SWY 45

“What the fuck, is that really something to say right now?!”

He was in so much pain he thought he might die, and this lunatic was spouting nonsense again?

“You’re in a lot of pain, aren’t you? If you focus your mind on something else, it’ll hurt less.”

It sounded plausible at first – but why, of all things, did it have to be a kiss? Sharhan looked up at Lestel, full of disbelief. He thought he was being teased, but Lestel looked completely serious.

“You forget pain through pleasure, didn’t you know that?”

“No, I didn’t. Who the hell said something like that?”

“I did.”

“You insane bastard!”

Just as he shouted in outrage, the wound throbbed violently, and an unbearable wave of pain crashed over him. Unable even to groan, Sharhan trembled where he lay. Clicking his tongue, Lestel bent down.

“You’ll know once we try it. Whether I’m talking nonsense or not.”

“It’s already nons–”

Sharhan never got to finish his retort. Lestel pressed their lips together. As Sharhan’s mouth opened to speak, Lestel slipped his tongue inside. Their soft tongues met, and soon enough, wet, sticky sounds filled the air.

The cabin, already warm from the fire, grew even hotter from the heat between their bodies. The thick, humid air wrapped around them.

Lestel briefly pulled back to change the angle, then kissed him again. As he leaned closer, their bodies nearly touched.

Lying on his back, Sharhan accepted Lestel’s lips, feeling his breathing quicken. His chest rose and fell, and his head began to feel hazy.

When Lestel curled his tongue and rubbed the roof of his mouth, a shiver shot through his scalp and blood rushed downward. With only a single layer of underclothes, he was certain his erection would show soon, but even so, he couldn’t push Lestel away. Somehow, his hands had ended up gripping Lestel’s shoulders, and veins stood out across the backs of them.

‘Why is he so good at this?’

That was the only thought in Sharhan’s mind when Lestel finally pulled back.

“Well? Told you I was right, didn’t I?”

“……”

Sharhan stayed silent. He didn’t want to admit it, but Lestel was right. Maybe it was because of all his experience, or maybe he was just that good at kissing, but for a moment, Sharhan had forgotten the pain.

‘I didn’t look like a clueless amateur, did I?’ He was still fretting when–

“I asked you if I was right.”

Lestel rubbed his thumb against Sharhan’s wet lips and asked again.

“Fuck… yeah. You were right! While we were kissing, it didn’t hurt. So do it again.”

Sharhan shouted as if angry, then wrapped his arms around Lestel’s neck and yanked him down. Lestel let himself be pulled, and the moment their lips touched again, the mood shifted, he became almost feral. He bit at Sharhan’s upper and lower lips in turn, then sucked and tangled his tongue with his own.

Not to be outdone, Sharhan threw himself into the kiss. Their tongues clashed and twisted, exchanging places over and over. Saliva dripped down between their joined mouths, and the atmosphere grew increasingly heated.

The pain faded further, replaced by hazy pleasure. When they finally pulled apart, both of them were gasping for breath. Sharhan looked up at Lestel with dazed eyes. His face was flushed more than usual, perhaps from arousal.

Lestel’s slightly parted lips revealed the tip of his tongue, slick with saliva, and something about the sight was unspeakably indecent.

‘Damn it. Since when was Lestel sexy?’

Grumbling to himself, Sharhan closed his eyes.

“Shan? Honey?”

Lestel gently patted his cheek. But Sharhan, now fast asleep, gave no response.

Only then did Lestel finally release the tension in his body and sit down. His earlobes were bright red. Truthfully, he’d been on the verge of losing it the entire time, barely holding back the flood of desire, pretending to be calm.

‘If I’d gone a little further, I might’ve pounced on him for real.’

He’d managed to keep control only by constantly reminding himself of Sharhan’s injuries.

Lestel touched his still-warm lips. Kissing Sharhan had been far better than he’d imagined, far better than the kiss they’d shared when he gave him water. After tasting him once, he knew he’d never be able to stop.

The thought that someone else had kissed these lips before him made him burn with jealousy.

‘From now on, at the very least, this body is mine to taste.’

Finally calming the fire in his chest, Lestel gently wiped the sweat from Sharhan’s forehead.

If a kiss felt this good, how euphoric would sex be? The thought alone made his lower body tighten with heat.

Lestel pulled all the robes and blankets Derry had brought over Sharhan’s bare body, then jumped to his feet. He needed cold air to cool himself down.

‘Still, I’m glad I didn’t mess up on my second try.’

At first, he’d kissed his chin, bumped teeth, things like that. But now he felt confident he could do better next time. Grinning smugly, Lestel opened the cabin door.

***

“How did you run into Thunder and Lightning?”

Sharhan, just beginning to stir, heard Lestel and Derry chatting nearby.

“They were just hanging around near the hunter’s cabin. Thanks to that, I was able to gather supplies. They stayed perfectly still when I climbed up, like they recognized me. Coming back was easy too, they followed me the whole way. Though at the end, they suddenly took off and I thought I’d fall off and die.”

Now he understood why Derry had been clinging flat to Thunder’s back. The clever horses must’ve guessed they’d find their masters if they followed Derry, and when they heard Lestel’s whistle, they got excited.

“They probably heard me whistle.”

“Ah, that makes sense. They went wild the moment they heard it.”

“Wasn’t it dangerous? Surely there were still some moving corpses around.”

“I did run into a few, but only one or two at a time, easy to avoid. There weren’t as many as I expected. I think it’s because of those mana explosives. I heard more of them go off.”

Lestel nodded. Even while caring for Sharhan, he’d heard the booming explosions several times. It must’ve been Parel, using mana explosives to shake off the corpses while fleeing. Thanks to that, Derry had made it back alive.

Guess even that assassin bastard can be useful sometimes.

Not that it lessened his desire to kill the man. Someday, he’d run into him again, and when he did, he would kill him himself. After what that bastard did to Sharhan, there could be no forgiveness.

As Lestel stewed in his thoughts of revenge, the pot of lagun mixed with snow came to a boil. When Sharhan’s fever rose, Derry had suggested boiling the herb to help.

Lestel poured the bubbling liquid into a bowl and set it aside to cool.

“We’re out of firewood, and the food’s almost gone too. What now?”

The firewood Derry brought was nearly all burned. Even the fire currently lit was dying. Once it went out, they’d be freezing again. As for food, all that was left was cornmeal and flour taken from the hunter’s cabin.

“How were the other cabins? Do you think there might be a hidden room somewhere?”

“I’m not sure. But since the lord’s private soldier-no, the assassin, left with mana explosives, it means there must’ve been some hidden storage. I’ll search more carefully. When are we leaving?”

“Not until Sharhan’s better.”

“Lestel?”

Sharhan, now fully awake, called out to him.

“You’re up?”

“Give me some water.”

Trying to sit up, Sharhan winced. Lestel helped him, slipping an arm behind his back and lifting him gently, then handed over the cooled lagun tea.

“Drink this.”

“Thanks… What is this?”

He sipped without thinking and immediately grimaced at the bitterness flooding his mouth.

“It’s a decoction of herbs that help reduce fever. Don’t leave a drop.”

“This stuff is really bitter.”

“Don’t act like a child. Finish it, or you’ll regret it.”

“Who’s acting like a child?”

“Who do you think? You. Honey, you’re bold in everything else, but when it comes to medicine, you act like a baby.”

“I-I do not!”

“I know for a fact you once ran away because you didn’t want to take medicine. Don’t try to deny it.”

“That never happened!”

Sharhan, who had always hated bitter things and refused medicine when he was sick, held his breath and gulped it down. Then he proudly showed the empty bowl. Lestel smiled and patted his head.

‘What, does he think I’m a dog or something?’

Sharhan grumbled internally but didn’t push Lestel’s hand away.

“I heard you talking just now. About when we’re leaving… Let’s go in two, no, three days.”

“Honey, stop talking nonsense. We’re not going anywhere until I’m sure you’ve fully recovered.”

“I said I’ll be fine in three days. We’ve already stayed here too long.”

Had it been four days? Five? He’d been too sick to keep track of time. Either way, they’d been stuck because of Parel. Growing impatient, Sharhan pushed back, and Lestel’s expression turned sharp.

“You wouldn’t even let me go scouting alone, and now you want to leave in that state? There really are all sorts of ways to piss me off.”

“You said we’re out of food. We can’t starve again. We need to eat if we’re going to have the strength to move.”

“Then I’ll go out hunting tomorrow, alone. Happy?”

“Are you insane?!”

Lestel looked at him like he was the crazy one, then leaned in and whispered in his ear.

“I held back on sex because you were in pain. Don’t make me regret it.”

Sharhan flushed and glanced quickly at Derry. Luckily, he seemed too fascinated by the fireproof wood to have caught what they said.

Sharhan narrowed his eyes and pushed Lestel’s chest, whispering back just as sharply.

“You make it sound like I agreed to sleep with you. What do you mean held back?! I told you, there’s no way I’m ever rolling around with you!”