Hot tears burned in his eyes, and he quickly covered his face with his hand. Lai was suddenly next to him, wrapping his arms warmly around him. A’bbni leaned into his embrace, feeling the brush of Lai’s soft hair over his cheek. “Lai… You know the Emperor is trying to kill my brother and I.”
“I know,” Lai said softly, trying to pull A’bbni closer, but the goblin pulled back.
“You… you don’t have to stay.”
Lai shrugged. “No, I don’t.”
A’bbni waited for Lai to say more, but he didn’t. He swallowed hard, feeling the first tear spill down his face and over Lai’s fingers. “Neither of us ever wanted the throne. I would be perfectly happy to be a physician the rest of my life.”
“Then do it,” Lai said, brushing away the tears with his thumb, the way he had in the garden.
“What?”
“If you or Shi’chen become the Emperor, you can do what you want, right? So, become a physician. Appoint someone else to rule. You don’t have to be in charge if you don’t want to.”
“It’s tradition for the Er-Ha’sen family to be the Emperor.”
Lai shrugged. “So? Fuck tradition. If you’re the Emperor, you make the traditions.”
A’bbni blinked at that, then gave Lai a small smile that he knew didn’t reach his eyes. “If only it were that easy.”
Suddenly Lai leaned in and lightly pressed his lips to A’bbni’s. The prince blinked at the sudden touch of lips against his own, but he kissed him back, his hands sliding up to stroke through the damp, blond strands of Lai’s hair. Lai stood, pulling A’bbni up off the chair with him, kissing him firmer as he wrapped his arms around him. Their chests pressed together through the silk of their clothing, close enough that A’bbni could feel Lai’s heart beating against his own ribs. He shifted in his arms, and then felt Lai’s erection press against his hip. He slid his fingers down from Lai’s hair, skimming the edge of the robe, following it down past the tie, before his fingers slipped under it, lightly wrapping his fingers around the half-elf’s cock.
Lai jumped and pulled back from the kiss with a gasp, and A’bbni quickly pulled back. “I’m sorry.”
Lai shook his head, his cheeks flushed, though whether from embarrassment or want, A’bbni couldn’t tell. “No, it’s all right, I…” He cleared his throat, gazing back at A’bbni, shifting uncomfortably to try to hide his desire with the folds of the robe. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” A’bbni said softly. “We don’t have to do anything, if you don’t want to.”
“I do,” Lai said, gazing back at him. “I just don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t,” A’bbni replied, leaning up to kiss him again.
Lai pulled back to gaze down into A’bbni’s eyes. “Tell me to stop if you want to stop.” A’bbni nodded, and Lai pressed his lips firmly back to his, his fingers tangling in the back of A’bbni’s shirt. A’bbni pressed himself close, and they both moved to the bed, sinking down onto it in a tangle of silk and limbs. A’bbni reached to undo the tie that was holding the robe over Lai, sliding it off him, leaving the half-elf naked, his blond hair tumbling around his head. A’bbni let his eyes wander over the creamy skin, noting a few scars that dotted Lai’s chest, arms, and legs. He ran his fingers lightly over a few, wondering what the story behind them was, but Lai did not volunteer any information. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the hollow of Lai’s throat before giving it a gentle nip, followed by a light suck, all of which made Lai writhe beneath him, his fingers tangling up into A’bbni’s shirt.
A’bbni reached up to pull the shirt off himself, gasping softly as Lai’s fingers slid down his thighs, then back up to cup his erection through his pants, his hips giving a thrust into the touch. Lai shifted over him to catch his lips in a kiss before laying A’bbni back against the pillow, his fingers working deftly over the ties of his pants as his lips trailed down A’bbni’s jawline, then down his neck and over one bare shoulder.
A’bbni gasped as Lai’s hand slid into his loose waistband and stroked ever so lightly over the dark curls there, then drifted gently over his erection. His hands went up to grip the pillow under him as Lai slid his pants down off his hips and dropped them off the side of the bed, leaving both of them deliciously naked in the room’s warmth.
Lai’s fingers traced over the muscles of A’bbni’s torso and hips before leaning down, his mouth following the path of his fingers to stroke over A’bbni’s sides, kissing and licking and sucking. When he found the soft part of A’bbni’s side that made the goblin jump, he sealed his mouth over it, sucking and then tickling with his tongue as A’bbni gasped and squirmed under him. When he finally pulled away from the spot, his mouth had left a small, dark bruise on the gray skin.
His tongue traced over A’bbni’s hip, then up, his breath warm on A’bbni’s flushed skin as the goblin writhed underneath him. He pressed kisses just below A’bbni’s navel, his chin lightly brushing against A’bbni’s erection, making the prince jump and grasp the pillow tighter. He gave a soft kiss to the curls at the base of A’bbni’s cock, then blinked as A’bbni reached down to touch his cheek. “Wait.”
Lai sat up, gazing back at him with worried eyes. “Sorry.”
“No, that’s not… I don’t want to stop.” A’bbni flushed, then said, “May I… do it to you first?”
Lai’s worried expression softened into a smile. “If you’d like.”
A’bbni’s cheeks and ear tips were red. “I… I haven’t done that before,” he admitted softly. Something about the fact that he was a prince always seemed to make his partners concerned that he should not be pleasuring them in the same way that they did him, as if the prince should not be on his knees for them.
Lai reached up to touch his cheek, giving him a light kiss on the lips. “That’s all right,” he said, running his fingers lightly down A’bbni’s neck and shoulder.
A’bbni kissed him back, then shifted to gently press him back into the mattress. Lai settled back, his blond head resting on the pillow, shifting a little to let A’bbni settle next to him. The goblin ran his hand lightly over Lai’s cock, making the half-elf inhale softly. He let his fingers explore him, stroking over the tip with his thumb in a motion that made Lai squirm a little under him before he shifted to lean over, rubbing his cheek against the soft skin of Lai’s thigh and hip before running his tongue lightly over the shaft.
Lai let out a soft gasp of pleasure, his fingers curling in the sheets a little. Encouraged, A’bbni ran his tongue over the tip of his erection before opening his lips to give it a gentle suck. Lai groaned softly, his eyes closing for a moment beneath him. A’bbni let his tongue explore the soft skin, enjoying the ability to take it slowly. His eyes drifted upward to watch Lai writhe against the sheets as his tongue stroked over the warm, soft flesh. He pulled back to give the head a soft kiss, and Lai’s eyes opened to meet his, his chest rising and falling heavily.
“All right?” A’bbni asked softly. Lai licked his lips to wet them and nodded. A’bbni leaned down and sealed his lips lightly around the head of Lai’s cock, giving it a gentle suck, then brushing his tongue teasingly up the underside. That made Lai jump and mutter something in a language A’bbni did not know, which sent a thrill through him. He repeated the motion, watching Lai go breathless under him, his thighs tensing but obviously trying not to push up into him.
