top of him, pinning him to the bed with dwarven strength and the weight of dwarven bones. It's the first time he can ever remember being able to physically overpower someone this way, and there is a definite thrill to that, even though - perhaps especially because - he's sure Mark could hold his own if it came to a serious fight.
"You're pretty glorious yourself," he says, and leans in for a slow and thorough kiss. "Mmm..."
His kisses wander down over Mark's jaw and throat, and then his chest, and onward from there. This is nothing he's ever done before, but Mark is in the same quarter as far as he can tell and it sure didn't seem to stop him. Stalas is inspired to adventurousness.
unmarred
Mark is, if anything, vastly more thrilled than Stalas by their strength disparity. And it only gets better from there.
"I'm stealing your word," he murmurs, afterward, when he has caught his breath. "Wow. That was - wow. You are wow."
"I'm stealing your word," he murmurs, afterward, when he has caught his breath. "Wow. That was - wow. You are wow."
unmarred
"You have," says Mark, beaming at him. "But you have my full permission to mention it again. And again. And again."
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"Understood," laughs Stalas, sitting up. "And now that we've made a beautiful mess of one another—bath? There's towels, promise."
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"Towels? Why are you saying 'towels' like it has some kind of secret meaning that you expect me to find hilarious if only I knew it?"
Mark sits up, too, and scoots over to give Stalas a hug and an affectionate shoulder-nuzzle.
Mark sits up, too, and scoots over to give Stalas a hug and an affectionate shoulder-nuzzle.
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"Because it does. I wasn't sure you didn't know it, actually. It seemed reasonably cross-cultural. But I'd be happy to explain."
Maybe after a quick kiss.
All right, maybe after two kisses.
Maybe after a quick kiss.
All right, maybe after two kisses.
unmarred
"Bath," Mark reminds him, grinning. "And the mysterious significance of towels."
first-and-final
"Yeah, yeah."
Bathward they go, then. Stalas operates its controls while he talks.
"The story goes, Lord So-and-so of House Somebody - you hear it with a few different actual historical figures, or with made-up names, or with no names at all - was a rich fellow with a taste for luxury, and his favourite thing in the world was a long hot bath. One day he goes to visit the house of his good friend Lord Somebody-Else for a few days, to wine and dine and talk about taxes on imported goods and what-have-you. Lord Somebody-Else, being a generous and thoughtful sort, has his servants draw a bath... but when Lord So-and-so steps into the bathing chamber, he notices that there are no towels. Puzzled, he looks for a servant to correct this oversight, but there are none to be found nearby. So he stands next to the bath with the door closed and his armour on, and sure enough, an assassin bursts in half an hour later. Various versions disagree on what happened next, but it's generally agreed the incident put an end to that friendship. And now a 'bath without towels' is a byword for any situation with a strong odour of trap."
Bathward they go, then. Stalas operates its controls while he talks.
"The story goes, Lord So-and-so of House Somebody - you hear it with a few different actual historical figures, or with made-up names, or with no names at all - was a rich fellow with a taste for luxury, and his favourite thing in the world was a long hot bath. One day he goes to visit the house of his good friend Lord Somebody-Else for a few days, to wine and dine and talk about taxes on imported goods and what-have-you. Lord Somebody-Else, being a generous and thoughtful sort, has his servants draw a bath... but when Lord So-and-so steps into the bathing chamber, he notices that there are no towels. Puzzled, he looks for a servant to correct this oversight, but there are none to be found nearby. So he stands next to the bath with the door closed and his armour on, and sure enough, an assassin bursts in half an hour later. Various versions disagree on what happened next, but it's generally agreed the incident put an end to that friendship. And now a 'bath without towels' is a byword for any situation with a strong odour of trap."
unmarred
Mark giggles. "I see. You, of course, head this off by bathing with the assassin."
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Stalas gives Mark a look, and reaches into the half-full bath to splash water at him.
first-and-final
The floor is considerably bepuddled by the time the bath fills enough for them to actually get in it. But in between giggly kisses and exceptionally silly play-fighting, they do manage to accomplish their ostensible purpose of getting clean.
"Enough of this foolishness," Stalas declares, and he gives Mark a quick kiss and climbs out. The promised towels are not only present, they are also cuddly and soft.
"Enough of this foolishness," Stalas declares, and he gives Mark a quick kiss and climbs out. The promised towels are not only present, they are also cuddly and soft.
unmarred
"It's soft," Mark explains, cuddling into his towel with a blissful expression.
first-and-final
Stalas regards this spectacle. He shakes his head. He grins.
He steps around a puddle and wraps up Mark and Mark's terrycloth paramour in a hug.
He steps around a puddle and wraps up Mark and Mark's terrycloth paramour in a hug.
unmarred
"No, it's fine," says Mark, although his wide-eyed breathless tension suggests otherwise. "You can. You can hug me. If you want."