“Really?”
Lucas’s voice raised at the end when he received an unexpected answer to his question, which he had asked without much expectation. Following his pleasantly beating heart, the corners of his eyes curved gently.
“Then it wouldn’t be a problem if I embraced you, Major.”
“…Huh?”
Iberis, momentarily distracted by Lucas’s elegant eyes narrowing and his smooth lips curving upwards, blinked. Frowning slightly, he asked incredulously:
“Wait, how did you reach that conclusion?”
“You said you didn’t dislike the idea of being embraced by me, right? And unlike you who’s still unsure, I’m desperate to enter you… In such cases, isn’t it right to grant the wish of the one with stronger desire?”
Lucas responded shamelessly to the bewildered Iberis. He had glimpsed the possibility of his wish coming true in Iberis’s answer.
“That doesn’t mean I like it. It’s just imagination, in reality it could be different…”
“Hmm, true. To know if imagination and reality are the same, we’d have to try it out as you said, Major.”
“What…?”
What are you trying to do? Iberis’s lips moved slightly, at a loss for words. It was clear that if this continued, he would be swayed by Lucas again.
“You know how two men make love, don’t you?”
Lucas, having gained the upper hand in the conversation, teasingly asked as he slipped his hand inside the soft blanket. Judging from Iberis’s attitude, it seemed okay to push a little more.
“Stop, uh…”
Iberis reflexively raised his knees as the hand burrowing between his thighs moved further inward.
“Where are you touching now…”
“Being embraced by me means accepting my thing here.”
“Hah!”
Is he really going to do it? Here? Iberis tightly closed his thighs as the firmly ripened fingertips touched a private part that had never been touched by others, not even himself. His whole body tensed up unconsciously at the unfamiliar contact.
“I want to open the most intimate part of your body and fill your insides with my thing.”
Chu. Lucas lightly kissed the tip of Iberis’s ear peeking out from his sweat-soaked hair, voicing his explicit desire. At the same time, he gently pressed the private part with his index finger. Iberis’s lean waist stiffened automatically at his subtle touch.
“Ugh, d-don’t.”
Startled by the sudden surge of sexual sensation, Iberis grabbed Lucas’s wrist that was stimulating his lower part. His transparent silver-gray eyes flickered wildly, unable to find their bearings.
“Do you dislike me touching you like this? Does it feel bad?”
Lucas met Iberis’s eyes and asked as Iberis showed a rejecting reaction.
“That’s…”
Iberis pursed his lips with a troubled expression. His gaze, wet with perplexity, turned to the prominent bulge over Lucas’s neat pants.
Accepting Lucas’s thing, which was much bigger and thicker than his own, barely manageable with one hand, from behind? Honestly, he wasn’t confident.
The strange thing was that while he was worried, he didn’t feel aversion. It was embarrassing for Lucas to touch such an unspeakable place, but not unpleasant.
Why?
Iberis bit his lower lip hard enough to crush it, feeling extreme confusion. What did he want to do with Lucas? All he could offer, unable to find an answer, was silence.
“…Anyone watching might think I’m trying to eat you up, Major. You don’t need to be so tense.”
Maybe I should stop here. Lucas withdrew his hand that had been fondling Iberis’s private part, licking his lips at the sight of Iberis hesitating to respond. It seemed he should be satisfied with clearly conveying his desire to Iberis today.
“I have no intention of forcing you if you don’t want it. There are many ways to enjoy without going all the way.”
Lucas tidied up the crumpled blanket and embraced Iberis again. Then, massaging Iberis’s still stiff neck with his hand, he added quietly:
“I’m not sure how long my patience will last, but I’ll try to endure somehow until we become lovers. So relax.”
“…Who said I’d date you?”
“Ah, that hurts a bit.”
Lucas exaggeratedly hung his head and let out a pained sound, “Aya.” At this sight, the tension finally left Iberis’s body as well.
“Hey, Luke.”
“Yes.”
“If… later, I say I want to embrace you, what would you do?”
Iberis hesitantly opened his mouth.
“You want to embrace me, Major? Hmm, I don’t think that will happen… but if you sincerely wish for it, I’ll seriously consider it.”
“Why wouldn’t it happen? You think I can’t do it?”
“To embrace me, you’d need to be accustomed to intense skinship, and above all, you’d need to lead well in bed… It seems far off for now.”
Iberis let out a groan at the irrefutable point. It hurt his pride, but even he thought it would be difficult to do as skillfully as Lucas.
“Above all, you suit being loved.”
“…Me?”
Iberis, who had been pouting his lower lip, widened his eyes at Lucas’s words. It was as if he had heard something very strange.
This was understandable, as Iberis had always been closer to the one giving love rather than receiving it. After awakening his abilities, countless people praised Iberis’s strength and wanted to be under his protection.
Even the special investigation team members, whom Iberis secretly relied on, sought him first when in danger. When their lives were threatened after falling into Livio’s trap, they left their last words with Iberis and entrusted everything to him.
Thus, Iberis had led and protected everyone as an S-class Esper, the team’s ace, and the deputy commander. On the battlefield where a moment’s carelessness could cost one’s life to monsters, acting spoiled was childish behavior.
People admired and revered Iberis, merely looking up to him. In their eyes, Iberis was a lofty being who needed no one’s help, so they all hoped he would protect them, never considering the opposite.
As a result, Iberis naturally became alone. No matter how lonely or difficult it was, he couldn’t lean on anyone or seek warmth. His assigned role was to be an unwavering hope and a strong pillar in any situation.
Iberis accepted the yoke given to him without complaint. More accurately, he had become accustomed to it. He had lived this way his entire life, except for the time spent with his mother.
That’s why Lucas, who now wanted to give love to him, was even more incomprehensible. Having rarely experienced unconditional affection from others, Lucas’s words sounded bizarre to him.
“You’re lying…”
“What would I gain by telling such a lie?”
“But… it doesn’t suit me.”
“That’s your opinion, Major. Well, fine. If you really can’t understand, let’s say I misspoke.”
Iberis unconsciously gripped the blanket tightly when Lucas withdrew his statement. It felt strange to feel disappointed when he himself had denied Lucas’s words.
“Rather than saying you suit being loved, I’ll rephrase it to say that I want to give you love.”
“Huh?”
“Giving love to the person I like until I’m satisfied – that’s my way. That’s also why I want to embrace you. So get used to it from now on.”
“Ah.”
A small exclamation escaped from Iberis’s slightly parted lips at the bold request. At that moment, Iberis realized why he didn’t feel aversion towards Lucas, who desired him.
From their first meeting, he was different from others. Lucas treated Iberis not as an S-class Esper who would protect him, but as a patient he needed to treat and guide.
So he didn’t find it strange when Iberis showed weakness. Far from expecting anything, he interfered in various ways, hoping Iberis would rely on him.
It had been a long time since Iberis had been cared for by someone, so Lucas’s attention was both annoying and enjoyable. This was also why he was particularly weak to Lucas, who sometimes acted so willfully it seemed arrogant.
Whether during guiding, eating together, or sleeping in the same bed, Lucas gifted him with a sense of longing and comfort at every moment. Thanks to this, Iberis was no longer lonely when with him.
After receiving the confession, he was treated specially in a different way than before. Lucas revealed his feelings for Iberis sincerely and aggressively.
Yes, he had already been continuously giving love to Iberis. Even earlier, when he said Iberis suited being loved, it wasn’t a lie but his sincere belief.
For Lucas, paying attention to Iberis and pouring affection on him was as natural as breathing.
Realizing this, Iberis tensed the corners of his eyes and bit his lip. His vision shimmered like frost on a window melting and crumbling in the morning sunlight. A gentle ripple also stirred in his heart, which had been frozen like a winter lake.
“Major?”
“…I’m sleepy. I want to sleep.”
Iberis buried his face deep in Lucas’s firm chest so he couldn’t see his distorted expression.
“Aren’t you cold? I’ll give you new clothes to wear before you sleep.”
Lucas, momentarily surprised by Iberis suddenly leaning on him, soon regained his composure and hugged him back. Then, seemingly worried about Iberis wearing only a blanket, he tried to take out new clothes kept in the car.
“I’m not cold. I’ll wear them later…”
Shaking his head slightly, Iberis burrowed into the embrace of the only being who could share warm body heat with him. Truly, he wasn’t cold at all.
