The fire crackled softly in the hearth, casting warm shadows against the marbled stone of Kael's private chambers. The once-thick tension between them had unraveled like silk, replaced now by something quieter... heavier. Auren sat at the edge of the lavish bed, knees tucked to his chest, dressed in one of Kael's softest, oversized tunics. It smelled like him, cedar and storm, something grounding and intoxicating.
Kael returned from the antechamber with a silver tray holding a steaming mug. "Herbal," he said gently, offering it. "You didn't eat much earlier."
Auren accepted the drink with trembling fingers, murmuring, "Thanks."
A pause. Then a softer, more awkward, "You didn't have to be this nice."
Kael tilted his head, watching him. "I know. But I want to be."
Silence again.
Kael moved closer, his fingers brushing over Auren's hair, lingering at the base of his neck. His touch was soft now, reverent. "What's going on in that brilliant head of yours, little star?"
Auren shifted. He wasn't used to this. The care, the concern, the genuine desire to understand. His voice was barely above a whisper. "You really knew I was doing something... didn't you?"
Kael didn't flinch. "Yes."
Auren pulled out the worn leather-bound journal, the one the system had provided for notes, and placed it into Kael's hands. Not the other book forgotten at the night stand.
"Read it all," Auren said, avoiding his gaze. "That's everything."
The Commander sat, flipping through the pages. As the firelight danced across his features, his eyes sharpened with each word. Maps. Observations. Lists of movements. Names.
The quiet was almost unbearable.
[System Notification: Mood shift detected. Anxious tension rising. Deploying sarcasm buffer in 3... 2... 1...]
System 707: Oh, so this is what emotional growth looks like. Someone fetch me a handkerchief and a strong cocktail.
Kael let out a slow breath. "You risked yourself for me."
Auren glanced up. "As I said… you protect me all the time. I just... wanted to do the same."
Kael set the journal aside and leaned in, cupping Auren's cheek. "You're more than some delicate thing I need to shield. I know that now. But this..."
His lips brushed Auren's forehead.
"...this makes me want to lock you in a tower just to keep you safe."
Auren snorted. "Please. I'd sneak out in five minutes."
System 707: He's not even wrong. You disabled three castle traps with a stolen spoon last week.
Kael chuckled, arms wrapping around Auren as he pulled him close. "You're... dangerous. Brilliant. Reckless. Beautiful."
Auren blinked, caught off guard.
"And mine," Kael whispered against his temple.
Auren's breath hitched.
They stayed that way for a long while. The heat of the fire. The rise and fall of Kael's chest. The scent of spiced tea and the faint crackling of the embers. For once, no one had to speak.
But the journal was there. The names inside it—people feeding Solvanyr's Queen secret information were now on Kael's radar.
And Kael? He would not let this go unanswered.
"An Offering of Devotion"
Auren didn't even have time to brace himself when Kael swept him off his feet again. Kael's arms were firm and possessive, one wrapped beneath Auren's knees and the other cradling his back as if he weighed nothing.
"You truly never cease to surprise me," Kael murmured, voice a silken drawl. "A journal. All that information, handed over so willingly."
Auren buried his face in Kael's shoulder, cheeks tingling with warmth. "You needed it."
Kael stopped walking. Auren peeked up just in time to see those brilliant eyes darken, alight with something fierce and fond.
"I need you," Kael corrected.
The next moment, Auren was set gently on the edge of Kael's massive bed. Auren did'nt even notice the change in rooms at first before he felt soft silks and plush pillows welcoming him. Kael knelt before him, taking his hand with reverence, like Auren was something sacred. "What you've done... what you gave me. I'll never forget it."
Auren opened his mouth, but the words stuck. He wasn't used to being treasured.
Kael leaned in, kissed the inside of his wrist, then guided it to his chest, over his steady heart. "You don't realize, do you? How much you mean to me now."
[System Notification: Host Heart Rate Elevated. Emotional Overload Detected. Initiating Fluff Protocol Level 3.]
Kael laid Auren back slowly, lips trailing from jaw to collarbone in soft, deliberate worship. There was no rush, only devotion. The weight of Kael on top of him was grounding, comforting. He cupped Auren's cheek, and their lips met. Not with the hunger of before, but with tenderness.
"You gave me your mind," Kael whispered against his lips. "Now let me give you everything else."
Auren barely had time to breathe before Kael kissed him again, deeper this time, hands smoothing over his sides. His fingers dragged along the hem of Auren's clothes, lifting the fabric as he moved. Kael's touch was fire and silk, gliding along bare skin, coaxing shivers out of Auren's spine.
"W-Wait, you're not mad I was doing things behind your back?" Auren managed breathlessly.
Kael gave a husky chuckle. "Mad? I'm furious, darling. But I'm also in awe. And I plan to punish you properly for that later."
[System Commentary: Uh-oh. Host, I suggest bracing your hips. He's giving 'gentle revenge' energy.]
Clothes vanished between kisses. The room filled with sighs and soft moans, tangled sheets and bared hearts. Kael lavished attention on every inch of Auren, from the arch of his foot to the sensitive dip behind his ear. And when he finally entered Auren, it was slow, deliberate, as if savoring every second of their union.
"Say it again," Kael whispered.
"What?"
Kael brushed his thumb over Auren's lip. "That you wanted to protect me."
Auren flushed, eyes misting. "I did. I do."
Kael groaned softly and pressed a kiss to Auren's forehead. "Then let me protect you too. Always."
They moved together like a lullaby, gentle and sweet. Kael's hand clasped Auren's tightly, grounding him as pleasure crested in waves.
[System Alert: Bond Strengthened. Soul Connection Enhanced. Emotional Vulnerability Level: Dangerous. Estimated Time Before You Cry: 2 minutes.]
Kael held him through it all, whispering praises against his skin.
And when it was over, he didn't pull away. Instead, he wrapped Auren in silken sheets and pulled him close, his heartbeat loud in Auren's ear.
"Thank you," Kael whispered again, pressing a kiss to his temple. "For trusting me."
Auren nuzzled closer, exhaustion and affection making his limbs heavy. "Thank you... for loving me."
Kael smiled.
[System Commentary: Congratulations, Host. You have successfully seduced your way into the heart of a war general. Mission status: Emotionally compromised. You are now contractually bound to cuddle.]
In the Stillness, You Are Mine
The world outside was quiet, the kind of hush that falls only in the hours just before dawn, where everything is still and wrapped in soft darkness. Inside Kael's chambers, warm light flickered against the walls, casting golden shadows that danced with every slight movement on the bed.
Auren lay on his side, half-tucked under Kael's arm, the heat of their shared warmth lingering on flushed skin and tangled sheets. Kael's hand drew lazy circles along Auren's spine, fingertips tracing the dip of his back, the soft swell of his hip, as though trying to memorize every line.
"You're mine," Kael murmured into the shell of Auren's ear, his voice hoarse from both sleep and the lingering embers of passion. He pressed a kiss there, then another, slow and tender down the curve of his neck. "No mission, no kingdom, no gods or systems. Just you, in my arms."
Auren shuddered at the intimacy of it all, his heart fluttering like wings behind his ribs. He turned slightly to face Kael, eyes heavy-lidded, cheeks warm, and lips still slightly swollen from earlier kisses. "You're dangerously sweet when you're like this," he whispered, breath hitching when Kael's hand slid lower, gripping his thigh with unmistakable intent.
Kael chuckled low in his throat. "Sweet? Darling, I haven't even begun."
He moved then, fluid and commanding, shifting Auren onto his back and settling between his thighs. The blanket fell away to expose the bare stretch of skin, and Kael drank in the sight like a starving man. His gaze dark, possessive, hungry.
He leaned down, catching Auren's lips in a kiss that started soft but deepened quickly, tongues meeting in a slow, wet tangle that stole the breath from both of them. Auren moaned into Kael's mouth, hands curling in his hair as Kael rocked against him. Teasing, grinding, drawing sparks across already sensitive skin.
"You drive me mad," Kael growled, kissing down Auren's chest. "With your little looks, your sharp tongue, your fire... I crave you like war."
Auren tried to respond, but all that came out was a breathy gasp as Kael mouthed at a sensitive spot just above his hip. His hands slid to Kael's shoulders, trying to ground himself as his legs were coaxed further apart.
Kael lifted his gaze, smirking. "Breathe, little star. I'm going to worship you properly this time."
And worship he did.
Kael moved with reverence and raw desire, tasting, touching, whispering words of praise between every kiss and nip. His name fell from Auren's lips like a prayer, his body arching and trembling as Kael took him in every way he knew would unravel him.
When their bodies finally met again in the most intimate of ways, Kael held Auren's gaze. "Say it," he whispered.
Auren blinked, dazed and pliant. "W-What?"
"Say you're mine."
"I'm yours," Auren whispered, and Kael surged forward, swallowing the words in a bruising kiss as their bodies moved in tandem. Desperate and slow, needy and grounding. Every thrust was a declaration. Every moan, an answer.
Kael shifted them again, drawing Auren into his lap as he sat back, keeping them connected. Auren gasped, arms clinging around Kael's shoulders as Kael thrust up into him, deeper at this new angle. Their eyes locked.
"I want to remember you like this in every life," Kael whispered, voice trembling with something more than just desire. "No matter the world."
The system's transparent window blinked into existence in the corner of Auren's vision. [WARNING: Emotional Overload Detected. Hormonal spikes off the charts. System at risk of overheating. Abort mission?]
"Shut up," Auren groaned.
[Oh I wish I could. But you're the one who just got folded like a prayer mat by a six-foot warlord with a praise kink. This is on you, sweetheart.]
Kael kissed Auren's cheek, then his lips. "You're blushing again," he teased.
"Because you won't stop ruining me," Auren hissed, but his voice was soft, affectionate.
"Then let me ruin you again."
And he did.
Until there was nothing but sweat-slicked skin, whispered promises, and the slow lull of shared breaths as dawn broke outside, soft and golden.
Kael held Auren to his chest. One hand stroking his hair and the other pressed against the small of his back protectively.
"You've given me more than you know," he murmured.
Auren, half-asleep, whispered, "You're welcome... war criminal."
Kael laughed.
[System Notification: Achievement Unlocked - "Loyalty in Bed and Battle." +10 Affection. +1 Skill Point. Emotional Bond Strengthened.]
The system sighed. [Great. Now I'm the third wheel again.]