A very different mood had settled over Café Nim today. Customers whispered to each other as if afraid to raise their voices above the hush that had fallen in the usually-buzzing establishment, or sat fiddling with their straws or cutlery in awkward silence. All eyes were on Cardin as he moved about. Although he still carried out his duties with care, the normally cheerful face now held a grim expression, and his words had an edge that kept the fawning high-schoolgirls on their best behaviour. No name charms dared to be left behind today.
Unable to take the severe atmosphere any longer, Nimue accosted the blonde boy in the kitchen.
"Cardin, are you alright? You seem really glum today, even though you turned up early for work. Did something happen at home?"
Of course something happened, Cardin grimaced. But it's not like I can tell Nimue that I'm upset because of my housemate, who I'm also in love with…
...
That morning, standing in the doorway of Keary's room with his arms crossed, Cardin glowered down at the dark-haired figure that lay face-down in the bed. That he was so soundly asleep further annoyed Cardin, who had had a restless night.
Exactly what am I to him? Is he just this way with everyone? Anger surged inside him. Does he think that just because we live together, he can do as he likes?
This bastard!
"Keary." He grabbed the blanket and swept it onto the floor, but Keary didn't stir. Cardin yanked at him so that he rolled over. "Keary, wake up."
The silver eyes remained closed, the deep breathing unchanged.
Seriously, this asshole!
"Hey! I said, wake up!" Cardin clambered onto the bed and sat heavily on Keary's stomach. This seemed to work. The boy jerked, winded, one silver eye cracking open to squint up at the blonde.
"Cardin?" He relaxed back down in a sigh, then mumbled something that sounded like "This again?" before stretching an arm up to cover his face, muffling whatever he said next.
"What?" Irritated, Cardin leaned in, trying to make out what the other boy was saying, and was completely unprepared for when a warm tongue entered his ear, stopping him dead. All coherent thought vanished, and he could only tremble at the onslaught of sensations that ran tingling through his body. When it became too intense, he shuddered and wrenched away, only to be swept up in strong arms and a deep kiss.
Oh god, what–
He felt one of Keary's hands slip from the back of his neck and down his arm to interweave their fingers. The other arm circled his waist, then tightened; the world spun, and Cardin found that he was now the one on the bed, with Keary on top of him.
What is going on here??
"Kear…" Dizzily, he tried to speak, but the name came out as an uneven whisper.
A corner of Keary's mouth tugged upward in a brief smirk before he captured Cardin's lips in another ravenous kiss. When the blonde gasped for air, the kisses trailed down the side of his neck, lingering on his shoulder to suckle on the skin. A sting of pain made Cardin cry out, before the feeling of Keary's tongue making its way back up to his ear made him go weak.
He became aware of slow strokes beginning between his legs, setting a rhythm of pleasure that made the blue eyes flutter shut. When Keary's skilful hand slipped under the layers of clothing to massage his arousal, he arched and tried to twist away, but was trapped under Keary's weight. The hand continued moving, relentless, and Cardin was almost lost to wordless ecstasy until he felt Keary's fingers begin to press into him.
Wait!
Startled to his senses, he shoved hard against the other boy's bare chest with his free hand, earning just enough space to slap him across the face.
Like hell I'm going to let him touch me like this when I came to confront him!
Stunned, Keary blinked as if only just realising where he was, before looking down to see a panting Cardin curled defensively at the head of the bed, crimson-faced and incredibly pissed off.
...
"Why on earth would you do that??"
"Like I said, I'm sorry!" Keary ran his fingers through his hair as he paced around the room in agitation. "I thought it was a dream!"
"Who the hell has this kind of dream??" Cardin yelled, conveniently forgetting the nights he had woken up with Keary's name on his lips.
The dark-haired boy didn't answer. Instead, he planted his forehead against the bedroom wall with a thud and groaned his exasperation into the ocean blue surface. Cardin stifled a laugh, and was immediately annoyed with himself for being amused.
But come to think of it, his manner was so different from his hesitation when we were in the living room last night. He shivered at the recollection of Keary's arms around him earlier, strong and sure. If he's been having such dreams about me, why is he holding back in real life?
Then he remembered the woman at the bar, and frowned. Maybe it's not specifically me. Maybe there's someone else. That would explain the midnight outings. Heart hardening at the thought, he accused, "So you're just a horny jerk."
From his corner, Keary turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised as he pointedly dropped his argent gaze to Cardin's crotch. "Speak for yourself and that tent in your pants."
Heat rushed to the blonde's face, and he scrambled for a pillow to cover himself. "Hey! This is your fault! If you hadn't done that–"
"But I did. And the point is, you enjoyed it." Keary had returned to the bed, his words drifting across the nape of Cardin's neck. "Is that why you're angry? Are you frustrated because we were interrupted last night?" Warm lips brushed lightly against the back of his ear. "Since we've already begun, would you like me to finish you off?"