After a long and arduous family dinner, no time for any private discussions with the family members that called Marco in, they're taking a quick walk around the gardens.
It had been an interesting experience to say the least, tense hellos and awkward pleasantries over well cooked roast and carefully arranged flowers. Marco couldn't get out of there quick enough.
When the castle door slams close behind them, he leans against it and blows out a breath while reaching out to grab Felix' wrist and pulls him in close.
Marco laughed softly between kisses, assuming easily that Felix was talking about sex. Because it was definitely their response to pretty much everything. Obviously he wasn't going to object to such plans either...
But the talk about Arden actually made him refocus and look at Felix studiously, searching his face for one quiet moment.
"No, I can't say I have," he finally admits, his fingers curling gently against Felix's sides while holding him close. "What do you have in mind?"
"A ride through the forest," Felix said, face first once hiding nothing, holding only an echo of the brief period of time in Amber where he had actually been happy. It was always Arden, the forest. A place where he felt safe in a turbulent unsafe world.
"Maybe finding other ways to entertain ourselves out there in the forest too..." He suggested slyly, leaning in to murmur it into Marco's ear.
There was something worth paying attention there and Marco was honing in on it. He was good at reading people and he had absolutely all the reasons in the world to read Felix as much as he possibly could.
Something about Arden...
A small smile curved over his lips as he watched Felix, then reached up to draw the arch of his cupid's bow with a light fingertip.
"Yes, a ride through the forest," he said gently. For whatever reason, it made Felix feel something quite different than what Marco was used to seeing and he wanted to see more of it. He still chuckled lightly at the suggestion and shook his head mildly. "And yes, whenever you want to be entertained, you know I'm happy to put out."
Felix's whole face lit up at the agreement. He tried to reign it in a little, to be less obviously happy, but he was never good at feeling things halfway. Especially around Marco, who it was just so easy to be open and happy around. He wanted to share what he loved with the person he loved.
"You'll have so much fun. Promise."
In spite of his obvious excitement, he was disinclined to just trump straight there by way of calling up family. On the one hand Felix generally made a face that showed how he felt about 'family' in all circumstances, but Julian's trump had been one of only two he had kept.
They didn't need it, really, Felix knew the fastest routes to get to Arden from basically anywhere in Amber, dodging and weaving as needed around buildings and other landmarks to avoid being seen by anyone even remotely important. Just because they had dinner didn't mean they needed everyone knowing they were there in that instant.
Near the edge of the ranger's encampment right inside the forest his gleeful smile turned mischievous.
"Wait here, ok? I'll get us a horse, be right back in a jiffy." With that and a quick kiss to Marco's cheek he was off like a thief in the night.
When he said 'get us a horse', that could have really meant anything. The rangers had plenty of horses.
The one Felix came back with was a very particular horse indeed. The giant stallion that was a nightmare to many. Felix was stroking Morgenstern's mane like the war horse was a pony at a petting zoo. For all it was trained to hate Corwin, Felix clearly adored the horse and the feeling was mutual.
A day in the forest wasn't exactly Marco's idea of good time, but if he got that smile out of it, he would do it again and again and again until he was so sick of it he couldn't anymore. Felix's obvious happiness made him grin softly, reflecting back that happiness without even thinking about it. Because, Snake be damned, if Felix being happy didn't make Marco absolutely deliriously happy as well.
Marco laughed when he was dragged towards the forest line and didn't put up any fight at all. Merely shifted gradually as they went to have a bit less top heavy ratio in his physique and more spring to his feet. Because in his experience forests could need that. Arden wasn't like the forests in Chaos that would shift and turn and twist but he wasn't taking any chances.
Felix departing on a horse stealing task, Marco just waited around with a soft chuckle and made sure his trumps were still in his pocket and everything else in order. So they could stay out the whole day if they wanted. Fiona hadn't seemed to be in any hurry to talk with him after all.
When Felix came back, and what he came back with made Marco speechless for a moment. He stared at the stallion and then at Felix, a little bit unsure of if this was a good idea at all.
"No point in riding a horse if you don't ride the best one," Felix said, like it was no big deal that he was climbing up onto the back of the ward of Arden's living artifact of a war stallion. Once he was sure of his seating, he reached out a hand to Marco to help him on behind him as well.
"Besides, he was clearly bored in the stable. Horses want to run. We'll just take him for a run and he'll be back before anyone notices he was gone."
This was something Marco had never done in Amber. He'd been an adult already when he first time came to these parts. His relationship with most of his aunts and uncles was distant in a way. Of course he had tried his hand with mischief back in the day, but Mandor had weeded that out of him with a hard hand.
Now he was fighting a grin as Felix slipped up onto the stallion and Marco couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat watching him up there, so beautiful and powerful, so happy and free. Even if Marco had honestly thought this was the worst idea in all of creation, he still would have gone with Felix, wherever he asked.
"I sure hope you know what you're doing," he said as he carefully took Felix's hand and swung himself up by it. Marco knew how to ride but he wasn't exactly good at it. Happily he had Felix to hold onto.
"I'll leave it to your capable hands," he whispered right beside Felix's ear while slipping in as close to his back as possible.
It wasn't even a sexual thrill that ran through Felix at Marco's words. Well, not entirely. It was all that speed and freedom and power under him, at his beck and call. Like having a race car but even better, because Morgenstern was the stuff of boyhood dreams for Felix. The most magnificent horse in all creation.
"Hang on tight. We like to go fast," He warned, before urging the horse on towards the deeper forest.
He didn't go from zero to eighty, he let Morgenstern warm up first, but each tick of increased speed showed no sign of slowing down or stopping. Between the horse and Felix they knew the forest well enough to jump from one wildlife path to another, where the terrain was clear enough to run and not have either horse or riders sideswiped off by an errant branch.
And boy did they run.
Felix urged Morgenstern to his full speed, laughing joyously as he rode, wind in his face and in his hair. This kind of thing was pure happiness for Felix, and he was even happier to be able to share it with Marco.
Marco laughs at first, a wild thrill that comes from holding onto Felix tightly and seeing him enjoy himself like this. It's a pleasure that he feels in his gut while they rush through little beaten paths along the forest ground. He's not a bad rider at all, so moving together with Felix is not difficult at all, they've done a lot of practising how to listen to each other physically.
But too much is too much and Marco is definitely not capable of holding on forever. When the speed just keeps climbing up and climbing up, he feels like this would be a good time to start growing some wings.
But of course Marco isn't that good at shapeshifting. He does, however, start to push more weight into his bones, more hardness to his surfaces, because eventually he will fall over and there's a definite chance that he will break something. On a wide open space it wouldn't have been a problem but they're in a forest, the horse keeps jerking this way and that, Felix is following the movement and so is Marco, but he's not as fast or as strong as Felix and he's getting quickly tired.
"F-Felix," he mutters in a warning eventually, but it's far too late, far too little.
The next sharp turn has Marco swaying out of balance, not quite dropping out immediately, but when they go over a fallen trunk he misses the cue to lean forward and that's all it really needs, flip, flop and he's falling on the back of his head, one hoof clipping him on the hips before the ground comes up to embrace him.
Felix was used to riding alone, he sometimes forgot that not everyone wanted to go at breakneck speeds on what amounted to a freight train that looked like a horse.
The warning word from Marco had enough to have him slowing, and as soon as the added weight was off of the horse he was pulling to a sharp stop, turning, and leaping off the back of Morgenstern to run to Marco's side.
"Shit- shit!" Felix never studied any kind of magical healing, the most he's good at is triage slap-a-bandage-on-it walk it off kind of deals. He's still quick to gather Marco into his arms, checking his injuries to see if there's anything he can do. "Marco - Marco, come on, stay with me-"
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sins_of_a_father2019-03-30 08:50 pm
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It had been an interesting experience to say the least, tense hellos and awkward pleasantries over well cooked roast and carefully arranged flowers. Marco couldn't get out of there quick enough.
When the castle door slams close behind them, he leans against it and blows out a breath while reaching out to grab Felix' wrist and pulls him in close.
"Anything but that again," he says tightly.
no subject
"Yeah? I got an idea for something to take your mind off of it."
For once it wasn't sex, not that it was obvious from Felix's tone of voice. He had only one way to talk about things he loved.
"You ever spend much time in Arden?"
no subject
But the talk about Arden actually made him refocus and look at Felix studiously, searching his face for one quiet moment.
"No, I can't say I have," he finally admits, his fingers curling gently against Felix's sides while holding him close. "What do you have in mind?"
no subject
"Maybe finding other ways to entertain ourselves out there in the forest too..." He suggested slyly, leaning in to murmur it into Marco's ear.
no subject
Something about Arden...
A small smile curved over his lips as he watched Felix, then reached up to draw the arch of his cupid's bow with a light fingertip.
"Yes, a ride through the forest," he said gently. For whatever reason, it made Felix feel something quite different than what Marco was used to seeing and he wanted to see more of it. He still chuckled lightly at the suggestion and shook his head mildly. "And yes, whenever you want to be entertained, you know I'm happy to put out."
no subject
"You'll have so much fun. Promise."
In spite of his obvious excitement, he was disinclined to just trump straight there by way of calling up family. On the one hand Felix generally made a face that showed how he felt about 'family' in all circumstances, but Julian's trump had been one of only two he had kept.
They didn't need it, really, Felix knew the fastest routes to get to Arden from basically anywhere in Amber, dodging and weaving as needed around buildings and other landmarks to avoid being seen by anyone even remotely important. Just because they had dinner didn't mean they needed everyone knowing they were there in that instant.
Near the edge of the ranger's encampment right inside the forest his gleeful smile turned mischievous.
"Wait here, ok? I'll get us a horse, be right back in a jiffy." With that and a quick kiss to Marco's cheek he was off like a thief in the night.
When he said 'get us a horse', that could have really meant anything. The rangers had plenty of horses.
The one Felix came back with was a very particular horse indeed. The giant stallion that was a nightmare to many. Felix was stroking Morgenstern's mane like the war horse was a pony at a petting zoo. For all it was trained to hate Corwin, Felix clearly adored the horse and the feeling was mutual.
no subject
Marco laughed when he was dragged towards the forest line and didn't put up any fight at all. Merely shifted gradually as they went to have a bit less top heavy ratio in his physique and more spring to his feet. Because in his experience forests could need that. Arden wasn't like the forests in Chaos that would shift and turn and twist but he wasn't taking any chances.
Felix departing on a horse stealing task, Marco just waited around with a soft chuckle and made sure his trumps were still in his pocket and everything else in order. So they could stay out the whole day if they wanted. Fiona hadn't seemed to be in any hurry to talk with him after all.
When Felix came back, and what he came back with made Marco speechless for a moment. He stared at the stallion and then at Felix, a little bit unsure of if this was a good idea at all.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked slowly.
no subject
"Besides, he was clearly bored in the stable. Horses want to run. We'll just take him for a run and he'll be back before anyone notices he was gone."
It'll be fun. Don't you want to have fun, Marco?
no subject
Now he was fighting a grin as Felix slipped up onto the stallion and Marco couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat watching him up there, so beautiful and powerful, so happy and free. Even if Marco had honestly thought this was the worst idea in all of creation, he still would have gone with Felix, wherever he asked.
"I sure hope you know what you're doing," he said as he carefully took Felix's hand and swung himself up by it. Marco knew how to ride but he wasn't exactly good at it. Happily he had Felix to hold onto.
"I'll leave it to your capable hands," he whispered right beside Felix's ear while slipping in as close to his back as possible.
no subject
"Hang on tight. We like to go fast," He warned, before urging the horse on towards the deeper forest.
He didn't go from zero to eighty, he let Morgenstern warm up first, but each tick of increased speed showed no sign of slowing down or stopping. Between the horse and Felix they knew the forest well enough to jump from one wildlife path to another, where the terrain was clear enough to run and not have either horse or riders sideswiped off by an errant branch.
And boy did they run.
Felix urged Morgenstern to his full speed, laughing joyously as he rode, wind in his face and in his hair. This kind of thing was pure happiness for Felix, and he was even happier to be able to share it with Marco.
no subject
But too much is too much and Marco is definitely not capable of holding on forever. When the speed just keeps climbing up and climbing up, he feels like this would be a good time to start growing some wings.
But of course Marco isn't that good at shapeshifting. He does, however, start to push more weight into his bones, more hardness to his surfaces, because eventually he will fall over and there's a definite chance that he will break something. On a wide open space it wouldn't have been a problem but they're in a forest, the horse keeps jerking this way and that, Felix is following the movement and so is Marco, but he's not as fast or as strong as Felix and he's getting quickly tired.
"F-Felix," he mutters in a warning eventually, but it's far too late, far too little.
The next sharp turn has Marco swaying out of balance, not quite dropping out immediately, but when they go over a fallen trunk he misses the cue to lean forward and that's all it really needs, flip, flop and he's falling on the back of his head, one hoof clipping him on the hips before the ground comes up to embrace him.
no subject
The warning word from Marco had enough to have him slowing, and as soon as the added weight was off of the horse he was pulling to a sharp stop, turning, and leaping off the back of Morgenstern to run to Marco's side.
"Shit- shit!" Felix never studied any kind of magical healing, the most he's good at is triage slap-a-bandage-on-it walk it off kind of deals. He's still quick to gather Marco into his arms, checking his injuries to see if there's anything he can do. "Marco - Marco, come on, stay with me-"