And when they get tired of kissing and hair-petting Findekáno holds Kib close and listens to his heartbeat and resists the urge to tell Maitimo that he has good taste in men to crush on and wonders if there is an acceptable way to ask if Kib's society attaches particular significance to whether one has ever had sex.

Snuggles! Obliviousness to complicated internal monologues!

Well. He can, when they get distracted from all of this contented resting and start kissing again, slide his hands under Kib's shirt and see if Kib is inclined to stop him with an explanation of his home world's cultural expectations or, really, at all.

Despite being sort of predictable now that you think about it - and maybe the Unbegotten among the Elves don't have navels, Findekáno never actually thought about it - this is pretty weird and also an excuse to take his own shirt off so he can explain what the weird thing is.

...Well, I'm glad I'm getting this explained so I didn't ask somebody why they have a distressing-looking puncture scar. It doesn't hurt or anything?

No. It's not particularly interesting to the touch at all. I've never seen someone without one.

Its absence is also not especially interesting to the touch, not that you can't investigate. Mind you don't tickle me.

You dislike being tickled? I will remember that.

It's not so much that, it's that I get even less coordinated than usual and I would flail right out of your lap.

I expect that if I had your permission to do so I could keep you in my lap no matter how much you were flailing.

Well, if that interests you go for it.

Elves are supposed to be several times stronger than Men. And he is stronger than average, stronger in fact than Maitimo not that Maitimo'd ever let anything between them be settled by a contest of strength, and so he can pin Kib down with one hand and tickle him with the other, which is very fun and also very arousing and Kib, in his lap, will certainly have noticed this and can again stop him if he has objections or something.

Kib doesn't have objections, he has flailing and helpless giggles.

And kissing his lips while he is giggling that much might not work very well but he can be kissed everywhere else.

Is he going to try the back of the neck?

He will try this! Elves usually have too much hair in the way.

Kib does not have too much hair in the way. Also that was not a giggle that was a gasp.

Oh good. He can keep doing that.

And Kib can unceremoniously melt on him making vague pleased noises.

What a lovely outcome. He positions them better for neck-kissing and then he neck-kisses some more because those are excellent vague pleased noises.

They are excellent vague pleased noises generated by excellent neck-kisses! What a lovely feedback loop. Snuggle. Melt. Moan.

Can I take the rest of our clothes off?

...a fabric store is a weird place to hook up but you're the expert on where to go for privacy, Kib says. Sure.

Asking you back to my rooms this soon seemed presumptuous. I will - show you how to move about the palace quietly, next time we're back there.