"Does it hurt?" Arlen asked as he bent down trailing his fingers across Ravi’s back, making him shiver from head to toe.

Ravi reached for a pillow, accurately throwing it to Arlen who caught it and flopped it back on the bed.

Does it hurt? Does it hurt? They had completely let go for two days.

Arlen had finally let his hands and body indulge in all the touch he constantly craved, drinking in the overwhelming pleasure of skin against skin. He had taken his sweet time, with slow kisses and slower touches that chased away tension until Ravi was pliant and mostly incoherent beneath him, he claimed that he wanted to sweep Ravi thoughts away, get them both to that state where nothing mattered but each other.

That was his excuse the first time but for two days they had been in the room. The book that Malik has given Ravi had been opened several times for reference and Ravi had been kissed, bitten and persuaded over and over again to try so many positions and several paces.

To be honest, he did not need to be persuaded over and over, he quite enjoyed it.

It felt like they were newlyweds on their honeymoon.

The last two days had been such a thrill that Ravi’s entire body ached in the sweetest way possible.

Ravi looked at Arlen, his eyes filled with suspicion, "What are you doing?"

"Massaging." Arlen laughed, "Honest."

He didn’t look honest at all. The spiritual energy that he had siphoned during Malik’s tribulation for Arlen had come in handy in the most unexpected ways. His stamina was quite... something.

"Ravi! Ravi. Love." The name fell from his mouth like he was softly caressing it.

"Don’t say my name like that," Ravi’s ears turned red. This past few days... Forget it, the more he thought about it, the more his spine tingled.

"Why?" Arlen blinked and, maintaining his position without struggling, bent his eyes in a smile. He playfully licked Ravi’s palm and continued, "I like saying it like that..."

Ravi’s hand tingled from his actions, and his entire forearm tensed subconsciously. He instinctively tried to retract his hand, but Arlen was quick and caught his hand.

"No escaping." Arlen held his wrist, skillfully interlacing their fingers and bringing them to his lips for a kiss. He looked at Ravi with a mischievous smile and said, teasingly "If you want to take it back, what will you exchange it for?"

He blinked as the hand he held disassembled before him and his lover appeared in front of the bathroom.

"You were saying?" Ravi chuckled.

He enjoyed the expression on Arlen’s face and shut the door behind him. He took a long bath, soaking in the warm water that smelt of peppermint and vanilla. He was still so sore, not even the bath easing it, but it was a soreness he wanted to hold on to, to savor.

He allowed the marks around his chin, neck and collarbone to fade as he wore a blue bathrobe, tying the soft cloth around his body. He opened the door, Arlen had showered while he had been sleeping but he switched the loose tempting towel around his waist for a white knitwear and loose trousers.

The soft light cast faint halos that seeped through the gaps around him, creating a few narrow shadows on his body.

The white knitwear did nothing to hide the defined ridges of his pectorals, not the narrow, toned taper of his abdomen.

The hard contours of his face gave him such a masculine appearance but there was a hint of softness as well. Long dark eyelashes that fluttered like butterfly wings. Soft plum lips made for kissing. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Heaven! He was divine.

No one has been more beautiful than Arlen and they never would be.

Arlen, ignorant of the poetry that flowed in Ravi’s mind, was carrying a tray of food that had been delivered to the room and arranging them carefully on the table.

"Coconut rice, cucumber salad, roasted cashews with grilled fish. They caught the fish this morning. Do you want to give it a try?" His voice turned soft and tender, and it was already carrying a slightly husky feel in it.

Ravi shivered a bit, "Min Sol, if you don’t bewitch me for a minute, would you not feel at peace?"

Arlen’s laughter echoed around the room, "I am being accused and I am innocent." He had been smiling so much that his cheeks were starting to hurt but even better than his joy was Ravi’s joy.

That was Arlen’s entire plan. To give Ravi an incredible and memorable vacation and then after Ash finishes his exam, have another vacation. This time at the Ice City in Golem. But this one week, this entire week was for Ravi and him.

In this place, he felt no single weight on his shoulders.

Arlen felt like he had sunk into a pool of pure and transparent honey. A sense of relaxing surged from the bottom of his heart.

It was as if he didn’t need to think about anything or worry about anything. He felt like his heart would explode from all the love he had for Ravi.

This trust and adoration made Arlen’s heart exceptionally soft. He blinked his eyes and looked at Ravi who was standing before him. Unable to resist, he reached out and gently brushed aside the strands of hair hanging on his forehead.

"Innocent, right?" How was Arlen innocent? Just see, if he was not seducing him, then he would be pulling his heartstrings.

This person had bound his heart and soul to his for all eternity. His everyday actions stamped a mark, deeper than any brand in the heavens and all the worlds beneath it.

He was completely and irrevocably his.

"Close your eyes."

Their tongues entangled, unable to tell who was with whom, sharing this sweetness between them.

The feeling of his lips against his was as light and soft as cotton and held a warmth that made him want to indulge in.

During the kiss, he kept a light grasp on Arlen’s collar pulling him down as much as possible to maintain a distance where their body heat could be easily transmitted between them. Even after the kiss ended with their low pants, Ravi still didn’t let go- with his nose against Arlen’s, he adjusted his breath, face to face with the other.

"Arlen. I love you."

The person he loved so much was so close that Ravi could see his own reflection in the other’s eyes- the feeling of being placed in the centre of someone’s world brought an indescribable bliss to him.