Wanderlust (mxm)

Bonus - Little Brother

Eight years before Wanderlust

"My lord, I really don't think... Tanden—"

Tanden laughed against Acell's neck. He always liked it when the knight slipped up and used his name. He liked that Acell wanted him so desperately that he bypassed the etiquette that had been trained into him his whole life. Tanden drew back and cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

Acell glowered at him, but Tanden wasn't fooled. "We don't have time for this."

Tanden shrugged. His brothers expected him for dinner, but that was ages away. There was plenty of time. Plenty of time to unbuckle Acell's armour. He stepped forward and started to do just that. First the buckles holding Acell's left bracer in place, then the ones on his right bracer. Then the buckles at his shoulder.

Acell could have stopped him, if he really wanted to. He did sometimes, when Tanden started getting a little more reckless than he should have been. Instead Acell leaned back against the wall behind him, and watched Tanden slowly undo his numerous layers of armour. Tanden suspected that Acell liked watching him do it, because it was such a role reversal.

Normally lords didn't help their knights undress.

"You wear far too much armour," Tanden said. "Did you know that?"

"By design. So that if someone gets tired of your nonsense and decides to stab you, I can get in the way without actually risking my life."

"You think someone's going to get tired of my nonsense?"

Acell smiled. "It's really just a matter of time." He caught Tanden's right hand as he reached for the next buckle, and lifted it to his lips. He slowly kissed each of Tanden's knuckles.

"Look at that. You can be charming."

"We don't have time for this," Acell said again, but it was less actual objection and more helpless acknowledgement of what was about to happen.

Tanden shrugged again. He used the hand Acell was already holding to lead him across the room. Then he sat on the edge of his bed and leaned back on his hands, crossing his ankles casually. "All right, I'm already exhausted. Finish taking all that off."

Acell undid the last few buckles on his shoulder pieces and carefully placed them on the ground. He untied the waist-length blue cloak that indicated that he was Tanden's guard captain. He pulled his chainmail tunic over his head and let it drop with a heavy thud. He took off his belt, with its sword and two knives.

All the while Tanden reclined on his bed, watching, and thinking about how Acell could have been a little showier. When the knight was finally only wearing his simple tunic, pants and boots, Tanden grinned and got to his feet.

"See, wasn't that a waste of time?"

Acell stepped closer. They really weren't that far apart in age, Acell was twenty to Tanden's seventeen. Acell somehow seemed older. His body was well defined from years of training. An accident a few years earlier had left him with a slightly crooked nose that Tanden thought was very handsome.

Acell's hands went to the lacing on Tanden's wrists. He undid them deftly, having helped Tanden undress often enough to be quite good at it. As soon as he was done, Tanden let him lift the tunic over his head. Acell tossed it aside unceremoniously, and for a moment just looked at Tanden.

"It isn't fair that you're so beautiful," he finally said. "It makes it very hard for me to do my job."

Tanden laughed. "I would apologize, but I quite like the turn our relationship has taken. Besides, if I recall correctly, you swore to serve me for my entire life. I don't believe your oath specified how you would serve me. So you're still doing your job."