A DRINK BEFORE BATTLE (MxM)

A tinkling chime rang out as a silver wine cup bounced and rolled across the wooden floor. Yeresym reached for the side table he’d overturned while kicking his boots off, but Sevei grabbed his tunic and hauled him back into their frenzied kiss.

Clothing flew in all directions as they wrestled each other to the bed, where Yeresym pushed Sevei down onto the soft mattress. Pinning Sevei beneath his solid body, he kissed him hard again for a moment. Then, cradling his head in both hands, he eased the pressure, the movements of his lips turning gentle and sensual.

Sevei reluctantly broke the kiss and turned his head to catch his breath, but instantly lost control of his lungs again when Yeresym grazed his teeth along his jaw, running the tip of his tongue along the bit of stubble there. Sevei hummed blissfully and tilted his head back. Yeresym’s warm mouth moved to his throat, nipping at the skin and sucking at the knot of his larynx.

Yeresym lifted his weight and began to move down the bed, continuing to kiss down Sevei’s chest.

The hair brushing over Sevei’s skin sent a flutter of excitement through his stomach. He looked down at the top of Yeresym’s head, moving ever lower, and was dazzled by the firelight playing in the moonspun strands. His mind formed an anticipatory image of Yeresym’s mouth engulfing him, and he shuddered, his back arching involuntarily.

He laid a hand on Yeresym’s shoulder, though, and with the other he raised his chin, momentarily startling at the sight of those alluringly lust-filled green eyes.

“As much I would love to let you continue that thought,” Sevei breathed, “if you do, I won’t be able to honor your request.”

Yeresym frowned up at him in puzzlement, his face endearingly befuddled, and looking a bit wronged at having his plan halted.

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten it already?” Sevei teased him. “You made it right here on this very bed.”

Yeresym’s eyes flashed. He sucked in a sharp breath, then shot forward to eagerly devour Sevei’s mouth again.

Sevei chuckled against his lips, then pushed him off and onto his back, rolling up onto his side as he commandeered the kiss. He propped himself up to look down at the beautiful man panting on the bed next to him.

“Is that still what you want, then?” he asked. He caressed Yeresym’s face, brushing a thumb over his wet lips.

Yeresym licked his lips, catching Sevei’s thumb in the process. “I want you,” he said.

Sevei’s heart jumped, and he had to fight back a stupid grin. “But what do you want me to do?” he asked.

Yeresym huffed with frustration. “Must I say it again?” he complained. “It was hard enough the first time.”

The stupid grin got away from Sevei. He turned his eyes to Yeresym’s perfect naked figure, his free hand following his roving gaze of its own accord. The grin quickly faded into a devious leer. He lowered his head to that disfigured nipple and closed his lips over it, digging the tip of his tongue into the cleft across it.

Yeresym’s entire body clenched and stiffened, and he loosed a gasping yelp.

Sevei’s lips smacked off of Yeresym’s skin as he looked up, the grin returning.

“Oh, that’s fun!” he laughed, “although...”

His mood turned suddenly solemn as his fingertips traced over the scars on Yeresym’s torso.

“Ghed gave you all of these, didn’t he?”

Yeresym’s brow furrowed and his eyes went to Sevei’s bandaged arm. “He’s likely marked you, too, now,” he said regretfully.

Sevei hmph’ed. “Well, that can be a cold comfort to him in Hell,” he muttered. “I won’t lose any sleep over him.” He peered at Yeresym’s troubled face with concern. “What about you, though?”

Yeresym shook his head. “It may take some time...”

Sevei continued his exploration of Yeresym’s physique, his fingers now tracing out the sculpted indentations between his muscles. His skin was enticingly soft and smooth. Although his hands were as calloused as Sevei’s, the rest of him was surprisingly pristine for the body of a soldier.

“Do you use magic to keep your skin so nice?” he murmured.

Yeresym scowled. “Do you think I use magic for everything? It’s just quality soap and a bit of skin cream...”

“Ah... rich people things,” Sevei said.

Yeresym’s scowl deepened. “Why do you do that?” he demanded. “Do you think I look down on you?”

Sevei was taken aback. “No...”

“Because I don’t,” Yeresym said sternly. “I think that soldiers, and merchants and farmers... and even courtesans... are the backbone of the country. They are the country. My lot are just a bunch of lucky bastards who don’t deserve half of what they’ve got... with no appreciation for what’s important.”

He folded his hand over Sevei’s where it rested on his sternum, and his expression softened, regarding Sevei affectionately. “And I happen to think you’re one of the most honorable men I’ve ever known. And I love you.”

Sevei swallowed down a lump that was forming in his throat and dropped a soft kiss onto Yeresym’s lips. Yeresym ran Sevei’s fingers through his own and smiled.

“If you want some nice skin cream, I could give you some,” he murmured.

Sevei’s eyes flashed mischievously.

“Well, there is some very nice, quality oil right here,” he said, extracting his hand from Yeresym’s and reaching for a bottle on the bedside table. “I should give you some of that.”

Yeresym watched intently as Sevei filled his palm with the bottle’s contents, then set it aside and reached down. He gasped when Sevei smoothed the oil along his already adamantly hardened member, then further insinuated his fingers downward until he found the opening. Sevei circled the tip of his middle finger around the edge, spreading the oil, then slowly pressed in and began to massage him carefully.

Yeresym bit back a moan and drew a few harsh breaths, then glared at Sevei with a fretful sulk.

“Too rough?” Sevei asked.

Yeresym shook his head. “No, just... this isn’t all you’re going to do again?”

Sevei licked his lips, his blood surging as he thought ahead. “It’s only the first step,” he assured him. “This can’t be rushed.”

Yeresym nodded, still skeptical, but then whimpered when Sevei’s finger brushed over a particularly sensitive spot. Sevei tried to keep mental notes of the places that brought any reaction, but his own heat was rising by the minute, sending his mind into a dizzying whirl.

Yeresym ran a hand up Sevei’s arm, his fingers pressing into the flexing muscles.

“Vei... please...” he muttered, his voice becoming a bit incoherent as his breathing sped up, the rush of it seeming to reverberate in Sevei’s ears.

Sevei gave a tsk. “So impatient...”

Yeresym gave a long, low moan and squeezed his eyes shut as Sevei introduced a second finger, twisting gently inside him. “If you don’t do it soon, I will,” he growled at the end of it.

Sevei’s brow rose “Do you want to?” he asked. “You can, if you’d rather...”

Yeresym opened his eyes and trained a bleary gaze on him. He gave Sevei a sly but shaky smile. “Next time,” he husked. “You show me how it’s done first.”

Sevei chuckled with delight. “Already planning a next time?”

“A lot of them,” Yeresym rambled, closing his eyes again. “I’ll just portal into your tent one night...”

Sevei pressed his lips against Yeresym’s ear and nipped at his earlobe before whispering, “If you ever fuck me in my tent, I guarantee you the entire camp will hear it.”

Yeresym’s whole body shuddered from head to toe. “We can come here then, sometimes,” he panted.

Even if Yeresym might be spouting any old nonsense at this point, Sevei felt that his heart was in danger of exploding. “Are you saying you’re in? You really want to do this...?”

“I want you,” Yeresym said, turning his head to lick at Sevei’s lips. He pushed Sevei’s hand away and rolled up onto his side. His arm encircled Sevei’s waist and pulled him close, plastering the full lengths of their bodies together. “I’ve wasted enough time,” he mumbled desperately. “I want as much of you as I can have, for as long as I can have you.”

Sevei’s mouth fell open, and was immediately filled with a demanding tongue. They kissed furiously for a long moment before Sevei shoved Yeresym off.

“Turn over,” he said hoarsely, continuing to push at him until he lay face down. “It’s easiest this way, until you’re used to it,” he said to Yeresym’s puzzled expression.

As quickly as possible, he got a bit more oil and then draped himself over Yeresym and with no further hesitation, began to push himself into him. Despite his own raging need he tried to hold back, to be careful, but Yeresym gave a guttural cry and grasped the bed sheets into his fists.

Sevei planted a series of soft kisses across the powerfully broad shoulders beneath him. “If you don’t like it, tell me,” he whispered. “I’ll stop.”

“Don’t you dare,” Yeresym ground out between his clenched teeth. He pushed his hips up and hissed as Sevei sank all the way into him.

Sevei hummed deep in his throat as the delicious compression slowly enveloped him. He dragged one hand down Yeresym’s back, his thumb stroking firmly along his spine to his tailbone, then slid his still-oiled hand around to take hold of him.

Yeresym bit back a ragged gasp. Sevei began to move, cautiously slow at first, but gradually picking up his pace as the sounds he heard turned to unmistakable pleasure, and Yeresym began to push back into him, rocking his straining shaft against Sevei’s hand in the process.

Sevei had been holding his own weight on his injured arm all this time, and what had begun as a dull ache that only served to strengthen his determination began to sear through his shoulder. He sat up onto his knees and pulled Yeresym up with him. He hooked Yeresym’s elbow and pulled his arm back, directing his hand.

“You take over here,” he panted breathlessly. Yeresym hesitated but followed his instruction. Sevei slowed his pace again to let Yeresym adjust to the new position. Watching the muscular arm working beside Yeresym’s sweat-streaked back, he desperately wished he could see what was happening around there.

“You ever use that trick with the energy on yourself?” he murmured.

Yeresym paused, his breath hitching, but he didn’t answer.

Sevei chuckled. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.”

“It’s expedient,” Yeresym rasped.

“It certainly is,” Sevei agreed.

“I don’t want this to be expedient,” Yeresym added. “And I’m conserving my energy tonight.”

“Either way, I don’t think this will last much longer,” Sevei admitted. “Are you ready?”

“Mm,” Yeresym grunted.

Sevei held tightly onto Yeresym hips and began thrusting into him with unbridled momentum. Yeresym gave a full-throated cry, his arm jerking erratically, and a moment later, his head and shoulders collapsed, his cry lengthening into a deep growl as he buried his face in the bedding.

With Yeresym’s voice ringing in his ears, Sevei’s world fragmented in a burst of light behind his clamped eyelids with the ecstasy that shot through him. He fell limply over Yeresym’s quivering body, showering his shoulder and cheek with kisses while their rough, exerted breath echoed between them.

“Yeresym...” Sevei tenderly whispered.

Yeresym turned his face to him and peeked his dazed eyes open.

“Zarayan...” he whispered back.

The delirious joy of Sevei’s stupid grin could not be restrained.

[author] Concise was certainly not managed. I’ve run on long enough here, but this scene is nowhere near finished yet. So, two more chapters to go. Thank you so much for reading![/author]