Chapter 29

The room was dim, shrouded in the heavy silence of late night. The kind of stillness that hangs just before dawn, when even shadows seem to hesitate.

The night was still, cloaked in velvet silence. Only the occasional rustle of leaves beyond the windows broke the quiet, and within the room, William lay curled beneath the sheets – finally asleep, if restlessly so.

Est hadn’t moved all night.

He sat in the armchair across the room, still dressed, half-awake, watching over William like a silent sentinel. He hadn’t meant to stay – but every time he stood, some gut-deep warning kept him in place. Something didn’t feel right. Something hadn’t felt right since Kenta had walked into the palace with that smug, polished smile, like he still belonged. Something about Kenta’s smirk. The way William had flinched earlier when touched. The hollow way he’d said, “It’s over, it’s been over for years,” like he was still trying to convince himself it was true.

William had drifted into sleep eventually, curled beneath the sheets in a loose fetal position, back exposed, arms drawn up close. Even in sleep, he looked small. Fragile.

Est watched the rise and fall of his breath. And the steady ache of guilt sat like a weight in his throat.

He should’ve stayed with him more nights before. Should’ve noticed the cracks earlier. Should’ve seen what William had been hiding all this time.

Est had learned to trust his instincts. Especially the ones that screamed danger.

So when the door creaked open in the middle of the night – so softly, so stealthily – it didn’t wake William.

But Est, already on edge, opened his eyes instantly.

A shadow slithered in, tall and silent. The figure glided across the carpet with familiarity that made Est’s stomach turn.

Kenta.

What the fuck.

He didn’t announce himself. Didn’t glance around. He moved straight for the bed like he owned it.

Like he owned him.

William stirred under the covers.

Est stood – but silently. Waiting.

Kenta made his way to the bed with disgusting ease. He stood over William a moment – looking down, taking in the vulnerable way the sheets had slipped low over his bare shoulder, the peaceful curl of his fingers.

And then he sat. Slowly. Gently. His hand brushed over William’s arm, down his spine.

William stirred in his sleep. His lips parted, a soft sound slipping out – “Est…”

A breathy, unconscious murmur. Est’s name.

Kenta leaned down, lips brushing against William’s.

And then – William kissed him back.

Just for a second.

Bleary, half-lost in sleep, unaware of what was real. Mouth moving against Kenta’s on instinct, soft and pliant, chasing a comfort he thought was safe.

Est was on his feet in an instant.

The chair slammed back against the wall.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” His voice was a low snarl, already halfway across the room.

Kenta startled – jerking back, confusion flashing across his face just as William gasped awake and recoiled, panic overtaking the sleep in his eyes.

“Est – ?”

But Est wasn’t listening. He grabbed Kenta by the front of his shirt and dragged him off the bed like he weighed nothing.

“You touched him,” Est said, voice shaking with fury. “You came into his room while he was sleeping – and you fucking touched him.”

Kenta struggled, shoved back, but Est slammed him against the wall hard enough to rattle the frame.

“He kissed me,” Kenta spat, face flushed with anger and panic. “don’t try to turn this around – “

“You think that was consent?” Est’s voice broke into a growl. “He was asleep, you sick bastard.”

“You’re just jealous,” Kenta snapped, shoving against Est’s chest. “You think because he let you crawl into his bed that you’re something special? I’ve had him in ways you never will. He used to beg for me to – “

Est hit him.

The punch cracked across Kenta’s jaw with such force it sent him stumbling sideways into the dresser. He groaned, clutching his face.

“You fucking animal,” Est snarled, stepping forward, fists clenched. “Say another word like that and I’ll break your jaw for good.”

William had pulled the sheets tighter around himself, shaking now, eyes wide with horror.

Kenta wiped the blood from his mouth, sneering. “You’re just a guard. A fucking nobody. You really think this little guard dog act is going to keep you beside him forever?”

Est surged forward and grabbed him by the collar again, slamming him back.

“If you ever – and I mean ever – step foot near him again, I will put you in the ground.”

Kenta scoffed, though it sounded strained. “He’ll see. He always comes back to me in the end. You’re a temporary fix. A poor substitute.”

“No.” The voice came from behind.

William had stood, barefoot, shoulders trembling but his chin lifted high.

“I’m not his anything,” he said, every word sharp and shaking. “And I’m not coming back to you. I don’t want you. I never should have.”

“You think he’s any different?” Kenta spat. “You just like being owned.”

Est moved like a storm.

He didn’t punch him again – but the force with which he shoved Kenta out the bedroom door was nearly as brutal.

“Touch him again and I swear you’ll regret it,” he said through gritted teeth.

“I already do,” Kenta hissed, backing down the hallway, cradling his jaw. “You’ll regret this too.”

“Get. Out.”

The door slammed shut.

And then the silence fell again.

William sank back down on the edge of the bed, burying his face in his hands.

Est stayed frozen for a moment – his chest heaving, his heart pounding in his ears. He looked over.

William was shaking, his breathing was uneven, his voice barely a whisper. “I’m sorry.”

Est looked down at him, still crouched by the bed, his knuckles scraped, his chest still rising and falling too fast. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“But I – “

Est shook his head sharply. “Don’t. Don’t take responsibility for something he did. He knew exactly what he was doing.”

There was a sharpness in his voice that hadn’t faded since the fight – something still burning under his skin.

William reached out, his fingers brushing over Est’s hand gently. “You need to calm down.”

“I am calm.”

“You’re not.” William’s eyes were soft, tired. “You’re shaking.”

Est looked down at his hands. He hadn’t even noticed the way they trembled.

“Kenta can’t do anything to me,” William said quietly. “Not anymore. Not while you’re here with me.”

That stopped Est cold.

Something about the way he said it – so certain, so trusting. Something about the idea that William believed he was safe now, just because Est was in the room. As if Est alone was enough to protect him from the ghosts clawing at his past.

Est didn’t answer.

He only stared at him for a long, breathless moment.

And then he surged forward.

His hands came up to cradle William’s face, and his mouth crushed down against his – fierce, unrelenting. A kiss not born of lust, but of anger, desperation, need. The need to erase the taste of someone else. The need to rewrite that moment with his own touch.

William gasped against him, but didn’t pull away. He leaned in, tangled his fingers in Est’s shirt, held him tighter.

The kiss deepened, teeth grazing lips, breath hot and broken. It wasn’t gentle – it was messy, open-mouthed and shaking with emotion. William clutched at Est like a lifeline, like the warmth of him could drive away the cold Kenta had left behind.

By the time they broke apart, both of them were panting. William’s eyes were dazed, mouth kiss-bitten, cheeks flushed.

Est’s voice was rough when he finally spoke. “He doesn’t get to leave that mark. Not on you. Not on your skin. Not in your head.”

William exhaled shakily. “You’re not just erasing him, are you?”

Est looked down, jaw tight. “No,” he admitted. “I’m trying to remind you who you belong to now.”

William touched his cheek gently. “You don’t need to remind me. I already know.”

They stayed like that for a while – foreheads pressed together, the silence loud with everything they weren’t saying. The room was dim now, the heat of adrenaline slowly fading into something heavier, quieter.

Est helped William lie back in bed, tucking the blankets around him with a gentleness that felt out of place after the violence of earlier. He smoothed a hand over William’s hair, let his fingers linger along the side of his face. The bruises weren’t physical this time – but Est could still see them.

“Get some sleep,” Est whispered.

William didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Just reached out and curled his fingers around Est’s wrist.

“Stay.”

“I wasn’t going anywhere.”

Est’s hand lingered on William’s cheek, thumb trembling against his skin.

“You really should sleep,” he murmured, voice raw. “You’ve been through enough tonight.”

William’s breath came shallow, his lashes fluttering. “Est…”

“I’m here,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

They climbed into bed in silence. The sheets were cool against overheated skin. Est lay on his back, arms folded behind his head, his body still stiff with restrained rage. William curled beside him, staring at his profile in the dim light – eyes dark, brow furrowed, teeth pressed into the inside of his cheek.

He hadn’t come down from it yet.

William leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Est’s shoulder. Then another, higher. And then one near his jaw.

Est turned to look at him, startled.

“William – “

William sat up slowly, his mouth brushing along Est’s jaw. “Touch me.”

“No.” The word came rough, immediate. Est pulled back just slightly, just enough.

“I know what you said,” William murmured, voice low, breathy. “That we should sleep. That I’ve been through too much. But I can’t – ” He exhaled shakily. “I need to feel you. I need to be with you. Please.”

Est reached for him automatically, brushing his thumb over William’s lower lip. “You’re vulnerable. I don’t want to… take advantage. Not like this. . .”

Est still shook his head, guilt surfacing again like bile. “You were almost – violated. You shouldn’t be trying to – “

“I want you.” William leaned in again, more insistent now, more desperate. “Not him. Never him. You – your hands – your mouth – you’re what I want. Let me have that. Let me take it back.”

“Will – “

“You wanted to remind me who I belong to,” he whispered, eyes shining in the dark. “So do it properly.”

Est’s throat worked silently. He was trembling again – only this time it wasn’t from rage. “It’s not that simple.”

“Isn’t it?” William’s voice softened, but the need in it deepened. “I miss your touch. I miss the way you make me feel like I’m safe even when I’m falling apart. I need it. Please, darling. Please.”

Est’s restraint cracked.

With a low, guttural growl, he sat up, his hands gripping William’s hips as their mouths crashed together again – this time even rougher. Their teeth clicked, tongues tangled, the air between them thick with heat and emotion.

William moaned into it, pressing down so he could feel Est hardening beneath him.

“God, I missed you inside me,” he breathed. “A whole month. I kept thinking about it. About how you fuck me – how you hold me down – how you look at me when you’re about to lose it.”

“Fuck,” Est whispered, already kissing down his neck, teeth grazing tender skin. “What happened to your restraint, Your Highness?”

“You took it with you when you left,” William gasped, grinding down against him. “Now take the rest of me.”

Est let out a shaky breath, and William kissed him again – slow, coaxing, desperate. “I want you to erase him properly,” William breathed. “Mark me. Claim me. Make me yours again.”

Est’s already cracked restraint shattered like glass.

He surged forward, pushing William onto the bed, climbing over him and catching his mouth in a kiss so deep it left them both gasping. Their hands were everywhere, hungry, shaking – Est ripping William’s robe off completely, baring him to the waist, his body flushed and perfect and his.

“I missed you,” William whispered against his mouth. “Every night. Every goddamn night. I touched myself thinking about you. But it wasn’t the same. It was never the same.”

Est groaned into his mouth, dragging their bodies together until there wasn’t a sliver of space between them. “You shouldn’t be saying that. Not after tonight. I should be – gentle – waiting – “

“I don’t want gentle,” William begged, tilting his head back to bare his throat. “I want you. I want you to remind me I’m yours. I want to feel you inside me so deep I can’t remember how anyone else ever looked at me.”

“Fuck, William – “

Est’s hands were shaking as he undid his trousers, trying to breathe through the tidal wave of need and restraint that were crashing through him. But William was already pushing at his pants, needy, insistent, eyes dark and glassy with tears and desire.

“You want me too,” William whispered, voice wrecked. “I can feel it. Don’t lie to me, Est. You missed me.”

“God, I missed you,” Est growled, kissing down William’s throat, sucking a mark just above his collarbone. “Every fucking night I wanted you. Thought of you in my bed, touching yourself, wishing it was me.”

William moaned, arching into him, legs spreading automatically. “It was,” he gasped. “It always was.”

Est groaned, hands sliding down his thighs, spreading them wider, dragging his fingers up between. He licked a stripe up the inside of William’s thigh before mouthing at his cock – kissing, licking, then taking it in deep, all at once. William cried out, head tipping back.

“Oh – fuck, Est – “

Est didn’t stop. He sucked him down hungrily, sloppily, like he couldn’t get enough, his grip bruising on William’s hips to hold him still. William’s fingers tangled in his hair, trying not to buck up, breath catching with every wet pull.

Est only stopped when William was trembling, on the edge, panting and begging. He climbed back up, kissed him with his mouth still wet, and reached for the nightstand.

William rolled onto his stomach, offering himself up with a gasp, cheek pressed to the sheets. “Please. I want to feel you inside me.”

Est froze. “Will…”

“I’m yours,” he whispered. “Let me feel it. I don’t want to be afraid. Not with you.”

That broke something in Est.

He slicked his fingers quickly, working William open slowly at first – but William pushed back, needy, panting, gasping, “More – fuck, more. I can take it. I want to.”

“Look at you,” Est murmured. “Open and wet for me already.”

“I’ve been like this for days,” William said, eyes glazed, hips rolling helplessly. “You don’t even know how much I need it.”

Est pressed two fingers in, slow but deep, stretching him, coaxing him open again. William threw his head back with a cry.

“That’s it,” Est whispered, voice dark, possessive. “Let me in.”

William grabbed at his wrist. “Don’t make me wait.”

Est lined up, holding himself just at the entrance, the tip thick and hot and already twitching. He looked down at William – flushed, lips parted, begging without words.

“Tell me again,” Est said, teasing the head against his rim. “What do you want?”

“I want you inside me,” William whimpered. “Want you to fuck the memory of his mouth off me. Want you to take it all back.”

Est inhaled sharply.

William let out a shuddering breath. “God, Est…”

“I want to see you,” Est whispered, pulling his fingers free after a while. He stroked himself once, then twice, gaze locked on William’s – and then shifted forward.

He positioned himself, the tip of his cock pressing against William’s entrance, slick and ready but slow to push.

William’s hands gripped his shoulders, breath caught.

Est paused. “Look at me.”

William met his gaze.

And Est pushed in with a sharp thrust.

William gasped, body arching slightly, hands clawing at his back. Est went slow, painstakingly slow, inch by inch, eyes flicking down to watch – to watch as his cock was swallowed by William’s body.

He groaned, guttural. “Fuck… You feel like heaven.”

William was panting. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

Est bottomed out, burying himself completely, staying still for a moment, just breathing, forehead resting against William’s.

Then he moved. A slow, deep thrust that had both of them shivering.

William cried out, arching up, breath catching. “Yes – fuck, yes – “

Est set a brutal rhythm at first, hips slamming into him, raw, feral. William held onto him for dear life, nails digging into his back, gasping at every deep, rough stroke.

“You’re mine,” Est snarled. “Every inch. Every sound. Every time you beg.”

“Yours,” William moaned. “Always. God – don’t stop – don’t you dare stop – “

But slowly, as the anger drained from Est’s body, the rhythm softened. His thrusts turned deeper, slower, more deliberate. His hand cradled William’s cheek as he moved inside him like it meant something – because it did.

They kissed again, this time with the ache of longing and love, not fury. Est’s forehead pressed to William’s, sweat mixing, breaths shared. William wrapped his legs tighter around Est’s waist, hips meeting each slow thrust like a silent plea.

“I missed you,” William whispered, eyes wide and wet. “Missed your voice. Your touch. I slept every night just trying to remember your smell.”

Est let out a soft groan, barely holding himself back. “I missed you too. More than I could stand.”

William clenched around him, and Est choked on a moan. “Then give it to me. All of it.”

Est gave in completely – his rhythm turning desperate again, a steady grind of pleasure and pain. William was right there with him, moaning, babbling, begging, his whole body open and trembling.

It wasn’t rough. It wasn’t fast. It was drawn out – every slide in and out deliberate, worshipful, dragging along every nerve.

William moaned under him, legs wrapped tight around Est’s waist, pulling him deeper. “I can feel all of you. Every part. Oh my god.”

Est held him there, thrusting slowly, his gaze dipping down now and then to watch where they were joined – the way his cock glided into him, wet and perfect and right.

“You take me so well,” Est whispered. “You always do.”

William whimpered, bucking up to meet each slow thrust, hands tracing the planes of Est’s back, gripping his shoulders, then his face.

Est kissed him again, deep and full of breath. “I’d die before letting anyone else touch you like this.”

“Then don’t stop,” William whispered. “Claim me. Again and again. Until I forget I was ever someone else’s even for a second.”

Est’s thrusts quickened – just slightly – still deep, still aching. William moaned louder now, body arching with every drag and push.

And when he came, he cried out Est’s name, voice raw and reverent, release slick between them.

Est followed soon after, gasping William’s name as he buried himself to the hilt, shuddering as he came deep inside him.

But he didn’t pull out.

He stayed there, pressed close, their bodies tangled, skin flushed and damp. He looked down again at where they were still joined, then back to William’s face – eyes heavy, cheeks pink, a smile lazy and warm.

Est kissed him once more, soft and slow.

“I missed you,” he whispered.

William curled closer to him.

—-

Dawn crept through the curtains in slits of muted gold. The room smelled like skin and sweat and sex. The sheets were a mess – twisted at their waists, damp beneath them – but neither moved.

William stirred first.

His lashes fluttered against his cheek. He blinked blearily, lips parted, breath shallow. The first thing he registered was heat. The heat of Est behind him – the heat of skin pressed to skin, the weight of a thigh draped heavily over his own.

And Est’s cock.

Still hard, still thick, still nestled right there between his cheeks. Not moving. Not trying. Just resting. Heavy. Warm. Threatening.

William swallowed.

He could feel Est’s hand sprawled against his waist, the blunt tips of his fingers curling slightly against the dip of his stomach. Possessive even in sleep. Or maybe Est wasn’t asleep at all.

William shifted, just a little – enough to brush back against that cock, to feel the unmistakable twitch of it. A breath caught behind him. Low. Sharp.

Est was awake.

And waiting.

William didn’t speak. He simply reached down, wrapped one hand behind his thigh, and pulled it forward, opening himself more. Just enough.

A slow breath bloomed behind him. Then fingers – warm and sure – slid lower, parting him, teasing at the rim, rubbing in lazy circles.

William gasped, pressing his forehead into the pillow.

Est didn’t tease for long.

He guided himself forward and pressed the head of his cock against William’s hole, pausing only to spit – crude and direct – before rubbing it in again, slower this time.

William groaned, teeth sinking into the pillow. “God – “

He didn’t beg. Didn’t have to.

Est pushed in.

The stretch was sudden. Sharp. William’s back arched, legs twitching. He hissed through his teeth as Est fed himself in inch by inch – slow only in the sense of deliberate, not gentle.

He bottomed out with a groan that shook against William’s spine. And for a moment, he didn’t move – just stayed there, buried to the hilt, his hand spreading wide over William’s stomach.

Then he pulled back and thrust in again. Hard. Deep.

William cried out.

The rhythm started like that – relentless. Rough. Not punishing, but grounding. Like Est needed to remind them both of where they were. Of what they’d done. Of who William belonged to now.

He drove into him again, hips snapping forward, the sound of skin slapping filling the room.

William clawed at the sheets, gasping. “Fuck – yes – “

Est didn’t say anything.

But he bent low over William’s back, chest pressing against his spine, lips grazing the sweat-slick curve of his shoulder blade. His thrusts never faltered.

And when William reached back, grabbing Est’s hip like an anchor, Est caught his hand instead – lacing their fingers together, grinding deeper.

That was when the rhythm changed.

It slowed.

Not out of mercy, but need.

Est pulled out almost entirely – the head barely lingering inside – and then pushed in again, slow, watching, watching, as William’s body stretched to take him.

He groaned at the sight.

And again. Slower. Dragging his cock over every inch, so William could feel it – really feel it – until he was shaking, moaning, back arching.

Est let go of his hand only to guide William’s hips up, tilting him higher.

“Let me see,” he muttered, more to himself than to William. His voice was rough, barely audible.

And when he pushed in again, it was with reverence – not soft, but awed. His eyes locked on the place where they were joined, hips rolling instead of slamming now, drawing gasps out of William with every deep grind.

William turned his face toward the pillow, panting. “Fuck, Est… it’s – fuck – “

Est didn’t answer. He just kept moving like that – hips circling, cock dragging along his walls, every thrust a kind of question, every moan pulled from William a kind of answer.

When William began to tremble, Est pulled him back – sat upright, guiding William with him, until William was straddling him now, thighs spread wide, back pressed to Est’s chest.

They stayed like that for a moment – still fully connected – before Est thrust up again, slow and deep, watching William’s face twist in pleasure.

William gasped, grinding down against him.

“Look at you,” Est whispered, hand splayed over his stomach, the other stroking slowly down his thigh. “So open for me.”

William’s head tipped back against his shoulder, lips parted.

Est kissed the side of his neck. Then the line of his jaw. Then bit lightly at the shell of his ear as he fucked up into him, harder now, but still slow.

Their hands tangled again. Est’s hand gripping his. Their fingers locked.

William leaned into him with every motion, chasing it now – moaning softly with each thrust. His cock was flushed and twitching, untouched, dripping onto his stomach.

Est reached down and wrapped his fingers around it.

William bucked. “Ah – fuck – don’t – “

But Est didn’t stroke him yet. He just held it, firm and grounding, like he was keeping him there. Making sure William didn’t go anywhere.

“Please,” William whispered.

Est finally moved. A single slow stroke.

William came undone.

He came with a strangled gasp, cock pulsing in Est’s hand, body spasming as he clenched around him. Est hissed, head dropping to William’s shoulder.

“Shit – “

He thrust once, twice, and came deep – grinding in as far as he could go, the heat of it spilling inside William, thick and slow.

They stayed like that – panting, pressed together, still joined.

Est’s arm tightened around William’s chest. Not loose. Not gentle. Just there – like he couldn’t bear to let him go.

And William… let himself be held.

No words.

Just breathing.

Just feeling.

And the sunlight crawling slowly across the bed.

They lay together in the quiet after.

The sheets clung to sweat-slick skin. The room smelled like heat and desperation and something tender beneath it all. William stayed curled against Est’s chest, letting the slow, steady rhythm of his heartbeat soothe the leftover ache in his body.

Est’s fingers traced soft lines along his back. Gentle. Thoughtful. Careful now, in a way he hadn’t been earlier.

William tilted his head slightly, just enough to brush a kiss over Est’s collarbone.

“Thank you,” he murmured, barely above a whisper. “For staying.”

Est didn’t answer right away. His hand stilled on William’s back. Then he shifted just a little, kissed the top of William’s head, and pulled him in closer.

They stayed like that for a while. Quiet. Still. Neither quite asleep.

Eventually, William looked up at him, expression soft but unreadable. His voice came out low. Careful.

“This… shouldn’t change anything,” he said. “Right?”

Est looked down at him, brows pulling slightly. He didn’t speak.

“I mean,” William added quickly, “you said you needed time. To figure out what this is. Between us. You still do, don’t you?”

Est was quiet for a long moment. Then he sighed, resting his forehead against William’s.

“It has changed,” he said quietly. “For me.”

William blinked. Something in his expression flickered – hope, maybe. But it didn’t last.

He gave a small, sad smile. “Even so… you’re still leaving. You have to.”

Est hesitated. “I’ll take some time off. I need it.” His voice was firm. “But only once Kenta is gone.”

William’s gaze snapped to him, surprised.

“I don’t trust him,” Est said. “I won’t leave you here with him.”

William exhaled slowly, letting his eyes flutter shut. “You think I’d let him near me again?”

“No,” Est said. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll leave you alone with him.”

William was quiet.

Then, softly: “And after?”

Est didn’t answer for a moment. His fingers tangled gently in William’s hair.

“I’ll come back,” he said. “You know that, right?”

William gave a faint nod. “That’s what I hope.”

Est kissed him again – gentle this time. A slow brush of lips that said everything he still couldn’t.

When they parted, William didn’t say anything more.

He just tucked himself closer against Est’s chest, eyes shut, holding on to the warmth while it lasted.

—–

Some spice finally! 

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