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Lyon del Grado could consider himself blessed.
However, his reason wasn't because he was born into a life of privilege, nor was it the quality education that had been tailor fit to his needs during his times of ill. Not even the fact that he had a sizeable inheritance in store for him when the time came. He could make do without most of the material wealth, in his opinion.
So, what made Lyon del Grado consider himself blessed?
The answer lay directly beside him, sharing the queensized bed in the room he was occupying in the twilight hours of the night.
A man engulfed his arms around Lyon's slender frame. The unmistakable warmth emanated from him, gazing at Lyon with such a tender look in his teal-colored eyes. His light blue hair brushed against the top of Lyon's lavender-colored head of hair. His smile touched the skin of Lyon's chin, its featherlight touch undeniable in its show of affection. Lyon couldn't suprress a soft chuckle---why would he even try to, anyway?
Lyon dipped his head closer against the tanned complexion he came to adore with all of his being. He laid a kiss to the divot in between the man's shoulder and neck.
"So..." Lyon broke the silence. His voice wasn't louder than a wind chime. "How did I do, Ephraim?"
Ephraim tilted his head down towards Lyon for a second. "Honestly..." He swept a look across his own upper body. "You did a pretty good job marking your territory."
Lyon's face blossomed into a vermillion shade. "Really? Are you sure I wasn't too rough with it? I was afraid I might've been..."
Ephraim shook his head. "Nope. I'll tell you now, it's okay, Lyon." He smiled, gently adjusting his position to properly look at his lover in the eyes. "It was your first time taking the lead, so I didn't have heavy expectations. While you did stumble at certain parts, overall, it doesn't mean it's bad..."
Cupping Lyon's face, Ephraim leaned forward and planted a kiss to his lover's temple. "That just means it's memorable for me."
Lyon's nostrils exhaled a sigh that went in tandem with a fond eye-roll. "You sap."
"Yeah, yeah, I am your sap." Ephraim smirked. "You even got a taste of my sa--"
Lyon pinched his cheek. "Maybe don't ruin the moment just yet, alright, my love?"
"Alright, alright..." Ephraim had a little pout on him, eyes glistening like a lost puppy's. The man was hardly the pouty kind. Even when his sisters delighted in teasing about him 'going tender' for Lyon, Ephraim took it in stride. He mostly reacted with an embarrassed whine and a face colored in a red so deep it almost drained his blood dry everywhere else.
But when Lyon teased him, that pouty side of Ephraim, that truly unfiltered part of himself would show. Just like in this moment. To which the latter didn't mind one bit, for it meant Lyon was more relaxed when in his presence. For Lyon to be able to come out of his shell, little by little, right before Ephraim's eyes, it was all that mattered.
As Ephraim was stuck silently admiring his companion, Lyon seemed to detect Ephraim's growing sentimentality. "Something on your mind, Ephraim?"
"Just how beautiful you are, Lyon." Chuckled the man with teal locks. "Your lavender hair, your eyes that match said lavender hair which shows nothing but kindness..." He kissed Lyon's forehead. "...Your brilliant mind...I want to say more, but it would take a century."
Lyon arched a brow. "Haven't you lived through centuries already?"
Oh...right. Ephraim had been deprived of his chance to be sappy...because of a simple fact. About his past occupation, no less.
"You know what I mean." Ephraim rolled his eyes, but kissed Lyon's forehead still.
"I know; I simply wanted to point it out if you needed a century to think about all of the things to praise me with." Lyon chuckled, laying his head back on its rightful spot on Ephraim's bare shoulder.
"Well, you know that's impossible---by the time I reach that point, you'd already be six feet under." Ephraim was half-joking.
To that, Lyon responded by lifting his head up from Ephraim's shoulder, and reaching his hands out to cradle Ephraim's cheeks. He pulled his lover's face closer, eyelids fluttering shut, mouth parting slightly.
A pair of soft lips met warm ones, together sharing the intimate connection exclusive to themselves. Ephraim's lips, his touch, all of him, grew warmer. Quite literally, as Lyon sensed the change while occupied in his prolonged lip lock, which slowly grew more heated.
It wasn't uncommon for Ephraim's body to suddenly experience a spike on his temperature. Moments such as this, where Lyon was given express permission to see him, feel him at his rawest, it made Ephraim flare up in a pleasant sensation.
Lyon became used to it, and grew to love that part of his Sun God lover. If anything, it provided him with the blessing of always being basked in the sun's light everyday and night.
It's a warmth that lulled Lyon, put him at ease without the need for a blanket. Speaking of...
"You feel tired?"
Lyon opened his mouth to speak, only for a yawn to come out.
Ephraim tucked Lyon's hair back behind his ear. "I guess that's a yes. You want to be covered in a blanket tonight? To help you sleep?"
Immediately, Lyon, shook his head. "There's no need for that."
He slid his arms around Ephraim's waist, hooking a leg over the other man's thighs as well.
"I already have you to feel warm..." Lyon smiled, nesting his face beneath Ephraim's chin.
"...And that's enough for me."