just a flicker in the light, catch the corner of my eye 18+

Little did Aela know, every time his advances were met with resistance, however strained it was, Ezra would find other mediums to mitigate his unrest. Sometimes, he would withdraw to his own secret corner of the world and indulge in the sweet release of his pain running red. Other times, his release was more...animalistic and primal. Often, he would turn to the embrace that she was deprived of, whispers of Cassian's fingers against his skin still alive long after they parted. And still he wanted-- needed-- her.

Ezra was no fool to deceive himself into thinking there was any future for them or had ever been the chance of one, her ascension to the crown something that predated their friendship and his own tarnished reputation not exactly lending itself to royalty. Hell, he was lucky to have a job-- and that was only due to Aela. Still, as two kindred spirits who knew each other inside and out, it was hard to say he hadn't considered it a few times.

A crooked smile lazily perched itself on his lips, which tingled with the reminder of how close he'd come. "You have an impeccable skill of choosing surprising places to hide," he mused. Finding her was the simplest part; it was his control he struggled to rein in. "Would it be so wrong if I was here for that?" He wasn't, but the temptation was so, so hard to resist, especially here in this library filled to the brim with novels of all genres and memories of one very specific type, the romance she so often read about but rarely allowed herself to experience.

Ezra shifted closer now. He knew without having to glance at the cover that she was indulging in one such fantastical read, one of her favorites that she couldn't set down. "Do you have that one memorized yet? By the gods," he smirked, the thought stirring that his father would turn over in his grave at his son's irreverence, "I swear every time you're in here, you're reading that thing. Can any book be that good?" Imaginary realms interested him very little, a quality he knew confounded Aela in the same manner it confounded him that she sought peace in the pages. In a fluid motion he swept the book off the side of the chair she was nestled into and propped himself there instead, leafing through the sheets until he settled on something that managed to catch his interest. "'There was another hour or so of chatter, during which she pried for more information about his brief Nightclan leadership, wondering why he had stepped down so quickly. At the end of the hour, she wound herself around him to say goodbye, letting their scents intermingle and--' Aela, is this about cats?"

Before she had a chance to settle back into her seat, his arms scooped around her extended torso and Ezra maneuvered himself deftly into the seat, positioning Aela atop his lap despite her flustered protests. One hand cupped her waist, while the other he used to entwine his fingers into hers, ever so boldly of her dashing guard. "Still no luck, my queen?" Through the window sunlight filtered in, framing the delicate lines of her face and adding shadows to his own rugged features. They'd discussed her flimsy sham of a marriage, and she hadn't exactly been subtle about her frustrations relating to her lacking sex life.

"Perhaps I did come for a kiss," hummed the guard musingly, "but it isn't the only thing I came for. I could not kiss you before asking: Are you okay?" She could erect the facade-- and, admittedly, a certain part of him-- but she couldn't disguise her emotions from him. Anyone else, but not Ezra. And though his lust ran deep, he cared more for her than his own needs. It wasn't the first time he would curse the spirits for giving him a heart.

Oh, he was well aware of Cassian's interests, but that wasn't what they were talking about-- not in that sense. "My poor, lustful queen. Whatever are you to do?" His voice was silk if silk was sound, coy in its undertones and wildly enjoying the tease. "If only you had a strong, handsome guard at your disposal, to do with as you please. A shame he doesn't exist." A shame, even moreso, that he did exist and that his fate would be bound to obscurity even if her enticements were sincere. The thought struck a bitter chord on his heartstrings; with both Cassian and Aela, he existed only in the background, and that's the only place a street rat like him would ever be.

Dispelling the sour feeling before it could emerge into his mood and sully one of these precious moments with his queen, he grinned wolfishly. "So, what is it, then? Shall you order me to kiss thine lips? Or," and he pouted, "must I continue to dream of it?" An order was far from the encouragement he needed to cross that boundary, unfettered by the worries that plagued Aela, but Ezra always did like a woman who took control.

She was straddling him now. She was straddling him, and she was smirking down at him, and spirits, she was sexy. Ezra needed no further invitation.

His hooded gaze was absolutely sinful, and his hand was already moving before he fully processed it, up from her waist and into the small of her back, a little pressure guiding her closer. Close enough that he could close the rest of the distance, his lips upon hers in a thrilling conclusion to years of flirtations and fantasies. All of his senses were on fire-- or was it him? It wouldn't have been the first time that happened-- and all of his longing was placed into that kiss, far more passionate than anything he'd experienced lately.

When he pulled away, it was brief, only for his mouth to trail her jawline and plant smaller, fleeting kisses. He followed the curve of her face until a breathy laugh whispered against her skin, a deviant smile curling onto his lips. "Your wish is my command, your majesty," he crooned into her ear, thrilled by the hitch of her breath in response.

Yeah, warriors certainly weren't the cats he wanted to be exploring tonight anyway, though he was reluctant to let Aela slip from his grasp, the sense that if they parted she would regain her self control and shut him out again almost pervading the willingness he had to give her control. Almost. He allowed her to pull away and step off him, trailing kisses in her wake and sultry eyes beckoning him after her, and somehow she managed to stay just out of reach as they stumbled throughout the corridors. The maids would titter about this sight in the morning-- the sight of their queen teasing the tips of her guard's fingers, of how his mirth bubbled out in shushed giggles, of how they looked like they had when they ran throughout the forests together in secret, Aela always ahead of Ezra and Ezra always reaching out for her.

When the door closed behind them and she backed herself towards the bed, he advanced without pause, already having shed his shirt somewhere in the halls. Someone would return it to him later, or perhaps they'd keep the little memento for themself. It mattered very little to Ezra in comparison to what was interesting him very much right now.

He was swift to erase the space between them, no fear evident in the way his hands pulled her in, less gentle now that they were truly alone and behind literal closed doors. Her face was cradled carefully in his palms, his features softer than she'd ever seen before. "I'm going to give the orders now, alright?" It was posed as a question but there wasn't any room for objection in his voice, which bled possession he wasn't even trying to disguise. "And you're going to kiss me." He could sense the heat of her body through his fingertips, longing to release all the tension that she'd been saving up for this moment since her wedding night, but toying with a flustered Aela was all part of his fun. Ezra may not have had a place in the royals' world of practiced charm, but he was a king in this respect.

Beneath each kiss blossomed electricity sending shocks throughout the rest of him. Sex was an act he did mostly for the pleasure and because he was, very often, horny, with little attention to the duration. But with her he was much more attentive, savoring every last moment as if it could end abruptly at any time. "For now," he relented, the insinuation clear that he would be expecting more kisses later.

As Aela grew more comfortable, his control began to abate and his own kisses grew sloppier, no stretch of skin left untouched by his lips. He nipped a few times too-- only to be smacked repeatedly, a breathless warning given for him to not leave any evidence in his wake. And per usual, Ezra didn't listen all that well, as she'd discover the hickey barely hidden by her dark skin at a later time.

He didn't have a reputation for being gentle, more greedy in his lust than anything else, but knowing what he knew of her inexperience, Ezra was slower and worked his way steadily down, noting with interest how she responded to his mouth upon her skin, her breasts, her nipples, teasing every area with his tongue. "Learning anything yet?" A cheshire grin found his lips, though he did not move away from where he hovered between her thighs, his breathing heavier and hitching slightly with the anticipatory excitement tingling in all the right places.

"This is what coming is," he ascertained, rising back up to kiss her again, her moans soft against his tongue. There was a pleasurable sound evoked from his throat at the feel of how wet she was, and despite his want to keep her like this forever, their union feeling so very precious after the tension had bubbled between them for months, his self control slipped and he pressed inside her, slowly at first but gaining momentum. 

Though he wanted more of everything-- the tease, the ecstasy, the feeling of Aela's body responding to him-- when he felt her nails curl into his back and her body arch into his, his release was almost immediate and left him panting and breathless, scarcely able to hold himself aloft. Regaining some of his breath, he grinned down at her and then rolled off to prop himself up on his arm. "I hope this lesson wasn't too disappointing, your majesty. You can always ask for some more demonstrations if you need," he chuckled. He wanted her to want that, but his hopes weren't pinned on it. Even now, curled up together in the afterglow, he knew that the moment they exited her bedroom, she would be all business and divinity once more, and he would only stand at her side as an employee serving at the pleasure of the crown.

But if she did want more, he would be more than willing to serve the crown that pleasure as well.