Chapter Two #2
“It does,” Tor agreed. “But since you can’t know for certain what someone else is doing with their magic in their body, you should never assume they’re withholding their magical intent.
So if you don’t want to wind up with a baby, you should always withhold your magical intent.
Obviously, it would ideally be discussed before anyone got pregnant, but mistakes happen, especially if you assume the other person is taking care of it; they might be assuming the same.
As a starting point, therefore, always make sure you’re not trying to have a baby unless you want one. ”
“But I don’t actually have to worry that I’m going to get you pregnant,” Pel pointed out. “We’re not magical enough.”
Tor shrugged. “It’s true that it takes a royal blessing of magic for conception that doesn’t include a penis and a womb.
I’m certainly not as magical as a king who’s got the magical Fealty of the entirety of the United Realms. But my brother and I are twins, and our magic was extremely similar before Varex was crowned.
It’s smarter not to take the risk. So while I always withhold my magical intent, I want you to do so, too.
Then we’re doubly covered and ready in case anyone’s concentration ever slips. ”
“You’ve never gotten anyone pregnant.” It wasn’t really a question, because he knew the other man.
“No,” Tor agreed with a shake of his head and a bit of his smile. “But can I swear that no person I was with ever tried to get pregnant?”
Ah. Pel hadn’t thought about people who might try to trap the High Prince.
He nodded. “That makes a lot of sense. So despite the fact that I think it’s singularly useless when it comes to me, I’ll also withhold my magic.”
Withholding his magic had never been a problem.
Tor leaned in to kiss him softly. “Thank you.”
Pel was only attracted to men, so he wasn’t at all worried that his tiny amount of magic would help contribute to a pregnancy that required a huge amount of magic to achieve, but he did prefer to be responsible. It wouldn’t hurt anything to be extra careful.
“Did anyone actually practice with you?” Tor asked.
Pel looked at him askance, and Tor laughed.
“I mean about actively withholding your magic.”
Slowly, Pel shook his head. Once he’d Manifested as Unremarkable, magic had become a virtually forbidden subject—unless someone was lamenting how unfortunate his situation was. Pel had avoided all talk of it whenever he could.
Tor took him through an exercise to help him focus and pull back his magic, and Pel didn’t have the heart to tell him that there was practically nothing to withhold. The way Tor talked about it, it was clear he had a… a wellspring of magic in him. Pel didn’t even have a trickle.
But it was true that Unremarkable were able to prevent conception, or the many Unremarkable pairings would have a lot more children. Pel tried to concentrate.
“It’s basically just keeping all your magic with you,” Tor added.
“It sounds silly, I know. That’s what you’re normally doing.
But in the heat of intimacy when you’re spilling inside someone, it can feel like the most natural impulse in the world to just ‘let go.’ You need to remember not to do that with your magic. ”
Pel sucked in a breath. He’d never thought of it quite like that. He still didn’t think he had enough magic, but he could better envision now why it was a concern, especially for Illustrious and Extraordinary with their increased magic.
“I’ll be careful,” he agreed. “But it’s a relief to know that you know what you’re doing, just in case.”
Tor grinned. “Yes, I’ve got us covered. But I’m confident you’ll figure it out.”
Tor’s confidence in Pel wasn’t something he should need, but he had to admit that it made him feel good. There weren’t a lot of people in his life who believed in him.
Smiling, Pel said, “So what’s next now that we’ve determined that we’re not going to get you pregnant?”
Tor laughed. “Can you imagine me trying to explain that to my brother?”
Pel made a face. “Absolutely not.”
Pel doubted High King Varex remembered Pel any more clearly than Tor had, and Pel kind of wanted to keep it that way.
Tor climbed back onto his hands and knees, waggling his ass. “I mean, it does make telling him anything else seem easier by comparison. But that’s a problem for another day. Just at the moment, the problem is my ass.”
He shook it again, and Pel snorted with laughter. “Oh, your ass is the problem? Do tell.”
“It needs to be loosened up so that it can receive your very lovely cock.”
“That’s where the oil comes in.” Pel had the vial ready. He was an absolute novice, but he paid careful attention to what Tor said.
“Still want me to do the stretching?”
Tilting his head to one side, Pel tried to envision it. “Uh, how would you do it yourself?”
Tor demonstrated, and Pel frowned.
“That doesn’t look very comfortable.”
“It’s a bit awkward,” Tor agreed with a shrug that rippled through the back muscles Pel could see on such glorious display. “But worth it for the outcome.”
Or Pel could do this part, even if it made him nervous, and Tor wouldn’t be contorted awkwardly.
“Let me,” Pel said, before he could lose his nerve. “Just promise to tell me if I do anything wrong.”
Tor cast him a look over his shoulder. “Look: it’s your fingers in my ass. It’s not actually that complicated.”
Given that they were prepping Tor for something that could hurt or be uncomfortable otherwise, it clearly could go wrong, but Pel appreciated the attempt to lighten the mood.
He raised an eyebrow. “Let’s see if you’re still so cocky when I’m fucking you.”
Tor wiggled his ass again. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Pel would never have imagined there’d be this much banter when he had sex—nor would he have expected how much he liked it. But now he had to actually… proceed. His stomach erupted in butterflies, like they’d just been waiting for him to realize he’d actually need to act.
As if Tor could read his mind, he said patiently, “First step: coat your fingers in oil. A fair amount. It will be a slippery mess, and we’ll probably get oil all over the place. That’s totally fine.”
If they did that, the staff would know what Tor was getting up to. But then, he’d been having sex before Pel, and he’d have sex after Pel—though hopefully not here in Tond. Just because Pel was contemplating having sex for the first time didn’t mean it was that noteworthy to anyone else.
“Is it always this awkward?” Pel asked a bit plaintively.
“Most of the time,” Tor answered with a bright laugh. Seriously, the man was on all fours, wiggling his ass at Pel, and he sounded perfectly at ease. “You get more used to how much oil you need to use as you gain experience. But it’s always better to err on the side of lots of oil.”
“Right,” Pel agreed. He definitely wanted Tor to be comfortable.
“Also, you’ll want to either figure out how to put the lid back on the oil with a very oily hand, or you want to put it on a stable surface. Otherwise, there’s an extremely high chance that you or I will knock it over at some point and make even more of a mess. Ask me how I know this.”
Pel found himself grinning, some of that tight coil of anxiety relaxing. He was with Tor, and Tor was going to guide him through this. “Right.” It wasn’t like any of this was particularly complicated, but Pel definitely hadn’t thought through the little details. “I’m glad you’ve done this before.”
Tor twisted back to grin at him. “It’s all a learning process. Anyone who tells you their first time was perfect is definitely lying.”
He sounded so definitive that Pel could only laugh. “What? You weren’t perfection itself?”
Tor grimaced, looking a bit embarrassed. “I was young, and I was lucky that I was with someone who was equally young and not at all discerning. I could and have done better on pretty much every occasion since.”
Pel had been so focused on Tor’s experience that he’d somehow forgotten that, of course, Tor had started somewhere, too. And if Pel considered some fumbling effort with someone years ago or being here with Tor like this now… there was absolutely no competition.
“I’m glad I’m doing this with you,” Pel told him impulsively.
Tor smiled at him, eyes soft and expression fond. “Me, too.”
Pel poured oil onto his left palm, then reached out to set the oil on the bedside cabinet. He barely managed to screw the lid back on loosely with his right hand.
Then he dipped his right fingers into the oil, coating them carefully.
“All right, what’s next?” he asked.
“Pretty much what you think is next,” Tor told him. Pel could hear the grin, even though Tor wasn’t facing him now. “Start with one finger, like I said, and go slowly. If I need you to pause or pull out, I’ll ask.”
Well, that was one concern allayed, at least.
Pel eyed that beautiful muscled flesh in front of him. “Am I just supposed to grab your ass and go for it? That seems… rude.”
Tor craned around to grin at him, eyes alight with laughter.
“I wouldn’t recommend it as a tactic in general, though we’ve reached the point where I certainly wouldn’t mind.
But as with any form of intimacy, taking a roundabout way to get there can be very pleasant.
You can squeeze my ass, kiss my ass.” He winked, and Pel rolled his eyes, charmed in spite of himself. “Whatever you want.”
Pel scarcely knew what that was—but that was the point of all this.
He was trying something new. And he did know that he liked to touch Tor.
He’d touched his ass before, though never with this much intent.
Still, he could admire it and squeeze it and stroke it, feeling the supple skin and firm muscle beneath his fingers.
He was leaving oily streaks on Tor’s skin, which glistened in the light and reminded him why Tor had said this was messy.
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to one of the globes, because Tor was ridiculous, and Pel liked that for some reason.