…Not yet. There are still things I want to hear, things I want to ask.
But he couldn’t hold on any longer. His vision went black once more and his large body collapsed.
***
His tightly closed eyelids twitched and showed a reaction. Diego slowly opened his eyes. Sensing the unfamiliar atmosphere, as soon as he sat up, a familiar voice reached his ears.
“You’re awake?”
When he turned his head, he saw Roman sitting in a chair. The moment he recognized him, memories from before he lost consciousness flooded back all at once. Remembering how he had collapsed so pathetically, he rubbed the back of his neck even though it didn’t hurt.
“How are you feeling?”
“…I’m fine.”
“Wait a moment. I’ll call the doctor…”
Seeing him about to get up, Diego hurriedly grabbed his wrist. At that moment, something caught Diego’s eye. He saw a bandage wrapped around the tip of Roman’s middle finger, and raising his gaze a bit more, he met Roman’s eyes.
“Did you let me drink your blood?”
“…The doctor recommended it. I’ll go call him…”
“No.”
Roman faintly frowned. It was because he felt repeated pressure on his captured wrist.
“Before that, I want to finish what happened yesterday first.”
“……”
“…From the beginning, I felt a human interest in you, Roman, and as time passed, I fell deeper and deeper. No, I just wasn’t aware of it—maybe it was romantic feelings from the start. Otherwise, no matter how much of a dominant Neo you are, I would never have entered into a partner relationship with a man.”
“……”
“What about you, Roman? Did you really suggest breaking up because you were tired of me and sick of me?”
“…Yes.”
“Don’t lie.”
Diego gazed at Roman with unwavering eyes.
“There are things you only see after time has passed. When you said you were tired of me, you didn’t look me straight in the face. Just like right now.”
“……!”
“The same goes for the viscount’s daughter. You said it yourself at first, Roman. That if either of us found a lover, the partner relationship would end. If it were the you I know, you would have smiled and congratulated me first, but instead you kept avoiding me as if running away. …Look. Someone who’s always confident is avoiding my gaze even now, and you want me to believe those words?”
“……”
A self-deprecating laugh suddenly flowed from Roman’s mouth. After looking at Diego, whose eyebrows twitched with displeasure, he belatedly parted his lips.
“…Fine. Since it’s come to this, I’ll be honest. At first, I really was attracted to your body, and it’s true that as time passed, I came to like other parts of you too. …I thought it wouldn’t be good to continue like this, so I suggested we stop.”
“If you liked me, why did you suggest stopping?”
It was only for a moment that he kept his mouth shut and stared somewhere else—eventually a hollow laugh escaped Roman’s lips.
“You’re asking because you don’t know?”
“I’m asking because I don’t know.”
It felt like the headache that had disappeared without a trace was rising again. Roman let out a long sigh before parting his lips. At this point, he thought he might as well let things go however they would.
“Then what was I supposed to say? To a guy who had never slept with a man before me, to a guy whose wish was to get married quickly and start a family—could you have brought up something like suggesting we seriously date?”
“……!”
“Now that you know, go back. It’s true I was attracted to you for a moment, but not so much that…”
“Wait a moment.”
A low voice cut off Roman’s words. Diego habitually pressed his hand to his forehead. This time too, he needed time to organize his thoughts, and after a while, he opened his mouth again.
“You’re right. I definitely did think at one point that I wanted to start a family quickly if I found a good person. But that was before I met you, Roman—it was just something I said out of habit.”
Before Roman’s lips could open, Diego continued speaking.
“…You know that I lost my parents early. After even my mother passed away, Emily and I went to live with our uncle, but it wasn’t exactly a good environment, to put it mildly. Unable to bear it anymore, I left my hometown without a plan, and while comforting the lonely Emily, I thought then: I hoped I would meet a good person quickly, if only for Emily’s sake. And if I were to take someone as my partner, I would become an unfailingly strong fence for them. …Then I met you, Roman, and while I was gradually becoming interested, I received your partner proposal. Everything after that is just as I said yesterday. I like you, Roman.”
“……”
“Is there any part I need to explain further?”
Roman remained silent, but he didn’t feel the anxious feeling he had yesterday. Rather, looking at his profile as he slightly avoided his gaze, he felt something like hope—or not quite hope—sprouting.
Diego didn’t rush Roman. It was quite a long time later that a voice feigning calmness reached his ears.
“…I’m older than I look.”
“I already knew you were older.”
“It’s not a difference of just one or two years.”
“I don’t care about that either.”
“Even if we roll around together all night and make a ruckus, I can’t give you children.”
The words ‘Does that still bother you?’ rose to his throat, but Diego chose a different way to reassure Roman.
“That’s the same for me too. I’d love to give you beautiful children who resemble you, Roman, but unfortunately, that’s beyond my capabilities.”
“……”
He couldn’t hold back any longer. Realizing that Roman was trying to find an escape route until the very end, Diego yanked Roman’s arm toward him. He locked his arms around the waist of Roman, who had tumbled down from the sudden force, and once again let his sincerity flow out.
“I like you.”
“……!”
“What about you, Roman?”
A faint smile rose on Roman’s face as he looked at Diego. It was because he had read the anxiety that couldn’t be hidden in those eyes that were trying to appear calm at first glance.
A dry palm cupped Diego’s face. A low voice followed next.
“…I think I feel the same way.”
***
What happened afterward—their lips meeting—was, in a way, only natural. The kiss that had only been lips touching quickly became intense. They sucked on each other’s slick flesh, exchanged saliva, and when their lips finally parted, Roman found himself lying on the bed looking up at Diego.
“What are you trying to do?”
“Since we’ve confirmed our feelings, I thought I’d match our bodies too.”
“…Since when have you been so good with words?”
“I’ve always been quite eloquent.”
Diego, who had replied cheekily, crossed his arms and pulled off his top in one motion. The moment Roman saw his body wrapped in solid muscle, his Adam’s apple moved involuntarily. In his heart, he wanted to pull him into an embrace and spend heated time together, but the memory of Diego collapsing before his eyes just yesterday put on the brakes. Before it became irreversible, Roman slipped out from under Diego.
“That’s all well and good, but let’s call a doctor first. And have breakfast.”
“You’re more urgent than breakfast, Roman.”
“……”
For a moment, he felt at a loss for words. Facing that serious expression, Roman belatedly parted his lips.
“You seem to have forgotten, but you collapsed right in front of me yesterday. So…”
“I told you it was because of the suppressant’s side effects, and I’m fine now since you let me drink your blood. I won’t collapse so pathetically like that ever again.”
Roman lay down on the bed as his arm was pulled once more. Eyes blazing with determination that he absolutely would not back down turned toward Roman. As if he had no choice, Roman let out a long sigh and threw off his top as well.
“…If you collapse while we’re doing it, I’m not taking responsibility.”
“I’ll return those words to you as they are.”
Two lips tinged with laughter overlapped once more. Large hands gently stroked Roman’s body. When fingertips softly caressed the small protrusions, he flinched and showed a reaction.
“…I like it there. Do it harder.”
At those welcome words, Diego eagerly lowered his head and took Roman’s chest into his mouth. Every time he swept with his tongue, licked with his pointed tongue tip, and sucked hard while biting down, Roman’s waist wriggled.
“Haah…”
Diego raised his head, trailing long strands of saliva. His next destination was Roman’s center. When he inserted his hand inside his pants, the pre-cum that had already been flowing stickily wet his hand.
“Lift your hips a bit.”
When he stripped off the obstructive pants and underwear in one go, a firm and smooth body was revealed before Diego’s eyes. Lowering his head to nibble on his nipples, with his right hand he once again gripped Roman’s member.
