The first time Castor and Frau had a fight, after their promotion to bishops, it didn’t go quite the way Castor expected.

He and Frau had fought pretty much constantly ever since they’d met. Castor was, not just the son of a aristocratic house, but it’s heir. He’d been raised to strict courtesy, reserve, and precision in his work. Frau was an air pirate brat who Castor was reasonably sure, from a few things Frau had let drop, had been raised in a bordello. He was loud, casual, and careless in almost everything. Castor had no idea whose notion it had been to room them together, but the result had been predictable.

After over three years, their fights had worn some of the edges off. They had cooperated very well, in the exam, at least once Castor had taken away Frau’s porn, tied him to a library chair, and drilled him on enough scripture to pass the first part. Castor had actually been a little touched that Frau had refused to leave him, when they reached the last two doors, though he did think Frau could have been a little less crude in the response he’d inscribed to the examiners. They had helped each other out when their paths crossed during their apprentice periods. They were friends by now, albeit friends who fought constantly.

None of that, however, meant Frau frustrated him any less.

So when Frau leaned against the window of Castor’s new (thankfully single) room and fished his Seal from around his neck to light a cigarette with, of course Castor growled and snatched for it.

“Frau! Is there no end to your disrespect? Give me that!”

Frau caught Castor’s wrist and grabbed his lighter-cum-Seal back. “Oh come on, it’s still the holy Seal. Who cares if it’s also something actually useful?”

Castor elbowed Frau in the ribs, though it didn’t land quite as squarely as usual; he still wasn’t entirely used to their new vestments. Frau grunted satisfyingly and lost his cigarette, though, and they scuffled for the lighter for a few seconds.

“Don’t even try it!” Frau panted, snatching Castor’s other hand before Castor could get a good grip on the chain of his lighter. “You stole my porn, but you’re not getting my goddamn cigarettes!” He swung Castor up against the wall by the window, trying to pin him, and Castor gave him a disdainfully curled lip and twisted his wrists against Frau’s completely unscientific grip.

He couldn’t break it.

Castor froze for one second in shock. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t noticed that Frau was taller than him now, or that Frau had been filling out a lot this past year, but Castor had been trained to fight nearly from the moment he could walk. That Frau would have the raw strength to stop him anyway…

He couldn’t help remembering the last test of the exam, the stunning light that had washed through the entire hall, breaking open the candidates’ isolation, erasing everyone’s shadows. Erasing his father. The hands that held him were the ones that wielded that light, and that put a strange shiver through Castor.

He tried, more by reflex than intention at that point, to throw Frau off balance with a twist of his hips. And then he really couldn’t help the sound he made when Frau pressed a thigh between his legs to pin him in place. Frau stilled, looking down at him with sudden question, and Castor stared up at him, shocked at his own response. He was hard against Frau’s thigh.

“Castor?” Frau asked, voice low and steady.

“I…” Castor swallowed. “I don’t…” He couldn’t forget that light, and when Frau’s hands tightened his breath caught. The piercing eyes on him softened.

“Shh,” Frau said quietly, pressing Castor back against the wall. “It’s okay.” His mouth quirked. “Could have figured you wouldn’t know what to do with it.”

Castor rallied a bit at that, bristling. “What exactly do you mean by—” He broke off with a choked gasp as Frau’s thigh rocked up between his legs. He tried to reach out, to steady himself at least, and couldn’t; Frau’s grip kept his hands pinned up against the wall, and Castor moaned softly as his stomach tightened with heat.

“That,” Frau murmured. Castor’s eyes widened as Frau leaned down and closed his teeth, delicately, on the edge of Castor’s veil, lifting it until he could catch Castor’s mouth. His mouth on Castor’s was slow and gentle and utterly ruthless, and Castor was trembling by the time Frau let him go only to catch him again. This, yes, this was what he’d felt in the light that touched them all, and Castor finally surrendered to it and tipped his head back, mouth open under Frau’s.

Frau kept him up against the wall, kissing him until Castor was breathless and gasping as the hard thigh between his legs rocked steadily against him. Frau’s strength held him, steadied him, took him slowly apart, and Castor could only trust in Frau’s assurance that it was all right. When pleasure finally snapped and shot through him, Frau’s body against his was the only thing he could hold on to.

And when he finally relaxed, panting for breath, Frau still held him. Secure. Castor had to swallow against the tightness in his throat. “Frau…”

Slowly, Frau let him go, thumbs stroking gently over his wrists as that steel grip on them eased. He let Castor down and drew him a little away from the wall, gathering him close. “All right?” he asked softly, long fingers spread against Castor’s back.

“I…” Castor hardly knew. But he leaned against Frau.

Frau cupped his cheek, lifting his head. He kissed Castor very gently, through their veils this time, giving Castor back that little distance. “Next time you want to do that, let me know.” He smiled. “And we can keep the fighting for the real arguments. Like where the hell you stashed my porn.”

Castor finally laughed, even if it was a little husky. “Don’t tell me you haven’t replaced it already. I know you better than that.”

Frau drew himself up indignantly. “That’s not the point.”

“Yes, it is,” Castor answered precisely, “because now I have to go looking for the new stuff too.”

And they were back to normal, except for Frau’s hand still resting on his back, steady and sure. Supporting him. Offering a strength that Castor couldn’t break away from. Castor wasn’t sure how he could ask for this again, but he suspected he was going to figure it out.

End