Ressas still hadn’t returned, even after Seiyad lit a fire in the cabin’s stove and gave the old cot—still marked by the traces of last winter—a quick, half-hearted dusting. Wondering what was keeping him, Seiyad opened the door to check. Just then, he felt it—Ressas was on his way back. He didn’t need to see him to know. He simply felt it.
Seiyad stepped outside and leaned against the cabin wall, waiting. He trusted Ressas’s strength—he knew nothing serious would likely happen—but even so, he wanted to see for himself that the man was safe. If it took much longer, he was planning to go after him. Until then, he stood still, quietly wrapped in the hush of the woods.
Then, something unusual caught his eye. Arms crossed, gazing out into the pitch-black forest, Seiyad looked up—and found the sky speckled with stars, glittering like lanterns. There were so many it felt as if they might tumble from the sky at any moment.
Strange. I always thought the Forest of Night was nothing but darkness.
At least in all the decades Seiyad could remember, the forest had always been shrouded in shadow. Like being locked in a pitch-black room, it had felt endless, no matter how far he walked. There wasn’t a single star to guide his way. The darkness had always been his alone to bear.
And back then, he believed that was how it should be. Because he was strong. Because he chose it. Because he thought that enduring loneliness and silence without ever asking for help was the only way. He believed self-reliance made him whole—flawless. He clung to isolation, terrified that showing even a hint of weakness would cause everything he was trying to protect to come crashing down.
He never imagined a day like this would come. Standing in a peaceful forest, no longer entirely dark, waiting for the person he loved—that had never even occurred to him. Drawing a picture of something he’d never seen just didn’t suit him. The closest thing to peace he’d ever allowed himself to imagine was dying quietly, without pain. And even that had always felt like too much to ask.
But now… he knew better. Watching Ressas, Seiyad realized just how wrong he’d been. True strength wasn’t about enduring alone—it was about knowing when to lean on someone when the time came. Ressas had taught him that there was nothing shameful in showing weakness.
While he was lost in thought, Ressas’s figure gradually came into view. As he confirmed the approaching silhouette, Seiyad let out a soft chuckle and stood upright. He took a step forward to greet his lover—only for his foot to catch on something hard buried beneath the snow. Worried Ressas might trip over it, he bent down to take a closer look.
Brushing away the pristine snow, his hand found a wooden carving. Shaped like a four-legged beast, the figure looked half-finished, its form rough and incomplete. It had clearly been lying there a long time—soaked and worn down by rain and snow. And yet, the texture and firmness beneath his fingers suggested it was made of walnut.
But there aren’t any walnut trees around here…
Though walnut was known to hold up well in the cold, the northern chill was on another level—wood like that usually came from the east. It wasn’t the kind of material you’d find just rolling around. The fact that it was here in the forest was strange in itself. After all, up until recently, the Forest of Night had been far from a place where someone could casually sit and carve. Entry was restricted, and…
“Eid!”
Ressas’s voice cut through the quiet. While Seiyad had been preoccupied with the curious carving, Ressas had arrived. When he looked up, he saw that the man’s neat appearance from earlier was now disheveled—his hair tousled as if he’d rushed over, his cheeks and neck still damp. He looked exactly like someone who’d just come from washing up.
“You’re here.”
“Were you… waiting for me?” Ressas sounded surprised. “I didn’t think you’d come out and wait like this. Have you been waiting long? I’m sorry.”
He was overjoyed to be greeted, and yet guilt tugged at his words. It had only been an hour—barely anything—but seeing him so apologetic for such a short wait made Seiyad’s heart stir.
Because Ressas… had always been the one doing the waiting.
And his waiting had been different—fundamentally so. When Seiyad turned away to return to his family, Ressas would cling to a single hope—see you tomorrow—and hold out through the night. When winter came and made their meetings impossible, he would wait for six long months. In a life where he couldn’t send letters or gifts unless Seiyad’s messengers carried them for him, he had always waited… and waited… and waited.
All so he could save Seiyad. He’d stayed frozen in those countless hours of stillness, never once letting go.
Overcome by a surge of emotion, Seiyad pulled Ressas into a sudden, fierce embrace. Without a word of warning, he wrapped his arms around him tightly. The strong body in his arms flinched in surprise, and though the frame he held was that of a grown man, to Seiyad, he felt like a child—like a boy who had been neglected, unsure how to receive love or touch.
“Eid? Were you cold?”
“No.”
Startled but concerned, Ressas quickly wrapped his arms around Seiyad in return. As the warmth of his embrace pressed gently against his back, Seiyad finally felt a wave of relief wash over him. That was how it often was with Ressas. Just looking at him would sometimes stir a painful tenderness—a kind of aching pity that scratched at his chest, mingled with a fierce desire to hold him close and make him happy, no matter what it took.
“It’s just… seeing your face makes me feel this way.”
“…Me too. I’m just… so, so happy right now.”
Seiyad could feel the tremble in Ressas’s large hand as it stroked his back, a joy too pure to contain. The way his entire body radiated happiness slowly calmed the storm within Seiyad. He tilted his head up to glance at him—Ressas’s face was flushed again, just like earlier. The way he always blushed so openly, so shyly, whenever Seiyad did something for him—it was breathtakingly endearing. Right then, Seiyad wanted nothing more than to be even closer to him, to be connected in every possible way.
“What on earth were you doing to end up this cold? Come on, let’s go inside and warm you up.”
He could easily guess what Ressas had actually been doing, but Seiyad offered the excuse anyway and took his hand. As he pulled him toward the door and pushed it open, Ressas followed along, chatting innocently behind him, still unaware.
“I’m fine, but if you’re cold, should we warm up for a bit before heading back? Still, we shouldn’t stay too long—it could be risky traveling at night. I think it’d be safest if we left in an hour. The sun’s already down, and it’s really dark out there.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying the night here.”
Besides, the Darkness was practically an extension of Seiyad himself. Thanks to his innate abilities, he could perceive it as clearly as daylight—so night held no danger, even without a torch. The way Ressas couldn’t grasp that and kept fretting over nothing only proved one thing: he was still so young. Too innocent. Too pure. So much so that Seiyad found himself questioning whether he had any right to touch him like this.
And yet, he’d managed to hide that softness so well. Thinking back to Ressas at twenty-five in their past life, Seiyad felt a sharp twist in his gut. Just imagining what was going through Ressas’s mind when he turned his back after pretending to oppose him—it was almost too much to bear.
That’s why I need to feel you, Ressas. I need to know, right now, that you’re alive and beside me.
“Is there really any need to head back tonight? Like Your Highness said, it’s already late. Let’s just rest here. It’d be better to return in the warmth of daylight.”
“Huh?”
Seiyad wasted no time. The moment Ressas followed him inside, he trapped him. He slammed the door shut and immediately led him toward the bed. The rough wooden frame wasn’t particularly soft or ornate, but it was large enough to fit someone of Ressas’s height. The hut itself was just big enough to house it comfortably.
“But… if we do that, Cecilia’s going to worry. I told them we’d be back after hunting. A lot of people are probably looking for you—the head butler, Quilly, Lyley…”
“They’re all safe at the castle, aren’t they? Nothing to worry about. Staying out for a night while hunting is hardly unusual.”
Granted, they hadn’t caught much game to show for it. Still.
“Even so…”
Before Ressas could get another word out, Seiyad shut him up with action. Like a predator closing in, he backed Ressas against the bed. The moment Ressas’s legs hit the edge, his cheeks flushed crimson like a ripened apple, and he squeezed his eyes shut. With nowhere left to retreat, he fell back onto the mattress—and Seiyad immediately moved on top of him. Straddling him like a beast, he pressed down hard enough to draw a startled reaction. Ressas reached up instinctively and grabbed at Seiyad’s shoulders.
“Eid, if you do this now—everything I worked to calm down… it’ll all be for nothing…!”
The plea burst out of him—urgent, desperate. Seiyad looked down at him as if Ressas had just done something unforgivable.
“So that’s why you went to wash up?”
He’d figured something was up, seeing how long Ressas lingered by the stream. But he hadn’t guessed the reason. To calm himself down? What a pointless effort.
“Yeah…”
“Well, then, it worked out for the best. I suppose this way, Your Highness will feel more at ease. If I just touched you without warning, I’m sure you’d hate that even more.”
“What…?”
The words didn’t quite make sense, and Ressas blinked in confusion. But Seiyad had no time to explain. The moment he pressed down, he felt it—something hard and hot between them. His mouth instantly went dry. A tight heat coiled in his gut, and a strong urge seized him.
It wasn’t even like he was suffering from a backlash of power. No—he just wanted Ressas. Right now. Craving him so fiercely it made his whole body restless.
Seiyad didn’t hesitate. He reached down and began undoing Ressas’s trousers. The belt, already loosened from his trip to the stream, came undone almost too easily. He tugged off the linen underclothes—and finally, Ressas was laid bare.
Because Ressas had always prioritized pleasing Seiyad over indulging his own needs, this was the first time Seiyad had seen him fully aroused. The moment the fabric slipped away and his cock sprang free, Seiyad’s breath caught.
“N-No, Eid…!”
Mortified, Ressas tried to cover himself, but it was no use. What was revealed was pale, flushed pink, and impressively large. The head was slightly curved, the shape striking—almost elegant. The rounded, arrow-like glans, the veins trailing down the shaft… none of it looked crude. It was beautiful. Just like him. Even the size.
Maybe it had grown along with his height. It made sense, but the realization still felt strange—unsettling, almost. Back when he used to bathe him, Seiyad had never even thought of looking at him like this. But now that he was seeing it up close, it was so much more than anything he’d imagined. Before he could even think about taking it inside him, he found himself daunted by the sheer thought of fitting it in his mouth.
Slowly, he looked up.
Ressas had one hand half-covering his face, but he wasn’t looking away. Even though his cheeks were burning red, his violet eyes held nothing but raw, unfiltered desire.
Seiyad stared into those hungry eyes—and then lowered his head. The hand that had been trying to stop him instead tangled in his hair. The moment his lips brushed the tip, Ressas let out a breathless cry.
“Ah…!”
Even that slight touch sent a jolt through him. The veins on the back of Ressas’s hand—still clenched in Seiyad’s hair—bulged with tension.
Chalant people who top ftw!!! Proactive people who bottom ftw!!!
Listening to Endless by Kali Uchis rn ❤️