This Strange World Needs A Kicking! – Ch. 13
By Laura S. Fox
Copyright © 2021 Laura S. Fox
All Rights Reserved
Gay Romance
Intended for Mature Audiences Only
This story will contain graphic depictions of sexual intercourse, strong
language and it is not meant for readers who are less than 18 years of age.
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Chapter Thirteen –
Obnoxious Little Four-Letter Word
"All right, that's
enough," he said meekly as Conrad held him and continued to torture his neck
with small kisses and flicks of the tongue. "People are staring."
"And since when do you
care?"
"We barely know each
other," Kai protested. "It's not like you can tell for sure whether I care or
not."
"I've heard enough about
you. And the night we spent together was enough to confirm every rumor. Your
Majesty, you're insatiable. Lie to me as much as you want. I won't be dissuaded
so easily."
Kai rolled his eyes and
pushed Conrad away, making sure not to use more force than necessary. "And I
thought you didn't like it. Not one bit. I beat you fair and square and forced
you into," he couldn't believe he was saying cringey
stuff like that, "my bed. So how about you go back to hating me like usual, so
I can finally ignore you?"
Conrad's fierce gaze
examined him, and a small smile curled the man's lips. "You saved me from a
certain death. It had to be because," his voice dropped to a whisper, "you
still want me in your bed. And I intend to repay this debt in full."
"All right, just give me
a pony or whatever, and we'll call it even." Conrad was still distractingly
close, and Kai was itching to get away.
"Why are your jokes so
cruel? Do you want me to chase you? Hunt you down? Is it part of what makes you
satisfied?"
Kai growled low in his
throat. "You're driving me nuts, Conrad! Why can't you just take my words at
face value? And come on, how many times do I have to say that I don't want to
force you into my bed anymore?"
Conrad paused for a
moment and stared at him. He nodded shortly. "Then I will just come to your bed
willingly." With that, he pulled at the horse's reins and turned away from Kai.
Who gazed after him, a
million thoughts per minute crowding inside his mind.
He had never ever ever read a BL manga or watched a
BL show, and now that lack of knowledge put him at a major disadvantage.
However, the guys around him had to be more or less tropes found in any creation
of the romance type, so he needed to take a shot at it and clear things for
himself.
Therefore, Pepin was the
loyal servant in love with him. He was beautiful and determined, and that meant
that it didn't matter what Sebastian – who Kai played at the moment – did, he
would always love the prince.
Conrad was the fierce and
proud captive who was bound to fall in love with the prince. No amount of
reasoning mattered, without a doubt. Whatever happened, Kai had to put it down
under `yaoi logic'. Which was bad because it meant
that he had no chance to make Conrad change his mind.
Oh, how tragic. He would
be loved by two awesome guys, no matter how terrible his character was, Kai
thought to himself and sighed. Still, it didn't mean that he had to give up.
Maybe he could convince Galien to steal Conrad from
him. Not Pepin, though.
Pepin was off-limits.
Plus, he was the least dangerous. Kai didn't know much about BL and whatnot,
but he was pretty sure that Conrad wanted to give it to him, while Pepin wanted...
well, to be given `it'.
But, wait, his mind began
to go in circles, hadn't Pepin said something about anything he did with
Conrad, Kai had to do with him, too? What if Pepin, too... No, no way. His royal
behind was in terrible danger if that were true.
Well, he would be
careful. No one was going to touch his behind as long as he was on guard.
***
"This man is rather
annoying in his indecisiveness," Sebastian commented as he browsed through a
digital copy of the manga featuring the character he would cosplay later
tonight. "What do you think?"
At Milo's suggestion, he
had started reading it on his boyfriend's laptop. In a nutshell, he would be an
actor and perform on a stage. It couldn't be that difficult.
"Dude, are you trying to
get me hooked on BL now? Don't make me read it, too," Milo complained.
"Why not?"
"I don't know. It might
be corny," Milo replied, but he blushed and looked away.
"What do you mean?" It
surely had nothing to do with food, whatever Milo wanted to say.
"You know. I heard the
characters tend to be so extra."
"Extra?"
"Over the top," Milo
explained and began tapping his foot. He was lying on the bed, but his long
legs touched the floor.
"Why are you
embarrassed?" Sebastian asked, narrowing his eyes and inspecting the other.
"I'm not," Milo blurted
out.
"You've read such things
before!" Sebastian exclaimed as the realization dawned on him.
"I was curious, okay?"
Milo stood abruptly and ran to the opposite corner of the room.
"The story appears to be
quite convoluted, but I don't see how reading such a thing can be a cause for
embarrassment," Sebastian commented as he browsed through the illustrated
pages. "The art on display can be considered charming even."
"Are you going to laugh
at me?" Milo asked quietly. "If I tell you?"
"I don't see why I would
do that."
Milo moved his weight
from one foot to another. He was wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt, and
Sebastian couldn't take his eyes off him. His boyfriend had truly attractive
thighs and nice muscular arms. If Sebastian kept staring, there was a chance
that he would, as they said in this strange world, jump his bones.
"I'm sure you didn't get
to those parts," Milo said with a slight huff, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"What parts?" Sebastian
began clicking through. Page after page, Prince Sendrian,
who he was supposed to impersonate on stage tonight, couldn't make up his mind
about the young man he was in love with. When there wasn't one thing or another
getting in the way, the fictional royal managed to stumble upon his own self, thus
delaying a satisfactory resolution.
"Just skip to chapter
thirty-seven, and you'll know what I'm talking about," Milo mumbled.
Sebastian quirked an
eyebrow and did as told. He stared for a moment, scrolled down, and lower, and
lower...
He cleared his throat.
While the videos he watched late at night left nothing out, he was rightfully
impressed by the artful way in which the characters were depicted on the screen
in their throes of passion. The words they told each other heightened the
arousal, and seeing how the readers must have endured through dozens and dozens
of pages of Sendrian's clumsiness in dealing with
matters of the heart, those scenes were all the more satisfying.
His eyes met Milo's
beautiful greens.
"Totally corny, right?"
"I still don't get what
you mean. You've watched videos, have you not?"
"You mean, porn? Yeah,"
Milo admitted, although he looked away as saying that.
Sebastian had to admit
his boyfriend looked quite attractive like that, embarrassed, and with his
cheeks on fire.
"So, why would you feel
embarrassed by these drawn characters and their complicated love affair?"
Milo looked away and then
hanged his head low. "I jerked off to it," he said quickly. "This manga."
"Oh." Sebastian looked at
the laptop screen and shifted. The signs of early arousal were starting to
inconvenience him. "I can see why. The artist made sure the readers would see
everything in detail."
"But it's not because of
that," Milo interrupted him. "That I jerked off. Why the hell am I telling you
this?" he moaned and covered his face.
"Because we're
boyfriends," Sebastian said matter-of-factly. From the day before, he had
understood the term as being one to describe lovers in this world. He would
have argued that they still needed to bed each other to truly be considered
that, but they were heading there anyway.
"All right. Don't laugh."
"As you can see, I
don't."
Milo took one deep
breath. "I came when they said `I love you' to each other. Isn't that corny?"
he insisted.
Sebastian opened another
tab on the browser and searched for the term. "Yes, I suppose it can be
considered corny," he said after a short while.
Milo rubbed the back of
his head and snorted. "I think I like watching porn with feels," he said.
Sebastian rolled out of
bed and walked over to Milo. "Well, it may be corny, but there's nothing wrong
with that."
"It's not? Don't tell me
you too --"
"No," Sebastian said
abruptly. "I'm not interested in sentimentalism."
"Oh," Milo managed to
whisper, and the corners of his eyes dropped.
Sebastian kissed him and
let his hands wander down the nicely defined arms. He would take much pleasure
in discovering that body and all his secrets.
"There is something
else," Milo mumbled and bit his bottom lip.
Sebastian dragged him
close and took that delicious lip between his teeth, and sucked it into his
mouth.
"What else?" he asked.
Milo blinked, his breath
coming in a bit short. "I think I got a hard-on for the main character."
Sebastian still had the
wig and that peculiar outfit on, as he had argued that he needed to be more
comfortable in it before climbing on stage tonight. "Ah, I see," he said with a
bit of satisfaction. Although it was just make-believe, he appreciated Milo's
feeling attracted to the character he would impersonate, for the simple fact
that there was some resemblance between Prince Sendrian
and his actual self and physical appearance.
"I can see why," he
replied. "He is very attractive. I should say that many of his mishaps are
easier to be forgiven due to that alone."
Milo snickered. "I guess.
As long as the guy is hot... yeah. So you're not mad about it?"
"Why should I be? You're
my boyfriend."
Something that really
made him experience a tingling sensation right in the middle of his chest,
which felt both unbearable and enjoyable at the same time. Like a slight
frisson of pleasure, it overtook him when he least expected it.
Curse or not, Sebastian
couldn't deny that his attraction toward the beautiful boy in front of him was
real and different from any of his feelings nurtured toward his long string of
lovers. Not even Conrad's memory, still fresh in his mind, entangled with a
certain degree of dissatisfaction over not having had him enough times to
become bored, could rival with it.
"Ah, and that solves it
all? You're not jealous? Not even a tiny bit?" Milo asked and circled
Sebastian's waist with his arms.
"No."
"I'd be," Milo admitted.
"I mean, porn is one thing, but this --"
"Jealousy is a petty
emotion," Sebastian interrupted him. "And a character created with the sole
purpose of determining those looking at him to like him, despite his numerous
shortcomings, is bound to cause such reactions."
Milo sighed. "So I'm a
victim of BL magic?" he asked playfully.
"Magic is a strong word.
Why do you like this fictional prince? Is it only because he's handsome?"
Milo moved his head from
side to side. "Not only. I shouldn't like, though. I mean, he's cold and full
of himself --"
"He's not. He's just
aloof and blind," Sebastian argued.
That earned him a
thoughtful look from the other. "Are we talking about the same character?" Milo
looked puzzled. "Because I'm sure I wouldn't like in real life a guy like
that."
An irksome feeling began
to grow inside Sebastian. "Why wouldn't you? If he were just as handsome."
"Really, Kai? A guy like
that... come on, even a good guy like you can see it. Sendrian
is an arrogant bastard, and, in the real world, he'd be nothing but a
heartbreaker. You know, the kind your momma would tell you to stay away from,"
Milo added with a small laugh.
Rightfully annoyed,
Sebastian caught Milo's chin and pressed his lips against his mouth. "Then what
do you feel when you see me dressed up like him?"
Milo snickered. "Come on,
man. That's a totally different thing. This outfit gives me a boner. But it's
because it's you in it, and not someone else."
Of course. Milo, in his
clumsy yet endearing way, told the truth. The boy in front of him was much
attracted to his friend Kai, and any passing feelings toward fictional
characters didn't matter.
"What's wrong?" Milo
caressed his forehead, drawing small lines on his eyebrows.
"You can't love a
fictional character, can you?" Sebastian asked.
Milo smiled, that amazing
smile of his that could make the ice melt. "I guess not. It would be weird, I
suppose. Although, me falling in love with you after
being friends for all four years of high school must be weird, too, right?"
Love. Again and again,
that obnoxious little four-letter word.
"Are you in love with
me?" Sebastian asked in a measured voice.
"Yeah," Milo said with a
slight shrug like it wasn't a big deal.
"How do you know?"
"I just do. Man, don't
make me say corny stuff now."
"Far from me." Sebastian
stepped away from Milo and plopped on the bed. Suddenly, the wig made him feel
too hot, and the outfit he was wearing felt like nothing but a joke. "I should
change into my clothes."
"We should drop by
yours," Milo said. "I suppose you don't want to go to The Pit in your uniform,
right?"
"You're right." Sebastian
pulled the wig away and dropped it on the bed. Then he took off the pants and
started to struggle with those leather straps.
"Let me help you out of
those." Milo stood behind him, and his hands came to rest on his chest. "Just
so you know, you don't have to wear an outfit for me to like you."
"I know," Sebastian said
prickly.
"You're not mad because
of my stupid confessions, right? I swear that I won't touch a BL manga ever
again in my life."
Sebastian pursed his
lips. Milo got it all wrong, but it was impossible to correct him. Such a thing
would only lead to a long string of misunderstandings.
He was losing sight of
what was important. What he had to do was to find a way to break the curse
keeping him trapped in this world, not to play lovers with a young man, no
matter how beautiful.
Or how warm his hands
were, resting on his chest like that.
"Please do touch whatever
you like," Sebastian said in a soft whisper.
Milo laughed and caressed
him while breaking him away from those leather straps. "Is that an invitation?
Too bad we have stuff to do today."
"Of course. I must earn
my keep."
"You know, you really do
talk like a fictional prince. I don't know if I should get used to it or just
tease you about it until you drop it."
"Don't get used to it."
He would find a way to
return to his kingdom and his world. Milo should get his friend back, as well.
Sebastian frowned. What
kind of mishaps was Kai causing right now while playing his role? According to
the fiction in this world, traveling to distant realms that only existed in
fantasy was a coveted dream, albeit seemingly impossible. Kai was probably
having a good time playing the prince, but could he truly be aware of the
dangers that came with being the protector and ruler of Ifigia?
He was, after all, just a clueless boy.
His frown deepened. What
happened if his body was killed? Maybe the curse was cruel in that way. As he
was now removed from his world, he could do nothing to protect himself.
Maybe the entire kingdom
of Ifigia was in danger, and nothing stood in the way
of disaster but a high school boy who knew nothing about being a prince with the
fate of thousands depending on him.
***
"Is Galien
comfortable?" Kai asked Pepin. "He rode a long way."
And hopefully, he's already asleep and out of
my hair.
The servant closed the
ornate doors to the princely quarters. "He is but told me to prepare everything
needed for a – I'm quoting him – little dip in the hot spring. He wants you to
join him, as he thinks you need to forget about the worries of caring for Ifigia for a bit."
"I think I'll pass," Kai
said in a deadpan voice.
"He is your cousin, and I
know him well. He is capable of running naked through the entire castle only to
drag you with him."
Kai sighed and stared at
the ceiling. He counted to ten. Then he remembered the little episode from
earlier. "What does Galien want from you?"
To his surprise, Pepin
appeared to ignore the question. He was already busy tidying up the room,
although nothing needed to be tidied up.
"Pepin," Kai said slowly,
trying to sound royal and convincing.
"What?" the servant asked
suavely.
"What's the deal with you
and my cousin?"
"You know well what."
"No, I don't. Hit to the
head and all that."
"I thought that was a
lie," Pepin commented without interrupting his chores.
"Don't change the
subject. Come on, spit it out."
Pepin finally stopped and
threw him a direct look. "He proposed."
Kai began laughing but
then reconsidered. "To you? I mean, like a marriage proposal?"
"Yes," Pepin replied and
frowned. "Exactly like that."
"And? What did you tell
him? When did this happen? Where the hell was I?"
Kai knew very well that
he must have been somewhere far away and completely clueless about a guy named
Pepin who had guys asking for his hand in marriage. Still, he was curious about
what Sebastian must have thought about such a thing, and it could explain,
despite Conrad's explanations, why the prince didn't want his cousin around.
That guy was a servant-stealer!
"It happened the last
time Master Galien was here. You were getting invested
in your role as protector of Ifigia. And you," Pepin
threw him a pointed look, "heard everything. Because you were there." He
grabbed a pillow and began to fluff it.
No wonder the servant had
to tidy up all day long. He just liked to get busy with all those feathers
floating around. Kai grabbed the pillow and threw it on the bed. "Aren't you
leaving something out? What did you tell him?"
He towered over Pepin,
but the servant stood his ground and stared defiantly at him. Maybe Prince
Sebastian could drive fear in anyone around him, but not so easily in this
little guy. Or maybe, just maybe, Pepin didn't fear Kai because he was nothing
like the real prince.
That was a valid theory,
too.
"I told him," Pepin bore
his pretty blue eyes into his, "that I would think about it."
"No way!" Kai exclaimed.
"Why would you tell him that?"
Pepin shrugged. "To see
what you would say."
"Ah. I see. And what did
I say? I said something, right?"
Pepin's eyes filled with
barely contained anger. "You said," he said thickly, "that Galien
was free to have me."
Kai blinked a few times.
He had expected Sebastian to be possessive of his servant, who was also his
mother's gift to him. Apparently, the prince was not at all sentimental.
"Don't tell me he popped
the question again."
"What?" Pepin was
confused.
"Did Galien
ask you the same thing today?"
"Yes."
"The... damned rat!"
Pepin's eyes grew wide.
Kai was pretty sure he was completely out of character right now but just
couldn't stop. Who did Galien think he was to go
around and steal other people's loyal servants who also doubled as great
friends?
"And what did you tell
him?" Kai grabbed Pepin by one arm before the servant had a chance to start
dusting or whatever.
"The same thing," Pepin
said defiantly and set his chin high.
"Why?"
Pepin's face scrunched
up. "Your Majesty, it hurts."
Kai hadn't realized he
was squeezing Pepin's arm. He let go like he had been burned. "Oops, sorry.
But, still, why?"
"Why? You don't want to
marry me, right? And I won't be young forever."
Kai rubbed his forehead,
not knowing whether to laugh or slap himself for not knowing what to say.
"Pepin, my dude, you're twenty. You don't exactly have to hurry to get
married."
"And do what instead?
Wait for you forever?"
Kai began scratching his
head. According to Pepin, he must have been pining for Sebastian for years.
That could get frustrating, having a crush on a guy who clearly had no
intention to return such feelings.
"I have no idea what to
say," he admitted.
Pepin schooled his face
into a neutral mask. "You don't have to worry about a thing, Your Majesty."
"Because you'll tell Galien `no'?" Kai asked, feeling hopeful.
That made Pepin set his
eyes hard on him again. "What am I to make from your words, Sebastian? Do you
want me?"
"As a friend, totally."
"You know what I mean."
Kai sighed. All right, so
it wasn't his right to tell Pepin what to do. Also, Prince Sebastian didn't
appear to care whether his mother's gift wanted to walk into the sunset with
another dude.
So, the logical thing to
do was to encourage Pepin to accept Galien's
proposal.
Yeah, the logical thing.
His tongue didn't care about logical things.
He remained quiet.
Pepin turned away from
him. "I have no expectations from you. I will remain in your service until I
become useless. Then it won't matter anymore."
There was so much
bitterness in those words that Kai felt like a total prick. "Useless? Do you
mean once you'll turn eighty and I should let you enjoy your retirement?"
Pepin looked completely
flabbergasted when he turned to look at him. "Lately, I don't understand what
you mean when you talk like this."
Kai waved dismissively.
"You're my loyal servant and dear friend."
"And what does that
mean?" Pepin asked.
"It means that we'll
spend our retirement together," Kai said promptly. "It's not like I'll still
hunt monsters when that comes. When you'll be eighty, I will be eighty-two."
Pepin continued to stare
at him a bit longer, but then he began laughing softly. "You're so strange
these days, Your Majesty."
"Hey, don't laugh. It's
retirement together. I decided."
Pepin added nothing else.
He continued to snicker as he saw about cleaning up the room.
That still didn't need
much cleaning.
***
The hot spring was
surrounded by lush greenery, and the steam rising promised relaxing delights.
Kai stretched and let out a satisfied sigh. "I can barely wait to get into the
water."
Pepin was trailing after
him, armed with towels and clean robes. Kai jumped in and let his body sunk
until the water was at his chin. "Pepin, leave those and step inside, too. This
is amazing."
"Are you sure, Your
Majesty? Galien will be here shortly."
"So what? We're all
guys."
The moment the words left
his mouth, he knew he had said something wrong. Yeah, they were all guys, but
not quite ordinary guys. Still, he couldn't take it back.
So, he stared helplessly
at Pepin, who was taking off everything.
Everything...
He should look the other
way.
He should.
Definitely.
"Are you starting without
us?"
Kai stared at the
intruders, and his eyes grew wide. "What are you doing here?"
Conrad stepped into the
water, completely comfortable in his nakedness, as usual. "Sir Galien insisted."
"That's me," Galien tooted happily.
They were all naked. And
they were all guys. So nothing could happen, right?
Right?
Kai sank deeper into the
water until it felt it closing over the crown of his head.
TBC
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