Sand. Dorian had decided. Was a sinful thing. It clung to just about every part of his body, those parts of himself that were damp seeming to attract it doubly so. Even his hair, which had hardly received anything more than a splash from that rouge wave, seemed to have somehow found sand within those dampened dark locks. The ocean water, evidently, carried more sand within its waves then the Monarch had ever noticed or indeed even considered. The silver hue of his gaze cast one final look back towards that beach that practically gleamed invitingly beneath those weakening rays of afternoon sun, his features scowling slightly at the sight of several children practically rolling over one another in the sand. It was a time such as that, he was assured, he was greatly pleased he did not have any children. The man loath to think of the effort it might take to get off that amount of sand when it had taken Sebastian and himself a good few minutes to remove as much as they could of the veritably smaller amount that covered themselves. That towel Charles had provided was entirely welcome. Dorian making some effort to remove the sand from his legs and feet lest they coat Sebastian's car with the substance before handing that towel back to the manservant and stepping towards his own to pick up those shoes he had left upon the wall beside that fellow whom had assigned himself the roll of protecting them for the entire day. Dorian assured to offer him a word of thanks for his diligent service before sliding at last into that car.

The manner in which Sebastian seemed to further relax once out of the direct gaze of that sun was hardly lost upon him and yet Dorian so made so effort to mention it. Vampires, he suspected, were instinctively designed to avoid those rays at all costs. His lover had so cast aside those ideas of self-preservation for several hours purely so he might enjoy that day at the beach. That, Dorian was sure, was sacrifice enough for one day, the man so allowing his affinity to embrace the vampire once more if only to check upon those vital signs in a fashion and assure that life continued to exist around and within him. The Fae wholly satisfied with his work in this before Charles handing back that phone to Sebastian momentarily caught his attention. His features shifted into that look of ready inquisitiveness at that mention of Prince Phillip, Dorian familiar with that name and indeed the roll of the man within the English Monarchy and yet outside of that he held truly little knowledge. Dorian unable to recall ever having met the fellow and yet he was assured that England had sent him at least one gift upon his return to the Italian throne. That card having been signed by both the Queen and her Consort Husband. The both of them, Sebastian assured him, were decidedly elderly. The vampire muttering back to Charles that this retirement was 'about bloody time' and that the fellow had surely lost the plot a decade ago. Such age in a ruler of mortal being decidedly unheard off by the Fae King in turn. Those human rulers off his own time rarely living beyond sixty if they had, at all, been allowed to live that long in a time when assassination and wars had been rife. Dorian inclined to ask whether or not this retirement was cause for any sort of occasion. After all, he had never yet heard of a Monarch simply retiring from position! Sebastian simply shaking his head as Dorian was inclined become thoughtful once more.

"Need we send him some sort of retirement gift? I don't know how these things are handled. Monarch's 'retired' in my day when they died and your Queen did invite us for tea with her and this Phillip fellow when we are next in London. I shouldn't like to accidentally slight her in some manner."

This retirement custom, it seemed, was decidedly new to the Monarch. Just how it was handled outside of his own knowledge, Dorian entirely inclined to believe Sebastian might hold some idea of how to go about it even if the vampire remained clearly unimpressed with the whole affair. Dorian finding some subtle touch of amusement in that all the same before he felt Sebastian's head nestle softly against his shoulder, that yawn on his lovers lips very near prompting one of his own as the Fae was so left to consider that Sebastian was tired. The momentary confusion at the fact was quickly replaced with that soft simper of amusement. The vampire was surely hardly tired from that touch of daylight, after all his own magic so held it at bay, but rather, from simply using his mortal body for the entirety of a day. Those vampiric perks, as Sebastian had called them, removed from his form in most instances. Ah, but what a change a mortal body must be after all this time! The Fae affording it no comment for now, merely leaving his boyfriend to near doze against his shoulder before they pulled up outside that hotel at which so very much had begun.

It was easy then, to slide from within that sleek black car and onto the side walk, Sebastian moving to collect the key from Charles whom assured them their things were already inside before moving to take the lead with Dorian in tow- just as they had been the last time. That receptionist, it seemed, remembered the vampires name, greeting them politely before they made their way back into that labyrinth of halls that Dorian truly had believed to be the man's house at one point even if he had hardly understood why the vampire had owned so many doors. Dorian content to comment once more on just that first evening that had shared and too- just how difficult it had been to find his way home the morning after. All those streets entirely different beneath the light of day. Sebastian's assurance that he could have stayed only to have the vampire walk him back home was met with a soft chuckle. Dorian assured Samantha would have been beside herself had he gone missing for an entire night and day, let alone the fact Dorian was quite assured had he stayed till the vampire woke again he may well have attempted to coax him back between those sheets a second time only to end up falling asleep with him all over again. That soft admittance of those sheets however saw his eyes lift but slightly in surprise, his features softening readily into that warm simper, that warmth seeming to flutter within his chest so suddenly at the very idea of it.

It was rare, after all, for either of them to be terribly vocal with their feelings in any sense. Each so assured the other knew to some degree. Dorian knowing entirely as to the depth of Sebastian's feelings for himself and yet to hear such a rare admittance of just those lengths the vampire had gone too was decidedly glorious all the same. Ah, but how he felt like a teenager with a first crush sometimes! The depth of those feelings for his companion still given to surprise him on occasion as to just how deep they truly ran. This love business so incredibly potent and yet he was assured he should not ever seek to change it. That momentary bashful look upon Sebastian's features so prompting that grin once more.

"They were very excellent sheets too. I'd been sleeping on Samantha's floor so long that they- and that bed- were veritably heaven."

The soft gesture from his lover to step inside was easily met, Dorian moving to do just that as he had done nearly a year ago, his silver gaze readily drifting from that mahogany furniture, to the fireplace, to those tiffany lamps he had once been enchanted by. Very little, if anything about the room, had changed in any sense. Dorian still assured it even smelled largely the same though lacking that scent of Sebastian's cologne and the man's keys and wallet upon the table, his fingers brushing over the back of that chair that, once, Sebastian had hung his coat on and he in turn had tossed that black jacket and hung that sword he'd religiously carried that now sat within his study and art space in their home. How far they had come from that one-night stand! To be within that very room again bringing forth all those memories once more, that simper working its way back onto his lips, Dorian assured he regretted not even one moment of it. The Fae turned back to his boyfriend then.

"Do you know, I think I remember nearly every single bit of that night we spent here? I remember thinking those lamps were marvellous, that you smelled glorious and that I completely doubted you were nearly as good between those sheets as you seemed to suggest you were- I may have been wrong."

There was a ready note of tease to those words all the same, Dorian content to admit he had been wrong in that final assumption and yet he had been wholly pleased he had been wrong. Sebastian having left him entirely satisfied that first night- and so many nights since. Dorian moving then to let his lips press eagerly to his lovers own, relishing in that sensation as he did each and every time, that kiss entirely ardent and layered with that affection. The Monarch pulling softly away, glancing briefly at their bags so tucked unobtrusively in the corner.

"I have something to give you too, the palace sent it out with those boxes of fan mail and I quite forgot about it after we......read the mail that night."

That near impish grin so touched his lips at the memory of 'reading' the mail, his gaze returned to his lovers own then.

"I think first though, we should get rid of the sand..."

His lips pressed but a final time to his lovers own, stealing that second, almost impish kiss before his fingers lifted to his own shirt, beginning to slowly undo those buttons....

"How does a shower sound, Mon Cher?"

Dorian Aragona