Two Angels Together

Coming from the Bar, that strange place, Alex held the breakfast bread in a cloth napkin as he entered the palace. The king had been doing renovations in this area, scaffolding covered the walls and craftsmen slathered plaster filling in cracks. None of them noticed him. Or if they did they pretended not to. Everyone knew what happened if someone bothered him. He stepped lightly over buckets and tools, fingers brushing against the wood of the tiered scaffolds.

From there he entered the main palace where servants and nobles walked again all ignoring him, except for the few from outside visiting. But they just stared and didn't do anything.

He started to hum as he held the breads close to his chest. It had been nice making them with the bird girl. (He didn't dare give her a name that would mean they might be friends. Friends were dangerous to have.) Nice and different. She wasn't afraid of him.

Orion was afraid of her.

He knew that, he could feel it through their bond. Perhaps that was why Alex could talk to her, he was afraid of what would happen if she got upset.

Another person who wasn't afraid of Orion bounded up. Alex sensed his coming by the smell of fish that always lingered on him. Rufus, the wizard who looked after the wizard's interests in Lancoon, smiled a friendly grandfatherly smile, his bushy beard nearly covering it. He looked like he'd just come back from fishing.

"Alex, my boy," Rufus said. He always called him 'my boy'. Alex liked him despite himself. Rufus just couldn't not be liked. "Where have you been?"

"Outside," he replied truthfully. He had been outside. To himself he wondered how Rufus knew he'd been missing. The wizard spent so much time out fishing that he never seemed to be at court. Yet the wizard also seemed to know what was going on.

The wizard nodded in approval. "You need to get outside more, being indoors as much as you are isn't healthy. Surely your master would allow you some free time to be outside? Perhaps you could come fishing."

Rufus always tried to get him to come fishing. The idea terrified Alex, being stuck around so much deep water! "I have to go, Orion is waiting for me."

"Yes, yes, of course, don't want to keep your master waiting, off you go." Though before he let Alex go he gave him a sweet. Rufus gave everyone a sweet, including the king.

From Rufus he went up one of the grand stairs, his fingers trailing on the wooden rails, to the third floor. There he turned to the left. He felt the walls as always. They were warm here behind the wood paneling, old magic from hundreds of years ago kept the hallways warm even in the coldest of winter. Ten doors down and he stopped.

Head cocked he listened. Orion felt in a good mood. Smiling at that Alex opened the door looking forward to pets and sex. Orion always wanted sex in this mood.

The general looked up a flash of irritation in his eyes quickly changing to delight. He sat at the large table in the middle of the room working plans to move armies. "Hello pet, been at the Bar?"

"Yes sir," he said and sat himself on Orion's lap. "I have something for you," he then said suddenly shy. Alex unwrapped the napkin and put the bread carefully on the table.

"Where did these come from?" He picked one up and took a bite. The look on his face indicated that he enjoyed it.

"I made them... with the bird girl." Alex looked worried, hoping for approval on this venture. "She made me."

Orion's hand twisted into his hair and gave it a sharp tug. "Did she now?"

Letting out a whimper (Orion liked to hear him in pain) he said, "Yes sir. I didn't think there was any harm. The tug relaxed and the fingers ran through the hair in a calming manner. Alex shut his eyes and sighed. Orion wasn't too upset then. He didn't hit him again.

Instead Orion nuzzled him, fingers gently roaming his skin. "No, I suppose there's not." 

Alex snuggled against him. 

A nip on his ear and then a husky whisper of , "Clothes off lovely." 

Smiling broadly, Alex slid off Orion's lap to obey his master.