"Interpret Me the Savage Whirr," Seel/Ashmael

Title: Interpret Me the Savage Whirr [from 'Hard Weather' by George Meredith]
Fandom: Wraeththu
Pairing: Seel/Ashmael
Rating: Adult (rooning)
Word Count: 6,200
Genre: PWP, though there is some character exploration here
A/N: I'm not entirely sure where this story came from. I spent months writing a Vaysh/Ashmael gapfiller, and then as I was doing more research in The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure, I discovered that Ashmael and Seel had a relationship, of sorts. So I explored that, from Seel's POV. This does gratuitously reference my interpretation of Ashmael, and includes some key elements from "Maelstrom and Mage" for color. There are also two directly quoted sentences from 'Wraiths' for grounding, and also extensive rereads of Bewitchments. Primarily, however, it was this paragraph of Storm's that drew me in and ignited my pen:

Colt and Stringer saw Seel's new relationship with Ashmael as a positive healing thing. They were not aware of the darker undercurrents and Seel didn't enlighten them. Ashmael took to visiting Saltrock fairly regularly. Seel always looked forward to these visits, but somehow they didn't seem real. In bed, Ashmael taught him things he'd never dreamed possible, all the while respecting Seel's pride and pretending Seel already knew of them. Seel felt as if he were being groomed for something. Taking aruna with Ashmael was like being trained to explode the world. He could feel immense power simmering around him and yet he could not dispel the suspicion, however slight, that Thiede's hand was behind it. He was under no illusion that this relationship was permanent.

I suspect that within Wraeththu this is a rarepair, and don't expect a lot of readership, but for those who do read it, I hope you enjoy.

( Interpret Me the Savage Whirr )