(Shirona is Nitrine's landlady.
Read and review, please.)
With a clatter, Shirona dropped the last of the dinner's dishes into the sink. "Phew... I think that's about all of them."
"Thanks so much for making us dinner Shirona." Nitrine smiled gratefully as he stepped towards the sink to start cleaning, and Lucent, who leaned against the island in the middle of the kitchen, nodded his agreement.
"Oh, it was my pleasure... Especially when I have you two to clean up after me." With a brief wave over her shoulder, she walked away, retreating to her bedroom.
"Nice, isn't she?" commented Nitrine as he turned on the water and grabbed for the sponge.
Lucent nodded, watching his brother's movements, but as Nitrine reached for the first dish, he got up, striding over and grabbing onto his forearms to stop him. "Wait."
Confused, Nitrine looked up, but before he could ask, his gaze was drawn back down to a sensation on his arms: Gingerly, Lucent was pulling back the sleeves of his hoodie up to his elbow. As an artist familiar with precision, he had always admired the way Lucent managed to hurt no one despite the deadly sharpness of his claws.
"You were going to get them all wet..." he explained as he stepped away.
"Oh, thanks." Nitrine smiled at his brother, then turned and began on the dishes.
"I'll be right back," Lucent announced, then briskly turned and walked towards the bathroom, unaware of Nitrine's eyes watching him go.
Hiding himself safely behind a locked door, Lucent strode towards the mirror, turning on the cold water and letting it run. Putting his hands on the counter, he closed his eyes tight; he clenched his fists. He whimpered, then sighed. "It's useless..." The mumbled words fell from his lips as he gathered water in his cupped hands and splashed it on his face. Unwarranted and unwanted, a series of snapshots from the memory of his arrival rose to the forefront of his mind: the crush of Nitrine's body against his own; the gentle touches as their legs and thighs brushed; the intoxicating, oh-so familiar scent of hues and hair dye. The thoughts incited a pulse of warmth that converged upon his already inflamed nether regions, and, flinching, he stopped the tangent line right there. He couldn't indulge his sick fantasies, not now. Slowly, he rubbed his face, then sighed as his hands dropped and he tugged on his shirtfront.
Keeping his mind busy with Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" on loop, he left the restroom and stopped in the kitchen, where Nitrine had nearly finished cleaning. "It's getting kind of late; I think I'm going to go. See you later, Nitrine." Not waiting for a reply, he walked to the door, and just as he poised his hand above the doorknob, he froze.
"Lucent, wait!"
"Yes?"
"You didn't give me a chance to say goodbye." Nitrine pulled him around and gave him a big hug. Lucent hesitated, a blush rising to his cheeks, and he carefully returned the hug just as Nitrine realized something was off and pulled away. He looked Lucent up and down, noting his furious blush and averted gaze, and pulled up his brother's shirtfront. Lucent squirmed a bit, being examined for several seconds far too long, before his shirt was released and he could step back, closer to the door. By now, his makeup couldn't even be found amid his blush. Nitrine's voice was eerily unemotional as he said, "I thought it wasn't like that."
Lucent looked down, met Nitrine's gaze for a few moments, and feeling obliged to reply, answered quietly, "Obviously, I lied." This time when he turned around, he opened the door and managed to take one step outside before the hand grasping his stopped him again.
"Wait."
"Please Nitrine, let me go."
"It's me you want, isn't it?"
His throat tightened, and he swallowed then nodded.
"Then..." His voice dropped to a bare whisper. "Take me."
Lucent's eyes widened in surprise and he whirled around. It took him a moment, but he managed to choke out, "A... Are you sure?"
Nitrine nodded, and gently pressed himself to the other maren's side. "You make me feel good too, Lucent."
He needed no more discussion; he wrapped his arm around Nitrine and led them back to Nitrine's apartment. Releasing his host, he faltered, locking the door and watching him remove his shoes, but an expectant look from his partner spurred him back into action. Carefully, he took off his gloves then slipped off his boots and, in the end, beat Nitrine to the bed, plopping down just a moment before.
Nitrine sat down, and Lucent's hands were immediately upon him. They pulled him in, so close he could feel the warmth of Lucent's breath, and felt him all over, across his skin, under his clothes, always gentle, always careful. It was so easy, so natural, nothing like the rough awkwardness of his past experiences. He smiled, starting to fall into the touches, and heard Lucent whisper in awe, "This feels so surreal..."
"It does." The hands stopped, and he glanced up just as Lucent's lips met his. The kiss was a little more revealing, a little rougher, colored with desire. Slowly, Lucent broke it, and, holding Nitrine's gaze, carefully slipped his hoodie up off over his head and dropped it over the side of the bed. With that one action, the surreality disappeared, and Nitrine's hands shook a bit as he unwrapped Lucent's scarf and carefully removed his shirt. His nerve began to fade, but then his gaze jolted up as Lucent steadied Nitrine's hands in his own.
"I'll be gentle, I promise."
THEN HE TOOK OFF NITRINE'S BRA.
Nitrine sat up in bed with a start, breathing hard, his hand clutching his chest. With a deep feeling of dread, he looked to the place in bed beside him and saw... no one. Breathing a sigh of relief, he fell back, arms flopping beside him. To emphasize the importance of fearlessness, Wizeman allowed the nightmaren to dream; if they feared, it was a vulnerability, a weakness to be exterminated, and more than a few of Nightmare's denizens took advantage of that, at their own risk. Nitrine sighed, getting comfortable again, and wondered who had designed that twisted dream of his. He certainly didn't feel that way about his brother, and there was no way Lucent felt that way about him, but most importantly, he did not wear a bra!