[Song recommendation: Yad- Erika Lundmoen]
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He gave a tentative pull, and his hips jerked off the bed of their own accord. A low groan rumbled in Meical's chest, a sound of pure, unadulterated approval that vibrated through Min-jae more effectively than any touch.
His movements grew less hesitant, his grip firmer. He began to move his hand in a rhythm that was uniquely his, his breath coming in shallow pants.
This is for him.
He's watching me.
He wants this.
The thoughts cycled in his head, each one feeding the fire coiling low in his belly all over again. It was an intimate violation and the greatest gift, all at once.
Meical watched, mesmerized, as Min-jae lost himself in the act. He saw the way his brow furrowed in concentration, the way his pink tongue darted out to wet his lips, the way his free hand fisted in the sheets beside him.
He was beautiful like this, laid bare not just physically, but in his raw, unguarded pleasure.
"That's it.." Meical breathed, his own hand resting on his thigh, his knuckles white with the effort of holding himself back from touching. "Just like that. You're so beautiful when you're falling apart."
The praise, so direct and earnest, went straight to Min-jae's head. His rhythm faltered, his hips stuttering upwards, seeking more friction, more of everything.
The coil was tightening again, impossibly fast, a shimmering thread of pleasure pulling taut deep within him.
He was already so close, the aftershocks of his first orgasm making every sensation amplified, overwhelming.
His eyes pleaded with Meical, his movements becoming frantic, losing their rhythm. He was panting, on the verge of tumbling over that delicious edge once more.
Meical saw it, recognized the shattering point. He leaned forward, his face inches from Min-jae's, his dark eyes holding him, owning him.
"Stop."
Stop?!
Why now?!
Min-jae came anyways, shuddering as he collapsed back into the bed.
"Fuck, I can't do this anymore. Nothing's going to come out.."
Meical leaned in, kissing his cheek. "Alright, let's give you a nice bath and get you some food."
Meical gathered Min-jae into his hands and got out of the bed. He walked to the rope close to the door and pulled on it.
In less that second, a knock was heard. The maid quickly bowed as Meical opened the door.
"Take care of the mess on the bed and prepare for food. We'll be down in a minute.."
"Yes, my Lord. Is there anything the madam likes or dislikes? I shall relay his request to the cooks.."
Meical looked at Min-jae. "Is there anything you don't want to eat?"
Min-jae shook his head, embarrassed with the way Meical carried him.
"I'm fine with anything.."
The maid nodded and bowed her head, waiting for them to walk into bathroom before proceeding to change the bedding.
The warm water curled around them, steam rising in faint ribbons that blurred the edges of the room.
Min-jae leaned back into Meical's chest, the steady thrum of his heartbeat grounding him more than he wanted to admit. For a long time, the only sounds were the quiet ripples and their breathing.
"Why is it always warm?" Min-jae asked at last, tilting his head as if the answer might be hidden in the water itself. "No matter the time, the bath is never cold."
Meical's lips brushed against his damp hair, his voice low, almost rumbling against Min-jae's back. "It's fed by an underground hot spring. The water never cools, it keeps flowing endlessly. That's why it always feels this way."
Min-jae hummed, closing his eyes for a moment. "…That's really nice. Too nice, actually. I could stay here forever."
"Then stay.." Meical said simply, his arms firm around Min-jae's waist.
Min-jae's throat tightened, his heart stumbling in his chest at the certainty in those two words.
He needed a distraction, anything to ease the storm inside him so he asked, cautiously, "Do you… have a family? I mean...of course you do, but… what are they like? Do you have brothers or sisters?"
Meical didn't answer right away. His head dipped forward, resting on Min-jae's shoulder as though the weight of the question pressed too heavily to keep it upright.
When he finally spoke, his words were measured, almost reluctant.
"There's seven of us," he began, his breath warm against Min-jae's skin. "I am the third son. Two older brothers before me, four younger sisters after. The girls… they're probably married by now. Some of them might even have children already. My brothers and I…" His voice thinned for a moment, before he steadied it. "We get along well enough, but there was never closeness. They always looked at me as though I were… unnecessary. A shadow filling space between them."
His hand tightened against Min-jae's waist.
"My parents were worse. Respectable. Powerful. But never kind. They value reputation above all else. To them, I'm not their son, I'm a name they can use when it benefits them, and discard when it doesn't. They'll call for me soon, because of this marriage, because I dared to bind myself to another man. They'll smile to my face and whisper behind my back. They'll call it disgrace, weakness, sin. They'll drag you into it too, even though you deserve none of it."
Meical's voice had grown darker with every word, thick with loathing, but when Min-jae turned his head slightly, he saw not anger in his eyes but something else, fear.
Fear that Min-jae would suffer for the choices he had made.
Min-jae's chest ached, Kaizar's family was similar, except for the little people that cared for him. He was on his own. A puppy forced to grow into a wolf to protect himself.
He let out a slow breath. "My family wasn't kind either. Different reasons, maybe, but… it doesn't matter. They're not here now."
The silence stretched again, but this time it felt heavier, weighted with truths neither of them had wanted to say aloud.
Meical shifted, turning Min-jae gently so they were face-to-face. Their foreheads nearly touched, the heat of the bath nothing compared to the intensity of his gaze.
"You don't need them.." Meical said, voice steady, almost fierce. "And I don't need mine. Whatever they think, whatever they say, it doesn't matter. We're married, we are each other's family.."