Immediately, Zye attempts to drag Jace over to the curtains. Jace won’t be having it. He presses a palm to Zye’s chest, urging him to let it go.
“Stop. I’m already healing, it’s fine.”
“But—”
“Let me sit down for a minute. If they’re not healing, I’ll do as you want.”
“Fine.”
Jace gingerly peels away from Zye. He takes off the coat and hands it to Zye, to which he places it on the chair by the table. It’s a quaint little set of dark brown wood with fabric bolted into the seat of the chair. He idles there, unsure if he should sit or try to help.
When he glances back at Jace, the man is smiling softly at him as he settles on the edge of the bed. “What’s wrong?”
“Can I help? Maybe get something to wipe the blood off?”
“Sure.”
Jace calls for his Mark to stand before Zye. The sight of the being has Zye staring even when he knows he shouldn’t. He has more important things to do. And yet, he’s caught off guard by how gently it moves forward and bows its head.
When he doesn’t do anything, the Mark lifts its head enough to take Zye’s wrist. Placing the warm palm atop its head, it waits patiently. Once it knows what Zye needs, there’s a light from its chest. Producing a small stack of pastel washcloths, it hands them to Zye.
“Shit. Water. I’ll be right back.”
Zye gives a nod of thanks before darting around the Mark. He heads straight for the curtains while the being fades from existence. Jace watches his lover hurry about. He can see the nerves even as Zye returns to stand before him.
Water drips from his hands and the rung-out cloths he clutches onto. When he doesn’t do anything, Jace raises an eyebrow at him. After a moment, Zye swallows past the nerves. There are things he doesn’t want to ever go unsaid considering how dangerous things are.
“Okay, here we go.” He takes a deep breath. “I think we need to be a bit selfish. I…I’m going to try to be. I really need you right now. And I know you didn’t expect Kerse to be there and you got out. So it’s fine…”
“I know. I felt the same way when I couldn’t get to you while you were fighting Daichi. This life isn’t easy. Especially not when there’s trouble going on.”
Zye chuckles and lifts one of the rags. “Being alive and going day to day wasn’t much easier sometimes. I just…don’t want to lose you yet. We still have so much to do and talk about, right?”
“Correct.”
Jace watches quietly as Zye begins to wipe his face and then his neck. The warmth of the wet cloth has already dissipated quite a lot. Even so, he doesn’t complain in the slightest.
Wiping at the cuts that are healing, Zye accidentally drops it to the floor. It has Jace preparing to lean forward to grab it when Zye stops him. He squats down in front of Jace’s legs. As he does, Jace smiles at him.
“You don’t have to. You can see they’re healing fine.”
His hands are what Zye goes for next. It brushes against bloodied knuckles and between his fingers. Down over his palm then around his wrist. The cool touch vanishes and reappears should he change out the cloth for the other warmer one. Zye is careful as he dabs and brushes it over healing skin. He’s happy to see that the wounds are already disappearing.
Not so much when Jace keeps shifting away from him. Rather, trying to.
“Let me take care of you.”
“I—”
“You’ve done that and more for me. Sit there and be a good boy.”
What Jace wants to tell him is that he does appreciate the thought as well as the action. He’s not one to take anything for granted these days. Yet it’s still not the reason he wishes Zye would let up so they can return.
It’s because each pass of the cloth over his skin has it prickling. Watching Zye’s fingers hold his so gently and caress the skin, making sure it’s smooth and unmarred, is too much. He has to swallow hard past the lump in his throat and think of anything else that will make the arousal go away.
He tells himself it’s not the time nor the place. Zye is being terribly kind. Not to mention he can usually control himself better. He doesn’t want to make it weird because he’s about to pitch a tent. A reason why he’s elated when Zye finally stands and takes a step back.
Until the man opens his mouth.
“Shirt off.”
“There’s nothing wrong…” Jace trails off as he meets those smoldering eyes. One look is all it takes to know that Zye noticed. How could he not? “Okay, shirt off.”
Up and over his head, he lets it land next to him. Zye watches with not a word uttered. He takes a moment to admire the sight. More than that, he’s happy to know that the cuts are long gone.
Jace never has been one to show off or even flash a bit of skin with that specific intent. Only those strong arms— not the broad chest or the muscles that sit below it. Each piece of the puzzle tempts Zye to come forward to touch.
After so long, he can’t help himself. Zye takes a deep breath and shoos Jace further up the bed.
Jace follows the order. He doesn’t question Zye whatsoever. He looks up just in time to see Zye bite at the corner of his lip. One knee hits the bed while he leans over. Fingers curl into the waistband of Jace’s pants and pull. Jace pushes back up onto his elbow, grabbing onto Zye’s wrist with the other hand.
“What are you doing?”
“She ruined your pants and I should check to make sure those wounds are healing, too.”
“You really don’t have to. I’ll be fine.”
Zye doesn’t dare let go. He steels himself instead. “If you don’t want me to, say so.”
It’s layered. Jace knows exactly what Zye means. But that’s not what has him conflicted. It’s that as he lets go, allowing Zye to tug the conforming material down, it exposes bare legs.
Not to mention the penis that’s freed from the confines of both his pants and underwear. Zye makes sure to peel them away at the same time— grinning all the while.
There’s no way in hell he’d be able to not get hard with the way Zye has been touching him. Not to mention looking down at him. That gaze performs sensual caresses across his body with each sweep from his eyes down to his toes.
Jace can see the glint in that gaze. The desire is on blatant display.
Zye tosses Jace’s garments to the floor as he squeezes the last washcloth in his hand before dropping it. His fingers tremble from eagerness as he undoes the clip on his shirt and pulls it over his head next. He can’t take it— suddenly it’s far too hot and uncomfortable.
His hands begin to slide up Jace’s legs as he climbs onto the bed. All while pushing them apart. Zye settles on his stomach between them with elbows digging hard into the mattress.
He’s not looking at the scratches on Jace’s legs that are already healing. His eyes are locked onto the hardening member before his face. Lying his cheek on Jace’s thigh, his eyes flicker up to meet with his boyfriend’s.
It’s been so long. Jace isn’t even touching him and he’s getting shivers from being so close. The intimacy is something he’s always craved. More so now than ever when he has such a loving man ready to return it.
Zye’s mind is spinning. He doesn’t want to scare Jace by being aggressive. In the same breath, he’s never wanted it so bad before. It wasn’t even on his mind until he saw how aroused Jace was getting.
He didn’t realize he could do that to Jace. Not with something so simple.
“So…last chance to kick me off the bed. Otherwise, you’re mine till morning.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.”
One hand slips further down. Those slender fingers are curling and rubbing against his balls.
“Z…Zye?”
Lips get closer. Jace can feel the warm breath stroking against his skin. Zye smiles as ghosts his mouth over it. “Yes?”
“Be gentle?”
“Hmm…I’ll have to think about it.” He gives a light squeeze to the left one while his mouth hovers over the right. The words can be heard and felt as he moves up to the base. “I’ve had to wait a really long time.”
Jace isn’t sure if he wants to look or not.
It only makes it that much more intense since Zye keeps glancing up at him. He doesn’t use his hands save for the one that’s fondling Jace’s balls. It’s the only touch Jace gets aside from soft lips peppering kisses up and down his cock.
The bare minimum has Jace hard but nothing more. Merely an ache that has his dick twitching in anticipation. He tries to sit up on his elbows if nothing else.
Doing so greets him with the first sight of tongue. Zye licks a long trail from his balls, up the underside, and to the tip. It’s gentle until he gets there, lapping roughly at the sensitive glands.
Zye doesn’t pause for a moment once he starts. It’s as if he’s got the one thing that will solve all his worries— stave off worry, death, and hunger.
All it takes is encircling the tip of Jace’s cock with his lips. There he turns his eyes up to Jace, making sure the dark-haired man is watching him. It’s what he truly wants more than anything, those eyes on him. The way they darken with lust and stare is all he needs.
He suckles and allows the drool to collect. Lips loosen to allow the saliva to drip down. Slowly, Zye follows it. He doesn’t go after it completely. Only about halfway.
However, it’s enough to have Jace’s breath hitching. A feat that Zye takes pride in earning from him. For a man who’s cast off quite a bit of his “human” tendencies, he gives in to them the most when he’s in private with friends.
And Zye.
Jace cuts his eyes to the side. He stares at the wall in hopes that he’ll last longer. The feeling of Zye’s warm mouth is only amplified by the slick tongue that flounders against his cock. The languid flicks and drags have Jace sucking in a deep breath through his nose. Fingers curl into the sheet beneath him as hot fire seems to race through his body.
From the corner of his eye, he meets Zye’s gaze. He can’t deny how beautiful the man looks while servicing him to the best of his ability. It takes everything he has not to stop him and assume control. He wants so much more. “Taking your time?”
A loud, wet pop resounds throughout the room as Zye lifts his head. A grin graces his features while he continues to massage Jace’s balls. “I can’t enjoy the meal?”
“Daring when the shoe’s on the other foot, aren’t you?”
“You like it,” he says as he goes back down on Jace’s arousal, taking more of it into his mouth than before.
Jace watches those lips stretch around the girth— going up, down, back up, and then back down. All the way until the tip is attempting to go past Zye’s tongue. It kisses the back of Zye’s throat, yet doesn’t go further. Zye teases him with it, leaving him in an endless loop until he chooses otherwise.
He can feel the heat in his mouth and the heaviness in the palm of his hand. As much as he wants to get Jace off, he also wants to prolong it— savor it. The thought has him getting an idea.
One that guides him to bobbing his head a bit faster. His cheeks hollow out now and then as he sucks, earning a flinch or two from Jace each time. All the while he’s waiting patiently for that feeling. Something he can force faster when he dares to take Jace further into his mouth.
Past his tongue, bumping up against the back of his throat, and down into the tight passage.
“Haa…Zye…”
He smirks around the cock he shelves into his throat. Jace gives a slight wiggle to his hips and Zye knows. He knows that Jace is almost there. There’s a tense fire in his core that encourages a light sheen of sweat on his brow.
“Mmphf?” he mumbles around the shaft as he comes up off it enough to breathe.
“Don’t talk…nngh…with your mouth full.”
Zye’s hand sneaks up to the base. Fingers circle around it and hold, aiding in keeping his beloved from cumming. He lifts his head up and pulls away. He lies his cheek against Jace’s leg. His own saliva coats his lips as he smacks them.
“Good?”
Jace shoots him a playful glare; brows furrowed and cheeks flushed. “You’re such a tease.”
“Like you’re any better?” he asks while dragging a finger up the side of Jace’s cock. He knows all too well that Jace loves it even more when he can see the color of his nails against the pulsing skin. “I could barely breathe by the time you were ready to fuck me the first time or the second.”
Zye leans up enough to have his lips dusting over the side.
“Don’t I get to enjoy you sometimes?”
Jace wets his lips.
He wants to say no— if only because he can’t take it. In the same breath, he knows it’s a yes. It feels good to be at the mercy of the hand squeezing his thigh. He watches as Zye kisses the tip before flicking his tongue through the misty droplets gathering there.
“Can I keep going then?”
His answer is Jace sitting up. A hand combs up through Zye’s hair, pushing it all back and out of his face. Jace palms Zye’s cheek. “Are you asking because you want to top?”
Zye can’t help but laugh and pull away. He slides off the bed so quickly that Jace can’t stop the pout that lingers on his lips. He’s a bit disappointed when Zye stands, hands on his hips. At least, he would be more so if he couldn’t see the outline of Zye’s arousal in his pants.
“Nah, I’d rather have you in me this time. Now I know you have some lube around here. Where did you stash it?”
“The Mark can get you some.”
“Don’t you dare summon them in here. That’s way too embarrassing. Do it in the other room and I’ll go get it.”
“There’s no need to be embarrassed. But I can do that for you.”
“Condoms? Or would you just rather not now that my body is like yours? What did they tell me…everything gets absorbed? So your—”
“Yes, that too. It’s up to you.”
Zye sticks out his tongue at Jace before hurrying into the other room. It takes a moment before he returns with a bottle of lube. He tosses it onto the bed before turning his back to Jace. All so he can grab their already discarded clothes to start piling the clothes up.
Jace can only stare. His eyes trace down Zye’s spine to where the pants begin to slip away. The thin physique, despite the reason he has it, only helps accent the features Jace can’t look away from. Specifically the way his waist dips down to the curve of his backside.
There’s a shuffle and he knows the socks and shoes have been kicked off as well. It leaves Zye in a pair of black briefs. It’s something not even Jace can resist.
Jace is already leaning forward and tugging Zye forward the second he climbs onto the bed. All the way until he can wrap an arm around the slender waist. Zye sits on Jace’s lap with a small, happy sigh leaving his lips.
At this point, there’s no hiding the hard member rubbing up against Zye. Jace doesn’t care. If anything he’s brushing his hands over Zye’s stomach— unsure which direction he’d rather go first.
“Couldn’t wait for me?”
“Let me do it.”
“Maybe I don’t want you to.”
One of Jace’s hands slides up across Zye’s chest. Rough fingers brush over hardened nipples. He knows just how sensitive this spot is for Zye and he takes pride in making Zye squirm in his lap.
Lips hover beside Zye’s ear, licking at the subtle curve before stopping at the earrings. “What if I say please?”
“Haaa…you big baby. Fine.”
Zye only agrees since he’s getting impatient. Only because of the cock that’s rubbing up against him and the fact he wants it in him yesterday.
He tugs away from Jace’s grip to crawl further up the bed. He remains on his hands and knees, waiting. The sheets are soft and thick beneath his fingers as he grabs it. The bed isn’t huge. It’s enough for the two of them with some wiggle room at least.
They could be on the floor in the dirt and he still wouldn’t care. Still, Zye swallows hard when he hears Jace shift to move after him or when the bottle is opened.
Jace kneels behind and to Zye’s right side as he pushes a hand beneath the waistband. Little by little he drags the underwear down over the shapely ass. Further until Zye rolls his eyes and proceeds to ‘step’ out of them with Jace’s help. Where they end up, he doesn’t know.
There’s no lube that touches him. Payback for the teasing he’s already given. A large hand cups at one of his ass cheeks. Fingers squeeze into the soft skin while tugging it away from the other. Reveling in the way Zye trembles is the only way Jace can bite back his own desire to jump him.
Zye licks his lips and chuckles. “Come on, we both know you’re about to burst.”
The hand on his ass slides around to grip his cock. Jace dips his head down to pepper kisses over Zye’s shoulder blades. “So are you.”
“Then shouldn’t you get started already?”
Jace kisses down Zye’s spine. Each one has him rising a bit more until he’s kneeling beside Zye with the bottle in his other hand. He releases Zye’s member to squeeze more than an ample amount of lube onto his fingers. One pushes inside and he revels in the way Zye wriggles.
“Should I give you the same treatment?”
“Can’t you just get going before my knees hurt?”
Jace laughs at that. He tentatively slips a second finger inside, stretching Zye further with each flex they make. The only noise he hears other than the slickness of his fingers entering Zye is Zye himself. The little mewls of pleasure and moans spur him to continue. He knows he’s finding the right spot when Zye quivers.
“T-there, more…!”
Jace leans over him. He kisses the back of Zye’s flushed neck. That does just as much as Jace’s fingers. Not that Zye will ever say it— not that he has to. It’s bad enough that it feels like every nerve in his body is on fire and tingling. He tries his best to relax around the fingers spreading him open.
Zye hangs his head and sucks in a breath. It does little to stave off the overwhelming surge of emotion. It’s been so long since he’s been with Jace that it’s a dam breaking open. The only downside is he can’t see this handsome man at work.
Even so, everything is a million times more intense than usual. The kisses to his back leave little fires of pleasure on his skin that won’t go out. The trio of fingers plunging into him rub the one spot that has light crackling in his vision.
Grabbing for one of the large pillows, Zye moans, “Jay…?”
“Yes, dear?”
He’s tempted to sink his teeth into the pillow since he can’t do it to Jace. Zye glances over his shoulder. “Enough, move, and let me up.”
Jace is tempted to obey. The half-lidded eyes and the red that coats those cheeks urge him to do so. When he doesn’t answer, Zye tries to wiggle away from the fingers continuing to pry into him. Jace sits up and settles his other hand on Zye’s hip.
“I don’t know. Maybe you’re not ready yet. I don’t want to hurt you.”
A groan is Zye’s main retort. “Then at least let me suck yours while you have the time of your life back there.”
“And give you the upper hand?” Jace pulls his fingers out. It’s slow and agonizing for Zye. Once they are, Jace pats Zye’s hip until he lies down and rolls onto his side. There, he smiles down at his beloved. “Maybe I can’t wait any longer either.”
That alone would have Zye’s heart stopping.
Jace reaches for the bandanna. A couple of tugs is all it takes to have it sliding free and tossed aside. It allows Jace’s hair to fall down; bangs and all framing in his sturdy jawline or dipping down into those shimmering eyes.
To Zye, those two silver orbs set in a bronzed face are the most beautiful things he’s ever seen. To a man who’s hated the dark, he finds solace in the way they mimic the brightness of the moon.
Zye lets a smile curve his mouth as he sits up. “Then do me a favor and lay back.”
Jace watches those fingers slide down his neck, dance over his collarbones, and stop where his heart would be. Zye gives a slight push and Jace is happy to allow it. Ending up on his back, head just shy of the end of the bed, he waits for Zye to move.
It gives him quite the view of Zye turning around and slinking over to him. Everything from the curve of the torso to the waist to the soft sweeps of thighs moving over him.
He doesn’t move at first— he enjoys every second that he gets to witness it firsthand. Jace loves everything about Zye despite also hating the scar that crosses over his abdomen. His eyes glance down to thighs that tense as Zye crawls on top of Jace. He kneels there and leans over, dipping closer and closer.
Lips meet and warmth surges through them both. It’s nothing dramatic aside from the undeniable desire to never part. Mouths open and tongues slip out to brush against one another. A gentle sweep of his tongue over Jace’s as he enjoys parting and returning for more than one, two, or even three kisses.
Yet Jace remains still. Instead, he allows Zye to pull away with a flick of tongue over his bottom lip. “Ready?” A question that’s meant more for Jace himself considering his chest feels like it could burst open at any moment.
“For you, always. And you know what? One good thing is not having to shave anymore. Didn’t have to spend almost an hour getting ready for you.”
Jace brushes a hand down Zye’s thigh with a smile. “I would have waited if need be. Besides, you like it more than I do.”
Laughing softly, Zye can’t deny it. He drags a hand down Jace’s chest. Nails lightly catch skin— nothing painful, only a light sting. A single brow arches as he brings his hand to Jace’s cock. He has to reach beneath himself and steady the hard member, making sure he lines it up just right.
It takes a moment for him to begin lowering himself down. As the tip kisses his slicked entrance, Jace’s hands palm Zye’s knees. Fingers rub over the skin— gentle and encouraging. Other than that, he doesn’t dare move.
He watches as Zye begins to take him in. There are furrowed brows and a quiver of fingers on Jace’s abdomen. His stomach sucks in ever-so-slightly as he lets out a trembling breath.
What’s more is the hair that can’t remain pushed back and tussles forward, dipping into Zye’s line of sight. The man lets out another long exhale as he takes the rest of the shaft inside until he’s sitting against Jace completely.
“You’re beautiful.”
Those simple words have Zye tightening around Jace with the blush on his face darkening. Jace loves to watch his lover’s skin show the red tint everywhere he can see; cheeks, ears, chest, and shoulders. He’s an open book and Jace’s favorite to read over and over again.
Zye leans back, placing his hands on Jace’s thighs. “That’s cheating, you know that?”
“Because you like it?”
Zye smirks, “Because you’re in me, already. You don’t have to butter me up.”
He knows exactly what this does to Jace. It has the dark-haired man shoving himself up and sliding his hands up over Zye’s thighs. Fingers squeeze at them before going up further to don a vice-grip on Zye’s waist instead.
“Do you mind?”
“About what? Can’t hold back?” Zye drapes his arms over Jace’s shoulders. He leans in close until his tongue can trace up along the curve of Jace’s ear. He nuzzles into the soft, dark brown tresses that smell like the ocean. “You can be as rough as you want, but only if you outlast me first.”
“I’ll take that bet.”
“Only you can’t move those hips, got it?”
Jace’s answer comes forth in the form of a kiss to Zye’s lips. One that has the man smirking against it while taking another from Jace. The soft lips against his are far too alluring. It helps spur him on to start rolling his hips.
His knees dig hard against the bed as he proceeds to put in the work to urge them both to the edge. Zye tries so hard not to focus on the heat he drives into his body.
All he wants to do is let Jace have his way until neither of them can move. And yet his stubbornness has him clutching his fingertips against Jace’s back.
Dipping away from the lips that dare to snatch his once more. Zye breathes against Jace’s ear, “Your cock feels so good.”
The grip on his waist tightens before it vanishes altogether. The next second, he’s facing Jace once more with fingers cradling his face. Jace dips forward to kiss him— wants to so badly.
Yet their lips brush together and never fully touch. They’re both far too distracted by the heat that keeps them connected. Being close like this and so tempted to push each other further keeps the kisses from happening.
Instead, they’re left with greedy lips grazing together between gasps and moans. Jace holds Zye’s face steady even while his body is shifting and moving— daring to push him over. It’s too much for either of them and they both know it.
Nails lightly scratch over Jace’s back. A firm squeeze to his shoulders follows as Zye dares to idle. Those hips stop for a moment and it has him going crazy on the inside.
Even more so when Zye keeps their faces together; forehead to forehead and nose beside nose. He smiles against Jace’s lips. “Lay down for me and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Jace has already shot his shot once. It’s far too easy to be driven to the point where he’ll lose the second one any time. Certainly, with the way Zye drags a hand down his chest. In the middle, he pushes Jace away.
Letting it happen, Jace falls back enough to lean on his elbows. The view is something he’s grateful for. The lean form has the lightest sheen of sweat across it. His eyes widen as Zye’s palms land on his stomach. A gentle touch that preludes those hips of his lifting ever-so-slightly.
It’s a show he can’t dare look away from. One he can’t ignore with how soft and warm those insides caress his arousal. There’s something about being told not to move that has Jace itching to move. It has him feeling it so much more than usual.
Even so, he watches how Zye’s expression shifts. From the flutter of lashes to how his brows pinch together as he takes Jace’s cock in just right. Zye shudders when he sees the way Jace is staring up at him.
“Almost there?”
“…yeah…” he mumbles softly, gritting back the groan in his throat.
Jace palms those knees once more and slides them up Zye’s legs as far as he can go. Watching those thighs tense and those hips shimmy has him losing it. Nearly at the same time as Zye, in fact.
Through the bliss shaking his being, Jace grabs Zye’s wrists and pulls him down. He doesn’t care that the mess from Zye smears across his stomach. Only that he can wrap the man up in his arms and give him a kiss.
One that Zye allows before leaning his forehead on Jace’s shoulder. His hips feel tingly and his body hot as a fire. He chuckles against the warm skin, “Tired?”
“I think I am actually. Is it okay to stay like this for a moment?”
Zye pushes himself up, one hand on either side of Jace. He loves the way that Jace reaches toward him, brushes the hair away from his face, and caresses his jaw. That same hand drags down his arm to rub circles on the inside of his wrist.
“Sure. Does that mean we’re sleeping here?”
“After a bath? Yes.”
Zye gives him a raised eyebrow at that. “No one else I know of has a real bathroom. Are you saying you do?”
“I don’t.”
“Fine,” he replies with a sigh. “But I will. You people are so weird.”
Jace laughs and tugs him back down. “It’s only weird to you, I’m sure.”
“Yeah, I doubt that.”
Despite his reply, Zye nuzzles his face into the crook of Jace’s neck. The smell, the feeling, the way strong arms have him feeling so safe— he could never move again and be okay with it.
He gives a hum of thought before letting it fly away. Nothing else matters right now. Jace is fine; he’s alive and right here. There’s nothing else to think about until they get some rest.
