kisses like honeyed berries – Critical Role, Fjorclay

[thecrazyalaskan]

Title: kisses like honeyed berries
Author: TheCrazyAlaskan
Fandom / Setting: Critical Role — Campaign II: The Mighty Nein
Characters / Pairings: Fjord x Caduceus Clay / Fjorclay, NPCs
Word Count: 1001
Rating: T
Warnings / Notes: brain melting fluff

my first two fics were angsty, so here's something sweet and fluffy

 

Summers in Zadash, the Mighty Nein quickly learned, were brutal. The heat was oppressive, doubly so without a breeze to dispel it, and it made the air in the Pentamarket shimmer.

It was through the shimmering Pentamarket that Fjord and Caduceus wandered—never more than an arm's length apart with their fingers loosely intertwined, rather than their usual arm in arm approach. "How are you not roasting right now?" Fjord asked, looking Caduceus over, almost envious of the fact that he wasn't veneered in perspiration.

"Weight and cut are important," Caduceus pointed out, almost serenely, as he gestured from Fjord's clothes, linen and cotton tailored to suit his frame, to his own outfit of flowing silk shirt and trousers. "Here, feel this—" He extended his free arm to offer his shirtsleeve to Fjord.

"Oh damn, that's nice," Fjord murmured appreciatively as he rubbed the light material between his thumb and forefinger.

"If I find similar material, I'd be happy to make you something like it," he offered, withdrawing his arm.

"I'll… keep that in mind—" The offer was impossibly thoughtful, much like Caduceus himself, and the kindness behind it made Fjord's heart surge. "Thank you, darlin'."

Caduceus smiled warmly before pausing at a baker's cart, carefully considering his options. At the same time, Fjord allowed his attention to wander until he zeroed in on a stall—a generous assessment, given that it was more of a small table wedged between two bigger stalls—run by a trio of halfling children. There was no sign of advertisement, but from a distance it looked like… yes. Perfect. "Hey darlin', I'm gonna wander for a minute," Fjord said, lightly squeezing his companion's fingers.

Caduceus looked away from the cart before offering Fjord a warm smile. "Have fun, my seashell—" He bent slightly to press a soft kiss to Fjord's forehead, the wide brim of his straw hat temporarily shielding them both from the sun.

Fjord allowed himself a moment to bask in not only the shade provided by his markedly taller boyfriend, but in their affection and love for each other before pressing a soft kiss of his own to Caduceus' cheek and breaking away to cross the market. As he approached, he was better able to get a sense of the trio's ages (the older two were just touching their teenaged years and the last was hardly more than six or seven), as well as the set up—the middle one intermittently casting Frostbite on their supplies to protect them from the heat.

As he approached the table, within conversation distance, the little one perked up. "You wanna buy some ice cream?" they asked, not quite shouting to be heard over the din.

Part of Fjord wanted to laugh at the admittedly blunt sales pitch, but for their benefit he took a moment to "consider" the offer. "That sounds fantastic," he said, retrieving a small coin purse from a pocket. "How much would two ice creams set me back?"

Fantastic had no sooner left his mouth than the trio all but leapt into action—the eldest scooping the frozen cream into two small, no doubt one-use tillia wood dishes before passing it to their sibling, who garnished the dish with a handful of bright summer berries and a drizzle of honey and a small wooden spoon, while the little one held out a tin cup with the as much solemness as their little Halfling form could muster as they announced the price of two coppers.

It was a price Fjord was happy to pay as he dropped three coppers into the cup before thanking the siblings and accepting the dishes. The chill of the ice cream permeated the thin wood as he wove his way through the crowd to return to Caduceus' side.

Caduceus was just concluding a purchase of his own (a few loaves of bread and a selection of pastries, as requested by his fellow cleric) when he felt Fjord's presence at his side once more. He smiled warmly, an expression that only deepened when he saw the dishes in his hands. "You found something to your liking, I see."

"Here, have some—" Fjord gently thrust one of the dishes into Caduceus' hands.

"What is it?" he asked, looking from the bowl to Fjord and back again.

Fjord was already digging in, working on finding the bite that gave the best berries to honey to ice cream ratio. "Berries, honey, sugar, cream—"

"You know how I feel about milk," Caduceus reminded.

"I know—" He paused his excavation to point the spoon at Caduceus to emphasize his point. "You're gonna like this, I promise."

Caduceus' gaze drifted from his companion to the ice cream before he shrugged slightly and lifted the spoon to sample it. Unlike Fjord, who was obviously enjoying himself, his expression was held more carefully neutral.

"What'd you think?" Fjord asked after several moments of watching him suss out if he liked it or not.

"I have to admit, I'm a little upset with you, Fjord," Caduceus replied.

Wait—what. That was… not the reaction he'd been anticipating. "What's the matter?"

"I distinctly recall—" Caduceus gestured lightly with the spoon in his hand as he spoke—"being very very drunk and saying I wanted to order something that tasted good. Where was this when I asked for that, Fjord?"

A wave emotion washed over Fjord—relief that he was being teased, fondness as he considered the memory of his boyfriend's first time among the populace at large and the innocence of the lens through which he'd viewed the world, and joy that he'd found something they both liked. "Sorry, darlin'," he murmured in "apology," coming to stand hip to hip with him.

Caduceus heaved a theatrical sigh before being to touch his forehead to Fjord's. "Forgiven, my seashell—" A kiss, gently pressed to Fjord's mouth and tasting like honey and ripe berries, underscored the depth of the love he felt for him just beneath the surface of the words.

Definitely a taste both could get used to.