The number of murderous fae that lurked outside the courtyard gate dwindled. Soon enough, their visits had grown so infrequent that daily life seemed almost mundane. Hakuryuu's sword rested in the living room, sheathed and quiet. It felt as though it had been too long since blood had been spilled on the concrete for a simple lull in opponents.

"Do you think they've given up?" Judal asked eventually.

Night had descended on the city, which was usually about the time Hakuryuu's newest foe would make themselves known. But both the prince and his host were in the courtyard, and the street remained quiet.

"Maybe," Hakuryuu admitted. "But it seems almost too convenient."

"The knight guy, he's afraid of the mortal realm right? Maybe he just thinks it's too dangerous to send anyone else."

"I doubt he cares about his soldiers enough to really take that into consideration; but you may be right."

Hakuryuu joined Judal by the gate, crossing his arms as he looked out at the street. Parked cars rested along the sidewalk, and lightless buildings stood sentinel across from them.

Nothing lurked in the shadows, no fantastical beasts prowled just out of sight.

"He cannot know how his assassins have died," Hakuryuu went on. "For all he knows it could be mortals killing them, not I. Even if he'd like to, it's unwise to send endless amounts of fae through the veil after me."

Judal glanced at his lover.

"You don't sound convinced."

"I'm concerned. Even if he can't send fae after me as he has been, I find it unlikely he will just leave me be."

"Why? You're not causing him any grief as long as you're here."

"Yes, but by this point he's already had to trick my mother into believing he's killed me, and the longer that goes on the closer to a lie it becomes. If she doesn't know she's been deceived already." Hakuryuu sighed through his nose. "He cannot afford for me to go on living."

"Are you worried?"

To this, Hakuryuu smiled.

"No." he hummed, slipping his arm around his lover's waist. Judal allowed himself to be drawn against the prince's side. "I have far too many reasons to live. There's nothing they could do to make me leave your side now."

Judal rested his head on the prince's shoulder.

"Promise?" he asked quietly.

Hakuryuu kissed the top of his head.

"I promise."

And so days continued to pass.

The apartment was becoming overgrown with potted plants, almost every surface holding at least one flourishing flora. Two pairs of women's ankle boots sat by the door, and sometimes only one when Judal zipped up his before leaving for class. Hakuryuu amused himself with paperback books and mortal recipes, and the fridge was regularly stocked with his cooking.

At night the couch now lay empty, as its former occupant had taken up a permanent residence in his host's bed. The bed was not made for two, it dipped under them, and they had to sleep closely tucked against one another to fit comfortably. Hakuryuu found he had an affection for holding Judal while they slept, even if it meant he woke up with a cramp in his shoulder sometimes.

The week of Judal's finals came and went in an unpleasant blur. Most attempts at conversation ended in apologetic kisses and resigned sighs, and the only time they really spent together was when they slept. Judal drank more tea in two days than Hakuryuu had seen him drink in an entire month previously, just to stay awake and focused.

And then, blessedly, the damn tests were finished.

Judal returned home, dropped his bag, and collapsed onto the couch with something like a triumphant groan. Hakuryuu took it upon himself to pamper him that evening. Their dinner was mostly sweets and a familiar rose petal bath waited for Judal once they were done. The tub had long since been bewitched to keep water warm as long as it was occupied, and he soaked for almost two hours before emerging in a cloud of steam.

Judal slept like the dead, and didn't wake up until one in the afternoon the following day. When he rose, he was sleepy and amicable. He dozed against Hakuryuu's shoulder on the couch and continued nibbling on his breakfast even after it had gotten cold.

Somewhere around sundown, Judal shuffled off to the bathroom after mumbling something about showering. The shower only lasted twenty minutes, but it seemed to have done its job and roused Judal from his sleepy stupor. He was fully awake when he meandered into his bedroom, towel still hanging around his neck.

"Good morning!" he greeted the faerie prince currently lounging on his bed.

Hakuryuu flicked his eyes up from his book casually, as if he hadn't moved to the bed specifically to wait for Judal to leave the shower.

"It's almost seven at night." he noted, eyes following a droplet of water as it slid tantalizingly down his lover's bare back.

"Whatever." Judal dismissed. "Do you know where my sweater went? The black one with the hole in the elbow?"

Hakuryuu was distracted by Judal's shoulder blades. They pressed up against his fair skin, jagged and beautiful, just like the rest of him. His eyes kept tracing the curve of his lover's spine to where it disappeared beneath the waistband of his pants, then back up again.

Judal had dimples at the base of his spine, and Hakuryuu was sure his thumbs would fit against them perfectly if he had his hands around his waist.

"I may have thrown it out." he said absently, still thoroughly distracted by the bare skin in front of him.

"Oh come on, the hole isn't that bad."

"It's noticeable."

"So you don't know where it is?"

"No."

Judal laughed. It made his shoulders bounce, and Hakuryuu could see his spine moving beneath his skin. His hips swayed when he moved, dragging the prince's eyes downwards. The book in his hands was completely forgotten.

Judal fished around his drawers until he found something he deemed wearable. The lovely plane of skin Hakuryuu had been busy ogling disappeared under loose cotton as the shirt was pulled on, disrupting his wandering thoughts.

He took a moment to watch Judal flick his hair free of the shirt's collar, silky black cascading down his back. He shut the paperback in his hands, not concerned with finding his place later.

"So, that's it then?" he asked. "Your finals are done?"

"Yep! I'm done with school for this semester. Nothing to do but wait for my grades to be posted."

Hakuryuu brightened.

"You're done with school?" he said, adjusting himself to make room for his lover on the bed.

Judal stretched his arms over his head, groaning contently as his back popped before plopping himself down on the mattress.

"For now, yeah." he smiled. "I gotta sign up for more classes if I want to go back next semester."

A childish, selfish joy burst in Hakuryuu's chest. No school meant no long hours without his Judal. It meant more time together, more time to adore him, more time where he was the center of Judal's attention.

"If?" he asked, hoping he sounded casual.

College seemed important, at least to mortals, so he had the decency to feel a bit guilty about how eager he was to have Judal not attending class. Not guilty enough to encourage him to return to school any faster, though.

Judal hummed, allowing himself to flop backwards onto the bed. Hakuryuu watched him stretch again, though this time the arc of his back was far more obvious.

"Yeah. I mean, I should." Judal sighed. He didn't sound like he was convincing himself, let alone anyone else.

"Do you want to?"

"I don't really know." he shrugged. "I mean, I've been in school like two years now, and I still have no clue what I want to major in. That probably doesn't seem like a long time to you, but I should have, like, some idea what I want to do with myself at this point."

Hakuryuu stretched out, resting his weight on his elbows so he was still looking down at Judal. His cheekbones were still pink from the shower.

"Well, what do you want to do? You must have something that piques your interest."

Judal stared at the ceiling, pondering this. After a few moments, he huffed and rolled over onto his side, facing Hakuryuu. The stern crease of his brow was offset by his pouting bottom lip, which the prince found incredibly endearing.

"All I want is to be with you."

"You are with me."

"Yeah but more."

Hakuryuu took a deep breath, willing himself not to take that sentence too far out of context. The oath that bound him still only filtered out the thoughts it deemed harmful to Judal, which meant there were a whole host of things that slipped through the cracks. His self-control only extended so far.

"Well," he said slowly. "That… is not a "major", I don't think."

"It's not." Judal acquiesced. "But you asked what I wanted, and that's what I want."

"I cannot possibly be the only thing you want in life."

"I mean, probably not, but I can't really think of anything else."

Judal lifted his hand to brush the prince's hair away from his face. Hakuryuu allowed his lover's touch, hyperaware of every moment his fingertips alighted on his skin. They skimmed his cheek, then the curve of his pointed ear, and then his jaw.

"Life out there is boring." Judal murmured. His hand fell against Hakuryuu's chest, over his heart. "Half the time all I'm thinking about is getting home and seeing you."

Hakuryuu wondered if Judal could feel his heart speeding up.

"You shouldn't flatter me so much."

Judal gripped the front of Hakuryuu's shirt and pulled himself up to press fleeting kisses to the prince's jaw. His lips skirted the corner of his mouth, drawing a sharp intake of break from the fae.

"Why not?" he murmured against his cheek.

Hakuryuu twisted his body, rolling them both over so he could catch his lover's teasing mouth in a proper kiss. He sucked his bottom lip, relishing how Judal shivered beneath him.

"You," he breathed. "Could ask anything of me, and I think I would give it to you."

"Anything?"

"Yes."

Judal's hands laced against the back of his neck, pushing gently until they were nose to nose.

Stars, did this boy have any idea what was being proclaimed to him? Fae both yearned and feared to be on this side of the prince's adoration. Creatures like him did not make promises lightly, they took their word to their eternal grave, and everyone knew how long a thing like him was bound to live.

A faerie's heart was a difficult thing to come by, but once one had it, it was difficult to be rid of.

Hakuryuu kissed Judal.

It was slow, but hungry, sharp teeth dragging against his lips and tongue seeking the sweetness of his mouth. Judal leaned up into his voracious kiss with a matching hunger. His breath came in soft gasps and little moans between their mouths, coaxing the fae closer with hands in his hair. Hakuryuu came eagerly, shifting his weight so he was prowled over his prone lover.

They parted and Judal gasped for air, Hakuryuu panted against his mouth. His hands, he noted, were clenched so tight against the sheets he could count the veins in the back of his flesh palm. When was the last time he had been so desperate for self-control? Had he ever bothered trying to restrain himself with a lover?

No, in the past it had never mattered. Lovers were easy to come by, if he wanted one. Pretty fae he entertained and dismissed once he was bored with them, and once or twice a friend he fell into bed with on a whim. The extent of the connection between them was often physical, and even when it trespassed into something more, it wasn't like this.

It was all about the feeling of things. The scent of saccharine lust, the throb of two heartbeats pounding in your eardrums, the intoxicating burn of pleasure through one's whole body. He could only think of a handful of times where he had cared half as much about the person in his arms as he did now.

Judal dragged the flat of his tongue against the prince's bottom lip, drawing his thoughts back to the present.

"Hakuryuu…" he sighed, and the prince shivered.

He claimed Judal's mouth in another lusty kiss, swallowing the second utterance of his name. His name tasted like sugar on crushed ice when it came from his lover's mouth, melting on his tongue.

Judal's knees parted, and Hakuryuu settled between them. Little, wanton sounds echoed between their kisses, lost amidst desperate breaths of air before they were pressed together again. Hakuryuu's hair fell loosely about his face as Judal's hands abandoned it to slide down his chest and fumble at the hem of his shirt.

Lust scorched the inside of his ribs.

Hakuryuu let Judal drag his shirt up over his head. His hands skimmed down the prince's back once the cloth was discarded, fingertips ghosting along his spine. Hakuryuu arched back into his touch, sighing into Judal's mouth as his palms pressed to his skin.

Judal's fingers dragged along his skin, tracing the line of his scars down his back like a cartographer examining a new map. The pressure made old wounds ache, in his heart and on his skin, but the dull throb of them only made the present feel more real. Hakuryuu nuzzled his lover's cheek, nipping at the soft flesh as Judal continued to chart his back curiously.

"Does it hurt?" Judal asked, fingers mapping an island of mottled skin by his waist.

"No." the prince sighed, and then Judal kissed him again.

Desire had never felt so gentle before. It was always searing hot and overwhelming, where this felt almost serene. It wasn't the pace, he'd gone slowly with lovers before, and it wasn't the atmosphere. It was just… Judal. Knowing that it was Judal beneath him, Judal touching him, Judal who moaned and arched and sighed as he slid his hands under his shirt.

Hakuryuu pushed the dark fabric up over his lover's ribs, exposing his torso one tantalizing inch of pale skin at a time. He cupped his hands against his waist and pressed his thumbs into the flesh of his abdomen. Judal hummed, exhaling slowly and then breathing in again, so Hakuryuu could feel the air fill his body. His mouth trailed kisses against his lover's jaw, down to his throat, where he lingered.

It would not be the first time he lavished Judal's neck with attention, and certainly it wouldn't be the last. He loved the flicker of Judal's pulse under his teeth, the vibration of his moans against his lips, and the feeling of sucking marks into his fair skin was divine. He bruised easily, it was almost impossible not to leave marks on his body.

There was a spot just below Judal's ear where Hakuryuu liked to bite and suck until his lover was making desperate little noises in the back of his throat. He latched his mouth there, running sharp incisors against delicate flesh until Judal was squirming. His hands left Hakuryuu's chest, grappling with his own shirt instead until the prince took pity and helped him pull it off.

Judal's cheeks were flushed. His mouth was red from how much he'd been kissed and bit, and little pink marks littered one side of his neck. Hakuryuu slid his hands down his lover's chest and watched as Judal rolled himself up into his touch, arching his whole body with a soft groan.

Stars, he was beautiful. Everything about him was beautiful. Too beautiful for a mortal.

Hakuryuu's hands had a mind of their own, fingers slipping under Judal's waistband before he could think to do otherwise. Judal's cheeks burned, but he lifted his hips invitingly regardless. If he had any words, they seemed to be stuck in his throat.

Hakuryuu's thumbs traced the sharp curve of his lover's hipbones, eyes fixed on Judal's as he eased the cloth down his thighs. He had to sit back to pull the sweatpants free of his legs, and as he did he pressed kisses to the bend of his knee and the swell of his calf. Judal made little noises both times, watching through hazy eyes as he was stripped bare.

A moment had to be spent just admiring his lover in full. Even after a lifetime spent in Sidhe, Hakuryuu had never seen something as breathtaking as Judal laid out naked beneath him.

And in a way, that felt almost ridiculous. He was a Prince of Sidhe, a child of the UnSeelie court. A fae of bloodlines more ancient, more powerful, more enchanting, than any mortal could imagine.

There had been nymphs beneath him, and fae as pale as snow; gorgeous golden men hovered over him and lovely creatures neither man or woman nestled between his thighs. Hakuryuu had kissed and touched and fucked and made love in some of the most stunning places Sidhe had to offer.

The UnSeelie palace, hidden away in one of the countless vaulted rooms; its courtyards, on the crisp grasses and amidst the ever blooming flowerbeds; in trees with golden leaves, in fields of flowers with aphrodisiac for pollen, at the precipice of mountains that crested above the clouds.

This was but a room. A shabby room full of discarded pieces that someone had built a home out of, littered with material things that only held value on the surface, even to their owner. The clothing he had pulled from his lover's body was ill-fitting and unimpressive; the bed barely passed for comfortable; the sheets were soft, but hardly compared to the silk he was used to.

And yet, Hakuryuu could not imagine a more incredible experience than this. Not because of the place, or the act, or even the pleasure warming his entire body. But because it was Judal, who he adored more than he had ever thought was possible, laying there and trusting him with his body and his heart.

What have you done to me, Judal? he thought absently, as he lowered his mouth to kiss along his lover's chest.

He felt, more than heard, the sigh as his lips met skin. Judal's hands smoothed over his shoulders, down his back again, scratching blunted nails against his skin just harshly enough to raise goosebumps. Hakuryuu moaned against his ribs, whispered affections against his collar, and laid a kiss over his heart.

The path his kisses took was winding and with many detours, from ribs to neck, to shoulder, and down again, only to come back up along the other side to drag his teeth over the marks he had left. Judal squirmed delightfully beneath him as he did this, knees squeezing against his sides, hands running through his hair, mouth open in a stream of breathless noises. Hakuryuu moved to the unmarked side of Judal's neck and bit a matching blemish beneath his ear, slipping out of the last of his clothing at the same time.

It took Judal a moment to notice his lover was as bare as he was. His breath caught for a moment when he did, hand skimming down Hakuryuu's side to brush curiously against the curve of his rear. Hakuryuu rocked his hips forward in response, and the resulting friction made them both gasp.

Judal's legs hooked around Hakuryuu, rocking their pelvises together again, and the prince hissed through his teeth. He hung his head, rolling his hips forward a third time, and then a fourth, grinding against the delicious softness of Judal's belly. Lashes fluttered, his eyes opening enough to gaze down at the gorgeous boy beneath him. Judal was looking elsewhere, and Hakuryuu followed his lidded gaze down between their bodies.

Their cocks were nestled between their bellies, hot, pink, and already slick with need. Hakuryuu found himself bewitched by the little jerks of Judal's hips when he ground against him, the twitching of his belly as he breathed between moans. He was leaving a sticky mess on the prince's skin, pushing up against him for more friction, and it was wonderful.

Hakuryuu had to tear their eyes away, kiss Judal breathless to distract him, or else they would keep staring until they came, and he had other plans for his lover.

Admittedly, he was momentarily thrown off-balance when he considered what came next. In Sidhe, even the weakest fae knew how to create some form of lubricant, but he was pretty sure mortals went about things differently, as they didn't have magic. He wasn't sure, for a second, how Judal would react to his preferred method; if he should pull away from the kiss and ask.

Then, he considered how his lover watched carelessly as the garden devoured fae alive and dead. Somehow, he doubted that this was where Judal was going to draw the proverbial line.

It was second nature to use his magic while distracted by warm lips and a teasing tongue. One of the flowers he had brought into Judal's room contorted and changed, while Hakuryuu nudged his lover's legs further apart. When the newly formed bulb opened, a mellow scent wafted from within that made Judal's whole body relax even more.

Their lips parted and Hakuryuu feathered kisses against Judal's cheeks and chin. He slicked his fingers in the nectar within the bulb, murmuring soft words to Judal he wasn't entirely sure his lover could hear. His stomach jumped as Hakuryuu drew his fingers down over his belly, a last warning of what was to come.

Judal shifted beneath him, though it was difficult to say if it was from excitement or nerves. Hakuryuu rubbed slow circles against his inner thigh with his left thumb, while the fingers of his right hand stroked against his prick. It took a few moments for Judal to relax again, and when he did Hakuryuu brushed his fingers down over his sack, lower, until his fingertips pressed to his puckered entrance.

Judal's hands were suddenly on his cheeks, and the prince allowed himself to be pulled into a heated kiss. He leaned into it, using the distraction to ease one finger into his lover. Judal moaned into his mouth, and it was the most delicious thing he'd ever felt.

If his restraint had not already been wearing thin, Hakuryuu would have taken all the time in the world to ease Judal open with his fingers. He would have stretched him at a snail's pace, drawn every moment out until his lover was a wanton mess, desperate for more. But that would be for another night, he decided. For now he twisted and hooked his fingers, relishing how Judal's hips jerked and his mouth fell open in surprised gasps and cries of pleasure.

Teeth dug into his upper lip, conveying need Judal didn't have words for. Hakuryuu understood. He pulled his fingers free of his lover's body and slicked them with nectar again, reaching to pump his own prick. One pass of his hand almost undid him, but he managed to stamp down on his rising orgasm at the last moment.

Judal's knees squeezed against his hips; Hakuryuu gasped assurances against his jaw. He pressed one thigh back against his lover's chest, resting his forehead against his shoulder before finally, blissfully, pressing inside him.

The sound Judal made was incredible. A perfect, keening, cry of pleasure that shook his whole body. Between his voice and the feeling of his body drawing him in, swallowing him in soft, delicious heat, Hakuryuu was almost crippled. He had to stop, just stop and bask in the feeling of their bodies joined together.

"Stars…" he breathed, casting his eyes over the vision of his lover arched beneath him. "You are beautiful, my Judal…"

Judal whined and rocked his hips, nails dragging lines up Hakuryuu's shoulder blades.

"Hakuryuu," His hands fisted in inky hair. "Hakuryuu."

How could he ignore a plea like that?

He pressed open mouthed kisses against his lover's skin, easing himself slowly deeper into his pliant body. Judal moaned for him, gasped and mewed until he'd taken the prince to his root. He kissed him, arched his whole body so they were pressed flush together, and rolled his perfect hips. Hakuryuu saw stars.

It was difficult to bring himself to pull away. Their bodies rocked together in a disjointed rhythm, desperate for the building heat to reach its peak, but unwilling to disentangle themselves. Judal's voice pitched higher and higher as Hakuryuu moved inside him, flushed with dizzying pleasure.

Their fervent lovemaking only lasted so long. They had yearned to be this intimate long enough that their need had reached its breaking point. Satisfaction was a breath away, one more pass of Hakuryuu's hips, one more sloppy kiss, one more inch Judal's body allowed itself to be invaded. Hakuryuu panted into the divot of Judal's collar as his hand pumped his cock to the staccato of his hips.

Judal tightened around him, arms tight around his shoulders, hands buried in his hair, thighs shaking and body clamping down around the prince as he came. His orgasm dragged a sobbing moan from his throat, wracked his body in tremors of pleasure that made Hakuryuu almost collapse. He wasn't far behind, one last jerky thrust before he spilled inside his lover, filling him intimately with his desire.

They gasped for breath, both boneless and unmoving, aftershocks twitching through their limbs. Hakuryuu pulled free of his lover's body and Judal whimpered in response. A vague, comforting murmur left Hakuryuu's lips as he laid soft kisses against Judal's cheek.

The lovers laid there, still tangled together, blissful and uncaring of the rest of the world.