[OOC] Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

[xivyxx]

Aurel looked at Faolan as he spoke. His accent really did make the German sound strange, but his attemt made the boy let out a genuine laugh.

"Very fun." He responded. "Ireland..." He paused, trying to find the right word in english, but he couldn't think of it. "Insel?" He questioned, looking at Lucien.

"Island? Yes, Ireland is an island." He responded, a little impressed with the fact the boy was aware of this. That couldn't have been something he learned at the circus could it?

"You're French?" He asked, wanting to make sure that he was right. As a child, considering how little people liked to socialize him, it gave the boy a lot of time to try to learn other things, look at maps, anything to keep himself away from the kids who picked on him.

Lucien smiled. "I am. How do you know?" He asked curiously, wanting to know how the boy was able to tell. Granted his accent was obvious, but he wished to see how well the boy could discern things like that. He certainly seemed intelligent, despite having been trapped in that circus for the last four years.

"Your akzent, France and Germany nachbarinnen!" He exclaimed.

"Hmm.. I see. You're very smart." He complimented. The more they spoke the more he could discern how intelligent and observant the child really was. He was glad for this, because it meant that he would have a bit of an easier time learning other things. He looked forward to teaching him more.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan raised his eyebrows as he listened to the conversation between Aurel and Lucien. The two seemed to be hitting it off well, and Lucien was just as interested in him as the child was in the Frenchman, it seemed. The Irishman finished his meal, had an extra piece of sausage, and set about gathering the plates and utensils for washing. He walked over to the lake water and rinsed the dishes, not bothered by the bitter cold of the water as much as Lucien would have been. He then filled a pot and began boiling water for a more sanitary wash, but listened to their conversation the whole.

It was clear that the child was intelligent and observant, given his age and the things he had seen. What a waste it would have been for him to stay in such an evil place...Faolan could see Lucien's eyes sparkle as they talked, clearly he had noticed the same thing about the child and was no doubt gauging his mental abilities now that they had cataloged his current physical state. It was good to know what the boy would be capable of once they trained him more, whether he would be able to strike out on his own or not. This wasn't necessarily what the Irishman wanted, per se, he couldn't see Lucien denying the boy a place with them if he wanted to stay. At the same time, Faolan wanted to be sure that the boy knew that he was free to leave whenever he wanted. It was important to him to impress that now, before it became a question, especially because up til now, Aurel had essentially been a prisoner.

[xivyxx]

Lucien and the child continued to have a bit of small talk, which him attempting to teach him a few more English words that he was having a hard time grasping. When they were unable to train his physical state, he wanted to try to help him learn as much English as he could. It would not only help him communicate better with Faolan when he wasn't around, but it would prove useful to him in general.

After a relatively good amount of time had passed, and he knew the boy suffered no danger of a cramp by trying to swim so soon after eating, they headed into the water. Aurel shuddered a little after entering.

"Is it too cold?" He asked in German, but the boy shook his head.

"No it's okay.. this cold is easier to get used to." He responded.

Faolan had decided to just watch for now, and had remained outside the water while they practiced, until Lucien had eventually found it best to stop. He didn't want to overwork him too hard, and he didn't want him to get sick from being in the water too long either. He picked him up and took him back to the trailer so he could change into dry clothes out of the cold breeze. Aurel was quick to bundle himself up in blankets.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Cold.. aand tired.. but I'm okay." He responded in German.

"Well, you can stay in here and warm up. I'll leave a window open so your snakes can come in, but I'm going to step outside for a little. Just call out if you need anything okay?" He asked. Aurel nodded and laid down on the cot, seemingly with intentions to try to get some rest.

With that in mind Lucien left the trailer to go join Faolan outside, seeing that he had begun to wash himself in the lake. He figured he hadn't wanted to do it with the child around.

"Would you like me to wash your back?" He called out, a small mischievous smile on his face. There was no need to hide anything since Aurel wasn't around at the moment, so Lucien would try to make the most of it.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan had busied himself with cleaning up and organizing while Aurel and Lucien went about their "training" in the lake. He didn't see the need to stick around for it, and thought his time was best served elsewhere. The afternoon dragged on as he waited for them to finish, but he kept a respectful distance. He even went out for a walk into the woods for some time, half exploring, half sweeping the area for signs of life. Fortunately, it did not appear that their camp had been discovered, so there was no need for extra security, which was good.

Aurel and Lucien were just finishing up when he returned. He waited for the two of them to be out of sight, but smiled as they passed, before he began to undress and get into the lake. Normally, he would have done this first thing in the morning, or before bed, but timing had not allowed it, so he took advantage of being alone. At least the water was warmer at this time of day.

He wasted no time, heading straight for where it was deepest and submerging his entire body in the cool water. It felt good to wash the dirt and grime of several days off of his skin and out of his hair.

He was just pulling the water through his hair when he heard the door of the trailer open and turned to see Lucien approaching. He was about waist-deep in the water now, and was almost finished already. Lucien's comment made him smile, however, and he did a quick scan for the child before he answered. It seemed her was still inside.

"If you insist, I won't fight you," He said, shrugging, "much," he added, and winked to his beloved on the shore.

[xivyxx]

Lucien took a moment to admire his lover's visage in the light of the glistening sun. He gave the trailer another glance before he stepped back into the water, this time removing his own clothing so he could finish a proper wash as well. He swam through the water until he reached Faolan. He had angled himself so he could still have an eye on the trailer, just in case Aurel decided to peek out the window. He doubted it, considering he had been laying down when he had last left him.

The nephilim's desire to touch his beloved had not made itself strongly known until this moment. Not wanting to waste this chance, Lucien was quick to put an arm around Faolan, and lean up to place a kiss upon his lips.

"I've been wanting to do that at least once in the last twenty four hours.." He told him with. "Or twice.. or thrice, might have lost count."

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan couldn't help grinning as he watched Lucien get undressed and enter the water. He felt his body responding, even in the cold. Just the sight of the Frenchman was enough to excite him...He knew he had to keep at least some of his desire at bay while they boy was near. But, he was away in the trailer, and he knew that Lucien would not be approaching him like this if he was unsure of the child's safety or whereabouts. For the sake of his own needs, Faolan decided to let this play out. He so missed the touch of Lucien's skin and the smell of his hair...

He opened his arms as Lucien closed the distance and returned the kiss, letting it linger a bit before breaking off. He wrapped his arms around Lucien's waist and held him in the water. The lake may as well have been boiling around them, for how aroused the Irishman was. He looked down into Lucien's eyes and hummed with pleasure, saying, "Mmm...you taste good. Let's see if we can make up for some lost time," before pulling Lucien to him and kissing him again, deeper and more passionately this time.

[xivyxx]

Faolan's arousal stirred his own as the Irishman pulled him closer. Despite the coldness in the water, he felt warm at Faolan's side. He always did. The Frenchman smiled slightly against his lips as he returned the kiss with equal intensity, having missed being able to do this with him. He shifted slightly to pull them deeper into the water, so they could at least be more obscured, but made sure not to separate himself from Faolan. That was the last thing he wanted right now.

With the water making him weightless, Lucien lifted his body to wrap his arms around Faolan's neck, hand slowly trailing across his back as the space between them was practically nonexistent. He could feel the Irishman's excitement firmly against him, and it only made his own desire grow. He was too excited to back out now.

"I still.. owe you for two nights ago.. let's make the most of the time we have now yes?" He asked, his voice husky, eyes clearly reflecting his current desire. Aurel was most likely asleep by now, and Lucien wasn't about to waste this chance.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan let Lucien guide the two of them deeper into the water until they were up to their chests in it. He kept a firm grip on the Frenchman throughout their movement, the man felt like a bundle of feathers in his arms.

By the time they stopped moving, Faolan was sure of Lucien's intentions. He wanted his beloved, badly, and knew that if they continued this way he would not be able to control himself. Lucien knew him well enough by now to realize this as well...

He stared into the Nephilim's eyes and took a deep breath of him, taking in his delicious scent. For one moment, he paused, and glanced back over his shoulder. His voice was quiet, and he made it clear what he wanted to hear from Lucien as a response, "You don't think...the boy...?" he asked, before kissing Lucien softly again. He always lost control when the two of them were this close, and without their clothing...well, there was only one thing he could think of doing.

[xivyxx]

Taking note of Faolan's glance over his shoulder, he could guess what his concern was. He couldn't blame him, doing this was risky, but Luicien wouldn't have instigated this if he thought they would get caught. He returned Faolan's kiss, before breaking for a moment to speak.

"Not to worry.. he's quite tired.. I left him laying down, he's probably asleep by now.. so.. expect no interruptions." He reassured, a smile tugging at his lips before he connected them to Faolan's once more. This seemed to be enough to assure Faolan that everything would be fine, and their kiss increased in passion and intensity. Lucien made his desire clear, as he shifted to wrap his legs around the Irishman, letting out a moan at the contact within their bodies. He was being impatient, and he wanted Faolan to know just how much he wanted him. After more exchanges of passionate kisses and gentle touches, the two men fully immersed themselves in the pleasure of each other's body's, trying to make the most of the time they now had together.

-

They had almost lost track of time, but luckily it seemed Aurel was still very much asleep by the time they had decided to exit the lake. The Frenchman felt.. very much refreshed and quite pleased as he put on a fresh set of clothes, throwing his beloved a charming smile. "Best bath we've had in a while, hmm?" He teased.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan couldn't help himself, once Lucien reassured him, he allowed himself to be completely lost in his lover's embrace. Only after he was fully satisfied did he let Lucien go, and even that was reluctant. He only hoped they would have chances like this regularly...holding back had been more difficult than he'd anticipated.

The two exited the lake, and he dried and dressed himself, taking note of the wrinkled skin on his hands and feet. At Lucien's comment, he chuckled, looking at him with half-closed eyes. He was relaxed, less tightly wound now that he had found his release. "Mmm...look what you did to my fingers," he said, spreading them wide for Lucien.

Thankfully, the boy had not shown himself while Lucien and Faolan had been enjoying each other, at least that the Irishman had seen. He hoped the child had been sleeping the whole time and had not accidentally seen anything...but he had faith in Lucien and his words, and pushed his anxiety about that away.

[xivyxx]

Lucien let out a small laugh at Faolan's comment. "Me? I think we can share equal blame for that one." He said before he reached for his hand and gently ran his fingers across it. [color=bulywood]"They'll get better soon and your youth shall return to you."[/color] He teased before releasing him.

The nephilim's mood had brightened considerably now that he had been able to fully enjoy Faolan's company. "I'm going to go check on Aurel." He said, before heading back to the trailer, but heard Faolan follow behind him. He quietly entered and peeked in, and saw the boy was still laying down. It seemed he had been right, but the sound of the door opening had awakened him.

"Hey.. how are you feeling?" He asked him.

"My legs hurt.." The boy complained as Lucien helped him sit up.

"Do they hurt to move?" He asked him, to which Aurel nodded, grimacing slightly as he tried to move them. It was likely from all the exercising he had done, after all he hadn't had hardly any chances to move his legs properly up until this point. He knew this kind of soreness was normal, he had gone through it himself when he had started training with Faolan but.. probably not to this extent.

"I could.. probably make it feel better.." He offered, if it was really too hard for him to handle.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan simply smiled at Lucien as he ran his fingers across his palm. Occasionally, when he looked at him, he was entirely speechless. This was one of those moments.

He followed Lucien inside once they were dressed and dry, leaving a towel wrapped around his shoulders so his hair wouldn't drip all over the floor of the trailer. It was about dinner time anyway, and though he had enjoyed every second of his alone time with his lover, he knew that the boy needed tending to as well.

He closed the door behind them, noting the distinct temperature change from outdoors to inside. Faolan liked to keep the windows and door open when he and Lucien were "camping", but he knew the boy got cold easily, so he had closed everything up last night and did not want any of the warmth to leave.

Luckily, Aurel had been sleeping the whole time they were outside. Faolan breathed a sigh of relief internally as the boy stirred and eventually fully awakened. He set about trying to dry his soaked hair as he and Lucien spoke, but paused when he saw the Nephilim reaching for the boy's legs.

"Lucien." he said, his voice suddenly stern. He stepped forward and laid a hand on the Frenchman's shoulders, and when their eyes met, he shook his head gently.

Lucien looked up at him, clearly confused. "Why?" he asked, his brow furrowed slightly.

Faolan's eyes landed on Aurel for a moment before he turned his gaze back to Lucien, switching to Irish, "If you heal him every time he's hurt, he'll learn to rely on it. He had to be able to handle some things on his own...it's better this way, for when he decides to leave." Faolan knew that this may seem like cruelty to some, and Lucien may be included in that number, but the Irishman firmly believed that it was important to show the boy independence. Sometimes, one had to learn the hard way and could be stronger for it.

After speaking, Faolan crouched down next to Lucien and the child, then returned to English, "How bad is it, from a scale of one to ten?" Before they made any decisions about how to proceed, he needed to make sure he was not putting the boy through anything too awful. He didn't want to be unabashedly cruel to the child, but he wanted him to know that there was boundaries.

[xivyxx]

Feeling Faolan's hand on his shoulder and seized his movement, looking up at his lover with confused eyes. At his response it now made more sense.. he understood where Faolan was coming from.. but he also didn't want Aurel to suffer if he could do anything about it. It was a hard choice.. but he knew that Faolan was right. Golden eyes trailed back tot he boy as Faolan spoke to him. It would ultimately be up to him.

Aurel looked from Lucien to Faolan. He was thankful that Lucien was willing to make his legs better, but it seemed that Faolan had not thought it to be the best idea. Faolan switched to a language he was unfamiliar with.. was it Irish? Since that's where he was from, and he simply looked on. Clearly they were having some sort of discussion. Eventually Faolan directed a question to him.

He pondered it for a second. It wasn't.. as bad as the pain he was used to. Johan's lashings and beatings hurt much more than this, and the effects of not taking his medicine were harder to deal with. If it was something like this he felt like he could deal with it. The boy didn't feel like Lucien would make him do anything that wouldn't help him.. and even though the larger man had appeared intimidating up to this point, Lucien had reassured him that he hadn't wanted to see him hurt.

"Four..?" He said, but wasn't too sure. It was the first time anyone had ever asked him to measure his pain. "I can take it." He responded. A bit of the soreness was a little familiar to him, back when he had first left the orphanage he had to do a lot of things he had never done, climbed trees, swam distances, and ran around a lot, it had taken a while for his body to get used to it. It had been so long he had almost forgotten the feeling. Maybe.. doing this would let him do those things again.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan nodded at the boy's response, focusing all of his intent on him for this conversation. He looked into the child's eyes, wanting to be sure that he was being genuine in his answers, and not only saying what the Irishman wanted to hear. He was glad at Aurel's followup statement, almost letting a smile slip from him, but holding it at bay.

"Four, that's not so bad," he said, then looked down at Aurel's legs. "Where does it hurt, where is it worst?"

He watched as the boy thought for a moment, then indicated his whole leg. Finally, he settled on his thigh.

"Mmm..." Faolan nodded again. This made sense, given the boy's activities. "Let me explain what's happening, Aurel." He used the boy's new name as he explained, wanting to show the child that he had his own identity and could make his own choices. "When you're not used to working a muscle, you go through something called atrophy. This is your muscle hardening, like a rock." He made a tight fist to illustrate his point. "Trying to break a rock is really hard," he showed this by trying to pry his fist open with his other hand, "But once you open it, there's liquid inside. This liquid is acid." He knew that the child didn't understand what acid was, but he couldn't think of another word for it at the moment. "Acid can sting when it touches you, and right now, your muscle is being swallowed up by it. That's why it hurts, but eventually, that acid will harden to create new muscle where there wasn't any before. You see, the pain means that you're getting stronger, and that's what we all want, hm?" He said.

He knew that this was a lot of information to give a child, especially with a language barrier, but Lucien would make everything a little easier to explain if the child didn't understand. Faolan was a firm believer in not underestimating children, sometimes they were much more intelligent than adults gave them credit for, and he wanted to make sure that this boy was given the respect he never had until now. It was the least he could do.

[xivyxx]

Aurel thought about Faolan's question before answering it. The entirety of his leg hurt but.. he supposed if he were to look for the source.. it'd be around his thighs, which he motioned to for Faolan's reference.

The boy listened intently to man's word's. It was a lot of information to process, and there were some words he didn't quite catch, but Lucien was quick to speak up and translate on his behalf. When Lucien was done, Aurel's eyes brightened slightly.

"Yes!" He exclaimed. "I want to get stronger so I can run and climb again."

"I'm really good at it!" The thought of becoming stronger made the boy more eager to continue with this exercises. "Can you two climb?"

Lucien smiled at the boy's excitement. "I'm quite good at climbing." He responded.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan did not hold his smile at bay when he saw Aurel's reaction to his final question. He was glad to see the child excited despite his pain, this was a good sign.

"Mm...I'm fair at climbing. I'm more of a runner...and a jumper," he paused a moment, then added,"Once you're all better, maybe you can show me some climbing tricks, eh?" He patted the boy's bedside.

He stood and placed his hands on his hips, "For now, a massage will help the pain." He glanced to Lucien, "Maybe you could show him?" he did not want to pass it off on the Frenchman, but he wasn't entirely comfortable with touching the boy yet, especially on his legs. Lucien was better at the physical stuff anyway.

"If you're in too much pain to fall asleep, let Lucien know. Rest is important for getting stronger too."

[xivyxx]

Aurel's smile widened as Faolan asked him to show him. Honestly he didn't think there would be something that he could teach Faolan. He seemed to know so many things, so the fact he told him that made him look forward to getting better even more.

"Yes, I'd love to!" The boy responded. "I can teach!"

Lucien let out a small chuckle. "I look forward to seeing that." He commented, before nodding at the Irishman's words.

"Of course, would you let me, Aurel?" He asked the boy, who then nodded.

The more he heard the name 'Aurel' the more he liked it. Part of him was glad to not be going by 'Snake' anymore. It.. made him feel like a new person.. he.. was really glad he wasn't stuck in that place anymore.

"I'll tell him. I got plenty of rest vorhin." He added, considering he had taken quite a long nap after their swimming.

"That means 'earlier'." Lucien spoke up as he went ahead and did as Faolan had asked, hoping to ease some of the boy's tension in his legs.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan smiled and nodded at Aurel's compliance and Lucien's translation. His grin persisted as he looked down at the two of them, contented with their choice. In the past, he would have thought twice about questioning Lucien's decision to heal someone, no matter the reason, but now he was comfortable enough to make his opinions known and not worry about judgement or annoyance on the Frenchman's part. It was nice to see how far they had come.

After a moment, he dried his hair as much as he could and tossed a jacket on before stepping back outside. Before he left, he turned to them and said, "Some protein will do you good. I'll make some supper, nothing too filling." With this, he exited the trailer and set about his task.

[xivyxx]

The massage was a bit strange, but after a little while Aurel realized that it was actually helping. After he was done, Lucien picked him up and took him outside so they could eat.

The next few days went by similarly. The boy's withdrawals had made themselves known again, but Lucien had been kind enough to continue to cleanse it for him. While Lucien and Faolan whether this method was correct, making the child have to deal with this had simply been too cruel. They had decided it would be best to see if Lucien's cleansing would actually make things better in the long term, before deciding what they should do next.

Through the 'training' he continued to do, by the fourth day he was actually able to get up on his own, even though it did hurt to do so. It excited him to have been able to make this much process. By then, Lucien had decided he would be able to go to town and begin working, as the boy had grown just as comfortable with Faolan as he had him.

With Lucien gone, Faolan and Aurel found themselves on top of a few rocks. He was currently holding a fishing rod awkwardly upright.

"Like this?" He asked, attempting to mimic the Irishman's posture.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan had spent the next few days doing the same tasks he usually did back when the pair camped on their own. The addition of Aurel had grown to be commonplace as he realized how little it really effected their day-to-day activities. Lucien spent most of his time with the boy, knowing that soon he would be leaving for work, and Faolan spent his time taking care of the three of them and their camp. It was rewarding to see Aurel slowly regaining his strength, and in fact the child had bounced back faster than he'd thought possible. Despite the cruelty and abuse he had suffered, he was intelligent and resilient lad. Though quiet, he was eager and quick to learn and seemed to look forward to building his own strength. Faolan was working on steadily diversifying and increasing his diet as well, so his body could have the foundation for growing that it so desperately needed.

Though the Irishman missed the freedom he had felt with his lover almost constantly, the two of them learned to exploit their opportunities to be alone and it was enough to sate him, for the time being. Occasionally, he couldn't help himself but sneak kisses whenever he saw the opportunity.

Eventually, Lucien decided it was time for him to go into town and inquire after a job. Though Faolan was sad to see him go, and a little nervous, he knew it was for the best. They would need an income to support the three of them in the coming months.

He'd compiled a list of things he'd wan ted to teach the boy while he was with them, and the ability to find food for himself was at the top of the list. One day, while Lucien was away, he suggested that the two of them fish together so Faolan could have dinner ready for the Frenchman when he returned. Aurel was excited by the idea and eager to help.

"Mmm..." Faolan hummed, then gently pushed the tip of the child's rod down. "Almost perfect, but you want more of an angle. It's to help when you want to yank the fish up." Though Aurel was still weak, Faolan had seen that most of the fish in the lake were small and should not prove too difficult for the boy too catch. Still, he watched him closely just in case there were any signs of mishaps.