Chapter 411: The Kitten and His Elf
A question lingered in the mind of a blushing Xion.
Was it his fault that his brain went offline whenever Darius looked at him with those half-lidded eyes? Absolutely not.
This elf was the one to blame for being too attractive, too dangerous... for being too much!
So, the angry kitten turned his head away and huffed. "...Shut up."
Darius chuckled, pressing another kiss to his cheek. "No, my little lord. I won’t shut up."
"Are you planning rebellion against your lord now?" Xion played along.
With his eyes narrowing into what he thought was an intimidating glare, he shot back, "The rebellious ministers should be punished by putting them in jail, you know."
"Ah, is that so?" The Archduke’s smile turned into a smirk.
His hand slid lower, teasingly drawing circles over Xion’s navel, relishing how the soft belly trembled beneath his touch.
"Then lock me up, sweetheart. Better yet," he nudged deliberately between Xion’s thighs, "use this cage to trap me. I won’t even try to get out. Ever."
Shameless
.His outrageous flirting earned him another smack to the chest. This one was harder, and this time Xion didn’t even bother to rub the spot after.
"You... how can you be so..." the healer sputtered, his voice caught somewhere between outrage and mortification.
His ears burned red as he glared daggers at the elf towering over him.
But to Darius, that glare was the equivalent of a kitten baring its teeth. Fierce, yes. But utterly adorable.
What else could the great northern lord do but drown his baby in love?
"So lewd? Shameless? Or horny?" Darius drawled, lowering his head until their noses brushed. "Do you have any idea how terrifying you look right now? Like an angry, fluffy kitten."
"I am not a kitten!" Xion snapped, blue eyes flashing like gemstones.
"Yes, you are," Darius countered smoothly. "My kitten. Mine to tease. Mine to love."
Before Xion could unleash another indignant protest, the Archduke leaned down and peppered his face with kisses.
Over his furrowed brows. The corner of his glaring eyes. The bridge of his nose. His flushed cheeks. The curve of his jaw.
Each kiss was quick and playful, leaving Xion squirming under the ticklish assault until he couldn’t keep a straight face anymore.
Laughter bubbled out of him as he tried to push at Darius’ shoulders in vain.
"Stop! It tickles — ah, Darius!"
"Never," Darius murmured against his cheek, stealing one more kiss at the corner of his mouth. "Your laughter is far too precious to waste."
Xion’s heart thudded wildly in his chest. For a moment, all he could do was stare at him, overwhelmed, flustered, and achingly soft all at once.
Eventually, having had enough of teasing his baby, the Archduke shifted, finally releasing him from the python-like embrace.
He sat up, the sheets falling to reveal the proud lines of his body, covered with hickeys and scratch marks.
Xion had been a bit of a tease last night as well. Not that Darius would ever complain.
He would rather have more of those delicious bites.
Hence, when the Archduke noticed Xion’s gaze over his chest, where the bright bite mark was, he threw the kitten a wink.
"I like this one the most. Maybe you should mark at other places as well."
"... Darius, if you continue speaking, I will ban you from my bed."
That finally seemed to do the trick. Darius could live without air... maybe... There was still a possibility of it. But without Xion? Not a chance.
So, the northern lord coughed, forced his satisfied gleam not to shine so blindingly before looking at Xion with a serious face.
"Come on," he said, his tone turning solemn though his grin lingered. "You’ll catch a chill if you stay naked without me."
Xion, "..." What kind of logic was that?
The healer decided that it was better to keep his mouth shut, or that twitching corner of Darius’ lips would definitely utter something even more absurd.
A red robe, the Archduke’s personal favorite, hugged Xion’s bare body.
The fabric smelled faintly of cedar and herbs, and had been warmed near the fire.
Darius had been doing it like that ever since he became sick. All of his clothes were first warmed before they came in contact with his skin.
"Okay, hold still," Darius said, tying the sash around his waist with deft fingers. "I’ll take you to freshen up and then we can have a talk over breakfast."
Yes, there were many things he wanted to tell Darius. But not about their past life. That... it was better left unspoken.
Nonetheless, they needed to chat about how they were going to get rid of Michael.
Xion raised his hand, silently asking Darius to pick him up.
That gesture was enough for the fake serious mask to break as a wide grin bloomed on Darius’ face.
"Oh, what a treat you are, my Xion," the Archduke cooed, adoration dripping from his gaze as he scooped him up with ease.
Xion rested his face against the elf’s chest. There was a powerful heartbeat underneath. Something that had become Xion’s favorite lullaby to sleep to.
The bathroom door opened, and steam wafted out from the freshly drawn bath. The water gleamed invitingly under the morning light, mist curling over its surface.
Darius lowered his precious bundle gently onto the edge of the tub, brushing a kiss against his temple. "Want to wash again? Or brush your teeth first?"
Despite wreaking havoc inside his body, Darius still had the energy to clean Xion and give him a bath.
Though things almost escalated. The seductive demon had nearly pressed him against the bathroom wall for another round.
For the sake of Xion’s health and recent recovery, the Archduke did a quick cleaning before tossing them into the bed.
"Yeah, bath."
He needed a long, proper bath to soothe his overworked muscles.
After all, there was no blabbering A.I. system to give him a refreshing reagent this time.
Maybe over time, he would be able to bear this pain.