Never would he have imagined that it would have come to this. Orion, stepping with precision beside a young horse, a boy of pinks and peaches, all smiles and flowers in his hair. An innocent creature, certainly. He had learned the other was named Rigel, and was a caretaker in Dawn, good company on days that Orion had sought him out for tea and a read.
The Emissary smiled to himself as they walked the creek, his hooves carefully displacing grasses and the whispering winds that came to them from near the creek. It had surprised him, that when he had expressed his want for a child, that Rigel had piped up with the fact that he could help. It had never occurred to him to ask the other, and it had surprised him even more when Rigel had admitted to having the proper anatomy to do so. It was a generous offer, and one that they had discussed. It had taken a few times to talk over it, to ensure that Rigel had even wanted to do it, if he was absolutely sure.
Several talks and time later, and here they were, side by side, with Orion tilting his head and smiling, brushing his nose against a scaled neck after ducking his head down, a friendly gesture. "Thank you so much for doing this. It means.. a lot." Being exiled and his entire past? Well. He didn't want the life of any child of his to turn out like his had. Not only that, but having a foal to raise would mean he could pass the time with them, teach them, take them with him on his Emissary missions and teach them the world.
The thought of teaching someone so much and loving them? Being loved? It made his chest ache and swell, and he was grateful for this, for every bit of it.
Imagine the surprise on the kirin's face as he had heard Orion talking about wanting a child, about how he wanted to raise one, care for it, love it. There were no lovers in Orion's life, but that didn't stop Rigel from thinking long and hard, from perking his ears up and smiling, offering to help.
He felt the warmth of the nose against his neck, and he leaned his head a little, smiling brightly, even leaning in to nudge back at the Emissary, his friend. "You don't have to thank me. I'm just glad to help," he admitted in a softer voice, smiling as pale blue eyes danced.
They continued their walk, hooves rustling through grasses. All around, there were scents, and every so often a flash of color that announced someone else. No one approached them, and Rigel was fine with leaning his head back and up, pushing his snout against the warmth of Orion's neck, resting it there among the white as they finally came to a stop.
He could practically taste the nerves that were running through the taller man, the anxiety that seemed to stick to his skin.
"Hey.. it's okay. You're not gonna break me or anything.. and I told you, I want to do this. I know... I know I'm innocent and all but I trust you, Orion. You'll be a great father, and we can raise it together, be friends!" Pale lips curled upward, his ears pricking forward.
It was only when they had come to a more secluded patch of longer grasses and shade that they stopped, and Orion felt the press of a muzzle up against his neck, mingling with his hair and making him heat up in the face. He felt his nerves dance under his skin, milky eyes flickering down toward Rigel before his lips twitched up in to a small smile.
It wasn't until the smaller spoke again that he released a soft laugh, and with it, the tension that seemed to have built up on his shoulders during the walk. Somewhere deep down, he had worried that he would hurt the small Caretaker in some way or form. One of the many worries that seemed to be poking at him now in the back of his mind.
"I think being friends would be great. After all, you're offering me this opportunity and.. well. I wouldn't just want to have you have a child and whisk it away from you. We can do it together and be good friends." Nothing else had to come of it, and that was a lovely thought as well. No worrying from either one of them, except for what would be their child.
Drawing in a breath, he tried to calm himself, nuzzling a little more at the kirin, trying to ease himself in to the instincts that came with him. They were alone, and it wasn't as if Rigel was going to judge him. Such a sweet small thing, Orion was just glad that the other trusted him with this.
@myself || this just in: orion is a giant awkward nerd
"Well, then it's settled." Rigel smiled up at the other, and blinked a little. Certainly, he had offered himself for this, and he knew the gist of things, but he'd never really.. thought about it. He felt nervous, but in an excited way, and he laughed as he felt the nuzzle against him, turning his horned head to gently press his nose against the side of Orion's mouth, resting it there a moment.
"It's okay," he whispered again, his ears delicately falling back and his eyes closing as he attempted to follow an instinct he wasn't sure was there. The wind whispered around them, the grass rustling softly, and it was only the two of them. No prying eyes could see where they had gone, and even most of the scents were muted. It was enough to keep him calm, and he pressed himself against Orion, taking it upon himself to softly rest his flank against the larger male's, feeling his softest twitches of skin.
He was still nervous, but now, Rigel's heart was practically bouncing out of his chest.
@myself || it also doesn't help that rigel is an awkward virgin like super virgin. extra virgin rigel
The reassurance was nice, but it didn't cause his anxiety to fade. The kirin was smaller than him, and he didn't want to end up hurting him somehow. Swallowing, he allowed himself to move, to follow Rigel's motions and to flick his ears forward, leaning his head to nuzzle against the other's side and feel the scales against his lips. They weren't as hard as they looked, pliable and moving with any little motion of the other's muscles.
"..you're definitely sure?" His voice seemed to crack a little, and he could feel the laughter that the other let out, a soft chime of vocals that made him want to blush. He felt foolish and awkward, but he couldn't exactly help it. This wasn't too new to him but it was still.. well, with a friend. The last thing he wanted was to hurt someone, especially a friend.
Even more so, he didn't want Rigel to regret this.
@myself || ya know this is fun bc i'm discovering new sides of Orion lmao
His ears twitched, and Rigel felt the press of a muzzle to his side, his lips tilting upward a little, pale and delighted, when he heard the other. It wasn't for a moment that he laughed softly, his eyes closing as he peered over his shoulder at the other, flicking his tail to gently hit Orion on the front legs with the copious amounts of hair he had.
"I promise I'm sure, Orion. It'll be dark before we get anything done." It was a playful tease, and he felt the bump of the other and the laughter that rose up, breaking the tension. It eased it between the two of them, and the kirin relaxed himself, turning and bumping Orion's nose with his own, just for a moment, resting them together.
"We're fine. We can do this. I want this. I want to help." His voice softened, and he could nearly see how it caused Orion to relax, the sincerity of his tones having an affect on the more than nervous man.
The words startled a laugh out of the larger man, and Orion could picture it, really. The way the sun would just set and they'd be fumbling about in the dark like a couple of ridiculous fools. It was enough to make him laugh a moment, and he stopped when he felt the nose on his own, his ears flicking back and his eyes blinking as he came face to face with Rigel again, his head a little lower to keep their noses connected.
It wasn't until Rigel spoke again that he seemed to relax, his shoulders easing and his breath coming out in a heavy sigh that he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. Instead of speaking, he nodded, and finally moved himself around Rigel, trailing his muzzle as he did, taking the time to step behind the other, to touch and nip softly, as well as carefully raise himself up.
Seeing Orion relax, relaxed Rigel even more, and he smiled. As innocent as he was, he trusted his Emissary, and he breathed out slowly, softly, as he felt the trace of the lips against his side. It was almost ticklish, drawing soft laughs from his throat as he shifted his weight, listened to how the other was moving.
The little nips made him shiver too, but he steadied himself, his eyes closing as he breathed easy, and finally let himself fall in to the gentle wash of warmth in his veins.
