Somehow hearing the sentiment back at him is a surprise; he feels something like shock running through him and then warmth immediately on its heels, filling all the spaces up that the shock had left behind. There's something about having that. The love is part of it, Francis' love for him. The knowing is a part of it too and it means more hearing it this way, the both of those parts together, with Francis' heart beating under Raju's palm and the warm, callused press of Francis' hand over his.
The only thing Raju can do with the feeling is move in to kiss Francis again. He's too relaxed for the kind of passion he'd pressed against Francis' lips before but the kiss is insistent anyway, and the moment he breaks it Raju leans his forehead against the side of Francis' and lets out a breath through parted lips. "Thank you," he breathes, his free arm sliding under Francis' neck, around his shoulders. If he was asked, he wouldn't be able to answer exactly what he's thanking Francis for; he thinks Francis would understand it, all the same.
He accepts the thanks even if his initial instinct is to hush him, because he does know him. He knows it's more than reassurance - it's release. None of the hurt from before is here with him now, none of the feelings of isolation and betrayal exist in the small space between them. He nuzzles his head against his and licks his lips absently, still tasting Ram on his tongue.
They really should tidy themselves up. He can give Rama another gift now though, and turns to extract himself from the embrace. "Stay there," he murmurs, slipping out from their tent to fetch what they need. His legs shake slightly as he walks to the lavatory and back; Jesus, what a time they've had.
The whining, protesting noise out of Raju as Francis slips out from their little shelter is brief but he means it, even if it hadn’t come out of him on purpose. Raju had meant to be the one to take care of him— but the air that’s let in as Francis leaves raises goose pimples over his skin again and he curls up even as he moves to the edge of the bed to wait for Francis to come back. If Francis is already out, and Francis is more suited to the cold than Raju anyway—
“You took too long,” Raju complains, reaching out once he sees a flash of thigh outside the blanket and wrapping a hand around it. Has it only been a moment? Yes. That doesn’t matter. “Come back in and warm me up.”
To be fair the hand that goes for his leg is a little chilled, but Crozier has a sacred duty to tease the hell out of the man he loves. “My delicate flower,” he smirks, crawling back under the blanket quickly to hand him the flannel. “Did you wilt while I was away?”
Raju gives that the kind of dismissive, derisive noise it deserves, grabbing the hand holding the flannel along with the flannel itself and tugging at both, trying to pull Francis at least halfway on top of him. "It is cold. And you're the one who took my clothes off. Your responsibility now."
“Mn.” They’re the right words, even if said in jest - Ram is his responsibility. He needs to care for him, even when he’s being a brat.
He slides a leg over Ram’s and guides the flannel, and additionally Ram’s own hand, down to clean him of their shared mess, thorough but still quick as a sort of mercy. When finished the flannel gets tossed onto the floor, a problem for tomorrow, and Crozier reaches up and gives one of Rama’s nipples a good tweak.
“You’re a pain in the arse,” he says fondly, finally moving to wrap his limbs around him.
Cleaning him off gets a small noise out of Raju, half appreciation and half complaint, allowed out of him easily and without thought regardless of how quick Francis manages to be. Then Francis tweaks his nipple and the half-complaint turns into a full one, louder, as Raju startles, curling up a little.
"What have I done?" he laughs, pulling at Francis arms to urge them around him more quickly. "I haven't done a thing to your arse!"
Crozier gets both arms around Rama, his hand around his waist and the other arm slid under his neck to hold around his shoulder. One leg gets folded over Ram, and then his body leans slightly so that some of his weight is pressing down on him.
“That’s right, you haven’t yet,” he chuckles, low and against Rama’s hair. “There now, are you warm?”
“Mmm.” Raju lets out a long breath against Francis, settling himself against the warm, solid expanse of him. They’ve slept in all kinds of positions by now and Raju’s preference changes with his mood, but right now this is just the thing.
“I will be,” Raju answers, body and breathing relaxed while one hand reaches around to the leg folded over him and follows it up to the soft swell of muscle and fat above the thigh. “Now, what was that about your arse, Francis? ‘Yet’, you said?”
“Did I say that?” He hums innocently in his throat, rubbing Rama’s skin with his palm until it’s good and warm. “I can’t say anything with certainty in this place, now can I?”
“Now who’s being a pain?” Raju grins, his shifting under Francis’ hand only not squirming because he’s doing it so slowly, contented not only by the warmth of the friction but the gesture itself, the way Francis really is trying to warm him up. It’s hard to even pretend to sound like he’s complaining, and the grin makes it into his voice too.
“Teasing that way,” he goes on, hand on Francis’ arse squeezing slowly, lazily. “Not even letting me get annoyed about it.”
“I never said you couldn’t be annoyed,” he murmurs, wriggling slightly as his arse is kneaded like a piece of dough. Affectionately, of course.
He sighs softly and reaches up to pull at the blanket and make a little hole for some fresh air. He attempts to face it away from Ram though - he won’t mind having to breathe second-hand air if it keeps him warm.
Crozier finds Ram’s forehead and presses a kiss to his hairline.
"No, but I'm too..." Then Francis presses a kiss to his hairline and it's-- not too much, not at all, but too much to talk and feel it at the same time. There are certain gestures which come packaged not just with love but with care, the promise of care, and even after so long of living with Francis, in moments, it's a promise that still feels new. Like water pouring onto dry, hard baked mud. He pushes out a long sigh, eyelids half-lowering, and looks at whatever part of Francis is closest for a second or two. Then he shifts, reaching blindly to tug his side of the blanket off the headboard and onto them, and presses his face somewhere next to Francis' neck.
"...'m too happy to be annoyed," Raju mumbles into the warmth of him, content to let it go at that, content only to lie here. Maybe that's why he's been sleeping so well since he's been living in this little cabin, since they've started spending nights this way: only lying here this way is enough. Like this, wrapped around a man who does those things, it doesn't matter to Raju at all whether or not he sleeps.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2025-01-25 05:52 pm (UTC)The only thing Raju can do with the feeling is move in to kiss Francis again. He's too relaxed for the kind of passion he'd pressed against Francis' lips before but the kiss is insistent anyway, and the moment he breaks it Raju leans his forehead against the side of Francis' and lets out a breath through parted lips. "Thank you," he breathes, his free arm sliding under Francis' neck, around his shoulders. If he was asked, he wouldn't be able to answer exactly what he's thanking Francis for; he thinks Francis would understand it, all the same.
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Date: 2025-01-28 03:12 am (UTC)He accepts the thanks even if his initial instinct is to hush him, because he does know him. He knows it's more than reassurance - it's release. None of the hurt from before is here with him now, none of the feelings of isolation and betrayal exist in the small space between them. He nuzzles his head against his and licks his lips absently, still tasting Ram on his tongue.
They really should tidy themselves up. He can give Rama another gift now though, and turns to extract himself from the embrace. "Stay there," he murmurs, slipping out from their tent to fetch what they need. His legs shake slightly as he walks to the lavatory and back; Jesus, what a time they've had.
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Date: 2025-01-28 07:38 pm (UTC)“You took too long,” Raju complains, reaching out once he sees a flash of thigh outside the blanket and wrapping a hand around it. Has it only been a moment? Yes. That doesn’t matter. “Come back in and warm me up.”
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Date: 2025-01-28 11:12 pm (UTC)To be fair the hand that goes for his leg is a little chilled, but Crozier has a sacred duty to tease the hell out of the man he loves. “My delicate flower,” he smirks, crawling back under the blanket quickly to hand him the flannel. “Did you wilt while I was away?”
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Date: 2025-01-28 11:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-01-29 12:01 am (UTC)“Mn.” They’re the right words, even if said in jest - Ram is his responsibility. He needs to care for him, even when he’s being a brat.
He slides a leg over Ram’s and guides the flannel, and additionally Ram’s own hand, down to clean him of their shared mess, thorough but still quick as a sort of mercy. When finished the flannel gets tossed onto the floor, a problem for tomorrow, and Crozier reaches up and gives one of Rama’s nipples a good tweak.
“You’re a pain in the arse,” he says fondly, finally moving to wrap his limbs around him.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-29 12:23 am (UTC)"What have I done?" he laughs, pulling at Francis arms to urge them around him more quickly. "I haven't done a thing to your arse!"
no subject
Date: 2025-01-29 01:45 am (UTC)Crozier gets both arms around Rama, his hand around his waist and the other arm slid under his neck to hold around his shoulder. One leg gets folded over Ram, and then his body leans slightly so that some of his weight is pressing down on him.
“That’s right, you haven’t yet,” he chuckles, low and against Rama’s hair. “There now, are you warm?”
no subject
Date: 2025-01-29 02:31 am (UTC)“I will be,” Raju answers, body and breathing relaxed while one hand reaches around to the leg folded over him and follows it up to the soft swell of muscle and fat above the thigh. “Now, what was that about your arse, Francis? ‘Yet’, you said?”
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Date: 2025-01-29 03:08 am (UTC)“Did I say that?” He hums innocently in his throat, rubbing Rama’s skin with his palm until it’s good and warm. “I can’t say anything with certainty in this place, now can I?”
no subject
Date: 2025-01-29 03:43 am (UTC)“Teasing that way,” he goes on, hand on Francis’ arse squeezing slowly, lazily. “Not even letting me get annoyed about it.”
no subject
Date: 2025-02-01 02:17 am (UTC)“I never said you couldn’t be annoyed,” he murmurs, wriggling slightly as his arse is kneaded like a piece of dough. Affectionately, of course.
He sighs softly and reaches up to pull at the blanket and make a little hole for some fresh air. He attempts to face it away from Ram though - he won’t mind having to breathe second-hand air if it keeps him warm.
Crozier finds Ram’s forehead and presses a kiss to his hairline.
no subject
Date: 2025-02-01 02:33 am (UTC)"...'m too happy to be annoyed," Raju mumbles into the warmth of him, content to let it go at that, content only to lie here. Maybe that's why he's been sleeping so well since he's been living in this little cabin, since they've started spending nights this way: only lying here this way is enough. Like this, wrapped around a man who does those things, it doesn't matter to Raju at all whether or not he sleeps.