“Now Uncle Pellato is gone, and Te…arot isn’t here either. And now you’re leaving the family too.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
Of course, it wasn’t easy to accept that everyone who had surrounded Banteon in his childhood was now gone. Despite his sociable appearance in public, Banteon was actually quite selective about the people he let in. He smiled and acted kindly, but there were only a few he truly opened his heart to.
“You’re not going to kick me out of my room just because you’re upset, are you?”
“Delroz happened to need a new room, so this works out perfectly.”
“Ah!”
“Your room had such great sunlight. It was too good a spot to leave empty all the time—might as well renovate it while we’re at it.”
When Banteon teased him with things he didn’t really mean, Baiheron pouted and whined.
“You’re too much. Delroz is going to be stuck to your side all day anyway, so why does he need a room? I mean, you two even sleep in the same bed, right?”
“……”
Delroz, who had been quietly listening nearby, set his glass down. He didn’t deny it, and Baiheron grinned.
“I honestly thought I misheard. Our cold, aloof brother sticking to his lover all night long and falling asleep together every single night…”
“Shut up.”
No matter how affectionate a noble couple might be, it was common sense to have separate bedrooms. While it wasn’t unheard of for noble couples to have rooms next to each other, sharing a bed was extremely rare. No—rare wasn’t even the right word. Among nobles, it was something most would avoid altogether.
“What else could we do? Delroz can’t sleep otherwise.”
“Ah-ha.”
Narrowing his eyes into slits and smirking slyly, Baiheron stretched his arms up with a yawn.
“Anyway, you’ll protect the family well, right? So I don’t need to worry?”
“When have you ever seen me protect the family properly?”
“Still, you know what it means to have even one Esper in a noble house.”
He was someone who understood better than anyone just how much a single Esper could mean to a family. It must’ve taken him a lot of thought before saying it aloud—enough that he needed the excuse of drunkenness to even bring it up.
“Even without you, we’ll be fine.”
The significance of an S-Rank Esper was far from trivial, but the Esrante family wasn’t so fragile that it would fall without one. As Banteon let out a small laugh and leaned back, Delroz took his hand beside him.
“Please take good care of my brother from now on. I’m a poor excuse for a sibling—I’m no help at all.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
It wasn’t something Baiheron needed to ask. Even without such words, Delroz had no intention of leaving this place. If the family was short on Espers, he would fill that gap himself. If any threat arose because the Esrante house was weaker than others, he would slaughter every last Esper from rival families if that’s what it took to protect Banteon’s place.
Of course, he knew Banteon would hate it if he ever said such a thing, so he simply gave a quiet nod instead.
“Ah, I finally said it. That was rough.”
“If you were going to say it, you should’ve just said it instead of wasting the good liquor.”
“I figured you’d say yes, but I didn’t expect it to be this easy. I thought I’d at least get smacked once.”
“As if that’d hurt you.”
Watching his younger brother exaggerate with mock complaint, Banteon let out a quiet chuckle. Clearly, he hadn’t been joking about being nervous—Baiheron’s stiff shoulders were finally starting to relax.
“Well, I should head back to my room.”
“That room’s getting scrapped.”
“Hey! Are you seriously doing that?”
He grumbled, but his face was full of laughter. Baiheron stood up, light-hearted and smiling.
“Anyway, sorry for taking up so much of your time. Let’s talk more tomorrow.”
It had long since passed midnight. Once Baiheron disappeared out the door, Banteon leaned his head against Delroz, who sat beside him. Even though he had agreed, there was no denying the lingering ache in his chest.
“Feeling sentimental?”
“Of course. It’s not easy, knowing the little brother I thought I’d spend my life with is leaving.”
Banteon and Baiheron would always remain blood-related, but changing affiliations carried a weight of its own. Even though Delroz didn’t have any concept of family himself, he gently patted Banteon’s shoulder, as if offering comfort. That simple touch calmed the bitterness that had lingered inside him.
“We should get some sleep too. We’ve got things to do tomorrow.”
“Right… Huh?”
Delroz paused mid-sentence and pointed to the other side of the sofa. Next to the chair Baiheron had been sitting in, a small bag had been left behind.
“Looks like he was more nervous than he let on.”
To think he forgot even his belongings. Delroz reached down and picked up the strap that had half-fallen to the floor. As the bag tipped from the loss of balance, its contents spilled out. On the carpet lay an ID, a few personal items, and a small box.
The ribbon tied around the box, which looked like a gift, had come halfway undone. It wasn’t clear whether it was something Baiheron had received or was planning to give, so it felt wrong to touch it. Just as Banteon hesitated over whether to call Baiheron back, Delroz casually reached out and tugged on the ribbon.
Before Banteon could stop him, the ribbon dropped to the floor, and the box was opened. Did he really need to teach him the obvious lesson that you shouldn’t mess with someone else’s belongings?
As Banteon massaged his forehead, what appeared from inside the box was beyond anything he could’ve imagined.
“Ah…”
“What is this thing used for?”
The new item inside the box, wrapped in an additional layer of plastic, was smooth and pink, shaped like a circle. Delroz didn’t know what it was, but Banteon, who knew very well what it was, awkwardly averted his gaze. Cursing his damn brother inside, he spoke awkwardly.
“It’s not polite to open other people’s things without permission.”
“It’s a strange item. Hard to grip.”
Delroz twirled the smooth cord attached to the vibrator as he spoke. Only Banteon, who knew its purpose, felt his gaze waver. Embarrassed to have inadvertently learned about his brother’s sex life, he wanted to quickly remove the item from sight, but Delroz just fiddled with the vibrator curiously.
Indifferent to the world, yet interested in such an item. Fiddling with the cord and switch on the vibrator, he eventually pressed the button to turn it on.
Vroom. Vroom. At the regular sound and vibration, Delroz frowned.
“Put it away.”
“Ah.”
Seeing Banteon’s rarely embarrassed reaction and the circular object that only vibrated without any other function, Delroz smirked mischievously.
“So that’s what it is.”
“I’m really going to kick Baiheron out of his room tomorrow.”
Feeling like kicking Baiheron, who was probably lying in bed, Banteon snatched the vibrator from Delroz’s hand.
“It’s polite to pretend you didn’t see such things. Give me the box. I need to put it back.”
“Why?”
Delroz covered Banteon’s hand, which was holding the vibrator, with his own. The vibration humming in his palm inexplicably sent shivers down his spine. The vibrator, set to maximum output, vibrated through Banteon’s hand to Delroz.
“I quite like it.”
“Let go of this.”
“Why are you so tense?”
Delroz stroked Banteon’s shoulder and neck with his free hand. Slyly slipping his fingers into the collar, he caressed the bare skin.
“What are you thinking, using someone else’s thing?”
“It’s new anyway.”
Delroz, who had spitefully said he could just replace it with a new one later, unbuttoned Banteon’s shirt. As each button came undone, the wind blew in through the gaps in his clothes, chilling his skin.
Warm fingers brushed over it, pretending it was a mistake, pressing the slightly raised center of his chest. Startled by the sensation of his fingernails pressing into the sensitive, soft flesh, he tightly grabbed Delroz’s wrist. Yet, as if nothing was wrong, he gently pressed the small bump harder.
“You…”
“It would be good to use it here.”
Delroz pushed Banteon’s half-removed shirt back and ran his hand down his spine. His hand, which had moved in a straight line from between his shoulder blades to his tailbone, grabbed his buttocks. Surprised by the sudden action, Banteon flinched and shrank back.
“Ah!”
“As I thought, it’s for use here, right?”
His fingers moved along the tailbone, rubbing over the thin fabric. Annoyed by the blatant stimulation of sensitive areas, Banteon pushed Delroz’s body away. Delroz, laughing, pulled Banteon’s body down as he sat on the sofa. Banteon, who was suddenly lying on the sofa with Delroz on top of him, frowned. Delroz kissed his eyelids gently.
“Thanks to you, I’ve learned something enjoyable.”
“I’m not enjoying this. This is a study.”
“That’s what makes it better.”
Delroz’s smile deepened, and he looked down at Banteon with satisfaction. With that smile, his body moved like a beast. Spreading his legs, he placed his hard thigh between them and leaned down. Delroz’s fully aroused cock pressed heavily against Banteon’s lower body.
Delroz roughly tore off his pants and licked Banteon’s naked body, exposed in the moonlight. Delroz put the vibrator he had taken from Banteon into his mouth and licked it with his tongue. The pink vibrator, incongruous on his red tongue, glistened with saliva.
Unable to bear the sight of Delroz licking the vibrator while making eye contact, Banteon turned his head away. From above, he heard Delroz’s soft laughter. He spat out the wet vibrator and rubbed it against Banteon’s lower body. His knees buckled at the squelching sensation.
“Even nobles have their praiseworthy aspects. Making things like this.”
The teasing movement, as if to insert it into the gap, was clearly meant to provoke Banteon. Heat spread through his body, and his face flushed red. Despite the obvious sign of Delroz’s arousal, he played with Banteon as if he had all the time in the world. Annoyed, he lifted his foot and kicked his firm abs.
“Don’t… joke around.”
“Should I?”
I thought the box will contain something sweet like a ring. 😭