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The wind blows across the grassland. Green and yellow leaves are swaying gently; tufts of bushes cover the uneven ground, sticking out from the soil near chunks of large gray rocks commonly found on the seemingly endless expanse of land. In the sky, billows of white clouds gather like floating cottons. A part of them is sprayed by a dash of golden light coming from the west. At this time, the sun already begins its descent into the horizon, soon about to signal the closing of another day.
There is an enormous city standing tall at the center of this vast meadow, unyielding even in the fiercest of storms, as if determined to display all the might and glory ever achieved by mankind. Towering gates encircle the massive human settlement. With at least three major areas making up the entire structure from bottom to top, it looks like a small mountain growing out of nowhere from the ground. And on the peak of this mountain, a colossal sword-like object points the tip of its blade toward the sky like a challenge directed to the gods of creation themselves.
A breathtaking landscape, a scenery befitting to be preserved in paintings to be admired by thousands and thousands of pairs of eyes. Nevertheless, on this fine afternoon, there are only two pairs of eyes watching from afar to take in the grand view that is the Imperial Capital of Zaphias.
“Oh, we’re finally back here again. Zaphias,” Yuri Lowell stands at the edge of a hill overlooking the grassland, placing his hand horizontally above his brows to shield his face from the sun, “I didn’t think the cave we found on the other side of the forest would lead us out here. What a surprise, huh?”
Behind him, a man with long white hair flowing down his back wears an unreadable expression as he looks on toward the city in the distance. Nevertheless, he does not refute Yuri’s remark and conveys his agreement.
“Indeed, it is,” Duke Pantarei closes his eyes briefly as if to nod.
“You’ve been traveling the world much longer than me or anyone else I’ve known. Did you not know about this shortcut before?”
“I did not,” Duke’s answer remains as concise as ever, “It must’ve been recently formed by natural causes, or the path might have been hidden earlier that I was unable to see it.”
“Right… That makes sense.”
There is nothing wrong with his response, yet to state something so “as a matter of fact”-ly is a sure way to quickly kill a conversation — and Duke Pantarei just unfortunately happens to be one of those people who tends to say things that other people often cannot answer to. Before, Yuri did not pay much attention to this because he thought Duke simply did not like speaking with another person. Understandable, considering his irreparable distrust of humanity in general and the fundamental difference in their principles. But now that he’s had the opportunity to spend more time alone with him, no longer having their attention snatched away by matters concerning the world’s survival, Yuri realizes that this man has — deliberately or not — developed this behavior into a habit ingrained into his personality.
Is it something he was born with or did the Great War mold him into becoming like this? Truthfully, Yuri does not know. He has long accepted that it will be of no use for him to play the role of the chatterbox between the two of them if the other person continues to maintain this manner of speaking.
“It would’ve been easier for another Adephagos to rise from the abyss than for us to successfully hold long conversations,” he thought.
But Yuri also thinks that even this stiff and stoic part of his is what makes Duke Pantarei “Duke Pantarei,” and it is also what he finds incomprehensibly attractive about this person, for a reason even he does not know keeps drawing him toward that man.
…Yes. He is drawn to him, to this person with whom he once crossed blades, who had saved him from the brink of death, but also tried to kill him along with the rest of mankind.
When did it begin? How did it begin? Whenever Yuri tries to ask himself this, he always discovers that he has no answer to them. They have parted ways before; he has resolved to travel the world with his comrades, with the Brave Vesperia, to help those in need in this new era of a world without blastia. Yet every single time, he always finds himself thinking about this man named Duke Pantarei, wondering where he is and what he is doing. Before he knows it, he has gone to seek him and asked to walk by his side, if only for one journey or two.
But of course, it was there that he found him again, looking on toward the sea by the grave of a certain Entelexeia on the peak of Ehmead Hill.
It feels as though the feelings inside him that have yet to bloom are destroyed the moment they have just begun to sprout. At the same time, the man who claims to have lost faith in humanity inexplicably allows his presence without requiring much persuasion. Truthfully, Yuri isn’t sure what causes the change in his mind but perhaps it is a good first step for the two of them. Since then, they have been traveling across the Terca Lumireis, cleaning off the remnants of the previously malfunctioning blastias, patrolling the springs of aer krene, ensuring that no phenomenon of aer distortion is taking place again.
Which leads them to this day.
“Zaphias, huh? Feels like it’s been a long time since I last walked around in the city,” in an attempt to distract himself from ruminating any further about the issue and sinking into depressing thoughts, Yuri walks down the hill and casually stretches out his arms, “I wonder if the other guys already returned there. We did promise to meet up in Zaphias once we’ve concluded our journeys this time around.”
Recalling something, he snaps his fingers and points at the city gate.
“Ah, that’s right. It’s already that season,” he continues, “The market must be stocked full of fresh harvest from the farmlands by now. Just until the end of this week, we can get some rare meat cuts that won’t be available until this same time next year. There are usually night festivals, too. When we were kids, Flynn and I would always go out to have a look at all the colorful stalls whenever this season arrived. Too bad we didn’t have much money, though. Most of the time, we could only stare at the toys on display and drool over the snacks they were selling on the street until the vendors chased us away. Haha, how nostalgic!”
As his laughter leaves his mouth, Yuri realizes that Duke has been walking just a few steps behind him, not saying a word. The young vigilante curbs the grin off his face at once, internally cursing at himself.
“Crap! What am I doing, bragging about human activities to someone who hates humans?!”
“Ah, ah… Sorry about that. I got a bit carried away,” nervously, Yuri rubs the back of his neck. Knowing it is already too late to backtrack on his words, he decides to switch the topic to something else instead. “Well, it’s going to be dark soon. Shall we look for a place to camp tonight? I seem to recall passing by a small river in the forest earlier. Having grilled fish for dinner sounds good–”
“Should we visit the city then?”
“...Huh?”
“Should we visit the city?” Duke repeats his question calmly, “If we continue at our current pace, I imagine we’d be there before nightfall.”
“Duke, you…” momentarily at a loss for words, Yuri can only point at him with a dumbfounded face.
“Hmm? What about me?”
“Did you just…suggest that we go to Zaphias?”
“I did,” replies Duke without so much of a change in his expression, “You said it’s the harvest season and that there are good produces in the market. We don’t often come across human settlements in our journey, so I don’t see any problem if you feel the need to refill our supplies.”
His demeanor clearly suggests that Duke sees nothing strange in his words yet Yuri continues to stare at him for a long time as if the other man has just grown an extra pair of limbs. His confusion soon vanishes, nonetheless. In its place, his heart becomes filled with excitement and unfathomable happiness.
“Alright, let’s drop by Zaphias before we continue our travel,” grabbing Duke by the arm, he half-pulled the older man down the hill, smiling from ear to ear, “Let’s go, let’s go! We should head there quickly before they close the gate in the evening.”
He does not know what causes the sudden change in Duke’s behavior. Was he tempted by the food? Has his sentiment for humankind started to head in a better direction? No matter the reason, just the mere thought that he can show this person around the place where he was born and raised delights Yuri to no extent.
The world is already at peace. There is no more major danger to fight, no more conflict to stress about. When he thinks about it like this, isn’t them going into the city for shopping and visiting festivals sound like a date?
The nobles’ quarter, the citizens’ quarter, the lower quarter — Among the three major parts making up the Imperial Capital of Zaphias, it is obvious which one belongs at the top and which one at the bottom. Poverty and struggles are no strangers to those who reside in the lower quarter; from the day they are born until the moment they draw their last breath, the peasants who belong to this part of society most likely will never know the taste of expensive wine or the warmth of a fur coat shielding them in cold nights. Nevertheless, in spite of these difficult circumstances, the lower quarter of Zaphias is perpetually brimming with life.
“Ah, I knew it. The night market is here.”
Yuri’s eyes glimmer as he stands outside a crowded plaza; colorful lights and banners decorating the place are reflected in that pair of gray spheres.
The pavement is not white, there are cracks in the walls and sidewalks that haven’t been repaired in years, and the surrounding buildings all look dilapidated and old. In spite of this modesty, the people of the lower quarter gather in the night market with their family and friends, enjoying the festivity to the fullest as if forgetting the vicissitudes of their lives. Delicious smells waft from the food stalls lining one side of the plaza; the other side is full of brightly lit tents where visitors young and old can partake in mini-games that will reward them with various souvenirs and toys. At the center of the square, street musicians prop up a small stage and perform popular folk songs that have been passed on from generation to generation in Zaphias as people clap and dance around them.
A night can never be as lively as this. Turning to look at the man walking behind him, Yuri smiles enthusiastically and tilts his head toward the market.
“Let’s go. I’ll show you around,” he tugs at Duke’s arm.
People of Zaphias’ lower quarter may not recognize Duke Pantarei when they see him but Yuri can only imagine the shock on the faces of those who know him if they were to discover this man, who has spent so long steering clear of humanity, now wandering around in a crowded night market in an area that can be considered the Imperial City’s slums.
That said, Duke appears surprisingly unbothered, even if Yuri keeps dragging him around from one stall to the other. Before long, their hands are full of numerous stuff they purchased from the vendor; some are supplies needed for their travel while the rest are things that Yuri bought on impulse.
“Here, try this one,” as the two finally conclude their round of shopping and looking around, Yuri holds out a meat skewer and points the still-hot dish in front of Duke’s mouth, “It’s delicious, I guarantee it. You’ve never eaten this before, have you?”
“...No, I haven’t,” Duke says. Then, without warning, he opens his mouth and takes a bite of the juicy meat.
Expecting the older man to either refuse or at least take the skewer off his hand before tasting it, Yuri becomes dumbfounded at the sight of the other person eating the meat straight from his hand.
Ironically, Duke does not seem to realize the impact of his unprecedented action on his companion. He raises his brow slightly upon seeing the strange expression on Yuri’s face.
“Is something the matter?” he asks.
“Uh, n-no… Nothing’s wrong,” the former resident of Zaphias’ lower quarter clears his throat. Pretending to enjoy the skewer so as not to make his true feelings show, he stuffs himself with the meat while averting his gaze to the road ahead. “Anyway, sorry that you had to accompany me for so long. I also ended up buying more than what we needed.”
“Don’t speak with your mouth full. It’s unbecoming,” with an expressionless face, Duke calmly wipes a tiny speck of sauce under Yuri’s lips with his thumb, unknowingly shocking the latter even more, “There is no need for you to apologize. I was the one who suggested that we go into the city to restock, so it is my responsibility to help you with it. We are traveling together, after all.”
It takes all the self-restraint he can muster for Yuri not to choke on a chunk of meat skewer. However, there is a trickle of warmth in his heart when he listens to the rest of Duke’s words. He cannot help but smile at him.
“So, what do you think about it, Duke?” he asks, “It’s the first time you see the lower quarter’s annual night market, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Duke replies, “It’s very lively.”
“Just lively?”
“If I must put it into words, after seeing the place where you grew up and the people around you, I understand now why you become the person you are right now.”
“What does that supposed to mean? You’re saying I’m noisy?”
“That was not my intention. It is hard to find the proper expression for it,” Duke rests his chin on his hand, seemingly giving it a serious thought, “You are someone full of spirit and you do not give up easily on the things you believe in. It is just like the lower quarter itself; even if life is difficult here, the people never let go of their hope and they always manage to find something good in misery.”
“Huh, that’s a very hard way to describe your impression of someone but I’ll take that as a compliment,” Yuri laughs, “I guess it means you’ve been enjoying yourself then?”
“It certainly is a unique experience,” a subtle smile tugs at the corners of Duke’s lips, “Because I decided to keep my distance from my fellow human beings, I haven’t partaken in festivities like this for so long. Perhaps the last time I went to a similar celebration was before the Great War over ten years ago with Elucifur. This does bring back some memories from that time.”
Elucifur.
The moment that name leaves Duke’s mouth, Yuri feels as if his heart has been pricked by a needle. His fingertips feel numb. Suddenly, he no longer remembers the taste of that delicious meat skewer he had just eaten or the sound of lively music from the stage. He thought he was finally able to make this cold-looking man smile. As it turns out, it is the memory of Elucifur that makes him smile, not the time they spend together tonight.
So Duke’s smile is not because of him and it is never meant for him in the first place.
“...Of course. It’s Elucifur.”
“Hmm?” Duke turns in his direction.
“It’s always Elucifur, isn’t it?” Yuri chuckles mockingly at himself, “Who am I kidding? I sure have been flattering myself these past few weeks, thinking that I finally have a place in your heart. How conceited of me.”
“Stop it, Yuri. Don’t say anymore.”
“When you agreed to let me join you on your journey, I was truly very happy. I thought I could finally make you open up that heart of yours a little bit. I thought I was able to make you look my way even for just a moment. But of course, I was just deluding myself.”
“Godammit, Yuri! Shut your mouth right this second!”
“From the beginning, there has never been a place for me, is there?” he looks at Duke and smiles bitterly, “In your heart, there has only ever been a place for one person. And that person is Elucifur.”
Duke stares at him; for once, his blood-red eyes are opened wide in surprise.
He knows it is already too late to take back what he says. Elucifur was and is still someone precious to Duke. His death has wounded this man; so great was the wound that it changed him as a person entirely. Compared to the great Entelexeia who fought tooth and nail for the peace of the world, a struggle that ended up costing him his life, who is one Yuri Lowell and how can he say such a thing about the war hero?
“...Ahh… This sucks, I feel like crying.”
Yuri’s chest tightens so much that he can barely hold it in any longer.
“Yuri, I–”
“Sorry,” before Duke could finish the rest of his sentence, Yuri already decided to end it on his own, “Something isn’t right with me. I’m sorry for saying something so dumb and senseless. I’ll go cool my head off for a bit.”
Just like that, he walks away from Duke and doesn’t look back again. Behind him, the inhabitants of the lower quarter are still laughing and clapping their hands under the colorful lights, listening to the cheerful music from the stage.
“Can I ask you something, Duke?”
“What is it?”
“You’re going to travel the world to prevent another distortion from happening, right? Can I come with you?”
“...You wish for us to journey together?”
“Is… Is that a bad idea?”
“No. I do not think it is a bad idea. You can come.”
Yuri opens his eyes. Darkness immediately envelopes his sight; the familiar view of his old, little room in the lower quarter’s inn greets him at once. He can feel the thin and hard bedding beneath his body, the smell of wood and dust, unchanging even after so many years.
He is back here again, alone and exhausted.
“...It’s over,” he thinks to himself, “He must be really angry after I said all those things about Elucifur. Maybe he’s already left Zaphias.”
Can Duke find a place to rest so late into the night? Will he have enough supplies with him to continue on with his journey tomorrow?
Yuri’s mind wanders on and on yet at the same time, it hurts him to think about that person. He hates this unpleasant feeling. If only he could just dig out his heart and put it away somewhere… Maybe it will stop him from being frustrated by unnecessary thoughts. But if so, will it mean that he would forget about that man?
“Would it have been better if I had stayed away and forgotten about him?”
Yet his contemplation is cut short when all of a sudden, there is a knock on the door to his room. Yuri jolts awake at once, staring at the locked wooden door.
“Who’s there?” he inquires.
There is a pause from the other side. For a moment, Yuri considers grabbing his sword in case a suspicious individual has been following him and wants to start trouble in the middle of the night. But contrary to his guess, he soon hears a familiar voice responding from outside.
“It’s me,” Duke says.
Yuri immediately rises to his feet and opens the door. True enough, it is no one else but Duke Pantarei who stands in front of him.
“Duke, you… Why are you here?”
Instead of answering the question, Duke only looks at him.
“May I come in?” he then asks.
There is no reason for Yuri to let him stand in the hallway. Albeit reluctantly, he steps aside to let the older man into the room. In the darkness, Duke’s long white hair and pale complexion look as if they are glowing.
“It almost feels like a dream, to have him here again after that one time.”
“Yuri.”
In a manner unlike his usual self, Duke calls him directly by his name. Yuri unconsciously lifts his face. When he does so, he finds those blood-red eyes staring at him with an inexplicable look.
“...What is it?” he asks nervously.
“I would like to apologize for my earlier conduct,” Duke says in a calm voice, “That, and I also have something else I’d like to tell you.”
“W-Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who suddenly got angry and said terrible things about Elucifur. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you.”
“No, the fault lies with me for not making things clear from the beginning. I made you misunderstand and hurt you in the process,” Duke shakes his head, “Truthfully, had you not said what you told me back there in the plaza, I may have ended up keeping this from you until the day I die.”
“Keep… Keep what from me?” Yuri asks.
To his question, Duke gazes straight at him; the look in his eyes is solemn yet contains a gentleness Yuri has never noticed before.
“That I have feelings for you, as well,” Duke says without mincing his words, “Yuri, you are not the only person who wishes for the two of us to travel together.”
“What…?”
“I was unsure about it at first,” Duke slowly takes a step forward, “I did not know when it started. Perhaps it was here, in this room; as I waited for you to open your eyes, I kept questioning myself why I did all this for a fellow human I claimed to distrust. Did I want someone to prove me wrong, to show me that there was still hope in humanity? Did I want to see you continue with your journey and witness what you would become at the end of the road? Regardless of the reason, I realized that I did not want to see you die. Before I knew it, I had carried you away from Zaude, took you here, and did everything in my power to nurse you back to health.”
Having spoken this much, Duke exhales a long sigh.
“My eyes were clouded back then,” he says, “I’m glad you and your friends came to stop me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to tell you how I feel right now.”
“Wait… Wait just a moment…” Yuri stops him, “What are you saying? You have feelings for me? You want us to travel together? Are you serious? Why haven’t you told me about this at all before?”
“I wonder… Perhaps I was scared.”
“Scared about what?”
“About a lot of things,” replies Duke, “Yuri, you are young and bright. You have many friends by your side, people who will stand by you and walk with you no matter how difficult the path is. If I tie you down to me, will I be taking you away from your friends, from those you hold dear? Will I force you to walk this lonely path with me, an old man who has nothing else to offer but myself? When I think about that, I become afraid. These feelings of mine make me incredibly selfish. Perhaps I should not be having them in the first place.”
Yuri listens to him confessing so much while standing still like a statue. Is he dreaming? Is this a hallucination? To think that he’s been down and depressed by himself all this time, only to find out now that the person he is yearning for actually shares his feelings… Is he stupid? Are they stupid? They’ve been journeying together for so many days, each thinking the other person will never return the same sentiment.
Truly, this is…utterly hilarious.
“Yuri, why are you laughing?” confused, Duke stares at him as the latter starts shaking his head and snickering to himself.
Instead of an answer, Yuri looks at him, smiles wide, and suddenly jumps into his arms. He presses their lips together, kissing him madly like a ravenous beggar who hasn’t eaten for days and is presented with a banquet for the first time in his life.
“You stupid, stupid man,” he laughs, yet the corners of his eyes turn slightly red, “Well, I’m stupid, too. We’ve been walking next to each other all this time, practically attached in the hips, and yet we’ve each been going in circles in our mind, fighting with our own assumptions and getting depressed on our own instead of setting things straight. What an idiot, you and I both.”
He throws himself into Duke’s arms, hugging him tight and unwilling to let go. In a while, he notices the other man returning his embrace.
“...Yes. We’ve been stupid, you and I,” Duke echoes his words, “Thank you, Yuri.”
“Thanks for what?”
“For many things,” says Duke, “At the very least, for allowing me to finally rest easy tonight.”
“Oh, no, you’re not going to rest easy tonight,” wearing a mischievous grin, Yuri peers into Duke’s face, “I’ve been holding myself back for so long. Do you think we’re just going to leave it at this and say ‘good night’ to each other? Ha, we’re probably not even going to get a wink of sleep tonight!”
“What do you mean?”
“ This is what I mean.”
As soon as he says this, he pushes Duke to the bed and climbs onto him. Hovering above the older man, he gazes into those beautiful red eyes, slowly running his fingers down the lines of that charming face. In this small dark room, Duke Pantarei looks like an ethereal being that doesn’t belong to this world. If one were to touch him carelessly, this person may dissolve into a million lights and disappear into the night.
Yuri doesn’t want that. He doesn’t want him to disappear. If the only way to do that is to tie themselves together, then he will do whatever it takes to achieve just that.
And so he leans down and kisses him again. Once, twice, thrice… Duke’s lips are softer than how he had been imagining them to be. They are as cold as the man himself, yet the more Yuri touches him, the warmer they become. He circles his arms around Duke’s back, chasing after him until he can no longer tell which tongue belongs to whom, until their tastes mingle with each other and can no longer be told apart. Blood rushes to his head. He feels dizzy; without his realization, the color of his face changes, flushed red from all the pent-up desire building up in every inch of his body.
Yuri thinks he can explode at any moment now. Before he can reach said state of “explosion,” however, Duke suddenly grabs him and flips their position around, now being the one pressing him down to the bed.
“W-What are you doing?” taken by surprise, Yuri stutters as he feels his arms being held down by an unimaginable power.
“I should be the one asking you what you were doing,” although his expression cannot be seen in the darkness, there is a huskiness in Duke’s voice that Yuri finds extremely novel, “Yuri, are you testing me?”
“Huh?!”
“You are not the only one who has been holding back,” Duke’s hold on him tightens, “It takes me everything I have not to push you down like this every single time I hear Scifo’s name coming out of your mouth. I held myself back because I know he is someone dear to you but honestly, I can’t anymore.”
“Wait, wait just a minute, “Yuri struggles to no avail, “Flynn and I aren’t like that! Towards him, I don’t feel–”
“–the same as you do for me? Thank you for being honest, Yuri. That makes me relieved,” Duke smiles at him in the darkness, “But since you’ve started it, I expect you to take responsibility for your action.”
He kisses Yuri on the cheek, making the latter shudder.
“‘We’re not going to get a wink of sleep tonight’…is it?” Yuri can hear Duke’s soft chuckle in his ear, “Very well then. I will do my best to satisfy you with this old body of mine.”
He has never heard Duke speaking like this before; not to anyone, and especially not to him. Yuri flinches in his bed when Duke begins to kiss him down the neck, little by little bringing his lips lower to the collarbone. His heart stops briefly when those hands begin to strip him of his clothes, and it nearly jumps out of his mouth altogether when he watches how Duke removes his own shirt and tosses it to the floor. The man always appears tall and graceful; there has never been a moment in his life when Yuri considers there will be well-toned muscles and abs hidden beneath those layers of regal fabric. The fact that he has a light complexion only serves to make the lines of his body even more defined.
For a moment, Yuri feels his heart pounding madly, like a maiden who lays her eyes on a prince and falls in love for the first time.
“What’s wrong?” alas, Duke notices the change in his behavior, the way he keeps fidgeting on his own.
“No… Nothing,” Yuri averts his gaze, hoping and praying that the older man will not see him blushing all the way to the ears, “Just…you look good…”
“...Thank you.”
There is a trace of laughter in those words even if the man responsible for making him so flustered isn’t laughing in the slightest bit. It makes Yuri’s heart race even faster, and it sharpens his senses to the point he becomes conscious of everything this person does to him.
Duke kisses his body tenderly — His neck, his chest, his abdomen. It leaves a burning sensation on Yuri’s skin wherever he touches; the temperature of Duke’s hands is unexpectedly hot that Yuri cannot help but swallow his voice. No matter how hard he tries to keep it hidden, however, his body gives away his feelings.
And Duke responds to it accordingly.
“Ah, n-not there–” he gasps.
“Why not?” Duke asks him back, “You look like you want to be touched here.”
“That’s not what I– Nngghh?!”
The rest of his words are scattered into incomprehensible moans. Duke’s hand holds his front member between his fingers and continues to stroke him in spite of his protests. Yuri writhes on the bed, clutching onto the sheets as the older man doesn’t allow him to close his legs. His toes curl up pitifully. Throwing his head back, tears begin to form in his eyes and trickle down his face.
“Yuri.”
He hears Duke’s voice calling his name gently. That’s right, this person very rarely calls him by his name. When Yuri opens his eyes, he sees the person he loves looking back at him; those crimson eyes cradling his reflection inside their spheres with unspeakable tenderness. Yuri’s heart swells at the sight. Unconsciously, he extends his arms, and Duke reciprocates by holding him back, sealing Yuri’s lips with his own.
They kiss for a long time. At some point, Yuri can feel his brain turning into pastes, no longer capable of thinking sensible things. It’s different from when he is the one who initiates the kiss. When Duke is the one who does it, he is especially careful and gentle yet at the same time, there is an unexplainable greed hiding behind his touches. Yuri feels like he is being eaten slowly.
“And he dares call himself an old man!”
That is the last thought passing through his mind before pleasure takes him completely.
The night grows deep; the festivities of the lower quarter die down gradually as its people conclude their activities for the day, each returning to their humble home. In a small room inside the lower quarter’s old inn, however, two people do not show the slightest sign of retiring. Their shadows overlap in the darkness; heavy sighs and moans are contained within the cage of the thin walls and wooden door.
Wrapping his arms around Duke, Yuri can barely bite back his cries from spilling out when Duke finally enters him for the first time. Pain and pleasure are mixed together — He cannot tell whether he enjoys it or if it makes him suffer. For a long time, he could only lie breathlessly on the bed.
Duke’s grip on his hips tightens. His eyes are half closed; his breathing becomes rough in spite of his effort to maintain his composure.
“Yuri…” in what nearly sounds like a growl, Duke calls his name.
Yuri feels him going in deeper. He doesn’t even know there are places inside him that have never been touched before; at some point, he has the illusion that his body is being cleaved apart in the middle. But when Duke starts moving slowly, pleasure trickles into his senses and causes Yuri to moan. His body jolts and bounces gently in an almost rhythmical movement; that heat is persistently trying to ravish him until he can no longer speak coherent words.
“D-Duke–”
The longer they are connected, the more his mind becomes muddled. Yuri cries in pleasure; the spots that Duke touches inside his body make him tremble and see stars in front of him. His inner muscles constrict and loosen against his will, instinctively trying to return the same pleasure to the man who is giving it to him.
Seeing his desperation, Duke strokes his hair and wipes the bullets of sweat from his temple.
It is the first time they look into each other’s eyes within such a close distance. Their skins are touching one another’s; on the wrinkled sheet, their long hairs are spread wildly, light and dark strands are tangling into one. They kiss, and kiss, and kiss. They hold hands and entwine their fingers, not wanting to be apart for even just a moment.
When their lips separate, under the faint moonlight pouring from the gaps in the curtain, Yuri sees the corners of Duke’s lips pulled into a subtle smile once more — that tiny, subtle smile that holds immeasurable tenderness behind them.
This time, he knows this smile is born because of him, meant only for him.
And he intends to keep it that way. For as long as they live, he will protect the smile on this person’s face, never letting him know the taste of pain and solitude ever again.
“You belong to me now, Duke,” he says in his heart, “And I am yours, until the two of us can walk no more and our souls return to the world that creates us.”