“How far, you ask…”
Iberis trailed off, unable to find a suitable answer. Until just yesterday, he hadn’t even imagined kissing Lucas like this, let alone consider how far he’d allow skinship to go.
And what was that? Biting and sucking his collarbone and chest? What to do if he gets too excited and gets an erection? Surely he doesn’t mean to do that again?
Iberis felt slightly dizzy as he mulled over Lucas’s words. He recalled the sensation of when Lucas had stimulated him through his clothes to relieve his arousal after catching him with a morning erection not long ago.
Remembering the shame and pleasure of that moment, Iberis unconsciously pressed his thighs together. Whether due to the medicine he had just taken or the guiding, the cold and pain that had been tormenting his body were gradually disappearing, but his head felt even more confused.
Iberis looked at Lucas, fidgeting with his lips as if unsure what to say. Somehow, he felt increasingly swayed by him.
“Do we… really have to decide this now?”
“It would be better for you, Major.”
Such a lack of crisis awareness. Lucas inwardly clicked his tongue at Iberis’s hesitation. He still seemed unaware of how dangerous his situation was. He didn’t even realize that the person in front of him was eagerly waiting for a chance to devour him.
“Why?”
“Because it would be troublesome for you if I lose control of my feelings for you and act on my own. So you need to set clear boundaries.”
Lucas didn’t trust himself. Since he had abandoned his principles and made an exception for Iberis, he was like an unbridled colt.
That’s why he decided to hand the reins to Iberis. If he didn’t, he felt he might progress beyond stage 2 today itself.
Although trying to appear calm, Lucas had only recently acknowledged his own feelings. It was impossible for skinship with someone who could be considered his first love to not affect him.
Even at this moment, Lucas was desperately trying to hold onto his reason that was threatening to fly away. It was natural for desire towards Iberis to arise, now that he knew the pleasure of touching him. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how long he could hold back in this state.
That’s why this was all the more necessary. Setting the boundaries for guiding was both a means to control Lucas’s desires and a safety measure to protect Iberis.
“If you keep not deciding, I might really do as I please.”
“But to decide so suddenly…”
“I’m just acting according to the guiding manual… Hmm, if it’s difficult to decide, shall we test how far is okay?”
“Huh? Test…?”
“Yes, I mean let’s determine together the limits of what you can accept.”
“How?”
“We’ll have to try it out directly.”
Lucas gently caressed Iberis’s stiff waist as if asking something obvious. Seeing the gray eyes widen in surprise at his touch, he let out a low hum and removed his hand from inside the pajamas.
Then, he moved his hand, tapping on top of the pajamas as if playing piano keys. His fingers moved up to Iberis’s chest, pressing firmly on the part hidden under the unusually thick fabric for the weather.
“What are you- ah!”
“Is this okay? I tried over the clothes first, thinking direct stimulation might be too much.”
“Wait, that, don’t- ah!”
Iberis let out a short moan as Lucas’s firm thumb kneaded the area before scratching down hard with his nail. The unfamiliar stimulation caused the flesh to harden and protrude through the fabric.
“For someone saying not to do it, you seem to be enjoying it.”
“Hah, no, I don’t…”
“Really?”
Lucas trapped the protruding part between his fingers and lightly pinched it, as if telling Iberis not to lie. Iberis’s mouth opened with a gasp.
“What about biting your neck or shoulder? I’d really like you to allow this…”
Lucas swallowed hard as he looked down at Iberis, who was trembling from the strange sensation. Overcome with a burning thirst, he buried his lips in the space between Iberis’s neck and shoulder exposed by the open pajamas. Then he immediately opened his jaw and bit down.
“Ah, what, nngh!”
Iberis let out a pained sound and hunched his shoulders as teeth dug into his delicate skin. A strange heat rose from his neck where Lucas had bitten, along with a tingling pain.
It’s cold.
Lucas lightly licked the teeth marks on the skin before sucking hard once. He separated his lips with a wet sound and smiled satisfactorily at the crimson bruise that had appeared on the pale skin.
“How is it?”
Lucas pressed his lips again on the kiss mark he had left, as if stamping a seal, and asked Iberis for his thoughts.
“Y-you…”
“Do you dislike me doing this?”
Iberis mumbled with a tearful expression. He knew he should say he disliked it, but strangely, he couldn’t resist. While Lucas’s actions were startling, they weren’t unpleasant. Yes, that was precisely the problem.
“I don’t know, I really don’t know…”
In the end, that was all Iberis could say. He was completely disoriented by Lucas’s unexpected confession and the ensuing skinship.
“Hmm, I can’t torment someone who’s unwell, so we’ll stop here for today.”
Seeing Iberis in extreme confusion, Lucas raised his upper body and took a step back. He had a feeling that if he pushed any further, Iberis might run away.
“We’ll figure out how far is okay as we proceed with guiding in the future. How does that sound?”
“…Alright.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Iberis nodded slightly. Somehow it felt like he was walking into a tiger’s den, but he had no choice. Today, he had already exceeded his mental capacity to handle the situation.
“Then get some more rest.”
Lucas, finishing the conversation, brushed away the hair clinging to Iberis’s round forehead and covered his slightly warm eyes with his hand. Then he leaned down and kissed the lips exposed beneath his hand.
Flinch.
Iberis’s shoulders visibly jerked when the soft, tender warmth touched his lips. However, he didn’t push Lucas away.
I’ll be satisfied with this much for now.
Lucas pulled away from the kiss, shaking off a bit of regret. He hadn’t expected to become lovers with Iberis right away anyway. So for today, he decided to find meaning in the fact that Iberis didn’t reject him. That was enough for now.
* * *
“It was you, wasn’t it?”
Livio frowned at the abrupt statement from his visitors. He quickly composed himself and put on a smiling face.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re the one who hired us to assassinate Major Hyun!”
The man, irritated by Livio’s feigned ignorance, shouted angrily. The woman sitting next to him also narrowed her eyes.
“Sigh… We came here knowing everything, so don’t try to deny it, Guild Master Logan.”
The woman spoke up, taking a deep breath to calm her irritation. She knew that getting emotional wouldn’t help.
“I have nothing to deny. I don’t know you people.”
“Are you going to keep this up? Do you think we came here without any information?”
“I’m curious why you’re so certain I’m your client. Do you have any evidence that I hired you?”
“Would we be here if we didn’t?”
Livio’s brow twitched slightly at the woman’s retort. Not missing this reaction, the woman snorted.
“Oh my, Guild Master, you’re surprised. You’re quite naive for someone who ordered a murder. You must not know much about our world. When we take on jobs like this, we always leave ourselves an escape route in case things go wrong. Isn’t it stranger not to have one?”
“That’s right. You might have tried various tricks to avoid being traced, but… you underestimated us.”
The man sneered, implying that Livio should stop denying. He was one of the villain organization leaders who had escaped just before being caught by Iberis. The woman with him was a freelance assassin, the villain who had sniped at Iberis from afar.
The two, who already knew each other, shared information about this assassination mission while fleeing from N-0 unit’s pursuit. They concluded that Livio was the client.
“Fine. Let’s say I did hire you to assassinate Major Iberis Hyun. Why have you come to me so boldly after failing the mission?”
“For compensation, of course! Do you know how much trouble we’re in because you gave us false information?”
“Trouble, you say…”
“Haven’t you been watching the news? Almost everyone except us and a few others have been caught by N-0 unit!”
The man raised his voice, recalling the article he had read before coming here. Then, as if still finding it unbelievable, he muttered.
“Iberis Hyun having a terminal illness, yeah right. Far from being sick, he was perfectly fine! That guy’s a monster, a monster! Damn it, why did I fall for such nonsense… Hey, you. Why did you hire us to assassinate him while giving us false information?”
