Chapter 14

CHAPTER14

The bowl of hot water atop the dresser steamed, a small washcloth folded just beside it. Elric had laid out the shaving supplies next to it, but now that he was getting closer to actually having Athan shave him and trim his hair, he was increasingly nervous.

Maybe he should’ve found a professional barber.

But there was something intimate about the act of being shaved, and he wanted to experience that with Athan for reasons he couldn’t even identify.

“Have you ever done this before?” Elric asked doubtfully as he sat in the nearby chair.

“It can’t be that different from whittling wood, right?” Athan said, holding up the razor blade. At Elric’s dismayed expression, Athan laughed. “You’ll have to guide me a little bit, but I do have very good control over my hands.”

“Well, put the blade down,” Elric ordered. “We don’t start with that. You have to prepare my face first.” He sat down in the chair and leaned back. “You wet the washcloth with the warm towel and place it on my face, to open up the pores. Then you lather up the shaving cream—that’s in the bowl with the little brush in it—and rub that all over the areas that require shaving.”

Athan dunked the washcloth into the hot water and wrung it out, then gently patted the lower half of Elric’s face with it. “Like this?”

Elric nodded. “You can leave it there while you lather up the brush.”

Athan arranged the cloth so it wouldn’t slip off Elric’s face, then picked up the brush and bowl. “I just realized… you won’t be able to speak much while I’m shaving you.”

Elric quirked a brow at Athan. “I won’t. I suppose you’ll have to be very, very careful. And you’ll have to talk to me to pass the time. Is that not what barbers do?” Though that wasn’t what his servants back home did. They did this in silence, while he thought and brooded. It was strange to want this, but Athan’s company always made him feel oddly warm. “Perhaps you can tell me where you disappeared to and what shifted your mood earlier.”

Athan’s movements slowed, and he lowered his gaze. “I told you. I fixed something. It was… It was good. But maybe I shouldn’t have.”

Elric waved a hand, gesturing for Athan to continue.

“There were cats,” Athan said as he brushed the shaving foam onto Elric’s face. “Three kittens. They were dying. Somebody asked me to help them, and… animals die sometimes, Elric. Even young ones. It’s not my place to extend their lives.”

Elric had always liked cats. They were clever, wily creatures, but in the end, even they wanted affection. If he’d been able to save his cat’s life…

If he’d been able to save his father’s life…

“You said you fixed them, that it was good,” he pressed, his heart beating just a little faster.

“I had to take life from somewhere else though.” Athan finished covering Elric’s face with foam and put the brush away. He picked up the razor and pushed against the blade. “Was it fair that I stole some days off the elderly cat’s life, so that the kittens could live for a little while? The plants in that alley won’t grow anymore. I took from a person’s life, and I gave a bit of my own. Maybe the kittens were never meant to live.”

“Or maybe those kittens will bring someone joy when they don’t wish to live any longer,” Elric countered, surprised at the ferocity in his own voice. He went quiet, though, not wanting to delve into that particular topic. This was the part of the shave where he’d need to be silent, anyway.

He missed Daisy, his lazy cat with splotches all over. She could see a mouse and simply stare at it instead of chasing it, and no matter how many times Elric had chided her for it, she’d only given him a placid look.

Live and let live, perhaps.

Sourness roiled in the pit of his stomach.

He’d give moments of his own life to allow some cats to live, but he wouldn’t have spared his own brother?

His brother had been a traitor, though. His brother had used a dragon to steal the throne!

He closed his eyes tight, fighting the memory of how his brother had looked in the pillory. Elric had had to turn away for fear he wouldn’t be able to do what needed to be done. It had been necessary. Larkin had needed to pay for his treason, and the law had demanded public use and subsequent death.

Athan used a finger to tip Elric’s head back, and slowly scraped the razor down Elric’s cheek, oblivious to Elric’s dark thoughts.

Elric shivered, fully aware of how dangerous a position this was. It really would take Athan no effort at all to slice Elric’s throat open. If he knew what Elric had done to his own brother, he might even think it was Elric who wasn’t worth “saving.”

Which was ridiculous, because Elric didn’t need saving. He simply needed to find his footing, and retake what was his, and then…

“Purse your lips,” Athan said quietly.

Elric did as he was asked and held his breath while Athan scraped the fuzz from above Elric’s upper lip.

Athan set the blade aside and rubbed at Elric’s skin. “I think I missed a few spots. I need to do another pass.”

“All right,” Elric mumbled. His skin was pebbling up into goosebumps, just from the heat of Athan’s touch.

They repeated the whole process, Athan taking even more care on the second round. The razor was extremely close—as was Athan, his breath ghosting along the blade’s path. Elric swallowed and forced himself to keep still, despite how his cock was starting to throb. It would be entirely too humiliating to end up with a cut from the blade because he was squirming too much.

Athan caught his gaze and gave him a small smile. “This is very… intimate. I can’t believe you’d let a stranger do this to you.”

Elric didn’t, usually. The servants who shaved him were trusted individuals, thoroughly vetted and paid well. He’d been desperate enough to use an unknown barber, but Athan was right in that there was something personal about a shave. They’d never affected him quite like this, though, to where he was ready for it to be done simply so he could kiss Athan senseless and get him back into bed. “I’m glad I didn’t need to,” he murmured.

Athan set the blade aside and took the damp towel to wipe off Elric’s face. This was the part where the barber would apply oils, but Elric could do that later.

Elric reached up to grab Athan by the neck and pull him into the kiss. The sensation of his freshly shaved skin rubbing against Athan’s sent more shivers down his spine.

It was amazing how different his face felt without all the scruff.

He felt more like himself than he had in so very long, clean and in proper clothing with a proper shave…

Elric shifted position slightly, drawing Athan deeper into the kiss. “Thank you,” he murmured against his lips, suddenly feeling awkward, strange, though he didn’t even know why.

Athan smiled against his lips and rubbed at Elric’s smooth jaw. “It does suit you more. I wonder if the rest of you could do with a shave…”

Those words startled a laugh out of him. “The rest of me? You want to take a razor to my balls?” He gave a quick shake of his head. “I’ll pass on that, thank you.”

“I liked shaving you,” Athan said. “I’ve never shaved anyone before. I imagine it’ll feel even more amazing to shave the rest of your body… but we’ll save that for another day.” He straightened his back and extended a hand to Elric. “Should we continue this in bed?”

“We will not save that for another day,” Elric said firmly. He wouldn’t be shaved smooth like a boy. He had enjoyed Athan shaving him, but not that much. He took Athan’s hand and rose, letting himself be led to the bed.

He wasn’t quite ready to be rid of the fine garments he was wearing, but he wanted Athan so badly that he found himself shedding them anyway. He felt more self-conscious than ever, all too aware of how terrible he looked after so much time spent on the road with so few meals.

And, of course, there was the case of the rust and the rot and the holes Athan could see in him.

His mood darkened, and he found himself pausing in taking off his trousers. “Am I hideous to look at, Athan?”

“No. Why would you think that?” Athan stripped his own clothes off, with significantly more care than he usually did. “I’m sure people have told you you’re plenty handsome, throughout your life.”

Elric pursed his lips. He’d thought himself handsome once, too, but now he avoided mirrors, too afraid of what he might see in them. “You always talk of the darkness, of the rust,” he said quietly. “And I look like a starving peasant.”

“Are starving peasants ugly?” Athan asked, stepping closer to Elric. “The darkness, the rust—we can buff it away. We’ll clean it all off, and you’ll be shining again in no time. I’m very good at rubbing things into shape.”

Elric managed a faint smile at that. “Yes, you are,” he said, choosing to ignore the rest as he finally shed his pants. He wrapped his arms around Athan, urging him closer. “Do I need more of your potion? Or is your seed enough to cleanse me of what you claim to see?”

“It’s…” Athan trailed off, shaking his head lightly. “Never mind that for now.” He reached between their bodies to wrap his hot hand around both of their cocks.

Elric didn’t bother to argue, not when the heat of that touch began to warm him from outside in, making him feel good in ways no one else ever had before. He closed his eyes and kissed Athan, long and deep, letting out quiet moans against his lips.

Athan made answering noises, though his were louder than Elric’s soft sounds. He stroked both of their cocks at once, his hand a little rough.

“Oil,” Elric murmured breathlessly against Athan’s lips. It would be more comfortable with the slickness, he was sure.

Athan nodded, stepping back with reluctance. Instead of digging through his travel bag, he selected one of the oils Elric had chosen at the barber’s stall, and it only took a small amount to make Athan’s hand slick.

The heat and glide of it as he rubbed their cocks against each other was perfect, and Elric let out a strangled sound against Athan’s lips. Athan chased those moans, kissing him again and again until Elric couldn’t take it anymore.

Without warning, he spilled all over Athan’s hand, all over Athan’s hard cock, casting his own heat over them both. It wasn’t nearly as warm as Athan’s seed when the phoenix came as well, but mixed together, it felt so pleasant. Too pleasant. Too good.

Elric slumped a little, having a hard time staying on his feet. He went to the bed and sat heavily upon it while Athan washed his hand, looking smug.

“I told you I was good at rubbing.” Athan smirked and came to sit next to Elric, bumping their shoulders together. “I’ve never had any complaints about my technique.”

It was ridiculous, and the crude joke should have annoyed Elric, but after the lovely day they’d had and with how relaxed Elric was feeling, he started laughing.

Athan joined him in that laughter, and for a few minutes, their humor infected each other. They collapsed onto the bed, still giggling like children.

“It’s not actually funny,” Elric said, trying to calm down.

Athan smiled widely. “Yeah? Then why are you laughing?”

“Because… because…” Elric didn’t actually know, but he couldn’t stop smiling either. “Come here.” He kissed Athan instead of speaking, feeling… bright in a way he couldn’t really recall feeling much before.

He could get used to this.