Cherubplay

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After giving him a tight hug, Gamzee pulled away to quickly get up and offer Tavros a hand up. He headed back out into the bedroom with him, wiping at his face with the backs of his hands. "That sounds nice Tav, I think I'd like that," he smiled, "let's wait for some wicked snacks." Before he sat on the bed again he bent a little and kissed Tavros's cheeks, hugging him tight again before settling on the edge of the second mattress.

Post-cry he felt much better, much less overwhelmed. After he washed his face in the bath he'd feel back to normal, or even better. It had been the difference from normal and something like regret that had gotten him crying, on top of all the stress from the journey so far. He didn't want to bog Tavros down with any potential pale feelings, figuring the brownblood thought more about those sorts of relationships and parameters than he did, so hadn't explained. When it got down to it he thought Karkat actually would understand better, and kind of wondered how he was taking it all in at that moment. But he was going to have a nice time with Tavros and didn't feel like passing that up.

2014-10-10 21:11:12
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He smiled wider, glad to see Gamzee feeling better. Gently, he cupped Gamzee's face and planted a sweet kiss to his lips, humming, "Brilliant. Some nice time to ourselves will be great."

Or so he hoped. Tavros was not entirely sure what to do about Gamzee, but he trusted that Karkat would know what to do. Uncertainty was the theme of the late afternoon, it seemed - he felt, still, pangs of worry beneath that uncertainty. What if Gamzee started to prefer Karkat over him? What if Gamzee decided to never open up to him because he invested so heavily in Karkat? Tavros figured he was being paranoid, a result of his own insecurities, as he feared the worst when it was incredibly unlikely. Room service arrived shortly, a sharp knock jolting Tavros from his thoughts, "Yes, coming!"

2014-10-10 21:58:28
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There was no way in hell that Gamzee would ever prefer anyone over Tavros. He was so heavily invested in their relationship he couldn't even think of such a thing. If things worked out between himself and Karkat he knew he'd feel more comfortable telling the mutant certain things that he thought would only make Tavros worry too much about him, but it wasn't like he wouldn't share anything with his matesprit.

The kiss had him humming happily, gazing fondly at the brownblood as the knock came at the door. He turned away from it, still uncomfortable with anyone seeing him so soon after crying, knowing it was bound to be obvious that he had from slightly puffy eyes and such. Figuring he could at least make himself useful he got up to start the bath, sure Tavros would get good snacks.

2014-10-10 22:20:02
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It did not take long for Tavros to take in a silver tray with lovely cheesecake slices and a small bottle of wine, as well as a pitcher of water and four glasses, two for wine and two for water. He set it on the desk inside the hotel room, calling to Gamzee after thanking the employee for the service, " 'Zee, you ought to see these cakes! They are so pretty and they smell heavenly," He beamed, trotting to him with excitement. "I have never seen slices of cake like, uh, these before."

"They gave us wine, too," He continued, leaning against the door frame as he thought, "Do you like wine, at all? I think I like champagne more, actually..."

2014-10-10 23:10:22
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When the bath was full and bubbly Gamzee stepped out to Tavros's side. Seeing him leaning on the door frame he bent and kissed his matesprit tenderly, standing straight after nuzzling their noses together.

"I do like wine, reds more than whites, I think, and sweeter ones... champagne is good too, the bubbles are fun," he smiled, looking over the tray that had been brought in. "Oh! These are cheesecake! Like I told you about before once... it's a sort of creamy dairy product, not really 'cheese' like how we think about it... though I'm not sure how they make that kind; it might be a similar process."

Gamzee picked up one of the cakes delicately, bringing it over to Tavros. "Here, love, try a bite! I think you'll probably like it." He hovered the cake in front of Tavros, intending to feed it to him sweetly. Gamzee smiled happily down at his matesprit, utterly fond of him and wanting to spoil him a little in thanks for being so supportive earlier.

2014-10-11 04:49:46
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"I am not sure what kind of wine they gave us, I gave it only a brief glance," The kiss had made him smile, and Tavros eagerly returned it, turning around to watch him curiously. Inwardly, he stored away the information about his inclinations to wine, hoping to use it at a later date.

"Cheesecake, huh?" He looked at the slice more closely now that it was in front of his mouth, going slightly cross-eyed for a tiny moment before taking a small bite. It was strawberry, and Tavros recognized the taste, his eyes lighting up as he chewed, "Oh, gosh, this is really good!" He gestured for Gamzee to take a bite, finishing his own with a giant grin, "I think this is my favorite dessert."

2014-10-11 19:33:05
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Taking a bite, Gamzee shared the rest of the morsel with Tavros before picking up the tray to take into the bath with them. "I suppose I'll have to start experimenting with the stuff then! All up and make chocolate, and berry types, and caramel. Maybe mix some...wonder if I could figure out a way to make it honey flavored... Tavros, you're better at this relationship knowing than me... do you think Karkat is flirtin' with Sollux? Or just likes to spoil him a little? Can't rightly tell, but he likes makin' honey based things so much, and I guess that's Sollux's favorite."

He set up the tray beside the bath on a small side stand, pouring them each a glass of wine delicately as he sat on the edge of the tub. It was a fruity white wine to pair with the cakes, and had a faint fizz to it from the latent carbon dioxide. Having a sudden thought, he got up and dug some candles out of his bag. He'd intended to use them if they needed at night, but hadn't ended up needing to. Setting a few on each of the end corners of the bath, the purple lit them before setting a couple more in safe but useful spots for lighting before flicking the lights off. Having set up accordingly, he took Tavros's hands gently as he rested their foreheads together to look in his mateprit's eyes. "Bath time, dearest?"

2014-10-11 19:49:10
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"If he truly is flirting, he will have to be more blatant than that," He murmured thoughtfully, "Sollux does not peg me as the type to give quadrants much thought. Well. Quadrants outside his pale one." Tavros didn't think that it was Sollux not caring about his quadrants, but between work and a strong distaste for most high bloods, the yellow had not paid romance much mind.

He had been pulling off of his dress when Gamzee took hold of his hands, the front of his dress slipping about his shoulders and chest as he purred deeply. "Mm hmm," Tavros hummed, kissing his lips sweetly before pulling back to take off the remainder of his clothing. "Even though we have not been together for very long, it feels as though we, uh, have been."

2014-10-11 20:06:51
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Gamzee started taking off his clothes, setting them neatly on the bed. "Well, we've been through a lot. I don't exactly think most couples go on a journey to fix a whole country when they first meet," he grinned. They'd been together nearly constantly since Tavros's arrival, too, so spent much more time together than would probably be expected of their relationship's duration.

After shedding his clothing, Gamzee followed Tavros into the bathroom, setting up the stand with their snacks close so it could be reached easily. He fussed a little over the placement and arrangement of the glasses, cakes, and candles in a desire to be more romantic. Eventually he slipped into the water after Tavros made himself comfortable there.

2014-10-11 20:20:53
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He soon sunk into the water, laughing, "That is a good point," The stress put on the both of them was enormous, but it did force Tavros to put more trust in Gamzee than he would have done if they met under normal circumstances. The hot water soon engulfed him, but he made an emphasis on keeping his arms and hands dry to ensure the cheesecake would not become soggy from bathwater.

"We arrived in Rial a couple days earlier than I thought we would," Tavros began somewhat suddenly, his fingers moving to take the ribbon from his hair, bangs falling into his face somewhat, "Which means we have a little while to sightsee and take care of any loose, uh, odds and ends here. We can take a look at the beach and perhaps venture into the forest a bit."

2014-10-11 20:54:53
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Adjusting in the water, Gamzee put an arm around Tavros in the bath. He figured he'd only really need one dry arm anyways and with his shoulder somewhat under Tavros as a sort of pillow it would be more comfortable rather than squashing each other into the sides of the bathtub.

"That'll be hella nice. Kinda want to wander in that forest a while, see what it's all up and like. Maybe we could have a picnic if we find a good spot, huh?" Picking up one wine glass he handed it to Tavros before picking up his own, holding his forward in a toast. "Here's to some fuckin' small peace and excellent company," he smiled, glancing at his love's face.

2014-10-11 21:05:25
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"Ah, a picnic sounds lovely!" He wondered, in the back of his thinkpan, if Gamzee would want to invite Karkat, too. Tavros enjoyed his company, and perhaps his matesprit could explore moiraillegiance with the mutant. "I hope spring comes soon. Everything will be so much livelier with, uh, the warmer seasons." As much as he loved cuddling up in Gamzee's sweaters, he was the outdoorsy kind of troll and would enjoy himself more if he got to go outside in shorts and boots and go hiking someplace.

Lifting his glass, he clinked it against his dearest's and sipped the drink inside, humming happily. It was moments like those that time felt as though it had stopped; the only thing that mattered was Gamzee and the gorgeous way he smiled.

2014-10-11 21:13:35
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After sipping the sweet wine, the purple set his glass down on the flat outside edge of the tub. He picked up another of the small pieces of cheesecake, trying to decide what flavor it was by sight and faint aroma. "...I think it's hazelnut," he muttered with a little frown of concentration. Soon he smiled again, kissing Tavros's cheek as he offered to feed him bites of the snack. Gamzee loved the little moments like this with Tavros. It made him feel so loved to just sit together like this. He also kind of liked feeding the copperblood, as his reactions to sweets were just too adorable to even begin describing.

2014-10-11 21:27:35
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Before then, Tavros had never given much inspection to Gamzee's body. As he chewed on the cheesecake, he looked him over, not with lustful intent but curiosity and with a mild glint of artistic inquiry. He noticed scars and, innocently, he trailed over a couple with the pad of an index finger, a questioning noise sounding in the back of his throat.

Chewing and swallowing, he asked, "How did you get these?" Realizing that that may have been insensitive, he flushed brown on his cheeks and apologized, "Sorry, that was a little rude."

2014-10-12 00:17:23
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"Nah, figured you'd get around to askin' eventually," Gamzee mumbled after he finished his bite of cake. "Uh, motherfuckers just aren't all that nice back in Tulgey. Police went super easy on me when I was with you." His tone was as if these were just the facts of life, and there wasn't much sadness in his voice. Gamzee had mostly gotten over the abuses a while ago, and his emotional release less than an hour before that had helped with any remaining bad feelings. He didn't feel like detailing the scars to Tavros if he didn't need to, though, unsure he remembered all of them anyway.

2014-10-12 16:29:35
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Taking a sip of wine, Tavros nestled his cheek against Gamzee's shoulder, lips puckered slightly from the action before he kissed his chest sweetly. He did not, exactly, feel sorry for him, not in the way that he thought - he pitied Gamzee, surely, but it was not directly tied to the injustices done to him. If Gamzee was alright, then Tavros was, too.

"I see," He murmured after a few moments, then added, "I think it adds character." Some strength had built back into Tavros's voice, and he smiled up at his matesprit, "They are reminders that you still, ultimately, triumphed. That counts for something, right?" Gamzee was still beautiful to him, scars or not, and he kissed a couple of them before sitting up to nuzzle his nose with his own, "I love you so much."

2014-10-12 17:03:50
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His words and the affection had Gamzee purring and smiling. Nuzzling in returned, he quickly dipped his head to plant a kiss to the brownblood's lips. "I love you, too. More than anything, Tavros." And he did mean that. The only thing he could compare to that depth was his love for the Tulgey Woods, his home for almost as long as he could remember. It had been his safe haven for so long, it felt like more than just a place to him, like it had a mind of it's own and had been protecting him. Sometimes he'd liked to imagine, as a child, that it was his mother's spirit watching over him. That feeling of love hadn't been forgotten as he'd gotten older, and it did seem like a magical place sometimes with how colorful it could be.

Leaning back, Gamzee sipped his own wine before setting it down again. With a smile, he looked over at Tavros lovingly, "More cake? Or maybe you'd like a kiss instead?"

2014-10-12 17:27:40
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"I cannot eat anymore cake," He admitted with a laugh, "Surprising, huh? Between the cheesecake and the wine, it is kind of a lot," Tavros nuzzled his cheek against his shoulder, purring like a content cat as he did so, "What do you want to do tomorrow? Sight see?" It would be nice to see how different Rial was from Undlegire or Starnette or Tulgey City. He had never traveled so much in his life, never seen such varying cultures and architecture. It was fascinating, something he never would have imagined if he was still in Alternia.

"Let's see the ocean!" Tavros grinned, "You wanna?"

2014-10-13 16:57:05
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"Yeah! That'll be fun. We can see if they have any of those cool star critters here. We can make a day of lookin' around at stuff and checkin' this place out." Gamzee was quite excited to see how the rest of Rial was, and how they organized their shops and town. It seemed more open and natural to him, more in touch with the surrounding wilder areas.

He also wanted to find any bakery or coffee shop in town, and talk to them about his potential plans for raising money for Sollux's project. Gamzee didn't want to intrude or be an inconvenience to anyone in the town, so he felt the need to ask before he just went ahead and started. He'd need a place to set up anyway.

Gamzee returned the purrs, nuzzling the top of Tavros's head and placing small kisses in his hair.

2014-10-13 17:22:36
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Tavros hummed softly at the kisses to his hair, looking up at Gamzee sweetly as he shifted slightly in the hot water, "But do you really think Karkat is flirting with Sollux?" The thought was foreign, and for good reason; Karkat did not strike him as the kind of troll to willingly seek out a romantic relationship, but perhaps that was what made them perfect for each other.

"I mean, you and Karkat are closer than he and I are," He mused, "I suppose you would, uh, have a better idea than me." Frankly, it was exciting to think the grumpiest members of their group would venture together romantically. "And they would not have to worry about Sollux's moirail having issues with his matesprit; Kanaya and Karkat get along, fairly well."

2014-10-14 22:01:48
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"Hmm, well, I think if he is he doesn't even know it himself... Like, maybe he wants to in the back of his head but he doesn't know how so he just spoils Sollux with his favorites instead. Like that curry he made even had the beef in it and I think Kanaya told me that Sollux really likes beef. And obviously the honey, and even the blueberries. But maybe he's just bein' appreciative?" Gamzee thought out loud.

"I just thought it was kinda funny how he did that, like how I'm plannin' all these chocolate things in my noggin for you. 'Cause Karkat don't seem to mind much what anyone else is particular about, besides for makin' up Kanaya's tea on occasion." He did get along with Kanaya well, probably best out of any of them, but maybe just because they had had more chances to chat.

2014-10-14 22:37:12
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Letting out some thoughtful noises, Tavros considered the evidence presented and had to admit, it did sound like there was a big difference between Karkat showing Kanaya appreciation via tea and showering Sollux in affection that neither male knew existed. The idea that Karkat didn't exactly know how to express newfound feelings was cute, in Tavros's opinion - some further investigation at some point was probably needed, though.

"Not once did my mind stray in that direction, but I can understand why you would think so; it only makes proper sense, after all," Karkat probably didn't have a good idea as to how romance worked after basically raising himself in a tunnel with pisspoor quality novels, "It is not like Karkat, uh, has any concrete concept as to how matespritship works. Well. Realistic matespritship."

2014-10-15 01:49:55
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"Heheh, those novels, that's right! I think he thinks they were garbage. Otherwise he probably would have just done some weird shit like they do." Gamzee giggled lightly at the prospect of some cheesy romantic thing happening. Though the aftermath would probably be quite embarrassing for the parties involved. "I think he'll be okay. After all, I didn't have much know how with that either, and I seem to have done alright." He nuzzled Tavros a little after his comment, face turning contemplative. "Least I hope I have."

Gamzee wondered absently if it was okay if he cuddled Tavros closer while they were naked in the bath, or if that would be too much for their relationship right now. It was one of the times he had no idea what was okay, and he didn't like it. He thought back to the massage incident, and figured from that experience that his front pressed against Tavros wasn't appropriate when naked, no matter if things were out or not. So he sighed and gave up the cuddling idea until they were clothed.

2014-10-15 02:05:22
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"Of course, doll," Tavros smiled brightly, returning the nuzzle with one of his own, "You are doing more than alright, if you are asking me. I could not have asked for a better, uh, matesprit."

The brownblood did not care what kind of position they were in; they could have been right on top of each other, or Tavros could have been straddling Gamzee right around his waist or any manner of close contact. So long as they had been clothed. Tavros did not mind physical contact, to an extent, when they were devoid of clothing, and the implications of being closer were not lost on him.

Meanwhile, Vriska was hurriedly counting money and stashing it away in a cloth pouch, feeling anticipation tug at her. They had a few hours until dinner with Gamzee's grandmother, and she intended to use that time wisely. Namely, she wanted to check out taverns and the ocean, and check what their coffee selections were like. It was to her understanding that violets and Westerners took more to coffee than to tea, and while she did like coffee, she did not know as much about it as she did tea.

2014-10-15 22:18:25
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Tavros's compliment had Gamzee grinning brightly and hugging his shoulders with the one arm around them. "I'm glad. You're the best, too." With his other hand he delicately lifted Tavros's chin, bending his neck to press their lips together tenderly. It was just a small one, but he hoped it expressed how he loved him, and moving from his chin upwards he caressed the brownblood's cheek as they parted.

Eridan was busy getting ready to go out too, excited to see the city. And of course go swimming. After packing up a little money to take along, and changing into seadwelling clothing, Eridan put some of his other things away in their shared room. When he was finished, he sat happily on one of the mattresses and watched Vriska, set and ready to go whenever she was.

In the third room, Karkat had become quiet and contemplative. He'd been alright for the most part when they had first arrived, but now in the relative quiet of the hotel his mind was scrambling. Almost completely silent he sat and gazed out the window, just looking out and trying to take everything in.

2014-10-15 22:30:56