To say he was overwhelming would be an understatement.
“…Come, now. Is that all the fight you have in you, Leorino? I may just fall asleep.”
“How are you so strong?!”
If Leorino could twist his wrist just a little more, he would be able to break free. But the man’s grip around it was much too strong, not giving an ounce of leeway. Leorino struggled with all his might, but it was abundantly clear that for the other man, keeping him bound was mere child’s play. The man grabbed his arms with ease and pinned him to the bed again.
“Unf!”
In an instant, the fingers restraining his wrists coiled tighter around his flesh.
“…Stop struggling. You’ll only hurt yourself.”
With that, the man parted Leorino’s legs, slipped between them, and pressed against his slender body.
“Hng…”
It was hard to breathe, which only heightened Leorino’s tension.
The man had been right. If he chose to shift more of his body weight onto him, Leorino’s delicate frame would be crushed. Unable to properly catch his breath, the young man let his eyes go vacant.
Noticing that Leorino had reached his limits, the man sat back up.
“…Breathe.”
Leorino gasped for air like a drowning man.
Then he simply lay there, stunned, his hands still pinned above his head.
“…Leorino.”
Blood rushed back to his fingertips, accompanied by a throbbing pain. It wasn’t just his wrists. His entire body hurt. He’d struggled so hard the entire time, his body now felt like he was being torn limb from limb. The corners of his eyes twisted in pain, and soon large tears came spilling forth.
The man frowned at the sight. “Ah, I went too far again… I never know when to stop, do I? You’re just so weak.”
With those words, the tears of pain were replaced by tears of humiliation, and those would be even harder to stop.
Leorino knew. This, too, was a sort of kindness from the man. The man was protecting Leorino from himself, ever unable to gauge his limits when he was reminded of their immense difference in strength, struggling until the breaking point. That was the point of the pain. It was meant to serve as punishment for his recklessness, but the man was careful, holding back the full extent of his strength so as not to cause any real damage.
Leorino knew this. And it was the knowing that hurt. Knowing how vulnerable—how utterly dependent on the man he was.
The man furrowed his shapely brows in remorse.
“Don’t cry… Did I hurt you? My apologies.”
In truth, Leorino didn’t want to be seen in such a pathetic state, but once he became upset, he had trouble calming himself down. Choking back a sob, he looked up at the man. “I-if you’re going to apologize, then let go of me…”
The man looked at Leorino, who had now been reduced to pleading, with naked pity in his gaze.
“Once you’ve made up your mind, you never give up… Just like him,” he murmured with a faint smile on his lips, before moving his hand to the back of Leorino’s head and pulling him close.
That perfect beauty of his was so close now, the man’s breath nearly caught in his throat at the sight.
“Leorino. Look at me.”
“No… I won’t.”
“Have you forgotten? You don’t get to reject me.”
“Stop… Mmf.”
The man’s mouth slowly met Leorino’s. Leorino tried to squirm away, but his resistance was completely in vain. Gently, passionately, he surrendered his soft lips. He was helpless to do anything but savor the sweet and sour punishment. As the pleasure continued to fill his body, he began feeling light-headed.
Finally sated, the man pulled away, licking his wet lips. His golden eyes shone with a dangerous gleam. “Now…let’s talk about the other matter you’ve been keeping from me.”
Leorino attempted to escape once more, trying to twist out of the man’s grip.
“I refuse! Let go of me! …Ow!”
The man had nipped at the fair skin of his exposed throat. Leorino was unused to rough treatment, and the sudden pain in such a tender spot came as a shock to his system.
“…Don’t be silly. I’ve finally gotten my hands on you. You think I’d let you go so easily?”
The man ran his tongue along the bite mark, as if to soothe the trembling Leorino.
“…Y-Your Highness…”
A choked sob slipped from Leorino’s quivering lips, which the man was now playfully tracing with his fingertips.
“…Call me ‘Vi’ the way you used to.”
The man’s tenderness immediately after teasing him made Leorino’s heart feel weak.
“…The way you used to.”
How could he not be swayed by the words of the man he loved?
When Leorino shook his head, the man’s brow furrowed in a pained expression.
“…Say my name, Leorino… Or would you rather”—the man’s voice sounded like an earnest prayer—“I call you by another name…Io?”
Leorino was suddenly overwhelmed by the powerful emotion welling inside him.
Vi and Io.
The names that could only be called by each other—and no one else.
Leorino’s violet eyes welled up once more, though these tears were not born of pain or humiliation. He looked up at the man through glossy eyes. He was just as Leorino had remembered him—his wavy black hair, his Prussian blue eyes flecked with gold, which so strongly resembled the night sky. But the man before him was so much more mature now than he had been eighteen years ago.
The man pulled him into a tight hug.
“Io… Ionia, I’ve missed you so much.”
I’ve missed you, too, Vi.
That was the voice of Leorino’s other self who lived in his memories. At the same time, his heart seemed to scream:
But I am not Ionia.
Ionia had died eighteen years ago.
They could never return to the way things were back then.
Because I can never fight by your side again…not in this body.