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The walk from the inn to Ari's house felt long and arduous, especially in the frigid air, but the space around them felt charged as they held hands. Balor had insisted they make a quick stop at his cart.
"I'll just be a moment," he assured her with a wink, though as soon as their hands separated, her palm was left cold and empty. Ari waited outside in the chilly winter air, rocking from her heels up onto her toes, trying her best to be patient and keep from fidgeting.
From where she stood, she noted all the things in his cart she had given him--the dozen snowdrop anemones, the flower he'd had crafted into a brooch that he wore to the ball in the capital, the bracelet she had dug up from the earth; even the chocolate's paper he had helped her unwrap when she'd asked. It was all wrapped together, hanging on the wall, and she chuckled as it appeared as a sort of shrine to her, a collection of things that reminded him of her even when he was alone or traveling. It warmed her cheeks and made her smile.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, my star," Balor said, jumping down from his cart, snapping her from her daydream. "Shall we continue?"
Too nervous to reply she simply nodded, and threaded her fingers through Balor's again. She was beyond jittery despite the desire she felt for him, and had to focus on not walking too quickly, lest she slip on the ice and make a fool of herself. His touches at the inn had been refreshing and welcomed, though as they approached her farm, her own anxieties and self-doubt began to swirl in her mind.
What if he'd just been humouring her because it was her birthday, and he felt guilty? Perhaps he would begin to put up walls again, put more distance between them, and his intimate touches and sweet gestures were simply the calm before the storm? What had Celine divulged to him on their trip to and from the Capital? Ari regretted not taking Celine aside earlier to ask. If she had, she might have known what to expect. How much to brace herself for the possibility of hurt feelings.
Of rejection.
She pushes those negative thoughts aside as she rings the large bell to signal her animals to go indoors before the two of them continue to her porch.
Despite how much Balor despised the bitter cold, he was feeling practically none of it. Arietta's hand warmed his own, the heat from her palm spreading through his entire body. The lights on either side of her front door danced over her and as she turned to face him, he had to consciously force himself to let go of her hand.
Get it together, Balor.
The two of them were close enough that they could feel each other's body heat emanating from one another. Arietta's voice timidly rang out, her hands fidgeting.
"I, um...would you...like to come...inside?"
Sweet Goddess, yes, he thinks, his cock twitching in his pants. He stares past the billow of warm breath that emerges from her perfectly slightly-open lips and into her warm hazel eyes. Butterflies flutter against his ribcage, practically knocking the wind out of him. He tries to focus on what she had just said to him, and when that fails, resorts to counting the dainty freckles that flicker across the bridge of her nose in a pathetic attempt to ground himself.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five...
"...Balor?"
He clears his throat. "I'm sorry, Arietta, what was that?"
"Would you like to...join me for a cup of tea?" she asks, a blush blooming across her perfect cheeks to match her nose, which had reddened from the cold.
Balor absentmindedly brushes aside a lock of Ari's hair away from her face. "Of course," he replies, trying to hide the smile on his face behind a smirk. "Who could ever turn down an invitation from the birthday girl?"
Ari rolls her eyes and opens the door, ushering him through. He takes off his boots to keep from tracking snow across the floor before immediately heading toward the hearth and beginning a fire. It had become somewhat of a ritual, used to calm him whenever he was inside Ari's home. He piles more logs on, watching the flames lick at them and thinks about how he had been noticing, more often than not, how much he'd genuinely enjoyed taking care of her.
Ari heads to the kitchen cupboards where she locates a small tin; the tea inside she spoons out into a cheesecloth before tying it up with a string. She then puts the kettle on to boil and begins to clean some spilled tea leaves when she feels Balor approach her from behind, his hands resting on the counter on either side of her. She turns to see him looking down at her, a wry smile still on his face. It makes warmth coil inside her belly again, and she smiles sweetly back at him.
"I very much enjoyed my birthday," she tells him. "Especially the figs. Thank you."
Balor gives her a quick nod. "I'm glad to hear it," he replies. His smile then falters slightly, and he glances down to the ground, looking at how close together their feet are on the floor to avoid looking at her as he gathers his thoughts. Ari senses he has more to say, so she waits patiently, putting a gentle hand on his forearm to encourage him.
"I have a confession to make," he says carefully. His tone must cause Ari to panic, because when he looks up, her expression is like a deer in headlights. "There's nothing to worry about, my star. I just...well, at the inn, I spoke to Hemlock and I realized... the way i've been treating you, like you are so fragile I could break you if I so much as..." Balor's eyebrows furrow and he sighs, struggling for the right words. "It's just... I know practically everybody knows what's been going on between us already, but for some reason, it felt like if everybody saw it for themselves, and for some reason, in the off chance that things between us happened to fall apart..."
He was beginning to ramble, and Ari began slow, soothing circles on his forearm with her thumb. Balor took a deep breath to steady his voice. "I was afraid. Afraid to lose my friends, my family, my home. Afraid to lose...you. I suppose in the back of my mind, I thought, if nobody else saw, I could just pretend that nothing happened if things went south. That I could keep pretending to be a simple, charming merchant, who had never..."
"...Hurt me?" Ari finished.
Balor's mouth falls open at the realization of just how well Arietta had gotten to know him. Not Balor the merchant, not Balor the flatterer, or Balor the businessman, but just Balor.
Just himself. Just as he was.
"You're... too good for me, Arietta. You see me, and it's terrifying."
Ari shakes her head. "I'm no such thing," she cocks an eyebrow. "Sure, people can be good, but nobody is perfect, Balor. I yell at March, I can't cook anything besides boiled eggs to save my life. I sometimes forget to put my animals back in the barn or forget to water my crops. Sometimes i even cheat at go fish," she smiles, thinking of her previous game with Ryis, Adeline and Eiland, "--but people grow, Balor. Before I moved to Mistria, I could hardly keep my basil plant alive in my kitchen--" the two of them chuckle before Ari continues, "--and now I'm running a farm. If your willingness to be honest and talk to me isn't proof of growth, than I don't know what is." She smiles before laying a hand on his cheek, which he leans into.
"Still, I feel I owe you an apology. I don't want you to think I might be ashamed of us, or that I don't genuinely care, because I do." As the words leave his mouth, he's surprised to realize just how much he means them.
"I suppose I forgive you." Ari gives him a chaste kiss on the tip of his nose, then his cheek, and then the corner of his mouth. She leans her forehead against his before glancing up at him from beneath her eyelashes. Breathe, Ari, breathe, she has to remind herself, because the way he is looking at her is suffocating in the best way. As he looks back at her his gaze drops to her lips, and they move closer, and closer, until
WHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Ari lunges toward the kettle to take it off of the stove, her heart having dropped into her stomach from the loud noise, scattering the butterflies that had collected there. A few seconds of silence sit between them, before they both burst into laughter.
The moment having passed, Ari focuses her attention on filling the teapot with the hot water and drops in the cheesecloth bundle of tea, using a spoon to stir. She had once heard that one shouldn't stir a tea bag, but rather let it steep naturally. Ari is impatient, however, and she needs to concentrate on something that will let her heartbeat slow back to a reasonable pace.
As she does so, Balor takes the teacups out of her cupboard. It causes warmth to bloom in her chest at the simple yet comforting domesticity of the task, and the fact that he must have watched her closely enough the last time he was in her home for tea--how he had been attentive enough to remember which cupboard even held her tea cups and saucers.
"You know," Balor says, clearing his throat, "every once in a while I see some beautiful teacups in the Capital," he tells her. "I once brought one back for Maple as a souvenir--it had gold trimming around the saucer and handle, and pink peonies on it."
"Does she even drink tea? What is she, like, ten years old?"
Despite not having his eyes on her, Balor hears the smile in her voice. He chuckles. "No. I remember she tried some of Adeline's once, but she hated it. She does use it for hot chocolate, though. Perhaps I should bring you one the next time I see one."
"Bring me a ten-year-old with an affinity for sugary beverages? I could be wrong, but I think this town might have enough of those already," Ari jokes. "Besides, I'm pretty sure kidnapping is against the law," she adds.
Balor rolls his eyes dramatically and scoffs. "Well aren't you a clever one."
"I like to think so. Maybe one of the reasons we get along so well."
"Perhaps I should be more careful, lest you pick up any of my more unruly habits."
Ari smirks. "Well, consider my interest piqued! Please, tell me, what are these unruly habits I should be so wary of?"
"Kidnapping, apparently," he snorts.
She smiles at him, her nose crinkling adorably. After placing the cups on the coffee table by the couch, Balor sits and watches her quietly as she carefully pours the tea into the Caldosian cups, handing him one as she sits down at the other end of the couch. Balor blows on it lightly to cool it before taking a sip. It has an earthy aroma with a pleasant, nutty flavour and he wonders where she'd gotten it from.
As if reading his mind, Ari looks down at her own cup. "Juniper gave it to me," she tells him as she chews at her lip, her cheeks tinged slightly pink. He raises an eyebrow; he isn't so sure why a cup of tea would cause her to feel uneasy. Perhaps she feels guilty, had assumed he thought he was the only one to gift her special teas? In any case it is delicious, and they both seem to thoroughly enjoy it.
When his cup is empty, he clears his throat. "I, um, have something for you, Arietta." A blush creeps up his neck, and he hopes it isn't too obvious to Ari. His cup and saucer clink on the coffee table as he sets them down, and after reaching into one of his cloak pockets, presents to her a small square box of royal blue velvet, about the size of her hand. "Happy birthday, my star."
Ari slowly takes the box, glancing at him with wide eyes before opening it. As she lifts the lid, a quiet gasp escapes her--inside sits a delicate bronze bracelet. Dainty 8-pointed star charms dangle all along it's chain, with a single tiny gem embedded in the centre of each one. It immediately reminds her of her bronze star pendant, which she unconsciously fiddles with around her neck.
"I, uh, had it commissioned from a jeweller in the Capital, an acquaintance of Louis'," Balor explains. "If you don't like it, I could have him craft something else, or--shit, Arietta, I'm sorry! Please, don't cry--"
Ari feels the warm tears spill over her cheeks, but she doesn't care. She crawls to his lap, throwing her arms around him, and kisses him. He freezes in shock beneath her for a moment before his arms circle around her waist, embracing her. After she pulls back with a giggle, he raises his hands to wipe away her tears.
"Balor, this is... this is one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received," she says, sniffling. "I don't know what to say."
"...S-so, you like it?"
"I love it! Thank you, darling. Will you help me put it on?"
Balor proudly smiles as he deftly takes the bracelet from the box and secures the clasp around her wrist. It sparkles in the low light of the hearth, and her heart feels full.
Ari suddenly becomes acutely aware of the fact that she is practically on top of him. She blushes in embarrassment and tries to move, but his arms around her don't budge, and a smile is playing at the corner of Balor's mouth.
"Are you alright, Arietta? You're bright red," he murmurs, tucking her hair behind her ear. He snickers, and it's clear he knows how much he's flustering her. Instead of letting her nerves get the better of her, she decides to lean into him.
"Must be the heat of the fire," she mumbles, desire having pooled in her belly. She leans in to kiss him again, and he responds immediately. His hand squeezes her thigh, causing her to gasp, and he takes advantage of the moment to slip his tongue into her mouth. He can still taste the honey cake from earlier in the evening on her tongue, mixing delightfully with the nuttiness of the tea. A whimper escapes her, and Balor can hardly breathe. His cock twitches beneath her, and he can't help but pull her down onto him, connecting their centres, heat emanating between them through their clothes. The friction is delicious, and he can't contain the deep moan that emerges, chased by a low growl from his throat.
"Please, Balor," she begs breathlessly. "I want you. Please."
"Are you--" she kisses him again, "--sure about--" again, "--this--" and again. "Arietta?"
She sighs against his mouth and rocks back and forth, grinding against him.
Sweet goddess, I'll take that as a yes. Without missing a beat, he unties the straps holding Ari's dress atop her shoulders and tugs down the zipper before picking her up and placing her gently back down on her feet. When he pulls the garment up over her head, he can't help but gape at her. Her blush creeps all the way from the tips of her ears down to her shoulders as Balor slowly looks her up and down, taking in the sight. Dress now discarded haphazardly on the floor by the coffee table, the hearth behind her haloes her entire figure; her chest is bare, and she stands sheepishly in only deep burgundy panties and her thigh-high stockings.
"You're staring," she murmurs as she begins to pull his shirt over his head. He would say he's sorry, but he's not.
"You're perfection," Balor replies simply. He feels the blood rush to his groin, and his gaze flickers back to hers. "...protection?" Balor tries his best to hide the panic in his eyes, but Ari still notices.
She smiles shyly in what she hopes is a reassuring manner. "The tea," she answers sheepishly, biting her bottom lip with a slight shrug, and Balor makes a mental note to thank Juniper later.
"oh, my sweet Arietta." Their lips connect again like two pieces of a puzzle, and Balor picks her up again. Ari wraps her legs around his waist and his arms flex as his hands clamp down on the flesh of her thighs, feeling the soft skin there, right above where her stockings still cling to her legs. She begins tracing light kisses along his jaw, across the scar there as he walks them to her bed, continuing down his neck. Balor places her down gently, hovering over her, shivering when Ari licks a strip from his sternum all the way to the shell of his ear, and if he wasn't rock hard before, he certainly is now.
"Off," Ari insists breathlessly, trying to rid him of his pants. He helps to unbutton and slide them down his hips, and soon the both of them are in only their undergarments. "Love on me, darling," she whispers, pulling him from the back of his neck into another heated kiss.
He doesn't have to be told twice. One of his hands moves from her ass down to touch the tender inside of her knee, lifting it to his hip as his other hand moves upward to gently graze over her breast. He feels it pebble beneath his fingers as he begins tracing open-mouthed kisses from her jaw to her neck, her neck to her shoulder. He laves at each breast, enjoying feeling the little nubs against the flat of his tongue, and Ari giggles at the gentle bites he gives them, his teeth continuing to graze down her ribs until he licks at her bellybutton.
"Are you ticklish, my star? Or are you laughing at me?"
"Sorry," Ari claps a hand over her mouth. "Just ticklish! I promise."
"Mmmh," he hums in reply. As he moves from her torso to the inside of her thighs he hears her sigh in relief. As he kisses her higher, he can smell her arousal. Her panties are soaked already, and it causes the butterflies in his stomach to flutter wildly. Nearing the most intimate parts of her, Ari can feel his breath on her and she holds her own breath, her head spinning in anticipation.
"Are you so wet for me already, Arietta?" Balor murmurs, his hot exhales fanning across her panties, soaked through by her dripping cunt.
"Yes," she breathes, before gasping as he licks over the fabric of her underwear. "Balor, please, I--" Her heart beats so hard in her chest that she almost worries he can hear it as he slips her panties down her legs. She feels the cool air hit her own wetness, causing her glistening slit to pulse and flutter, and it's the most beautiful thing Balor has ever seen. He breathes in her sweet scent as he spreads her with his fingers, and as his tongue finally darts out to taste her, she lets out the most delicious moan. Arietta's legs tremble as he continues to taste her, and as he listens to her harmonic whines of pleasure learns what she likes and what she doesn't; swearing to the Goddess all the while to always remember, so that he can hear her sing like this for as long as she'll let him.
If he were to be struck by lightning right now, he could die a happy man.
As his tongue moves between dipping into her and swirling around her clit, Ari fists Balor's hair in her hand tightly, holding him in place while she grinds against him. When his tongue glazes over her clit she keens, arching her back, and as he takes it between his lips and sucks, she comes with a gloriously high-pitched whine. Her entire body restricts, toes pointing down into the mattress as though she were a prima ballerina on pointe; her eyes slam shut, and all she sees is white as the pleasure of her orgasm washes over her.
As she comes back down, her entire body feels fuzzy and warm. Balor wipes away the tears on her cheeks and licks his lips of her, wiping the rest of his face with the bed sheet.
"You alright, my star?"
Her chest is heaving. "Holy shit, Balor."
He snickers at her, clearly pleased with himself. "I'll take that as a yes," he crawls back over her, a daring twinkle in his eye. "But we aren't finished yet."
Ari licks her lips. "Of course not," she whispers as he leans in for another kiss. "We wouldn't want to be left unequal, would we?"
"Perish the thought," he murmurs against her lips. She tastes herself on his tongue, smells her own arousal on him. It thrills her, and before long warm desire begins to coil inside of her again. Her fingertips dance across the skin of his chest, his arms, his torso, and a shiver runs through him. It makes Ari smile against his lips, a smile he can't help returning. While she has thoroughly enjoyed herself, she's still eager to help Balor feel good too.
"I absolutely adore you." Ari's tongue ghosts over his mouth and she bites gently at his lower lip. "I want to feel you inside of me," she whispers, and hears him groan above her. When he's freed himself of the rest of his undergarments, he kisses her hard, pressing their bodies flush together, and Ari can't help but reach for him. Her touch causes him to gasp; she can practically feel his pulse through his erection, and she can feel herself start dripping all over again. He raises her knees parallel to his hips, opening her up for him, and lines his cock up with her entrance.
Balor looks to her as if to make sure she is ready, so she nods, and he crosses into her tight, wet heat. He moves slowly, not wanting to overwhelm her, until Ari's impatience gets the better of her and she jerks her hips toward him, taking him all the way up to the hilt.
"Fuck, Arietta," he gasps. Their fingers intertwine above their heads, and together they begin to rock back and forth at a steady pace; butterflies won't stop fluttering in Ari's stomach as they move where they are joined; pleasure builds between them as Balor slides out to the crown before rocking back in, his frenulum grazing her g-spot every thrust. The two of them watch each other with silent looks of deep affection while shallow breaths are shared between them. She feels divine around him, and Balor wonders how he ever lived without her up until now.
He wants to curl himself up in her arms and live there, to never leave. Screw his cart, screw his room at the inn and screw the Capital. Everything he could ever want is right here.
Ari moves one of Balor's hands between her legs, urging him to touch her. His hands feel so different, so much more intimate compared to hers, and she can't get enough of him.
"I'm so close," she gasps, her voice barely above a whisper. She turns her head and her tongue darts out to lick the shell of his ear, making him shiver. "Cum for me," she coos, and as he feels her tighten and flutter around him, he's suddenly drowning in her. He follows as she arches her back and tumbles over the edge, emptying himself inside of her with a muffled groan against her throat. He does his best to keep himself from fully collapsing on top of her, but his limbs are so shaky that he isn't very successful; but even with his full weight on top of her, Ari doesn't mind. While the two of them catch their breaths she wipes away her own tears away and combs her fingers gently through his hair, which has dampened with sweat. Balor turns his head to look at her with lidded eyes, a big goofy smile now on his face. He looks the most carefree she has ever seen him.
"Goddess, Arietta, am I dead?"
"I certainly hope not. That would be an awkward thing to have to explain to Adeline."
"Well now I'm just plain curious," Balor chuckles, rolling off of her before grabbing a towel from the kitchen and dampening it with water. He returns to her, gently wiping his spend from between her legs before giving her a sweet kiss on the knee and wiping himself off as well before throwing the towel in a nearby hamper.
He couldn't possibly have imagined himself taking the time to care for another the way he was tending to her now. It's not that he'd felt as though it would get him further into her good graces, either--it simply felt like a completely natural thing for him to do, to care for her--and even more, he wanted to do it. He wanted to make her happy, to be the cause of her joy. He wondered if perhaps Ari had been right about him, that he was a good man, or at the very least, decent.
Ari giggles as Balor climbs back into bed, having shirked her stockings onto the floor. Snuggling up together under the covers, she rests her head on his chest to continue their idle chatter.
"Adeline would probably say something like, our beloved merchant, Captain horse dreams, has passed on? How ever will Mistria's economy recover now?"
Balor's nose scrunches up, which Ari thinks is positively adorable, as he pulls back to look at her face. "Captain horse dreams?"
Ari laughs so hard her stomach starts to hurt. "She mentioned you'd proposed the idea of racing to Hayden," she explains between giggles. "Celine came up with that title, if I'm being completely honest. As much as I would love to, I couldn't possibly take the credit for it."
Balor tries to hide his amusement behind a stubborn frown, but Ari can it in his eyes. "Well, that's the last time I share any of my genius money-making ideas."
"Somehow I doubt that," Ari replies, reaching up to give him a kiss on the cheek before snuggling back into him. Balor traces lazy circles over her arm and kisses the top of her head. Her heart warms at his raw affection as she feels sleep's light, relaxing pull at her, and she can't help but smile. "Goodnight, merchant."
"Sweet dreams, my star," he murmurs against her hair before both their breathing evens out to quiet.