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Aaron looked into Regina's eyes, her purple eyes shimmering in the dark. Her fingers were in his hair, playing with it absentmindedly as she talked.
He tried to pay attention to her words, but he found his attention drawn to her eyes. They were beautiful amethysts, practically lighting up the room as the sunlight would. Her purple hair matched, the long and straight hair messy from lying in bed with him.
He knew most people would kill to see her like this, relaxed with messy hair, but he imagined someone else. It was hard not to when purple was so damn close to blue.
"—Did I tell you what Herman did to me at my party?"
Aaron’s attention latched fully onto her words, his ruby red eyes finally registering the rest of her face. She was objectively beautiful, he was aware of that.
"I don't believe so," he answered, hoping she didn't notice the shift in his attention, how he adjusted his position to be closer to her and her words.
Luckily for him, Regina had always been the oblivious type.
Regina's smile had turned into a scowl, just as it always did when Herman came up. Aaron wasn't sure if she hated anything more than that man, it was one of the reasons he'd never talk about him first to her. Not that he would with anyone, really.
"I asked him if he was trying to steal you from me, and he didn't even deny it! That prick…"
Aaron swallowed harshly, his eyes for once not meeting hers. He looked down at her nightgown, it was a nice lavender.
"Ridiculous, isn't it?"
Aaron didn't speak, just nodding as he turned to lay on his back instead of on his side. Regina didn't question it, she just took his nod as confirmation to continue talking.
But Aaron wasn't listening. No, he was relieving memories he had years ago, memories of that blue bastard.
Aaron and Herman had been classmates, even if Aaron was slightly older than him. Herman had always been an intelligent man, it was evident even when not taking account of how he was always the youngest in his classes.
Herman was skilled, he was the only one who even stood a chance against Aaron when they fenced. So they were paired up consistently, the teacher explaining they were the only ones able to challenge each other and that it'd be the only way for them to improve.
Aaron never complained, even if Herman always kept score and would taunt him whenever his wins outnumbered his.
One time in particular stood out to Aaron. The two had stayed after class to finish their match, the others too eager for some event that Aaron didn't care about enough to recall.
Herman had won, though just barely. Maybe Aaron would've won if he hadn't gotten caught by his lapis blue eyes, but he didn't care about the loss itself.
"What does this bring us to?" Herman hummed as he freed Aaron from his sword. "25-20?"
"You're the one who always keeps track, not me," Aaron pointed out. Herman chuckled as the two put their things away.
"Maybe you should, you clearly need the motivation as of late."
Aaron rolled his eyes, glaring ever so slightly at him. He couldn't glare at him too hard though, even if he was annoying. His shining blue eyes were too gorgeous for that.
Aaron turned back to him, preparing to tell him farewell, but froze as he noticed Herman seeming to wince as he bent down to grab his things.
"Are you alright?"
"Hm?"
"You're in pain."
"Oh," Herman realized, cocking his head thoughtfully. "It's just my back, I'll survive."
"Why does your back hurt?" Aaron asked, not letting the topic drop despite Herman clearly wanting it to. It was both out of concern and slight payback for all the times he annoyed him.
"It always does when I bind."
Aaron blinked. He supposed that would explain the back pain.
"Perhaps I could help, I could give you a back massage?"
Herman scoffed, chuckling softly under his breath. "Why would you do that? You just lost against me."
"Because I care. Besides, you could consider it as your reward."
Herman seemed surprised by his words, staring at the man for a moment that felt like eternity to Aaron. Had he said something wrong?
Finally, Herman shrugged. "I suppose that's fair."
Aaron sighed from relief, watching as Herman went to lay down on the nearby carpet. Arron followed, sitting on his knees near him.
"Maybe you should take it off while I do it, it might be more effective and I wouldn't be able to see anything regardless."
Herman waved him off. "Unnecessary."
"Are you sure?" Aaron asked, allowing a smirk to form on his lips when Herman clenched and unclenched his fingers.
"Yes, I'm sure. Now go on."
Aaron couldn't help but be slightly disappointed from the rejection, but it didn't matter. He simply nodded, placing his hands on the top of his back. "Yes, sir."
The title caused Herman to laugh, and that made Aaron smile. If Herman was going to order him around, he might as well indulge him ever so slightly in a playful manner.
"You're quite the obedient type," Herman teased, Aaron making his massage a little more forceful from those words.
"I don't think that's how you should talk to someone older than you."
"How should I talk to you then? Should I call you master?"
Aaron slapped Herman on the back, blood rushing to his face. Herman merely laughed again, the sound both aggregating and pleasing to his ears.
"Don't call me that," Aaron got out through clenched teeth, resuming the massage despite the feelings boiling inside of him.
"If that's what you wish, sir."
Aaron slapped him again, Herman snickering as he continued.
Aaron hadn't even reached the middle of his back when one of Herman's hands grabbed one of his wrists. Aaron froze, looking down at him with confused ruby eyes.
"I changed my mind."
"About what?" Aaron asked, cocking his head as if he was a puppy.
"I will take it off."
Aaron tried to contain the smile that instinctively appeared, even if Herman wasn't facing him as he sat up. "Go ahead," he encouraged.
Herman didn't respond, he simply took his shirt and binder off. From what Aaron could tell at the time, most boys his age would've tried to get a look at his breasts, but the thought never occurred to Arron.
No, he was focused on his back.
From how often they fenced and how intense their sessions could get, it was no surprise he had some muscle on him. He some on his arms, only really noticeable when they were fencing, but his back had even more noticeable muscles.
Aaron felt himself stare at his back, feeling his cheeks heat up from the sight. He had never been the type to understand when boys would get excited over someone else's body before, but something inside of him had awakened in that moment. He desired to trace every inch of his back, and he tried to push the image away of his lips loving on every inch.
He couldn't afford to think that.
He only snapped back into reality when Herman laid back down on the carpet.
Clearing his throat as silently as he could, Aaron placed his hands back at the top of Herman's back. For a moment, he just let them rest there, rubbing tiny circles just to feel the skin beneath his fingers. His skin was soft, but the muscles were firm. He found himself addicted to the feeling.
"What? Do you like what you see?" Herman teased, causing Aaron’s cheeks to heat back up.
"Don't be a fool," he shot back, thankful he couldn't see his face. Herman chuckled softly as Aaron restarted the massage, Aaron finding himself intoxicated by the combination of his skin and soft laugh.
"I like when you're like this."
Aaron froze for a moment, resuming going down his back as he finally spoke. "Like what?"
"Yourself, I presume. When you're not just a blank slate that must appease everyone. I enjoy when you bite back."
Aaron felt himself unable to process his words, his mind simultaneously too empty and too full as he worked his hands to soothe his back.
No one had ever complimented him for something that wasn't his looks or his skills. He found it hard to describe how it made him feel.
"…Thank you," Aaron finally settled on, a soft smile on his lips. Typically, Aaron either had a straight face or a fake smile, but he found himself genuinely smiling when with Herman.
Herman simply hummed in response, and Aaron quickly realized his massage was succeeding. The man moved slightly into his hands, hums escaping his lips and low grunts whenever his back audibly cracked.
Aaron tried to ignore the heat in his face as he continued, unable to look anywhere but at the man's muscular back.
Damn that blue bastard.
He found himself too distracted by Herman's sounds and the sight of his back to realize when he had reached the end. He only realized when he felt the fabric of his pants, eyes widening as he looked down to see his hands right above his ass.
He shot his hands up quickly in the air, as if a teacher had caught them and demanded him to explain his actions. Face as hot as could be, he looked anywhere but at the man laying on the floor beside him.
"Do you—do you need more? Or was that…enough?" Aaron asked, fumbling over his words as he wondered if Herman noticed where his hands had been.
"It was lovely," Herman confessed, sitting up and fixing his hair slightly. He turned his head to look over his shoulder, right into Aaron‘s ruby eyes. "Though I wouldn't have complained if you kept going lower."
Aaron sputtered, his mind racing a million miles per second. Herman, like the bastard he was, snickered as he put his clothes back on.
"You're much too easy, sir."
"You're such a bastard," Aaron countered with a glare, dusting his clothes off to give his body something to do as a distraction.
Herman hummed thoughtfully, turning to face him. Reaching out his hand, he brushed some of his blond hair out of his face.
"You love it."
Aaron forgot how to breathe.
Herman's small smile formed into a full smirk, backing away and taking his hand off. He grabbed his things as Aaron remained frozen.
"Until next time," Herman called out, Aaron finally turning to see Herman was already at the door. He cleared his throat, his arms moving to wrap around his chest.
"I'll see you soon," Aaron agreed, nodding at him. Herman chuckled softly, only giving him a wink before departing.
Aaron felt his knees become weak.
"Aaron?"
Aaron’s eyes snapped to Regina's. She had been talking, but he had no clue about what. Her purple eyes were full of concern, and he couldn't help but feel guilty.
"I apologize, Regina, I was too tired to hear you," Aaron lied, wrapping his arms around his chest as if that would push the guilt out of his system. "What did you say?"
"It's alright, beautiful," Regina smiled, her reassuring words only souring Aaron‘s mood more.
Beautiful. All he'd ever be to her.
"I just wanted to make sure you'd never leave my side."
Aaron felt his stomach churn.
Aaron knew this was what people expected from him. With his family's status, he was expected to marry an attractive woman around his age and have at least one child with her. The child, or children, would carry on the family legacy. It was a cycle that was supposed to be pleasant, that was supposed to never end.
Yet he always felt himself longing to be more like his uncle: Single and career oriented. He was good at fencing, he was good with swords. Hell, people had even called him the best with them.
Well, Herman never did. It had been refreshing, really, to finally not be seen as some perfect, beautiful being. His uncle was allowed to have some flaws, it was another reason he envied the man.
He was supposed to want to be perfect, to be with the perfect woman and have at least one perfect child. Something must be wrong with him for not wanting that, for the only person he had ever considered being with being Herman.
That blue. Fucking. Bastard.
"Aaron?"
Aaron’s eyes focused back on hers. He knew what he had to say, and he knew she deserved it, really. Regina was an intelligent, kind woman. She deserved someone loyal to her, someone who would please her.
So he would make that his life's mission, just as he did with everyone in his life.
Herman was the only person he could ever recall not having to please constantly. He missed it.
He missed him.
So he took in a deep breath, turning back onto his side. Instead of seeing her amethyst eyes, he saw his lapis eyes staring into his. He saw his long, straight blue hair flow down his back with one strand in his face. Aaron reached to move the hair out of the way, smiling softly at him, not her.
"I won't. I love you."
Regina smiled, relief washing over her features. "I love you."
Except Aaron didn't hear her voice.
He heard that blue bastard's.