“Nngh…”
Iberis, immersed in the bathtub, curled up and groaned. As soon as the water touched him, sharp pains arose all over. The areas overworked from repeatedly accepting Lucas felt not just sore, but burning as if scalded.
How many times did we do it?
Iberis thought, resting his chin on his knees. Although the fragrant flower scent from the bath additives wafted up with each ripple, he was in no state to enjoy the bubbling foam.
Twice while showering, once more while cleaning up.
He had been embraced by Lucas three more times after entering the bathroom. Iberis wrinkled his nose as he counted with a dazed expression. He wasn’t sure whether to be thankful it ended at four times in total or not.
“Are you in pain?”
As Iberis tensed his pelvis, feeling stinging sensations in embarrassing places, a low, husky voice was heard. Then came the sound of splashing water, and an arm covered in red scratches gently embraced his body. Though the movement was careful, Iberis’s whole body ached as if he’d been beaten, and his shoulders reflexively hunched.
“…A little.”
Iberis replied curtly, barely swallowing a moan. Lowering his eyes slightly, he examined his body, covered densely with marks from Lucas’s bites and sucking. He’d reached the point where he’d feel empty without kiss marks on his skin.
“It stings a lot. Like someone’s pricking me with needles.”
Looking at Lucas, who seemed as relaxed as a satiated beast, Iberis felt inexplicably wronged and pouted his lower lip. Somehow feeling like he was the only one at a disadvantage, a complaint spontaneously escaped him.
Just like during guiding, Lucas was gentle and tender yet rough and vigorous when their bodies intertwined. Once they started, he wouldn’t stop until they finished, so it was routine for Iberis to be completely exhausted after their lovemaking.
“You said you’d just wash me…”
After speaking, Iberis worried he might have reacted too sharply, but it was too late. He decided to indulge in complaining fully. Even if Lucas argued that they both enjoyed it, he couldn’t deny that it was still difficult.
“I’m sorry.”
With some conscience remaining, Lucas apologized readily. Then he gently caressed Iberis’s skin, which had turned red and mottled like autumn leaves.
“Should I have used a potion?”
“Don’t bother. You said using potions too often can build up tolerance. What if they don’t work when I’m really injured?”
Iberis waved his hand dismissively. Though he didn’t show it much, he found it embarrassing and awkward to treat wounds from their intimate activities. Seeing the kiss marks and bite marks all over his body vividly reminded him of what he had just done with Lucas.
Moreover, he felt a bit sad at the thought of Lucas’s marks disappearing without a trace. Each mark imprinted on his body was proof of being loved by him.
“We shouldn’t let you get injured enough to need potions in the first place.”
Lucas replied in a serious tone, tightly grasping Iberis’s hand, which was covered in small scars. The skin that had been rough when they first met was now soft enough to make him want to touch it constantly.
However, the scars on his hands remained. Despite applying regenerative creams and scar ointments daily, they had no effect on the old wounds.
How wonderful it would be if I could erase all of these cleanly.
Lucas rubbed Iberis’s hand with his thumb, as if trying to erase the marks. The one fortunate thing was that thanks to consistent guiding, no new scars were being added. He hoped that going forward, no new wounds or scars would appear on Iberis’s body apart from the marks he left.
“Ahem, are you alright?”
Iberis cleared his throat softly and glanced at Lucas’s arm, which was massaging his hand. Though not as much as himself, Lucas’s body also bore several marks from their intense lovemaking.
“Me?”
“I scratched your arms a lot earlier. And your shoulders and back… Don’t you need treatment?”
“Ah, I’m fine.”
“It looks like it would sting a lot…”
Iberis turned his head completely, trailing off as he examined Lucas’s shoulders and arms. He seemed concerned about the nail marks scratched into the smooth, firm skin that was otherwise flawless.
“It stings a bit, but not enough to call it painful. This sensation is rather welcome.”
“Huh?”
“It’s amazing… Even when I got much bigger injuries before, I didn’t feel much, but now I can feel distinct pain from these small scratches.”
Lucas muttered as if making a new discovery. After his senses had dulled, his emotions had also become blunted. Unable to fully experience anything – cold, heat, pain, or even the taste of food – nothing could stimulate Lucas. As a result, his daily life became boring and mundane.
Though he never complained about his condition, living for the sake of avenging his parents and his sister’s recovery, sometimes he felt like a corpse. A feeling of being alive yet not alive.
As such days repeated, Lucas became unknowingly lethargic. He also grew increasingly insensitive to those around him. He had fallen into a kind of mannerism.
But meeting Iberis changed his daily life 180 degrees. When he was with him, not only did all his senses become clearer, but the world that had seemed like a black and white movie became colorful.
Perhaps that’s why he pounced on Iberis like a beast in heat at every opportunity. Only when touching him did Lucas feel truly alive and breathing.
“You know what? Your saliva tastes better to me than any food, Major.”
“Ugh, what’s that about?”
“It’s true…”
Lucas gently grasped Iberis’s chin as he recoiled and kissed him. He pushed his tongue between Iberis’s reflexively parting lips, exploring the soft mucous membrane as thick saliva seeped out.
Slurp.
An obscene sound echoed as Lucas captured Iberis’s trembling tongue with his lips and sucked. Lucas eagerly drank in Iberis’s exhaled breaths and saliva. While everything else tasted bland unless extremely seasoned, Iberis’s saliva was as sweet as sugar water. Sweet enough to want to taste it continuously.
“Haa… S-suddenly, what’s this about? I can’t do any more.”
“Don’t worry, we won’t do any more.”
“If only I could trust your words…”
Iberis shot Lucas a distrustful look. He couldn’t trust him after everything he’d been through.
“It’s true. Come on, lean on me comfortably.”
Lucas joked as he pulled Iberis into his arms.
“So now you’re not just a human heater, but an armchair too? You’re lacking in softness though…”
Despite his grumbling, Iberis obediently let his body relax against Lucas. Submerging himself in the hot water up to his neck, leaving only his face exposed, he felt his tense muscles relax and drowsiness set in.
“…Hey, Luke.”
After enjoying the full-body soak for a moment, Iberis hesitantly spoke up.
“Don’t misunderstand me, but… I don’t dislike doing it with you, but… um, I think we might need to exercise some restraint.”
“Pardon?”
“No, it’s just… um, let me say again, I like doing this with you too. If possible, I want to indulge you until you’re satisfied. But we’re working adults, right? Wouldn’t it be problematic if it interferes with our duties?”
Iberis spoke seriously, though hesitantly. He worried that Lucas might get upset, but it was a conversation they needed to have. While it might be fine during their vacation, it was obvious that continuing like this after returning to the base would cause various problems like decreased stamina and poor condition.
“Hmm, that’s true. When we return to the base, I’ll try hard to restrain myself so as not to interfere with your work, Major. So please bear with me until the end of our vacation.”
Fortunately, Lucas agreed with Iberis’s words without showing any displeasure. He had been aware that he had been pushing Iberis too hard lately.
“No, um, you don’t need to force yourself to hold back… I don’t mean we should stop completely, I mean… let’s not do it to the point of exhaustion on weekdays…?”
“Yes, yes. I understand what you’re saying.”
Contrary to his worries, Iberis felt conflicted when Lucas didn’t resist at all. He was grateful that Lucas readily accepted his opinion, but the easy agreement left him feeling somewhat disappointed? Feeling unsettled, Iberis ended up adding words he didn’t need to say.
“In exchange, I’ll let you do as much as you want on holidays.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
