The day after their trip to the river, Edwin had been acting strangely. Normally, he was restless and full of energy, but suddenly, he had gone quiet—so much so that it was unsettling.
“Maybe he’s just more sensitive to heat and cold than he lets on… He does get exhausted every summer, but…”
Leira spent the day searching for Edwin, only to find him holed up in the study. Beneath shelves lined with tens of thousands of books, Edwin lay on a resting sofa, one arm draped over his eyes. Though it was midsummer and the sun still lingered past nine in the evening, the thick curtains were drawn, casting the room in dimness. Dust motes glittered in the slender beams of light slipping through the gaps.
Bathed in the faint glow, Edwin looked almost lifeless—like an ancient statue. The sight made Leira call out to him, a hint of urgency in his voice.
“Edwin?”
He didn’t seem asleep. When Leira hesitated before sitting beside him, Edwin’s clear green eyes—usually so vivid—flickered open. Sunlight spilled over half his face.
“Huh…?”
For a moment, his emerald irises shimmered with an unfamiliar blue tint.
“Did I imagine that?”
Without thinking, Leira reached out, staring intently at those strange eyes. Edwin, expressionless, let his hand approach until the fingertips brushed his skin. Then he closed his eyes—only to open them again, the mysterious blue now gone.
“Must’ve been the light…”
Maybe the sunlight had played a trick. The kingdom was home to people of all hair and eye colors; it wasn’t uncommon for a child’s golden locks to darken to deep brown by adulthood. Even Leira’s eldest brother had gone from blond to a warm chestnut.
Come to think of it, Edwin’s eyes had once been a sky-blue as a child before shifting to his mother’s green. The fleeting blue had stirred something nostalgic in Leira, and he tugged lightly at Edwin’s cheek.
Even stretched unnaturally, Edwin’s face didn’t look ridiculous. If anything, the playful distortion only made him more alluring. Leira sighed and let go.
“Are you sick or something?”
The study was shrouded in curtains, and Edwin lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling. After a long silence, his lips parted.
“…No. It’s just summer. Hotter than usual this year.”
He dismissed it casually, then lazily sat up, resting his head on Leira’s thigh. Normally, Leira would’ve shoved him away—this was a place servants could walk in at any moment—but Edwin’s pallor made him hesitate. It wasn’t unreasonable for close friends to act like this.
And honestly, it was unbearably hot. Even the patient head butler, Emma, had been seen sighing in the shade.
“…You don’t suit this.”
Edwin, who’d been resting with his eyes closed, glanced up. His voice carried a note of displeasure.
“What?”
“Why do you look so drained? It doesn’t suit you.”
“Oh, come on—”
Edwin scowled as Leira tugged at his dark, wavy hair. Clearly, he wasn’t used to seeing Edwin like this—so uncharacteristically weak.
Usually oblivious to subtleties, Edwin found it odd how perceptive Leira could be about his physical state. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
“Ugh!”
“What? Missing my dick so much your ass is itching?”
“Edwin!”
Tired of the suspicious looks, Edwin finally pinned Leira down, straddling him. Caught off guard, Leira flailed, pounding his fists against Edwin’s solid chest. The black hair scattered across the cushion with each thud.
“You’re the one who can’t shut up for a single day! What’s wrong with you?!”
Edwin laughed, then sneezed violently after tossing the cushion aside.
“Damn. I’d hit you more, but the dust is killing me.”
Rubbing his nose, he smirked—that devastatingly handsome smirk he reserved only for Leira. The thought made Leira scowl.
“What’s your problem now?”
“You! You’re what’s wrong!”
“Liar. You love me most.”
The teasing tone made Leira’s face burn. Insulting. He squirmed in protest, but Edwin’s firm grip only tightened around his waist.
“Stay still…”
The low, velvety voice—so at odds with his delicate features—sent a shiver down Leira’s spine. Lips pressed to his ear, then his temple, his cheek, his mouth. Each kiss was slow, deliberate. Leira’s hips twitched involuntarily.
Edwin wasn’t one for kissing—at least, not like this. He usually only did it mid-fuck, lips crushed together in a sloppy, saliva-drenched mess, or after, when he’d lick inside Leira’s mouth like he was cleaning out a used hole.
This was… different. Unsettling.
“Mmn…”
“Open wider.”
The arm around his waist was colder than usual, like he’d just stepped out of an ice bath. Cold fingers traced his lower abdomen, making his hips jerk. A transparent flush spread across his small, pomegranate-stained lips, saliva dripping helplessly. Edwin’s tongue lapped it up before biting down on the swollen flesh.
The rough texture of the roof of his mouth, the way the tongue pressed deep—it was too good. Leira clutched at Edwin’s forearm, grinding up against him, parting his lips further. The sensation of being tasted sent waves of pleasure through him. A hand slid up to tease his nipple, rolling it between fingers. Nng, ah… Their joined mouths muffled the needy sounds into a low hum.
Like mating serpents, they writhed, their slick lower halves grinding together, lips locked in a wet, desperate kiss. Then Edwin’s tongue curled around his, sucking hard—and Leira came undone, spilling into his underwear without even being touched. Edwin chuckled at the mess, the smooth, hairless groin sticky with release.
“See?”
“…”
“How pretty you are when you listen.”
He held Leira’s limp body close, nuzzling the nape of his neck as the afterglow faded. Only then did Edwin ring the bell for a servant. Leira remained dazed, lost in the lingering pleasure.
Edwin draped a thin summer blanket over him—hiding the evidence—before ordering a bath prepared.
When the knock came announcing the water was ready, Edwin carried Leira effortlessly to his private bath. As always, the hallway was empty, cleared of servants.
“…And you?”
Leira, half-asleep as warm hands lathered him, mumbled. Normally, Edwin would’ve joined him by now. But today, he just… stood there, soaking his own clothes as he scrubbed Leira’s arms.
“I didn’t come.”
“…You’re annoying.”
Splash!
Leira slapped the water’s surface, spraying Edwin before shutting his eyes tight. Better to block out that damn thing than engage with it.
After the bath, Edwin dried him with meticulous care, even applying moisturizer and changing him into sleepwear. Leira sat on the bed, dazed, as Edwin towel-dried his hair. The night sky, still tinged blue, was silent.
Just as Leira thought Edwin would finish and send him to bed, the hands stilled.
“Edwin?”
He turned, confused—why had he stopped?—only to find Edwin staring blankly into the distance. “Ah.” Edwin shook his head, as if snapping out of it, and resumed drying his damp blond hair. His face was its usual impassive mask, but something felt… off. Is he really not feeling well? Leira fretted.
Once the rose-scented oil was worked into his hair, Edwin guided Leira onto the bed.
“You should sleep early… tonight.”
An uncharacteristic suggestion. They’d fucked in the bath countless times—how many post-soak rounds had they gone?—yet here he was, advocating rest? Leira eyed him skeptically. Edwin feigned innocence, tucking the blanket up to Leira’s nose.
“Since when do you care?”
“Ran out of stamina.”
“What?!”
Leira bolted upright, then collapsed back onto the pillow, laughing. Now that was a welcome change.
“You’re insane.”
“Shh.”
“Go sleep in your room.”
“After you’re asleep.”
Edwin’s arms locked around him like a vise. Trapped, Leira struggled briefly before giving up, closing his eyes. As he burrowed into the cooler embrace, the sound of rain began—a sudden summer shower. The rhythmic patter against the window was the only noise in the otherwise silent night.
It didn’t take long for Leira’s exhausted, well-scrubbed body to succumb to sleep, his breathing evening out.
Edwin listened to it for a long while.
Then, as if asleep himself, his motionless lids slowly lifted, revealing green irises in the dark. He slipped from the bed with practiced silence, crossing to his own room. The ornately carved door clicked shut without a sound.
For a moment, he stood frozen, his expression unreadable.
Fwoosh. A flame ignited.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
Oohhh sweet, but what happened to edwin?