Heat must have been rising; Riu’s cheeks flushed crimson and his lips were red as if bursting with juice. Matthew couldn’t take his eyes off those smooth, luscious fruit-like lips and bumped the tip of his nose against them.
“Um…”
Watching Riu’s lips merely quiver, Matthew gave a meaningful smile. But Riu didn’t see it; his lashes fluttered like little wings. At the poignantly fragile sight that made him want to ruin him, Matthew laced his fingers with Riu’s.
“Pretty.”
“…”
“Pretty enough that I want to make you cry.”
The last part snagged, but his heart thudded at being called pretty. With a pulse pounding hard enough to beat against his ribs, Riu swallowed a deep breath. Yet the needless feelings that followed made him meet Matthew’s gaze.
“If I just kiss you, that’s all you need, right?”
“What?”
“If I just kiss you, we’ll go straight to the bed… right?”
Riu asked, anxious. Seeing him fidget like someone desperate to finish this quickly, Matthew let out a hollow laugh. Whether he knew it only made Matthew want to tease him more, he tightly pulled Riu’s waist closer.
“Do you want to go to the bedroom?”
At the unintended contact, Riu tried to lean back. But Matthew tightened his grip on his arm and hauled him in.
“If that’s what you want, then we should. But, Riu…”
With a gentle voice, the corner of Matthew’s mouth twitched. Riu felt as if something dark were showing through him. Sure enough, Matthew brought his lips to Riu’s ear and said,
“Unfortunately, I haven’t reacted. You know that. Since we’re pressed together.”
“…”
“If things stay like this, I won’t be able to do anything with you. Which is a great shame.”
With a sly smile, Matthew nipped the tip of Riu’s ear. Riu twitched at the chill that ran through him and, inadvertently, his body slid. Sure enough, below the waist there was no reaction, just as he’d said.
Riu knew that meant he wasn’t attractive, but he still felt a pang. He had no right to feel that way, and yet he couldn’t hide the sinking emotion.
“Then what should I do?”
Even if Matthew didn’t remember, Riu thought they’d slept together once, so maybe a second time would be possible. But that, too, had been his misconception. He felt ashamed, thinking perhaps he’d asked too much of a sober man rather than a drunk one, and bit his lip hard.
No sooner did a sharp pain prickle than a metallic tang spread over his tongue. Bright red beads of blood welled on his lip. At the sight of droplets that looked ready to pop like pinpricks, Matthew’s brow twitched.
Unconscious habit was frightening. As Riu mouthed his lips, blue veins rose on the back of Matthew’s hand. Even so, Matthew reined himself in with all the patience he had. The small squirrel in front of him startled easily. He knew he’d have to eat it very, very slowly if he didn’t want it to run.
“What do you think you should do?”
“I’m not sure. If you’d tell me…”
“If I tell you—will you do as I say?”
Riu blinked as if to ask why he’d even ask something so obvious.
“There’s only one thing I want.”
“…”
“Don’t you get the idea?”
A fine crack spread over Riu’s face with a feeling of please don’t let it be that. Even if he was ignorant about these things, he knew what Matthew meant.
“But I’ve never done that. Not even once.”
He had never once held someone else’s thing, never even imagined it. And yet that was what Matthew wanted from him.
“Looks like you know what I’m saying. Right?”
Matthew grinned, teasing, at Riu, whose shock hadn’t faded.
“Honestly, if you could look into my head, you’d be utterly appalled.”
“Ma-Matthew…”
“So is it time for you to say ‘ah’ now? I have a feeling it’ll go better if you do it than if I do.”
With a level gaze, Matthew only curved the corners of his eyes. Riu clenched his hands at that and said,
“I’m sorry, but it’s my first time…”
“And?”
“Couldn’t we… do something else instead?”
“Something else… And what exactly is this ‘something else’ you’re talking about?”
In a toneless voice, Matthew asked. At the colorless sound that carried no emotion, Riu pressed his nail down, hesitating a little.
“The kiss you mentioned… I’ll try my best.”
“A kiss?”
“I’ll do my utmost, so could we let it count?”
He must have thought a kiss would be enough to draw a reaction. At Riu’s naive thinking, Matthew’s eyes narrowed. Looking at Riu’s face, on the verge of tears, he let out a long sigh.
“If you hate it that much, I won’t force you.”
“…Th-thank you.”
“But what if even then I don’t react? Are you just going to go home?”
Riu shook his head hard at Matthew’s question. It had taken a lot of courage just to get here. He couldn’t give up now, so he said,
“In that case… I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Really? You will?”
“…Mm.”
“Good. Then we should go to the bedroom.”
With that, Matthew scooped Riu up. Even though they were both grown men, Matthew lifted him far too easily. Riu didn’t know what to do as Matthew raised him without the slightest strain. In the end, he simply covered his face with his wandering hands and stayed tucked in Matthew’s arms.
They must have reached their destination before he knew it; Matthew set Riu down. Feeling soft fabric against his back, Riu lowered his hands from his face and looked around.
Unlike the imposing hall, the bedroom was simple. Above the bed, covered in flesh-toned silk, hung a mirror. Startled, Riu pushed himself upright, and Matthew shrugged.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“B-because there’s a mirror…”
“To see what kind of face you make—and what kind of face you look at me with. It felt a waste to keep that to myself.”
Shrugging, Matthew crossed his arms. His eyes glittered with interest as he smiled and came to sit beside Riu. As the mattress sank deeply, Matthew took Riu’s hand. Then, as Riu’s fingers curled, he threaded between them and said,
“We painters mustn’t miss even a single beauty. Especially when we’re about to indulge desire.”
“…”
“So now, climb on top of me. How long are you going to make me wait?”
At the sharp voice, Riu’s lashes trembled imperceptibly. Even so, he was relieved the room wasn’t bright. He also knew this, too, was consideration on Matthew’s part.
Riu moved on his knees and pressed his lips to Matthew’s. As Matthew had done, he kissed once and then took Matthew’s lower lip between his own. The plump feel drew Matthew’s lip in; it was sweeter than he’d expected. It felt on a completely different level from when he’d just sucked blindly.
When, in his clumsy position, he only sucked at the lower lip, Matthew cupped the back of his neck. Their noses kept bumping; Riu tilted his head and straightened his back, and Matthew’s eyes narrowed.
“You think that’s enough?”
At his low, scoffing question, Riu, prickled, slid his tongue into Matthew’s mouth. He tried to rub, tangling deep, but it wasn’t as easy as he thought; their teeth kept knocking. Flustered by mistake after mistake, Riu gripped Matthew’s hem and tapped the roof of his mouth with the tip of his tongue.
At the awkward movements, mimicking him exactly, Matthew’s brows lifted. At the same time he seized the lead and drove into Riu’s mouth. With Matthew pressing on without even a breath’s space, Riu’s breathing grew even more ragged.
“Haa…”
No sooner had their lips parted than Matthew nipped at the tip of Riu’s chin. He chewed lightly so it wouldn’t hurt, then let his lips trail down along the line of Riu’s neck. Moving faster now than before, his lips slid past the collarbone and down toward Riu’s neckline. Even the mere brush of lips against the collar made Riu feel the fine hairs rise.
With a damp breath, Matthew tugged at the collar with his teeth. That alone drew humid heat out at the corner of Riu’s mouth.
Riu’s cheeks, heated with embarrassment, blushed like bashful cosmos blossoms. His helpless fluster only looked cute to Matthew.
“…Matthew.”
Even when Riu called him, Matthew didn’t stop. Just when Riu worried the clothes would be ruined at this rate, a button popped.
“Whoops.”
With a voice that carried deliberate mischief, Matthew spoke. Still roaming the collar with his lips, he fixed Riu with a steady gaze.
Slightly damp, Matthew’s face looked sinfully sexy. Feeling even the gloom in those green eyes, Riu lifted a hand to Matthew’s face. Unthinking, he kept going, stroking the beauty mark set beneath Matthew’s eye.
“I think this mole is pretty…”
“Yeah? I think that kid back then said the same thing you just did.”
Matthew’s eyes curved smoothly. Staring as if he would pierce him, he let out a ragged breath.
“Shall I undo it, or will you?”
“I—I’ll do it.”
If it had to be done, better to finish quickly—Riu brought his hands to Matthew’s shirt buttons. But he was more nervous than he’d thought, and the buttons wouldn’t come loose easily.
“Why did you stop halfway?”
“…S-sorry.”
After a few fumbled tries, a button popped free and Matthew’s skin came into view. He clearly looked like someone who worked out a lot.
“Wrong. That wasn’t the answer I wanted.”
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