#leto trying to understand the benegesserit-icy of paul atreides is >>>

[cultfic]

⎯ @feargrown, paul atreides : “ why are you bleeding? what happened? ”

ever enthusiastic tone of voice sounds around them as son hurries to greet father, paul's distress bringing attention to leto's wrist and the thin trail of blood rolling down his fingers. oh! ❝  weapons training with gurney.  ❞ a rapid inspection locates the injury on his forearm as he nonchalantly sets to roll up the sleeve of his shirt, eyes on his son; his pride; when he explains with a knowing smile, ❝  shieldless.  ❞ though this particular practice is reserved only for leto. ❝  he tells me you've greatly improved on your own sessions.  ❞ back straight, smile widens at the obvious compliment as he assesses the cut on his flesh with greater focus, refuses care with a stern shake of his head and a request to be left alone with his son.

❝  but he also tells me your head sometimes isn't entirely in it.  ❞ the duke's commanding stance and voice come out best when he teaches his son, and yet deep affection and utter fondness still drip from the gentleness of his gaze; jaw clenching when he presses a piece of cloth against the gash on his arm. ❝  in battle, that is a luxury no one can afford. ━ what is it that distracts you, paul? your mother mentioned .. dreams?  ❞

[cultfic]

@benegessica. the heaviness of brow raised in shared disappointment betrays his personal regret regarding the emperor's decision to have him take over a cursed soil, whatever hidden intent may or may not have been. it is known, isn't it, that the supreme ruler bears a fondness for leto ⎯ or so he did once, not so many years ago. his response to her apt comment comes in the way of a familiar shrug unburdened by the weight of ceremony in the warmth of his lover's embrace. and a smile of his own accompanies the softness of her laugh, a sound he's grown so desperate to hear at all times and even more eager to be the one to trigger it. ❝  good. thufir's bad news were plenty enough to last us a couple of weeks, i should think.  ❞

eyes shutting again, he leans in closer still, lips parted to meet hers with a gentleness very telling of his fatigue as skin glides upon skin for a moment that he allows to drag on, if only to selfishly drown in the taste of her and forget the worries of the day that'll await him come dawn. the red duke isn't built for sand, he's a man of the air strengthened by the hardship of high winds and the fierceness of rain but for his house, for paul, he'll endure. ❝  what about our son?  ❞ he hasn't had time to see him before the boy retired to his own chambers; he misses him. ❝  gurney mentioned he was somewhat distracted in their training sessions. something about .. a dream?  ❞

❝   how kind of the emperor to bestow arrakis just to have you to be the one to try and make it whole again.   ❞ she curls the words in her mouth to make it sound like less of an accusation and more of a compliment in his favour. does she dare waste these precious moments which are to become few and fairer in the coming time for the need to be right against her duke? it wouldn't be against him, jessica thinks; never against him. for him is a far better way to examine what she does regarding him. beneath his stare, betwixt his grip, it's never simpler to recall her reasoning. he is tired enough, she decides. these are his concerns. she must allow the rest to fall in the places he cannot see, like the innards of her mind.

her eyes fall shut with their closeness, breathing in his scent. to say she gives it permission to calm her would be a lie. even after all these years, it both delights and terribly confuses her how something as simple as his touch creates such a strong effect on her. her training's had taught her many things but they did not teach her the true power of love in all of its little glories. ❝   much less egregious than yours,   ❞ jessica breathes with a quiet laugh. ❝   perhaps that is the closest to normalcy we can hope for here.   ❞ she opens her eyes to look into his own. how exactly she will move on arrakis is yet to be seen, but she knows there will be ample opportunity to find the tricks of the light. pushes her forehead into his own with a solidness she can't quite decide is meant for him or for herself. ❝   i'm sure you would have it no other way.   ❞