It happened in an instant—like a beast snatching up its prey. A thick arm clamped around Seiyad, and before he realized it, his feet were lifting slightly off the ground.
Eyes wide, Seiyad was caught off guard as his body was suddenly hoisted up. Ressas, who had been still just moments ago, now held him tightly, almost crushing him in his arms, and began to devour him. Their tongues collided with enough force to feel like his own might be ripped from its root. Ressas scraped the sensitive roof of his mouth with the pointed tip of his tongue, then continued to explore him relentlessly—like he was savoring candy.
“Nngh…”
A sharp shiver ran down the back of Seiyad’s neck. That ticklish sensation spread from the roof of his mouth to somewhere deep inside. It was overwhelming—his body trembled from the intensity. His unusually heightened senses, normally a burden, turned toxic in this moment. Pleasure bloomed inside him, strange and unwelcome, making him flinch and writhe uncontrollably.
“Haa… ngh…”
The way his body reacted felt foreign. It was just a kiss—something they’d done more times than he could count—yet he was nervous, as if it were his first time.
It was always like this with Ressas. Seiyad had once believed that, being older, he could keep control. That confidence vanished the moment they touched. Everything felt like it was spiraling. The ever-calm, unshakable Duke Axid disappeared, and in his place remained only Seiyad—a man who stumbled and faltered. And in front of Ressas, that was allowed.
Whether it was the lack of oxygen or the weight of the moment crushing down on him, dizziness swept through his mind. Gasping, Seiyad twisted his torso, and only then did Ressas pull back just enough to let him breathe. The tongue that had been exploring every inch of his mouth finally retreated, and only then did air flood back in. His head spun with the heat rising inside it.
“I… haah… just a moment…”
But before he could even finish asking for a break, Ressas captured his lips again. Their eyes met for the briefest second—and Seiyad froze.
Ressas’s pupils had shrunk into slits, and his purple irises had darkened so much they were nearly black. Instinct struck him like lightning: this man wasn’t listening.
That was the look of someone who’d completely lost control. Seiyad could tell—because he was a man, too.
The arms wrapped around his back and waist tightened even more, pulling him in until there wasn’t a sliver of space left between them. Ressas tilted his head, sucking on Seiyad’s lips before shoving his tongue back in. Each breath Seiyad tried to take was drawn straight into Ressas, leaving none for himself.
There was no finesse, no patience—just a desperate, frenzied kiss.
Could something as simple as a kiss really feel this desperate? Ressas clawed at his back, gripped his waist, moved against him like he couldn’t get enough. And Seiyad—he felt like he was unraveling. Could emotions run this deep? This wasn’t domination or force—it was raw, burning desire spilling over with nowhere else to go.
His vision blurred. He couldn’t breathe. And still, he let it happen—until Ressas’s hand, which had been restlessly moving over him, suddenly dropped to his ass.
Like an animal acting on pure instinct, Ressas grabbed him—hard. His firm, clenched cheeks were spread wide, and Seiyad could feel the long fingers pressing in, trying to explore the gap.
His eyes flew open in shock.
The unfamiliarity of the touch hit like a jolt. It made him flinch, defensively, like a man instinctively shielding himself from danger. Discomfort surged through him—Seiyad’s body rejected it, and he grabbed Ressas by the shoulders. It should’ve been impossible for most people to break free, but he’d used real strength without meaning to. Ressas stumbled backward from the force.
The heat that had glued them together suddenly shattered. Their connection—so close he couldn’t even tell whose breath was whose—was broken, and Seiyad finally came to his senses.
Focus returned to Ressas’s eyes, which had been clouded over moments ago. His long lashes trembled. Then came a flicker of surprise in his darkened purple eyes. Seiyad, who had frozen for a second, quickly parted his lips.
“Your Highness, this is…”
As he spoke, realization hit him: he’d pushed Ressas harder than he’d intended. Still gripping his shoulders, Seiyad watched as Ressas stood there, face growing steadily paler. That was when panic hit him, too. His mind a mess, scrambling for anything to say—
But Ressas spoke first.
“I’m sorry. I… I lost my mind for a moment. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“No, Your Highness. It’s not like that.”
“I didn’t mean to take it that far, but the moment I touched you… everything went white. It was strange, wasn’t it? I’m sorry. I promise it won’t happen again…!”
It seemed Ressas had misunderstood what Seiyad had done. Even Seiyad had startled himself, so Ressas must’ve been even more shaken. And given how cautious Ressas always was when it came to him, it wasn’t surprising—he now clung to Seiyad like he could barely breathe, his face pale with panic. Worried the misunderstanding might deepen, Seiyad quickly tried to calm him down.
“Ressas.”
The firm call of his name helped Ressas regain a bit of control. His beautiful eyes trembled, unsure of what to do, and Seiyad spoke gently, keeping his tone steady.
“It wasn’t the kiss. I was just surprised when your hand touched me down there. I didn’t mean to push you that hard—I didn’t even realize how much force I used. I’m sorry. It’s not your fault, so don’t blame yourself.”
“…Down there…?”
Ressas echoed faintly, as if he didn’t quite follow. His expression was one of complete confusion—it looked like he’d done it unconsciously. Realizing that made the moment feel even stranger. Seeing him act purely on instinct, without thought, was what made him feel—truly—like a man.
“…You grabbed my ass.”
Seiyad’s voice lowered, awkward and unsure. It was just naming a part of his body, but it still felt oddly vulgar to say out loud.
“Ah…!”
Realization finally dawned on Ressas. His face flushed, the red spreading quickly up his neck. Like someone who’d just had a secret exposed, he squeezed his eyes shut. Rubbing his face with an awkward hand, he mumbled in a voice that practically disappeared.
“That’s… why I was trying not to touch you. I knew I wouldn’t be able to control myself once I did.”
It sounded like something he’d wrestled with for a long time. He spoke like he was confessing a sin. Seiyad listened in silence, until something about his phrasing struck him as odd.
“Control yourself?”
Control what, exactly? Seiyad had been the one holding back all this time.
“What if I lose control like just now and hurt you? What if I end up hurting you, Eid?”
Ressas’s words tumbled out, voice trembling with fear. Seiyad, trying to focus and understand, found himself feeling increasingly off-balance. What Ressas was afraid of didn’t match what Seiyad had expected.
“Hurt me… how exactly?”
Seiyad trailed off. He couldn’t quite make the connection—until a memory flashed across his mind.
Back when he’d lashed out, accusing Ressas of confusing love with lust, there had been a moment where Ressas had spoken with chilling honesty.
“What I mean is that I’m barely restraining myself from burying myself inside you this very moment. I want to mark every inch of your beautiful body, fill you completely. I’m holding back with everything I have—so much that I feel like I might lose my mind.”
At the time, Seiyad had been too overwhelmed—too lost in pain and the heat of Ressas’s touch—to fully absorb what was being said.
But there had been other moments too, where Ressas’s desire had been crystal clear.
How could he forget the time in the forest, when their bodies rubbed together, arousal grinding through layers of clothing? The feel of that hard, burning cock pressing into his stomach, the weight of Ressas’s body bearing down on him—Seiyad’s chest heated at the memory. His head swam as he recalled more. Ressas had wanted him—badly.
“I’ve never done it before, so I know I’ll hurt you. Just holding you makes my heart feel like it’s about to burst. If I felt more than this, how could I possibly hold back? The moment I spread your legs, I know I’ll become a beast, blind to everything else.”
That beautiful, innocent face had whispered such raw, obscene words. Seiyad now remembered the way Ressas had looked at him—with eyes burning, consumed with longing. Ever since his return, Ressas had wanted to be close to him—intimately so—and only now did Seiyad truly realize what that meant.
In his defense, he hadn’t taken that side of Ressas seriously.
Or rather, he’d dismissed it as youthful passion—naïve and fleeting.
“…Right. You did say you wanted to sleep with me.”
Seiyad muttered to himself, as if finally piecing things together. At that, Ressas lowered his head. And though Seiyad had thought that pale skin couldn’t possibly redden any further, it did—deeply so.
