“…That’s right.”
Iberis’s head nodded almost imperceptibly at the clear summary. Then, a soft laugh wrapped around his ears.
“Lu- ah!”
Iberis was momentarily captivated by Lucas’s bright, shadeless laugh. He came to his senses when he felt warmth on his lips. Surprised by the sudden kiss, his eyes widened before slowly closing. As soon as he opened his lips, a smooth tongue eagerly delved in.
“Mmm…”
Iberis shuddered at the saliva and breath flowing into his mouth. Unlike usual, the slow, unhurried kiss made him impatient. Unable to hold back, he entwined his tongue first, causing the connected lips to twitch and a low moan to be heard. Immediately after, the kiss deepened.
“Ngh…”
Iberis groaned at the tongue wildly exploring his mouth. As their breaths mixed hotly, his mind grew hazy. Unable to resist the intensifying sensation of the kiss, he tightly gripped Lucas’s hair.
Seemingly stimulated by this action, Lucas pressed his lips even closer. As if unwilling to allow even the slightest gap, he forcefully pushed against Iberis’s lips. This caused the soft flesh to lose its original shape and be mercilessly crushed.
“Ha, wait, just… ah!”
Iberis, breathless, tried to move his lips but arched his back when a hand entered his pajamas. A surge of pleasure shot through him as the large hand stroked his thin waist and kneaded his flat chest.
Lucas gently caressed the skin, tickling it, then lightly pressed the nipple with his fingertip. As he circled it, Iberis moaned deep in his throat.
“Hah, there, yes…”
Iberis twisted his waist as a tingling pleasure spread from his chest throughout his body. A strange heat rose in his stomach.
*Smack*
Lucas pulled on Iberis’s soft, marshmallow-like lower lip before releasing it with a wet sound. He pressed down on the saliva-slicked flesh once more before pulling away.
“Ha, are we going to do it?”
Iberis, opening his eyes at the receding warmth, breathed heavily. Although his lower half still ached from being taken by Lucas until he fell asleep, the kissing had made him feel a different kind of tingling in his rear.
“Hmm, what should we do…”
Lucas, uncharacteristically passive, drawled his words. Seeing Iberis’s face flushed like a ripe peach made him feel hungry. His lower half also grew heavy with arousal.
“…?”
Iberis blinked in confusion at Lucas’s hesitation. It was natural to be puzzled, given how Lucas had been pouncing on him at every opportunity for the past few days, and now he was hesitating in front of a willing partner.
“Don’t you want to?”
“Of course I want to.”
Lucas quickly denied it, startled as if he’d heard something absurd. While he wanted nothing more than to take Iberis right then, he was concerned about the detailed examination scheduled for tomorrow. Since the data had to be submitted to the committee, it would be better to have Iberis in top condition for the test.
“Then why are you acting like this?”
“Well, I didn’t mention it earlier, but… I might need to take you to the military hospital tomorrow.”
“Hospital? Why?”
“I told Lieutenant General Bismarck about applying for an official pairing, and he said we should get a detailed examination right away. He said he’d make a reservation immediately since he’s friends with the director of the European branch’s military hospital…”
“Ah.”
Official pairing. Iberis let out a small exclamation at Lucas’s words.
“Do you think we’ve reached 83%?”
“I believe we have. We’ve probably far exceeded it.”
Lucas answered with a confident expression. Thanks to guiding Iberis every day for over half a year, he could sense it without needing a test.
“So I’ll try to hold back today. I’ve been tormenting you a lot these past few days…”
“Oh, so you’re aware of that.”
“Haha.”
Lucas laughed awkwardly at the slightly resentful murmur. It was undeniable that he had continuously pushed Iberis, as if to make up for the past when he had to grit his teeth and endure.
“Can you really hold back?”
Iberis asked, glancing sideways. The presence and heat he felt behind him was unusual.
“I’ll have to try.”
Lucas answered in a suppressed voice as he lifted Iberis. Even at this moment, his desire for Iberis was continuously welling up like an inexhaustible spring.
“Can you try getting up for now?”
Lucas lifted Iberis, who had his cheek resting on Lucas’s chest. If they stayed like this, he might lose his reason without realizing it.
“Isn’t it okay to do a little bit?”
Feeling somewhat disappointed, Iberis asked in a subtle voice. Apart from the lingering fatigue from their long lovemaking, he felt oddly let down by Lucas’s restraint.
“I’m not confident I could stop after just a little bit.”
Lucas, seating Iberis next to him, used his fingers to tidy Iberis’s disheveled black hair. As he had worried, his sun-like eyes were full of affection and desire for Iberis.
Gulp.
Iberis’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he met Lucas’s eyes, filled with undisguisable longing. Although he had been embraced by Lucas so much over the past few days that it felt like years’ worth of love, he was still awkward with someone desiring him so intensely.
Above all, he felt sorry for feeling momentarily let down by someone who looked at him with such passionate eyes. Perhaps that’s why he found it hard to look directly at Lucas.
“What’s wrong?”
Noticing something odd in Iberis’s expression, Lucas asked as he tucked a strand of hair behind Iberis’s ear.
“No, it’s just… I find it amazing that we’ve become like this…”
Iberis mumbled, trailing off as he subtly averted his gaze. Having resigned himself to a life of solitude, believing his place beside someone would remain empty until the end of his life, being loved by Lucas was nothing short of a miracle to him.
“Is that so? I think it’s destiny.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow as Iberis avoided his gaze.
“…Why? Because we’re Name partners?”
Iberis hesitated before speaking. Suddenly, he worried that Lucas might have been drawn to him because of the Name’s influence. His heart sank at the thought.
“I didn’t like you because you were my Name partner, Major.”
Reading Iberis’s thoughts, Lucas cupped his slender chin, making him look up.
“I confessed before I even knew we were connected by Name, remember? I already loved you before that.”
“…But you might have been unconsciously drawn to me because of the Name.”
Iberis protested in a small voice. They say love makes one greedy, and he was exactly that. He wanted Lucas to like Iberis Hyun as a person, not because of the Name.
“That might be partly true… but even if it is, what’s the problem?”
“Huh?”
Iberis was taken aback by Lucas’s nonchalant response, so different from his own serious mood. While he didn’t expect Lucas to take it too heavily, it felt like he was dismissing Iberis’s concerns.
“It just means our meeting was inevitable and that we were destined to fall deeply in love with each other. Is there any need to view it negatively?”
Lucas soothed Iberis in a gentle tone, intertwining their fingers. He pressed his forehead against Iberis’s.
“I suppose, but…”
“Even if the reason you were drawn to me was because we’re Name partners, it doesn’t matter. If that’s why you came to like me… I’m grateful for it.”
Iberis’s silver-gray eyes wavered at the whisper, mixed with sincerity and obsession. He realized Lucas might feel this way, having had to wait months for an answer after confessing.
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to have you, even if it was through that.”
Lucas replied as if stating the obvious. He stared intently at Iberis, who was momentarily speechless at the implication that Lucas had been desperate enough to rely on the Name’s power.
“You don’t doubt my feelings, do you? Do you think my love for you is an illusion created by the Name?”
“…No.”
Iberis rolled his eyes, seemingly uncomfortable under Lucas’s gaze. He certainly didn’t doubt Lucas’s sincerity. How could he?
Having received such immense love over several days, with Lucas’s endless penetration and the heat poured over his skin etched deep into his bones, how could he consider Lucas’s feelings a mere illusion?
It was just his own lack of confidence. Because he had been alone for so long, because being loved so completely felt strange, because he didn’t want to lose the happiness he had finally grasped, Iberis kept wanting to confirm Lucas’s affection like a fool.
