Warm Afternoon

To Richard, Asbel always looked beautiful. But sometimes, he looked exceptionally alluring. And this was one of those times.

They had been sparring in the garden at Lhant Manor throughout most of the afternoon. Despite it being a pleasant spring day, the physical activity was enough to warm their bodies to the point where they were sweating lightly. Asbel's face had a tinge of pink, his breathing was heavy, and small droplets occasionally fell from his chin. He had removed his coat, and his undershirt was starting to cling to his skin, revealing the lines of muscle underneath.

And so, Richard was having a hard time concentrating.

It wasn't long until Asbel suggested for them to stop, probably in light of his friend's decreasing performance. Richard was a little disappointed at having his private spectacle end, but certain things were growing out of hand, so he conceded and followed Asbel back inside.

They headed to their respective rooms. Once he was alone, Richard thought a cold bath was in order to calm his nerves. However, to his dismay, the water cryas in his tub seemed to be out of eleth; quite an oversight from the manor's servants, he had to admit. He decided to talk directly to Asbel - refilling eleth took a while, and he wouldn't remain in his filthy state as he waited for it to be done. He'd ask Asbel to show him to another bathroom, one with eleth, and have his bath there.

Knocking softly on Asbel's door, Richard waited, but there was no response. He opened it slowly, and found the room empty; from the noise in the adjoined bathroom, Asbel was taking a shower. Now, that was most upsetting. He'd have to wait for Asbel to finish cleaning himself while he remained sweaty, smelly, and… slightly aroused. Sighing, he sat on the edge of Asbel's bed, trying to think of anything but the fact that Asbel was naked and wet behind that door. It was obviously a very futile attempt.

Realizing the situation was getting out of hand, Richard decided the best option was returning to his room and attending to certain matters. However, as he was reaching for the door, he caught a glimpse of something from the corner of his eye: Asbel's clothes, crumpled on the floor by the bathroom door.

Richard frowned. Really, how could Asbel be so terribly disorganized? To simply drop his attire so carelessly, leaving it in such an improper location? Richard was sure he would step on it as he left the bathroom, too. Sighing, he moved to pick up the discarded clothing, planning on handing it to the housemaid for washing.

He started with Asbel's shirt. As he held it, he couldn't help but remember how Asbel had looked while they sparred. That same shirt had been in contact with his skin, slightly transparent with moisture, allowing him to see just a little of what lay beneath…

And it carried Asbel's scent. Richard could smell it from afar, as he ran his fingers over the fabric. It was so faint, though. Maybe, if he brought it to his face…

Ahh… It really did smell like Asbel. And the fabric was so soft, too. Not as much as Asbel's skin, but… It was all he could have now. Unconsciously, he ended up sitting on the bed again, the shirt still in his hands. The longer he held it, the more vivid his memories became. He could remember Asbel's chest so clearly, it felt as if he could touch it. He closed his eyes, and the image danced behind his lids. Asbel was breathing heavily, the heat becoming too much for him to bear, and he was forced to remove his shirt… The shirt, now in Richard's hand, as Asbel stood in front of him, tan skin glistening in the sun…

Richard was losing it, and for some reason, the Asbel in his mind decided to remove his pants, too. Why, it didn't matter. Richard was past coming up with plausible explanations for his fantasies. Asbel's scent was strong in his nostrils, the fabric of the shirt - no, not the shirt, Asbel's skin - soft again his face. He pretended he trailed his lips over Asbel's abdomen, chest, mouth— and in his mind, he was naked, too, holding Asbel against his body, cherishing the warmth of his skin.

But in reality, one of his hands had moved to his groin, rubbing his increasingly hard member over his pants. Behind his closed eyes, all he could see was Asbel, and soon he was unbuttoning the stretched fabric and slipping his hand inside. His fingers closed around his erection and he moaned against Asbel's shirt. It really did smell so much like him…

He stroked himself faster, pushing down his pants a little for more space. In his head, Asbel was the one with his hand on his arousal, working on it lovingly, maybe kneeling in front of him and pressing a shy kiss on the head… Opening his mouth, taking him inside, his tongue wet and hot and—

"R-Richard…?"

Richard opened his eyes.

Asbel was standing in front of him.

Asbel, completely naked if not for a towel wrapped around his hips. Asbel, staring at him with mouth wide-open.

Staring at his—

Richard turned crimson. He tried to cover himself with Asbel's shirt, stuttered an apology, then realized he was holding Asbel's shirt and tried to throw it away, only to realize again that, without it, his erection would be fully exposed. He ended up frozen, looking at his knees, and wishing that none of this was real.

He heard footsteps, and soon Asbel was standing right in front of him. There was a moment of silence, during which Richard prayed to every god to smite him on the spot. Then, Asbel finally spoke.

"R-Richard… were you… t-touching yourself to my shirt?"

That was it. Asbel actually put it into words. Richard's face felt so hot with embarrassment he thought he would faint.

"Um… You could have just, you know… knocked on the door."

What?

"I… I could… I could have helped you with it…"

Richard finally looked up. Asbel was close, his still-wet abdomen inches from Richard. Further up, his face was almost as flushed as Richard's own. And further down… he was almost as hard as Richard himself.

Richard stared soundlessly at the outline of Asbel's erection under his towel. When did he…?

"I… kinda stayed here for a while… watching you." He swallowed. "You looked… nice."

Heavens. Asbel had actually watched him mast— He would cover his face with his hands if they weren't busy holding Asbel's shirt.

"So… do you want me to…?"

Richard stared at him again. This time, he was able to stutter, "A-Asbel?!"

Asbel swallowed, blushing. "W-Well, we're… dating, right? So that's… a normal thing to do, right?"

Richard still couldn't react. Asbel got on his knees and slowly pried his shirt out of Richard's reluctant fingers. Without any visible hesitation, his hand closed around Richard's arousal, making him gasp in surprise. Asbel leaned down, licked his lips, and brushed them softly against the shaft. Richard shivered, suppressing a moan, and Asbel dared another kiss, this time on the head.

A clear sound of pleasure left Richard's lips, and encouraged, Asbel dared a flick of his tongue. Richard nearly jolted; it felt even warmer and wetter than in his dreams. Asbel repeated the action a few more times, as Richard pressed a hand against his own mouth to suppress the embarrassing noises he was making. It really wouldn't do to have anyone overhearing.

After a while of kissing and licking, Asbel paused. Richard had fallen back against the bed, half-lying, and supporting himself on trembling arms. When the wet caresses stopped, he opened his eyes, and was about to ask what had happened when Asbel took him into his mouth.

This time, Richard was unable to hold back a loud moan, which faded into small whimpers as Asbel moved up and down along his length. He had already been close before, but now, it took every bit of his will to delay the climax that was welling in his gut.

"A-Asbel…" His breathing was so heavy, he found it hard to speak. "A-Asbel, I'm almost…"

Asbel looked up at him with eyes so full of lust that Richard had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from releasing right then. Slowly, painfully slowly, Asbel let Richard's arousal slide from his mouth. Then, he spoke, "Well… we should come together, right…?"

Richard's vision was almost spinning as he nodded meekly. In truth, he had no idea how he would hold back until Asbel's climax, much less how to find any strength in his arms - or his mouth - to pleasure him. And, when Asbel rose from his knees and allowed his towel to fall, Richard nearly fainted at the sight.

"Asbel… I'm not sure if I can…"

He was silenced by a kiss, Asbel's lips pressed against his own, Asbel's tongue hot and wet inside his mouth. Richard started to fall back on the bed as Asbel kissed him, until he was lying on soft pillows, with Asbel on top of him, never letting the contact between their lips break. Asbel started to undo his top, hurriedly and clumsily, until Richard's chest lay bare, his vest and shirt hanging from his shoulders. The contrast between Richard's almost fully clothed state and Asbel's complete nakedness seemed to arouse them both even further.

Asbel's body felt moist and fresh from the shower he had just taken, and when he shifted around, Richard could feel his erection rub against his own. He placed his hands over Asbel's bottom, taking a moment to feel soft skin and firm muscle, and then pulling him close and guiding his hips to rub against his own.

Their kiss was broken as Asbel let out a moan, which went straight to Richard's groin. He felt feverish from the climax he had been holding back, and he swore that if Asbel uttered another sound, he would come immediately. Almost as if he could read his mind, Asbel lifted his body a little, propping himself on his left arm, as his right hand trailed a descent along Richard's chest. His touch sent shivers along Richard's skin.

"…Asbel, I think I will…"

"J-Just a little more, Richard," Asbel replied, breathing heavily, "…I-I'm almost there, too."

Asbel's fingers closed around both of his members, pressing them together and drawing a loud moan from Richard's lips. He began stroking them immediately, small, fast, nervous movements, punctuated by pleased sounds from both Richard and himself. Richard's voice was taking an urgent tone, and between his moans he continuously whispered, "A-Asbel, please," until he could no longer form words.

Asbel's own voice was a mix of moans and Richard's name, growing louder and louder as his hand moved ever faster. Suddenly, he buckled his hips with a gasp, and among shudders and groans, climaxed between their chests; at the first hint of warm wetness on his skin, Richard finally allowed himself to release, all but screaming Asbel's name as he arched his back and pulled him even closer.

Breathing heavily, Asbel dropped over Richard in a tangle of limbs. For a moment, they both were too dazzled to speak; this had certainly been… new. And loud. Hopefully, the manor servants failed to notice any suspicious sounds.

"Asbel…" Richard broke the silence, running his fingers through wet auburn hair. "I'm afraid you may need another shower."

Asbel chuckled softly, and replied, "I really do." Slowly, he propped himself up to look into Richard's eyes, and with a smile, he added, "Will you take one with me?"