frozenfractals: (negative) anxiety, concern (craving a darkness as I sit tucked away)
Elsa of Arendelle ([personal profile] frozenfractals) wrote in [community profile] cityarcade2014-11-05 04:17 am

MEME: Arranged Marriage AU

We were craving a meme, so after some digging around, we've got something new and different for you guys, with a huge hat-tip to the [community profile] bakerstreet RP memes comm (original post here). Let's get some of those marriage feels sorted.
Time to get your faux-historical/fantasy novel on. For today's meme, your pup is getting married, whether they want to or not. It's arranged marriages time!

HOW IT WORKS
❧ Post a comment with your character's name and any preferences. This should include whether you're open to full threads or mostly dialogue, Test Drive-style, if you have a preference.
❧ If there's a specific set of circumstances you like best, set the scene.
❧ Or leave your comment blank and let others use RNG to choose the scenario. Feel free to mix and match.
❧ Or even just write drabbles to any (or none) of the prompts.
❧ Please note the prompts below are merely suggestions and you're more than welcome to come up with your own situation.
❧ Have fun!

POSSIBLE REASONS FOR MARRIAGE
1) Station → You come from a royal, noble, or otherwise distinguished family who has chosen a suitable spouse for you.
2) Feud → You are being married to put an end to the bitter enmity between your two families.
3) Economics → Your economic state and/or your station will improve through the union, though one of you may be marrying down.
4) Empire → You and your spouse are merging your businesses and/or property to create something more influential or profitable.
5) Tribute → You have been offered as a gift or appeasement; alternately you're the spoils of war.
6) Bloodline → Carrying on your distinguished family name has fallen to you and the equally well-bred spouse of your family's selection.
7) Disapproval → Your marriage has been arranged to keep you away from the person with whom you truly wish to be.

POSSIBLE SCENARIOS
1) First meeting → This is the very first time you're meeting your future spouse.
2) Courtship → To get to know each other and encourage affection, your family has approved of you going on dates.
3) Engagement party → Be it a huge, formal affair or a small, intimate get together, you're celebrating (or pretending).
4) Wedding day → The big day!
5) Reception → The big party!
6) Wedding night → Every meme needs a smut prompt, right?
7) Honeymoon → Where will you go with your new spouse and what will you do there?
du_vallon: (lean forward)

[personal profile] du_vallon 2014-11-10 02:57 am (UTC)(link)
Porthos uses the force of his body to slam Athos' shoulder down into the bed a little harder than before, refusing to give him the ability to eke out from under it. "No, no, you don't get to do that until you've come," he chides mildly, pumping Athos' cock now with little care for gentleness, working him with efficiency and speed.
somepoorsoul: (Default)

[personal profile] somepoorsoul 2014-11-10 03:11 am (UTC)(link)
And before long he does, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as he spends. Breathless curses fall from lips, and finally, without quite realizing it or meaning to, he speaks a woman’s name.

Anne.

Then he falls silent, still breathing hard, eyes still closed, reality already creeping back in, for all he would wish to push it away.
du_vallon: (one sideways look)

[personal profile] du_vallon 2014-11-10 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
Porthos eases back off of Athos, relinquishing his hold as he widens his eyes at how that is most certainly not his name. "Anne, hm?" he murmurs, cleaning his hand on a nearby towel. "Well, the Cardinal did say you had a history. I suppose she's it?"
somepoorsoul: (Default)

[personal profile] somepoorsoul 2014-11-11 02:41 am (UTC)(link)
A moment or two passes before Athos can put together the last few moments and understand what Porthos is saying. He turns his face away, eyes tightly closed, feeling a flush color his cheeks that has nothing to do with their exertions. The cardinal, of course his knows the shame of the Comte de la Fere, the thief and murderer he married and put to death. Of course he would send another thief to mock him.

By God, he should have fled after Anne, and to hell with his duty to his king.

He swallows hard, pain rippling under his skin where, moments ago, he felt pleasure. “She was my wife."
du_vallon: (clever clogs)

[personal profile] du_vallon 2014-11-11 04:36 am (UTC)(link)
Porthos reaches out to comb back hair from Athos' forehead carefully, eyeing him with a fond, soft smile. "I don't care about your past," he promises. "Can't, exactly, what with me not sporting a glowing past myself." He leans off of Athos, chin propped up with one hand. "Do you want to talk about her?"
somepoorsoul: (Default)

[personal profile] somepoorsoul 2014-11-11 01:06 pm (UTC)(link)
He shakes his head, and finally opens his eyes to look at Porthos, this man who seems incapable of falsehood or judgment. His hand passes briefly over the locket he wears, and then Athos shifts slightly, so that he is propped up on one hand and facing the other man. He runs his fingers along Porthos’ arm, grateful for the comfort his ‘prize’ has unexpectedly brought, despite his shame, despite knowing that he does not deserve it.
du_vallon: (Default)

[personal profile] du_vallon 2014-11-11 03:45 pm (UTC)(link)

Porthos has always enjoyed this part more than any other and despite the ache pestering at him, he can ignore that in order to pay attention to Athos properly. "You don't seem to like to talk much at all," he observes, eyeing him with a softness on his face. "Lucky for us, I like to talk plenty."

somepoorsoul: (Default)

[personal profile] somepoorsoul 2014-11-11 09:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Athos cannot argue with that; he offers a faint, sheepish smile as his own reply. It has been so long since he has lain with anyone – in any sense of the word – and this part leaves him more uncertain than the sex itself. He wishes the earth would swallow him whole just as much as he wishes never to leave. As Porthos so succinctly put it, Athos has never been very good at talking; that is ten times more true in this most intimate of moments.

He swallows, letting his hand slide down Porthos’ broad back. “Not exactly what I expected out of my afternoon,” he notes with a wry twist of his lips.
du_vallon: (athos is grumpy no surprise)

[personal profile] du_vallon 2014-11-12 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
"Not bad, for me," Porthos says with a wicked smirk. "Few hours in and you're already giving me the ropes of what it could be like, here. Better than having the servants show me around, that's for sure," he says, leaning back into the touch of the hand with a happy sigh. "Do you have duties to tend to? Or would you like me to give you an excuse to run away?"
somepoorsoul: (Default)

[personal profile] somepoorsoul 2014-11-12 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
He could easily leave, even without the playful excuses that Porthos has laid out. It isn’t this man’s business what he might have to attend to, why he might want to flee this bed and what he has done here. Athos takes a breath, and then, faintly, shakes his head. “This is my house. I have duties to attend to when I say I do."
du_vallon: (twirl the giddy)

[personal profile] du_vallon 2014-11-12 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
"In that case, would your duties kindly extend to giving me a hand? Or easing back a bit so I can take care of myself," he suggests, but his voice is subdued and quiet, like he doesn't think anyone else needs to hear this private conversation.
somepoorsoul: (Default)

[personal profile] somepoorsoul 2014-11-12 02:52 am (UTC)(link)
Swallowing back nerves, Athos shifts closer, his hand sliding over Porthos’ hip and thigh. He has never done this before, not to another man, but he does his best to bury his uncertainty deep, a smirk curving on his lips as he runs his hand experimentally onto Porthos’ cock.
du_vallon: (past battles)

[personal profile] du_vallon 2014-11-12 03:38 am (UTC)(link)
This is unexpected, but certainly what he wants. Porthos breathes out, a bit shakily, and licks his lips until he can put his attention purely focused on that hand touching him. "I can tell you what I like," he murmurs, voice soft for Athos' sake. "I like it a bit slow, exploring, but no teasing. No stopping."
somepoorsoul: (Default)

[personal profile] somepoorsoul 2014-11-13 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
Athos’ nod is faint, but serious, and his exploration is slow and unhesitating. He watches Porthos expression intently, shifting his touch as the other man responds, and gaining confidence as he goes.
du_vallon: (angles)

[personal profile] du_vallon 2014-11-13 03:17 am (UTC)(link)
Porthos refuses to take his eyes off Athos, stubbornly holding his gaze as he rocks into the touch, the warmth overwhelming as he feels gentleness instead of harshness. He doesn't know how long this situation will last, but he can't help but indulge while it's here. He snakes his hand through Athos' hair to kiss him, hard, while he brings him off, as if reminding him of what he's been missing.
somepoorsoul: (Default)

[personal profile] somepoorsoul 2014-11-13 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
Athos gasps softly into the kiss, the shiver it sends through him still a delicious and unexpected rediscovery. Porthos’ mouth is warm and inviting, rough and greedy, the kiss utterly unlike those he has shared with women, and yet the passion is the same. Athos shifts closer, so that when their lips part, their foreheads can lean together.

This tryst of theirs can’t last, not when the shame and the consequences are so great. Now that the war is done, former allies already clamber to tear each other apart, and the Comte de la Fere has angered too many powerful men over the years to be left in peace now. Especially when one of those men is the First Minister of France. If any of them were to discover this unexpected result of the Cardinal’s little joke--

But none of that matters now. Now, there is only the heat between, powerful enough to block out everything outside this small room.
du_vallon: (Default)

[personal profile] du_vallon 2014-11-13 05:53 pm (UTC)(link)

Porthos leans greedily forward to take in every kiss, every touch, every thing he possibly can, given how much he desperately wants it to keep going, but his body is not on the same page, willing himself to give over and to be undone. It's not very long before he finds an end, gasping with it and letting out a remorseful little sigh as he lets his limbs fall with exhaustion on the bed, staring up at Athos with a wary look on his face, mostly for how much he'd enjoyed all of that.

somepoorsoul: (Default)

[personal profile] somepoorsoul 2014-11-13 07:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Athos watches as desire and relief turn to uncertainty in Porthos’ eyes; he has every right, and Athos feels much the same, but it stings a bit anyway. He moves away, fetches a towel to clean his hands, and when he returns, sits on the edge of the bed. Though he cannot quite look at the man, he runs a hand through his hair, and brings it to rest gently on his shoulder.

What now? That is the question he cannot quite articulate.
du_vallon: (look down)

[personal profile] du_vallon 2014-11-14 01:17 am (UTC)(link)
Porthos sniffs as he comes back to himself, glancing at Athos before he tucks himself properly back in his trousers and redoes the buttons of his shirt. "It'd be a shame if you and I had to become non-speaking allies," he muses pointedly. "Wouldn't it?"
somepoorsoul: (Default)

[personal profile] somepoorsoul 2014-11-14 01:30 am (UTC)(link)
Athos clears his throat, belatedly reaching for his own shirt and breeches. He pulls the linen over his head, feeling his locket hot against his skin. “That would be a disappointment indeed,” he agrees softly, on impulse covering Porthos’ hand with his own.
du_vallon: (hugs)

[personal profile] du_vallon 2014-11-14 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
Porthos looks up with a boyish, surprised look on his face. Even after everything, it's the tenderness he's most surprised by and it comes across by the way he stares at Athos with a sheepish and half shy look, like he's not expecting to be treated this well. "Maybe you and I, we could have an arrangement of a sort. Where you can find solace when you want it."
somepoorsoul: (Default)

[personal profile] somepoorsoul 2014-11-14 03:14 am (UTC)(link)
“The servants will talk.” Athos isn’t objecting, exactly - his words are more a statement of fact, a gentle warning. “But they are loyal to me. Word of this will not pass these walls.”

And if any betray him, Athos will have to act swiftly and harshly, and still it might destroy him. He finds himself willing to take the risk. Now that he has allowed himself this bit of comfort, the thought of giving it up is more troubling than he would like.
du_vallon: (watch your eyes)

[personal profile] du_vallon 2014-11-14 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
"You have stables," Porthos points out. "You have all sorts of rooms with locks. I'm not going to ruin you, don't worry. I'm looking for a good life and ruining the Comte de la Fère wouldn't look good on my reputation, would it?" he says, splaying out on the bed as he strokes his fingers over his chest. "For your sake, we probably ought to keep this quiet. Even from your servants."
somepoorsoul: (Default)

[personal profile] somepoorsoul 2014-11-14 01:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Unexpectedly, the thought of being pressed up against the stable wall by Porthos’ magnificent bulk, the earthy smell of horses and hay all around, sends a light shiver down Athos’ spine. “If anyone asks, I have made you my new manservant,” he decides. "In such a capacity, you will have to carry out some duties, travel with me when I go to court…” He glances at Porthos with a faint smirk. “I hope you will not find it too arduous.”
du_vallon: (that's the one)

[personal profile] du_vallon 2014-11-14 02:46 pm (UTC)(link)
"What else does a manservant do?" Perhaps it might have come out teasing and sensual, but there is only genuine curiosity in Porthos' tone. He wants to do well by his new position and refuses to abandon it even though he feels a steady undercurrent of need for the man so close to him. "Apart from travelling with you to court, which is far from arduous."

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