Wedding Bells (AU, for gunslingerqueen) (NSFW)

[toweredingly]

Roland had woken with a headache and a sinking sense of cold dread, and neither were because of the large amounts of whiskey and graf he'd drunk the night before. It was a familiar feeling; the same steady almost-fear settled into his bones whenever he saw a battle looming. But battles could be fought with gunfire and cold rage, with all thought pushed aside and the world coming at you moment by moment. Today was worse. Today was politics.

He'd set aside his usual jerkin and jeans for more formal gear. The suit itself wasn't so bad, but he felt naked without his guns at his hip. It would have been good to have their comfort, even if he had no intent of using them. Their weight had always been like having a part of his father still with him, and all the gunslingers of their line before him. Now, when he most felt need of that reassurance, he had to set it aside. Clean-shaven and well-heeled, with his hair pulled back into a queue and his feet rubbed by the hard leather of new shoes, he felt like another man - and one even less capable of facing all that lay ahead.

The wedding was in the morning, before the real Fair-Day began. Then things would take their usual course; the castle flung open to the people, the feasting and singing and Fair-Day riddling, with raucous good humour and doubtless a few fights. That was manageable. He had lived that every Fair-Day for his whole life. What frightened him, more than he would ever admit, was the part that came before and after.

"You look more like a man going to put a noose around her neck than a ring around her finger," Bert commented in his ear, bringing him back to the present. For his part, Bert looked perfectly at ease in formal wear, sauntering about and regarding Roland with a critical eye. Whatever dark mood had been slithering about under the surface, he seemed to have excised it for now.

Roland answered with a grunt, looking back ruefully at the gunbelt hanging over the back of his chair, and closed his eyes for a moment. "Is there a difference?"

"Dinh or no dinh, I'm not beyond punching you. Just for once, Ro', try to stop living in whatever darkness is going on in that bony head of yours, and relax." For once, Bert wasn't smiling. He slung an arm around his friend's shoulders, looking at him closely. "She's not Susan. I kennit, Ro'. But she's what Susan would have wanted for you. Carry that with you, at least."

"Thankee, Bert." Patting Cuthbert on the back, Roland shook his head and started towards the door. Towards the Hall of the Ancestors, where Burtock Hattlen waited in lieu of a dinh, where Alain was standing by with a ring.

The hall was filled, to a casual eye, but Roland saw the empty spaces more than the full. No Cort, no Vannay, no Stephen Deschain in the high seat. Many who should have been seated in the best places were gone. Somehow, that made it easier to settle his mind, straighten his spine, and wait steady and watchful at the front of the hall for his bride.

Comments

NO IT'S OKAY that was like 300 comments ago or something! Tbh I don't really remember either!

[gunslingerqueen]

Temptation was a good start, it meant that he might just give in, might just be here and exist, and that would be the best wedding gift she could think of. But there was certainly a weight to his voice, and to the idea clearly presented in his next question. Of course it made her a little sad, she didn't want to think of Cuthbert, Alain, Jamie, the maids, the cook, the other, few gunslingers being gone. They were becoming permanent in her mind, necessary, and while they would all meet their end eventually since that was every person's fate, she still didn't need to enjoy the thought.

"I would go with you." The reply was far quieter than her usual tone, but no less honest. She had an inkling of what it meant for him to ask her this and she wanted to respect it. Her lips pressed against his temple, gentle and sweet just for one instant. "My place is beside you, Roland, not behind or in front of. I don't begrudge it, and I am not afraid of it." So she wasn't a responsibility nor a source of inevitable guilt. This was her answer and her choice and she hoped he might see that much.

...oh god i didn't even realise how much of this we'd written wow XD

[toweredingly]

He saw it all right, saw it very well. It was no more than he'd expected, but it still felt odd to have it spoken. It weighed heavy on him, and yet, at the same time, there was a strange relief in it. She had chosen. What she had chosen was bitter, and might never come about at all, but she had chosen. That was terrifying, and awful, and exactly as it should be. Ka, he thought. Ka like a whirlwind, and you dragging people into its path.

He said none of that. He only nodded, his expression resigned as much as relieved, and took her hand. For a moment, he was still and silent, eyes still closed, then he turned his head, kissing her shoulder. "You may come to regret that place," he said at last. His eyes were soft with something that might have been grief, but he was smiling. "Last question. Are you clean enough?" His hand slid up her thigh again, as he made an obvious and conscious decision to drop the subject before it led to darker places. "Because I've a mind to dirty you again."

Haha yep! There's a lot and every second has been so much fun

[gunslingerqueen]

He was right, but the operative word in that statement was 'may'. Right now she didn't regret a thing and if time passed in such a way that her feelings changed it would still only be her own fault. She was as clearheaded about this and what might follow as she had been about their marriage. But she also knew he didn't want to linger any farther on that topic, so she returned to her normal cheerfulness, but her hand still held onto his.

"You really only went with five!" And, surprisingly, he didn't ask about anything that she would have expected, but maybe that was for the best. If Roland could let himself have some period of time where he was free of some of his suffering, then she could stop thinking about everything that lingered in her mind. "But if that's your intention I can live with five. I'm the very definition of clean and you should fix that. But if we end up in here again we're switching positions and I'll be disappointed if you don't use it to your advantage."

Which wasn't to say she didn't enjoy things this way! She really and truly had! It had also eliminated the possibility of him diverting any conversation they had with sex because it was difficult for him to touch her if his back was to her chest. But the other way around? A completely different story.

i'm glad you think so too! (it would be destroying my sleep patterns if i'd ever had them)

[toweredingly]

Roland's smile was very nearly a smirk, although it still seemed a little hollow. Disentangling himself from her, he stood, dripping, and stepped out of the tub.

"I have the rest of our lives to find out about you," he observed, "and I think I know as much as I need to for now. I'd rather use my mouth for something less liable to end in sorrow." Looking down at her with undisguised appreciation, he offered her a hand up. Whatever else he might feel for her (and for the time being, he was avoiding addressing that issue), there was no denying that she was beautiful, or that looking at her naked and wet made it much easier to drive serious concerns out of his mind than any amount of talking would.

Well hey if there's no hope of sleeping, might as well have fun!

[gunslingerqueen]

Hopefully he felt the same even as she refused to let go of his hand until she had to, and even as she took the chance to enjoy having the bath to herself for the very last few seconds. He was probably too damn tall for a lot of things, but Nariko was woefully short and so she fit perfectly in the tub and sunk to her neck while looking up at him.

"A fair and just argument if I've ever heard one!" And then she reached out and took his hand, guided herself up to stand but took a kiss first, which was what she thought he meant as far as using his mouth. If there was some other meaning to that, well ... It probably wouldn't be a true wedding night without one surprise. For now she forced herself to pull away because trying to get out of a bath while kissing was asking for an embarrassing head injury.

that's what I figure, yeah.

[toweredingly]

Roland kissed back for a moment, resisting the temptation to follow when she pulled away. He didn't stay away for long, though, pulling her close as soon as she was out of the tub, leaning down to kiss her hard on the mouth, his free hand coming up to massage her breast gently.

"As if I needed an argument," he commented dryly, his hand sliding off her breast and down to her hip. "Given a few minutes between to recover, I can't help but feel we could do this all night."

[gunslingerqueen]

He really wasn't in the mood to be patient, was he? Which suited her just fine, she had nothing against the unforgiving press of his lips and responding in kind, though even more eager and wanting than the first time around. The noise she made was caught somewhere between a well meaning laugh and a moan for that touch was there and then not in nearly the same moment. Obviously she wasn't the only tease in the room.

"Oh, we could, and it would be amazing." She felt completely secure in saying it, now since they hardly lacked a physical spark. "And it is our wedding night, so I think we would only be doing ourselves a favor by taking advantage of the situation." Her words were almost coy as she kissed his shoulder, and inward to the base of his neck, her fingers reaching up the length of his back, to where she had pressed marks into him, and touched gently there, but to say there wasn't a hint of pride would be a horrible lie.

sorry for the long delay there. friend showed up to force me out of the house.

[toweredingly]

Although he didn't say so, he rather agreed. His mind went briefly, guiltily, to Alain's vigil in his study. But then, it wasn't as though Alain would appreciate him avoiding his wedding night to take responsibility for everything. In fact, he thought that might the easiest way to rile his normally placid friend into genuine anger. When he put it to himself like that, there was really no excuse not to spend the night forgetting all the troubles of the day.

With that in mind, he arched a little against her fingers, feeling the slight sting of the scratches, and slipped his hand momentarily inwards to trace a barely-there line up her thigh with one finger. "Well. There's a lot of night yet to fill." Tipping his head a little to bare his neck better, he ran his hand up between her legs, pausing for a moment with his palm cupped over her mound, and then withdrew it.

No problem. I hope you had fun!

[gunslingerqueen]

That had to be the most coordinated back and forth she had ever seen, or maybe Nariko was looking into it too much. Even if she was, so what? It was a quiet thing, the way he moved against her touch and how she exhaled when he put his hand over her only to pull back again after she was ready to grind into his touch. This man was already trying her patience and he probably had no idea. "And a few more marks to remind you of it tomorrow if I can get away with it."

Or maybe not since she pulled away a little suddenly, stilled her hands at the middle of his back and looked up at Roland with pure mischief in her eyes. "Unless you plan on attempting to tease me all night, then I might have to resort to very drastic ideas." She attempted to slide out of his hold, not because she wanted to but because how else would she see if he followed or not!

[toweredingly]

To his own surprise, Roland laughed - not his usual harsh bark, but something altogether more boyish, that crinkled his eyes and made him suddenly look much more like the youth he was. Wet from the bath, she was slippery as an eel, but that didn't stop him grabbing her, one hand tight on her butt, the other in her hair. "It seems like I may have gone a bit beyond attempting," he said, pulling her head back a little to bite her neck. "Although I'm curious what you might consider drastic."

[gunslingerqueen]

On the one hand laughing wasn't really what she had been going for here! But then again he actually looked ... Happy. Wow. It was no wonder that he succeeded in pulling her right back since she was quite busy with falling in love a little. But only just that because she had to see the truth in his words, "That may or may not be the truth." Which meant that it was, since the resulting hitch in her breathe didn't leave room for it to be anything else and she had already given up and put her arms around him again. He was warm, that was her excuse.

"I was going to start with riding you, preferably on the bed but if you were difficult there's always the floor." One of those options is much worse than the other, the only 'drastic' part of the situation, really.

[toweredingly]

"That sounds like it might leave some splinters I'd sooner avoid." Although, judging by the little twitch of his cock up against her, that didn't mean he didn't like what she was saying. "I think I like my own idea better."

For a moment, he let the hand on her ass slide further down and forwards, the tips of his long, quick fingers toying against her lips from behind. Then, disentangling his other hand from her hair, he hunkered down in front of her, hands on her hips, and licked a long line from front to back, sucking on her clit for a moment before sitting back on his heels to look up at her. "As I said, there are thing my mouth is rather better at than answering questions."

He might not have much of a sense of humour, but that didn't mean he wasn't sometimes capable of enjoying catching people off-guard. That was the intention here.

[gunslingerqueen]

She liked his idea better, too, even if it did a hell of a lot more than catch her off guard, he threw her off any sense of mental direction that could be had. Honestly, she had thought he only meant to touch her and that was really just fine, it wasn't as if that couldn't do the job. But the surprised gasp, how wide her eyes became had little to do with pleasure, but losing her fingers in his dark hair and shaking, whimpering in a way she had only felt once before was all thanks to his much, much better idea.

"I think -" This is what Nariko happened to look like when she was speechless and aroused, breathing off and genuinely stunned. "I think you are very right."

Except there was something that lingered on her mind and it was probably better to handle it now. "I'm actually a little upset about needing to ask something since you have a ridiculously sexy voice as it is and now I just kind of want more of that, but, still." She spoke much quicker than usual and there was a breathless quality to her voice that made her obvious, but at least she didn't have time to feel bad about the question itself. "This is - I mean it's ... Okay? With you? Really?"

A large part of her felt too cautious to even pose the question for fear of it being anything but okay, or something that felt owed, but she couldn't help it. Honesty was best even if it did deprive her of an awe-inspiring feeling.

[toweredingly]

Roland looked up at her, raising one heavy eyebrow. "Nariko," he said, his voice very clear and edged rather with amusement, "even having known me so short a time, do you really think I would have done that if I didn't want to?" Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to the inside of her thigh, nipping for a moment at the tender skin. "Women taste better than men, anyroad. Cry out if you think you might lose your balance, we'll move to the bed."

And before she had a chance to respond, he ducked his head again, fastening his mouth over her clit and sucking, his tongue swirling lightly over the little nub. Her taste was diluted by the bathwater, of course, but that could always be remedied, and he was in no hurry. Contrary to her worries, he'd always enjoyed going down on women, and he was good at it. Part of that was knowing to vary it; now sucking, now licking, now moving away to leave a lovebite on the inside of her thigh while he brought his hand into play. If she hadn't been sure it was okay with him, the enthusiasm he was showing for it ought to have been enough to prove it - that was, if she could think straight enough.

[gunslingerqueen]

There were a number of fitting and possibly humorous responses to that but there wasn't any time for them and maybe that was for the best. Accepting that he showed the same exuberance for it as she did when it came to performing the act for him would filter its way in at a later time. His genuine willingness just left her stunned and completely helpless but it wasn't as terrible a state to be in as she usually thought.

It certainly involved a lot of crying out and if she had been expressive beforehand then this was a new level. He wasn't holding back and, pathetic as she might have thought herself if she were allowed to think at all, he left her a mess. She gripped his hair, refrained from pulling it too cruelly through a genuine miracle, shook in place every time he sucked, some unknown but very loud form of a moan escaped her lips regularly. The only brief reprieve was when he switched to his fingers but that only meant he threw her back into even more pleasure and she never seemed prepared for it.

"Roland!" Her other hand, which had been occasionally pushed over her mouth to stop what would have otherwise been a genuine shout and dangerously close to a scream, now braced on his shoulder so that she could take some of the strength from her legs. "Bed - Sorry, can't - I can't - stand? Bed." .... One other time in her life did not equip her with the ability to handle Roland Deschain's tongue, it was simply a fact of life.

[toweredingly]

He smiled that sharp smile again, licking his lips as he pulled away, and straightened up to half-guide, half-carry her over to the bed. "Lie down," he suggested, one hand slipping back down between her legs, and kissed her. It wasn't as hard a kiss as before; this one was deeper, softer, more searching. He held it for just about as long as he figured would frustrate her without letting her arousal ebb too much, then slipped easily back down between her legs, lifting her thighs onto his shoulders for easier access as he pushed his hair back with one hand and went back to work.

She had said she wanted marks, so he left a few more of them, pulling away every so often to suck or bite hard enough to leave a red patch on her thigh or her belly, then ducking back in to kiss and lick more. The good thing about not having her standing was that he could also spare a hand to reach up and run trimmed nails over her breasts and belly. If she wasn't used to this, as he surmised she wasn't... well, that was all the more reason to give it all he had.

[gunslingerqueen]

It was a bit difficult to kiss while breathless! Since Nariko had never experienced such a thing before it was a brand new realization, though maybe one she should have naturally assumed. Still, she very clearly returned the sentiment, trying to find the same composure he had obviously kept this entire time. And while there was a handful of ways for a man to at least polite edge a woman downward Nariko had no idea if there were any when the positions were switched. She loved kissing, after all! But right then she really wanted him to get back to it and thankfully he didn't keep her waiting too long.

On her back she didn't have to worry about pulling his hair out by accident, instead her fingers knotted up the sheets in her hands to twist and yank at them all she needed. And, oh, was it needed. Usually the mere expression, being able to make any noise at all was enough to keep her still but Roland's tongue and the painful-but-not press of his teeth made her squirm here and there. It didn't matter how loud she became, or how fiercely she let her own nails bite at her palms, it felt as if there was too much pleasure in her and it could only drive her truly insane.

It did because that was really the whole point, she hardly lasted another minute, but at least it was the good form of insanity that left her back arched and thighs trembling. If he hadn't gotten his fill of her taste just yet then with the particularly mind breaking orgasm came more than enough of it. In any other situation she would have been able to warn him, of course, it didn't happen every single time but it could be a pain. Unfortunately the most logical thing she was capable of crying out for the hallway and beyond to hear was his name, hopefully that could make up for it.

[toweredingly]

It did take Roland more than a little by surprise, making him splutter for breath. He'd never fucked a woman who did that before, and it actually took him a moment to figure out what had just happened. Sitting up, he wiped his mouth with the back of one hand, liquid clinging to the five o'clock shadow that was starting on his jaw. It dripped off the point of his chin, and he smiled slowly, licking his lips.

"I think they heard that in the Outer Baronies," he said rather smugly, shifting back up to lie beside her, and pushed her hair back from her face with the cleaner of his hands.

[gunslingerqueen]

"I don't doubt it, and they deserved to for how wonderful it felt!" He deserved to be smug for putting such a ridiculously pleasured, happy smile on her face. She reached out and swiped her thumb over his chin, and when she laughed it was with a hint of embarrassment. "Sorry about that," Not that it was the most convincing apology in the world she was still half soaked in pleasure but she did mean it! That was hardly the first surprised reaction she had faced but he didn't appear bothered by it so that was a relief.

Moving was quite the effort in the moment but it was worth it to lean over and kiss him properly, if somewhat off kilter because she couldn't stop smiling. "You are a gift, and I will probably never allow you to forget it." Hopefully he wasn't expecting much space because the afterglow just made her ... Cuddly, and obviously so. She was fond of sliding her fingers through his hair and messing it up even more, and curving just behind his ear before she reached back up and did it again, all while she laid kisses along his cheeks, his temple, and forehead. "Speaking of expectations, there was no foreseeing that." And thank goodness for it.

[toweredingly]

He didn't seem to mind having her close. In fact, he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her up against his chest, enjoying her warmth and the feeling of her heavy breathing. This kind of closeness, the kind that was all physicality and satisfaction, he was more than all right with. He didn't have to relax, or put his trust in anyone else, to enjoy it, and there was a bone-deep satisfaction in it. True, he was still hard and sooner or later he was going to need some relief on that front, but he could put that off while she recovered.

"Hasn't anyone done that for you before?" The disbelief in his voice was genuine. It was obvious that she was far from virginal, and it was, to him, very strange that she could have gotten so good at using her own mouth without ever having it reciprocated. Then again, he'd never understood why so many men didn't consider it enjoyable to go down on their women. The way she'd screamed ought to be enough to make anyone want to do it.

[gunslingerqueen]

The act itself had been pretty surprising, but proof that doing it had only helped excite him was something else entirely. Since he pulled her close she settled against him and would have gotten right to thoroughly repaying him, but there was that question, and it made her laugh.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Well, it wasn't exactly that but it was the only word that came to her still hazed mind. "Only once before and that was ..." She hummed while she thought, "About five years ago! Even Kaine didn't do that the one time it happened, so I was really just beginning to accept that it wasn't something that a lot of people did. Whereas, you know, it's easy to hear about some guy being taken care of, Christian always made a fight out of it and I didn't think it was fair to Joshua." She said their names cautiously, as if the mention of other people might affect his arousal any. He had spoken briefly of Susan before, but they hadn't been doing anything sexual at that moment and it seemed that might change the atmosphere a little.

[toweredingly]

If the mention of their names bothered him, it didn't show. After all, he knew perfectly well that she had had other lovers, and it was, if anything, a reassurance. The only thing that might have concerned him was the mention of Joshua, who he feared might still be a sore spot, but if she didn't mind, then there was no reason for him to. There were some ways in which Roland was a jealous man, but love wasn't one of them.

"I sound surprised," he replied, kissing the top of her head, "because since I began to think what you might look like naked, I've been thinking what you might taste like, too. And any man who didn't take the opportunity to find out seems a fool to me."

[gunslingerqueen]

It was a good thing Roland didn't often speak like this, if he ever got it in his mind to even attempt to be charming the learning curve might not be as difficult as he thought. As if returning the gesture she kissed his chest where she happened to be laying but that changed quickly enough.

"I think I'm inclined to agree with you, but what I want to know ..." She settled on top of him, legs spread and straddling Roland just right, it didn't take much to line them up in the way that mattered, or to work her hips down. She could have very easily sunk down completely but where was the fun in that? Just the tip would be enough for now. "... Is when exactly you began to think about such things!"

[toweredingly]

He let out something halfway between a sigh and a groan, his eyes heavy-lidded as he looked up at her. "You've had your five questions. You may have to go on wanting." He pushed his own hips up a little, just to remind her that straddling him didn't mean she had all the power, and rested his hands on her hips. "Particularly if you're going to be so distracting."

[gunslingerqueen]

It was a necessary reminder but she hardly wanted to give up that easily. "So if I'm not distracting there's a better chance? That seems awfully backwards, Roland." For both their sakes, or rather because he took it upon himself to remind her of what she needed, too, she didn't hold it off any longer. "There really has to be some sort of trade we can work out."

By now she talked just to see how long she had before he felt the need to quiet her for good, she was genuinely curious but honestly it wasn't more important than riding him in short, controlled movements.