“Take it off.”
“…Pardon?”
After being examined and treated by the military doctors who followed them to the hotel, Lucas, who had just finished showering, raised an eyebrow at Iberis’s behavior, dragging him to the bed and ordering him to undress without explanation.
“I said take it off so I can see if you’ve been treated properly.”
Iberis commanded again with a determined face. While Lucas was showering, Iberis had been pacing in front of the door like an anxious puppy, his mind filled with one thought:
He needed to personally confirm that not a single scratch remained on his guide’s body from head to toe.
This obsession made Iberis act in ways he never would under normal circumstances. When Lucas just stood there, seemingly perplexed, Iberis couldn’t wait patiently and urged him on.
“Quickly.”
“…Alright.”
Surprised by the unexpected request, Lucas reluctantly took off his bathrobe. He understood why Iberis was being so insistent. If their positions were reversed, he would have acted the same way.
Thud.
As the bathrobe fell to the floor, broad shoulders, a firm chest, taut abs, a thick waist, muscular thighs, and long legs were fully revealed. Suddenly left in nothing but underwear, Lucas approached Iberis as if to say ‘go ahead and examine me’.
“See? There are no wounds, right?”
“Hmm…”
Iberis was captivated by Lucas’s exposed body before him. His gaze first landed on the neck and shoulders, which had been the most severely injured. The areas that had been deeply cut and stabbed by sharp claws, covered in blood, were now healed cleanly as Lucas had said. However, they hadn’t healed as cleanly as the wounds on his face or hands.
“This…”
Iberis frowned upon discovering the pinkish scars left on the white, smooth skin. His heart ached at the sight of the clearly visible scars where the wounds had been hideously gaping and deep. After hesitating for a moment, he carefully raised his hand.
“Does it… hurt?”
The newly healed areas were slightly raised compared to the surrounding skin. Iberis gently caressed the bumpy skin under his fingertips. As he moved his finger along the long scarlet line on Lucas’s neck, Lucas’s shoulder flinched.
“It’s a bit sore, but… it’s fine.”
Lucas answered with a slightly hesitant voice. Before leaving the bathroom, it had only been uncomfortable when moving, but now that Iberis’s hand touched it, the pain suddenly intensified.
Come to think of it, it had always been like this. When he was with Iberis, his senses often became more sensitive. Even without deliberately focusing, he could taste food more vividly, or feel strong satisfaction from level 1 guiding that didn’t involve sexual contact, unlike with other espers. The pleasure from kissing and beyond was, of course, beyond comparison.
This was also one of the reasons why he always wanted to be in contact with Iberis. Lucas was overwhelmed by a strange thirst at the touch gently caressing his nape.
Whether due to side effects of his awakening or the aftermath of his near-death experience, Lucas had become unresponsive to most stimuli. But the moment he desired Iberis was different. Pain, sexual sensation, everything was intense. As if he had returned to his pre-awakening state.
Perhaps that’s why. Like a child constantly seeking the sweet candy they’ve tasted for the first time, Lucas found himself craving Iberis more and more. Only Iberis could give him normal sensations.
“Painkillers? Did you take them?”
“Yes, I took them before I went to shower.”
“But you say it hurts?”
Iberis’s expression became serious at the mention of pain still being felt despite taking medication.
Human’s mana, while having the same basic foundation, each has a different wavelength. Because of this, when an esper’s unique mana penetrates another person’s body, it often causes internal damage like a monster’s venom.
This internal injury couldn’t be treated with potions or healing espers’ abilities. Depending on the severity of the injury, one had to suffer from aftereffects for as short as a few days or as long as several months.
Iberis’s face darkened as he realized Lucas had suffered internal injuries. He regretted not taking him to the hospital instead of returning to the hotel and spoke up.
“Let’s get a body damage assessment first thing tomorrow. You might be contaminated. No, we should go to the military hospital right now…”
“It’s not so much pain as discomfort when moving. It’ll be sore for a few days, but it’s not serious.”
“Don’t you know that wounds caused by abilities generally heal slower? We need to go to the hospital for a thorough examination and proper treatment…”
“You haven’t forgotten that I’m a doctor, have you? It’ll heal quickly if I just take my medication properly.”
Lucas hurriedly placated Iberis, who looked ready to drag him to the hospital immediately.
“Alright. But if it gets worse, we’re going to the hospital right away, okay?”
“Yes, I will.”
“I hope it doesn’t leave a scar…”
Iberis touched the newly healed areas with a gloomy face. While he didn’t mind scars or wounds on his own body, even the smallest blemish on Lucas’s body bothered him.
“It won’t. It’ll be clean in about a week.”
“…I should have broken all his fingers instead of letting it go.”
Iberis growled, muttering that he had let Carlos off too easily.
“Let’s end this conversation here. Will you allow me to guide you now?”
Lucas gently caught the hand caressing his shoulder, which still bore marks of being slashed, and kissed the palm and wrist in turn. The skin touching his lips felt unusually cold, which bothered him greatly.
If I had known it would be like this, I should have done it earlier, Lucas thought to himself, clicking his tongue inwardly as he summoned his mana. In fact, he had attempted to guide on the way back to the hotel.
However, Iberis had firmly refused Lucas’s physical contact. His argument was that since only emergency treatment had been done, forcing a guiding might aggravate the wounds.
Iberis’s attitude had been so resolute that Lucas found it difficult to push forcefully. But now he was at his limit. The treatment was over, so there was nothing to hold back for anymore.
“Hnn, y-you don’t need to guide. I took sedatives and purifiers while you were showering.”
“…Pardon?”
Lucas, who had been nuzzling the slender wrist with his lips, suddenly lifted his head.
“You took medication when I’m right here?”
Lucas looked at Iberis with eyes full of betrayal, as if he had been hit on the back of the head. His gaze turned fierce as his eyes narrowed.
“I’m not so desperate as to need guiding from a patient. It’s not like I used my ability enough to have aftereffects…”
Iberis mumbled in a shrinking voice as Lucas’s demeanor became intimidating.
“Who told you to be so considerate, Major? And whether you need guiding or not is for me to judge as your attending physician and guide.”
“But… Ah!”
Iberis, about to object, straightened his waist sharply at the warmth roughly invading his pajamas. Goosebumps ran down his spine as the warm hands kneaded his cool skin.
“Your body is like ice, and you say you don’t need guiding?”
Lucas chuckled and pulled Iberis sharply towards him. Then he lightly bit the slender chin with his lips before releasing it. Supporting the lean back firmly with his hand to prevent Iberis from pulling away, he locked eyes with the trembling silver-grey orbs.
“Maybe in the past, but now you can’t be satisfied with just medication, can you?”
“…Ugh.”
Small lips pressed tightly at the confident whisper. Lucas was right. From the moment the large hand touched his waist, Iberis’s body had been trembling, as if anticipating the pleasure and warmth Lucas would provide.
Lucas couldn’t have missed that trembling. With an expression that said ‘I knew it’, he embraced Iberis and swiftly turned their bodies. Their eye levels and positions changed.
“W-Wait a moment.”
Suddenly finding himself buried in the soft bedding, Iberis floundered in surprise at the heavy weight pressing down on his body.
“Why are you acting like this today… If you’re worried about me being a patient, wouldn’t it be better to cooperate with the guiding? It’ll be over quickly then.”
“…Alright, I’ll do it. But on one condition.”
“Hm?”
“I want to lead today!”
“…What?”
Lucas hesitated at the unexpected declaration. He asked back with a face that seemed to question if he had heard correctly.
“What did you say you’ll do?”
“I said I’ll lead.”
Iberis seized the opportunity as Lucas faltered and raised his body. Then he quickly reversed their positions.
Iberis, kneeling to avoid putting weight on Lucas, slowly leaned forward. As he did so, he cupped the soft, warm cheeks with both hands.
“Major?”
Surprised by the sudden turn of events, Lucas opened his eyes wide. He looked up at Iberis with a perplexed expression.
“You might look fine on the outside, but you’re a mess inside. You said it hurts when you move.”
“So?”
“So stay still like this. I’ll take care of everything. As long as there’s skin contact, it doesn’t matter who leads, right?”
“…Are you sure you can do it?”
“What do you take me for… We’ve done this so many times.”
“Hmm, how far are you planning to go?”
Lucas asked with an intrigued look, making a small nasal sound. A gleam appeared in his eyes, bright as brilliant sunlight.
“Since I didn’t use much of my ability, just kissing should be enough… Anyway, don’t you dare move. That’s an order.”
Iberis threatened before pressing his lips against Lucas’s. After firmly pressing the soft flesh as if stamping a seal, he extended his tongue and licked. At the ticklish contact, like a cat grooming, the touched lips parted slowly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
