Sweet, gentle touches. Clive has forgotten what those look like, what they feel like. He has made friends with risen knuckles, the flat of a boot, the blunt end of weapons; the soft slide of fingertips and lips almost makes him cry again, the sensation of them so foreign after years of hard surfaces and cold contempt.
And now, he is convinced that this must be Joshua. Joshua, with his strong smile even when the frailty of his body betrayed him－ Joshua, whose featherlight grip around his finger was nevertheless the sweetest, most powerful gesture Clive had ever felt from anyone. His brother has always been the one to recontextualize his world, bright eyes and warm smile far more brilliant than the spread of a phoenix's wings.
Desperate as he is, Clive stutters with emotion. He moves to strip himself of his own layers, impatient and trembling, but the next kiss he leans in for and initiates is far less biting, more affection-laced than lust-laced, even if there's an (un)healthy abundance of the latter.
"You were the only thing that kept me going," he finally murmurs after their lips part, as he kicks bits of armor and leather aside to walk Joshua backwards towards the bed. "My brother, my fated mate."
He doesn't do anything so crass as to shove him on his back again; this time, Clive lifts Joshua into his arms, then settles him gently onto the mattress. Like the prince that he is.
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Date: 2025-12-22 02:27 am (UTC)And now, he is convinced that this must be Joshua. Joshua, with his strong smile even when the frailty of his body betrayed him－ Joshua, whose featherlight grip around his finger was nevertheless the sweetest, most powerful gesture Clive had ever felt from anyone. His brother has always been the one to recontextualize his world, bright eyes and warm smile far more brilliant than the spread of a phoenix's wings.
Desperate as he is, Clive stutters with emotion. He moves to strip himself of his own layers, impatient and trembling, but the next kiss he leans in for and initiates is far less biting, more affection-laced than lust-laced, even if there's an (un)healthy abundance of the latter.
"You were the only thing that kept me going," he finally murmurs after their lips part, as he kicks bits of armor and leather aside to walk Joshua backwards towards the bed. "My brother, my fated mate."
He doesn't do anything so crass as to shove him on his back again; this time, Clive lifts Joshua into his arms, then settles him gently onto the mattress. Like the prince that he is.
"I want to see all of you."