"Goodnight, Sin." Ja'far uttered as he gently shut the door to his king's room, taking with him the light of the candle.
Sinbad yawned and shrugged off his clothes and carefully slipped off his jewelry, replacing his good pants for the soft pair he wore only to bed. He freed his long blue hair from the tie and intricate crow he wore and slid the covers over his body. He stretched his arms above his head with another tired yawn and let his head collapse into the plush center of a pillow. Sinbad wrapped the blankets around him like a cocoon, his eyes fluttering, and the heavy weight of his eyelids finally slid shut and he relaxed into the bed, melted into the cushiony mattress like butter.
Just as he descended into sleep, the shutters to the window slammed open, a strong breeze ushering in, and with it came the shadowy form of a man.
"Hey, stupid king! One of your guards fell asleep so I took the chance to-" Judal, the Kou Empire's Magi, shifted his gaze from the messy desk to the man lying in the bed. "Oi, idiot king, don't tell me you're sleeping already?" A sly grin curved Judal's lips as he stepped over to the bed and tore the covers from Sinbad's sleeping body.
"Haha! Now you're all cold!" he laughed as Sinbad shivered and groped blindly for his blankets but couldn't find them as Judal had thrown them onto the floor.
The king's eyes snapped open and he growled, "Judal, you bastard! How did you get in here? I was sleeping!"
The other man's scarlet eyes narrowed as he smiled like a cat. "I'm a Magi. I can come and go anywhere as I please."
Sinbad sighed. "I told you that you can only come when I leave the window open. I'm sorry, but I really need some heavy sleep tonight. Could you come back tomorrow?"
Judal's face flushed red with anger and he roughly pushed the king back onto the bed. "Hey, I came all the way over here now to see you! Don't give me that shit, Sinbad." He grabbed a fistful of Sinbad's hair and forced his head against the wall as he pressed his lips in a heated passion against the other man's.
"Judal, I really don't have the time-" Sinbad was cut off as the Magi kissed him again intensely, shoved his tongue hungrily into his mouth and caressed inside every dip and crevice, moaning with pleasure as his tongue glided along Sinbad's teeth and bit hard onto his lower lip, sucking up the blood that welled.
Sinbad pulled back, breathless. "Fine then, I'll play your little game, you bastard." Judal gasped as he planted a line of hard kisses down the expanse of his neck and licked his ear, toyed the lobe with his tongue. Sinbad's hands quickly undid Judal's braid and combed through his long ebony spill that fell below his bare feet. With one hand, he pulled the smaller man onto the bed beside him and with the other propped himself over the Magi, his face hovering mere inches from the other man's.
Judal rolled his eyes and breathed, "Hey, why do you always undo my braid? It's such a pain in the ass to put back!"
Sinbad let his fingers roam through Judal's silky fall of hair and cupped his chin within his hand. "Your hair's one of your most charming features. No matter what I do, I can't get Ja'far to let his grow to his back. And yours is such a beautiful color, like a pitch-black sky on a stormy night."
Judal blushed and stammered, "It's-it's not that pretty, moron."
A guttural, almost predatory growl rumbled in Sinbad's throat and he pinned Judal's wrists above his head and forcefully kissed his eyes, his cheeks, his lips. Judal tried to break away but Sinbad transferred both his wrists into one hand, and with the other yanked Judal's pants to his ankles and his own to the foot of the bed.
"Idiot king, what're you doing n-?" Judal let out a hushed scream as Sinbad thrust inside him. He thrashed against the king's hold, tried to squirm away, but Sinbad's fingers gripped his wrists like a cobra's fangs and held so strong that his nails pierced the other man's flesh and drew blood.
"Stupid k-Si-Sinbad, stop!' Judal hissed as Sinbad traced his fingers over his hot naked torso oh so gently, so slowly. He bent his head and bit into the smaller man's rock hard nipple, teased and sucked, and moaned in pleasure as Judal arched his back and threw back his head. Sinbad was large and throbbed with excitement as he plunged into Judal's wet opening and repeated swiftly like the beast that he was.
Judal sagged like a doll in his hold, tired, sweaty, and breathless. Sinbad released his wrists and rolled to his side, turning the Magi's head to face him as he beamed with delight and amusement. He searched Judal's red ringed eyes and for the briefest of seconds, through the joy and the bliss, saw a shadow of pain and remorse.
"Judal…" Sinbad drawled.
"Heh, don't feel bad for me, stupid king. I already told you how that midget made me remember my past. I'd been doing so well at suppressing those disgusting memories, too…and that midget had to ruin it…" his gaze was lost as his thoughts wandered. "That's why I'll kill that midget Magi! And you…it would be so much fun to murder you…but…" he was met with an affectionate kiss and a gentle touch on his cheek. Sinbad's golden eyes were filled with worry and grief as he stared longingly into Judal's beautiful features.
"I can free you from them, Judal." Sinbad began. "If you leave them, you can become the Magi to my kingdom of Sindria and you can live here in the palace with me. I won't ever let them hurt you again. I promise." He uttered, twirling a finger through a stray strand of black hair.
Judal's face was twisted in sorrow. "Heh, you always think you can save everyone, don't you? That no one can stand up against the High King of the Seven Seas. But you can't save everyone, Sinbad. There's no future for me here. I belong to Al Sarmen, and as long I am theirs, we'll forever be enemies." He chuckled and buried his face in his palms. "It's so funny that you care so much! You, who can whatever the hell you want, can't even save a piece of disgusting trash like me! A murderer like me! It's hilarious!" he grinned that trademark maniacal sneer he always hid behind and laughed like a madman, seething, "It's just so fucking funny! Haha! Me abandon everything I was brought up for, for you? I couldn't do it even if I died! Don't you see these chains? EH!? Don't you see them!" he rubbed the golden circlets that adorned his arms and his neck. "These are the visible chains that bind me to that organization. I can never take these off, and as long as I have them on me, they know where I am! They can control me." He placed a finger to his head. "And here, in here, are the invisible bonds that imprison me! Al Sarmen is all I've ever known and will ever know!" he jumped from the bed, gathered his pants back on, and stood up. "You'll never understand the situation I'm in, Sinbad! Never!" he leaned down and kissed Sinbad on the lips before dashing like a blur out the window.
Sinbad stared at the open window in disbelief that just moments ago his beloved Judal had left by exiting through it. He exhaled deeply and threw the blankets over himself.
He did understand what Judal was going through. He did understand the anguish and the suffering of being alone while surrounded by countless people.
He felt his lips and relished the lingering taste of the Magi as sleep began to engulf his being.
He knew that Judal would be back.
Because they were too much alike.
Because they were so different.
Because he loved him.
And Judal loved him, too.