Chapter Text
"What the fuck is happening here?" Coën splutters when he enters the library. He's been looking for the Wolves for half an hour now, wanting to know if they'd be up for sharing a cup of mulled wine over a game of dice and isn't expecting the sight that greets him in the library.
Lambert has set up an easel with a proper canvas in the middle of the library, is for an unfathomable reason wearing a beret and is chewing the end of a paintbrush as he sketches the outlines of two naked cuddling bodies with a pencil.
Aiden is laid out in front of him, naked in a nest of furs and blankets under the library's window and grinning. He's being spooned by a training dummy and is touching himself, sighing softly and arching off his makeshift nest from time to time. Lambert can't keep his eyes off him, looks at him over his easel every few seconds and a permanent blush is adorning his cheeks.
Coën shakes his head and gazes at the third occupant of the room. Eskel is sitting on an armchair in a corner of the library looking horny but also amused. His eyes are twinkling, his lips are pressed together to contain his grin and he's gripping the chair's armrests tightly, probably to keep his hands off his straining cock. Coën doesn't know what is happening here and he wonders if he wouldn't be better off turning back around and going to look for Geralt and Vesemir.
"Will you close the damn door already," Lambert suddenly snaps at him. The Wolf throws a quick glare at Coën over his shoulder, stabs his pencil onto his canvas and then lets out a loud curse. Aiden shivers, Eskel muffles a laugh and the door falls close behind Coën.
"So... What is happening here?"
"I'm painting ," Lambert growls, exasperation clear in his voice as if the situation didn't warrant an explanation.
"And I'm posing ," Aiden grins smugly.
Coën sighs and turns to Eskel who mouths I'm watching back at him. Things do not appear any clearer to Coën.
“I don't want you hovering behind my shoulder while I work,” Lambert then bites out, “So are you taking a seat or leaving?"
"Is that allowed?" Coën wonders, bewildered.
"Leaving? Yes. It's even preferable."
"Lambert," Aiden chides his partner, "Be nice."
"Am being nice," Lambert mumbles, flips Coën off behind his back and then sighs, "Aiden... Stop moving, dammit!"
"The straw's tickling me," Aiden whines and petulantly kicks the training dummy spooning him, "Can I get rid of it?"
"I'm not done with the sketch."
" Laaaaambeeeert."
"What are you even doing with that poor training dummy ?" Coën asks.
Eskel lets out a quiet chuckle and Lambert raises his arms to the ceiling, whirls around and points an imperious finger at him.
"Out! Out if you can't keep your mouth shut!"
Aiden takes advantage of Lambert’s distraction to quietly throws the training dummy out of the window and Eskel finally loses his composure and laughs out loud. By the time Lambert whirls back around, Aiden is casually lying down in his nest of blankets again and grinning like the cat that got the cream as he slowly strokes himself. Lambert immediately stalks towards Aiden and starts to bicker with him and Coën casually slinks closer to Eskel.
"What the fuck is going on here, Eskel?" Coën murmurs.
"Aiden wanted to pose for Lambert," Eskel answers just as quietly.
Coën blinks, looks back at Aiden and Lambert who're now kissing and still doesn't find any sense to the situation.
"... And the training dummy?"
"Was representing Lambert. He's supposed to draw the both of them together but he can't pose and paint at the same time and he still wanted a reference for his preparatory sketch."
"Alright, that's... odd," Coën mumbles, confused, "Why must Aiden be naked?"
"Verisimilitude," Eskel grins and Coën rolls his eyes.
"And why can't they take their painting session to Lambert's room?"
"Because my room is supposedly a dark and cramped cupboard," Lambert hisses and glares at Aiden.
"A dark, cramped, warm and overall lovely cupboard," Aiden says, "Don't change what I said.”
“That is not...”
“And you agreed that the light was better here anyway.”
Lambert huffs and Coën watches, amazed, as the Wolf grits his teeth and takes his place back behind the easel again. He's not used to seeing Lambert lose an argument without it turning into a shouting match first and he savours the moment.
“So, Coën,” Aiden startles him out of his thoughts, “Feel free to stay and watch if you want.”
“I...”
“No talking or touching allowed,” Lambert growls.
“Touching myself or Aiden?”
“Don't be a creep, Coën! Both. ”
“Aiden's touching himself though,” Coën feels obligated to point out.
Eskel snorts, Aiden cackles and Lambert tenses.
“ Yes ,” the Wolf says through gritted, “ Because that's the whole point of the painting, Coën. ”
“Right. Yes. Of course. There's clearly nothing surprising about finding you drawing Aiden naked in the middle of the library,” Coën snipes sarcastically, “Sorry for my silly questions.”
“Excuse accepted,” Lambert deadpans and Coën exchanges a look with a grinning Eskel, “Now make up your damn mind, take a seat or leave but stop fucking hovering!”
Coën hums and sits down on an armchair next to Eskel.
"Does Vesemir know you are desecrating his library?" He wonders after a few seconds of silence.
“Vesemir knows,” Vesemir's dry voice raises up from the small office hidden out of sight at the other end of the library and Coën boggles. He wonders if Geralt is hiding somewhere nearby too.
“ For fuck's sake! There's no desecration taking place here!” Lambert exclaims.
“ Yet, ” Aiden purrs.
Lambert blushes, Coën turns crimson and Aiden beams. Eskel shifts in his seat and his hungry eyes are trained on Aiden and his hard cock. Coën raises his eyes to the ceiling and clears his throat.
"Where's Geralt by the way? Hiding behind a shelf?"
"What part of shut up didn't you understand?" Lambert bitches.
"Lambert threw him out," Eskel whispers without taking his eyes off Aiden who pinches one of his nipples and arches his back off his nest of blankets.
"Because he kept running his mouth and... Aiden! Will you fucking stop moving already!"
"I didn't move," Aiden grins cheekily.
"I'm not blind, you do know that, right?"
"Never said you were."
"We've not even been here an hour yet and you just can't stay still... What the fuck am I supposed to do with you?"
"I got a few ideas," Aiden leers and then smirks when Lambert blushes.
Coën pinches the bridge of his nose and tunes out Aiden and Lambert's flirty banter. He snaps his fingers in front of Eskel's face and patiently waits for the Wolf to give him his attention.
"Why are you here, Eskel?"
"Why are you ?"
Coën looks at Lambert who's spluttering and waving his hands around behind his easel and at Aiden who's now intending to drive his partner mad by slipping a hand between his thighs.
"I really don't know."
"You should enjoy the show," Eskel whispers in his ear, "If we're lucky Aiden will manage to talk Lambert into fucking him."
"In the library?"
"Mmm. Only if Lambert is distracted enough to forget about Vesemir's presence. They might relocate to the hot springs otherwise. That would be quite the sight, wouldn't it?"
"I didn't forget about the old Wolf!" Lambert exclaims and whirls around to threateningly point his pencil in their direction, "And what did I fucking tell you when I allowed you to stay?"
Eskel placatingly raises his hands and mimes sewing his mouth shut. Coën presses his lips together to suppress a smile, Aiden rolls his eyes and Lambert suspiciously glares at them. Eskel then throws his imaginary needle away, puts his hands back on his chair's armrests and Lambert turns back to his painting with a huff.
They watch in silence as Lambert finishes his sketch and then opens his pots of paint. He hums as he mixes paints together, tests the colours thus obtained by smearing some of it on the back of his hands and frowns when the result isn't up to his standards.
To put it frankly, watching over the proceedings is boring and, if it weren't for Aiden livening things up, Coën would probably have already fallen asleep. Luckily for them the Cat loves to be the center of attention and he knows how to cater to his audience's desires. He sighs and moans and pinches his nipples, arches off his nest and tantalisingly slowly jerks himself off.
Eskel is entranced by Aiden and even Coën who doesn't particularly like sex feels a stirring in his loins. Lambert appears unaffected at first glance, but the bulge in his trousers and his dilated pupils betray him. Aiden is perfectly aware of the effect he has on Lambert and the Cat makes sure to grin at the Wolf each and every time they look at each other over Lambert's painting.
Coën's eyes are drawn to Lambert when the Wolf finally puts the first touch of colour on his canvas and he then discreetly leans back towards Eskel.
"How long do you think it'll take?" He whispers into the Wolf's ear.
He isn't discreet enough and his question startles Lambert who flinches. Lambert's hand slips and the brush he's holding leaves an accidental smear of brown paint behind where Coën can see there shouldn't be any. He ducks his head, wrings his hands and hopes that his subdued attitude will be enough to derail the rant he knows is coming his way. Eskel squeezes his knee, Lambert growls and Coën knows that he won't escape the Wolf's bitching.
“Now you've done it,” Aiden sighs, dramatically flopping back down on his mount of furs and pouting, “ Hopeless. ”
“Out!” Lambert roars, “Out! Out! Out! Out with the both of you!”
“Hey! I didn't do any...,” Eskel sputters.
“ Out! ”
Lambert discards his palette and brushes, stomps over to them and tugs them both to their feet. He then drags them to the door by the back of their shirts, throws them out of the library and slams the door shut in their faces.
“Shit,” Eskel sighs and runs a hand across his face, “Why couldn't you have stayed quiet?”
“It was weird,” Coën shrugs.
“It was enjoyable,” Eskel dryly answers, “And it could have allowed me to try to talk Lambert into holding a posing session for me and Geralt next.”
“You can forget it,” Lambert growls as he opens the door again and pushes Vesemir, who's dragging his rocking chair behind him, out of the library, “I'm not drawing you nor the bleached asshole!”
Lambert slams the door back in their faces again and locks it before Eskel can answer him. Eskel's face falls and Coën pats his shoulder.
“Does that mean that you'd draw me?” Vesemir asks.
“ No! ”
Coën and Eskel choke on air and Vesemir smirks at them.
“You don't know what you're missing, Lambert.”
“I don't need to know,” Lambert yells back at him through the door., “I'd have to bleach my brain and eyes otherwise.”
“Suit yourself,” Vesemir shrugs, “In any case, I still don't want you and Aiden fucking in the library.”
“We're not fucking!”
“ Yet!”
“ Aiden! ”
Lambert and his Cat get lost in another bout of bickering and Vesemir shakes his head at the closed door.
“At least if they're bickering, they're not fucking, right?” Coën tries to reassure his host.
“I wouldn't be so sure,” Eskel contradicts him, “Lambert seems the type to like a good bout of bickering as foreplay.”
Coën grimaces and Vesemir huffs. The old Wolf throws one last glare at the library's door before turning his back to it and shuffling away, dragging his rocking chair behind him. Coën is ready to leave too, but Eskel snatches his sleeve before he can take more than a step away from him. Coën sighs and turns back to the Wolf.
“What do you want now?” Coën asks tiredly.
“ We are going to the kitchen.”
“Uh... No?”
“Yes,” Eskel says and drags Coën towards the stairs by his sleeve.
“But why?” Coën whines.
“ Because you got me thrown out of the library and now I'll have to butter Aiden up in the hopes that he'll be able to talk Lambert into drawing Geralt and I. You're going to help me bake the bribes!”
“I hate baking.”
“I know,” Eskel smirks, “You should have thought about it before you opened your mouth in there.”
“That's not fair! I didn't know he would throw us out!”
“Too bad. Come on, stop whining. I'm so magnanimous I'll let you taste the first cake we make.”
“Really?” Coën perks up, “Can we bake honey cakes then?”
“Why not,” Eskel shrugs, “You can play tester, make sure we won't poison Aiden by accident.”
“You’re an ass, you know that, right?”
Eskel laughs and Coën curses as he's dragged to the kitchen. Maybe he'll try to talk Lambert into accepting to draw Eskel and Geralt only for him to completely botch the painting. Or add Vesemir in the foreground. Or paint Roach and Scorpion fornicating beside their masters. It would only serve Eskel right.