#silas's brain: mission failed--we'll get em next time

[jaggededges123]

17 kiss eighthcest 👁️👁

17. First Kiss

The first time Silas Octakiseron sinned knowing his transgression ahead of time… was terrifying. It was worse than the time that Colum had taken him on a trip to the top of the belltower in the Octavian, when Silas had passed out because of how far his stomach seemed to drop looking down, and down, and down from the fenced-in area. It felt as if one single misstep might have caused him to plummet so far that he would disintegrate to dust upon hitting the ground, skipping the need to be buried in the catacombs entirely.

When they rose from their evening prayers, from huddled together and linked hand to hand to standing and the same, Silas refused to let go. He’d explode if he did.

He tugged on Colum’s hands to keep the big, weathered man in place, and he stood on his toes to press his lips clumsily and chastely to his cavalier’s. It was the first kiss he’d ever given or received with this sort of intent. It was a statement bigger than its outer facade, Silas declaring that in this one aspect of himself, he would accept and indeed welcome imperfection.

He would welcome Colum, no matter if it was a subversion of their vow. Their vow was large enough to hold more now, now that Silas was older than when it had been made.

Silas landed back on the rest of his feet lightly, his expectant gaze never leaving Colum’s face for a moment. Colum was remarkably still, like an unusual statue in their austere set of rooms, and the tips of his ears flushed darker, along with one particular patch on Colum’s left cheek.

“You’re a bit too old to say goodnight like that, aren’t you?”

Before Colum had even finished his weak protest, Silas felt like he’d been thrown outside of the city without proper protective gear on. His heart cracked in his chest the same way it had when Colum had told him what meat was made from at the age of six, but worse.

Colum still thought of Silas as a child. Silas thought of Colum as… more than he should. More than he’d been taught to.

But, in Silas there was also a deep-set ember in his belly, of the angry variety. His thin cheeks puffed a little as he let go of Colum’s hands finally, embarrassment and shame coating the heartbreak and bruised ego.

“I’m not a child, Brother Asht,” he insisted, scowling and feeling very adult about it. He shot one last glare at Colum before stalking back to their bedroom to finish preparing for bed. “I’d appreciate if you didn’t insinuate that I was.”

It seemed he still had a lot of work to do before his offer to commit this single sin would even be considered.

Elsewhere…

Colum Asht was shock-still in the middle of their small prayer room that jutted off to the side of the Master Templar’s bedroom. His hands still felt warm where Silas had held them as they’d joined each other in prayer, and then where Silas had held him to—

How old was Silas again? Was he fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen? He could have even been older or younger. It was sometimes difficult for Colum to remember small details like the passing of years since some years ago when they’d taken their vows. In any case, Silas seemed just as small and delicate, the perfect picture of a pale Eighth House necromancer, as he always had been since he had been a child.

There was no possibility in Colum’s mind that Silas had kissed him with any intent other than familial comfort and intimacy in mind. Silas was the Master Templar, and Colum couldn’t remember a single time when Silas hadn’t done his utmost to ensure that he didn’t even come in the general vicinity of a sin.

Finally, Colum shook himself out of it. Of course, Silas wasn’t a child anymore, and as such wouldn’t appreciate Colum stepping out of line by pointing out his young age. He probably hadn’t meant anything by that kiss, owing to his general state of innocence, and so any meaning that Colum would impose himself upon the action would, in a sense, be Colum’s own depraved mind. That must have been the case.

Colum blinked an additional six times and said a quiet prayer to ground himself in the moment, and then he followed his necromancer into the bedroom to help Silas get comfortable in bed so that he himself could go to sleep.