"I mean, I'm ready to throw down and fight the entire ground," he jokes back. There are fingers weaving through his hair, however, and that takes far more precedence than any sort of MMA-style cage fight with gravity and the Earth itself; Liam's eyes slip shut and he arches into the touch with a soft, pleased noise. Even with the thrill of the ride thrumming through his veins, there's something about James that always steadies him, lets him have these moments of peace and clarity that he wouldn't get to enjoy otherwise.
"See, but also you don't quite get it." There's the beginning of an impish grin that tugs at the corner of his mouth, "it's not spoiling if you deserve it. Check and mate."
Fight the ground? He snorts, nosing against the dullahan's shoulder. That would mean possibly either a ridiculous display of Liam punching the ground and rolling around like a dork or the worse option of duking it out with a nature god or something like that. One of those was infinitely more endearing and less painful sounding than the other.
His touch slowly finds itself coming to the man's neck. Fingers gently brushing along the separation scar. "Fine, fine. I know I'm not going to win that argument."
Fingers softly toy along the seam in his neck, and Liam lets out a small, breathy noise of contentment. There's an intimacy in this that goes far beyond anything that he would have ever thought possible; letting someone touch such a vital part of him shows a level of trust that he'd never allow from anyone else. James is safe, James is love.
He catches the reaper's hand with his own, bringing it to his lips so he can place gentle kisses to the tips of his fingers. "Get some rest, 'm not going anywhere."
A yawn slips free from his careful attempts to not show his exhaustion. He was a reaper, someone who shouldn't need rest. At the same time he spent a lot of energy on the invisibility for the both of them among other things.
He stretches out against the dullahan with a low grumble. "Don;t want to though. Didn't do much beyond stare at your back and now I get to appreciate your face," he sighs. "Can't blame a guy for wanting to enjoy the view."
A pink tinge graces Liam's cheeks, even as he smiles softly at the compliment. With gentle movements, he pulls the reaper in to him, tucking him against his side and pressing a kiss to his temple.
"I know, it's not very exciting out there if you're not the one driving. Next time I take you out, it'll be for a proper trip, okay? Promise. Wanna take you out on the town proper."
“Mm I’d like that,” he murmurs against his shoulder. Another tired nuzzle given to the dullahan as he finally closes his eyes. He can’t exactly keep fighting sleep between Liam’s insistence and the energy drained from himself.
“Surprise me next stop.”
Then James is out like a light. His breathing goes soft and steady as he sleeps beside the man.
"It's a date." James finally succums to the siren call of sleep, though, and Liam's quietly grateful that his partner feels safe enough around him to let his guard down like this. James has always broken every stereotype he'd ever known about Reapers- and that's been the best thing that Liam's ever had happen to him.
With a gentle kiss to his reaper's brow, Liam tucks himself in beside the man and wills himself to try to get a little rest. He doesn't need it, not at a time like this, but he'd be damned a thousand times over if he were to move and accidentally wake his beloved.
The night passes, as its wont to do, and when sunlight starts filtering in past the closed blinds, Liam does his best to shift as little as possible while he leans down to press feather-light kisses to James' brow. "Hey."
It’s a peaceful dreamless sleep. One that he’s thankful to get after the drain on his system from all of the riding around and constant magic use. It doesn’t hurt to get a chance to simply forget about the stress of the road and just rest. Especially when he’s in the arms of his dullahan.
Though there’s something tickling his face and he’s not sure if he’s a fan of that. A grunt as he buries his face away into something solid and warm. It’s not forgiving like a pillow but it’ll work if it means not having to wake yet.
His arms tightening around Liam before growing lax again.
How is it possible that a reaper, one of the feared and respected envoys of the dead, could be this cute? For as much as his instincts itch at the back of his brain to go and move, Liam finds himself utterly charmed a thousand times over by the quiet noises and slow, soporific movements of the man curled about him.
Screw instinct anyways- this is far more important than work.
"'s light out," he continues on, making no move to try and escape the cuddling, "we don't have to go yet, sorry about waking you."
There's another annoyed grunt as James finally gives up on any further dozing. Slitted eyes glaring at the sunlight streaming through the curtains. They can't spend all day in bed though. Not when Liam has been suffering long enough with the whole instinct denial. No need to be a selfish asshole.
With a groan, he stretches himself out before pushing up onto an elbow. "You're fine," he reassures. "Besides we've got more road to cover, right?"
Gods above and below, even the grumbling is cute; Liam is one hundred percent certain that it should be illegal for someone who's very capable of tossing him through a window to be this soft. Not that he'll ever mention that to James- this is just something that Liam decides that he'll keep to himself, a gentle moment he can draw back on whenever life starts to get too rough.
For a fleeting moment, he wonders if James knows how much even these little things help.
"Yeah, we do," he's not going to lie, but that doesn't mean he can't try to logic his way into getting James to rest more. "But it's..."
He trails off for a second, then makes a very vague gesture with one free hand, "it's one of those things that like, you know when you know. You never start out knowing where you're going, but you definitely know when you get there."
James studies Liam carefully for a couple of seconds, trying to parse through the logic as much as try to wake himself up. In the end he only manages to shuffle over a bit so he can rest his chin atop the dullahan’s chest. A simple nod given as Liam gestures about while he settles down in this new close position.
“You know,” he says, “you could simply say you want to keep me in bed. Think that’d be a lot quicker to say. Easier too. But that’s just me.”
There's something so incredibly soft at the way James fits against him, and Liam feels his breath catch for a moment at the swell of emotion in his chest. Slowly, carefully, he reaches out with one hand to smooth a stray bit of bed-muddled hair near his reaper's temple, his grin soft and lovestruck.
"I mean, I think I usually want to keep you in bed, but sometimes a guy's gotta try to be subtle, y'know? Not that I mean it for anything, uh, uncouth? That's the right word? Whatever- mostly I just don't want it to seem like I'm just some big horndog all the time."
Liam ducks his head for a moment, a bit embarrassed, "I just- I promise it's not like that! I just want you to be able to rest. You deserve a break."
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chiming
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Date: 2020-02-23 10:27 am (UTC)From:"See, but also you don't quite get it." There's the beginning of an impish grin that tugs at the corner of his mouth, "it's not spoiling if you deserve it. Check and mate."
no subject
Date: 2020-02-29 08:20 am (UTC)From:His touch slowly finds itself coming to the man's neck. Fingers gently brushing along the separation scar. "Fine, fine. I know I'm not going to win that argument."
no subject
Date: 2020-03-30 09:54 am (UTC)From:He catches the reaper's hand with his own, bringing it to his lips so he can place gentle kisses to the tips of his fingers. "Get some rest, 'm not going anywhere."
no subject
Date: 2020-04-28 07:11 am (UTC)From:He stretches out against the dullahan with a low grumble. "Don;t want to though. Didn't do much beyond stare at your back and now I get to appreciate your face," he sighs. "Can't blame a guy for wanting to enjoy the view."
no subject
Date: 2020-05-01 04:46 am (UTC)From:"I know, it's not very exciting out there if you're not the one driving. Next time I take you out, it'll be for a proper trip, okay? Promise. Wanna take you out on the town proper."
no subject
Date: 2020-06-25 08:34 am (UTC)From:“Surprise me next stop.”
Then James is out like a light. His breathing goes soft and steady as he sleeps beside the man.
no subject
Date: 2020-08-28 05:30 am (UTC)From:With a gentle kiss to his reaper's brow, Liam tucks himself in beside the man and wills himself to try to get a little rest. He doesn't need it, not at a time like this, but he'd be damned a thousand times over if he were to move and accidentally wake his beloved.
The night passes, as its wont to do, and when sunlight starts filtering in past the closed blinds, Liam does his best to shift as little as possible while he leans down to press feather-light kisses to James' brow. "Hey."
no subject
Date: 2020-09-14 07:48 am (UTC)From:Though there’s something tickling his face and he’s not sure if he’s a fan of that. A grunt as he buries his face away into something solid and warm. It’s not forgiving like a pillow but it’ll work if it means not having to wake yet.
His arms tightening around Liam before growing lax again.
no subject
Date: 2020-10-20 02:55 am (UTC)From:Screw instinct anyways- this is far more important than work.
"'s light out," he continues on, making no move to try and escape the cuddling, "we don't have to go yet, sorry about waking you."
no subject
Date: 2021-02-19 12:00 am (UTC)From:With a groan, he stretches himself out before pushing up onto an elbow. "You're fine," he reassures. "Besides we've got more road to cover, right?"
no subject
Date: 2021-03-18 04:14 am (UTC)From:For a fleeting moment, he wonders if James knows how much even these little things help.
"Yeah, we do," he's not going to lie, but that doesn't mean he can't try to logic his way into getting James to rest more. "But it's..."
He trails off for a second, then makes a very vague gesture with one free hand, "it's one of those things that like, you know when you know. You never start out knowing where you're going, but you definitely know when you get there."
no subject
Date: 2021-06-14 08:17 am (UTC)From:“You know,” he says, “you could simply say you want to keep me in bed. Think that’d be a lot quicker to say. Easier too. But that’s just me.”
no subject
Date: 2021-09-16 02:12 am (UTC)From:"I mean, I think I usually want to keep you in bed, but sometimes a guy's gotta try to be subtle, y'know? Not that I mean it for anything, uh, uncouth? That's the right word? Whatever- mostly I just don't want it to seem like I'm just some big horndog all the time."
Liam ducks his head for a moment, a bit embarrassed, "I just- I promise it's not like that! I just want you to be able to rest. You deserve a break."