Silver and Gold - 14. Chapter 14

In the morning Silver hazily registered Feldspar getting up and the sound of the shower. As he slowly regained consciousness, he basked in how peaceful he felt. Feldspar loved him. Really loved him. Nothing good take away the pleasant glow of happiness that filled him when he thought about the golden faery.

He knew he needed to get up. Brody’s things needed to be sorted and cleaned out from the other side of their shared room. He would have to talk to Yago soon about continuing to rent his room and whether they needed a third roommate to cover expenses when Silver was staying in the Wood. It would probably be smart to check in with some restaurant contacts while he was in the human realm, too.

He stretched and pulled the covers over his head, blocking out the early morning light. A few more minutes wouldn’t hurt anyone.

Some time later Feldspar reentered the room, interrupting Silver’s half doze. Silver dragged himself out of bed with a groan. He wanted to complain that a faery who’d spent his entire existence as a fighter should probably have better stealth skills, but talking sounded like too much work. Instead he shuffled off for a much needed shower, opening his eyelids only enough to save himself from walking into a wall.

When he came back, finally fully awake, he noticed that Feldspar had placed a jar of oil conspicuously on the floor next to the bed. His lower half reacted immediately and all thoughts of Feldspar’s earlier noisiness and the day’s worries fled. Feldspar was lounging naked on top of the covers, bathed in bright morning light that accentuated the warm, golden glow of his skin and hair. His hair was damp and messy, begging for someone to run their hands through it. He had one leg bent up at the knee and he was smiling faintly as he shuffled through a stack of photos in his lap.

Silver’s mouth went dry as he took in the perfect faery in front of him. Feldspar was all his. He stalked over to the bed, dropping his towel heedlessly. Feldspar looked up and smiled when he saw the look of hunger on Silver’s face. Silver took the photos from Feldspar’s hands — younger versions of himself, Brody, Yago, Arnau and their crew — and placed them on the floor. He climbed into Feldspar’s lap, rubbing against Feldspar’s crotch a bit more than strictly necessary.

“Good morning, love” Feldspar said. He wrapped his arms around Silver’s waist and smiled at him.

Silver wrapped both hands around the back of Feldspar’s head and leaned close. His breath caressed Feldspar’s lips. “I need to take you.” His tongue flicked Feldspar’s bottom lip. “Can I?”

Feldspar shuddered and Silver claimed his lips in an all-consuming kiss. Silver felt him surrender completely as he pulled him close with a rough grip in his hair. He could feel the evidence of Feldspar’s arousal against his backside and in the desperate little noises that were starting to pour from his lips. Silver rocked in Feldspar’s lap and pulled his hair again as he kissed him, smiling in satisfaction as Feldspar moaned loudly. He drew away, enjoying the dazed look on Feldspar’s face as he desperately tried to catch his breath.

“Can I?” Silver prompted again. He loved that his touch made Feldspar stupid with need.

Feldspar stared at him blankly, clearly having lost track of the question. When Silver persisted in waiting for an answer, Feldspar nodded furiously and chased Silver’s lips for another kiss. Silver grinned and jerked back, refusing the kiss so he could take a moment to appreciate the gift Feldspar was. He was looking at Silver like he was everything, like no matter what Silver asked of him the answer would always be yes, because Silver owned him body and soul. Silver pushed him down to lie flat on the bed. He settled himself directly on Feldspar’s hard length and the pressure without friction drove Feldspar wild as Silver stroked feather light fingers over his chest.

He leaned down and took one of Feldspar’s nipples in his mouth, licking and worrying it into a hard peak. Feldspar moaned and arched up into the contact, shifting side to side trying to get Silver to give his other nipple the same treatment. Silver lifted his head to grin evilly at Feldspar then pinched his other nipple viciously. Feldspar gasped, his expression caught between a wince and delight at the exquisite, confusing mix of sensations.

Silver slid the rest of the way down his body, taking time to worship every inch of skin on the way. He loved the way Feldspar’s cock twitched as his breath caressed it. Feldspar’s legs tensed and his breath caught when Silver licked his up his inner thigh. He took each ball into his mouth, luxuriating in the breathy sounds of appreciation coming from his lover. Silver lost himself in mindless enjoyment of Feldspar’s body, every gasp and twitch driving him onward.

“Silver, please!”

Silver smiled and licked once from the underside of his balls up to the tip of his cock. He paused, his tongue just resting on the very tip, grinning wickedly up at Feldspar.

Feldspar thrust his hips and groaned in frustration. Silver evaded him. Silver licked back down the silky shaft, nuzzled Feldspar’s balls out of the way, and swiped his tongue over his hole. Feldspar cried out in pleasure, moving his legs to give Silver more space.

Feldspar was writhing and needy within minutes. Hearing his unintelligible begging and deep moans of pleasure spurred Silver to sink his tongue deep into him. Feldspar cried out and fisted the sheets.

“Stop! Don’t want to come yet.”

Silver drew back, admiring the way Feldspar panted and twitched beneath him. “You won’t.”

Feldspar groaned in frustration. Silver’s tone had clearly been an order, not a prediction.

“Did you put that oil by the bed this morning?”

“Wha….?”

“The oil. You put it where I would see it, didn’t you?”

Feldspar started to answer but his words were lost in a moan when Silver cut him off with a sloppy kiss to the sensitive area.

“You were also the one who sat there, completely naked, acting innocent.”

“Mmmm…. Did I?”

“So you’re going to take everything I give you, in the order I give it to you, like the good boy you are.”

Feldspar sighed, his body going boneless at Silver’s words. Silver smiled and resumed licking. He alternated sliding a finger and his tongue inside, losing himself in the joy of pleasuring Feldspar. When Feldspar took his fingers easily he slid up and swallowed his cock down, enjoying Feldspar’s panicked cry. He loved the way he could feel Feldspar struggling. He strained up into Silver’s mouth, chasing the heat there, and seconds later slowed himself, obviously trying to last.

Silver reached for the oil with his other hand. He coated his fingers anew, lifted off of Feldspar’s cock with a pop and sat up on his heels. He waited for Feldspar to open his eyes, confused by the abrupt change of pace, and then he reached behind himself. His eye lids fluttered as he pushed his fingers into himself.

“Oh,” Feldspar whispered, his eyes wide as he watched Silver work himself open with fast, desperate fingers. “That’s beautiful.”

Silver’s cheeks were flushed and he was only able to open his eyes to slits in acknowledgement. Feldspar flipped over and took Silver’s cock into his mouth, licking and suckling it gently. Silver’s moans raised an octave in pitch.

Silver pushed him back onto his back and crawled over him. Without a word he mounted Feldspar, pausing with his cock just brushing his entrance. Feldspar met his eyes and they stared, breathing in time with each other. Silver lowered himself gently onto Feldspar, straining to keep his eyes open despite the fullness and pleasure flooding his senses.

“I love you, Feldspar.”

“Love. You. Too,” Feldspar panted as he focused on staying still while Silver engulfed him. It was so hot, so tight. So… unexpected. “You said… you… were going… to take… me,” he said between breaths.

“I am.”

“But… you prepped me.”

“Fuck —“ Silver’s eyelids fluttered shut as he sank down another inch, brushing against his prostate. “Guess I’m a greedy bastard.”

Feldspar started to laugh but Silver sank all the way down, taking him to the hilt. Feldspar cried out and grabbed Silver’s hips. He sat up and kissed Silver desperately, hissing between kisses as Silver set a sedate pace. Silver was moaning and clawing at his back, his hips undulating to get the perfect angle with every thrust.

“Harder. My pace.” Silver demanded, slamming his hips down onto Feldspar. Feldspar gritted his teeth and thrust up into Silver, resisting the primal urge to speed up. He timed his thrusts to Silver’s, angling himself so that each thrust rubbed against Silver’s spot. “Oh fuck,” Silver breathed, letting his head fall back as Feldspar continued to ream him with carefully controlled thrusts.

Feldspar was barely holding onto his self-control. He squeezed his eyes shut. The sight of Silver’s flushed, rapturous face was threatening to send him over the edge. Only his desire to give Silver more, to give him everything he wanted, kept him from flipping Silver onto his back and unloading into him. He kept the pace steady, focusing all his attention on the signals Silver was giving him.

The way Silver commanded his body Feldspar was helpless to resist. His lover took the desperate, hot maelstrom of feelings within him and spun them into an ever-building wave that stretched higher and higher. Each time Feldspar feared the wave would crash over him, Silver shifted his hips slightly or slowed the pace just enough to keep him in check. Feldspar wanted to beg for mercy but somehow he knew that Silver was just as much a slave to the sensations they were building between them as he was.

The wave built slowly and crashed all at once. Silver screamed and coated Feldspar’s stomach with his release. The sound was primal, almost tortured. Silver’s dull nails dug into Feldspar’s back with the force of his orgasm, the pain yanking Feldspar away from his own peak. He gasped and stilled, enduring the excruciating pleasure of Silver’s body quivering and shuddering around him as his own completion lingered just out of reach.

Silver shivered and tipped his head forward toward Feldspar. Feldspar brushed kisses over Silver’s eyelids, easing him down from his pinnacle. Silver’s ragged breathing slowed and evened out. Eventually he opened his eyes and found Feldspar’s.

“Feldspar?” he said, his voice hoarse. Silver’s soul was laid bare before him. He looked overwhelmed, dazed, vulnerable, and elated all at once. Feldspar waited for him to finish his thought and when it was clear Silver wasn’t going to be able to martial words into coherent sentences he kissed Silver softly, comfortingly.

His kisses were meant to soothe, to ease Silver down from the intensity of what they’d just done. Before long they gained heat, and Silver was starting to move against him again. He lifted off of Feldspar and pushed him onto his hands and knees. This time the pace of his fingers opening Feldspar up was brutal. Feldspar was a keening wreck by the time Silver was three fingers deep.

“Silver! Now,” he panted between breaths when he couldn’t take it anymore.

Silver held Feldspar’s hips and coated himself liberally with oil before carefully working himself in. Neither of them had patience for slow love making. Feldspar slammed his hips backward with each of Silver’s thrusts, ensuring Silver slid all the way home every time. Silver snaked a hand around to Feldspar’s cock, and gave him every bit of friction he asked for. He didn’t hold a single sensation back from Feldspar, driving him relentlessly toward his end.

Feldspar’s orgasm ripped through him, the force of the maelstrom within him exploding from the ties that had bound it. When he was finished Silver withdrew gently and collapsed next to him, holding his arm out for Feldspar to burrow in.

For a long time they laid there, breathing together. There was nothing to say in the face of what they’d experienced in each other. The sun moved across the room through the window. The sounds of Yago moving around the common area followed by him leaving the flat filtered through their door, unimportant and meaningless to both the faeries.

Feldspar stroked the side of Silver’s face. Silver’s grey eyes sparkled with uncontrollable joy that shone like starlight. Feldspar had always thought starlight would be cold, but Silver’s eyes burned with love, warm as summer sunshine.

“Spend the day with me,” he said, wanting to keep that warmth with him as long as possible.

Silver frowned, considering. Feldspar waited, content to do whatever Silver felt he needed to do. He knew Silver had responsibilities to tend to, much as he hoped he could distract him all day from them. Eventually Silver nodded. “Okay, one day off,” he mumbled as he closed his eyes. “Twenty minute cat nap and then I’m taking you out.”

******

Silver had said that the Lourve wouldn’t be too crowded on a random Tuesday in the winter when few tourists were visiting Paris. Feldspar disagreed with his definition of crowded. He’d taken one look at the throng of humans in front of the Mona Lisa and had pulled Silver right past it.

The museum’s soaring architecture was beautiful, its rooms adorned with intricate filigree and lovingly carved trim so ornate that Feldspar frequently paused to stare in wonder. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Silver whispered as Feldspar stared slack jawed at an enormous great hall, every inch of which was covered in gold leaf and murals.

“Can you imagine living here, though?” Feldspar waved the brochure that detailed the enormous palace’s former life as a residence for human royalty. Mal might be the closest thing he had to royalty in his life, but he could never imagine Mal being comfortable in a home so steeped in artificial opulence as the Louvre.

Silver grinned. “There’s some good banisters for sliding down. I bet if there was a kitchen it’d be amazing, but also too fancy to get dirty.”

“I think I prefer living in the trees. A fifteen minute walk from my bedroom to the outdoors seems a bit much.”

“Sure, but think of how many rooms we’d get to christen.”

Feldspar snickered. “Stars I don’t think I could take that. There must be a hundred rooms in this place at least. Besides, there’s nothing better than getting fucked right out in the open under the stars.”

Silver gasped and shushed Feldspar as one of the human museum goers looked up sharply, having heard their conversation. Feldspar chuckled at Silver’s red face, which got Silver going too, until both of them were struggling to hold in their laughter.

“You’re totally right. There’s perfection in nature that humans could never improve upon,” Silver whispered when he’d finally gotten control of himself again. He cocked his head as if thinking hard. “Well, plumbing and heat are pretty amazing actually. And kitchens. Yeah. Okay, so I like a few modern conveniences. I don’t know, I need both.”

“You are a bit of a city boy, aren’t you? Well let’s get on with my cultural education. You said this was a must-see. Let’s see it.”

They moved on through the museum, each at his own pace but never too far apart. As they entered a gallery of historical paintings Feldspar found himself suddenly rooted in front of an enormous painting of a battle scene. Spanning an entire wall of the gallery, the horrifically realistic painting was a tornado of black, brown and red. Faeries and humans battled each other with sword and cannon fire, sprays of magical fire and lightning. Wild-eyed horses charged into battle, some impaled, others rearing up. In the very center of the battle a faery stood, illuminated by a shaft of sunlight from the heavens. His sword was raised in fury against the humans that surrounded him on all sides. Blood dripped from his brow and a wound in his side but his face showed only grim determination.

Silver had wandered ahead, and had to retrace his steps to find Feldspar when he realized they weren’t together anymore. He brushed against Feldspar’s side in greeting. Feldspar stared wide-eyed at the painting, unable to tear his eyes away even to acknowledge Silver’s presence.

“It’s Mal,” he said, pointing at the central figure.

Silver did a double take at the painting. The faery was rendered in life-like precision. He was blond and round-faced, nothing like Mal’s jet black hair and chiseled face. He glanced at the plaque next to the painting. It depicted a battle that had taken place in ancient Greece and had been painted over two hundred years before. “It’s Mal?”

Feldspar gave him an exasperated glance. “Not literally. Obviously.”

“Is this what it was like for you guys before you found the Wood?”

Feldspar shook his head and then nodded hesitantly. “It’s how it felt. That’s exactly how Mal looked when I was made. Determination against impossible odds. Every human he took was replaced before he could even catch his breath. Then, a miracle: from all those lives I was made. Created to fight, to protect. I remember seeing him. Our eyes met across that battlefield and we recognized each other immediately. It was like being struck by lightning, and I just knew I would be with him for the rest of my life. Not ‘with him’ with him, but as friends. Brothers.

“Humans were swarming him and he was barely able to defend himself. There were just too many and he was alone. A sword appeared in my hand — I can still do that. It’s one of the only impressive things I do, making my sword appear from nowhere. I cut my way across that battlefield. It was like a dream, or a dance. Just moving through the throng: parry, thrust, kill, parry, thrust, kill. I didn’t count them, I didn’t even really see them. All I saw was him. By the time I got to him a human had his sword raised to strike a killing blow. There was no way Mal was going to get his sword up in time to block.

“Anyway, you know how it ended. I saved him and he saved me, and we just kept doing that until reinforcements arrived.”

Silver leaned against him, absorbing the story silently as they stared at the painting. Feldspar stole a glance at Silver, suddenly feeling naked. Hardly anyone knew the story of his making. It made him feel too many things to name to share it, but as Silver pressed against him, his uncertainty faded away, replaced by relief. “Thanks,” he said, a bit uncertainly.

“For what?”

“For being my reinforcements. For backing me up, and telling me to expect better from Mal.” Feldspar chewed his cheek and looked back at the painting. “I was just standing here, thinking about him and everything we’ve gone through together. Thinking about how you came into my life and helped me to finally see that he and I were never meant to be together like that. It used to hurt too much to think about him, to be around him, to pretend that everything was okay when it wasn’t. Since you came into my life it doesn’t hurt anymore. You give me so much more than he ever could and I’m so happy. But —“ he took a deep breath, suddenly nervous. Silver gave him an encouraging nod. “I really miss him. We were always better as brothers than lovers. I miss that. I want it back.”

“Babe…” Silver slid his arm around Feldspar’s shoulders. “I’m pretty sure you’ll get it back. I get the feeling his pride gets in the way sometimes, but you’re just as important to him as he is to you.”

Feldspar nodded, his throat suddenly tight with emotion. He didn’t trust his voice for several minutes as they continued to stare at the grotesque painting.

“How can an artist make something so beautiful out of horrors like these?” Feldspar mused when he could finally manage to speak. He drew near to the painting, his face twisted and his voice thick with emotion. “Look at the colors here, how vivid and life-like. It must have taken years to paint all this. Years of deciding the exact expression a faery makes when his life’s blood is running out.” He pointed to a faery being impaled by a bayonet, his face frozen in terror and rage.

“They can’t replicate the smell of battle. Or for that matter, the sounds,” Feldspar said dryly. “Thank the stars for that, Sil.”

“Let’s move on,” Silver said. “I think I’m done with realism for now.”

“Me too, love. Me too.”

Feldspar was content to let Silver lead him at an accelerated pace through several galleries. He didn’t feel the need to linger over paintings of faery wars and vampire hunts. The human museum goers lingered and Feldspar caught snatches of murmured conversation as they wove their way from one gallery to the next. Commentary on historical significance, artistic muses, brushwork, color composition blended together, all coalescing into one thought: to the humans, even those in Europe, the death of his people and others like them was a distant, abstract thing.

By the time Silver had led him outside to the park outside the museum Feldspar recognized the strange feeling of longing and love that had been plaguing him all afternoon for what it was. He was homesick for his own kind. Homesick for his friends and the Wood.

Silver’s pace slowed once the din of the museum faded into the background. It was cold and grey, and few people were strolling through the paths lined by bare-branched trees. Feldspar lifted his eyes to the tree line and imagined he was home among his own kind. The ground beneath his feet was too hard and even to give the illusion of walking through the woods. The air was too sharp and smelled of humans and machinery. The constant hum of traffic and distant sirens rankled his senses.

And yet. Silver’s hand in his was warm and the brush of their shoulders as they walked was comforting. Suddenly he found the unfamiliar sensations assaulting his senses faded to the background. With Silver, anywhere felt like home. He caught Silver’s eye, and whatever Silver saw in his expression made him smile.

They walked hand-in-hand as Silver began telling Feldspar about the Christmas market that had been set up in the park the year before, and the fantastic hot chocolate he’d bought there but had never been able to replicate. Silver was lost in the description of its spices and what combination of milk and cream could have produced its exact flavor profile. His grey eyes were shining, his breath came out in wisps of grey, and his Silver haired shone brilliantly against the winter landscape around them. Feldspar thought it was funny how his world was nothing but grays and silvers, and yet felt so full of color.

Feldspar found himself hoping the next time Christmas came, he could bring Silver back. Maybe the two of them could figure out the recipe together. If not, licking whipped cream from his lips would be worth the trip.

“I like this one.” Feldspar pointed to a sculpture they were approaching. It depicted two nude figures entwined in a passionate kiss.

“Perv.” Silver poked him in the ribs and laughed. “I like it too. He did a whole series of fae creatures, you know. We could go see them at the Musée Rodin tomorrow if you want.”

“Are they good?”

“They’re amazing. Rumor has it that he had a faery lover. At the time it wasn’t strictly legal and would have been quite the scandal, but he still referred to her as his muse openly. He also put on salons featuring fae artists. Tons of the famous human artists were opened-minded about the fae. Artists played a big role in ensuring the peaceful integration of humans and magical species here.”

“Huh.” Feldspar glanced around the garden again. It was almost painful to think that had there been something so banal as better artists in his homeland, they could have had this. He wondered what Mal would think of that idea. It was not a strategy he, Gneiss or Mal ever would have considered. “Art did that?”

“Yeah. Wild, right?”

Feldspar nodded, lost in thought. “The European fae didn’t win with strength, but with cunning. They won the hearts of the humans?”

“You could put it that way. From what I understand it’s still a very deliberate effort. Yago has the best wine shop in the continent, and it’s no mistake he’s located in the wine capital of the world. Going to Yago’s shop is an elevated experience, something no human shop could replicate. Liam is a stone-cold predator, but the humans tolerate him because he takes pains to conspicuously supply not only the best cuts of meat to humans, but a steady supply of non-human blood to his kind. There are fae movie stars and singers, the best clubs in town are fae-owned. Arnau has even said that having so many of us as clients raised the profile of his shop. People see it as a mark of good taste that so many fae patronize him. We’re still a minority in Europe, but we’re visible and we’re… fun, I guess. Humans like us, in general.”

Feldspar’s eyes stung. He couldn’t count the number of faeries he’d fought alongside who were nothing but a memory now. So much potential, all gone. He, Mal and Gneiss had fought so hard and had saved only a tiny remnant of their people. The idea that they could have won under different circumstances made him feel sick.

Silver saw the look on his face and frowned in concern. Feldspar swiped a hand across his eyes quickly. The past was past. He needed to turn his thoughts to the future. “Do you think it would be possible to do the same in America?”

Silver lifted an eyebrow. “Yeah, I mean, if someone with enough connections started making introductions to people who matter. If humans with influence got behind whatever the Lord and Lady’s plan is for disclosing the Wood’s presence to the Americans, it would probably help a lot.”

Feldspar took in the garden around them. Lovers strolling hand-in-hand, businesspeople talking on their phones, office workers wearing skirt suits and walking shoes eating their lunch. Humans, faeries, fauns. There had been wars here once, and the echoes of those continued to the present day. The gallery had been evidence enough of that.

But there was peace, too. It felt like the answer to a question he, Gneiss and Mal had put on hold for far too long after they’d retreated to the safety of the Wood.