It's the day after the moot, and late -- closer to dawn than dusk, and Ren still isn't home yet. He hasn't been around a good portion of the day, for that matter, not that it's so unusual for him not to be around a bit. Still, this is later than he's been missing for quite a long time.

Martin gets caught up in his work so easily, and the hours pass. His fingers are ink-stained, his eyes bleary from straining to read by lamplight. As he finishes a chapter of his book, he seems to become aware of the silence that falls over the land before dawn, and he looks around. No Ren. Carefully, he gathers up his papers to put them away.

There's soft noises outside, and then a shifting-creak of the house, the sign of someone starting up the rope, quiet and careful. Either it's Ren trying no to wake anyone who might be dozing, or someone wants to break in.

Martin tucks his papers away neatly, and then tides the area around the bed-nest. "Is that you, Serendipity?" he calls, so that the visitor need not feel compelled to maintain stealth.

From below comes a somewhat sheepish "...hi, han'some," and the rope gets climbed with a bit more speed, the trapdoor opening to reveal Ren, who crawls inside, looking somewhat disheveled and a touch subdued. "...been workin'?" It's a familiar sort of disheveled, though; doesn't look like he's been in a fight or anything.

Martin holds out his arms to Ren, ink-stained fingers confirming his affirmative nod. "You look tired, darling. I was just finishing up some writing." He looks like he's been up all night, weary, but more or less cheerful.

Serendipity closes the trapdoor, and shifts over into Martin's arms, curling right into them and resting his head on the trader's shoulder. To someone as famliiar with him as Martin, he smells faintly of exertion and sex. "Am," he agrees, closing his eyes. He's still subdued, and a touch tense. "Write anythin' particularly extra-good t'night, y'think?"

Martin strokes Ren's hair, cuddling him up. He smells of dusty papers and ink, clove oil soap and a hint of sweat. Not unusual for him. "I'm not sure," he admits mildly. "It'll depend on what people say about it long after I'm gone, I suspect."

Serendipity nuzzles in close, nearly hiding his face in Martin's neck. "Mm," he agrees, muffled. He wraps his arms around Martin and just stays there, comfortable. After a moment, he lets go long enough to take off his coat, but then goes right back to where he was. "...been doin' that all night?"

Martin withdraws to the nest as Ren takes off his coat, but then promptly gathers the kin to him again, nestling amidst the soft cushions and blankets. "Pretty much," he replies. "There was some work going on at the Farm earlier, but I came back to write around supper time."

Serendipity smiles slightly, and leans up, giving Martin a lingering, tender kiss. "'s new at the farm? Spring crops, or plantin' for fall, or buildin' stuff? ...gotta get more work done on the house, that reminds me. We gotta get that new stuff over to it. 'less you did that when I wasn't lookin'."

Martin returns the kiss softly, then nuzzles at Ren's hair, inhaling the scent of him. "Mmm, a little of planting, a little of building. I was going to deliver the rest of those things to the house tomorrow if the weather turns brighter."

"An' what're your plans if it doesn't?" Ren inquires insinuatingly, relaxing a little more than when he'd arrived, though still not nearly as comfortable as usual.

Martin pauses to strip off his shirt, and then gathers Ren to him again. He seems fairly relaxed. "Oh, I'm open to all kinds of possibilities." He kisses Ren's hair, then draws a blanket around them both. "What about you? I missed you tonight."

Serendipity sheds his own shirt as well, and contemplates the pants, though he opts for the renewed cuddling instead. "Went t' visit Rex. Been a long time since he an' I spent any real time t'gether," he muses, as he gets comfortable in Martin's arms again. "Wan'ed t' ask him some stuff about the claws, th' moot reminded me..."

Martin rests his cheek against Ren's hair fondly. "From what I can tell, it seems like it was a nice visit." He doesn't sound particularly bothered, at any rate.

Serendipity is still a little tense, and ducks his head slightly, half-smiling. "Yeah..." he agrees, adding sheepishly, "...an' I just realised I kinda forgot to ask the stuff about the claws." He's quiet a second and then glances up. "Fell asleep. Missed you, though. So I came home."

Martin gazes down at Ren placidly, smoothing a lock of his hair from his eyes as he says quietly, "I suppose you could ask him later."

"Yeah," Ren agrees again, and goes quiet. He's still subdued, and a little wary. "...you upset?" he eventually asks tentatively.

Martin shakes his head, smiling a little. "Nah. It's somewhat disappointing that the gentleman didn't seem to find me worth so much as a nod of the head, but that has nothing to do with the fact that you were with him tonight. Which is, I believe, between you and him."

Serendipity's brow furrows slightly. "Maybe you just missed each other's greetings," he suggests, uncertain. "...an' you're sure 's okay with you? You're not..." He trails off. "You're not gonna decide it's not worth dealin' with or anything?"

Martin considers, then nods as he says, "If he did offer a greeting, I missed it. There was an awful lot to pay attention to, admittedly." He also eyes Ren oddly, then slowly shakes his head. "Worth dealing with what?"

Serendipity is quiet a moment before answering, in an uncharacteristically small voice, "...me."

Martin regards Ren for a moment without a word. Perhaps the silence makes the moment seem to last much, much longer than it does. Eventually, he asks, "Serendipity, do you think me so fickle?"

Serendipity pulls into himself a little bit; it's not a pulling away, exctly, and he certainly doesn't let go, but all the same... "Don't think you're fickle," he replies, after a second, sounding glum.

Martin's thumb strokes along the curve of Ren's cheek. "Hey," he says quietly. "I'm still here, huh?" He pauses, then asks, "Do you feel bad about being with him?"

Serendipity nods once at the first question, then shakes his head slightly at the second. "Not about... it's just." He stops, concentrating for a moment, and then finishes, quiet but forcibly calm, "I mean. Rae didn't."

Martin draws Ren to him, guiding his head to rest against his chest. His heartbeat is strong, calm. "I'm not Rae," he points out dryly. "But I can understand why you might be concerned." He kisses Ren's hair. "I'm not upset, love. I'm glad you're home, and I'm sorry you feel anxious, but I'm not jealous, and I don't think less of you."

Serendipity sighs, and a good chunk of the tenseness flows out of him. He curls in closer, arms tightening around Martin. "'kay," he replies softly, and then, apologetically, "Can't help it. Still hurts."

Martin holds Ren close, rocking him gently, stroking his hair. He seems content doing so, with no tension in him. "I'm sorry love," he whispers. "For what it's worth, I don't plan on going anywhere away from you tonight or into the foreseeable future."

Serendipity relaxes slowly, staying cuddled up close with his eyes closed long enough that one might almost think he'd fallen asleep. Just around then, however, there's several light kisses to Martin's chest, and a murmur. "...love you."

Martin grins despite himself, twining his fingers through Ren's hair as he tilts the kin's head slightly, the better to plant a lingering kiss, murmuring, "I love you too, dear heart."

Serendipity reaches back to free his hair, the better for twining, and returns the kiss, with gradually more energy. He slides himself farther into Martin's space while he's at it, too.

Martin's brows lift a touch as he's invaded by a certain kin, and he doesn't put up a fight, either. "After trysting all night?" he muses with mild amazement. He lets out a helpless sigh though as Ren frees his hair. Clearly a fan of the hair, he curls his fingers through it.

Serendipity grins a little, and touches the tip of his nose to Martin's. "I'm young 'n' healthy," he informs him earnestly, then admits, "...an' like I said, I did get some sleep." This, he punctuates with the theft of another kiss.

Martin offers up the kisses readily, and he warms to the attention. Tired or not, he's young and healthy himself. The scent of another man on Ren doesn't seem to disturb him at all, or rather, it doesn't disturb him in a bad way. '

Serendipity seems inclined to gather as many of those kisses as possible, and straddles Martin's lap comfortably to do so, hands finding their way through golden hair and across sun-bronzed skin. When he finally pulls away for a moment, he's smiling again, absolutely radiating affection and attraction. As if either weren't obvious regardless.