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[bloodwords]

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[bloodwords]

The subtle affection makes Kell grin before he nuzzles him. The tug of his hair is just as enjoyed as the kiss to his nose had been. All of it is affection, all of it makes him feel wanted.

"Maybe..." Kell murmurs, his fingertips tracing the bite he had made on the other's shoulder.

"You should make sure mine scars."

[almostking]

“It will,” Holland murmurs after a moment. His eyes close as the bite is traced on his own shoulder, “So long as you don’t help it heal too fast.”

It wasn’t as deep of a wound as an animal could offer but it was as far as he was willing to make it. It would scar. And if it wasn’t as intense as Kell wanted it—they had time to try again during one of their next visits.

[bloodwords]

"I won't... I enjoy it," Kell murmurs and he feels tired. Between everything that had happened and then Rhy's anger... It's exhausting feeling for two sometimes and he knew it's much the same for Rhy. He could understand his anger and frustrations.

"I wish I wasn't tired," he adds with a mutter.

[almostking]

Holland smirks faintly and resumes an idle stroking of Kells hair.

“You has a full day. Sex twice. And accompanied your brother,” he says, “If you weren’t at least a little tired I would worry.”

Maybe.

“Sleep. I’m not leaving yet,” he adds softly.

[bloodwords]

Kell laughs softly and presses a kiss to the other's jawline.

"Good," he sighs and he won't say it out loud but he likes this feeling. They couldn't fall asleep together not really on the ship. He had napped but... this is different. There's not a edge of knowing he needed to be on guard.

[almostking]

Shifting enough to where they could both be comfortable, Holland eventually allows himself to sleep tangled up in the younger Antari.

The nightmares start but then Kell shifts in his sleep, stirring him just enough to knock them away. He buries his nose in the others hair and just breathes, settles, and disappears for a while. Restful sleep.

But eventually he blinks awake and knows what has to happen next. He hates it, he realizes suddenly. He hates this part. But...

He does slowly untangle himself, daring to steal one soft kiss before he moves to pull his clothes on again. He hesitates for a few slow moments to just watch the other sprawled out on his pillow; one leg outside of the sheet, tangled in it. Annoying...

...how cute that was.

Reaching into his pocket he retrieves a little note that just says: Come to me next.

And leaves it on the pillow along with a necklace with a small vile of blood. Some might thing it was a weird token but was it really?

Then before he could rethink it, he silently goes back to White London the way he came.

[bloodwords]

Kell had been less than happy the next morning when he woke up without Holland beside him. It was barely dawn. There's a frustration that Holland isn't someone you can just go find and argue with simply. The note... that had softened the blow a little bit.

Regardless of the fact that he wanted to go see him if only to tell him he's angry he couldn't. There's too much to do in his London and Lila was due back for at least a few days and he wants to see her before she sets sail again. It's much harder to visit someone who's on the open sea than in another London -- imagine that wouldn't you.

So it's almost a week before he can get free to go to White London. He carries the vial the other had left around his neck where he had carried the coins. A constant reminder like the bite on his shoulder of Holland. Lila had left a bite or two as well, staking her claim perhaps not as deeply as Holland had which is a little surprising. He would have thought seeing that mark would have made her more forceful.

But he does come. And once he does he makes his way into Holland's chambers to wait for him. Whenever Holland does come in, Kell's stripped naked already, lounging on his bed in just the necklace, fingers toying with the vial.

[almostking]

It was a long week. One that meant the nightmares inevitably returned. A week of duty and responsibility he hadn’t wanted. But had.

Unlike Kell, however, Holland didn’t have another bedmate. He had no extra marks. He had none of that.

But when he retreated to his chamber and found the one connection he did have, he found himself leaning back for a second against the closed door. The view was beautiful.

Still—-a brow arched when he pushed away from the door and headed over to the bed, absently removing his coat on the way.

“Let me guess. Delilah didn’t want to be left out?”

[bloodwords]

"Does it bother you?" Kell asks carefully. He had thought of covering the marks but that felt like lying and he didn't want to lie to Holland or to Lila. For the second time this week he felt uncertain about if he is in the wrong for not choosing even though no one had forced the issue on him. Is he just selfish and hurting both of them and no one is saying so?

His eyes avert for a long moment as those thoughts wash over him before he returns his gaze to Holland, watching him remove his coat and he reaches out to catch his arm and drag him close enough to kiss as he got on his knees on the bed.

[almostking]

Before he can respond, Kell is already pulling him in. The coat is draped over the end of the bed and he reaches up with both hands to cradle the others face, returning the kiss.

It lingers a bit, deepening but remains slow; an I Missed You kiss.

But when they part, he hums softly and shakes his head, “No. You were hers before you were mine.” He hesitates, “Does it bother her?”

[bloodwords]

Kell relaxes as Holland kisses him like that. He has missed him too even if he is still a little mad at him for leaving the way he had. His hand smoothed over the other's bicep, squeezing as the kiss broke.

"If it did she would have used her knife instead of her mouth," Kell says simply.

[almostking]

It didn’t bother him. But he would be lying if part of him wasn’t jealous about it.

Kells words made sense, however, and he let it go. One finger moved to curl into the chain around Kells neck until he held the vile between his fingers.

“I apologize for leaving the way I did,” he murmurs and meets the others eyes. “But I worried that if I hadn’t done it the way I had, it would have been harder.”

[bloodwords]

"I was angry... I'm still angry," Kell says despite the fact that he had missed him this week. The anger hadn't dissipated completely and maybe that's part feedback loop with Rhy. He glances down at the other's hand on the vial.

"I didn't like waking up alone after falling asleep in your arms."

It sounds silly but it's true, especially that he hadn't expected it at all.

[almostking]

Holland was calm on the outside but inside he wasn’t so sure. He looked over Kells face and laid the vile back down against his chest.

“What would you have me do now, then?” He asked softly and carefully pulled away to take his coat and put it away. The rest of his clothing was removed just as carefully; one bit at a time while he waited and listened.

[bloodwords]

Kell watches him, it's almost tortuously slow how the other undress. He sits back, leaning against the headboard of the bed

"I don't know. You don't have to do anything about it. I just wish you wouldn't do it again," Kell says and there's an edge to his voice as he says it. Maybe he's given Holland a lot of power in their relationship already but he's not without his own still.

[almostking]

“Then I won’t,” Holland agreed and moved back towards the bed, crawling on top of it until he was nose to nose with the other, “I won’t slip away without saying goodbye properly, again.”

It almost sounded like a vow. A promise. And maybe it was.

“Though....I have to admit that you being angry and naked in my bed makes it at least a little hard to regret the decision.”

[bloodwords]

Kell met Holland's eyes and he smiles just slightly at the promise. He reaches up to brush his fingers through Holland's dark hair.

"Maybe so but just because I'm mad doesn't mean I don't want you, Daddy," he slips back into that title and somehow it's a little less difficult here where his guards aren't just outside his door.

[almostking]

“I gathered that from the fact that you’re naked, baby boy,” Relaxing enough to smile, even a little or chuckle was slowly becoming easier to do the more time he spent with Kell.

At least when they were alone. It was different around others still.

His nose brushed against him again and he stole a kiss, “How long can you stay?”

[bloodwords]

Kell always savored Holland’s smiles, his chuckles when he could get them. It made him feel warm that the other is happy, that it seems as if he’s opening up.

He kisses back quickly.

“Rhy will be cross about it but I was thinking 2 or 3 days.”

The kingdom is calm currently.

[almostking]

Two or three days.

Holland blinks slowly and studies Kells face. Thus far, they've only had stolen moments. A few hours here. A kiss in a hallway after a quick trip. Little things. Two or three days sounded like weeks.

He kissed him again. And then again. And then tugged him enough to get him flat on his back, nestled into his pillows for another.

"Rhy will be cross with you until you leave me," he adds after a moment. And somewhere in the back of his mind, he was preparing himself for that. For Kell to finally just choose Delilah. For Kell to listen to his brother. For Kell to get tired of crossing from one London to another just to be with him for moments at a time.

[bloodwords]

Kell is almost worried that Holland won't want him around for that long but he wanted time to not feel rushed... They had so much they wanted to explore, he knew that, so much for Holland to show him and teach him inside and outside of the bedroom.

"I'm not leaving you," Kell says as he's pulled onto his back without resistance. His hand slid through the other's hair and down the back of his neck to his shoulder. Somehow he could make Rhy get over it... Hadn't Kell let go of ...some of his animosity toward Alucard. Eventually, Rhy would understand. It could have been Kell instead of Holland. And Delilah and Holland were both like pieces of him that were missing, there's no choice in that.

His legs wrap around Holland's hips drawing him closer.

"You have all the time you want now. Let's not talk about any of that."

[almostking]

With a small smile he ducked down and stole a lingering kiss. He hasn’t realized how much he needed...this. Affection. Touch. Something that didn’t hurt all of the time.

His own London was on the mend and he wasn’t hyper focused on what needed to be done. It didn’t even matter that people still hated him. Kell didn’t.

Nipping Kells mouth, he breathes a sigh and just looked over his face, “I’m glad you’re here.” I wish you could stay.

[bloodwords]

Kell kisses him back and just holds him close, savoring the feel of their bodies against one another. There’s no rush this time. Kell bit lightly at his own lip after Holland’s kisses, meeting his eyes with a small smile.

“You don’t know how glad I am,” Kell whispers and he wishes he didn’t have to constantly part from the people he cares so deeply for.

[almostking]

They did have time, this time. Holland didn’t bother rushing anything this time, choosing instead to just lay half on top of the other.

“Mm, just talk to me for a while,” he murmured, reaching over to absently tinker with the vile. “About anything. How is Red London? Rhy?”

[bloodwords]

Kell’s fingertips traced a scar on the others shoulder and it’s comfortable and intimate like this. They hadn’t had a lot of time to just talk so he finds himself enjoying the opportunity.

“Red London is doing well... recovering still but it’s hopeful. He furrows his brow. All the politics with other kingdoms is still proving complex...” Kell really didn’t have a mind for it at all so he didn’t linger on the topic.

“Rhy is already a good king,” he says, dropping his hand from the others shoulder. “He’s tired most of the time and worried but it seems to help that Alucard is afflicting his presence on the court.”