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Kunikuzushi has always been beautiful.
Since the day Kazuha’s eyes first landed on the prince, the first thought that entered his mind was that he was a man born fairer than any other. Kunikuzushi was the very definition of perfection, of beauty unrivaled that a mere glance at him could leave anyone breathless.
He was someone men would go to war for.
He was someone men would die for.
His skin was like porcelain; pale and delicate, with no blemishes or scars, unlike Kazuha’s own marred body that suffered much trauma and damage throughout the years. His eyes, gleaming ever so slightly with warmth, encapsulated the essence of lightning and the defiance of thunder itself.
His lips too were soft to touch and sweet to taste, with an irresistible flush that made the samurai yearn to kiss them until he could no longer breathe. They beckoned him, tempted him to conquer them as his until only the sensation of his inexperienced tongue and cracked lips were all that they would ever long for. In that regard, he was as selfish and possessive as he could be.
Kunikuzushi was akin to a perfect painting. He was a masterpiece brought to life.
It made sense for Kazuha to want him.
The prince was tantalizing. Everybody wanted him, but nobody deserved him. Not even Kazuha, who followed his every beck and call, who pined for him more than anyone else, felt worthy of his kindness, much less the opportunity to hold him close every day.
Yet, there Kazuha was. He was taken over with desire as beneath him, the prince laid with his haori thrown aside and his kimono undone. His vision became hazy as he gaped at the lovely sight he was blessed with.
“K- Kazuha…” Kunikuzushi was out of breath.
He was shy, unable to meet the samurai’s gaze, who couldn’t help but admire the rosy hue that took over his exposed skin. From his innocent face down to his neck and chest. A deep blush reddened his entirety. It made him all the more desirable.
Beautiful. Kunikuzushi was all the more beautiful while in this state.
It made something inside of Kazuha burn. To see him like this, to hear him say his name so bashfully with his honeyed voice. At that moment, Kazuha realized just how weak he truly was for the prince.
He lifted his hand to cup Kunikuzushi’s cheek, with his thumb gently caressing his parted bottom lip. Kazuha couldn’t help but smile proudly at how full the prince’s face had gotten when compared to its gaunt and sickly appearance back then. His heart swelled at the proof of Kunikuzushi’s slowly, yet surely, improving health.
“May I kiss you, Your Highness?” Kazuha watched with amusement as for a brief second, Kunikuzushi’s brows furrowed at the honorific.
“Kazuha,” Kunikuzushi said his name once more, but this time his tone was firm and a bit surly.
“Forgive me, I merely jest.” Kazuha held himself back from letting out a chuckle, while his lips hovered over the prince’s own, “May I kiss you, Kunikuzushi?”
Kunikuzushi huffed, with his complexion much redder than before. He subtly nodded his head in response to Kazuha’s question, before he closed his eyes and let his lips be devoured so passionately. Teeth lightly bit down on his bottom lip, which made him whimper and grasp tightly onto Kazuha’s back.
It was clear that Kazuha was a novice. He was clumsy with his technique and hesitant in using his tongue to explore Kunikuzushi’s sweet cavern. Though they had already kissed in the past, the act had been short and innocent more than anything.
This time, however, they both desired for more.
Which was why there they laid, on a large bed that had sheets made of silk, and pillows stuffed with the softest feathers. Their bodies were pressed together, with their kimonos loosening more and more the longer they were connected. When they inevitably separated, their appearances were entirely disheveled.
Sweat trickled down their skin. Kunikuzushi could feel strands of his hair stick to his forehead, which Kazuha brushed away. A string of saliva continued to connect their tongues even as heavy breaths escaped them.
Hot. Kazuha felt heat bubbling within him. It gnawed at him and made him want to kiss Kunikuzushi with such fervor once more.
The moon peered at them from the window.
Beneath him, Kunikuzushi tilted his head and showed off his neck. He then trailed his hand up Kazuha’s back until it reached his nape, after which, he slowly pulled him closer until his face was nestled into the crook of his neck.
Neither of them had done this before. They were both inexperienced, like birds who have yet to take flight for the very first time. But, tonight, they agreed to take the next step in their relationship after months of courtship in secret. Kunikuzushi caressed the scar on Kazuha’s cheek, who pecked his neck reverently.
With bated breath, Kunikuzushi ignored the diffidence that made him look away from Kazuha and parted his lips to murmur, “Make me yours…”
His tone was soft and low. It exuded the shyness that he continued to feel.
Even so, he was firm, resolute with his desire.
“With pleasure, my love.”
Kunikuzushi gasped. Teeth sunk into his flesh, careful and tender, as if afraid of harming him. The unfamiliar sensation made him let out a whine, more so when the teeth began to suck on his skin in an awkward, yet not any less enticing manner.
“O- Oh!” Kunikuzushi couldn’t help but moan. It was a sound that made Kazuha briefly pause as he could feel something inside of him awaken.
What a lovely noise, the samurai thought.
He wanted to hear it again.
He wanted to make Kunikuzushi feel good. He wanted to overwhelm him with pleasure, to make sure that the prince would never forget him. He rested his hand over Kunikuzushi’s bare chest, admiring its smoothness as he continued to litter his neck with marks that served as proof of their love.
Throughout it all, Kunikuzushi was a mess. He buried his face into one of the many pillows surrounding them, for he was embarrassed of the sensual, irrepressible sounds that escaped him.
“Don’t hide.” Kazuha made it so that Kunikuzushi was now facing him. As their gazes met, he licked a stripe over the prince’s cheek, which earned him a gasp and a wide-eyed stare. Such a cute expression. He wanted to cherish it all the more, “You’re beautiful like this.”
Indeed. No matter what, Kunikuzushi was beautiful.
Even when his hair was in a tangled mess while sweat coated his red face. Even when his eyes were lidded, fueled with arousal, and his lips grew thick after being worshiped by his undeserving own. The entire time, all that he could think about was how beautiful the prince was while he was putty to his every touch.
Kazuha could feel his heart’s pace hasten. The sound of his own heartbeat deafened his ears as he left more marks all over Kunikuzushi’s neck. To think that among all the men in the world, Kunikuzushi chose to love him despite his many imperfections, and allow him to defile his sacred form with such debauchery. It made Kazuha feel as if he was the luckiest man alive.
To have gained Kunikuzushi’s divine gaze, one so full of love and affection, was truly an honor. He knew that he didn’t deserve it. He was damaged. He was a man broken beyond repair, tainted not only by the scars on his body, but also by the blood on his hands.
But, Kunikuzushi chose him anyway.
Despite everything, Kunikuzushi chose to love him.
“Let me prove to you my devotion.” Kazuha gently bit down on Kunikuzushi’s shoulder. He didn’t know how to repay the prince for accepting his flawed heart other than to overwhelm him with pleasure until he reached the brink of ecstasy.
“So beautiful…” Dark red and purple hues bloomed all over Kunikuzushi’s chest.
Kunikuzushi bit his tongue to stifle his moans. Only for Kazuha to kiss his nipple, which made him whimper at the unfamiliar sensation. He was left more vulnerable than he already was. He arched his back, at a loss for words as he was never touched this way before.
As Kazuha’s lips proceeded to press fleet pecks down his stomach, Kunikuzushi placed a hand over his heart and listened to its steady beat. He glanced at the mop of platinum-blonde hair and the lone red streak which was splayed over his chest. Kazuha was gentle in how he handled him, even as he bit and sucked on his body with an intense insatiability.
“I love you. I love you,” Kazuha whispered into his skin before he sat back and lifted the prince’s legs so that he could kiss his milky thighs, “My muse. My beloved, you’re mine. Mine.”
“Yours. I’m yours…”
His kimono became more undone as it spread over the bed. This left his flawless legs exposed for Kazuha to marvel at and stake his claim over.
Kazuha kissed his inner thighs with much hunger that, similar to his neck and chest, tender bruises formed on what was once pale skin. It hurt at first, every time he felt teeth suck on his flesh. But, after a while, the pain would subside and transform into pleasure as Kazuha marked him with such reverence.
Between each kiss, Kazuha would then utter words of praise so sincere and poetic that it flustered the prince even further. Even after all this time, Kunikuzushi still wasn’t used to being worshiped so openly with sweet words and even sweeter touches.
“Kunikuzushi…”
“Let me…” Cracked lips pecked his own, “Will you let me…”
For the first time in so long, Kazuha found it difficult to choose the right words to speak. Kunikuzushi’s dazed eyes met with Kazuha’s sultry gaze as his burned hand brushed down the dip of the prince’s waist.
As he struggled on deciding what to say, Kunikuzushi merely laughed. He seemed to already know what he wanted to ask for.
“Go on, take me.”
Kazuha’s breath hitched. He froze, uncertain whether he correctly heard the prince’s words.
“May you please repeat yourself?”
Kunikuzushi sighed, amused, “And here I thought that your hearing was second to none. As I’ve said before, go on, take me. Make me yours.”
What happened next was a blur. In a blink of an eye, Kazuha stripped himself of all his clothing, including his undergarments, which left him completely nude above the half-dressed prince. All his scars were exposed to Kunikuzushi—from the healed gashes on his muscles to the faint fractal pattern that emerged from a single point near his abdomen.
His every imperfection. His every insecurity. It was all laid bare for the prince to see.
He expected to be met with judgment. He expected for Kunikuzushi’s expression to contort in either disgust or horror at the sight of his tainted body. Instead, he was met with kind eyes and a lithe finger that gently traced one of his many healed wounds.
Kunikuzushi said nothing about his scars.
He simply smiled. His dainty hand then rested on his chest before he planted a short kiss onto the center of his fractal patterned scar.
“My brave samurai, you’re beautiful too.” Hearing that made Kazuha shudder.
Beautiful. The word echoed in his mind. He had never been called beautiful before. He was only ever praised for his skill with the sword arts and his innate ability to string together literary feats. He wrote about peerless beauties, inscribed their perfection in ink, but he was never the subject of such writings in turn.
No one found him beautiful. Even he struggled to view himself as anything but hideous and sullen.
Yet, there Kunikuzushi was. He was the most peerless beauty of all, Kazuha’s greatest muse, and despite his ruined body, he told him that he was beautiful and even kissed his greatest shame.
It made his eyes, which were now glassy and blurred, brim with unshed tears. He held Kunikuzushi’s chin and without warning, connected their lips into a sweet kiss that had no undertone of arousal. This kiss was one of deep gratitude, done out of fondness instead of heated passion.
Kazuha was beautiful.
Kunikuzushi believed Kazuha to be beautiful.
As their lips eventually parted, a lone tear rolled down his cheek. One that Kunikuzushi saw and wiped away with his cool thumb before he pecked the damp streak beneath his eye.
“You’re beautiful, Kazuha.” If it were anybody else who had called him beautiful, he knew that he would never have believed them. Only Kunikuzushi, someone who knew naught of the depravity of humanity and divinity alike, could convince him otherwise, “Don’t let anyone make you believe anything else.”
He rested his hand on Kunikuzushi’s hip, “How could someone as perfect as you find someone as broken as me to be beautiful?”
Kunikuzushi’s eyes flickered with sadness.
“You’re not broken,” Kunikuzushi refuted. He caressed the scar beneath Kazuha’s eye, “If only you could see yourself from my eyes. You’re beautiful, Kazuha, even if you don’t think so.”
This time, it was Kazuha who felt teeth sinking into his skin in a tender manner. Kunikuzushi marked him with affection and a hint of sheepishness because this was his first time ever doing such an act. Nevertheless, he was determined to prove his love and to show Kazuha how beautiful he thought he was.
“Ah.” Kazuha was surprised.
He never expected for this to happen.
He didn’t deserve this. The prince’s every move on his body was gentle, brimming with innocence despite the nature of his current move. It made Kazuha feel all the more guilty, for how dare he ruin his muse with marks from his own foul mouth.
”You’re beautiful.” Kazuha wasn’t. In spite of that, for a brief moment, he chose to believe Kunikuzushi, and in his mind, he too called himself beautiful.
He was beautiful. Even as a large part of him believed otherwise, right then and there, with Kunikuzushi in his arms, he was beautiful. To think that a word as simple as beautiful could turn him into that much of a mess.
Kunikuzushi found him to be beautiful. That must mean that he truly was beautiful, right?
Kazuha moaned softly. Kunikuzushi moved down from his neck, onto his chest. His pecs were soon adorned with tender bruises, similar to the ones on the prince’s torso, only that the marks on his own body were made out of affection, not salacity.
As he continued to be cherished by Kunikuzushi’s lips, his fingers twitched as they curled around the band of the prince’s undergarments. He felt Kunikuzushi tense in his arms for he was unused to being stripped naked in front of another man. Though, he was quick to calm down when the samurai smiled at him lovingly.
More tears pricked Kazuha’s eyes. He blinked them all away as he pulled down Kunikuzushi’s undergarments and set them aside. He wanted to make the prince feel good, to pleasure him as a form of gratitude for making him feel beautiful for once in his life.
Now, both their bodies were wholly exposed. Only the silk sheets were left to cover a part of their legs.
“I want to worship you.” Kazuha revered every part of Kunikuzushi’s bare body. From his slender frame down to his slim arms and legs. He looked so small and frail, as if one wrong move could break him.
Kunikuzushi was undoubtedly a delicate beauty.
Kazuha wanted to protect him. But, as he gazed at his unclothed muse, his heart ached for more. He wanted to make Kunikuzushi feel sensations he never had the chance to feel before. He wanted to claim his first time, his purity, even if he didn’t deserve that honor.
“Well…” Kunikuzushi drawled. Red spread all over his face when he slowly opened his legs. Desire overtook his bashfulness when he revealed his entrance, which had neither been touched nor seen by anyone before, to Kazuha, “What are you waiting for? Don’t hold back and worship me with your entirety.”
That was all that Kazuha wanted to hear.
The heat inside of him burned even more. Like a moth drawn to a flame, when presented with perfection on a silver platter, he was unable to resist.
He thoroughly licked two of his fingers in an attempt to lubricate them. It was crude, but though the throes of passion overwhelmed his mind, he didn’t want to hurt Kunikuzushi. He wanted their first time fornicating with each other to be memorable, not pain-inducing.
“Tell me if it hurts.” Kunikuzushi shuddered after he felt a wet finger prod against his entrance.
It was strange to be touched there. It became clear that they really were going to do this. There was no turning back now, and that was okay.
They both wanted this.
“I will.”
Kunikuzushi closed his eyes. He waited for Kazuha to push his finger inside of him and explore him in a way nobody had ever done before. He let out a sharp gasp at the samurai’s slow and careful movements, as soon enough, he felt full.
Oh. His brows furrowed in discomfort. It didn’t hurt like he initially thought it would, but the newness of the act made him feel mixed emotions.
Goosebumps formed on his skin. Kazuha thrusted his finger inside of him at a rhythmic pace. His walls were being stretched, and now, he could feel another finger pressing itself against his entrance. Kazuha kissed his closed eye, which did nothing to ease the tension that weighed over him. His stomach churned, but he didn’t voice out any of the uneasiness he felt.
He didn’t hate it. He really didn’t.
It just felt… weird. He was at a loss for words. He kept his mouth shut, unsure on how to describe what he felt at that moment.
Kunikuzushi grunted. Another finger entered him and it made him squirm. He grasped onto the sheets with his clenched hands and curled toes. Kazuha stretched his fingers inside of him, pried him open in preparation for something much bigger.
Sensual noises left him all throughout. When he finally opened his eyes, he was met with the enthralled gaze of his lover. Dendrobium-red gems, similar to the flush of their skin, stared at him with pure adoration.
Those warm eyes made his heart swell.
They made him feel loved. They made him feel safe.
“Do you want me to stop?” No. Kunikuzushi shook his head vehemently. He ignored the worry that was laced in Kazuha’s tone. Instead, he snaked his arms around the samurai’s back and pulled him closer.
Their lips met once more. Kazuha gasped, shocked at how sudden he had been kissed. The kiss was sloppy, done so to shut him up more than anything. He almost choked at how Kunikuzushi’s tongue reached the back of his mouth.
Nails dug into his back. They lightly scratched his skin, which took his breath away. He never thought that the ever-gentle prince could handle him this roughly.
Not that he minded.
In fact, Kazuha kind of liked it. He became flustered at the idea of Kunikuzushi pinning him down and looking at him with concupiscent eyes. As their kiss deepened, his thoughts became more and more inappropriate as he fantasized about the usually mild-mannered prince asserting his dominance over him.
Kazuha moaned. If that did happen, it would be as if a dream he didn’t know he had came true.
This was pure ecstasy, absolute bliss.
He wanted more. Kunikuzushi did too. He couldn’t help but be disappointed when they had to draw apart their lips due to their need to breathe. His tongue could still taste a hint of sweetness which was reminiscent of the candies he bought for Kunikuzushi to snack on.
“Don’t you dare stop.” Kunikuzushi’s hot breath tickled Kazuha’s ear. The samurai suppressed a whine when he felt a hand tighten its grip on his nape.
Archons. That sultry tone…
It awakened something in him.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined his muse to sound this titillating. He almost forgot that two of his fingers were still inside of him. With how sudden their heated exchange had been, a lot had slipped his mind as Kunikuzushi’s unexpected boldness garnered most of his attention.
Kazuha held back a breath. He was overwhelmed with desire. He wanted to make Kunikuzushi feel the same fervor their kiss made him feel. He wanted to make his eyes widen in shock and his lips yearn for more.
Just then, he thrusted his two fingers. This earned him a sharp gasp from Kunikuzushi, who let go of his nape to instead grip at the sheets. He continued to thrust his fingers until the prince’s moans echoed throughout the room. It was music to his ears.
“Ah! Kazuha—” To hear his name be spoken with such eroticism made his heart race even further.
He became drunk with lust.
His tip, flushed red and hard, throbbed. He wanted his length to also experience the warmth of Kunikuzushi’s walls, similar to that of his fingers. It was sacrilegious to engage in such lewd acts with a deity, but that didn’t bother him anymore. They both wanted to do this, after all. If Kunikuzushi wanted him to stop, then he would, but so far, he made no objections.
Kunikuzushi gritted his teeth. Kazuha stretched him so wide that stars began to cloud his vision.
His initial discomfort had long gone. To be filled in this way made him feel complete. It made him wonder what it would be like to be penetrated by Kazuha’s length as at that moment, it pressed against his thigh and leaked pearls of argent.
“My love.” Lips caressed his crotch, as if to tease him, which made him harden with arousal. His tip was then held and given a small lick by Kazuha, “Are you finally ready to take me in?”
A knot formed in his chest. He threw his head back as he gasped for air, seemingly breathless, “I want—no, I need you right now… I’m ready.”
The fullness that he felt soon disappeared. The fingers that had been inside of him were now gone as Kazuha pulled them out. His mouth parted at the loss and how it made him feel empty, incomplete.
That didn’t last long though.
Something prodded his entrance. It was bigger than he initially thought. He began to doubt whether or not he could take Kazuha’s length in, even after he had been thoroughly prepared. Still, he made known none of his concerns and decided to just close his eyes and await the instant their naked bodies become one.
There was a stretch. Kazuha was slow to enter him as he didn’t want to cause him needless pain. Only his tip managed to greet his walls and feel his warmth after a minute or two had passed.
“Does it hurt?” Kazuha asked after he saw a few tears spill from Kunikuzushi’s closed eyes.
“No. It’s just a lot.” Kunikuzushi was overwhelmed with many emotions. Desire burned within him after all that they had done that evening. His purity had been taken by Kazuha, his devoted follower and partner, the only man he ever loved. Be that as it may, he feared that he would turn out to be an insufficient lover, with how he burst into tears, unable to even handle Kazuha’s tip.
Kazuha kissed all of Kunikuzushi’s tears away. He held his face and brushed his thumb over his damp cheek down to his bottom lip.
It was a tender moment.
Kunikuzushi was being undone. As Kazuha whispered sweet nothings into his ear, he felt similar to a flower in bloom, unfurled, but fragile all the same. He continued to be filled that when he opened his eyes, he could see an outline start to form near his abdomen.
He tensed at how full he felt. It was too much, yet not enough at the same time.
“I promise to be as gentle as possible.”
“M-mm,” Kunikuzushi murmured in response.
Their fingers intertwined. Calloused palms held his soft own as Kazuha carefully thrusted into him. He gasped at how his insides seemed to twist and form a knot as his walls clenched around Kazuha’s length.
“I love you.” Kazuha slowly moved his hips, “I love you so much.”
Kunikuzushi let out a sob. More tears trickled down his face as now that he and Kazuha were making love, he felt whole. He drowned in the pool of red that met with his blurred eyes. Whether it was the lone streak among a sea of platinum-blonde or the jewels that resembled dendrobiums, he could no longer tell.
Red used to only ever represent his suffering.
It was the color that he bled. One that would leave his lips every time he fell gravely ill and taint his fair skin whenever he accidentally hurt himself. It was the flush on his face that made it obvious he had a fever or had stared at the sun for far too long without any form of protection.
Red marked his every imperfection. He grew to hate it as a result. That was until Kazuha entered his life in a flurry of red—red eyes, a unique red streak in his hair, shades of red in every article of clothing, and even his clan’s symbol, the red maple leaf.
Kazuha helped redefine the meaning of red.
Red became the blush that bloomed on his face every time Kazuha made his heart flutter. It was the lips that revered him with sincere praises and marked his body just to prove how loved he was. It was the warmth that engulfed him whenever Kazuha embraced him with his strong, protective arms.
Red now served as the symbol of their love. It was his and Kazuha’s heart, a beating and beautiful sentiment that showed just how much they cared for each other.
Kunikuzushi cried into the crook of Kazuha’s neck.
His lips uttered a soft, near inaudible, “I love you too.”
The bed creaked. Some pillows fell to the floor as their acts of intimacy carried on. Since it was their first time, Kazuha hoped that his amateurish technique wouldn’t bore Kunikuzushi. Though, based on the stifled moans that were picked up by his ears, the opposite could be said as Kunikuzushi’s bliss was apparent.
“Kunikuzushi…” Kazuha groaned. He was blinded with the high of chasing after his own gratification.
They drowned in each other’s eyes—a sea of dark red and deep indigo that neither of them wanted to escape from. Amidst the tears and the stars that clouded their vision, they fell into a pleasant rhythm. Their foreheads touched as they hoped that this moment of indulgence, where their bodies were one, could last for eternity.
Alas, all good things must come to an end.
Kazuha could only go on for much longer. His stamina was still that of a mortal’s after all. The heat within him reached its boiling point. His length throbbed inside of Kunikuzushi’s walls as it begged for release, similar to the prince’s own leaking tip.
He started to pull out of Kunikuzushi. He didn’t want to release inside him as the very thought of doing so was mortifying. But, in turn, Kunikuzushi furrowed his brows in confusion at what he was doing.
Before he could explain himself, he reached his climax and spilled all over Kunikuzushi’s stomach. He let out a loud moan as he shivered at the pleasure that wrecked his entire body. His mind turned blank while his length softened after his release. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that he felt shame for what he had just done.
Kunikuzushi gasped, “I see.”
“I’m so sorry.” Kazuha was abashed. His face paled at the sight of his seed trickling down Kunikuzushi’s bare chest and abdomen.
Kunikuzushi blinked once, then twice, before he stared at Kazuha, utterly dumbfounded. His length wept at the loss of stimulation as his walls unconsciously clenched around a figure that was no longer there. He sniffled at the sudden emptiness that he felt.
His concupiscence had been cut short, and what a pity that truly was. He briefly touched the viscid fluid on his stomach, which Kazuha was swift to clean up using the sheets they laid on.
“Please. I want more.” He wanted Kazuha to enter him again. He wanted their bodies to become one so that he could feel whole again.
Kazuha’s mouth formed a strained smile.
It was a relief that Kunikuzushi did enjoy their first time together. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have grasped his arm and asked for more. But, after Kazuha had his orgasm on top of the prince, he was too embarrassed to make love with him so soon. There were still remnants of his release that clung to Kunikuzushi’s skin.
He gave Kunikuzushi a haste kiss. It wasn’t enough to appease the prince, with how he wanted their peck to deepen, only for Kazuha to pull away before their kiss could escalate into something more.
“Let me prepare you a bath and—” Kazuha was about to stand up and leave, only for Kunikuzushi to pull him closer and make him hold his flushed tip.
Kunikuzushi whined at the touch, “Wait a moment, will you? You didn’t even let me finish.”
“Oh.” Kazuha stilled at the prince’s words.
He had been too focused on his own pleasure and the subsequent shame that he felt after his release that he forgot that Kunikuzushi had yet to climax. The prince’s tip throbbed in his hold. It awaited for the gentle caress of his scarred hands so that it could finally let go of the pent up heat within it.
What an inconsiderate lover he was. He must remedy his mistake immediately.
He stroked Kunikuzushi’s length before he peppered it with sweet, a tad apologetic, kisses. His tongue licked the beads of silver that leaked from Kunikuzushi’s tip, which earned him a euphonious moan.
It only took a few more licks and touches.
It was after a particularly venereal fondle that ropes of white escaped Kunikuzushi and sullied Kazuha’s face, whose lips parted in shock. A foreign, salty substance made its way onto Kazuha’s tongue, which he ignored in favor of admiring the relieved expression present on the prince’s blissed out face.
A familiar thought entered his mind.
Kunikuzushi was truly someone beautiful. At times, he struggled to believe that he could ever be the lover of perfection incarnate. Had he saved a nation in his past life to have been blessed with the sincere affections of Kunikuzushi’s fragile, yet precious heart?
“Here.” Delicate hands wiped away the sticky mess on his cheeks and lips. They brushed against his skin and made him feel an indescribable comfort, “Let me clean you up.”
Kazuha felt his face heat up, “How about we take that bath now?”
“I would love to.”
Faint laughter erupted throughout the room as Kazuha lifted Kunikuzushi in his arms. Their noses touched for a brief second as he was carried off to the private bath connected to their current room. Steam obscured their vision the instant they entered, while the familiar scent of sakura blooms lingered through the air.
For the first time, they laid in a bath together, with their bodies soaked in warm water and their legs entangled as they refused to let each other go. Kazuha could feel Kunikuzushi’s back rest against his chest as he ran his fingers through his dark wet hair.
Both their bodies were tainted with tender bruises and faded handprints. Kazuha prodded and traced some of the marks he managed to leave on Kunikuzushi’s once flawless skin.
“I love you,” Kazuha whispered into Kunikuzushi’s bare shoulder for the nth time now.
Kunikuzushi hummed in turn, “I love you too.”
They stayed in the bath for half an hour as they made sure to scrub each other clean of any sweat, tears and other fluids. During which, they occasionally peppered one another’s faces with playful pecks. What had been their night of passion now turned into that of simple fun and respite.
Kazuha was the first to leave the bath. He stood up to clean the mess left on the bed, as well as to go and get their nightwear from the closet. Meanwhile, the prince was left to wait in the bath until the samurai returned to pick him up and dry him off. Kunikuzushi could feel an ache burn in his thighs and a soreness down his legs after all that they had done. This led to him struggling to walk, much less stand up, without Kazuha’s help.
Eventually, they were both dressed. Kunikuzushi wore a loose yukata adorned in purple hues, while Kazuha was showered with different shades of red.
They shared another kiss before they laid underneath the new, clean sheets. Kunikuzushi’s eyes drooped as his exhaustion finally caught up to him. With his head tucked beneath Kazuha’s chin, and his body wrapped in a loving embrace, he was quick to fall asleep.
“Goodnight, my love.” To think that of all the men in the world, it was Kazuha, the disgraced heir to a clan that had long since lost its relevance, a lowly samurai, who Kunikuzushi chose to bear his heart to.
He truly was the luckiest man alive.
Moonlight illuminated their silhouettes. As the minutes passed by, Kazuha inevitably succumbed to the pull of enervation. Both asleep and within each other’s arms, Kazuha and Kunikuzushi felt whole once more.