I’ll wash your hair.”
Volos closed his eyes as Berhanu upended several cups of bathwater over his head. And then… good gods. Berhanu used his fingertips to massage soap into Volos’s scalp; it was a gentle sensation since his fingers had lost some strength during his captivity. Volos had thought it felt good to have his back soaped, but this was unbelievably wonderful. It was altogether possible he might climax from it.
Berhanu chuckled. “You’re moaning, Volos.”
“I… uh…”
“Feels nice, doesn’t it?”
“Gods, yes!”
The answering laughter sounded delighted.
Before Volos could quite melt with pleasure, Berhanu dumped more water over his head to rinse away the shampoo. Then he patted Volos’s back. “My turn!”
More water sloshed out as they both turned around.
As much as Volos had enjoyed being bathed, he enjoyed bathing Berhanu even more. It was a wonderful excuse to touch him, to examine him not as a combatant or a patient but as a man. He had wide shoulders dotted with a few freckles, which Volos would have liked to lick. The knobs of his spine were still too prominent, but his skin was soft, and the nape of his neck looked so tender and vulnerable that Volos nearly bit through his own lip.
Volos spent a very long time cleaning Berhanu’s hair, gently working out the tangles with his fingers. Not that Berhanu minded— the sounds he made were positively obscene.
About the same time that the water cooled, Volos’s empty belly growled, making Berhanu laugh again. “I guess your stomach cares little about your outsides being clean.”
With a slight tangle of limbs and considerable splashing, they climbed out of the tub. Volos gasped when he saw that Berhanu’s cock was as erect as his own. Berhanu licked his lips and gave Volos one of his long, unreadable stares before shaking his head and grabbing a towel. “We’d better eat before the queen sends for me.”
There was enough food to feed a small army, and even though most of it had cooled to room temperature, it was delicious. Berhanu ate slowly, no doubt mindful of his still-recovering digestive system, but in the end he managed to down quite a lot. Volos ate like a starving wolf— albeit one with relatively good manners.
They had just finished their meal when a knock sounded at the door. Volos answered it, not especially surprised to discover the thin-faced duo from earlier in the day. “Her Majesty requests the presence of her guest,” said the bearded one.
Unlike Volos, Berhanu wouldn’t have noticed the singular guest , but he put up his hand when Volos tried to leave with him. “This is bound to be long and tedious, Volos, and I don’t need you to translate. Stay here.”
Volos set his jaw. “I’m your guard.”
“I know. But if she decides to do away with me, even you can’t stand up to a palace full of soldiers. I’ll be fine.” He gave Volos a stern look. “Stand down.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Volos replied, feeling like a sullen child. But then he hastily added, “Wait!” and trotted to the washroom. He returned a few seconds later with his scabbarded sword, which he held out to Berhanu.
“That’s generous of you. But I can hardly lift it in my current state.”
“You’re a warrior. You ought to look like one.”
Berhanu gave him a strange smile as he took the blade.
****
Volos had experienced far too much idleness lately. He wasn’t used to it and didn’t like it. There was little in the bedchamber to keep him busy, and he had the feeling he wouldn’t be very welcome were he to prowl the palace halls. He paced instead, staring out the windows where darkness hid the gardens, and examining the details of the tapestries on the walls. On close inspection, one of them turned out to depict couples— and threesomes and foursomes— in a bewildering variety of sexual positions. Volos looked at that one for a long time, which was probably a mistake. Two well-built men in the lower right-hand
Volos closed his eyes as Berhanu upended several cups of bathwater over his head. And then… good gods. Berhanu used his fingertips to massage soap into Volos’s scalp; it was a gentle sensation since his fingers had lost some strength during his captivity. Volos had thought it felt good to have his back soaped, but this was unbelievably wonderful. It was altogether possible he might climax from it.
Berhanu chuckled. “You’re moaning, Volos.”
“I… uh…”
“Feels nice, doesn’t it?”
“Gods, yes!”
The answering laughter sounded delighted.
Before Volos could quite melt with pleasure, Berhanu dumped more water over his head to rinse away the shampoo. Then he patted Volos’s back. “My turn!”
More water sloshed out as they both turned around.
As much as Volos had enjoyed being bathed, he enjoyed bathing Berhanu even more. It was a wonderful excuse to touch him, to examine him not as a combatant or a patient but as a man. He had wide shoulders dotted with a few freckles, which Volos would have liked to lick. The knobs of his spine were still too prominent, but his skin was soft, and the nape of his neck looked so tender and vulnerable that Volos nearly bit through his own lip.
Volos spent a very long time cleaning Berhanu’s hair, gently working out the tangles with his fingers. Not that Berhanu minded— the sounds he made were positively obscene.
About the same time that the water cooled, Volos’s empty belly growled, making Berhanu laugh again. “I guess your stomach cares little about your outsides being clean.”
With a slight tangle of limbs and considerable splashing, they climbed out of the tub. Volos gasped when he saw that Berhanu’s cock was as erect as his own. Berhanu licked his lips and gave Volos one of his long, unreadable stares before shaking his head and grabbing a towel. “We’d better eat before the queen sends for me.”
There was enough food to feed a small army, and even though most of it had cooled to room temperature, it was delicious. Berhanu ate slowly, no doubt mindful of his still-recovering digestive system, but in the end he managed to down quite a lot. Volos ate like a starving wolf— albeit one with relatively good manners.
They had just finished their meal when a knock sounded at the door. Volos answered it, not especially surprised to discover the thin-faced duo from earlier in the day. “Her Majesty requests the presence of her guest,” said the bearded one.
Unlike Volos, Berhanu wouldn’t have noticed the singular guest , but he put up his hand when Volos tried to leave with him. “This is bound to be long and tedious, Volos, and I don’t need you to translate. Stay here.”
Volos set his jaw. “I’m your guard.”
“I know. But if she decides to do away with me, even you can’t stand up to a palace full of soldiers. I’ll be fine.” He gave Volos a stern look. “Stand down.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Volos replied, feeling like a sullen child. But then he hastily added, “Wait!” and trotted to the washroom. He returned a few seconds later with his scabbarded sword, which he held out to Berhanu.
“That’s generous of you. But I can hardly lift it in my current state.”
“You’re a warrior. You ought to look like one.”
Berhanu gave him a strange smile as he took the blade.
****
Volos had experienced far too much idleness lately. He wasn’t used to it and didn’t like it. There was little in the bedchamber to keep him busy, and he had the feeling he wouldn’t be very welcome were he to prowl the palace halls. He paced instead, staring out the windows where darkness hid the gardens, and examining the details of the tapestries on the walls. On close inspection, one of them turned out to depict couples— and threesomes and foursomes— in a bewildering variety of sexual positions. Volos looked at that one for a long time, which was probably a mistake. Two well-built men in the lower right-hand
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