SWY 64

Sharhan’s face flared up as if it had caught fire.

“Y-you crazy bastard! H-how can you say something like that while completely sober…?”

He couldn’t even finish the sentence. Lestel, spreading his index and middle fingers, licked off the thick semen pooled between them. Then, as if taunting the horrified Sharhan, he touched the spread fingers to both corners of his mouth and repeatedly stuck out his tongue.

That red tongue poking out between his long, pale fingers and disappearing again was unbearably obscene. It evoked such a vivid image of sex that the back of Sharhan’s neck prickled. If he kept watching, he was sure he’d get hard again.

‘Where the hell did he learn something like that? Fuck, that’s too damn sexy.’

Sharhan, tensing his thighs, scrubbed Lestel’s hand forcefully with the handkerchief.

“It hurts, honey.”

He’d rubbed so hard that the back of Lestel’s hand had turned red. Sharhan balled up the handkerchief, now soaked with both of their semen, and stuffed it into his bag, then rubbed his forehead.

‘How the hell did I end up doing that with Lestel again?’

It hadn’t gone all the way, which was a relief, but honestly, if Lestel had pushed a little harder, he might’ve just gone along with it and ended up actually having sex. The thought made him feel wretched.

Even now, the heat hadn’t fully subsided, and his lower belly still tingled with unsatisfied desire. He tried to comfort himself by thinking it was just the hormones of someone his age, but it was useless. This damned uncontrollable lust only ever burned this intensely in front of Lestel.

‘I was totally fine before when I looked at him. But now he keeps being all… persistent… Fucking lunatic!’

Sharhan, realizing Lestel’s intense, unwavering gaze was fixed right on his perineum, hurried to get dressed.

“I told you to knock it off with those eyes!”

“What kind of eyes? The kind that want to devour every last inch of you, bones and all? Or the kind that want to slam my cock deep inside your hole and not leave until I’ve emptied myself in you? Haa, I want to have sex with you so bad. I like it when your hand touches me, but I’m going crazy wanting to be inside you. So let’s just do it already.”

Lestel nuzzled Sharhan’s forehead affectionately, as if pouting. A moment ago, he’d been all provocation, but now he’d clearly switched tactics.

“Do what already… If anyone’s doing the fucking, it’ll be me – Where did you even learn to talk so dirty – No, wait… I’m losing it.”

He didn’t even know where to start scolding him or what to say. His head was a mess. For now, he just needed to get that annoyingly well-toned, still-naked body out of sight. He pushed Lestel away and threw his pants at him.

Then he took a deep breath and tried to gather his scrambled thoughts. Not that it helped.

‘Ha! Filthy bastard. Horny maniac.’

He finally calmed down a little after mentally cursing Lestel to his heart’s content. But unlike before, he couldn’t make himself promise, “I’ll never sleep with Lestel again.”

It hadn’t even been a full day, and already he’d let his lust get the better of him again. He could no longer trust his self-control.

‘I’m just as much a horny mess as he is.’

While Sharhan rubbed his temple like he had a headache, Lestel quietly put his pants back on. Once the bare skin that had been clouding his vision disappeared, Sharhan was able to speak again.

“First of all, let’s talk.”

What had happened was one thing, but there was something they needed to clarify first.

“Go ahead.”

“You… Did you run away from home just to find me?”

Lestel let out a sigh at Sharhan’s cautious question.

“Yeah.”

“You seriously ran away from home just to look for me? Are you out of your mind?”

“I wasn’t expecting you to cry from being touched, but… this reaction is just so you that I don’t even know what to say.”

“Are you sane? You really went around looking for me?”

“Are you just dull? Or… yeah, you probably are. You’ve always been kind of dense. Honey, aside from you, do you think there’s anyone in this wide-ass empire I’d run around for years trying to find?”

“Who’re you calling dull? And someone could’ve come along! We’ve been apart for years!”

“It’s only been three years, you know. Not that it was short for me. And don’t you remember? That summer break after you disappeared, I went home and ran away immediately. Are you a crow or something? You forgot that already? In that short time, who do you think I could’ve gotten with?”

“I did suspect you might be out looking for me at some point. But fuck, you did lie to me, didn’t you? All that nonsense about and confusing the hell out of me!”

“It’s true I lied to you, and I’m still hiding things. But even so, how could you not recognize me right away? That stings, you know.”

“Then you should’ve said something from the beginning! Why were you being all evasive?!”

“To make you squirm.”

“What?”

“When break came and I went straight to grab you, ha, the Kaios family already had a new head, and you were gone without a trace. You know how I felt then? It was only because I found Iris in Serman that I managed to calm down. Otherwise, the moment I found you, I might’ve killed you.”

“I-I figured you’d be upset….”

“You thought I’d be upset? Oh, honey, if you think I’d just shrug it off with a ‘well, that’s disappointing’ after you ran off for years without a word, then lucky you. Must be nice to be that simple. Meanwhile, I was going insane, wondering if you were dead or alive.”

Lestel sneered. Sharhan bristled but couldn’t argue. He imagined what he would’ve done if Lestel had disappeared on him without a word… and immediately got pissed.

He would’ve blown a fuse, cursing Lestel nonstop while scouring the empire for him. He would’ve sworn to punch him in the face the moment he found him.

But thinking about it more, he realized they weren’t exactly close enough to justify that. Sure, they’d spent twenty years together, but strictly speaking, they weren’t friends. They certainly weren’t lovers.

So what kind of justification would he have had to leave a touching farewell for Lestel? Should he have said, “Don’t go too far without me while I’m gone”?

That’s why Sharhan couldn’t be sure Lestel had actually searched for him. And he still didn’t fully understand why.

Just what were they to each other, that Lestel would lose his mind and scour the empire over his disappearance? The answer lay with Lestel. Sharhan glanced at him.

When they first reunited, he’d assumed they were still rivals, nothing more. But ever since sex got tangled up in things, their bodies had grown dangerously close. And with Lestel’s words that had sounded like a confession, plus the contract now tucked against his chest, his heart only grew more confused.

Sharhan absentmindedly reached toward his chest. He should’ve clapped when Lestel tried to tear up that damned contract. But instead, he’d left the leash in place with his own hands.

“Lestel, about what you said earlier…”

“….”

Sharhan resisted the urge to bluntly ask what he meant. It had sounded like a confession. But if it was, what would he do? That would be a real problem.

And if Lestel said it wasn’t a confession, just a misunderstanding… that would hurt too. His own feelings were already a mess. He wasn’t ready to confront Lestel’s.

“N-never mind.”

Sharhan shook his head quickly. Lestel looked at him for a moment, then let out a soft sigh. It was the kind of sigh that carried both relief and regret.

“This time, let me ask. You’re really not gonna burn it?”

“…Yeah.”

Maybe he was the crazy one, not Lestel. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to destroy it. Sharhan didn’t even understand why.

“And I’m not giving it back either. I’ll tear it up whenever I feel like it.”

Even that defensive add-on didn’t get a response from Lestel at first. Then he pulled the awkwardly flustered Sharhan into a hug, rested his forehead on his shoulder, and murmured quietly.

“If you say that, it makes me start hoping.”

“Hoping for what? Speak clearly.”

“I still really want to have sex. Let me.”

“Don’t act all sweet now, not after groping someone else’s dick without permission. You were practically shouting let’s fuck already just a minute ago.”

“You think I don’t know you? If I’d really gone all the way without your consent, you’d never forgive me. And besides, you’re weak to the gentle, obedient version of me.”

“….”

No use arguing. He was right. Lestel, shifting tactics again, lifted his head and now rubbed his nose against Sharhan’s.

“Let’s do it. Come on.”

“…Fine, but if you want to fuck, you’d better let me be the top. If I get to fuck you first, I’ll let you do it too.”

He looked smug, like he’d won. But–

“Okay.”

“…What?”

“I said okay. I’ll give you my precious virgin ass. When should we do it?”

Sharhan’s expression faltered, clearly thrown by the unexpected answer.

“D-do you really want to that badly?”

“Yeah. I can’t take it anymore. I want to be connected to you physically, at least. So when?”

“W-well, you know, if we’re both guys, we need to, uh, prepare. Like oil or something…”

His attempt to dodge was quickly shut down.

“There should be oil for sex at my estate. Let’s bring it along with the whistle.”

“Why the hell do you even have that stuff? Don’t tell me you’ve had people over to mess around in that mansion…”

Sharhan was getting worked up again when–

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

“Lord Sharhan, Ras is awake. And a man named John as well.”

It was Raul, the messenger. Sharhan threw the door open.

“John?”

“He says he works for the Black Pearl. He just woke up and is asking for you.”