"If a teacher isn't passionate about what they're teaching, then they shouldn't be teaching. And only the ones that aren't passionate are boring," Emmrich said. He was quite opinionated on the topic. But Hugh hadn't seemed entirely cheerful about the topic, so Emmrich gave his hand a squeeze back. "I was otherwise rather lucky in terms of what schooling I had access to. Without magic I would have had my numbers and letters and likely little else."
He'd have known how to read enough to follow a recipe, and how to keep accounts for a shop or household. He wouldn't be able to draw comparisons between the actions of Antivan merchant princes in the Storm Age with Rivain Lords of Fortune in the current one, or known about the consistent themes found in Tevene literature. He never would have known how much he would have missed.
Hugh's other words draw him from those thoughts. "I beg your pardon? That's far from too much. Dealing fairly with others is an important part of life. The fact that he has a concept of playing fair and being kind is a fantastic milestone in itself, as on their own wisps have no grasp of such things. Morals and ethics are very complicated matters. And he's learning at an incredible rate, Hugh! He's growing so quickly. It's delightful to watch, and so compelling to be a part of."
Hugh had opened his mouth to remark that Emmrich's students were lucky to have him and his passionate enthusiasm for teaching when, with a great sinking feeling, he remembered Akil had been one of his students. That guilt would always sit in Hugh's stomach like a piece of hot iron, heavy and painful. Selfish as it was, Hugh didn't want to disrupt this little moment of peace they had. So he pushed down the guilt, swore to himself he would come up with some way to do right by Akil, and switched direction.
"Thinking of you without magic is like trying to think spring without flowers—impossible and unpleasant to imagine," Hugh said, turning his head up to gaze up at the older man. He wanted to say more, how Emmrich was incredible and teaching Hugh something every moment they were together, all without trying.
Instead, movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, and Hugh just spotted Manfred picking up all the cards and scampering off with them. It lightened his souring mood as he snorted and said,
"I think your boy just reached his first milestone in being a sneaky mite and went and knicked those cards." He slapped his hand over his knee with a laugh before shaking his head fondly. "Ah, I hope he has fun. I should show him a few more tricks later."
Hugh then looked back to Emmrich and the small pile of books he brought out, "Reading anything good?"
"I am magic, and magic is me," Emmrich agreed happily, holding up a hand and letting green swirl around it gracefully.
At Manfred's escape Emmrich chuckled and leaned back on the couch. "He's a bit of a collector. Routinely I have to ask him if anything's wound up in there that belongs elsewhere. It's thankfully never anything big, and it's never anything stolen, as things around the rooms don't count. He gets an allowance so he can buy things that catch his eye, too."
The question had Emmrich gathering the books and holding them out for Hugh to see. One's a travelogue from someone who explored what he could of the caves underneath Nevarra, one is on treaties with the Wardens, and there are two on various plant life that have medicinal uses. The latter two both have his name on the inside of the cover and are well-thumbed, while the former two are from the library. "I asked Audric to find what he could that might help the situation at hand, and that's all that came to mind. I'm aware that the plants are more wishful thinking than anything else, but one never knows when inspiration might strike and lead in a positive direction."
"You can say that again," Hugh agreed, never failing to be awed by Emmrich.
He pushed himself onto his knees and gingerly reached for Emmrich's wrist and drew his lover's hand into his lips. There were still fading swirls of green magic around Emmrich's fingertips when he kissed them, feeling the tingling thrum of magical energy against his skin. It was pleasant, unique, and wholly Emmrich.
"And here I was calling you a little magpie."
When Emmrich handed him the pile of books, Hugh moved to sit next to him on the couch. The first one interested him the most as it could be useful to guess at where the Venatori had made their wretched little nest. The second looked like it hadn't seen much attention since the Storm Age, and that was being generous. Hugh was well-versed on most Warden treaties, but a refresher couldn't hurt.
"Well, I was sort of hoping for more gentleman thieves seducing nobles out of their wealth, but this could be helpful." At the latter two books, Hugh gave Emmrich a questioning look. "Wishful thinking how?"
Emmrich's expression went incredibly soft as his fingers were kissed. He'd had partners who didn't mind him being a mage, or who didn't care, but it was rare the ones who appreciated it. Hugh being Fereldan had meant Emmrich had yet to introduce magic into the bedroom. This reaction, though, was promising.
He laughed at the nickname. "You did say he took after me." Emmrich had deliberately not called Manfred a magpie since Hugh had called him that; the nickname was growing on him.
"If you'd like more of those, there's an entire shelf in the bedroom full of them. As for wishful thinking..." he trailed off and shrugged. What he was thinking was nigh impossible, as he was certain many many minds had been applied to the problem previously, but he had to try. "Nothing has a cure until someone stumbles upon it. I know a lot about botany, and I've done more than a little alchemy in my time. And while healing isn't something I've focused on, Necromancy is a different branch of Creation than healing, I'm an expert with anatomy. I know how the body should work, I know how many plants do work. Perhaps fresh eyes on the matter can see something new."
Perhaps he can save Akil and theoretically Hugh, if the latter wanted to be saved. Some would give a lot to be a vampire, Emmrich imagined, even if he wouldn't.
That note of interest kicked up in Emmrich like a lick of flame catching the air from the bellows that Hugh couldn't ignore. For a moment, Hugh debated calling off everything he said earlier and carrying Emmrich into the bedroom to lock the door until dawn. Only that damnable drag of exhaustion made every bone in his body feel like lead. That shouldn't be everything their relationship was centered on, anyway.
Regardless, the current topic of conversation did more than enough to quell any sparks of ardor in Hugh. He had to fight down the knee-jerk reaction of looking guilt-stricken or pitying when it became clear what Emmrich would have liked to do. He had every faith in the man to do incredible things, but curing the Blight wasn't one of them. Nine centuries of attempts had only lent to shattered hopes in too many Wardens. None were confident in any effort to remove the taint from their blood, even Hugh.
"A set of fresh eyes and a mind as sharp as yours could do a lot of good," Hugh said genuinely but naturally. The last thing he wanted to do was discourage Emmrich, not when all the anguish wrapped up in what happened was still so fresh.
"Mind if I have that book on treaties?" Hugh asked as he pressed in beside Emmrich. "I might learn something."
That his hope wasn't dismissed was incredibly encouraging. He knew that many had tried to find cures through the years and it probably wasn't inspiring to hear that someone else was trying at this point. Ages had passed and no one had figured it out yet. But he could still try.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Emmrich teased. "I only brought the books out so they could sit here and gather dust, not so they could be read. Why would anyone care to learn?"
He kissed Hugh's temple, smiling widely, and handed the book over. "Of course, love." Emmrich wrapped an arm around Hugh's shoulders and opened up one of the plant books with the other. He'd given the caves book a cursory glance already, marking up a map that now was folded in the front cover, but his focus had been divided. It was possible there was nothing more he could do for Akil other than offer unconditional support and to always be reachable by candlehop, but he didn't want to believe that.
In his mind it was always better to try and potentially fail rather than not try at all.
"Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions. I'm familiar with other treaties and why they're structured the way they're structured much of the time, even if I'm not familiar with these specific sets of treaties. Other than what it would require to get the assistance of a specialized Warden, I've never needed the information." Nor had he been curious about it more than in a passing fashion; there were always so many things to learn that he was actively interested in. One never knew what might become relevant in the future, unfortunately. He had a feeling his knowledge of Antivan and Rivaini fashions would never be required.
Despite his pessimism concerning the taint, Hugh couldn't deny that it was heartening to see someone still believing in a cure. That wasn't naive, not to Hugh, it was the hardest thing someone could do when faced with insurmountable odds. Emmrich shouldn't care this much about a man he hardly knew, but here there were. It still made Hugh's head spin.
"You wouldn't let a book gather dust with a crossbolt to your head and you know it," Hugh chuckled as he settled into his lover's arms. He made himself rather comfortable. His legs swung over the edge of the couch and wriggled down until his head lay against Emmrich's chest. The sound of the older man's steady heartbeat was a comfort in and of itself.
Hugh opened the book over his knee soon after they settled into each other's embrace. With Hugh keeping the book open with one hand while the other stroked Emmrich's thigh, it was like they had spent every night for years in each other's arms.
"A bit precious that you literally wound up doing homework that wound up letting me get into your pants," Hugh said in an effort to keep the mood light, and because that hilarious yet endearing thought just occurred to him.
With a crossbolt to his head he would. He would do a great deal to avoid death. But that was not something to dwell on, and Emmrich shut the thought down quickly. For once his fear was incredibly easy to sidestep, thanks entirely to Hugh getting comfortable against him. Hugh's worries about not knowing what to do that wasn't sex were clearly completely unfounded because this was a gentle, welcome intimacy right here. He gladly wrapped an arm around his love's waist.
"I have done homework that has gotten me into so many situations," Emmrich retorted, amused. "My first solo venture into the depths to discover what new being had manifested there was due to me being curious enough to read through the archives of former unique manifestations and even restore some of the pages that age had not been kind to. I'm largely considered the expert on the Fade and spirits, which is why I wind up asked for so many lectures and papers. At least this homework result has been something I'm very happy with."
He patted Hugh's hip. "I think you'll find that a great deal of my life is homework. Research, venturing downward, teaching, grading, it is the fate of an academic. And you aren't even here as classes are in session."
Which would be another complication, but by then they'd likely be more stable in each other and their situation. They'd have to be. They can sort it out. His gaze goes to the four folders he left on the front room desk, the possible students he was sorting through. It could wait. It had to wait.
He was finally to the section of the book with flowers that had odd properties that sometimes healed and sometimes did nothing. This was where he wanted to start.
Having been far too familiar with gallows humor, the undercurrent of the joke didn't strike Hugh until he momentarily sensed Emmrich tense up. It wasn't enough to be worth pointing out and potentially upsetting the man. Rather than apologize and make a big deal out of it, dragging up Emmrich's fears unnecessarily, Hugh went the subtler route. He drew the hand wound around his waist close, softly kissing every knuckle before letting it fall back into place.
Hugh didn't get that usual pang of guilt and self-loathing for his misstep, either. It was a marvel how easier emotions were to process when being held.
"'Situations' is putting it mildly," Hugh laughed airily as he turned slightly in Emmrich's arms to look back at him, the book slowly sliding off his knee. There was a lurch in his stomach at that moment that felt a bit like hope. "I'd love to see you lecture sometime, or patiently wait outside your classroom ready to drag you away for the rest of the day. I'd be your most persistent interruption, if anything."
The idea lingered in the back of his mind as he idly toyed with the hem of Emmrich's loose shirt. Afternoons spent waiting for Emmrich to wrap up lessons, dragging him out into the city for a late lunch after a long walk. Evenings watching Emmrich nibble on the end of his quill as his brow furrowed while he graded papers. Going to bed at night, still smelling the ink and paper on Emmrich's skin when they made love.
Hugh hadn't even realized he had let daydream turn deeper. Not until he heard his breathing steady as he turned more in Emmrich's arms, barely registering the book on his knees falling to the floor, and buried his face into Emmrich's chest and wound both arms around him.
He exhaled softly, happily, as Hugh kissed him so sweetly. Hugh was so much more physical than any of his previous lovers, and Emmrich adored all of it. The gentle gestures got him out of his darker thoughts with impossible ease.
Hugh's comment got a chuckle out of him. His life was full of 'situations.' This one, at least, was good. Even if he could see the book falling and knew Audric was going to give him a sternly written note. Not to mention the poor book. At least Hugh's words drew him out of his concerns there. The idea of his beloved hanging outside the class, waiting to steal him away, was a lovely one. And if his partner was around then Emmrich could gather flowers between classes and present an impromptu bouquet to him. They could walk through the Necropolis when it shifted to re-map it, together, rather than Emmrich going alone. The possibilities were nigh endless.
As Hugh moved, so did Emmrich, shifting to sit more lengthwise across the couch to better hold the man he loved. And how he loved him. The world seemed so much brighter now that he had this.
"I gave up on finding someone, you know that?" Emmrich said quietly as he stroked down Hugh's spine. "I thought my chance had passed. And then you jumped out at me from the shadows of that fortress. You took my arm, you pulled out my chair, you genuinely listened and engaged, you showed such care when I was cut, and I was lost. Utterly lost. And I never want to be found again."
Emmrich worried at times that he was overwhelming Hugh, but that wasn't always the case. Sometimes, Hugh just needed to acclimatize as though the temperature in the room had changed. Mostly, Hugh craved it. Once they settled, Hugh could hear blood thrum beneath the skin with every beat of Emmrich's heart, and it was more soothing than hearing the ocean on a clear night.
There was a moment where Hugh nodded off until the sound of Emmrich's voice anchored him back to the present. He shuddered pleasurably at the sensation of his spine being stroked with the gentlest of pressure. Hugh arched his back almost cat-like into the touch as he gazed up at Emmrich, soaking in his words. He couldn't hide the smile as he broadened into something beaming and openly content.
"I didn't jump, I merely stepped out with a bit of flair," Hugh argued before he pulled himself up to kiss the underside of Emmrich's jaw.
"And...frankly, I never thought I'd find anyone, there was never anything ot give up on." Hugh's voice quieted as his head came to rest on Emmrich's chest again, chin up so he could keep contact with those marvelous olive-green eyes. "Then I saw you in silhouette when you crossed our threshold, and then I saw you in profile. You smiled politely at me when I greeted you, and you said hello. You took my arm when you didn't have any reason to and made me feel warm. Wouldn't give that up for anything, you know that? I'll think of something."
Every time he thought he couldn't feel more affection for Hugh, that it was impossible to feel more for anyone, the man did something to fill Emmrich's heart all the more. Even just the smile and kiss, followed by cuddling back, did it.
"Bit of flair?" Emmrich scoffed. "You deliberately tried to see how the scrawny old necromancer would react, hoping for me to jump. Not that I can entirely blame you, considering how people have treated you in the past." His hold around Hugh tightened briefly. Casual cruelty was rampant in this world. Too rampant. That it had been visited on someone he loved bothered him, but at least he could do better by him. He could, and he would.
"And ah, I see. It's my pretty face and that we went to a room with better heating than my guest room." It was so indescribably nice to tease Hugh. He could lay here, hold his beloved, and engage in wordplay. "I suppose it's hypocritical to call out your interest in my face when I did notice yours as well. As soon as you took off the helmet." Which Hugh probably already knew. But it never hurt to reinforce positive things like attraction and love.
"How I love you, my Hugh." There was no way to kiss his lover at this angle, but at least he could resume rubbing Hugh's back. "There's nothing I would trade this for either. Yes, there will be logistical complications, but they're worth it. They're entirely worth it for this."
"You're not that scrawny," Hugh pushed himself on his elbows to meet Emmrich at eye level. "But I did sort of want to see if you were the jumpy sort, true. I actually thought it was kind of cute how you reacted."
There was a flush to his face at that confession. Hugh wasn't a complete bastard, but he had been the sort of kid to run through a flock of birds just to see them scatter. He then scoffed at the idea that it was out of some misplaced revenge on those who wronged him.
"Treat me how? Like a blood-sucking fiend from the arse end of nowhere? They weren't too far off the mark there, love," Hugh snorted.
Nothing a nobleman or the like had ever said to him had ever managed to get under his skin. If he knocked their teeth in a time or two, it was only because they were annoying. Hugh was stubbornly proud of where he came from, even if he wasn't so proud of what got him into the Wardens. Besides, it was all a net positive considering it put him in Emmrich's path in the end.
"More than just logistical, I'll have my commanders breathing down my neck for this one." Hugh's tone sobered at that. His expression softened as he reached up to up Emmrich's cheek. "But that's for tomorrow, and by tomorrow I'll think of something. Something to help all of us, trust me."
He looked briefly smug at the admission, even though yes, it had confirmed that he could be jumpy when he was out of his element. Diplomacy in strange lands was very much out of his element. And at least Hugh had thought him cute.
"You're no fiend," Emmrich said. That needed to be clear. Yes, all right, the rest was true, but Hugh was neither monster nor fiend.
Leaning into the touch, Emmrich gave Hugh a half-smile. He didn't have to worry about commanders, thankfully. But there were still duties and expectations. They both brought hurdles to the table. At least they were together. "I trust you. But you can also lean on me, Hugh. You're not doing this alone."
And that made all the difference. He smoothed his fingers through Hugh's hair. "What world could stand a chance against the both of us?" Emmrich turned his head and kissed HUgh's palm.
"I can be plenty fiendish if given the right incentive," Hugh countered with a lop-sided smirk.
There was a brief flash in his eyes that promised to break with their plans of a quiet evening, but it flickered out when Hugh moved closer and felt a muscle in his back spasm. He winced slightly. Even vampires had their limits.
All other thoughts, licentious or otherwise, fled him when Emmrich looked down at him and pressed those tender lips to his palm. If Hugh could freeze time to stay in any moment, it would have been this one. The phrase 'lost in someone's eyes' had meant nothing to Hugh beyond easy poetry for the desperate trying to impress a paramour. Only now has he begun to understand the concept.
"Neither are you," Hugh said as the smile crept back onto his face. "Besides. A vampire and the best necromancer in this whole place? I think we might stand a chance."
His lips pursed in clear amusement that vanished when Hugh winced. Whatever had hurt him had been when he'd moved his back, so Emmrich cast healing and trace his fingers along his love's back. Gently he worked, trying to soothe the pain. There was other tension there too, and thankfully it was easy healing to help those things. Emmrich's strength was not in dealing with serious wounds.
"Of course we stand a chance." Just by the nature of 'chance' they did, even without their joint skills. Everything had a chance. Some were simply more remote than others. "Thankfully, I believe we even stand a decent chance." A more likely one than any other non-Warden mage hoping to be with a Warden, he figured.
He looked down at Hugh, at the soft look that had been transformed into a smile, and wondered if it was okay to dare to dream. "If you had all the freedom in the world, Hugh, where would you go? What would you do?"
"I'll take decent over abysmally unlikely," Hugh agreed.
They had plenty stacked against them, and most of those challenges came from Hugh's side. Only if Emmrich wasn't daunted by all this, then Hugh wouldn't allow himself to be either. For once in his life, Hugh wanted—he wanted a break from his duties, however fleeting, and most of all, he wanted Emmrich.
"What?" Hugh looked up and blinked at Emmrich, confusion clear on his face. The question caught him off guard by the simple fact that no one had ever asked that of him. Even the other Wardens knew better than to play the what-if game, it always became too bleak. Emmrich, however, asked in such a gentle way that it made Hugh pause to really think it over.
"Somewhere green where I could see the ocean," Hugh said at last. "Sailing has its appeals, but I just as much love solid ground and the smell of coastal pine and salt on a summer breeze. Once, in the Free Marches, I found a stretch of rocky beach where sea lavender grew as far as wildfire, like a field of purple stars. What I would do is irrelevant if I'm somewhere like that."
He moved up, head now on Emmrich's shoulder, bringing his hand down to twine his fingers with Emmrich's.
"What about you? What calls to heart for a gentleman necromancer?"
He looked at their joined hands, turning them around, before lifting his gaze back to Hugh's.
"I've heard lovely stories of Rivain's coast, warm, golden sand and sapphire sea. There was a time I considered taking a few years of leave out there before returning to serve for the rest of eternity, one way or another. It's the feeling of adventure of the sea being right there, combined with the comforts of not living on a ship."
Emmrich chuckled a little self-consciously. "I have grown rather accustomed to nicer things. I have nothing against camping, roughing it, for a short time, but I don't think I could go back for anything more than a few days. So somewhere sunny, beach-adjacent, and comfortable. And as far as what I'd do..."
He shrugged. "There isn't much call for necromancy in countries on the ocean, I fear. I can teach practical basics of magic. Perhaps that would be enough. I don't know that I could go idle for too long. I'd need to find some way to help."
Emmrich brought their hands up to kiss Hugh's. "I also think that anywhere I go in the future would require one more feature, now. Especially as we're speaking of the heart." If he got to dream, his dream would absolutely include Hugh. It had to.
The thought must have crossed his mind a thousand times, but Hugh really did love the feel of Emmrich's hands. Cool, soft skin that wasn't without its little nicks from years of working with scalpels. The long, birdbone-like bone structure belied a firm strength that could bring Hugh to heel with just the right pressure. Hugh was wet clay under those hands and slotted right against Emmrich accordingly.
"I've always wanted to see Rivain, it'd be kinder to you certainly, but it'd be too hot all year round," Hugh mused as if they were planning on leaving on the next boat come dawn. "I love seasons, green trees that flower in the spring and turn amber during the harvest months."
He looked up at Emmrich and winked, "You're the nicest thing I've gotten accustomed to, and I'd never let you sleep on the ground. We'd find a little cottage in a coastal town and spend whatever season we want in it."
When Emmrich kissed his hand, Hugh took the oppertunity to run his thumb along Emmrich's plush bottom lip.
"I'm looking right at my most important 'feature.'"
"I suppose there's always a cottage on the Rivaini coast and a cottage in Nevarra, as the latter has seasons," he said as if it was nothing at all. Financially it wouldn't be. They just had quite the road to deal with before they could get to that. It would be nice, though. Far more than nice.
He was smiling warmly at the wink and assurance, when Hugh chose to trace his lip. Emmrich couldn't help the spike of arousal that sent through him. Maybe, possibly, he could have helped the way he leaned in and ran his tongue along his love's thumb, but his brain was still on the coast while Hugh was here on top of him.
Once his brain caught up he blushed faintly and closed his eyes briefly. "Right. My apologies. You are distractingly attractive."
"Good to have options," Hugh said in a distracted sort of way.
It was readily apparent that he was only half listening. All thoughts of travel and cottages were summarily knocked out of him. Now his focus was honed in on the slip of pink tongue darting across the pad of his thumb. Hugh gave a slight shudder. Emmrich's mouth was as warm as the rest of him, and Hugh knew that fact intimately.
"Distractingly attractive?" Hugh let out a low whistle, his thumb still lightly pressed to Emmrich's pouting lip. "That could explain why you haven't gotten much reading done."
He felt the shudder run through the man on top of him which did not help him turn his mind away from the lovely, compelling, physical presence of Hugh. Emmrich swallowed as Hugh deliberately didn't move his thumb away. They were both making clear choices here.
"It would," he said, voice a little heavy. There was reading that needed to be done. He did have to get some research in. On the other hand, if they did engage again, they'd likely go to sleep sooner and he'd sleep more solidly, giving him time tomorrow morning after his stretches to read. Emmrich wasn't entirely sure his conclusion was logical there. There was a high chance he was searching for any justification to indulge.
Except there was a not-insignificant chance that the time they had together was short, no matter what the both of them did. Emmrich needed any time with Hugh he could have. Decided, Emmrich guided Hugh's thumb deeper into his mouth and sucked on it, making direct eye contact.
Hugh was not thinking clearly. In fact, the only thing he was certain of was that he stopped having a clear thought the moment he saw the tip of Emmrich's tongue slide across his thumb with transparent suggestion. There was no mistaking the drop in Emmrich's voice now. They were both looking for an excuse.
The slight twinge of pain in Hugh's back was brushed aside as he pushed up on his knees. A bit of warming salve and a good night's rest would see to that. Right now, he wanted to see to Emmrich and his own crumbling willpower.
Hugh opened his mouth to ask Emmrich something, but that flew out of his ears the second Emmrich slipped his thumb into the velvety warmth of his mouth. Those warm, olive-green eyes then became as piercing as cold emeralds with crystal clear intent.
"Right!" Hugh said throatily as he coughed awkwardly and withdrew.
In short order, he rolled off the couch, stood and dove on Emmrich with his arms coming around the older man's more slender waist and hauled him up without sparring a moment's hesitation.
"You've made your point," Hugh announced as he effortlessly threw Emmrich over his shoulder and turned towards the short hallway at the other end of the room. "Bed. Now."
The desperate, needy moan he made when he was hefted up would have been embarrassing if anyone save Hugh had heard it. Thank everything Manfred must have still been too distracted with the cards to come back out. Maker was he weak to everything about this man.
"Anything you say," he said. Not like he was about to protest anyway. Emmrich opened the top button of his shirt on the way in before waving his hand to close the door with magic as soon as they were in the bedroom. Then he resumed the all-important business of getting whatever buttons he could open in this position.
"But it's not entirely my point that was made," he said, because being carried like a sack of potatoes required his brain to be a little distracted from that fact. "You were the one who kept your thumb there. I know that wasn't by accident."
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He'd have known how to read enough to follow a recipe, and how to keep accounts for a shop or household. He wouldn't be able to draw comparisons between the actions of Antivan merchant princes in the Storm Age with Rivain Lords of Fortune in the current one, or known about the consistent themes found in Tevene literature. He never would have known how much he would have missed.
Hugh's other words draw him from those thoughts. "I beg your pardon? That's far from too much. Dealing fairly with others is an important part of life. The fact that he has a concept of playing fair and being kind is a fantastic milestone in itself, as on their own wisps have no grasp of such things. Morals and ethics are very complicated matters. And he's learning at an incredible rate, Hugh! He's growing so quickly. It's delightful to watch, and so compelling to be a part of."
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"Thinking of you without magic is like trying to think spring without flowers—impossible and unpleasant to imagine," Hugh said, turning his head up to gaze up at the older man. He wanted to say more, how Emmrich was incredible and teaching Hugh something every moment they were together, all without trying.
Instead, movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, and Hugh just spotted Manfred picking up all the cards and scampering off with them. It lightened his souring mood as he snorted and said,
"I think your boy just reached his first milestone in being a sneaky mite and went and knicked those cards." He slapped his hand over his knee with a laugh before shaking his head fondly. "Ah, I hope he has fun. I should show him a few more tricks later."
Hugh then looked back to Emmrich and the small pile of books he brought out, "Reading anything good?"
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At Manfred's escape Emmrich chuckled and leaned back on the couch. "He's a bit of a collector. Routinely I have to ask him if anything's wound up in there that belongs elsewhere. It's thankfully never anything big, and it's never anything stolen, as things around the rooms don't count. He gets an allowance so he can buy things that catch his eye, too."
The question had Emmrich gathering the books and holding them out for Hugh to see. One's a travelogue from someone who explored what he could of the caves underneath Nevarra, one is on treaties with the Wardens, and there are two on various plant life that have medicinal uses. The latter two both have his name on the inside of the cover and are well-thumbed, while the former two are from the library. "I asked Audric to find what he could that might help the situation at hand, and that's all that came to mind. I'm aware that the plants are more wishful thinking than anything else, but one never knows when inspiration might strike and lead in a positive direction."
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He pushed himself onto his knees and gingerly reached for Emmrich's wrist and drew his lover's hand into his lips. There were still fading swirls of green magic around Emmrich's fingertips when he kissed them, feeling the tingling thrum of magical energy against his skin. It was pleasant, unique, and wholly Emmrich.
"And here I was calling you a little magpie."
When Emmrich handed him the pile of books, Hugh moved to sit next to him on the couch. The first one interested him the most as it could be useful to guess at where the Venatori had made their wretched little nest. The second looked like it hadn't seen much attention since the Storm Age, and that was being generous. Hugh was well-versed on most Warden treaties, but a refresher couldn't hurt.
"Well, I was sort of hoping for more gentleman thieves seducing nobles out of their wealth, but this could be helpful." At the latter two books, Hugh gave Emmrich a questioning look. "Wishful thinking how?"
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He laughed at the nickname. "You did say he took after me." Emmrich had deliberately not called Manfred a magpie since Hugh had called him that; the nickname was growing on him.
"If you'd like more of those, there's an entire shelf in the bedroom full of them. As for wishful thinking..." he trailed off and shrugged. What he was thinking was nigh impossible, as he was certain many many minds had been applied to the problem previously, but he had to try. "Nothing has a cure until someone stumbles upon it. I know a lot about botany, and I've done more than a little alchemy in my time. And while healing isn't something I've focused on, Necromancy is a different branch of Creation than healing, I'm an expert with anatomy. I know how the body should work, I know how many plants do work. Perhaps fresh eyes on the matter can see something new."
Perhaps he can save Akil and theoretically Hugh, if the latter wanted to be saved. Some would give a lot to be a vampire, Emmrich imagined, even if he wouldn't.
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Regardless, the current topic of conversation did more than enough to quell any sparks of ardor in Hugh. He had to fight down the knee-jerk reaction of looking guilt-stricken or pitying when it became clear what Emmrich would have liked to do. He had every faith in the man to do incredible things, but curing the Blight wasn't one of them. Nine centuries of attempts had only lent to shattered hopes in too many Wardens. None were confident in any effort to remove the taint from their blood, even Hugh.
"A set of fresh eyes and a mind as sharp as yours could do a lot of good," Hugh said genuinely but naturally. The last thing he wanted to do was discourage Emmrich, not when all the anguish wrapped up in what happened was still so fresh.
"Mind if I have that book on treaties?" Hugh asked as he pressed in beside Emmrich. "I might learn something."
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"Oh, I'm sorry," Emmrich teased. "I only brought the books out so they could sit here and gather dust, not so they could be read. Why would anyone care to learn?"
He kissed Hugh's temple, smiling widely, and handed the book over. "Of course, love." Emmrich wrapped an arm around Hugh's shoulders and opened up one of the plant books with the other. He'd given the caves book a cursory glance already, marking up a map that now was folded in the front cover, but his focus had been divided. It was possible there was nothing more he could do for Akil other than offer unconditional support and to always be reachable by candlehop, but he didn't want to believe that.
In his mind it was always better to try and potentially fail rather than not try at all.
"Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions. I'm familiar with other treaties and why they're structured the way they're structured much of the time, even if I'm not familiar with these specific sets of treaties. Other than what it would require to get the assistance of a specialized Warden, I've never needed the information." Nor had he been curious about it more than in a passing fashion; there were always so many things to learn that he was actively interested in. One never knew what might become relevant in the future, unfortunately. He had a feeling his knowledge of Antivan and Rivaini fashions would never be required.
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"You wouldn't let a book gather dust with a crossbolt to your head and you know it," Hugh chuckled as he settled into his lover's arms. He made himself rather comfortable. His legs swung over the edge of the couch and wriggled down until his head lay against Emmrich's chest. The sound of the older man's steady heartbeat was a comfort in and of itself.
Hugh opened the book over his knee soon after they settled into each other's embrace. With Hugh keeping the book open with one hand while the other stroked Emmrich's thigh, it was like they had spent every night for years in each other's arms.
"A bit precious that you literally wound up doing homework that wound up letting me get into your pants," Hugh said in an effort to keep the mood light, and because that hilarious yet endearing thought just occurred to him.
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"I have done homework that has gotten me into so many situations," Emmrich retorted, amused. "My first solo venture into the depths to discover what new being had manifested there was due to me being curious enough to read through the archives of former unique manifestations and even restore some of the pages that age had not been kind to. I'm largely considered the expert on the Fade and spirits, which is why I wind up asked for so many lectures and papers. At least this homework result has been something I'm very happy with."
He patted Hugh's hip. "I think you'll find that a great deal of my life is homework. Research, venturing downward, teaching, grading, it is the fate of an academic. And you aren't even here as classes are in session."
Which would be another complication, but by then they'd likely be more stable in each other and their situation. They'd have to be. They can sort it out. His gaze goes to the four folders he left on the front room desk, the possible students he was sorting through. It could wait. It had to wait.
He was finally to the section of the book with flowers that had odd properties that sometimes healed and sometimes did nothing. This was where he wanted to start.
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Hugh didn't get that usual pang of guilt and self-loathing for his misstep, either. It was a marvel how easier emotions were to process when being held.
"'Situations' is putting it mildly," Hugh laughed airily as he turned slightly in Emmrich's arms to look back at him, the book slowly sliding off his knee. There was a lurch in his stomach at that moment that felt a bit like hope. "I'd love to see you lecture sometime, or patiently wait outside your classroom ready to drag you away for the rest of the day. I'd be your most persistent interruption, if anything."
The idea lingered in the back of his mind as he idly toyed with the hem of Emmrich's loose shirt. Afternoons spent waiting for Emmrich to wrap up lessons, dragging him out into the city for a late lunch after a long walk. Evenings watching Emmrich nibble on the end of his quill as his brow furrowed while he graded papers. Going to bed at night, still smelling the ink and paper on Emmrich's skin when they made love.
Hugh hadn't even realized he had let daydream turn deeper. Not until he heard his breathing steady as he turned more in Emmrich's arms, barely registering the book on his knees falling to the floor, and buried his face into Emmrich's chest and wound both arms around him.
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Hugh's comment got a chuckle out of him. His life was full of 'situations.' This one, at least, was good. Even if he could see the book falling and knew Audric was going to give him a sternly written note. Not to mention the poor book. At least Hugh's words drew him out of his concerns there. The idea of his beloved hanging outside the class, waiting to steal him away, was a lovely one. And if his partner was around then Emmrich could gather flowers between classes and present an impromptu bouquet to him. They could walk through the Necropolis when it shifted to re-map it, together, rather than Emmrich going alone. The possibilities were nigh endless.
As Hugh moved, so did Emmrich, shifting to sit more lengthwise across the couch to better hold the man he loved. And how he loved him. The world seemed so much brighter now that he had this.
"I gave up on finding someone, you know that?" Emmrich said quietly as he stroked down Hugh's spine. "I thought my chance had passed. And then you jumped out at me from the shadows of that fortress. You took my arm, you pulled out my chair, you genuinely listened and engaged, you showed such care when I was cut, and I was lost. Utterly lost. And I never want to be found again."
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There was a moment where Hugh nodded off until the sound of Emmrich's voice anchored him back to the present. He shuddered pleasurably at the sensation of his spine being stroked with the gentlest of pressure. Hugh arched his back almost cat-like into the touch as he gazed up at Emmrich, soaking in his words. He couldn't hide the smile as he broadened into something beaming and openly content.
"I didn't jump, I merely stepped out with a bit of flair," Hugh argued before he pulled himself up to kiss the underside of Emmrich's jaw.
"And...frankly, I never thought I'd find anyone, there was never anything ot give up on." Hugh's voice quieted as his head came to rest on Emmrich's chest again, chin up so he could keep contact with those marvelous olive-green eyes. "Then I saw you in silhouette when you crossed our threshold, and then I saw you in profile. You smiled politely at me when I greeted you, and you said hello. You took my arm when you didn't have any reason to and made me feel warm. Wouldn't give that up for anything, you know that? I'll think of something."
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"Bit of flair?" Emmrich scoffed. "You deliberately tried to see how the scrawny old necromancer would react, hoping for me to jump. Not that I can entirely blame you, considering how people have treated you in the past." His hold around Hugh tightened briefly. Casual cruelty was rampant in this world. Too rampant. That it had been visited on someone he loved bothered him, but at least he could do better by him. He could, and he would.
"And ah, I see. It's my pretty face and that we went to a room with better heating than my guest room." It was so indescribably nice to tease Hugh. He could lay here, hold his beloved, and engage in wordplay. "I suppose it's hypocritical to call out your interest in my face when I did notice yours as well. As soon as you took off the helmet." Which Hugh probably already knew. But it never hurt to reinforce positive things like attraction and love.
"How I love you, my Hugh." There was no way to kiss his lover at this angle, but at least he could resume rubbing Hugh's back. "There's nothing I would trade this for either. Yes, there will be logistical complications, but they're worth it. They're entirely worth it for this."
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There was a flush to his face at that confession. Hugh wasn't a complete bastard, but he had been the sort of kid to run through a flock of birds just to see them scatter. He then scoffed at the idea that it was out of some misplaced revenge on those who wronged him.
"Treat me how? Like a blood-sucking fiend from the arse end of nowhere? They weren't too far off the mark there, love," Hugh snorted.
Nothing a nobleman or the like had ever said to him had ever managed to get under his skin. If he knocked their teeth in a time or two, it was only because they were annoying. Hugh was stubbornly proud of where he came from, even if he wasn't so proud of what got him into the Wardens. Besides, it was all a net positive considering it put him in Emmrich's path in the end.
"More than just logistical, I'll have my commanders breathing down my neck for this one." Hugh's tone sobered at that. His expression softened as he reached up to up Emmrich's cheek. "But that's for tomorrow, and by tomorrow I'll think of something. Something to help all of us, trust me."
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"You're no fiend," Emmrich said. That needed to be clear. Yes, all right, the rest was true, but Hugh was neither monster nor fiend.
Leaning into the touch, Emmrich gave Hugh a half-smile. He didn't have to worry about commanders, thankfully. But there were still duties and expectations. They both brought hurdles to the table. At least they were together. "I trust you. But you can also lean on me, Hugh. You're not doing this alone."
And that made all the difference. He smoothed his fingers through Hugh's hair. "What world could stand a chance against the both of us?" Emmrich turned his head and kissed HUgh's palm.
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There was a brief flash in his eyes that promised to break with their plans of a quiet evening, but it flickered out when Hugh moved closer and felt a muscle in his back spasm. He winced slightly. Even vampires had their limits.
All other thoughts, licentious or otherwise, fled him when Emmrich looked down at him and pressed those tender lips to his palm. If Hugh could freeze time to stay in any moment, it would have been this one. The phrase 'lost in someone's eyes' had meant nothing to Hugh beyond easy poetry for the desperate trying to impress a paramour. Only now has he begun to understand the concept.
"Neither are you," Hugh said as the smile crept back onto his face. "Besides. A vampire and the best necromancer in this whole place? I think we might stand a chance."
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"Of course we stand a chance." Just by the nature of 'chance' they did, even without their joint skills. Everything had a chance. Some were simply more remote than others. "Thankfully, I believe we even stand a decent chance." A more likely one than any other non-Warden mage hoping to be with a Warden, he figured.
He looked down at Hugh, at the soft look that had been transformed into a smile, and wondered if it was okay to dare to dream. "If you had all the freedom in the world, Hugh, where would you go? What would you do?"
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They had plenty stacked against them, and most of those challenges came from Hugh's side. Only if Emmrich wasn't daunted by all this, then Hugh wouldn't allow himself to be either. For once in his life, Hugh wanted—he wanted a break from his duties, however fleeting, and most of all, he wanted Emmrich.
"What?" Hugh looked up and blinked at Emmrich, confusion clear on his face. The question caught him off guard by the simple fact that no one had ever asked that of him. Even the other Wardens knew better than to play the what-if game, it always became too bleak. Emmrich, however, asked in such a gentle way that it made Hugh pause to really think it over.
"Somewhere green where I could see the ocean," Hugh said at last. "Sailing has its appeals, but I just as much love solid ground and the smell of coastal pine and salt on a summer breeze. Once, in the Free Marches, I found a stretch of rocky beach where sea lavender grew as far as wildfire, like a field of purple stars. What I would do is irrelevant if I'm somewhere like that."
He moved up, head now on Emmrich's shoulder, bringing his hand down to twine his fingers with Emmrich's.
"What about you? What calls to heart for a gentleman necromancer?"
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"I've heard lovely stories of Rivain's coast, warm, golden sand and sapphire sea. There was a time I considered taking a few years of leave out there before returning to serve for the rest of eternity, one way or another. It's the feeling of adventure of the sea being right there, combined with the comforts of not living on a ship."
Emmrich chuckled a little self-consciously. "I have grown rather accustomed to nicer things. I have nothing against camping, roughing it, for a short time, but I don't think I could go back for anything more than a few days. So somewhere sunny, beach-adjacent, and comfortable. And as far as what I'd do..."
He shrugged. "There isn't much call for necromancy in countries on the ocean, I fear. I can teach practical basics of magic. Perhaps that would be enough. I don't know that I could go idle for too long. I'd need to find some way to help."
Emmrich brought their hands up to kiss Hugh's. "I also think that anywhere I go in the future would require one more feature, now. Especially as we're speaking of the heart." If he got to dream, his dream would absolutely include Hugh. It had to.
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"I've always wanted to see Rivain, it'd be kinder to you certainly, but it'd be too hot all year round," Hugh mused as if they were planning on leaving on the next boat come dawn. "I love seasons, green trees that flower in the spring and turn amber during the harvest months."
He looked up at Emmrich and winked, "You're the nicest thing I've gotten accustomed to, and I'd never let you sleep on the ground. We'd find a little cottage in a coastal town and spend whatever season we want in it."
When Emmrich kissed his hand, Hugh took the oppertunity to run his thumb along Emmrich's plush bottom lip.
"I'm looking right at my most important 'feature.'"
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He was smiling warmly at the wink and assurance, when Hugh chose to trace his lip. Emmrich couldn't help the spike of arousal that sent through him. Maybe, possibly, he could have helped the way he leaned in and ran his tongue along his love's thumb, but his brain was still on the coast while Hugh was here on top of him.
Once his brain caught up he blushed faintly and closed his eyes briefly. "Right. My apologies. You are distractingly attractive."
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It was readily apparent that he was only half listening. All thoughts of travel and cottages were summarily knocked out of him. Now his focus was honed in on the slip of pink tongue darting across the pad of his thumb. Hugh gave a slight shudder. Emmrich's mouth was as warm as the rest of him, and Hugh knew that fact intimately.
"Distractingly attractive?" Hugh let out a low whistle, his thumb still lightly pressed to Emmrich's pouting lip. "That could explain why you haven't gotten much reading done."
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"It would," he said, voice a little heavy. There was reading that needed to be done. He did have to get some research in. On the other hand, if they did engage again, they'd likely go to sleep sooner and he'd sleep more solidly, giving him time tomorrow morning after his stretches to read. Emmrich wasn't entirely sure his conclusion was logical there. There was a high chance he was searching for any justification to indulge.
Except there was a not-insignificant chance that the time they had together was short, no matter what the both of them did. Emmrich needed any time with Hugh he could have. Decided, Emmrich guided Hugh's thumb deeper into his mouth and sucked on it, making direct eye contact.
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The slight twinge of pain in Hugh's back was brushed aside as he pushed up on his knees. A bit of warming salve and a good night's rest would see to that. Right now, he wanted to see to Emmrich and his own crumbling willpower.
Hugh opened his mouth to ask Emmrich something, but that flew out of his ears the second Emmrich slipped his thumb into the velvety warmth of his mouth. Those warm, olive-green eyes then became as piercing as cold emeralds with crystal clear intent.
"Right!" Hugh said throatily as he coughed awkwardly and withdrew.
In short order, he rolled off the couch, stood and dove on Emmrich with his arms coming around the older man's more slender waist and hauled him up without sparring a moment's hesitation.
"You've made your point," Hugh announced as he effortlessly threw Emmrich over his shoulder and turned towards the short hallway at the other end of the room. "Bed. Now."
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"Anything you say," he said. Not like he was about to protest anyway. Emmrich opened the top button of his shirt on the way in before waving his hand to close the door with magic as soon as they were in the bedroom. Then he resumed the all-important business of getting whatever buttons he could open in this position.
"But it's not entirely my point that was made," he said, because being carried like a sack of potatoes required his brain to be a little distracted from that fact. "You were the one who kept your thumb there. I know that wasn't by accident."
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