infringe | Prompt - Something Lost, Something Found

The song surprises him, a strangely familiar glide of notes - not quite human, but still like something he'd heard before. It feels like anything could happen, really, on a night like this, and when he sees a seal in the water, he stifles a gasp of delight.

For all that he'd utterly believed Alecto's story, believed he was who he said he was, this is still the first time he's ever seen that transformation before, and he startles, his hand briefly tightening on Alecto's hand before he lets him go forward to the water. To his sister.

He barely hears her words, still in awe of this small evidence of magic, the seamless way that the seal shifts form into a young woman. He can see the family resemblance in their faces next to each other; he can't help wondering if he'd met her too, at some point in those long-ago summers of childhood.

"A pleasure to meet you, Pippa," he murmurs with a slight bow, polite and courteous. "I'm Joshua."

He can't think of anything more to say. This was an enormity, a confirmation of what exactly had been taken away from Alecto, a home, a family, a place - another world - where he truly belonged. He doesn't quite realize his eyes are a little wet until the wind blows a gentle chill, and he turns his face away.

Alecto meanwhile, has been chattering with his sister in hushed giggles. She is telling him about her daughter, a darling little creature now at 2 years of age, and wouldn't you like to see her? He nods, enthusiastically, and Pippa leans down into the water again, easily scooping up a bundle of seaweed, barely visible to the human eye in the dark, within which was wrapped a tiny seal pup, drowsy and wriggling, clearly annoyed from being awoken. Alecto's entire heart clenches at the sight, as his sister hands over the tiny thing and he cradles her close, touching her soft, damp nose with his fingertips before turning back to Joshua -

He just now notices how the glow from the lantern catches on the dampness on his cheek. And he softens. With care, Alecto rises and bumps Joshua's jaw gently with his nose, trying to catch his attention again. "I know it's all a bit much, isn't it?" He says, kindly and a little apologetic. In his arms, the pup makes a fussy little barking sound.

Edited 2022-04-08 03:06 (UTC)

He blinks, the tears dislodging in the lanternlight and falling away into the wind and water, and then nods, tilting his head to return the gesture from Alecto. "No, it's..." He doesn't have words to articulate what he means, and he just smiles instead, looking down at the little seal pup, holding the lantern up slightly. "May I?" He asks, glancing over at Pippa, holding up his free hand and wiggling his fingers.

Pippa laughs a little in response and the sound is like the deep, dazzling hum of a conch shell held up against an admiring ear. Alecto echoes her as he hands the bundle over, hiding his smile at the way the pup stares alarmingly up at Joshua. "I think you might be the first human being she's ever seen. So this is a big evening for her."

His chest is filling with something warm and indescribable, seeing how Joshua holds the child and he can't help but to imagine, to dream what it could be like to give this man a family. To share this unique and beautiful experience with him, to fill their tiny home with more joy and noise and song than can possibly be imagined.

Alecto's throat feels very tight and for the first time in a long time as he stands between Joshua and Pippa, between the jagged divide of land and sea, he feels like weeping.

He cradles the seal pup as carefully as he can, mimicking Alecto's earlier movement; he was familiar enough with human babies, but this was obviously wholly new, and he had no idea what would be reassuring to a baby selkie. He smiles, hoping this was at least similar, and hums quietly, rocking her back and forth in a gentle imitation of the ocean waves. He realizes belatedly that it was the same song he'd heard Alecto humming, that day they'd met (again) in the market; luckily, it seems to work and the little seal pup's eyes flutter in something resembling contentment.

Joshua looks up again, searching for Alecto, for reassurance.

He presses close to Josh, still a little mournful but doing his best to put that aside for now. "She likes you," he says, leaning against him, reaching to stroke the little pup's snout, which wiggles at the touch.

"He'd make a good father, that one," Pippa hums, watching them with amusement, damp with the crashing tide all around them. And the thought makes Alecto blush slightly, his cheeks warming.

"I agree. One day. With whomever is lucky enough to be his wife," Alecto responds, both hopeful and uncertain. His answer leaves several doors wide open, but cautiously so. He knows that despite the fact they've been playing house for the past few weeks, that's really all that it was. There was no ring, no vows, no rituals. Nothing real. Not yet anyway. Alecto stayed because he was bound, and Joshua - well, Joshua wanted to help him because...he was a good man. That was all.

...That was all.

After a little while longer, the clouds coming to obscure the moon as night drags forward. Pippa takes her leave with her babe, pressing her forehead to Alecto's in parting. And as she slips back into the watery dark, Alecto clutches at his chest, longing to be with her, with his family, to sink back into the safety of the sea. There must be so much he's missed, he thinks.

But still, obediently, he bows his head and heads back inland. There was no use in yearning. They were doing what they could to find his coat. But time and patience were necessary evils in the land of mankind.

Edited 2022-04-08 03:53 (UTC)

He is quiet as they walk back to the house, something in Alecto's mood stilling him. He can't help turning the events of the evening over in his head, the conversation between Alecto and his sister, the moment when Alecto had been standing right by his side, pressed up against him as he held Alecto's niece in his arms, living, breathing proof of magic and the cost of a fairytale for those caught within its bounds and rules.

It's still early in the evening, even if he feels a little wrung dry. As he closes the door behind them and locks it, he searches for something to say. Everything feels so inadequate to address - what had been forced on Alecto, the obvious longing in his gaze. And Joshua had his hands tied; there is only so much within his power, though there were more and more moments these days where he contemplated the necessity of committing a crime, thinking it would be worth it if only he could give the sea back to Alecto.

Even if it meant losing him in the giving.

Well, if he couldn't find words of his own, there was always -

"Alecto?" He asks, soft, curious. "It's still early. Would you like to read with me?"

The mood feels heavier than usual between them but nonetheless, Alecto is refreshed. The sea had a way of doing that for him regardless.

As he hangs up their things, snuffing out the lantern and returning it back to its hook by the doorway, he beams at Josh’s suggestion. He’s eager for anything to pivot them away from the complicated feelings they both had just experienced.

“I would love that. Very much.”

Alecto, being a literal seal, could not read. In fact he could barely write and luckily there really wasn’t an occasion yet where he needed to learn. His ability with the spoken word served him well enough in society and it came from years of eavesdropping on human conversation when he and his siblings would hide their coats beneath the dunes and sneak into bars and shops and street corners, fully disguised. So, although he communicated deceptively well and had a great grasp on commonplace slang and lingo, Alecto could never quite manage to work his way through a written grocery list much less a full book.

Hence, these moments were precious, when he curled up in the quilts against Joshua in bed and simply listened to him read. Currently, they were in the midst of a tale about a dashing detective and his side kick, a long suffering doctor, as they tried to solve a mystery in the English countryside. Alecto found it riveting entertainment and was actually very looking forward to the next chapter.

Reading aloud to Alecto is an unexpected pleasure upon an accumulation of pleasures, the ways they'd started to fit around each other in their shared lives. His salary as lighthouse keeper kept them in necessities and supplies, but it was Alecto's earnest efforts and hard work that made the best use of what they had. It was painfully enticing, coming home to a warm hearth and food and a welcoming smile, the comfort of another person's presence and company.

It made it so easy to forget that it was something coerced.

He finishes the next chapter, and slips a piece of paper between the pages to mark their place. Though they slept in the same bed - for reasons of practicality, of course - they had done nothing other than sleep, with perhaps a little more contact to share warmth on chilly nights. Alecto's reputation had already been strange in town, but Joshua's own standing, the formal code of conduct he was expected to abide by, kept the rumors to whispers rather an open roar. As long as the beacon was lit to guide ships to safety, as long as a storm didn't equate loss of life, as long as none of his duties were neglected, they had that cover of respectability, at least, whatever the townsfolk might make of the appearance.

It would all be moot, anyway, once (if) they found Alecto's stolen coat, and he disappeared back beneath the waves, where he belonged, leaving Joshua and the rest of the human world behind.

...Perhaps there was one more thing he could try.

He looks at Alecto, curled up under their shared quilts, and leans in to press his nose against his cheek, the little unique intimacy that had developed between them, that Joshua had started to come to treasure more than any other form of contact they shared.

"Thank you," he murmurs, soft and quiet. "For everything."

Edited 2022-04-08 11:06 (UTC)

It’s strange. In moments like these, Alecto almost believes he could be happy here. In Joshua’s bed, against his warm skin, Alecto nearly forgets about the roaring tide that calls his name, urging him back home. He forgets, with Joshua’s arms around him, the salty embrace of the waves.

“Mm?” He blinks his big eyes up at him, nuzzling him in return, a hand coming up to rest against that strong, chiseled jaw. He uses that touch to gently turn Joshua’s face so they could look at each other. There is an intense and charged moment of intimacy here, and Alecto’s skin warms. “Truly, I should be the one thanking you. For all your help, your patience, your…kindness,” he responds. “I don’t have very many skills or value here on the land so keeping your home warm and clean is the least I can think of doing.” His thumb is gentle in how it traces the curve of Joshua’s cheekbone.

“Are you,” he begins, his hand sliding down the slope of Joshua’s neck to his shoulder, not clear exactly what he hopes to get out of this moment, “sure there’s nothing else I can give you?”

Edited 2022-04-08 11:43 (UTC)

His heart contracts, painful and pounding in his chest as he meets Alecto's eyes, as he stays utterly, perfectly still beneath his seemingly exploratory touch. Alecto is temptation in physical form, inhabiting his life, his house, his bed. There is so much he could say - so much more he wants, his body and his heart yearning for further intimacies, for a promise of a future together.

But whatever Alecto's gratefulness for what little Joshua had been able to provide him, Joshua is deeply aware of that gaping wound, that past betrayal that had made this moment possible. It didn't matter that he hadn't been the original perpetrator. Every moment when Alecto didn't have true freedom, wasn't able to actually make a choice, was an extension of that initial violation.

But in moments like this, however much he hated it, he feels a deep fellow feeling with Nathaniel, for holding so tight to Alecto, for wanting to keep this for as long as possible, for ignoring the toll.

It was easy to count the cost cheap, when you weren't the one paying.

"You've given me so much," he says, a little helplessly. "I... don't think I can ask for more."

“There’s no need for you to ask for anything. I’m…offering,” he murmurs, but again, it’s unclear exactly what his offer is. Though his breath comes a tiny bit faster as he tentatively, briefly, presses his lips to the corner of Joshua’s. It’s not quite a kiss. And yet.

Their knees and legs are pressed close and he takes a deep breath in, inhaling Joshua’s scent, his unique musk, tannic and manly. He thinks he’ll never be able to forget it.

“I want to make you happy, Joshua. As happy as you’ve helped make me while I’m here.”

He twitches slightly, his head turning, his lips brushing lightly over Alecto's before he stops himself. But he doesn't pull away, almost trembling with the effort, a feeling that would be clearly palpable to Alecto, as closely as they are sitting.

"You've already made me happier than I ever dreamed I could be," he says, soft, genuine, with a hint of wistfulness. But Alecto's words give him pause. How happy could he really be, trapped here on land? And even if Joshua was less possessive, less controlling than Nathaniel seemed to have been...

He feels Josh shaking and feels for him, understands now how much he's holding back.

Oh, human beings and their winding, endless words. They trap themselves in these complicated geometries. And for what? When was the last time Joshua Archer allowed himself to just feel?

And so Alecto goes with his pure, animal instinct, following its lead. He allows Joshua to continue to make his frail excuses as he leans up and kisses him fully, chastely, held longer together even if their lips remain closed: the press of Alecto's mouth is insistent. But he knows that still might not be convincing enough. So, he takes the other man's free hand and guides it down, down, down his navel and to the spot between his legs, where he's thrumming and hot and wet.

He bites back a groan, low and deep in his chest, muffled by the press of Alecto's mouth against his. He shivers bodily, losing his balance and falling a little against him. His fingers flex, automatically, pressing more firmly against Alecto's body, helpless to do anything other than accept the wordless, insistent invitation.

"Alecto," he gasps out, and then he hisses, shifting on the bed so he is kneeling between Alecto's legs, and pushes Alecto down on his back, reaching for the scraps of clothing he is wearing.

The little push thrills him, makes him lean back and expose his throat, his stomach, the most vulnerable parts of himself. He's eager, excited, feels himself get even more damp where Joshua's fingers press.

"Please," he whispers, "keep touching me." He pauses to think on the words. Then, adds, "I want you to keep touching me."

Edited 2022-04-08 14:01 (UTC)

He reaches his hands up and rests them lightly on Alecto's chest, sliding them down along his sides firmly, to avoid tickling him, exploring the expanse of pale, smooth skin before hooking his fingers in his undergarments and tugging them off his long legs.

"Oh -" he gasps, a little bit in awe at having Alecto bared for his gaze. He shifts up, hands fluttering gently up along his thighs to curve with gentle pressure against his hips, holding him down and still before pressing a series of gentle kisses against his chest and stomach, working steadily downwards.

"You're beautiful," he murmurs, breath warm against moonlit skin.

His blush inks pink all over his body. Never has he been with a man who took his time, who admired him like this. His previous husband surely had never. He had been greedy and handsy and adored Alecto hard for certain but so much of their lovemaking had been solely for Nathaniel's pleasure, nothing more. He had his way with his wife when he wanted, and how he wanted, using their marriage as an excuse for his behavior and carelessness, and if anything, Alecto learned quickly how to look after himself after the fact (so to speak. And it's not that the sex had always been bad. Nathaniel was a very capable lover, just very narrow minded and not all that creative. Alecto was used to accommodating his man in one position and one position only and that became dull very quickly. There was once he actually nodded off, and thankfully Nathaniel had been too drunk to notice or care).

But now there's Joshua. Joshua who is touching him like he's made of gold and light. Joshua who is kissing down his body as if he wanted to worship and remember every curve and bend. Joshua who was telling him he's beautiful, filling Alecto's chest with a big feeling he hasn't felt in a very long time.

Alecto's hands move slowly into Joshua's hair, smoothing the gold strands. "You're sweet," he says, gently, and means it. You're so good to me. You see me. You're not like the others.

He's not sure what might happen next, though his hips sway lightly up, subconsciously yearning for contact. Alecto has never seen a man in such a position before, below him. If anything, Alecto is the one used to being there, used to offering his mouth and throat, a man's hand against the back of his head, so -

Edited 2022-04-08 14:48 (UTC)

He leans infinitesimally against Alecto's fingers in his hair, but then he ducks his head down, fingers stroking along the crease between his spread wide-thighs, feeling the dampness slowly gathering there. His palms press - gentle but firm - against Alecto's skin, holding him open, supporting him as he arches up, and then he leans in with a quickly muffled groan of pleasure, tongue sliding over Alecto, savoring the taste of him here at his core, the sea-salt warmth of his body with every indication of delight at being allowed to take this liberty.

Alecto mewls, the feeling so novel and wonderful and oh - he can definitely get used to this.

He whispers Joshua's name like a plea as he lets the pleasure slowly rise in him as he's thoroughly eaten out, little undulating waves shocking his body at every flick of tongue, every obscene bit of suction. There's a point where he feels Joshua's thumbs move down to pull his damp folds apart more that makes Alecto lose it, arching his back entirely off the surface of the bed, his mouth falling open on a tiny, helpless cry.

And when he comes it's wet and sudden and shivering, his toes curling from the effort. His grip in Joshua's hair is tight and desperate. He never wants to let go.

He gentles his movements as he feels Alecto come, body clenching around his tongue, his face and chin damp with the evidence of Alecto's pleasure. He can't pull away with Alecto's grip on his hair; nor does he really want to, perfectly content to stay here between his legs, feeling him fall apart from Joshua's touch.

His tongue darts out, experimentally, as Alecto's body settles again, and he hums with his lips pressed against him, just a little vibration of stimulation before he sets to again with a will, muffling the hungry moans that seem to rise from somewhere unconscious and intrinsic in his being in the wet warmth of Alecto, tugging against his fingers to get even closer, reveling in the sting of his scalp being pulled tight as Alecto's yanks on his hair, barely breathing, just reveling in the scent of him here as Joshua tries to take him apart again with his fingers and lips and tongue.

He gasps - "Joshua, please, please - I -" - utterly surprised and overstimulated that he practically writhes when he feels more tongue, more pressure, searching fingers.

"I can't - I, really -" His words are urgent but meaningless, even to his own ears. Because that heat in the pit of his stomach is gathering again, settling deep and sharp inside -

It's hopeless for him. Done for, really. His pretty, pale thighs are shining with his own slick as he grinds down on the face of the man beneath him, vision whiting out as he comes a second time, very suddenly, and the sound that's torn from his throat is akin to a sob. He spills himself out again to the warm, adoring heat of Joshua's mouth, helplessly, beautifully. This last orgasm wracks his entire frame and for a little while later, his mind goes completely blank. His eyes are wet but he's overjoyed, having never been treated like this before, never had his own pleasure prioritized and so wanted.

Fuck.

He's in love.

Edited 2022-04-08 16:12 (UTC)

The sounds Alecto makes, the way his body undulates for Joshua with each movement, the taste of him spilling into Joshua's mouth, absolutely surrounding him - it's all too much for him. He whimpers softly, almost inaudibly, a shudder running through his own body as he muffles the sound he makes when his own orgasm overtakes him in the space between Alecto's legs, breathless and wanting, spilling into his own clothes.

He laps delicately at Alecto, little kitten licks against sensitive skin, eyes closed and settled quiet on their shared bed, before he sighs and pulls away reluctantly, looking down at Alecto's face with a soft smile, satisfaction warring with affection in what he feels more at that very moment.

Prompt - Something Lost, Something Found

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