Family
Lumi tears through the Grand Hall, his eyes pouring with tears. The sound of his racing heart fills his ears, his sight blurs from the veil of moisture over his eyes. Khimi could be dismissive at times, but never cruel. The words are like needles stabbing into him repeatedly, he does not understand how Khimi could ignore his plight, how he could just toss aside his woes so easily. Khimi promised that he wanted to spend his life with him and yet, Lumi once again feels alone.
As he reaches for the brass handles to Khimi’s chambers, he pauses, hanging his head and turning to the courtyard. There is no reason to sleep in the same room with Khimi when he is like this, he knows that it would only serve to upset him further. Thus, he finds himself combing the halls of the estate in an uncomfortable silence, his arms folded over his chest. For hours, he seeks out the comfort of Ennui or Mamir, but the entirety of the estate is quiet. Just when he resigns to return to the room, he turns back to the courtyard, only to find himself a short distance from Lady Aleyna.
Just like Khimi, the lady of the estate carries herself with pride and dignity. Her chin is tilted high, her eyes angled down at Lumi with a look of pity in her eyes. Perhaps she sees through whatever pained look is on his face, but her embrace catches him off guard. The act of kindness is too much for Lumi to bear, and he feels the tears flow freely down his cheeks. Lady Aleyna does not seem bothered by the grime or the scent of his sweat, instead she holds him tighter, her hand stroking the back of his head. The scent of wine and citrus clings to her.
“Lumi, things are complicated for us,” Aleyna whispers softly into his ears.
“Why? They don’t have to be.”
Aleyna’s eyes soften, “Because Khimi’s father is a bastard,” she says with a sudden, out of character sincerity.
Lumi gasps and looks up in confusion, “W-What?” He asks. The scent of alcohol on her breath alerts him to the cause of her brazen outburst.
As if realizing Lumi’s acknowledgement of her state, she pushes Lumi back to arm’s length. “Perhaps a quick drink before bed? It’s getting late.”
“Should you be out, Lady Aleyna? I thought Ennui had you under a curfew?”
Aleyna guffaws, her expression changing to fit her immodest laughter. “As if Ennui could keep me from my cups. Now come, Lumi,” she says, extending her hand towards him and clicking her tongue.
Lumi takes her hand and follows behind, there is a sense of comfort walking through the halls with Aleyna. The way in which she carries herself makes Lumi smile, she reminds him of Saint Nina, the way in which she had always been kind to him. Every encounter he had with Aleyna made him feel welcome.
Aleyna squeezes his hand with a comforting tightness once they reach the doors to her chambers. Khimi had never requested Aleyna vacate the emir’s chambers following his ascension to Emir Zeybek, instead he was insistent that she kept it for herself.
As they stand outside the ominous doors, Aleyna pauses. “I hope you don’t mind the mess,” a meek smile on her face while she pushes the heavy ebony doors open.
“What happened?” Lumi gasps, peering into the darkness, his eyes adjusting to the lack of light.
“I had a moment,” Aleyna admits softly.
Lumi looks around at the destruction sewn by Lady Aleyna’s hands. There are many sayings about minos being filled with rage, but Lumi had always assumed that it was just a figure of speech, nothing more — she proved him wrong. “Would you…like a hand?”
“You can have a seat if you’d like,” Aleyna insists.
Lumi hops over the piles of broken furniture, carefully avoiding the broken shards of glass from the many sets of glassware shattered across the floor. Off in the distant corner amongst an unearthed pot, a chair wrapped in a soft leather. Nearby is another which had seen better days, it is missing segments of the leather and one of its legs had been cracked, giving it an uncomfortable lean.
Lumi nestles into the broken chair, his tail in his lap. Aleyna pushes her way past the wreckage. “Truly, it’s not always like this.”
“I thought…it looks like there was an attack,” Lumi whispers, keenly observing the damage.
“It’s not always like this — my family, I mean. Khimi was always a good boy. Troublesome at times, but well-behaved,” Aleyna says softly, stopping to rummage about. “I’m sure he’s had plenty to say about us.”
“N-No, not at all,” Lumi lies, squirming uncomfortably. “I mean nothing bad.”
“Don’t lie,” Aleyna scolds, “I deal with merchants and men, both are wont to lie.”
“Bu—”
“Don’t ‘but’ me. You’re still just a boy, and you’re a bad liar, Lumi. You don’t have it in you. So tell me, what did he say?” She inquires, lifting an unbroken glass from the floor.
Lumi looks about uncomfortably, “I can’t really say…but he really cares about you.”
“I wouldn’t blame him if he hated me,” Aleyna responds softly, plucking a second glass from the destruction. “I pray that he doesn’t though,” she adds, looking over the glass in the darkness. “Sorry, do you need light? I’m unfamiliar with aslan. I’ve never met one until now.”
Lumi shakes his head, “I’m alright, I can see just fine.”
“Perhaps we should light something so we don’t seem uncivilized, eh? I’m sure there are some candles…there was a lamp somewhere.”
Lumi holds his palms up and channels his magick, a small bright orb illuminates in his hands. Somehow, the destruction of the room looks much worse in the light than in the shades of gray from their nocturnal vision. “Does this work?”
“Well, a candle would suffice. But that’ll do,” Aleyna replies, crouching and pushing aside a broken cupboard to reveal a handful of unbroken bottles. “An older vintage. From Ziad and I’s wedding night, if I recall correctly.”
“Th-That must be ancient,” Lumi whispers, forgetting himself and his reason for crying in the first place. “What happened here?” He asks, scanning his surroundings.
Aleyna nearly chokes at the comment, then nods and walks to the leather chair beside him, “Family is complicated, no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you think you did everything right, it’s all wrong, isn’t it?”
There is a disturbingly long silence that follows, and Lumi can not help but hang his head. Even in Aleyna’s presence, he still attempts to comprehend Khimi’s thoughts.
“I’m not sure if I understand.”
“Khimi never wanted this life, but this is the life he was destined for, he was bound to become Emir Zeybek one day,” Aleyna mumbles. “I never wanted this life for him…but it is his.”
“Yes…but does it really need to be now? Khimi has his whole life to live still!” Lumi whispers, the orb of light shaking with his rising voice.
Aleyna looks at Lumi as if she is seeing him clearly for the first time, “I’ve held the position that should have been his for years, the job is exhaustive…it’s not a task suited for one person. It’s not a task suited for ten people. Year after year I toiled to keep the Cerulean Star shining across the Desert Cities. All the while, Ziad had been absent. Yet here I am, a shriveled husk of a woman. A woman whose son wishes to be anywhere but near her. A woman who has missed nearly half of her child’s life. Her only child, the only one she’ll ever have.”
“Surely,” Lumi begins softly, leaning forward. The leather squeaks beneath him. “You understand that he loves you, Lady Aleyna. Truly, I swear it. He’s spoken so many kindnesses about you. And Rashid cared so much about you!”
“Khimi loves the thought of who I am, but once he realizes how necessary he is to the Cerulean Star, then he may no longer feel the same. This title, this position, will be his shack—”
“Then let him go!” Lumi interrupts, standing in a rush. “This isn’t his life! You know it isn’t!”
Aleyna’s expression changes briefly, her brow furrowing and lips thinning. But after a moment, her expression softens and she releases a heavy sigh. “The Cerulean Star needs Khimi. Without him, things will only continue to worsen.”
“Worsen?”
“After Ziad left, the Cerulean Star was left with a fierce reputation. His rule across the Desert Cities has been unlike any other in history. Merchant princes, city states, have all bowed under Ziad’s leadership. There are entire mercenary companies that are provided for by the Cerulean Star…and yet, after Ziad left, the reputation he left behind began to fade. If the Desert Cities see that Ziad’s heir has taken the role of Emir Zeybek, then there is a chance th—”
“But Khimi…he doesn’t want that,” Lumi mutters, the shining orb slowly dims. “He just wants to be Khimi. He deserves to have his own life.”
Aleyna extends the empty glass to Lumi, “You’re just a boy. You don’t know what Khimi wants…regardless of whatever you want to believe. His entire life, this is his purpose. Ziad groomed Khimi to take over, thisis his destiny.”
“But it’s not,” Lumi responds, taking the glass from Aleyna. “Khimi’s destiny…it isn’t the Cerulean Star. His destiny is with me.”
Aleyna drops into the leather chair beside Lumi and motions for him to sit. “I don’t know…much about your relationship with Khimi other than what Rashid and Ennui have told me. I’ve heard it is very physical…but what makes you say that you’re destined? What makes you so special that you would take my only son from me?”
Lumi remains quiet, carefully dancing around the words in his head. Aleyna places the glass on the tile floor and removes the stopper from the bottle. With a glance out of the corner of her eyes, she tilts the bottle to Lumi and begins to fill his glass. The dark red liquid splatters against the hand blown glass while she pours with a lackluster smile.
The orb disappears from Lumi’s free hand. He smiles back at Aleyna, “I don’t want to hurt your feelings — but I love Khimi. I’ll always love Khimi. I have always loved Khimi.”
“More than his mother?”
“More than anyone, more than anyone will ever love him,” Lumi replies with a thoughtful tone. “I don’t think I’m special, if anything…I’m nothing compared to him. I’m not strong, I constantly feel like a burden to Khimi,” he pauses, tapping his fingers against the thin glass. He closes his eyes before he continues, “But I love him, every moment I’m with him, I feel alive. And when we’re apart, I just don’t even feel like myself anymore.”
“He told me,” Aleyna whispers with a click of her tongue. “I know who you are, Saint of Flames.”
“I don’t want…rather, I don’t see myself as one of the chosen. If I could give that title away and know that I could be happy with Khimi, then I would. I would do so within a heartbeat!”
“And do you think that Khimi feels the same?”
Lumi peers into the dark liquid swirling about in the glass. “I know he does, he may not be vocal about it. And sometimes he can be a stupid…or mean. But I know that he cares about me the same way I care about him.”
Aleyna fills her glass to the brim and sets the nearly empty bottle down beside her feet. “Then why are you crying?” She asks, a firm expression on her face. A flicker of anger sets in her expression, “You can’t allow him to push you around. If what you say is true, then stand up for what you believe in.”
“But what I believe in…it would take Khimi away from you,” Lumi says without looking up from the glass.
“Back to your earlier question,” Aleyna whispers, then reaches across the leather chair, “There is the Aleyna that wishes for her son to be happy. Then there is the Aleyna that wishes for Khimi to take up the mantle of Emir Zeybek. To recreate the Cerulean Star, to show that Khimi is above the man his father could ever be,” she pauses and motions to the surrounding chaos. “I find myself at odds with my feelings of late…but I know that you make my son happy. I want to see you both happy, and I believe you can both be happy here.”
“Aleyna,” Lumi begins with pleading eyes.
Aleyna takes a long drink from her glass. “Khimi said what your eyes have already told me, you need not say more.”
“Then he…intends to leave?”
“Eventually, though, if I can convince you to stay, then I am positive that he will as well,” Aleyna says quietly.
“You already know my feelings. I know you do.”
Aleyna glances at Lumi, “A chance of living a life of luxury and bliss without needing to worry? Ziad won’t be allowed back in Sidi, you’ll be safe here.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be safe…”
Aleyna frowns and takes another quick sip. “I’m not sure of what sort of trouble you’ve come across or have run into, but I know that from the way Khimi looks at you, he’ll do everything within his power to protect you…even if he raises his voice at you on occasion.”
Lumi taps the glass in his hands and brings it to his lips. The wine is dry with a citrusy undertone, much more rich in flavor than many of the bottles Khimi had shared with him back in Rhaz. “I’ll protect him, Aleyna. I swear. I swear on my life,” he says with excited determination.
Aleyna blushes. “No need to make those kinds of promises, besides…I lured you in here to talk about happier tidings…not such dourness.”
“I-I… what did you want to talk about?”
“If you’re to wed my son, you must learn a few things,” Aleyna replies with a joyful smile on her lips.
Lumi’s eyes go wide in horror. “O-okay.”
“How much do you know of the Old Tongue?” She asks carefully between sips of the wine.
“I can barely read Talman…” Lumi mutters under his breath. “Khimi has been teaching me.”
Aleyna scoffs, “Then I will teach you something simple. Something that will melt Khimi’s heart.”
Acceptance
Lumi stirs from his sleep at the sound of Khimi gliding softly through the bedroom. Normally he would have been eager and excited when Khimi came to bed, but tonight is different. He closes his eyes and pretends to remain undisturbed while Khimi walks through the arched doorway.
Their conversation earlier in the night had left Lumi upset and lost. He loves Khimi, more than anything, but he knows that if they stay here that eventually things would change. There is a fear deep within his heart that Khimi would become like his father, corrupted by the power and status of his position.
Lumi grips his tail and rolls onto his back, tapping his foot anxiously. Every second feels like an eternity while he listens to his lover sighing in the courtyard, speaking quietly to himself. Lumi can not help but wonder if Khimi knows he is awake, but he tosses the notion aside. He rises from the bed and tiptoes across the tiles with a thin linen cover over his shoulders.
The night air is surprisingly humid, dew drops over the verdant ferns in the stagnant courtyard. A small interlaced wooden chair piled with cushions hosts Khimi beside the shallow pool. He looks out of place in the small chair while he leans down, staring into the pristine water. To see such a proud figure looking so defeated breaks Lumi’s spirit. Before he can stop himself, he whispers.
“Khimi,” he utters quietly.
Khimi does not turn from the water but continues to stare, his lips begin to move only to stop as if he is struggling to form words.
“I’m sorry,” Lumi mutters, unsure of why he felt the need to apologize. “I shouldn’t have said that…I know you’re having a hard time. I would do anything for you…but I don’t want you to change your life for me. If it means that we have to be here a while longer…that’s okay.”
“Lumi,” Khimi begins softly, the words are barely audible even to Lumi’s impressive hearing. “I’ve been thinking since we spoke, and I know Aleyna is right. If I vanish now, rumors and speculation will take hold of the estate and everything that generations have worked for will be lost…”
“…and?”
“And I would feel guilty for being responsible for such negligence.” The irritation is clear in Khimi’s tone.
“You aren’t being negligent, Khimi!” Lumi insists, rushing across the small courtyard and around the pool. “You’re being…yourself. You can’t let people who have long since passed dictate who you are!”
Khimi groans, “They don’t dictate who I am…it’s just. Centuries, Lumi. Centuries of history and work. It’s hard to be the one to let all of that end. Being with you is already accepting the undoing of the Cerulean Star. The end of an empire! If I don’t perform my duty as Emir Zeyb—”
“Someone else can do it, Khimi! You should do what makes you happy,” Lumi whispers. He kneels beside him and places his hand over his. His tail sways behind him with his words, “If this place makes you happy…then I’ll stay. But, only if it makes you happy.”
“You don’t mean that,” Khimi responds, dipping his head lower. “You don’t have to say things you don’t mean just to ease my woes.”
“I do mean it, but I don’t like it,” Lumi whispers. “I’ll always be here for you, I promise…I promise. And a promise is a promise.”
Khimi sighs and turns to Lumi, cupping his cheek. “What did I do to deserve you, huh?”
Lumi blushes, his ears wiggling energetically. “I was always yours,” he whispers, brushing his cheek against Khimi’s hand. Low, subtle purrs emanate deeply from within Lumi. “I just want you to be happy.”
“I…I want you to be happy too. I don’t want to be here, you already know that,” Khimi replies with a crooked smile. “It’s just that I can’t leave, not yet.”
“Then we can stay here for a while…even if we don’t want to,” Lumi replies, hanging his head. “At least I’ll get to bond with your mother.”
Khimi chuckles half-heartedly, “I don’t know how wise that is. She’ll have you under your thumb in a fortnight.”
“We get along really well,” Lumi assures cheerfully. “We drank a lot together…and she asked me a lot of questions about you.”
“Such as?” Khimi inquires, arching a brow suspiciously.
Lumi brushes his fingers through his hair nervously. He does not want to admit to Khimi that Aleyna had interrogated him earlier over their private life.
“Just…things.”
“Liar,” Khimi says, rolling his eyes playfully. “I haven’t spoken to my mother in years, but I know her penchant for gossip. I suspect you told her about…us?”
Lumi nods slowly, “Well…she is your mom, did you want me to lie?”
“No, I just hope you left some things out…or maybe were a bit more reserved about how you phrased things,” Khimi replies, raising his eyebrow. “Sorry if I woke you. I’ll be up a bit longer.”
“Do you want some company? AND I swear that yo— that Aleyna was alright with everything I told her.”
Khimi moves back in the small cushioned chair. “You’re welcome to sit,” he says, motioning to the tiny gap between his legs.
Lumi smiles and squeezes between Khimi and the pool. Between Khimi’s knees, Lumi begins to dip his feet into the pool. The courtyard is modest, the four corners are planted with lush palms and ferns overhanging on the tiles, a thin layer of green lichen grows against the bright white walls. It is unusual to find any part of the estate unkempt, but Khimi’s room is like an untouched tomb, and only at his return had anyone been allowed to enter the chamber.
“It’s muggy,” Khimi whispers while he leans back in the chair, breaking the silence.
Lumi grabs Khimi’s hand and places it on his head. He tugs at the cover on his shoulders, “Khimi,” he purrs softly. “Can we have sex?”
Khimi digs his fingers through Lumi’s scalp, laughing at the notion. “Some other time…but not tonight,” he mutters. “I’ve too much on my mind.”
“I could take your mind off things. If it helps,” Lumi insists, turning back briefly with a smile.
“Is it so bad here, Lumi?” Khimi questions. “If this is where we ended up after our journey?”
“The journey that you’re putting off?” Lumi asks with a heavy breath, “I know you think I’m being stupid, or it’s just some whim.”
Khimi sighs, “I don’t think our journey is a whim…I just think that maybe we’re being hasty. It’s a long journey, filled with danger. Now we have Ziad as an ene—”
“Ziad was always our enemy,” Lumi interrupts. “I’m sorry, but it’s true!”
“That aside…this journey isn’t easy. I worry that we’ll go to the far reaches of the north only to be told that which we seek to be impossible, or that we’re being foolish.”
“At least if we’re being foolish, then we’re being foolish together,” Lumi says, patting Khimi’s calf. “Besides, I don’t think…Gilbert would call us foolish!” He adds with thoughtful excitement.
Khimi leans forward and presses his nose between Lumi’s ears. “You’re not worried at all, are you?”
“I’m nervous! But…I’m hopeful, and you should be too! Imagine…if there is a way, Khimi.”
The silence that follows is unnerving. Khimi leans back and takes in a heavy breath. The silence is broken by a symphony of crickets, which begin to sing their night song. Lumi presses his fingers into Khimi’s calves, digging at the muscle and holding tight.
After another pause, Khimi sighs. “Is it not too much to just want to live a normal life?”
Lumi purses his lips and slaps Khimi’s thigh playfully. “Nope, cause if I gotta go to the afterlife knowing you aren’t there…I’ll have to find some way to haunt you, wherever your soul goes.”
“Are you really worried about our lifespans?” Khimi questions, itching behind Lumi’s ear gently. “Or are you worried that you already quit aging?”
“Both!”
“Lumi, I am not well-versed on the Faith. But I know something about saints. When I was younger, I would obsess over them. One thing about the stories, they all quit aging after they channeled their powers.” Khimi mutters quietly. “When did you stop aging?”
Lumi rubs his chin over his knees, “Does it matter?”
“No, I rather enjoy your appearance. But you do know that I will just keep growing older?”
“That’s why…Khimi. That’s why it’s important we figure this out,” Lumi whispers while he leans over the pool, the light from the moons shines through the water. Wiggling his toes, the light makes Lumi’s skin appear pale beneath the crystal clear water. “I know it’s a long shot. It might even be impossible, and maybe I’m just being a fool. But…I want to ask Gilbert something. Maybe the gods will be kind.”
Khimi reaches between his legs and grabs hold of Lumi’s tail. “What is it?” He asks, brushing Lumi’s tail against his lips.
“What if you had my blessing too?”
“I hardly think the gods are going to extend their gifts to me, I’ve seldom prayed to the gods or praised their name. In fact, I’ve been som—”
“Just — hear me out! What if our souls become one, if you can live with me as long as I live?”
Khimi scoffs, “It’s a cute idea, but it’s a fantasy…” he says, his voice trailing off. “But sure… it’s nice to think about.”
“At the temple, acolytes always had stories about mages and potions, witches who could live forever, so why can’t this work?” Lumi asks quietly. “Where the subject of gods is concerned…there is just so much no one knows.”
“Certainly there are mages who have been known to live for ages. The Lorian Grandmage, Drustus for instance. But Lumi, what you’re saying…there is no precedent for it.”
“Precedent?”
“It has never happened before,” Khimi informs while he plucks at the ends of Lumi’s tail.
Lumi leans closer to the water, “There is a first time for everything, right?”
“As hopeful as I want to be, I think it’s important to rein in our expectations…to understand that this isn’t something that happens…what you want is something from fables.”
“I know, but I just want you to understand what this means to me! We’re going to make this work…some way or another. If I have to talk to the Greatmage Justus, then I will do that if Gilbert can’t help us.”
“Drustus,” Khimi corrects with a smile.
Lumi purses his lips, then tucks his feet together, “Whatever his name is…Khimi, I’d do whatever it takes to keep you in my life.”
“I’m glad to have your love, but there are things that just aren’t feasible. So, just understand that whatever happens, you likely won’t be happy with the outcome.”
“I-I am not stupid,” Lumi chuckles. “I know that this is going to be a difficult journey, and I know that Gilbert may give us an answer we don’t want to hear…I KNOW the gods will refuse us, or maybe there will be something they want in exchange.” Lumi turns, his tail sliding from Khimi’s grasp, “But that’s okay, because the journey will be our journey…whenever you’re ready.”
Khimi closes his eyes, avoiding Lumi’s gaze. “I’m ready now, but you know I can’t…” He whispers, struggling to find comfort in the small chair. “How about you tell me about your day?”
“Well, Ennui made me fight her,” Lumi begins, unfolding the events of the day in a lengthy story.
From the moment Lumi woke up, his day was filled with excitement. He was served a platter of dried fruits and nuts by Maza, one of the household servants, who he felt a strong connection to because of their similar personalities. They took a walk around the estate together before encountering Ennui, who seemed surprisingly comfortable in Maza’s presence. Ennui was in a curious mood and demanded to see what Lumi had been working on during their time apart. They ended up spending hours sparring in the courtyard while being watched by Mido, Augustus, and several servants. Lumi was able to hold his own against Ennui, but he reminded himself that she had suffered serious injuries since their first spar. As the sun began to set, they moved indoors and Mamir taught Lumi how to use a short bow. The lesson quickly turned into a competition, while Ennui became increasingly frustrated with Lumi’s success. It was only when loud noises came from the emir’s chambers that Lumi left their competition to see what was happening.
As Lumi finishes speaking, he notices Khimi’s chest slowly rising and falling. He fell asleep. Lumi stands and brushes the dark hair from Khimi’s eyes. Undeniably, Khimi is the most beautiful person that Lumi has ever set his eyes on and each time he sees him, he is reminded of the subtle affections and love he shows him.
Lumi stretches the blanket across Khimi’s body, then edges around him before he returns to the room. He watches Khimi from the doorway, watching the cautious breaths, still able to hear his heart from this distance.
The embers at the bottom of the brazier crackle loudly and, with care, Lumi places an armful of wood onto the pile and returns to the bed. As he tugs a second cover over himself, he finds Khimi’s trousers, still unwashed from their journey, tucked beneath the blanket. Lumi had squirreled them away on the day of their arrival, knowing he would need to seek out his own pleasure.
Folding the cloth, Lumi brings the inside of the trousers against his nose and inhales deeply. The scent is strong, the musk is something Lumi desired constantly. The musty scent of Khimi’s sweat and precum is ingrained deeply through the crotch of the linen, and Lumi slowly drags his tongue against the seam. He curls about the bed, holding the trousers against him, his toes curl and his tail shakes excitedly.
Lumi’s sense of smell is exceptionally strong, every familiar smell would fill his mind with memories. Rolling around the bed, his fondest and most intimate moments with Khimi rush back to him. He thinks back to the night in Betset after they had freed Ebo. Khimi had been angry with him for being reckless, and that anger showed during their lovemaking. It had not been the first time that Khimi held him so roughly, but there is something about being held in that way that Lumi desired. After their hours of drinking, they returned to their room. Their clothes hit the ground and Khimi grabbed him, Lumi could only ride along with the motions. He had found himself in Khimi’s lap, being held and kissed, Khimi’s teeth brushing against his shoulder as if fighting the urge to devour him. Then with sudden intensity, Khimi bit into him while forcing him down over his length. Lumi had never screamed so loudly in his life, the feeling of being filled so quickly by Khimi’s girth overwhelmed his senses. Nothing mattered at that moment, the number of revelers or patrons in the inn did not matter to them, the Cerulean Star did not matter, the gods did not matter.
Lumi’s hand slides down his abdomen and feels along the small bed of hair before gripping his own arousal. Nearly every night since they came to the estate, Lumi had prepared himself for Khimi, but each night he was met with an empty bed. After a heavy groan, Lumi rolls onto his stomach and grinds his hips against the soft sheets, his slick cock sliding against the satin. There is no denying how much he wanted Khimi, but he resists the urge to rush outside and appeal to his partner for his pleasure again.
Despite their earlier argument, he wanted Khimi so badly that it pained him. His legs curl as his hand slides down his abdomen and past his arousal. The area beneath his testicles is slick from the oils, the soft, wanting entrance willingly accepting his fingers after a gentle teasing. The whip-like tail slaps against the bed with each of his needy whimpers. It takes him what feels like ages to find a fraction of the pleasure Khimi could provide. Even one of Khimi’s fingers could make him cum in seconds. But after working himself over, a loud groan breaks through his lips while he covers the satin sheets with the pearly liquid. With a deep inhale, he breathes into the trousers again, holding them against his nose. His fingers push against his soft insides passionately while imagining Khimi’s cock pushing into him. It is impossible to replicate the sensation of when Khimi enters him, but the thought of it is enough. Their time along the Dolman coastline is something Lumi can never forget, and it is those moments he chooses to fuel his imagination. He continues until his fingers slide from his entrance with a soft squelch. Too exhausted to carry on, he rests his head on the satin and stares into the brazier.
Lumi sighs, observing the fire. “You gods are gonna let Khimi and I be together, right?” He asks the flames, laying his head onto his arm. “Or are you gonna make this complicated?”
The fire crackles and hisses in retaliation. Lumi snorts in response, closing his eyes, thinking about their upcoming journey. It doesn’t matter what they want anyway, Lumi thinks to himself.
Heat
The avenue they travel through Sidi is teeming with life. Merchants and craftsmen call out to them in their passing. The buildings are painted a vibrant white with blue trimmed frames. Families sit on their terraced rooftops looking down at the busy streets, enjoying their late evening meals. The town guards strolls with a proud gait, a paladin of balance leading each of the small platoons.
Sidi is spread over a massive distance, and the walk from one place to the next can take hours. Khimi had told Lumi where they were headed, and even recalled seeing the house in his youth. Lumi can not help but wonder aloud what sort of place Rashid might have lived.
At the outskirts of the city, a wooden post fence springs up along the road, blocking the path into the unbroken fields of vineyards. The cobbled streets turn to dirt, the buildings grow demure and less grand in appearance. Lumi walks casually beside Khimi, wearing the short Sidian tunic Jiya had given him. They do not converse along the way, but walk silently, their hands together throughout.
The houses dwindle, their appearance becomes more rustic and worn. Each of them shows signs of their age, large cracks through the mud walls, hanging shutters, and thinning thatch. Many of the terraced homes appear to be in a state of disarray, their cracked and broken ceilings collapsing in on themselves.
After nearly another hour of traveling down the quiet avenue on route to the coastal village of Tarse, Khimi pauses and takes in a deep breath of the evening air.
“You can smell it,” Khimi says quietly, his head tilted back to the sky, his palm sweating against Lumi’s.
Lumi looks up into the evening sky, the clouds rising high like an anvil. “Rain,” he mutters in response. “It’ll probably blow over.”
“It’s going to be a bad one,” Khimi says while heat lightning fills the clouds overhead.
“Maybe it will just go away…though from what I heard about the Saint of Storms…probably not,” Lumi clucks and another track of lightning surges through the clouds overhead.
A small mudbrick home with a dried mud fence stands off the road beside them. Behind it is a field of wheat which stretches as far as the eye can see. Khimi steps foot onto a broken cobble, marking the pathway to the small abode. Lumi raises his hand and utters a quick incantation, bringing a ball of light into his palm.
Though the sun had mostly faded, the constant trails of lighting through the sky illuminate the darkening area. Lumi wonders how it must feel to be unable to see in the dark. He takes Khimi’s hand within his own and leads on.
The house is just how Khimi had described from his recollection, the shutters to the windows are closed, and an ancient pomegranate tree grows against the side of the house. The doorway is arched with a small wooden door which left a crack between the floor and the door. The front of the house basks in the light of Lumi’s orb, and Khimi shoulders his way through the jammed door.
“Careful,” Lumi mutters, while Khimi breaks the door ajar with a sudden bang.
A cloud of dust swirls through the room as Khimi bursts inside, swatting at cobwebs that cling to his hair and clothes. He coughs and waves a hand in front of his face, trying to clear the air. The building is as small on the inside as it looks on the outside. The only furnishings are a simple bed with worn covers, a few shelves lined with dusty books and trinkets, and a rickety table surrounded by mismatched chairs. A wooden sideboard stands against one wall, its surface marred by scratches and stains. Through a door at the back of the main room, a glimpse of an overgrown garden can be seen. There is no trace of luxury or opulence in this humble abode; even the acolytes’ quarters at the shrine in Rhaz seem grand in comparison… not quite what I imagined for Rashid.
As if to echo Lumi’s thoughts, Khimi speaks up. “Don’t think he came here much.”
“Not for some years at least…”
“Yeah…it looks rough. It doesn’t look like anyone has been here for years, Khimi. What’re you looking for?”
Khimi walks to the bed, running his hand over the dull sheets. “I’m not sure. I just wanted to see Rashid’s home…well, I guess my home.”
“W-What why? You have the whole estate…and a fortune. You could buy anything you wanted,” Lumi asks, his ears wiggling. “I—”
Dust stirs into the air, Khimi pats his hand along the bed. “We can call this place our own…if things ever came to it.”
“Wait! You mean it?!” Lumi cheers, bounding on his heels. “Are you se—”
“It isn’t going to come to that…but yeah. Maybe one day we can run away here. We can fix it up, make something out of this place,” Khimi mutters, shielding his eyes from the light of the orb.
“Right! Sorry!” Lumi mutters. The light fades slightly, then breaks into smaller floating orbs across the room. “There…how’s that?”
“Handy,” Khimi replies. “Something you learned with Mido?”
“No, something I kinda have been tryin’ to figure out on my own,” Lumi chuckles to himself. “I’ve barely spoken with Mido…I dunno.”
“Well, I am sure that you wil—is that?” Khimi says, almost to himself, while he approaches the shelf.
With trembling fingers, Khimi reaches for the thin leather-bound book and gently peels back the bent cover, revealing the weathered pages beneath. Each page is filled with intricate sketches, beautifully shaded to capture the essence of the desert. Falcons soar across the pages, their wings outstretched in flight. Desert lizards scurry across the sand, their scales gleaming in the sun. And majestic camels stand tall against a backdrop of rolling dunes.
Thumbing through the pages slowly, Khimi sinks onto the edge of his bed, lost in the mesmerizing images before him. A plume of dust rises from the bed, but Khimi seems oblivious to it while he becomes lost in his memories. The sketches slowly transition from still life depictions of wildlife to striking portraits of familiar faces.
The ache is clear on his face while he gazes at the all-too-recognizable features staring back at him. There is Aleyna, her long dark hair flowing behind her with a warm smile. And there is himself, captured in a moment of quiet contemplation. But most haunting is the profile sketch of Ziad, with his sharp jawline and piercing gaze.
“Khimi?” Lumi asks, swatting away the dust. “Let me see those!”
A wide grin appears across Khimi’s lips. “Want to see what I looked like as a kid?”
“Yes! Yes!” Lumi cheers, nudging against him onto the bed. Lumi gasps at the sketch, “You had fat cheeks! Look, you were a porky thing!”
Khimi huffs, “That’s when I was a baby, look here!” He rifles through the pages and finds an illustration of him as a young boy, scimitar in hand. “See, I’ve always looked this handsome.”
“Oh, you still had the scowl when you were a kid too,” Lumi chuckles, shouldering himself against Khimi.
Khimi’s lips thin into a line. “Right. This scowl?” He asks, narrowing his eyes to match the appearance of the image.
“Yeah!” Lumi laughs playfully, leaning back on the bed. “Who would have thought Rashid was an artist?”
“I know,” Khimi replies, shaking his head in disbelief. He thumbs through the pages and pauses. “I’ve always thought Rashid could have loved my mother…”
Lumi pulls his feet onto the bed and lies on his side, dust sullying the pristine tunic. “Do you think…Rashid and Aleyna had a thing?”
“A thing?”
“Like…” Lumi begins, his head shifting from side to side. “Like…do you think they had sex?”
Khimi turns back and looks at Lumi. “If you’re implying Rashid could have been my father…that’s impossible. That would be saying Aleyna wasn’t faithful, that Rash—”
“Rashid loved her though,” Lumi interrupts, placing a hand on Khimi’s side. “The way he spoke of her, it was always so intimate!”
“Maybe so…but I do not think it was a reciprocated love,” Khimi says while he grasps Lumi’s calf and pulls his legs onto his lap. He continues to thumb through the journal, whispering to himself, “I wonder what other treasures are in this place.”
“Cobwebs and cowpats,” Lumi mutters quietly, his tail shaking against Khimi’s thigh. “Say,” he says with a sudden hint of interest. “You’re part minos, right?”
“Well…yeah, as far as I’m aware, I’m about a quarter minos. I’m not sure how that works. My mom was minos and human. So I guess that makes me a quarter,” Khimi replies with a questioning glance. “What are you thinking?”
“Wanna go see if you can talk to cows…?”
Khimi thinks for a moment, staring at the pages before him, lost in his thoughts. “Uhm, I’m not sure.”
“Wanna try it?!” Lumi asks cheerily. “Please!?”
“I feel guilty enough already,” Khimi replies flatly. “I’ve eaten…bovine.”
Lumi snorts, “Same…” he says, patting Khimi’s side. “Don’t worry, at least we know you’ll be tasty.”
“You already know how I taste,” Khimi smirks, a glance from the corner of his eyes.
Lumi’s cheeks flush, his brow pinches, “I’m not talking about your cock!”
Khimi chuckles, closing the book and lies beside Lumi on the tiny dusty bed. “Here,” he says, placing his hand against Lumi’s cheek. “Tell me how I taste,” he whispers, his thumb brushing over Lumi’s soft lips.
“Okay,” Lumi replies, slowly opening his mouth, allowing Khimi’s thumb to slide inside. Lumi’s fangs gnash against the thick digit, his tongue brushing against it. “D-Dirty.”
“Don’t speak with your mouth full,” Khimi whispers, his eyes set on Lumi’s.
Lumi’s lips tighten on the thumb, suckling gently, his coarse tongue strokes against it while he returns Khimi’s gaze. His body shakes, the low rumble of his purrs erupt without warning.
“You don’t have to say anything…but I did want to apologize for things being so tense lately,” Khimi whispers softly. “I promise that the moment I feel comfortable enough, we’ll leave Sidi.”
Lumi bobs his head up and down. “Y-Yeah,” he murmurs, the thumb still in his mouth. “Are we staying here tonight?”
“We should head back, else my mother sends Jiya or those mercenaries to find us,” Khimi chuckles then pauses. “But no reason we can’t rest here for a while and look through the house.”
“Rest…right,” Lumi says, Khimi’s thumb at the edge of his lips.
Khimi growls under his breath. “Did… you prepared?” he whispers hopefully, rustling Lumi’s blond hair, his bulge nodding through his sarouel.
“No…but I can be,” Lumi replies, his ears wiggle against Khimi’s hand. “C-Can I?”
“Where? There…isn’t even anywhere here,” Khimi whispers in response, a look of confusion clear on his face. “Unless you mean that filthy pond.”
“Pond?” Lumi raises his brows and pushes himself up. “Wanna see some real magick?!”
Khimi closes his eyes and sighs, “We can go back to the Athera if you’re that desperate.”
“Desperate?” Lumi sits up and bites Khimi’s thumb with a harshness. “It’s been a month! Over a month! Y-You can’t just keep yourself from me!”
“I’m not ke—”
Lumi eyes Khimi angrily, his fang gnawing on his thumb, “No sex?!”
“You sucked my cock and I believe my fingers are an…ample substitute for my cock,” Khimi replies, brushing his hand through his hair. “I mea—”
“No, no, no,” Lumi chokes with a laugh. “I’m talking sex! Proper sex! Your big, meaty cock, shoved inside of me! Swaying hips thrus—”
“Stop,” Khimi groans, rolling off the bed. “Don’t say anymore!” He adds with a laugh. “You’re mak—”
“Making it hard!?” Lumi asks, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Good!” he adds with pursed lips.
“How about we give this place another once over…then we go back home and see where we are then,” Khimi suggests, the orbs of light across the room dance with Lumi’s emotions.
“No…just come here,” Lumi groans, then stands and grabs Khimi’s hand.
With enthusiasm in his step, Lumi rushes through the small house and through the back door. His shoulder smashes into the back door and sets the shoddy wooden door swinging.
Behind the house, the fields of endless wheat push upon the house, threatening to gradually invade. Walking through the high grass and dirt, they find themselves at the edge of the pond. Reeds rise several heads higher than the wheat, obscuring much of the pond.
“You remembered there was a pond here?” Lumi asks as he turns back with a raised brow.
Khimi shrugs, “I mean…I guess. I don’t know, I remembered it somehow,” he whispers while he itches the scar on his cheek.
“Maybe you came here as a kid or something,” Lumi mutters, taking a step into the water. The acrid scent of the rich, moist soil rises from the mud. “It stinks,” he chokes as he takes another step.
Khimi releases his hand and watches from the edge. “What’re you doing, Lumi? Come on, get out of there.”
The mud becomes less dense and the bottom changes to mostly sand. Lumi holds the tunic above the water as he moves deeper, then pulls it up over his head. The water ripples across the surface, and he bundles the tunic in his hands and tosses it at Khimi.
“Watch,” Lumi instructs, flashing a smile.
Khimi carefully folds the tunic in his hands and shakes his head, “What am I supposed to be watching?” He inquires, laughing to himself.
Lumi places his hands along the top of the water’s surface, waiting for the ripples to stop. Almost under his breath, he whispers an incantation. Purifica. A word of purity, to cleanse the water of its imperfections. Across the water’s surface, a light ripples from his touch and spreads across and through the depths of the water. It sparkles with bright luminescence and shines a soft white light back up across Lumi’s form.
Khimi stands at the edge of the pond, his mouth ajar. “Hells,” he mutters and takes a step forward, nearly sliding into the mud.
“You like it?” Lumi beams, “it’s bright…but what do you think?”
“You made the pond into a damn beacon…” Khimi scoffs, then moves to one of the larger stones at the edge. He slowly edges himself onto it and sits. “What’d you do?”
“I made holy water!” Lumi cheers with a laugh. “I mean…it also purifies the water. So I can use it to—,” he stammers, his skin growing flush. “Y-You know.”
Khimi palms his cheek and chuckles. “Lumi, I doubt the gods intended for you to use holy water to cleanse your asshole.”
Lumi shrugs and drops to his knees, leaving his nose and eyes just above the water. He blows bubbles through his mouth playfully before he surfaces and laughs. “You’re probably right…but it’s okay,” he says hastily before he rushes to the opposite side of the small pond.
“And how long is this going to glow like this?” Khimi asks. Gradually he begins to remove his sandals. “You’ll have the guard here ere’long.”
Lumi snickers and sits in the shallows, carefully feeling between his legs and working around the soft flesh. “Uhmm, Khimi. You don’t have to watch…this part is embarrassing,” he mumbles, a sudden nervousness in his voice.
“Lumi,” Khimi says, his eyes unmoving, a warm smile at the edge of his lips. “I’m here for every moment with you. The good, the bad…these embarrassing moments.”
Lumi’s lips thin, and he begins to carefully cleanse himself. “If I didn’t…know any better…I’d say you’re a bard, or poet, or something.”
Khimi’s cheeks turn red, and he looks down at his feet. “I just mean…I think it’s admirable. That you do this for me. And so often,” he mumbles quietly. “It can’t be comfortable.”
“It’s not,” Lumi admits. “Hasim from the temple. He told me what to do and how to prepare for being with a man…he thought we were going to have sex that night,” he laughs while he glances up at Khimi, their eyes meeting.
“And…?” Khimi whispers, “Do you regret that we didn’t?”
Lumi releases a thoughtful hmm, his ears twitching. His tail drags behind him through the water. “Well, I mean…it would have been nice. I think…if I knew how you made me feel,” he whispers, placing a hand on his stomach, “inside I mean. I think it would have been more forceful with you when we went back to Rhaz. I dunno how to explain it. It’s like that connection that we share feels so much stronger when you’re in me.”
The light reflecting off the surface of the water highlights Khimi’s brightening cheeks, the rippling light shines across his form. “Lumi,” he says, smiling uncontrollably. “I-I don’t think I’m great with words, but I’ll just say this: when I’m with you. When we’re together like that, I feel as if I’ve stepped into heaven.”
“Like— when your dick is in me?” Lumi laughs, still trying his best to focus on his task.
Khimi’s laughter echoes behind Lumi’s, “Yeah, I mean. Just being together, holding you. Feeling you against me, but especially in those moments. When I am inside of you. That first night in my room, my heart felt as if it was going to explode, and I just wanted you more and more. It felt like I wanted to keep going until I had you entirely. I wanted to mark every part of you, claim you for my own.”
Lumi’s eyes flicker up to Khimi’s. “I’ve said it a hundred times, Khimi. I’ve always been yours. Every bit of me is yours.”
Khimi scoffs, his fingers tense over his sarouel. “But I have to share you with the gods, don’t I?”
“No,” Lumi replies, his eyes softening further. “I-I’ll try my best to please the gods…but I’m yours and yours alone,” he mutters quietly.
Khimi leans forward over his knees and watches Lumi quietly for some time. The crickets chirp in the fields and, as if drawn to the light from the pond, moths begin to appear. “Whatever Gilbert says, Lum—”
A false smile appears across Lumi’s lips. “We’re gonna figure it out,” he interrupts, quickly pushing himself to his feet. “All done!” He beams, standing naked from the shallows.
A look of recognition crosses Khimi’s face while he stares at Lumi standing across from him. The bright light from the water reflects up across his nakedness and accentuates his youthful form. “Let’s get you dry,” he whispers, rounding the edge of the pond.
Lumi shivers, splashing through the water and back to Khimi. Using the tunic as a wrap, Khimi places it around his shoulders and rubs while they walk back to the house. As they reach the door, Lumi turns back while the light fades from the water. Khimi grasps Lumi’s chin and lifts gently, his lips meet Lumi’s. Lumi’s legs buckle, his body trembles. His desire for Khimi is always great, but during Khimi’s period of mourning, Lumi had grown increasingly insatiable. Every night he had found himself longing for the pleasures only Khimi could grant him.
Khimi’s arm moves behind Lumi’s waist, the crumpled tunic around Lumi’s shoulders drops to the floor. Khimi gently urges the door open and ushers Lumi inside while holding their kiss. His clothes absorb the moisture from Lumi’s damp skin. Lumi turns his cheek cautiously, meeting Khimi’s cerulean eyes. Those deep blues shake, searching Lumi’s expression for approval. Lumi’s hand moves onto Khimi’s waist and pulls himself firmly against him, the bulge in Khimi’s sarouel rises greedily against him. His heart races with need while Khimi pushes his lips into his damp hair, teeth scraping across his scalp.
A low growl rises in Khimi’s throat. “Lumi.”
Remembering Aleyna’s lesson of the old tongue, Lumi whispers in response, “Eshgham[1].” The word rolls off his tongue in a natural silver tone, almost as if it was meant for Khimi. The word means My Love in the language once used by the tribes of the Desert Cities, long before Talman became the most widely spoken language.
Khimi’s eyes pinch closed, he pulls tight against Lumi. “Where did you learn that?” He asks, the thumping of his heart, deafening in Lumi’s ear.
“It doesn’t matter,” Lumi murmurs, nuzzling his wet hair against Khimi’s chest.
It only takes but a moment for Khimi to drop his arms beneath Lumi’s waist and pull him against his body. With a hearty tug, he lifts Lumi by his ass and carries him to the dusty bed. Lumi’s hands scrub through Khimi’s hair. He places kiss after kiss in the short black locks. His tail writhes behind him over Khimi’s hands, wanting to coil around his arms. A heavy creak erupts through the house as Khimi falls heavy over Lumi, his lips moving to the soft pink nipples.
“I m-missed this,” Lumi whines quietly, the sound of Khimi’s gentle suckling echoing loudly around them.
“I suck your nipples all the time,” Khimi smirks and presses his teeth over the hardening flesh. “I played with your nipples at the Athera,” he says before returning to his careful labor.
Lumi bites his lip and strokes his fingers through Khimi’s hair, “Not like this, you didn’t,” he confesses with a hint of laughter.
Khimi’s teeth pinch down hard, drawing whimpers of pleasure from Lumi while he squirms under Khimi. “You want me to bite harder?”
Lumi licks his lips and raises a leg along Khimi’s side. “Always,” he taunts while his toes push against the waist of Khimi’s trousers.
Khimi scoffs and bites down hard, his teeth sinking into the soft, tender flesh around the rosy nipple. Lumi screams in pleasure, the soft flesh drawn into Khimi’s mouth, his tongue laps against the hard nipple. Lumi’s toes tease over the waist and push back against the trousers, sliding them down Khimi’s waist, revealing the thick girth, nodding eagerly above him. Precum drools in heaps from the bulky, swollen tip, forming a line over Lumi’s groin. Lumi tilts his head back, turning his nose to the air. Gods help me. Khimi’s scent arouses him beyond his own comprehension, his mind is clouded by the strong musk; a savory ambrosia.
“Fuck me,” Lumi cries out.
Unsure if it is his own desire or the humidity, sweat immediately clings to Lumi’s damp form. He clasps Khimi’s hair with both hands and tugs him towards him, sitting up and smashing their lips together. His teeth clatter against Khimi’s, yet he does not stop, he can not stop.
“Khimi,” he mutters between their kisses. “Hurry up,” he pleads, his feet pushing down against the trousers, desperate to remove them.
Khimi reaches for his length and slowly strokes himself, his thumb rolling over the flared head. He runs a hand along Lumi’s abdomen, “Been wanting to fill you, kitten.”
Lumi whimpers, his skin clammy with sweat and desire. He rears his head back and purrs, “I’ve wanted to hear you say that for weeks.”
Khimi hastens the process of removing his trousers, kicking them off while his lips brush against Lumi’s. His breathing is already erratic with excitement, his hands move along Lumi’s boyish form. “Mehr o maah[2],” he breathes against Lumi’s lips. His hand squeezes Lumi’s waist, drawing a shallow breath from Lumi’s lips.
“W-what’s it mean,” Lumi murmurs, his fingers drifting along Khimi’s chest, sizing up his musculature. “It sounds pretty.”
“It means sun and moon,” Khimi replies, his voice yearning.
Lumi smiles and plants a kiss on Khimi’s lips. “I can be the sun…and you can be my moon,” he whispers.
“That’s not how the saying goes,” Khimi mumbles against Lumi, before he brings a hand behind his waist and pulls him snugly against his body. “You’re my sun and moon.”
Lumi runs his tongue along Khimi’s cheek, “Whatever you say,” he whispers.
Lumi’s legs rest on either side of Khimi, his back arched towards him. His hardened cock oozes precum across his abdomen, mixing with the stringy lines left by Khimi’s length. Khimi strokes his girth before he pushes the slickened head against Lumi’s soft entrance. With slight pressure, he pushes, his hips moving forward and the clenching entrance accepts him bit by bit. Lumi shifts his head from side to side, whimpering and trembling.
“Hn,” Khimi groans, “Good boy.”
Lumi is too elated to reply, his focus is on the pressure building inside of him, the heavy girth pushing against his soft slick walls. Khimi’s hips buck gently, and the length enters Lumi, pressing against the overly sensitive spot. Lumi’s toes curl, tears of pleasure roll down his cheeks. Cum spills across his stomach and into the soft pubescent hairs, his soft sack rises and contracts.
Khimi grips Lumi’s thigh and leans into Lumi. The whimpers become moans, his cock entering Lumi’s depths as if trying to press into his stomach.
“You’re tight,” Khimi grunts with a lustful thrust, “I already want to come.”
“Then come,” Lumi whimpers, a hand against Khimi’s chest. His body moves eagerly with the motions. “I wanna feel it. I wanna feel you pour it all in me,” his fingers tease along his abdomen, an impure smirk on his lips.
Khimi leans forward, his hand ripping into the dusty sheets. “Fuck,” he growls.
Lumi can not help the tears rolling down his eyes, there is pleasure and pain with the sudden vicious movements. Finally enjoying the pleasures he had longed for, he closes his eyes and rolls with the motions.
Khimi’s thrusting becomes more vigorous, the dust rises from the bed, the headboard begins to slam against the wall. The wooden bed creaks beneath their exertions, the frame shaking, the wooden legs wobbling. Bang bang bang, the headboard smashes against the mudbrick wall. Bits of loose dirt crumple and fall to the floor.
Lumi pushes his hand against Khimi’s chest, stabilizing himself. “I-It feels too good,” he pants, cum gushing from his flaccid, shaking member.
Khimi’s focus is unmoving, his eyes linger on their connection, watching his cock slide in and out of Lumi with a sinful lick of his lips.
Through grit teeth, Khimi snarls, “Your insides are so dam-damn warm.”
“Th— they’ve been wa-waiting,” Lumi pants, “I’ve be—”
A sudden crack and crash, the joints connecting the headboard snap, the wooden frame smashes on the wide planked floor. Khimi braces himself over Lumi, the dovetails connecting the foot of the bed snap under their weight, collapsing the bed directly onto the floor. Dust springs into the air and Lumi coughs, turning his head. He yelps, his tail curling about Khimi’s thigh. Khimi’s fingers squeeze at Lumi’s waist, while Lumi’s legs shake helplessly behind him.
“Yo-You’re so deep,” Lumi squeals.
Khimi hilts himself firmly into him, his heavy, wet testicles firmly pressed against Lumi’s ass. He exhales a heavy breath, his leg twitches, his head tilted back. “H-Hells!”
Lumi’s body clenches instinctively against the pulsating cock inside of him, the nodding member presses against his soft inner walls. Warmth spreads inside Lumi like wildfire, the warm seed pours deep. Khimi stalls over Lumi, his fingers forming depressions in Lumi’s waist while he releases what feels like endless waves of warmth.
The back of Lumi’s head pushes into the scratchy sheets, “You al-always cum so much,” he whispers. The thick and pulsing veins along Khimi’s cock still throb inside of him.
“I could just…stay in you all day,” Khimi mutters, craning his body over Lumi to bite at his nipples.
Lumi chuckles at the sensation. “No one is making you leave,” he mutters, biting his lip, “my body is always happy to have you.”
“My cock is loath to leave you,” Khimi teases, his arms coiling around Lumi.
Lumi’s hands caress Khimi’s shoulders. He is suddenly pulled into Khimi’s lap, rising on top while Khimi leans back. He arches his back and Khimi’s chubbed cock moves within him. “He can stay,” he moans softly. “He’ll be excited again soon…”
“We can get a new be—” He gasps suddenly, Lumi’s entrance clenches down hard on him. “Horny lion.”
Lumi writhes his hips, moving the shaft inside of him with his limber movements. “You came so much,” he pants. “Don’t pull out,” he adds, taking Khimi’s hand on his waist and bringing it over his stomach while he straddles him.
Khimi grabs Lumi’s chin, turning his cheek to him. “I can’t when you’re on me anyway,” he adds with a hint of a smile. Without warning, he sits up on his elbows and pushes his lips against Lumi’s.
The moment takes Lumi off guard. Khimi’s lips press against his own. In an attempt to catch his breath, Lumi pulls away only to be drawn back in, Khimi’s lips following his aggressively. Seed spills from Lumi between the edges of Khimi’s hilted cock, dripping down Khimi’s plump sack. Reaching behind him, Lumi presses against the softened, slick mass and urges it deeper into his ass while his tail shakes behind him frantically. The softened cock glides deeper into the creamy entrance. The desire Lumi feels is just as it always is; an unquenchable need to feel overwhelmed by Khimi’s passion and size.
Khimi groans aloud, his hands on Lumi’s waist. “Your insides…they have a warmth.”
Lumi pulls on Khimi’s bed of abdominal hair. “You wanna talk about how hot my ass feels?” He questions, tugging on the hair with a needy expression.
“I think about your ass…often,” Khimi mumbles, a smile on his lips, his hips suddenly buck against Lumi. He releases a grunt and tightens his fingers on Lumi’s waist. “It’s like that feeling when the sun kisses your skin.”
Lumi blushes, lowering his head and shivering with pleasure. “A-Are you serious?” He asks while his body trembles.
“And…an inviting embrace,” Khimi smirks knowingly, then gradually pumps his hips.
Lumi’s back straightens, his body grinding in rhythmic motions. The length inside of him begins to harden and grow, the lusty sounds of their lovemaking echoes through the small room. Lumi’s soft arousal flops against Khimi’s abdomen with each of his movements, a steady stream of cum dripping from the slickened length. His thighs burn, but he begins to move more rapidly anyway, Khimi’s girth expanding rapidly inside.
“I–” Lumi groans, rolling his head from side to side, his tail slapping against Khimi’s thighs. “I—my thighs hurt.”
“Keep going,” Khimi replies, releasing his grip on Lumi’s waist and relaxing to watch Lumi bounce vigorously over his cock. “Your thighs got soft in a month without riding me?”
“Shut up!” Lumi snaps, his nails digging into Khimi’s abdomen.
With a loud moan, Lumi arches his back, Khimi’s length piercing into him each time he lowers himself on the massive cock. After a brief moment, Lumi continues and stares down at Khimi. Khimi is the most beautiful person that Lumi had ever seen, sweat dripping over his glistening form. His arms and chest are perfectly chiseled, his abdomen rising and falling with steady breaths. The scars along his body are like beautiful guides for his hands while they move across his muscles.
Lumi leans forward and presses his forehead against Khimi’s chest, “You get so hard.”
“Is it a problem?” Khimi teases, his hands tensing on the coarse fabric sheets.
Lumi’s mouth parts, and he kisses Khimi’s nipple. “No,” he mutters, glancing up at Khimi with his aetherial eyes. “I can feel you so deep like this,” he purrs flirtatiously. “When I do this,” he whispers, pushing his full weight down over Khimi’s massive girth. He winces, “I-It feels like you’re breaking me.”
Khimi raises an eyebrow. “You want me to break you?”
“It j-just, it feels really good!” Lumi admits, his flush skin turning scarlet. He pauses and returns to Khimi’s nipple, his fangs teasing the hard skin. “Besides, I like to imagine…well nevermind,” he pants, still bouncing up and down.
“Lumi?” Khimi asks, watching Lumi lick his hard nipple. “What is it?”
Lumi sits up and purses his lips, sweat drips from his brow and drips down his chin. “Sometimes…I like to imagine that I can have your cubs.”
“Lum—”
“I know, I know!” Lumi interrupts. “Sorry!”
Khimi’s hands grab Lumi’s waist, halting him. “Do you have any idea how happy that would make me?” he asks, his dark cheeks brighten. He sits up suddenly, his hands moving to Lumi’s ass, squeezing the plump mounds. “I-Is, this why?”
“W-why what?” Lumi pants while he moves once again, pushing his hands against Khimi’s chest, pushing him back down.
Falling back onto the sheets, Khimi smiles up at Lumi, “Is that why you always want me to cum in you?”
Lumi moves his hands up and down Khimi’s abdomen, working the length inside himself. He winces each time his ass slaps against Khimi’s groin, “I— I just,” he struggles to find the words, lost in the bliss that is Khimi’s cock. “Wanna be close,” he manages finally. “Wanna feel close.”
A slight smile tugs at the corner of Khimi’s lips, his eyes narrow lustfully at Lumi mounting him. “Then I’ll fill you to the brim,” he says, placing his hands once more upon Lumi’s small waist. “And I won’t stop until you’re overflowing with my seed.”
Lumi’s hands rush to Khimi’s on his waist. For the briefest of moments, Khimi rubs his hand along Lumi’s abdomen, feeling along his cock inside Lumi. Khimi forces Lumi down on his length, his hips thrust upwards into him each time. His testicles slap against Lumi’s rear with each buck of his hips, the weighty balls swing with his motions. The bulky flared head pushes slightly further inside. Lumi’s toes curl and his body shakes with ecstasy. His insides are already soaked with Khimi’s seed, but he wants more. There is no denying that he desires every bit of Khimi inside of him, every drop Khimi could give him. Lumi can not be sure how many times he had cum, or if he could even cum anymore. He does not care, he just wants to feel the explosive heat pumping inside of him. Khimi is close, Lumi can tell by the radiating warmth and the aggressive nodding of his cock, pressing upon his insides. Lumi tightens against the girth and tugs his body back and forth.
With a final buck of his hips, Khimi pulls Lumi down onto his immense girth with as much strength as he can. His head tilts back, his seed gushes into Lumi. Lumi grabs Khimi’s abdomen to stabilize himself while Khimi’s overloaded testicles drain into his soft insides, filling him to the brim just like Khimi promised. There is no way for Lumi to describe the pleasure, but he squeezes his entrance, not wanting any bit of Khimi to escape him. His body is sore, but it has been so long since he and Khimi shared this intimacy that Lumi does not want it to end. The feeling of Khimi inside of him, the way his cock fills him and thumps against him. The pleasure of when Khimi would cum inside, his body would grow warm and heat would radiate throughout him. There is nothing like it. These feelings Lumi would not trade for anything.
Lumi’s tail flicks behind him slowly. “You’re not do—“
“Shhh,” Khimi interrupts. “Just, give me a moment,” he breathes. “Let me enjoy this,” he whispers, his eyes closed.
“Tell me…how it feels?” Lumi insists with a smile, his rounded ears shake with his curiosity. “What you like about it.”
Khimi grips Lumi tightly and rolls him onto his back, following the motions, their bodies still attached. “I already told you,” he replies with a telling smile. “But I rather like when you clamp down on me, like you never want to let me go…”
Sweat drips from Khimi’s hair over Lumi in a moment of silence, “I-I…that’s because I don’t!” He says quickly and excitedly, his hands sliding under Khimi’s arms in an embrace.
Khimi blushes and purses his lips, “You need my cock that bad, huh?” He beams confidently while he grabs Lumi’s thighs and moves his hips slowly. “Figured you’d like it like this…it’ll all stay inside.”
Lumi blushes, then reaches up, grabbing Khimi’s face in his hands and bringing it closer to his own. “You said I was your heaven,” he whispers in a gentle lilt before pushing his soft lips against Khimi’s. “You’re mine,” Mimicking Khimi’s earlier works, “Mehr o maah.”
Khimi leans further over Lumi, Lumi’s legs swing behind Khimi’s waist, nearly linking together at the ankle. Lumi’s mind grows numb the longer they kiss, he feels himself melting against Khimi, their sweat laden bodies pressing together in the muggy room. The scent of their desire is thick in the air, sweat and sex in equal measure. Lumi pants between their kisses, his fingers scratching at Khimi’s back while Khimi squeezes down on his waist.
“L-Lumi,” Khimi pants, his hair sweeps over Lumi’s face, their bodies rocking together. His brow presses against Lumi’s. He closes his eyes, and with a low guttural growl murmurs, “I love you,” through grit teeth.
The words are all Lumi needs to hear. Khimi had seldom said it, but when he did, it always reduced Lumi to tears. Quiet sobs start as soon as Khimi’s lips press against Lumi’s, he turns his cheek and tries to stop himself from crying any louder.
Khimi pauses and cups Lumi’s face, turning him to look at him with a gentle smile. “I really don’t know what I did to deserve you, Lumi.”
Lumi can not help the stream of tears that pour from his eyes. “I’m glad we found each other,” Lumi whispers, “B-But why’re you being so nice?” He sniffs.
“I can be sweet sometimes,” Khimi replies, kissing the corner of Lumi’s lips. “Even though you don’t deserve it.”
Lumi stirs and clings tighter. “Huh, why?!” He asks with a startled tone while he wipes his cheek of tears.
Khimi chuckles, his lips brush over Lumi’s, “Because you’re a spoiled brat. And I’d give you anything.”
Lumi fumbles for words, “K-Khimi,” his lips meet Khimi’s, unable to finish his thought. His ears droop, his tail curls around Khimi’s abdomen, thumping sporadically against him.
There is no denying Khimi’s words, Lumi knows the truth of it, if he pushes hard enough, Khimi would fold. But that is not the type of relationship he wants for them, he had no intention of ever manipulating or using him, he just wants to be with him. There is no one that ever brought as much joy to his life as Khimi, and though he knows he has caused Khimi much grief, he also knows Khimi cares deeply for him.
“Are you okay?” Khimi whispers, breaking from their kiss.
“I’m just…happy,” Lumi mutters, nuzzling his wet nose against Khimi’s. “I-I don’t know what else to say,” he stammers, kissing Khimi’s shoulder. The plump lips part, his teeth brush over Khimi’s copper skin before piercing him with his sharp fangs.
Khimi grunts but allows Lumi to continue, “Careful.”
The rusty taste of Khimi’s blood washes through Lumi’s mouth, and he gnaws against the flesh. What am I doing? Biting had always been a reaction that Lumi had developed throughout the years, it was a coping mechanism that he would use on himself during times in which he felt overwhelmed.
“Sorry,” Lumi mutters against his shoulder.
Khimi’s fingers curl through Lumi’s hair, “You can keep going,” he whispers. “I don’t mind,” he adds, urging Lumi’s lips back against his skin.
Unsure of why he does it, Lumi brings his lips back against Khimi’s flesh and presses his teeth back into the hard muscle. Once again, Khimi grunts but presses Lumi’s head against his shoulder. Lumi’s nails scrape across his back while Khimi’s hips move more vigorously, coaxing moans and muffled screams of pleasure from Lumi.
The night crept forward, each moment etched into Lumi’s mind like an unbreakable seal. Memories of pure bliss that he will always hold dear, moments where Khimi showed him just how deeply he was loved. For hours on end, Khimi had fulfilled every one of Lumi’s whims and sexual desires with unwavering dedication, leaving Lumi’s entire body aching and trembling from the intensity of their passion.
As the first rays of sunlight gradually peek over the horizon, Lumi turns to Khimi, burying his face in the crook of Khimi’s damp, musky-smelling arm. His leg draped over Khimi’s abdomen, seeking warmth and comfort. Lumi can sense the exhaustion radiating off of Khimi, but can not help but feel amazed that he had been able to keep up with Khimi’s insatiable sexual stamina until the very end.
Lumi sniffs Khimi’s matted armpit hair and smiles, his cheek brushing against it. “You stink,” he whispers with a laugh.
Khimi scoffs, his arm around Lumi. His eyes wander to the window and back at Lumi, “Well I suppose so,” he adds with a raised brow.
“You left a lot of marks this time,” Lumi murmurs, nuzzling his face under Khimi’s arm.
Khimi brings his fingers to the deep bite marks across his shoulder and chest. “And you’re without blame?”
Lumi looks down at his waist, dozens of finger-sized bruises are over his hips and thighs. “You started it,” he mutters in response. “But…it’s okay. They’re little reminders.”
“Painful little reminders,” Khimi says, rotating his marked shoulder.
“You might have to wear a higher collar,” Lumi snickers with a cheerful smile.
Khimi rolls his eyes while stroking Lumi’s hair. “It’s fine, no one is going to see it anyway.”
“So this means that…you’re ready to leave Sidi?”
“Lum—”
“I’m kidding! I’m kidding! It’s fine…maybe I can use this time to learn some things, or maybe I can try to get to know Mido and Augustus,” Lumi says thoughtfully.
Khimi brings his lips into Lumi’s hair and bites a mouthful. “Perhaps you will become friends,” he says with a mouthful of hair.
“Khimi,” Lumi groans, and he tugs away, ripping his hair from Khimi’s mouth.
Khimi hmms loudly, “mehr-e-man[3]?” He says questioningly.
“Nothing,” Lumi pouts. “I just…I thought our adventure would be alone.”
“It never hurts to have a few good travel companions. Especially if this is going to be a long adventure,” Khimi whispers into Lumi’s ears.
“Augustus is alright. I just don’t know why Nina sent them with us…Ennui is enough, right?”
“I won’t refuse help,” Khimi whispers, his cheeks brightening with each kiss he plants in Lumi’s hair. “We’ll get used to them.”
“Maybe,” Lumi murmurs. “Can’t Jiya come instead? I like Jiya a lot.”
Khimi scoffs and gnaws gently against Lumi’s thick round ear, “Jiya has a family…I can’t just ask her to leave them behind.”
“I wouldn’t have guessed,” Lumi grumbles under his breath. After a momentary pause, he turns to Khimi and smiles. “What does mehr-e-man mean?”
“My sun,” Khimi whispers tauntingly into Lumi’s ear.
“How do you say, my moon?”
“Maah-e-man.”
Lumi places a hand on Khimi’s cheek. “Maah-e-man,” he repeats carefully.
“I like that,” Khimi whispers at the top of Lumi’s head. “You’re learning the Old Tongue quicker than you’re learning to read Talman.”
Lumi turns in the crook of Khimi’s arm to face him. “At least I’m learning,” he whispers, a smile on his lips, his tail swishing behind him.
“You are,” Khimi whispers in response. After a moment, he surveys the surrounding area. “I suppose…we’ll have to replace the bed.” “It’s good where it is,” Lumi replies, sitting up and brushing his face against Khimi’s.
[1] A word in the Old Tongue which means “My Love.” The Old Tongue is based on Old Persian.
[2] Sun & Moon
[3] My Sun