7 - Stockholm

When she had heard that Theseus was bringing Asterius along as his +1 on their father's fashion show in Stockholm, Carleen offered for Horknath and her to go as well. Her main argument had been 'listen if my brother is bringing Asterius to a five-star hotel then we're going as well'.
Besides, at least two of them would be able to appreciate the facility like decent people. No matter how often they went there, ever since someone had told Theseus that the proper way to enjoy a hot tub in Norway was to get out of it regularly to roll yourself in snow, he was embarrassing to bring to any luxurious hotel in Scandinavia.
He thankfully behaved himself otherwise.

"So," Sakrish started with a wide smile as he walked back towards them - they were standing in the hotel's lobby for now, and had been waiting for them to get their room keys. He handed Carleen her own, that she would share with Horknath, and handed the second one... To Asterius. "Keep these close, they're a hassle to change when they get lost." He looked at his watch. "You have most all of the afternoon to have fun! I need Theseus to be with me at eight so that we can work on his makeup and ready his outfits. The show starts at eight thirty - we're not going first, but if you wish to come and have a look I have three VIP seats booked for you. Until then..." He clapped his hand together. "I'll get a hot bath and a massage before I die from stress."

Both his children chuckled kindly - they were used to this coming from their father.

Even though this wasn't the first time Horknath and Asterius travelled outside the country to a place this far away (they more or less regularly travelled to Italy to see their nonnas), this was the first time they went to a colder country - and in first class, and to such a high-class hotel too!

Asterius let out a chuckle when Sakrish gave the keys of the room to him rather than Theseus - but he guessed it was for the best. His boyfriend could get pretty careless at times. "Alright. I'll make sure to have him be there right on time, I promise", he answered to Sakrish, even though it was mostly a joke. He knew that Theseus was always very dedicated when it came to his duties. "I'll most certainly stick around afterwards."

Horknath glanced at Carleen, smiling widely. "I can't wait to visit the place! Have you already been here before?", he asked curiously. He was still honestly kind of excited about the trip, and could hardly believe that Carleen had insisted for him to be brought along too!

"I'm counting on you," Sakrish told Asterius with a smile, clearly teasing his son - who was pouting slightly.
"Just because Asterius is with me today doesn't mean I'll get distracted and forget, dad. I'll be there on time." Theseus eventually relaxed, and waved at his father as he excused himself and went to his own room.
He straightened up, and looked at his boyfriend with a new grin. "So! They've got many facilities there, along with a gym - but I'd rather hit it tomorrow, after the show is done. We could go to the pool, or the spa instead! Oh, and the sauna-" He frowned slightly. "Then again, with your fur, you probably don't appreciate to sweat, do you?"

Carleen waved at her father and smiled at Horknath. "I have, yes! This one fashion show is quite known worldwide. Dad has been going to it for a few years now. Wanna see go and see our room ?" She took his hand in hers - she only had one big bag to carry around, so she had one hand free!

Asterius kept for himself the thought about how endearing Theseus looked when he pouted and snorted a little at his affirmation. "Not very much", he agreed with a little nod. "It's one thing if I'm moving and doing sports, but I'm not so good with humidity. It sticks to me. Then again - I don't mind it if we don't stay inside for too long." He was honestly up for whatever Theseus would want to do.

"Sure!" Horknath happily squeezed her hand in his and grabbed his bag, ready to be guided. "Do you want me to help with your luggage?", he asked then, out of politeness. He didn't want to impose his help on her!

Theseus shook his head. "We won't do anything you're uncomfortable with. But- I'll take you to the baths." He grinned at Asterius, asked to see their key again so that he could see which floor they were on, and lead the way. "They have various kinds of baths - and the main pool! oh, Asterius, you will love it. It's heated and open-air, we're going to be swimming in the middle of snow!"

Carleen smiled at Horknath. "No, don't worry. It's not too heavy. Besides, I want you to keep a free hand for me." She gently squeezed his hand back and guided him towards the elevators, so that they could get to their room.

Both rooms were almost big enough to be called suites - there was the main room with a small table for two, a minibar and, of course, the TV and a couch. There was also a big King sized bed, and huge glass doors leading to a private balcony.
The bathroom had a big bubble bath, enough for two people - it could basically fit two adult minotaurs if needed.
Ah, and Sakrish had played a little prank on both his children by ordering bottles of champagne set on the table along with a discount card for the 'newlyweds', and the beds were covered in rose petals.

Asterius threw a soft smile in his boyfriend's direction as he listened to him enthusiastically listing all the amazing services their hotel offered - he would never get used to the attention Theseus had towards his own comfort and what he liked and disliked to do. He perked up at the notion of a swimming pool in the middle of snow though. "That sounds like something I'd be curious to try", he observed with a hum, casually reaching to grab his boyfriend's free hand.

Of course both the Laurkinson brothers almost gaped at how luxurious those rooms looked to their eyes - they definitely were used to more economic accommodations, and took their time admiring the huge room.

Horknath definitely flushed as soon as he noticed the rose petals on the bed, stuttering embarrassedly until he looked like a freshly-cooked lobster on its way to burst - and he definitely buried his face in his hands when he noticed the card.
To the newlyweds, congratulations.
Oh my god. He tried hard to delete all the romantic images that had formed inside his head as he had read that. It was definitely, definitely too early for that. But damn it if he didn't like the idea.

"To the newlyweds, congratulations", Asterius read on the card, out loud. He threw a glance towards their bed. And then the Champagne. Then back to Theseus.
He was also flustered, but definitely more amused than embarrassed. "I mean. I'm flattered, but maybe it's a bit too early to program so far into our future. Unless it comes out that this is actually all a ruse, there is no fashion show, and it's a surprise wedding."

Carleen arched a brow, surprised to see the rose petals everywhere. She actually went towards the bottle of champagne as well, right after Horknath, and gently took the card from his hands. Only when she read the message did she understand why he was acting so flustered about it.
She chuckled kindly, and shook her head. "Well. I'll have a little talk with my dad regarding what is most certainly a prank." She turned the card around, and scoffed. "Dad. He got us free massage for two."

Theseus had not, absolutely not paid attention to the peculiar decoration in the room. He had merely dropped his bags somewhere and was already grabbing himself a hotel bathrobe when he heard Asterius' reading the card out loud. That startled him, to say the least, so he turned around to look at his boyfriend. And he scoffed and flushed when he got teased.
"Oh- Oh no, Asterius, I'd never propose to you in such a grotesque way! And I didn't- I- what makes you-" He walked closer to his boyfriend and looked at the card. "Uh. Probably a misplaced order. But hey!" He grinned and grabbed the bottle. "Free champagne! We're opening this after the show, you and I!"

Horknath finally managed to fight back that violent fluster that had caught him and took a deep breath. He peeked towards the card and shuffled on his feet, feeling bashful at the idea of getting a massage in the same room as Carleen. "That's... very nice of him", he finally let out. "I didn't take your father for the kind to enjoy playing pranks on people", he added then, throwing another flustered look at the bed.
Alright. Maybe he was going to leave that like it was.
He would have much liked to make love to Carleen among rose petals. That definitely sounded like the kind of romantic thing he liked so much in books.

Asterius chuckled at his boyfriend's outraged and flustered reaction. He hummed then, observing the bottle with interest. "Champagne is good. But if this is a misplaced order, we should probably tell the reception about it", he observed, before curiously flipping the card - and snorting. "Ah. It's not." He showed it to Theseus: they too had gotten a free massage for two, courtesy of his boyfriend's father. "I think it's a joke."

Carleen chuckled. "Well, he likes to prank Thee and I sometimes. He succeeds with Thee more often though, because he's gullible." She pocketed the card and looked at Horknath, only to follow his gaze, and look at the bed.
She too looked a little flustered, but certainly didn't lose her smile. "Well. Do you want to just enjoy the spa today and book that massage for tomorrow?" She chose not to address the very romantic setting around the bed. Not yet. They could come back at it later that night.

Theseus read the message, frowned, and then scoffed. "The scoundrel! He'll hear me about this, this I guarantee to you! I have no idea why he'd ask for such a mess to be made around the bed, but. I guess I'll thank him for the champagne." He looked at the card carefully. "Free massage, mh? But those usually involve oil, except we go for hot stones massages." He looked carefully at Asterius. "We can probably look into it while we visit the spa, what do you think?"

Horknath smiled sheepishly at Carleen, and cleared his throat. "Sure. The spa sounds great", he answered, also deciding to ignore the whole bed thing for now. "Especially after sitting on a place for such a long time. I don't know about you, but my back is yelling at me", he added, stretching a little bit and wincing when he felt something pop.
Alright, his butt was also mad at him for sitting on it for so long, but he wasn't going to say that out loud.

Asterius hummed. "Let's do that", he agreed, before raising an eyebrow at Theseus. Was he serious about not understanding the rose petals on the bed and around it, or did he simply dislike it? "As for the mess, I think it's suppose to set a romantic mood. But we can have it swept away, if it bothers you." Eh, he didn't mind it too much. The petals smelled nice.

Carleen chuckled. "Oh, I get you. Every single muscle in my body is sore! And I'm really not looking forward to the jetlag that's going to keep me up until three at least." She sighed and smiled at Horknath. "Well, then! I'll put my swimsuit on. Dibs on the bathroom!" She raised on her tiptoes to land a kiss on his cheek, and then grabbed said swimsuit in her bag to get changed. She came back out wearing the hotel's bathrobe.

"Romant-" Theseus' brain stopped functioning for a solid second, before he stuttered and flushed harder. Oh. Oh, that's what those petals were here for. And why the card was meant for newlyweds. "Oh, no, we can, we. Hrm. We'll see about it tonight!" Theseus announced loud and clear before he basically buried his face in his bag. "Now, then, Asterius, let us disrobe and put on our swimming gear-"

Horknath let out a joking 'Ah, damn it' when Carleen called dibs on the bathroom - but he happily offered her his cheek to kiss as she raised on her tip toes, and simply got changed in the main room. He had just finished pulling up his red swimming trunks when his girlfriend came back, and had hunched over his bag to pull out some fresh clothes to put on afterwards. He turned around and smiled at her, raising to his feet. "I'll get my bathrobe and then we're good to go", he reassured her, grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste to put in the bathroom. He was quickly ready to go, just as he had promised.

Asterius let out a laugh. Aw, now Theseus was flustered. Cute. "I'm way ahead of you", he simply said right before grabbing his swimming trunks from his bag and immediately occupying the bathroom for himself.
And luckily enough both he and his brother had brought their own bathrobes, because the ones the hotel was offering were definitely not thought for someone as large and tall as him, he thought as he came out from the bathroom.

No lie, Carleen had smiled to herself when she had been greeted by the sight of Horknath's muscular rear, that was nicely hugged by the fabric of his swimming trunks. She bit on her lower lip, trying hard to make no remarks.
Oh, what the hell.
"Yes, make sure to cover yourself, I don't want to have to fight off any of the gorgeous models that we will find at the spa. That tushie is mine."

Theseus had put on his own swimming trunks too - Sakrish had insisted his son let him choose these for him, especially after he had come home once with a slip covered in golden sequins.
This one was simple - black with a few blue-green outlines. The color palette his father always picked for him.
He already had his bathrobe on by the time as Asterius came back to him - as well as the worst flip-flops the world had ever seen. There were pearls on them, come on.

Horknath flushed as soon as Carleen made that remark about his butt, and let out a startled, nervous chuckle.
Hard to say if he was more embarrassed or more flattered, honestly. "I'll, uhm. I'll cover myself at my best", he promised, still chuckling as he fished his bathrobe from the bag and wore it. "I swear I only have eyes for you. You're the most gorgeous girl in the world - and on the other hand if any of the models will want to try and woo you, they'll have to get past me first and be ready to fight for your hand", he added with a wider smile.

Asterius raised his ehead - he had been tying up his bathrobe - and opened his mouth, to ask Theseus if he was ready to go already. His eyes could not get past the pearl-covered flip-flops. Oh, no. He was no fashion expert, by far, but he could tell that those were a big no.
They did, however, definitely fit with Theseus' loud and bright personality, he guessed. "... nice flip-flops", he simply murmured, before clearing his throat and looking at him in the eye. "Are you ready to go?"

Carleen smiled fondly at Horknath. "There would be no need for them to come and fight you for me. Even if they did win - which I doubt, I mean they're all scrawny - I'd never give you up for anyone else." Her smile grew a little more shy, and she extended her hand for Horknath ro take.

"Aah, finally someone who appreciates them!" Theseus grinned at him. "I am ready, yes. Let us go!" He went for the door - definitely forgetting to worry about the room key, proof that Sakrish did well to entrust it to Asterius - and waited for his boyfriend to join him in the corridor before he would take his hand in his. As they got near to the spa, a few people there seemed to recognize Theseus and give him a wave, along with a curious glance at Asterius.
Truth be told, Carleen hadn't only been joking; among the few men they crossed path with who definitely looked like they were models from their looks alone, Theseus was by far the most muscular.
Sakrish did choose his models differently than most of his colleagues indeed.

Theseus had a blast with Asterius. He showed him around most of the baths, and the pool, whose surroundings were nicely decorated. Having snow all around did make the whole setting a little magical.

Horknath felt himself melt and took Carleen's hand in his, entwining their fingers together. "You're very sweet", he murmured, getting closer to her to leave a peck on her lips. "Well, we'd better get going. I can't wait for you to show me around", he added, feeling excited once again - he had never been to a spa before!

Asterius mostly ignored the curious glances casted his way - he was used to them, there weren't that many minotaurs around, and he was pretty sure it was a little bit of a first for everyone in this place - and simply followed Theseus, letting his boyfriend's enthusiasm catch onto him as well and glancing at him with fondness.
He only left his hand when it was strictly necessary, let's be honest - and he really enjoyed the pool. As Theseus had told him, it was definitely the most interesting setting he had ever seen. "... we've seen many models on our way here", Asterius observed quietly at some point (as they were probably soaking in one of the baths). "You are different from them." He found that he wasn't too much into the model-type of man. Definitely too delicate looking for his tastes. Theseus, on the other hand? Theseus was strongly built, had defined shoulders, amazing biceps, and a chiseled torso.
Alright. He was into one model-type of person, and it was Theseus.

Carleen did bring Horknath to the spa as well. They definitely spotted Theseus and Asterius from afair - as said, there weren't many minotaurs around so Asterius quite stood out. Thankfully for them orcs and half orcs seemed a little more common in Scandinavia, but Carleen still felt jealous a few times when girls that were definitely taller and thinner than her batted her eyelashes at Horknath and giggled between themselves.
She did her best to ignore them, and simply remained as close as she could to her boyfriend, to have fun with him instead.

Theseus smiled to himself at Asterius' comment. "Well, there's a reason why my father asked me to model for him. He's not comfortable with the traditional build of other models, and instead encouraged me to keep working out." He swam a little closer to Asterius - the water was deep enough for them to end up being at eye level there - and wrapped his arms around his chest. "But does it mean that you do find me more attractive than all of them combined, Asterius?"

Horknath, true to his words, did not really look at the other ladies around them - his ears did get red, mostly because he felt uneasy to be the object of giggles and stares - and instead gently wrapped his arm around Carleen's waist and got lost in admiring her as they had fun in the pool and took some shorter and relaxing baths in other tubs, keeping her as close to him as he could without being overwhelming.
That way no scrawny pretty boy model would even think of getting close to her.
She really was beautiful, but it was about her as a whole really - especially now that he knew her well: the excited way her eyes glinted when she talked about something she loved, her habit to play with her hair when she was nervous, the cheeky smile she threw at him when she said something she knew would make him blush.
He was a man in love.

"So that's why your father asked me and my brother as well. I see", Asterius reflected. "And of course", he answered then as earnestly as he could, letting Theseus wrap himself around him however he pleased. "Easily so. You were born handsome, surely, but your body is your own work of patience and pushing yourself without fearing hurt or fatigue. That kind of dedication", he added, leaning in to nuzzle gently against his boyfriend's damp hair, "is very attractive to me." He got back in his original position and scoffed lightly. "Besides, they all look like they'd whine about any little scratch they'd get."

Carleen was very much in love too, alright. Horknath might be quite handsome, but she loved the fact that he was sweet and kind, or very romantic, or even more invested in reading than she was. They always had so much to talk about, and every moment spent with him brought her joy.
Of course they had a great time together that afternoon!

Theseus couldn't hold back a laugh at Asterius' words. "Well! Granted, I certainly have more scars than all of them combined." He grinned at his boyfriend, and stole a kiss from his lips. "But you're just as gorgeous as I am, Asterius. Should you want to indulge my father in his request, I'm sure you and I together would make a great duo."

(I ship)

Asterius chuckled. "I'm quite sure you have more scars than me, too. You are very reckless", he observed. Did he mean it as a light-hearted reproach? Who knows. The fondness in his eyes said otherwise. "As for your father's request, who knows. Maybe one day - but I'm sure you're right. We make a great duo already, in many other aspects." He leaned in to steal a kiss from Theseus' grinning mouth as well.

(I ship BOTH)

Theseus chuckled and kissed Asterius back, caressing his neck while doing so. He probably spent an amazing afternoon too with his boyfriend, before it was time for them to get back to their room, wash themselves and get ready for some dinner.
"The bath is quite wide, we could go together," he offered to Asterius without much second thoughts about it. Hey, he'd like to spend some more time with his boyfriend! Surely there would be enough bubbles for him to forget about the fact that they would basically be naked together, in a more intimate setting than in their gym's locker rooms.

(SAME)

Asterius had been wringing his mane a little bit to get it rid of the pool water - there were probably some chemical additives in the water and it was drying in a weird way on his fur, so the suggestion to take an actual bath was definitely welcome. "I don't see why not", he simply answered, even though he was a little surprised that Theseus would want to bathe naked with him - especially with how strangely demure he had become around him since they had gotten into a romantic relationship, and with how he had reacted to the knowledge that rose petals around a bed were supposed to set a certain mood.
But he was also happy to stay with his boyfriend for some more, so he wouldn't dream to protest about having an excuse to admire him naked for a little longer.

Theseus grinned at Asterius and went to get their bath going. He tested the water, and hummed to himself. They'd probably need to wait close to twenty minutes for it to be full - so he chose to kill the time by kissing his boyfriend for a bit, and checking his social media.

Only when it was time for their bath did he remember a bit of his fluster anytime he and Asterius stood bare in the same room, now that they were dating. He bit on his lower lip and didn't wait too much before he sat in the tub, under the soap bubbles He relaxed almost instantly once into the water, and smiled at his boyfriend - trying hard to keep his gaze up.

"I've had a wonderful time with you today, Asterius. Thank you for coming here with me."

Asterius slowly entered in the tub from the opposite corner, carefully checking the water's temperature before getting inside. He settled against the cool border and sighed, happy to be soaking once again in warm water. He threw a glance to his boyfriend and smiled at him. "Of course. I'm glad I came. Thank you for wanting to invite me", he nodded. "I'm having a very good time too. And I can't wait to see you on the job. I've never been to a fashion show before."

"It's quite long when you're just watching, honestly. But I have fun modelling. There's a rush backstage that's really thrilling," Theseus replied, while he poured some water on his hair. He shifted a bit in the tub, and smiled to himself when his foot bumped against Asterius' leg. "Well. Hello, there," he said playfully. "My apologies Asterius, I thought there was much more space in that tub for the both of us. I hope you're not uncomfortable!"