Archive of Our Own

“D’you remember how many times?”

The question cut through the silence, a cold and unforgiving wind in the atelier's small kitchen. By the time Qifrey looked up from the cutting board to meet his best friend’s gaze, Olruggio was already staring back at him.

“I’m sorry Olly, I don’t know what you’re referring to,” Qifrey whispered. 

It was a habit he had picked up a while ago. Once the girls were in bed, Qifrey never seemed to raise his voice louder than a whisper.

The kids had all been tucked in for a while now, and the two of them were standing side by side in the kitchen with no more than a few inches between them, multiple doors separating them from the sleeping girls. But a caretaker could never be too careful, that’s what Qifrey liked to tell himself anyway.

“How many times did I figure it out?”

There was a hardness to Olruggio’s face that Qifrey wasn’t too familiar with. Despite the many years they had spent in each other’s company, the seriousness plaguing the space between Olruggio’s brows was one that Qifrey hadn’t really been on the receiving end of yet. 

Instinctively, he put down the knife he’d been holding, his fingers itching to smooth out the wrinkles that darkened those ultramarine eyes he held so dear. Qifrey turned towards him fully and found himself reaching for the sleeve of Olruggio’s clothes instead. Even with the first layer of tension building in the air, this somehow still felt safer than trusting his own two feet to keep him upright.

“You want to know how many times I used the memory spell on you,” Qifrey quipped, an unnatural smile spreading on his face before he could stop it. 

Guilt. That was the feeling slowly melting and spreading through his system. 

There was no real reason for Olruggio to want to stay now that everything was over, Qifrey had reached that conclusion the moment all their secrets had been aired out for the last time. If anything, he wondered why he was still here. There was nothing left to tie Olruggio down at the atelier. They had gone through enough heartbreak to last them several lifetimes and Olruggio deserved so much better than a man that had chipped away at his memories like they were his to control. 

“Oi”, Olruggio’s voice came distant, and when Qifrey was able to focus back on his face, even with the couple of inches he had on his friend, he still felt so small under that gaze, “Don’t go panicking on me now Qifrey”. 

“I…” Qifrey started, before realising he didn’t know what to say, “I'm sorry.”

Maybe Olruggio could tell that his question was getting the better of Qifrey because he suddenly took a step back.

“It's alright if you don't know,” he stated, pulling up his brows up just enough to not look so intense, “It was just a question, no hidden intentions on my part.”

The sudden retreat of Olruggio’s presence felt like cold water running down Qifrey’s back. Without thinking twice, his fingers twisted into the flowing material of Olruggio’s shirt, forcing him to a stop before he could put any more distance between them.

“...Qifrey?”

His name had never sounded as good as it did coming from his best friend’s mouth. It hung in the air like a silent request, one that Qifrey was much too scared to act on, yet it didn’t stop him from finally looking Olruggio in the eye.

“Why are you still here?” Qifrey let out the question that had been plaguing his mind for the past few months. 

Olruggio, who had tilted his head in sheer confusion at how Qifrey was acting, stiffened at the words. He felt it under his fingertips, the way the muscles in his body locked up. 

Qifrey had finally done it. He had presented the out that Olruggio was so deserving of. It was going to be alright. It was normal for a friendship like theirs to burn through many good years and finally come to an end. Qifrey could accept this as the conclusion to their lives together. Olruggio deserved the world and Qifrey had no right to keep a person so righteous and kind for himself. Despite the coldness of the pit in his stomach, he forced his expression into something more encouraging. 

It clearly didn’t have the desired effect because Olruggio was now scowling up at him.

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” he asked. It was probably supposed to come out a lot harsher, a metaphorical slap in the face that Qifrey would gladly accept. Yet, Olruggio’s voice sounded so soft, despite the rogueish tone of his usual spoken word. 

“Oh, Olly…” Qifrey slipped his hand away from the fabric of his shirt, and gently thumbed the side of Olruggio’s beard, “What I’ve done to you is something I can never fix. I have robbed you of so many memories that I wonder how you can still look at me in the eye and smile. I know you do it for the girls, but there is no need for you to keep forcing yourself to be around me. We could put a request in for you to be transferred elsewhere, and maybe —”

“Is that what you want?” Olruggio’s gaze dropped to the space between them for just a moment, before turning back up to hold Qifrey’s own. 

Qifrey’s eyes widened, “Me?”

Olruggio nodded. A warm hand landed on Qifrey’s own, pushing it further into Olruggio’s cheek.

“If it’s what you want, then I’ll go.” Olruggio pushed back his shoulders, as if trying to appear solid, a pillar to hold up both their spirits, “I understand it must be hard t’see my face every day. It’s probably a reminder of all the years of peace that Silvertree took from you. I’m sorry, I should’ve thought of this sooner —”

Qifrey’s mask fell in an instant. A horrified look formed on his face as he pushed himself into Olruggio’s space, both hands now finding their way to Olruggio’s jaw, “God, Olly! No, no. You’ve got it all wrong.” He hesitated for a second, then slowly planted a small kiss on Olruggio's temple, his skin growing hotter by the second.

“Then what’s the problem?” 

“It’s just…” Qifrey hesitated. Looking down at Olruggio’s face framed between his own pale hands, dark blue eyes where his own expression was being reflected back up at him, for the first time Qifrey didn’t feel the familiar creak of the Silvertree taking over his body. It was replaced by something new, warm and safe, something that Qifrey had been longing for his whole life, “I’ve taken up so much of your time already, how could I possibly ask for more?"

Finally, Olruggio smiled, small and sweet. Fire burst in Qifrey’s stomach, chasing away the cold sensation of goodbye that had slowly been building up in his system. 

“You haven’t taken anything that I wasn’t willing to give you.” Olruggio said, raising a hand to pet the black band that was cinching Qifrey’s waist, “Back then, we agreed that this was how we were going to keep you safe…”, then with a little hesitance, he added, “Right?”

Qifrey nodded.

Olruggio mimicked the motion, “Then I have no regrets. The time we have now with the girls and… eachother, it’s all worth it.”

This time, the blooming in Qifrey’s chest was very different to the ache that came with the sprouting of the Silvertree’s branches. It spread beneath Qifrey’s skin like a fire burning through the pages of a book, a golden hue that reminded him of the reflection of Olruggio’s spells in his own eyes. 

Qifrey had spent much of his time thinking about all the sensations he was missing out on while trying to keep the Silvertree at bay. It wasn’t rare for him to catch himself staring at other people and trying to imagine what it was like to feel comforting and unwavering love. Looking into Olruggio’s eyes now, he couldn’t help but question how he had been able to go on for so long without indulging in everything that Olruggio could give him. There was no need for words when he could see a reflection of them dancing in his best friend’s pitch black pupils. It hurt to know just how much time they could never get back, and yet the prospect of a future together felt so, so good.

“You’re staring.” Olruggio breathed out, his voice barely reaching Qifrey.

“Sorry...” Qifrey replied, a natural reflex.

“And don't apologise.”

Qifrey huffed out a laugh. The pressure of Olruggio’s fingers on his waist had lightened, but they were still there. 

“You should take some time off,” Qifrey commented, eye suddenly shifting to the side in embarrassment, “It’s been a while since you’ve taken a few days for yourself. You deserve the rest, and… I’m sure the girls would appreciate it.”

Olruggio scoffed, though his gaze also seemed to drift off and focus its interest towards a very specific spot on the wall behind Qifrey’s head, “The girls?” 

Qifrey opened his mouth, then pulled his lips together in a thin line for a moment, before parting them once more, “Not just the girls.”

Suddenly, Qifrey became aware of the thrumming beat of his own heart. Just beneath the black fabric of his shirt, he could feel the pained muscle wrestle against its bone prison. It seemed to grow stronger as Olruggio’s eyes turned back towards him, a rather prominent blush now plastered across his nose and cheeks. Qifrey knew that a sight like this was one he would never forget. 

“Olly…” It felt like he had said Olruggio’s name too many times in this one conversation, and yet it still didn’t feel like enough. Without warning, Qifrey took a quick step forward, to which Olruggio replied with a step back, the back of his thighs hitting the edge of the table. “If you’re staying, I want to make up for everything we couldn’t do in the past. I need you to know that if you stay, I don’t want us wandering this never-ending limbo together any longer.” 

Silence accompanied Qifrey’s newfound courage as Olruggio’s flustered face first morphed into one of confusion, and then into the purest form of embarrassment.

“When… When y’put it like that it sounds so bad!” Olruggio exclaimed. Qifrey would have scolded him and told him to tone it down if he hadn’t been so distracted by the man’s blush now spreading to his ears and down his neck. With the first few buttons of Olruggio’s shirt undone, there was no hiding the redness creeping down to his chest. He couldn’t help but quietly laugh at Olruggio’s crumbling facade. 

“I’m not putting it in any way. Just expressing my desires for how our relationship should progress from here.”

Qifrey couldn’t pinpoint the moment he had gotten the upper hand in the conversation, but watching Olruggio mull over Qifrey’s words in his head was much too entertaining for him to give it up. He could almost see the wheels turning in his brain, trying to make sense of what Qifrey was telling him without possibly misinterpreting his words. 

In an attempt to put Olruggio out of his mysery — and maybe make his intentions a little more transparent—, Qifrey pushed himself further into the other man’s space, their legs now knocking together. Olruggio instinctively leaned back, but Qifrey’s arm wrapping around his waist made it impossible for him to get very far.

“As much as I enjoy watching you squirm, I do want to make myself very clear.” Qifrey whispered, his face mere inches away from Olruggio’s, “If you stay, I don’t want to hold back. I will push our friendship’s limit until you tell me to stop, and I will take everything I can from you to fill that void in my heart that’s been growing from the moment I met you.” 

Olruggio stared up at him in disbelief, eyes wide as he soaked in Qifrey’s words. Sweat beaded at his hairline, the ends of his black hair beginning to stick to his forehead. His tanned skin seemed to glow under the fire torch light, an everlasting parallel to the magic he created in his quiet love for others. 

But Qifrey didn’t stop to read the expression on Olruggio’s face, “Whether the only thing you let me do is cook with you, or perhaps hold your hand when it’s just the two of us, I will be happy. But I need you to know that I will make use of whatever you let me have until death rips us apart.”

Before Qifrey could add any more, Olruggio’s hands shot up from his sides, finding their way to the back of his neck and sinking into the shorter strands of white hair at his nape. Even with Qifrey’s worsening eyesight, he could see that Olruggio’s face had settled onto something that could only be described as contentment. 

The corner of his lips were curled up into a lopsided smile, his gaze relaxed and firm as it anchored onto Qifrey’s lips unashemedly despite the redness plaguing his skin.

“Never stop.” Olruggio simply said. He carded a hand up the back of Qifrey’s head, committing the softness of his waves to memory. The other hand kept its place on the line between his hair and his skin, the pads of Olruggio’s fingers pushing into it just enough to send a shiver down Qifrey’s spine.

“...What?” Qifrey rasped. 

He must have imagined it. Those two words. Olruggio’s expression. It all had to be a trick of his own mind.

Then he realised that he was slowly being pulled down closer to his best friend’s face.

“There is nowhere else I’d rather be than right here,” Olruggio whispered, the lift and fall of his chest deepening, “between your arms. So please, don’t stop.”

It was all Qifrey needed. 

With one last surge of courage, he closed the space between them and met Olruggio’s scalding lips with his own. Despite having imagined this scenario more times than he could count, Qifrey still found himself completely lost at the feel of the other man’s body against his. It wasn’t a foreign feeling by any means. Qifrey recognised the softness of Olruggio’s body beneath the thin fabric separating them, the heat radiating from him awfully familiar and comforting. Even with his eye closed, Olruggio’s hands in his hair felt safer than anything he had ever experienced before. 

As Qifrey used both arms to try and bring Olruggio impossibly closer, he realised just how well they fit together. The thought made him groan softly, teeth sinking into Olruggio’s bottom lip with feverish desire. There was a difference in the way they moved that made Qifrey’s head spin. Where he kissed to claim, bending Olruggio over the table until he was strengthening his hold on Qifrey to keep his balance, Olruggio seemed to lose himself in whatever Qifrey was doing, keeping his movements more tamed as if he was worried that they would both break like fine china under too much pressure. Qifrey, on the other hand, was grasping onto Olruggio’s waist like he was the one thing keeping him together.

When Olruggio’s leg began to hike up his side, Qifrey forced himself to slow down.

“Not here…” Qifrey breathed out. 

He was about to say more when he opened his eye and saw Olruggio’s face. Oh, if he had known that this is what the man looked like after being kissed, Qifrey would have done it a long time ago, Silvertree be damned. 

Olruggio’s blush had evened out to something closer to pink, pupils glossed over as he stared up at Qifrey like he had just given him the moon and all the stars on a silver platter. Qifrey looked down to his lips, which were bright red and shiny with spit, a small indent in the centre of his bottom lip where he had been bitten. The sight ignited a new type of fire in the pit of Qifrey’s stomach.

“Olly…”

“Let’s go then.” 

It took a moment for Olruggio to regain his composure. He pulled his shirt back over his shoulders where it had begun to slip, and carefully freed himself from the cage of Qifrey’s arms. Pushing past the water witch, he gingerly grabbed onto his wrist, refusing to look at him as he walked them both to his room. 

Qifrey must have forgotten how to breathe, because by the time the soft click of Olruggio’s door closing behind them echoed in his ears, he found himself gasping for air. The desperation that had been plaguing his movements just moments ago had mellowed out to a prickling feeling just beneath his skin. 

“You were worried about the girls seeing us, no?” Olruggio said, his back turned to his best friend as he awkwardly stared out of the window. Even with Olruggio’s silhouette in the way, Qifrey could see the dark planes surrounding their home, the trees in the distance swaying with the night’s breeze. 

It was obvious that they had just crossed a line. The unspoken boundaries that they had set up between them had all just come crashing down around them, and despite Qifrey’s black turtleneck hugging his body tightly, he still felt incredibly naked and vulnerable at the thought that there would be no going back. It had been his idea after all, an impulsive and desperate attempt to finally have the one thing he had always wished for.

Qifrey’s hand moved as if it had a mind of its own. It slipped over Olruggio’s shoulder, the golden skin of his upper back completely exposed by the wide opening of his neckline. Qifrey gently wrapped his fingers around the front of Olruggio’s neck as he softly pressed his body to his back, the heat radiating off them both meeting somewhere in the middle. With suffocating reverence, he lowered his lips to the spot where Olruggio’s neck and shoulder met. The kiss was short and sweet, a quiet invitation for more if the other man was willing to give it to him. 

“That and… I was more worried about them hearing us.” Qifrey said, keeping his eye on the small moles that decorated Olruggio’s body. He didn’t dare look up, but the way Olruggio stiffened under his touch didn’t go unnoticed. 

Might as well commit.

“Qifrey…” 

Olruggio leaned into the other witch’s touch, letting Qifrey hold all their pieces together as he sighed. There was no need for Olruggio to say it. The territory that they were currently trying to navigate was going to inevitably bring them down a complicated path in the future. Even with the looming shadow of the Silvertree no longer in the picture, Olruggio was still their atelier’s Watchful Eye, and there was no way that that wasn’t going to cause them problems at some point. And yet, with his lips on the expanse of Olruggio’s neck, Qifrey couldn’t find it in him to care. 

“I don’t remember how many times I used the spell.” Qifrey said, the words sinking into Olruggio’s skin as he left a trail of open mouth kisses.

“That’s ok.” Olruggio replied. He leaned his head to the side, further exposing his neck.

“It’s not.” Qifrey bit into the meat at his nape, just light enough to not leave a mark, “But that’s why I refused to count.” 

Without warning, Olruggio turned in his grip. Face to face once again, he gently pushed Qifrey away, hands splayed out over his chest, “What does that mean, Qifrey?” 

“It made me uncomfortable.” Qifrey confessed, the words filling the space they had created between them, “Having no idea just how much I was hurting you, how many times we would have to go through it. Over and over again, not knowing just how much damage I had caused you was painful enough to keep it at bay for years.”

Qifrey realised he was welling up when Olruggio’s thumb gently swiped over his cheekbone, his palm stopping to cup his jaw as he guided Qifrey’s face down to look at him. 

“It was selfish to not keep count.” Qifrey whispered, tears catching onto his eyelashes, “I’ve been selfish for so long, and yet I keep taking.” With that, he tore his hands away, as if Olruggio had suddenly scalded him.

“Oi,” Olruggio grumbled, “Stop it with the nonsense, would you?” 

This time, he was the one to reach out and pull Qifrey back to him. Now trapped between the window and the man once more, Olruggio pushed himself to his tiptoes and placed a small kiss to Qifrey’s lips. 

“My stupid question shouldn’t be causing you all this pain. We did what we could to make the best out of our situation. We were smart kids, Qifrey. Our idea was good, it kept you alive long enough to find a solution to this problem and now we finally get to reap the fruits of all our hard work.”

Hope surged through Qifrey’s veins. Olruggio kissed him again, this time a little longer, “We get to do this because you’re still here.” Another kiss. Qifrey could have sworn he tasted salty tears on Olruggio’s lips. When he pulled back, he watched the small drops of water brimming in his friend’s eyes. 

He could never survive without Olruggio. It was something he had known for a long time, but now, watching him cling to his shoulders as if trying to mould their bodies into one, he could finally breathe and admit it to himself. Olruggio felt the same way about him. Qifrey could see it in his eyes and in the way his hands — though roughed up from the result of his hard work — held his body as if he’d slip away like sand through the cracks. 

With a gentle push, Qifrey lodged himself further in the space between Olruggio’s arms. He kissed the corner of Olruggio’s lips, leaving behind a trail of sweat and bitter tears as he moved towards his jaw. The soft hair of Olruggio’s beard tickled his nose in a comforting way, forcing a small smile on Qifrey’s lips as he found his way to the other witch’s neck and pulled the skin into his mouth. It ripped a long sigh out of Olruggio’s mouth, which only encouraged him more. Qifrey wrapped his arms around his waist, sinking his hands into the small of his back and gently grinding their bodies together. With their layers of clothing still on, they could hardly feel each other, but it was enough for Olruggio to grab onto Qifrey’s hair and force him deeper into his neck. 

“Any more and I might have to lend you one of my turtlenecks tomorrow.” Qifrey quipped, nipping at the abused skin before flattening his tongue over the blooming bruise. 

Olruggio laughed quietly, his chest vibrating against Qifrey’s, “I’m glad the girls are young enough to not ask too many questions.” 

Qifrey made his way back up to Olruggio’s face, biting into his lip and tugging, “Our girls are too smart, if anything, it’ll be the first thing they notice.”

With that, Qifrey moved his hands to Olruggio’s shoulders, pushing down the fabric of his flowy shirt until it hung limply from his forearms. The idea of his best friend walking around the atelier in his clothes seemed to spurr him on further. 

Olruggio shivered under his touch. Qifrey dragged his fingertips through the fine hair on his chest until he reached the thick belt around his midsection, “May I?” 

Receiving a quick nod, Qifrey gave the man a reassuring smile, before once again kissing him. This time it was deeper. Qifrey pushed his tongue against Olruggio’s lips, forcing them apart before diving in. Somehow, the taste of the lavender tea that had accompanied their dinner a few hours ago still lingered in his mouth, a pleasant surprise that Qifrey enjoyed to the fullest by swiping his tongue over Olruggio’s. In the meantime, his hands worked on the complicated belt until it fell to the floor with a thud. He was quick to slip his hands into the back of Olruggio’s skirt, hesitating only for a moment before sinking his fingers into the muscles of his backside. 

A hushed moan gave Qifrey the chance to push further into Olruggio’s mouth. The knot forming in his stomach grew tighter as Olruggio bucked into his hips in reflex.

“Bed…” Qifrey whispered against their spit slicked lips, “Get on the bed.” 

Despite his request, he didn’t let go of the man, hands still nestled deep into the mounds of his best friend’s ass. It took all of Olruggio’s willpower to finally push Qifrey off of him. Though his legs felt like gelatine beneath him, he guided the water witch up the steps, doing his best to ignore the whimper that had left Qifrey’s mouth the moment they had separated.

“Honestly,” Olruggio huffed, looking anywhere but at Qifrey as they reached the bed perched at the top of his room, “One would think you’re a dying man in the desert with how… eager you are.” 

“Maybe I am.” Qifrey bluntly replied. He pushed Olruggio’s shoulders just hard enough for his knees to give out and for his back to meet the bed. Now, towering over him, Qifrey couldn’t help but grin at that beet red face he was much too obsessed with, “Leave a man without water long enough and he’ll do anything for a taste.” 

There was no denying that they were both touch-starved to an embarrassing degree. Though Olruggio got out of the atelier more, Qifrey doubted he’d take his work trips as an opportunity to meet people. Not in that way anyway. And neither of them had ever brought anyone back to the atelier either, just one of those unspoken rules that always had to do with keeping the girls safe. No strangers in the home. 

“You’re shameless.” Olruggio hissed, pulling himself further onto the bed to make room for him.

“Only for you.” Qifrey said, then, almost in a whisper he added, “It’s only ever been you.” 

That stopped Olruggio where he sat, leaned back onto his elbows. His scrunched up face of embarrassment dropped into something more akin to bewilderment. 

“What was that?” He croaked out, his voice failing him miserably.

Qifrey crawled onto the bed, stopping in the space between Olruggio’s legs. Heat spread across his cheeks as he opted to stare at his best friend’s heaving chest rather than face his cracked expression.

Before Qifrey could muster the courage to repeat his own words, a hand pressed into his cheek softly. Olruggio’s thumb grazed his bottom lip, as the rest of his fingers cupped the sharp edge of Qifrey’s jaw.

“Y’know… You are the reason I stay.” Olruggio said. His palm trembled against Qifrey’s face.

“Olly…” 

“I love the girls with everything I have, I do, and this home we’ve built. But before all of that, there was only you. And if I don’t have you, then I don’t have anything at all.”

Qifrey’s gaze whipped up to his face. Olruggio’s lip quivered as he watched him, as if he could drink Qifrey in with just his eyes.

“Qifrey…” There was an adoration in the way he spoke Qifrey’s name that made him slip further into Olruggio’s space. He was nothing more than a snake enchanted by the sound of a well tuned flute.

“Yes?” Qifrey whispered, slowly blanketing Olruggio’s body with his own.

Olruggio rested his head on the pillow beneath him, coaxing him deeper, “I am yours, if you’ll have me.”

I am yours.

I am yours.

I am yours.

Qifrey surged forward suddenly, claiming Olruggio’s lips once more. As if Qifrey could ever say no to him.

With desperate hands, he reached between them and tugged Olruggio’s shirt out of his skirt, pawing at the soft skin of his abdomen as if it was the single most perfect thing in the world. Qifrey’s head spun with desire and possibilties. There was so much he wanted to do, wanted to give Olruggio to prove to him that he was worthy. Oh, Qifrey knew he could be so good for him, so perfect and loving that Olruggio would never regret saying those precious words to him. The thought made him whimper as he rutted against the bone of Olruggio’s pelvis. 

With a swipe of Qifrey’s tongue, the bruising kiss they shared ended just long enough for him to harshly pull his own shirt over his head before doing the same to Olruggio’s. 

“You’re so beautiful.” Qifrey whispered between pants. He leant back and pressed the palm of his hand over the thin trail peaking just above Olruggio’s skirt. The dark hair ended just beneath his belly button before starting up once more at his sternum and spreading across the planes of his chest. The way it had been neatly groomed was mesmerising.

Olruggio threw an arm over his face, “I told you to stop staring.” 

“How can I?” Qifrey replied, sinking down to kiss his abdomen before sticking his tongue out and licking a long stripe up to his chest. The mild, salty taste of sweat made Qifrey’s head buzz, “How could I possibly stop staring when I have just discovered that such beauty is mine to love.” 

Despite his ongoing reverence for Olruggio’s midsection, Qifrey didn’t miss the way his breath skipped. 

“Stop… saying things like that.” Olruggio hissed, refusing to look down at Qifrey’s face.

“You started it.” Qifrey smiled, grabbing both of Olruggio’s pecs and squeezing, “It’s only fair that I get to speak my own mind too.” 

With that, Qifrey pulled the skin above the man’s ribcage into his mouth and sucked, hoping to leave another bruise behind. Just a little more and he would have missed the whispered ‘You rarely ever do’ Olruggio replied with. He wasn’t wrong, and Qifrey was going to make sure he never thought that again. It was next on the list right after he was done making him come undone.

Olruggio moaned as Qifrey let go of his skin with a pop, both hands travelling down his body to curl into the hem of his skirt. As much as he wished to tear the fabric off, he forced himself to look up at the man’s face first. The fact that Olruggio was already looking back at him only made the fire in his groin burn hotter.

“Please.” Olruggio said, his voice strangled as he reached out to grab Qifrey’s hair. 

He didn’t wait for Olruggio to repeat himself. With one swift pull he left the man bare and overheated, knees instinctively pressing together as if trying to shy away from Qifrey’s adoring gaze. 

“Don’t.” Qifrey shook his head, placing a hand on each knee. Gently, he parted Olruggio’s legs and smiled at the way he squirmed.

“You’re killing me.” Olruggio hissed, turning his face up to stare at the ceiling. The flush of red on his chest grew a few shades deeper.

“I appear to be doing many things to you,” Qifrey smiled, placing a finger on the underside of Olruggio’s cock as it stood hard against the man’s abdomen, “Though I don’t know if killing you is one of them.”

Leaning down, he kissed the inside of Olruggio’s thigh, gripping onto the soft meat. Qifrey wondered if they stayed like this for long enough, if their edges would melt into each other and turn them into one. With that hope, he flattened himself against Olruggio’s bottom half. 

“I’ve wished to do this for so long…” Qifrey sighed. Olruggio sucked in a breath as Qifrey pulled off his glasses and nudged his cock with the bridge of his nose, “Do you know how many dreams I’ve had of you beneath me like this?” 

Olruggio carded a hand through his own hair, eyelids fluttering as Qifrey poked his index finger into his slit and spread the pearl of spend that had already formed there. 

He opened his mouth, as if trying to form words, but Qifrey beat him to it, “I spent years pining for you Olly,” he pressed his tongue onto the head of Olruggio’s cock and moaned, “Watching you live your life around the atelier, completely unaware of how I felt despite us orbiting around each other like the Earth and the moon.”

A shiver ran down Olruggio’s spine as Qifrey finally — finally — took his cock in hand. He thrust a hand into Qifrey’s hair, gripping the roots of it in desperation. 

“So many people have come to me to tell me just how amazing my Watchful Eye is. And they’re right Olly, you are so, so amazing.” Qifrey kept talking as he began to stroke Olruggio from base to head, a decent enough pace that had Olruggio whining under his breath.

“I was jealous,” Qifrey kissed the spot where his thigh and groin met, dragging another, deeper sound from Olruggio, “Everyone got to see what I saw. To love who I loved for so long. But now… I’m the only one that gets to see this side of you, this gorgeous side of you that no one can ever take away from me.” 

Qifrey could barely breathe as he watched Olruggio arch his back away from the bed, bottom lip sucked between his teeth in an attempt to suppress the sounds Qifrey was causing him. He had never seen such a beautiful display before.

“So sensitive…” Qifrey hummed, leaning down to take the head of Olruggio’s cock into his mouth. 

The warm feeling earned him a guttural gasp, which Qifrey relished in as he took more of his shaft into his mouth. Everything about Olruggio was perfect. The smell of soap mixed with his natural musk as Qifrey breathed in, slowly dragging his tongue across the vein on Olruggio’s cock, listening for any sound that told him he was going down the right path. When he finally ripped the loud whimpers that he wanted out of him, Qifrey set a steady rhythm. He bobbed his head up and down, using his hand to aid him at the base. Olruggio thrashed in his grip, legs closing like a vice around Qifrey’s ears as he whispered Qifrey’s name like a mantra. 

“Qifrey… I’m going to —”

Olruggio tugged at the back of Qifrey’s head when words failed him, trying to tear him away from his own body in warning. But Qifrey couldn’t think of anything better than having his only love release his spend down his throat, and so he kept going. Determined, he tongued the underside of Olruggio’s cock like a starved man, only now chancing a glance up at the other. 

What a sight. 

Qifrey rutted his own length against the mattress. Olruggio’s tear stained cheeks shone under the wall torch’s light, his whining coming to a high as he gave up on trying to pull Qifrey off of him and resorted to pushing him further down his cock instead. It was almost enough for Qifrey to stain his skirt untouched.

But Olruggio was the first to tumble over the edge. With a broken moan, his spend shot down Qifrey’s throat with barely any warning. His legs briefly tightened around Qifrey’s head before losing strength and collapsing to his sides. When Qifrey didn’t pull away, Olruggio merely whined, the hand still tangled in those white locks tugging just hard enough for Qifrey to feel it through the haze. 

With a soft sound he freed Olruggio’s cock from the confines of his mouth and ran his tongue over his lips.

“Like I said,” Olruggio whispered, staring down at Qifrey through half-lidded eyes, “You must be acting on some personal vendetta you have against me.” 

Qifrey grinned, leaving the ghost of a kiss on the witch’s abdomen. He forced his arms beneath him and pushed himself up to a sitting position. 

“Olly?” 

Qifrey grazed the man’s leg with his fingers, idly moving them up and down its length as he bathed in the glow of Olruggio’s body panting beneath him. Beads of sweat had pooled in the hollow of his sternum, and Qifrey was tempted to bend back down and trail his tongue through them.

Olruggio merely hummed in reply. He rubbed a hand over his eyes and blinked, trying to fight back the drowsiness. When his gaze met Qifrey’s, he smiled. 

“I want to do more.” Qifrey whispered, the knot in his stomach tightening at the relaxed expression on Olruggio’s face. He hadn’t seen him so calm in a very long time.

“We can do that.” Olruggio replied with his own whisper, lifting one of his legs behind Qifrey’s back and pushing him down onto his body. 

Once they were nose to nose, Olruggio licked the corner of Qifrey’s lips and kissed him. Sharing the taste of his body between them was weird and erotic, and it wasn’t long before Qifrey’s hands were grasping at Olruggio’s chest again, who in return, dragged the pads of his fingers down Qifrey’s shoulders and back until he was gripping his still clothed hips and pulling them over his own. The movement made Qifrey moan into the man’s mouth, loud and unashamed of the hardness of his own cock trapped between them. 

“Should I…” Olruggio started, angling his head to kiss Qifrey deeper, “Should I turn around?” 

Qifrey hissed at the thought, pulling away just far enough to shake his head, “Goodness, no. I could never bear the thought of not looking at your face.” 

Olruggio chuckled, cupping Qifrey’s cheek in his palm, “A simple no would have sufficed, Qifrey”

“I think my reasoning was just as important as giving you an answer.” Qifrey huffed. 

Leaning in again, Olruggio kissed away the frustrated expression on his face and smiled, “Alright. Who am I to argue with such a charming witch anyway?”

“I’ll show you charming… and resourceful.” 

Out of Olruggio’s sight, Qifrey pulled his spell book out of his robes and flipped to one of the pages. When he brought his hand back into view, his fingers were coated in something that Olruggio could vaguely identify as oil.

“Did you practice this?” Olruggio asked, glancing between Qifrey and his hand with skepticism.

“Of course, I’ve had quite a lot of practice in fact.” Qifrey said, but when Olruggio raised his brow at him in question, he added, “In the kitchen. I’ve had practice in the kitchen.” 

Qifrey sat back on his heels, a whine almost tearing its way out of him as he left the warmth of Olruggio’s embrace. Looking back at Olruggio’s face to seek approval, Qifrey was stunned by the boyish look he was being given. It was shy and wide eyed, following his every movement as he positioned himself between Olruggio’s legs once more. Behind his best friend’s eyes he could almost read him supressing the desire to hide himself away from Qifrey and the world. It was endearing. Qifrey almost found himself giving up on his own desires, endulging in the innocence of sinking into Olruggio’s arms and finding each other in their dreams too. 

“Ready?” he breathed.

Olruggio nodded, fisting the sheets beneath him.

Qifrey tutted and angled his head, “Tell me if you’re ready.”

He nodded again and whispered, “Ready.” 

With a kiss to either knee, Qifrey lowered his hand between his legs. As he poked at the circle of muscle, Olruggio sharply breathed in.

"Relax, my dear." Qifrey hummed, fighting against the tighteness and slowly pushing a finger in.

Olruggio was tight and warm. The muscles clamping aroung Qifrey's finger barely gave way as the witch began pumping his finger in and out. It was an agonising pace, but one that Qifrey didn't plan on negotiating. He watched Olruggio squirm under his touch, turn his head right, then left, before pushing his chin up to the ceiling with a sigh. Qifrey could stay like this forever. Painfully hard, already leaking against his own stomach beneath the skirt he still hid behind, while Olruggio came undone on his fingers alone.

"…More." Olruggio whispered, trying to reach for Qifrey's arm once the single digit had began an effortless slide.

"Patience is a virtue." Qifrey reprimanded, but added a second finger anyway.

With his other hand he palmed the skin of Olruggio's thigh, committing every muscle to memory as he worked him loose. It took longer than expected, but by the time Qifrey was mentally begging for his own release, Olruggio's body could easily take three digits. Unwillingly, Qifrey let out a sigh of anticipation as he pulled his hand away, which contrasted deeply with the frustrated groan coming from the man lying on his back.

"Qifrey." Olruggio almost growled, the consonants of his name rolling against the base of his throat almost menacingly.

Qifrey didn't reply, much too occupied with peeling what was left of his clothing off his body and discarding it somewhere on the floor. When he turned back, Olruggio was staring. He could almost feel those ultramarine eyes graze his skin, fire burning hot behind them as Olruggio took in the curve of Qifrey's hip and the planes of his abdomen like he was the most stunning creature on their planet.

"Now who's staring." Qifrey quipped, almost embarrassed at the sudden turn in attention.

"You're a stunner." Olruggio replied, reaching out to grab the back of Qifrey's neck and pull him close.

Olruggio kissed him hard, as Qifrey fumbled to take his own cock in hand. The moment he touched himself, he almost came right on Olruggio's thigh, but the harsh grip he had on his base was enough to keep it at bay. For now.
The kiss turned sloppy, more a chaotic exchange of saliva than anything else, as Qifrey was much more interested in aligning himself with Olruggio's hole, and Olruggio was way too preoccupied folding himself into a cage around Qifrey's torso to care.

"As much as I enjoy your enthusiasm," Qifrey hissed, snaking a hand between them and pushing Olruggio down by the base of the neck, "I must ask you to stop moving so much if you want me to make love to you."

"Make love…" Olruggio parroted, dumbfounded.

"Yes, Olly." Qifrey coated the head of his cock with what was left of the oil and nudged Olruggio's entrance, eliciting a small sound of surprise from him, "What were you expecting me to call this? Fucking?"

It was rare for Qifrey to use such words, and by the look on Olruggio's face he could tell that it came as a surprise to him to.

"Everything I do for you is with love." Qifrey whispered, folding himself over Olruggio's body as he began to press in, "Now, tell me if this hurts. Alright, darling?"

Olruggio nodded frantically before throwing his arms around Qifrey's shoulders. As Qifrey inched in, his eyes shut tight and his body tensed up.

"Stop." Olruggio whispered, just below Qifrey's ear. The water witch instantly stilled.

"Are you ok?"

"Just… just give a man a second." Olruggio replied, blinking heavily before meeting Qifrey's gaze.

The laid like that for a while. Qifrey measuring his heartbeat against Olruggio's. Olruggio forcing his body to relax for the one man he could never live without. Though Qifrey struggled to keep still and not chase the desire to frantically pound into his best friend, he never moved. Instead, he occupied the time it took Olruggio to adjust by peppering his shoulder and neck with butterfly kisses.
How natural it felt to love Olruggio this way.

"You can move." Olruggio said, fingers scratching at Qifrey's nape to get his attention.

Qifrey nodded against his shoulder and took his time pulling out. Though Olruggio's face crumpled up, he gave no signs of discomfort, so Qifrey once again, pushed in. He could barely contain the moans bubbling up in the back of his throat as he set the pace, watching as Olruggio arched beneath him.
It was overwhelming, but only in the best way possible. Qifrey could barely think about what to do with his hands, shoving them in Olruggio's hair before moving them to his arms, then pushing them into the plush part of his abdomen. He wished he could touch him all at once, bathe in the searing heat that was emanating from his body while being as close together as humanly possible.

"My star," Qifrey said, an edge to his voice that he could disguise as a whimper, "You've always shone so bright."

Olruggio moaned, feeling every inch of Qifrey enter and leave him over and over again. Their legs were woven so tight together that in the dim light of the room he could barely make out who's limb belonged to who.

"But now you're truly shining at your brightest." Qifrey whispered in the shell of Olruggio's ear, snapping his hips a little harder, as if to make a point. It sent Olruggio's head flying back and hitting the pillows, tears brimming in his eyes once again as Qifrey buried himself deeper.

"I love you." Olruggio whispered back, grabbing Qifrey's face and pushing their lips together so hard their teeth knocked together. The words floated over Qifrey's body and covered him like a blanket of the warmest sunshine, pushing him closer to an edge he hadn't realised he was teetering over.

"Say it again." Qifrey begged, his elbows sinking into the bed beside Olruggio's head.

He was barely pulling out anymore, pushing his hips further and further into Olruggio's as if he could carve himself a new home and stay there forever. He opened his eye just enough to see Olruggio's tear stained face flush the brightest shade of pink, a smile splitting his cheeks with the same charm he had always carried.

"I love you, Qifrey." He repeated.

It was all it took.

Qifrey sank his teeth into Olruggio's shoulder, rutting against him desperately until he was coming deep inside. He kept going, a string of whimpers leaving his mouth as he pumped his own spend into Olruggio's hole over and over until the feeling became too overwhelming. When he finally stilled, he felt Olruggio's fingers swirling patterns into his back, the hair on his chest tickling the underside of his nose as Qifrey collapsed on top of him.

Every inch of him felt either wet or sticky, but for the first time, Qifrey didn't mind it one bit. He let himself sink deeper into Olruggio's arms, as the man also regained his breath, heart hammering under Qifrey's ear as a reminder that this was all very real. It sent a different kind of heat soaring through Qifrey's body, the type that had fresh tears pooling in his waterline as he nuzzled into the warmth beneath him.

Olruggio kissed the top of his head, breathing in the scent of herbs that they no doubt shared after spending hours in the kitchen. With a sigh, he wrapped his arms tighter around Qifrey's cooling body.

"I've loved you for a very long time. Did you know?" Qifrey whispered into Olruggio's skin.

A wet laugh sounded from above him, "Yeah, Qifrey. You might have mentioned something 'bout that earlier."

Qifrey slapped him gently across his shoulder, a small, airy laugh leaving him.

A beat of silence, then Olruggio asked, "Will you look at me?"

It took all the strength Qifrey had left to lift his head off Olruggio's chest and look him in the eye. The simmering fire in his gaze was still there, just milder, maybe a little more tame. All Qifrey could feel was deep rooted affection for the man smiling down at him.

"There's this thing called… binary stars." Olruggio states, wiping a stray hair from Qifrey's face.

"Are you giving me an astronomy lesson right after declaring yourself to me?" Qifrey asked, truly just hoping to annoy him a little.

"Shut up." Olruggio whispered, though his thumb didn't stop rubbing the apple of Qifrey's cheek.

"It's a two star system." Olruggio explained, "They're gravitationally bound and orbit each other."

It took a moment, but then it clicked. Qifrey blinked and the tears finally spilled.

"When we were kids, I always imagined us as such." Olruggio continued, "Even during the early days, when you still wanted nothing to do with me, we always found each other in the end. But you calling me your star now… it reminded me of when I first learned about them."

It took everything in Qifrey not to throw himself at the man all over again.

"I think you're right." Qifrey said, deciding on keeping his approach gentle, and leaning into Olruggio's space with care, "Though I must correct you. There has never been a day I have resented your presence. Even back then."

For the last time that night, Qifrey kissed Olruggio. Sweet and soft, merely a press of their lips, before hiding away in the crook of Olruggio's neck. The feeling lingered a little while longer, and Qifrey felt just the tiniest amount more loved.

As he breathed in the calm of Olruggio's studio, the haze in his mind began subsiding for good.

"Tomorrow… we'll talk?" Qifrey whispered into the darkness of the room. At some point, the torch on the wall had been snuffed out.

"Yes." Olruggio gently petted the back of Qifrey's head, "Tomorrow we'll talk. And then we'll kiss again."

Qifrey smiled as the exhaustion caught up with him.

He got to have a tomorrow with the man he loved. That was more than enough.

Tomorrow was good.