Summary of last chapter for TW people:

Iskall gets doubts if Grian is OK with his reaction. He remembers his ex-boyfriend Åke, with whom he broke up because Åke was jealous to the point of becoming violent. Iskall has sworn to himself never to be as jealous as him.

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POV Grian
It had just been one look! Why did Iskall have to see it? Why did I even look?
It's not like he thought anything between Mumbo and him was ever gonna work out. He'd given up on that ages ago. So many times, he wanted to flirt with him, but couldn't, just couldn't. And subtle hints had gone unnoticed. Why did Mumbo have to be so obtuse?

And how on earth did Iskall have the confidence to ask him out? Flirting was the hardest thing in the world! Even more so, when you were gay, you were just so unlikely to have your feelings returned.
Still Iskall didn't seem to be bothered when he advanced on Grian. How could he be so calm, when Grian found the same thing incredibly hard? He sure was something, that Iskall. Grian smiled to himself. Iskall was pretty awesome and the calm he had in social situations fascinated him. He wondered just what it would take to throw him off his track. He bit his lip in a grin as mischievous ideas flooded his head.

They had arrived at Iskall's underwater base, swimming to the small private living room where Iskall spent his free time. Thanks to Iskall's heart of the sea they didn't have to bother with becoming dry.

POV Iskall

"Hey Iskall," he heard Grian say in a playful tone. Iskall had just taken off his gloves and was busy untying his shoes. He lifted his head to look up at Grian, when he was toppled over by the smaller man jumping at him. Iskall squeaked, trying to keep the upper hand. His bumbonious moustache fell off, it had just been glued to his upper lip. The two rolled over the carpet in laughter until Iskall felt his arms being pinned to the floor. He looked up excitedly at Grian smirking. "Got ya," Grian said. Iskall grinned up at him. "So?" he said.

Grian raised a brow. He leaned forward slowly, bringing his face closer to Iskall's. As his weight shifted, Iskall suddenly noticed all too well, that Grian was in fact sitting on top of him.
His face became hot from all the pictures his mind produced for that feeling, when he felt a quick peck on his lips.

He looked up at Grian who was grinning from ear to ear. That evil man! He was quite sure, that by now Grian could feel what his actions were doing to him, but he was still restraining the bearded man. Iskall struggled against the hands binding him. "Let me go, you sneaky blaze," he demanded.
"What do I gain from that?" was the amused reply. "I quite like you down there."
"Down there, huh?" Iskall wiggled his brows suggestively in response and Grian went a furiously red colour. He bolted and snatched a blanket to hide beneath on the couch.

Iskall chuckled. Grian had a lot of confidence, but he still found the dents in it that turned the red-shirted man into a blushing mess. His thoughts returned to where they were when he was untying his shoes. There was still talking to do.

After a bit of thinking - and blood flowing back to its usual places - Iskall scrambled up and fished for a blanket himself, then prepared a comfortable nest next to the messy pile that still hid his boyfriend. "What do you want to drink? I have melon and pumpkin juice."

"Melon," said the blanket. He poured two glasses, set them on the table and snuggled into his blanket nest. From the further end of the pile of blankets appeared a pair of eyes. He grinned at them and they quickly disappeared, only to come up again seconds later.

They repeated this little game for a while, Grian giggling and Iskall responding with funny faces. Then Iskall reached for his melon juice and dramatically took a great swig. "You should try this, it's really tasty." Even the smell was fruity and savoury.
Grian sat up next to him, reached for the juice and tasted it. Iskall watched his eyes widen in surprise. "Oh wow, it really is tasty! Where did you get that from?"
"I started a farm in the sandy kingdom last week. I think the secret is skylight access, they just don't get as fruity when you grow them underground."
"This is seriously cool. You should open a juice shop in the shopping district or something."

Grian's expression shifted and he looked expectantly at Iskall.
"So why do I get this delectable juice served to me?"
"Delecta- what?"

"Delicious, tasty, mouth-watering, exquisite..." Knowing, just how long the Brit could ravel with synonyms, Iskall interrupted him.

"I get it, it's good juice."

"Yeah, so why do I get it?" Grian mimicked his choice of words.

"Can't a man just serve juice to his partner without ulterior motives?"
Grian's look of disbelief said more than words.
"Ok, fine, you got me." He sighed. "I wanted to talk to you about earlier. It feels as if we didn't quite finish there, you know, when we had to head home because drowned were spawning around that island."

A grimace had spawned on Grian's face. Iskall decided, that it would be best to come straight to the point. Or gay to the point, in this case. He chuckled. Grian rolled his eyes. Focus, Iskall!

"What is it, that thing there between you and our little mole-y friend? You were so defensive, I actually got worried there for a sec."

"Oh, my word. I didn't think this thing would haunt me. You see, I've had the biggest crush on Mumbo for quite a while."

"Have had?" Iskall raised his brow.

Grian looked very uncomfortable. He had tugged his legs in and was staring at his blanket-covered knees. Iskall set his half empty glass on the table.
"Iskall, you asked me out, you know how I am! Look at this." He lifted his head and looked Iskall in the eye. Iskall scanned him. Grian's forehead was wrinkled in worry, he looked a lot tinier than he was and, in Iskall's opinion, awfully cute between his blankets.

"Can you, with a straight face, tell me, that you believe, this person would actually hit on Mumbo in a way that the spoon notices? I've really tried." He threw back his head and ruffled his hair. Iskall thought he looked quite frustrated. He understood. Mumbo was sometimes on the slower side and he would probably avoid confronting such complicated issues, if he had the chance.
"I gave up on it." Grian continued. "I really like Mumbo, even as a friend and flirting with him just isn't worth the hassle. And also, well... The two of us happened, so it's not like I'm lonely or needy anymore." His voice lifted. "It's made this whole thing a lot easier."

Iskall gulped. Lonely... Needy... His stomach clenched as he tried to imagine it. He looked up through the growing silence, catching Grian's glance. He didn't look needy or lonely at all. Rather... contempt. Their dialogue had eradicated the tenseness from before.

"It's good to hear that you are happy... being with me." He smiled at Grian, who's lips returned the smile at once. Iskall felt his heart pound. If feelings were potion effects, he'd be emitting hearts right now. Since they weren't, there was just a warm feeling filling him from his stomach to his fingertips. He lifted his hand and carefully stroked Grian's cheek. It was smooth and soft. He must have recently shaved the few strands of beard that were growing on it. Grian smiled the broadest of smiles.
"I am. I truly am happy."

Iskall couldn't take the distance anymore. He reached for Grian's glass in his hands and set it on the table. Then he bent over weirdly while still sitting on the couch and wrapped his arms around Grian's waist hugging him tightly. The smell of concrete filled his nose, but underneath was a sweet wooden aroma of pine and oak and fireplaces. There was something earthy about it, almost moist, like wet cobblestone.

He felt warm hands in his hair and was tempted to purr. Rolling over from his awkwardly bent position, he attempted to rest his head on Grian's legs.
"Ouch! Careful with those elbows," his partner complained. He eventually found a comfortable spot and Grian resumed petting him. Iskall closed his eyes in comfort, letting out a low rumble.
Grian chuckled. "If you weren't as clumsy, I'd legit believe you were some sort of cat." He could hear the wide smile still on his lips.

"I'd be a gorgeous cat, wouldn't I?" He said dreamily.
"Yeah, a gorgeous, very clumsy cat," Grian said.

"I'm not that... mmmmh... clumsy" Iskall tried to sound indignant but failed because Grian was caressing a very awesome and sensitive spot behind his left ear, that sent shivers down his spine.
"You are clumsy for a cat," Grian argued, stressing the last three words. "Cats are very agile."

"Fair enough," Iskall admitted. He stretched, snuggling the back of his head against Grian's thighs. This was so comfortable.

He let his thoughts wander and they came back to their conversation. He opened his eyes, looking up at Grian.

"So, what happened to your crush on Mumbo? Clearly there is something."

"As I said, I gave up on hitting on him. But as you obviously have noticed, that doesn't stop me from finding him attractive. I'm rather glad, that you're cool with it. You are, aren't you?" A bit of insecurity flashed on his face.

"I wouldn't have said so, if I wasn't. In fact," he paused for a moment. Was this a good idea? Fuck it, he was going with it. "In fact, I think it's kinda hot."

"You... what... Iskall!" Grian stammered, a tinge of red colouring his ears. "You can't be serious..."

Was he being serious? He had meant to, but maybe Grian was right. Maybe I'm overcompensating for that thing with Åke. It still hurt. He had tried his best, but it had never been enough. His former partner had always found something to be jealous of.
"I think I am. I'm not sure... It's kinda hard to explain really. Maybe it's time we talk about our past. Are you OK with talking about the people I loved before you?"

A/N: I'm splitting this chapter here because I don't want the chapters to vary too much in length.

I want to point out, that Iskall is the real MVP here, asking for consent and looking out for Grian's boundaries. Yes, asking someone if they are OK with talking about something difficult is a form of asking for consent. Consent includes you making sure your partner is OK with everything that happens around them. Also, the other way around, obviously. But yeah, some topics can be harder for some people and timing can be a huge thing. In some situations, people are more vulnerable than others. Grian is likely already overwhelmed here, so he might not be able to take in even more. Asking for his consent instead of just chucking a bunch more of complicated emotional stuff at him is a good and healthy way to handle things, imo.

A useful extension that I found is the one of enthusiastic consent. The core idea is that you only continue doing something, if your partner shows or voices their enjoyment. If you don't register a yes, you stop what you're doing or ask if they're alright. Consent is an ongoing conversation, not a one-time thing, as it is sometimes portrayed. This can be very hard for someone who has little experience, like fanfiction-Grian here, as they are likely nervous and don't know just yet what their boundaries are. And therefore has a hard time stating them.

Also, from what I saw in life to this point, boundaries are not a super fixed thing either. They change all the time and something that a person might have been OK with in one situation or at one time, might be something that completely throws them off the next time, likely without knowing why. Establishing consent means looking out for yourself and your partner(s) every time. This probably sounds dull, but it can actually be very sexy.

Check out this, it does a good job at explaining: (TW! Explicit content, mentions of rape)
https://greatist.com/live/what-consent-looks-like-comic

Also, how would you describe Grian's smell? I had a clear goal in mind, but I'm not sure I brought it across.