Comfort Within the Heat

Something determined leaked from Agniele’s voice. It was as if he were making a vow to himself. Sensing the lingering self-reproach buried deep beneath his words, Ensi let out a silent groan.

It wasn’t an emotion that would easily dissipate. How should he soothe him? He pondered deeply, forgetting even the persistent headache that clung to him.

“Ahem.”

“……Ah.”

Ensi, who had been pressing close to Agniele to feel his skin, let out a short exclamation at the sound of a dry cough from outside. Come to think of it, May had gone to fetch Nicephorus.

Since she had been waiting in the next room, she must have arrived long ago, but it seemed she had kept waiting because she heard them conversing.

At the intentional clearing of her throat, signaling that the right time had finally come amidst the accidental silence, Ensi raised the corner of his lips at Nicephorus’s behavior.

“Are you in pain anywhere?”

Agniele, who guessed the person’s identity from the brief cough, quickly raised his body. As the person firmly supporting his back vanished, Ensi’s back met the bed as his posture collapsed helplessly.

Ensi stared intently into Agniele’s eyes as the man looked down at him. Leaving the answer to the question aside, Ensi’s behavior of only looking into his eyes made Agniele anxious.

In the end, just as he was about to arbitrarily let in the waiting Nicephorus, Ensi finally reached out both arms and wrapped them around his neck.

“Calm down.”

“……Ensi.”

“It is not to the extent that you need to worry so much.”

At Ensi’s gentle soothing, Agniele’s expression contorted sharply. Not to the extent that he needed to worry. This was not something a person who hadn’t opened his eyes for the past three days should say.

Agniele, who expressed his agony silently with his expression, soon fell over Ensi’s body as if collapsing, gripping his shoulders and hugging him tightly. Ensi patted the back of Agniele, who was expressing his anxiety with his whole body.

Thanks to Agniele making an expression he had never seen before, Ensi realized anew that he had done a terrible thing to him.

“Young Master.”

“……Right, come in.”

As the prompting voice followed, the man who was chewing on his regrets permitted Nicephorus to enter. Agniele was still wrapping himself completely around Ensi’s body, but to push him away for the sake of appearances…… his own mistake was too vivid.

Nicephorus, who had lifted the cloth while letting out a small sigh at the fact that permission had barely been granted, suddenly froze upon witnessing a sight that was hard to take casually.

“……Didn’t you say you had a headache?”

“Yes, so give me some medicine.”

Ensi, who had been willingly accepting Agniele as he clung to him like a child, responded with a shameless attitude despite the question filled with bewilderment.

“Regrettably, you look perfectly fine.”

“The pain is real.”

When the word ‘pain’ came out of Ensi’s mouth, Agniele’s shoulders trembled slightly. At the sensitive reaction that popped out immediately, Ensi moved his arm again to pat the broad back.

“Because you were exposed to the Sun Herb smoke for a long time, your body has weakened significantly. Therefore, I can only give you medicine that has a somewhat weaker effect than usual. Above all, ingesting food is your priority.”

“I am not hungry. My stomach is churning too—, I don’t think I can eat anything.”

“I understand that your appetite has dropped, but if you wish to take medicine, fill your stomach first.”

Choosing to ignore the situation unfolding before her eyes, Nicephorus responded firmly to Ensi’s grumbling. Agniele, who had been staying as still as possible while hugging Ensi, also lifted his head and looked up at Ensi as if telling him to follow Nicephorus’s advice.

Letting out a groan at the eyes filled entirely with supplication, Ensi finally nodded slowly, indicating his understanding.

Originally, playing tricks to draw out the opponent’s reaction was Ensi’s share, but within a short period, Agniele seemed to have unintentionally learned that method as well.

Was it his own fault for acting too blatantly during that time? Ensi engaged in a meaningless reflection and gave a glance to Nicephorus.

“I will prepare it immediately.”

Nicephorus, who understood the silent command perfectly, quickly went outside. Ensi, who withdrew his interest from the sagging cloth that made a rather loud sound, caressed the lips of Agniele, who was looking up at him.

“By the way Iel, why have you become so haggard yourself.”

“Because you wouldn’t open your eyes. So…… I was worried.”

“Was that so.”

Ensi felt like a chuckle would leak out at the words that his body had broken down because of him. Seeing how joy reared its head before regret, he somehow felt like he had become a ruined human being.

But Ensi dismissed it as no big deal. He already knew well that there was a corner of him that was twisted.

“You didn’t intentionally neglect your body to cause me distress, right?”

“……That can’t be.”

Ensi’s accusation was from a direction entirely unexpected by Agniele. Because of that, unable to hide his embarrassment, he brought out a terrible denial after a brief blank space.

At that, Ensi narrowed his eyes and glared at Agniele. As Ensi exuded a suspicious aura completely, Agniele hid his face in Ensi’s shoulder to avoid his gaze.

“It’s true. I hope you believe me.”

Because he had buried his lips in the neck, a mumbling voice flowed out. At the hot breath felt against the sensitive skin, a languid groan escaped Ensi’s mouth.

“Ensiers.”

“—I will believe you.”

Even while in pain, the body’s reaction was honest. Strength entered the grasp of Ensi’s hand hugging Agniele. Blinking his eyes slowly to dissipate the sensation, Ensi perceived a scent that had faintly permeated the dry air.

“More importantly, your pheromones.”

At Ensi’s voice that leaked out before he could even register it, Agniele tilted his head. The hair that scattered with the brief movement tickled the skin.

At the sensation as light as a feather, a low laughter echoed inside his throat. Ensi raised his arm and ruffled Agniele’s hair.

“Iel, I want to feel your pheromones.”

“Here?”

At the confident demand, Agniele’s eyebrows twitched. It wasn’t difficult, but even so, it was an ambiguous matter to grant immediately.

Right now, Agniele was occupying Ensi’s bed, taking a posture that almost looked like he was pinning him down.

“……I wonder why you hesitate when there is no space more intimate than this.”

“It’s not that—.”

“Did I make a difficult request.”

Once having glimpsed the sweetness of a fruit tree, patience is bound to become thinner than before. That was why he had hesitated, but interpreting it in some way, Ensi expressed his disappointment.

The hand that had been ruffling his hair caressed his neck, and eventually touched the auricle. It was a gesture that stimulated carnal desire, yet felt excessively refreshing.

“You are a patient.”

“I merely wish to feel your pheromones.”

For someone claiming to have pure intentions, the movement of the hand touching Agniele gradually became sticky. Agniele let out a groan at Ensi’s shameless behavior.

As if he hadn’t heard the groan filled with awkwardness, Ensi repeatedly urged Agniele to release his pheromones quickly. Agniele endured while pretending not to hear, but eventually unable to beat Ensi’s stubbornness, he released his pheromones.

Since he had never once won against Ensi anyway, it was a natural result in a way.

Ensi reflexively relaxed his body at the fragrant pheromones felt close by. As the familiar, stabilizing scent hovered around, Ensi’s body loosened languidly.

Was it because the presence of the pheromones they had intimately intertwined before grew stronger? Agniele caught the scent of plum blossoms blooming from the soft skin.

“Ensi?”

“Yes, Iel.”

Because the scent was excessively strong, Agniele called Ensi carefully. Ensi answered in a voice thickly laced with languor while gently stroking the dark red hair.

At the sight of Ensi who had seemingly lowered his guard unconsciously, Agniele chose to shut his mouth instead of pointing it out. He couldn’t exactly tell an already sick person to worry about pheromones as well, could he?

“Agniele?”

“I wondered if your headache was still severe.”

“Mmh, a little.”

At Agniele’s question, Ensi grumbled as if he had been waiting. Whispering his desires continuously—asking to be held a bit more tightly or to be patted gently—was a bonus.

Startled for a moment by the pouring words, Agniele soon granted Ensi’s requirements one by one. Ensi showed a satisfied expression at the clumsy but faithful actions. His heart was gratified enough to briefly forget the intermittent pain.

“Are you not hot?”

“It’s fine. I’ve adapted.”

Only after fully enjoying Agniele’s cradling did Ensi throw out the question that had been on his mind. It was a question with a somewhat late feeling, but Agniele didn’t mind. He merely smiled slightly at Ensi’s attitude of worrying about him even while sick.

“Still, it must have been hard to endure for a long time…… you stayed here continuously, right?”

“It wasn’t hard. Once I got the knack of it, it was fine.”

Just as he was pondering whether he should leave this place to at least eat a meal, Ensi blinked at the statement that he had gotten the knack of it.

“While staying here, I became more accustomed to using mana than before. So you really don’t need to care.”

“……Thank goodness, no, congratulations?”

It seemed to be a result obtained while searching for a way to guard his side. However, to express pure relief, an unknown sourness remained, so Ensi trailed off his words slightly.

No, that wasn’t it. Since it meant Agniele could stay comfortably even in a greenhouse filled with Sun Herbs in the future, maybe he should be happy……?

Suddenly recalling a night past, a day when they had no choice but to unintentionally stop their lovemaking due to the creeping cold before fully satisfying their desires, Ensi genuinely curved his eyes and smiled at the fact that the restrictions had vanished somewhat.