“W-Wha…”

The utter confusion on Egru’s face was plain to see. It wasn’t that he disliked the idea; he simply couldn’t understand it, his expression a mixture of doubt and uncertainty. Like an illiterate man before a library, he was lost in a field he knew nothing about.

A faint smile touched D’Élysée’s lips. This meant that with a bit of gentle, skillful persuasion, he might just give in.

“Listen, hyung. A lover is just a term for someone you love with all your heart. Don’t you think that’s exactly what we are to each other?”

“W-We’re, well, we’re brothers.” Egru faltered, avoiding his gaze. “I-I don’t think it’s like that…”

“I’m worried about you,” D’Élysée said, his hand gently closing over the back of Egru’s. “Would you be okay with never having a lover your whole life? Or do you want to live forever alone?”

“Ah…”

The color drained from Egru’s face. He must have imagined a future filled with loneliness, as the corners of his eyes glistened with unshed tears.

“Besides, what does it matter if we’re brothers? We don’t even share a drop of blood.”

“But it’s… it’s strange…”

“That’s just because you’ve never properly experienced it before. It’s natural to feel confused when a relationship evolves. Once you go through it, you’ll be fine.”

“…”

Egru still hesitated. Seizing the moment, D’Élysée let his shoulders slump dejectedly. “Do you dislike me that much, hyung? Do you not love me enough that you’d rather be alone?”

“N-No! That’s not it at all…!”

“I’m so glad.” D’Élysée’s face broke into a radiant smile as he pulled on Egru’s hand. “Hyung, I…”

Blushing, D’Élysée brought Egru’s hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. He cradled his brother’s small fist in his two large hands as if it were a precious, unripe fruit.

“I was happy that I had my first kiss with you.” D’Élysée slowly met Egru’s gaze. Feigning shyness, he moved closer, until his own reflection filled the amber orbs. “How was it for you?”

“I-I…” Egru averted his eyes, breaking out in a cold sweat.

His inability to answer easily made D’Élysée smile. The bright red tips of his pointed ears said more than words ever could. “Maybe if we do it one more time, you’ll know for sure?”

“Wh-What?”

“Stick out your tongue, hyung. Like when you’re brushing your teeth.”

“L-Like brushing my…?”

“Like this.”

Seeing his hesitation, D’Élysée demonstrated first, sticking out his own tongue with a relaxed and casual air, as if it were nothing at all. “It’s not hard. Anyone can do it.”

“…”

After a long moment of indecision, Egru slowly extended his own crimson tongue. It barely covered his bottom lip, looking as delectable as a thinly sliced peach. D’Élysée suppressed the sensation coiling low in his gut. It worried him how easily his brother was swayed by suggestion, but at the same time, he was thrilled that he was being so obedient.

He remembered the texture he had savored just moments before. The jelly-like tongue had released a tantalizingly sweet liquid the more he sucked on it. He wanted to pull it all the way out and melt it in his mouth like candy.

“Can you stick it out a little longer? And open your mouth.”

“Mmm…”

Though his expression showed confusion at the muddled proceedings, Egru diligently followed his brother’s instructions. D’Élysée watched him intently before suddenly leaning in and licking the extended tongue from base to tip.

“Mmph!”

Egru’s lips snapped shut in surprise.

D’Élysée’s verdant eyes softened into a liquid gleam. Did his brother know? Did he have any idea that even the way he snatched his tongue back was enough to stir his lust?

“Are you scared of me, hyung?” D’Élysée asked, his voice pure and innocent. “When you react like that, it makes me feel like I’m a bad person. I was only trying to help…”

His green eyes cast downward with a bitter look. All that was left was to wait, wearing a wounded expression. This time, he wouldn’t push too hard. He would wait until his brother came to him of his own accord.

Silence stretched between them, the only sound the rattling of the carriage filling the awkward space. D’Élysée put on a pathetic face, as if he were about to burst into tears at any moment. It was an absurd act, but he knew his brother would fall for it. He was blinded by his love for his one and only brother. D’Élysée had known for a very long time that he himself was his brother’s greatest weakness. He was certain of it.

His brother was a terrible liar. He wasn’t just some companion. He was his one and only family. And that meant his brother cherished him more than anything else in this world.

“D-D’Élysée…”

“…”

“I’m sorry. L-Look, okay?”

D’Élysée’s prediction was spot on. Before long, Egru opened his mouth of his own free will. But even as he stuck his tongue out again, D’Élysée didn’t pounce. Of course, he was frantic with the urge to devour him in one bite, but he drew out the moment a little longer.

“D’Élysée?”

As Egru cautiously leaned closer, D’Élysée actually pulled back.

“Ah…”

The amber eyes darted around nervously. A good sign.

“Sh-Should I do it first? Is that okay?”

Even at the anxious question, D’Élysée merely stared at him in silence. Egru’s anxiety peaked when D’Élysée turned his gaze away as if in disappointment. Egru froze, looking as though he’d been struck in the back of the head with a rubber mallet. By the time D’Élysée had leisurely counted to twenty in his head, Egru began to cling to him with trembling hands. In the confined space, his untamed omega pheromones surged with his distress.

“I-I-I misunderstood. You were just doing it for me, and I was being s-stupid…”

At last, D’Élysée turned back to him. The amber eyes were swimming with tears. He was so pitiful, it made D’Élysée wonder if it was truly okay to have him so completely wrapped around his finger. He gripped the carriage seat so hard he nearly tore it apart as blood rushed to his groin. This disheveled, unraveled version of his brother had to be his, and his alone, for all time. He wanted to bite down on the tip of his reddened nose.

“H-How can I make it up to you?”

“…”

There was only one answer.

D’Élysée tilted his chin up and opened his mouth, a silent command. He leaned back comfortably against the plush backrest and offered his tongue, just as he had before. The carriage seat, finally released from his fierce grip, bore deep indentations.

Egru gathered his spit and swallowed hard. He had made his decision, but he was still visibly nervous; D’Élysée could almost hear his heart fluttering like a trapped bird. But desperation won out over hesitation.

Lick. His brother, trembling, leaned in and touched his tongue to his. The soft surfaces met. Wet with sticky saliva, they instantly clung together like magnets.

“Hyung.” D’Élysée’s brow furrowed so intensely a vein throbbed in his forehead. If he relaxed his guard for even a second against the light, teasing licks, he felt he might come. “Do you love me?”

“I-I love you. I love you so much.”

As if he’d been waiting for those words, D’Élysée consumed his lips.

Unlike before, Egru seemed relieved by the deep kiss. It was endearing, the way he clumsily tried to move his own tongue, to match his breathing.

I don’t want to make him anxious…

For a moment, he felt a genuine pang of guilt for using his brother’s weakness against him. But separate from that heartache, he found himself incredibly aroused by the sight of his brother so completely undone. He could feel himself, already hard and erect, beading with moisture.

D’Élysée told himself he had to stop pushing his brother like this. For the sake of his brother’s mental health, he had to learn some self-control.

“Mmph, mmh…!”

Egru was pressed fully against the back of the carriage seat. His small frame was completely hidden by D’Élysée’s broad back; an onlooker might have thought a large man was simply devouring the seat by himself.

“Hah, then…” D’Élysée gasped, pulling back slightly. “We’re lovers now, right?”

Pant, pant. Egru was too busy desperately trying to catch his breath, but at the repeated question, he finally agreed. “J-Just for a few days…”

“Yes. Just for a few days.”

D’Élysée’s tongue tangled with his once more. He already knew. Those few days would stretch on, without end. Into weeks, months, years. Eventually, the word would be rewritten to mean ‘eternity.’

When Egru’s body had gone completely limp, D’Élysée finally broke the kiss. A wet, sticky sound followed as their shared saliva was parted. D’Élysée looked down at him with satisfaction. His face was flushed as if with a fever, tears clung to his lashes, and his lips were swollen and tender.

“Between lovers,” D’Élysée whispered, his voice low and intimate in Egru’s ear, “do you know what else we do, besides kissing?”

The voice was as gentle as a tickle. The warm breath against the shell of his ear made Egru’s closed eyelids flutter. D’Élysée cupped his cheek softly.

“Shall I teach you?”

Clunk. The carriage wheels suddenly ground to a halt. D’Élysée pulled Egru into his arms to keep him steady.

“We’ve arrived at the castle gate. Please prepare to disembark.”

With a look of regret, D’Élysée combed his fingers through his brother’s hair. “Let’s continue tonight, okay?”