How wonderful life is while you're in the world

[leitstern]

Where: Heliodor.
When: Four months into reconstruction.
Summary: Little moments of comfort.

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[standvastig]

[Jasper migrating their hands to his lap urges Hendrik closer, as if it is humanly possible for their shoulders and arms to occupy the same space as they side by side. The action also helps him make certain decisions out of necessity; so close together, he has to relax against the tree trunk just a little so he neither of them is tilting their heads at an awkward angle.

He barely manages to bite his tongue to avoid saying something awkward like "Here I go." What he intends to do is obvious now, and the words would just earn him exasperation or the ear-boxing he would wholly deserve.

His exhales a held breath before crossing the short distance between their lips, swallowing his next breath as he adjusts for a firmer kiss.

It's a full six seconds before he slowly starts to relax into the kiss, tongue darting out nervously to wet drying lips. It's another six before he stops thinking about his own rigidity.]

[leitstern]

[Jasper leans his head against the oak and ponders how relaxing it feels to see his friend doing the same. His head tilts at an angle to watch, eyes slightly closing to keep out the sun. Green eyes surrounded by emerald leaves and grass watch him; their gaze emotional and heartfelt. Breath billows across his nose and around his face and he blinks once, twice. Opening his eyes, he barely has time to think how close Hendrik draws - actions faster than words in bringing them together.

He inhales deeply but the touch of lips steals his breath immediately. Six seconds of something in his chest, six seconds of idle thoughts. Happiness. Connection. He freezes but clenches his friend's hand and cradles it between his own. His breathing grows weaker and soon he struggles to stay together.

Six more seconds. The brush of his friend's tongue holds him immobile. Six more and he fumbles with his breathing; wobbling against the tree, he begins leaning against Hendrik for support. Instead of pulling them apart, he comes closer and simply lets his friend lead.]

[standvastig]

[Hendrik is a ridiculous man who has daydreamed about the softness of a woman and the ways in which she may pose to accentuate her curves. In all of that time, he never imagined comparing such traits to those of a man -- at least, in terms of what he may enjoy.

So pressing his lips against his best friend's is new in the way it invokes comparisons to those daydreams. There's firmness and weight behind the kiss, and neither of them give way as he's read of swooning maidens.

...Which is good. If Jasper suddenly turned into a swooning maiden, this would probably become increasingly awkward.

As it is, he smiles as he breaks their kiss for a breath, his fingers occasionally flexing and squeezing at the hands holding them.

The next kiss is a little more confident, steadily leaned into rather than in frequent need of readjustment.]

[leitstern]

[Fingers flex and squeeze, twitch and stretch, averting his attention from the breathless way he sits. Light and languid, with no energy to shuffle forward or lift his feet. He lies there, shoulder against the tree, the rough bark fraying his hair. In the end, worries becomes difficult to heed as fingers squeeze again. Gentle and caring in a manner he had grown unfamiliar with two decades past.

It is a beautiful feeling. One that softens his edges and lifts his mood. The world hardly stops - leaves rustle as normal - but it makes him lose sense of time. It might be a second later. It could be ten. Lips begin pressing against his and hold him immobile, but he smiles beneath it and grips his friend's fingers tightly.

He lifts his knee a little as he leans slightly forward, basking in Hendrik's presence all along his side; head, body, hands. They enjoy each other's company for a good while until he begins leaning back. Not curvaciously but with the kind of confidence that is attractive and alluring.

Tellingly, there's a smile on his face as he resumes looking over the countryside.]

[standvastig]

[Heavens, he's smiling again. It's silly how such an expression can make him feel like a teenager, uplifted and free of responsibilities. He shifts his body to turn more towards Jasper, barely feeling tree trunk under his arm as he leans his weight onto it.

Even as Jasper turns to look out across the fields again, Hendrik remains comfortably set against the tree and angled towards his friend. Emboldened by the positive reaction to those kisses, he goes a step further to kiss Jasper's hair even as he's looking elsewhere.

It feels comfortable. It feels right, in much the same way it does whenever he thinks of the two of them standing in defense of Heliodor.]

[leitstern]

[The kiss upon his head passes without incident. No physical signs of protest, no stringent words of criticism. He acknowledges nothing about those lips pressing against his beloved hair - and his contented smile lingers upon his face. His attention is diverted but for a second; one of his hands lifting to rest upon his friend's knee.]

You are welcome to my lips should you ever feel lonely. My dear old friend.

[That said friend kisses his hair does offer some amusement.]

[standvastig]

I will try to make it a habit. A way that you know I am thinking the world of you.

[Perhaps kissing Jasper at every opportunity would be too much, especially if they intended to keep their relationship a largely private affair. But he cares about this man too much to only kiss him when he is feeling "lonely."

For now, he sits up so he can lean his cheek against Jasper's head, making himself comfortable to soak up the peaceful afternoon alongside his friend.]