Show Me Your Stats!

    Deep in thought, Ayra headed towards the mercenary headquarters.

     The place was, once again, super noisy. When the young lord entered, Nadal welcomed him immediately. “Welcome! Are you here for Janus again?”

     “Hello, Nadal. Is Janus here?”

     “Yes! If you go up to the 2nd floor, he’s staying in the room at the end of the corridor. Have a good time!”

     Ayra felt somewhat embarrassed when the man told him to have a good time. Curious gazes from all directions were cast his way; it was well known that Ayra was Janus’ lover. However, it was unlikely that any of them knew of Ayra’s identity as the lord presiding over this estate. Stepping on the creaking stairs, he slowly climbed upstairs.

     The second floor seemed to have been reserved as a temporary accommodation for mercenaries. For example, a man who’d left his door wide open while changing his clothes, a man who rushed into his room soaked in blood, a man who was day-drinking… In one room, a muscled man did upside-down push-ups, sweating heavily; in another, shabbily-clad mages had their heads together in a discussion, writing lengthy formulas on the floor.

     However, the last room was devoid of such shenanigans. Ayra, standing in front of the door, knocked before cautiously opening the door. Janus, who had been sitting by the window and gazing outside, turned his head at the sound of the opening door. After confirming his guest, the mercenary smiled; Ayra suddenly felt flustered just from looking at his face.

     “…I was wondering when you were going to come find me again.” Red eyes curved in a smile from underneath disheveled bangs. It was as if he was waiting for the young lord. They had only been apart for a few days, but, for some reason, Ayra felt like this was a reunion after a long separation.

     “I’ve been busy with work.” Ayra entered, closing the door behind him. This room must have been meant for multiple people–it was spacious and had three beds. There were no other belongings, though, so Janus was likely the sole owner of this room.

     “It looks like it. You’ve gotten skinner–just how hard have you been working?”

     “Well, so-so.” Ayra handed two of the steamed buns he bought to the other. Janus, after receiving his food, climbed down from the window sill to sit on the bed instead. After a moment’s hesitation, the young lord sat down next to his lover. He felt strangely excited, as if he was still inexperienced with dating.

     Ayra matched his bites to the mercenary’s. Checking the stat window, the affection value was still at 3. The steamed bun was delicious as always, but he only managed to eat half–exhaustion had cut into his appetite.

     ‘Honestly, I should’ve gotten some sleep instead of trekking all the way here…’

     However, the young lord missed Janus; for the past few days, he’d been buried underneath piles of documents while enduring the despicable Nilma Argan’s antics. Somehow, he felt instantly better now that he saw the mercenary. While pushing the remainder of his bun to the mercenary, Ayra asked, “What have you been doing? It doesn’t seem like you’ve busied yourself with commissions.”

     “I’m just waiting around these days.”

     He’s just waiting? The tone of his voice implied more than that.

     Janus, who was still smacking his hungry lips even after eating all the steamed buns that Ayra had brought him, opened his mouth. “I’ve been waiting here for ten years.”

     Hearing that, the young lord was reminded of something: the first conversation he had with the other while buying him a meal. At that time, Janus had said he came here to find a lover, and that he might leave after ten years of boredom and failure.

     When that memory bubbled to the surface, the young lord’s heart tightened uncomfortably. They were dating casually in the first place, but, even if they became lovers to pass time and have some entertainment, it didn’t feel very pleasant to learn that the other had thoughts of leaving. It felt like the mercenary was stating that the young lord was not the lover he was looking for; Ayra felt completely denied. ‘I’ve been saying that I’ll control myself, but how did he worm his way into my heart, little by little?’ He had no idea when he had given his heart to the other.

     “Then… When those ten years are over, are you going to leave?” Ayra, who tapped his foot a couple of times, looked at his companion and lamented in a slightly jealous tone.

     Janus opened his mouth to answer before closing his mouth and turning his head. His red eyes widened slightly; his well-defined nose crinkled. “…I smell blood.”

     “Hm? The scent of blood? Where?” Ayra asked, bewildered. Since this was the mercenaries’ headquarters, there would probably be bleeding people somewhere; but, for some reason, Janus’ eyes were fixated on the young lord. As the mercenary tilted his head and lightly tapped Ayra’s pale cheek, something warm flowed out of Ayra’s nose.

     “Ah…” Ayra hurriedly reached out and tried to stop the flowing nosebleed that soon trailed over his philtrum, top of his lips, and chin. Then, he inwardly clicked his tongue. ‘Ah, jeez, he seriously has a dog’s nose. I can’t believe he smelled the blood before my nose even started bleeding.’

      It must have been quite a serious burst of the capillaries; soon a shallow pool of blood was gathered in the palm of his hand. He often had nosebleeds when he was tired; Ayra searched through his system inventory and took out a random cloth. Just then, he met Janus’ gaze and hesitated. Janus’ eyes were trained on Ayra’s face as if his gaze was nailed to the spot. His pupils trailed down the crimson line, from his nose to the lower lip.

      When a big hand came to rest on his cheek, Ayra noticed the strange atmosphere and resisted. “Ah, Janus, wait a minute…You’re not? Just…! You pervert! Don’t–Mmph!”

     The young lord freaked out when a moist tongue licked his lips. When he opened his mouth, startled, the tongue rushed in; the smell of blood made him nauseous. He never dreamed that the other would get excited at the sight of someone’s nosebleed. His whole body stiffened. “N–mm, mmph… Mmmph!”

     He shook his head back and forth, but the other persistently followed and licked at the blood on his lips. Whenever the thick tongue wriggled between his lips, Ayra, whose mouth was suddenly filled with the iron scent of blood, felt a bit like heaving. However, Janus continued to kiss persistently until the nosebleed stopped.

     “…Shall we?” Janus said languidly as he licked his lips. Frowning in anger, Ayra raised his head.

     Everything about his companion was red–his hair, the darkly shining eyes, and the corners of his mouth, which were raised in a gentle curve. Janus’ question was more like a statement; he raised Ayra gently and laid him on the bed.

     “W-Wait a minute.” The young lord quickly got off the bed before the mercenary could climb on top of him. Because the young lord struggled throughout the bloody kiss, there was a lot of blood splattered onto his cheeks and clothes. One could mistake this scene for assault.

     “I’m sure I said this previously–I won’t hold back even if you pass out,” Janus said with a sulky face. It was obvious what the mercenary meant from looking at the bulge in his tunic.

     “If you want to do it, you should say it in words first!” Ayra quickly soaked a cloth rag and wiped his nose, lips, and chin. There were many sweet kisses in the world–like kisses mixed with candy or cream–but nosebleed kisses…

     Even though he was frowning a bit uneasily, Janus smiled and stated, “Alright. Have sex with me, Ayra.”

     A very straightforward and blunt proposal. Ayra scooched one step back as he threw the blood-stained cloth into a corner of the room. Avoiding perverts who became sexually excited at strange things was the wiser move.

     “I’ll make it much nicer than last time. Yeah…good for you, good for me.” His red tongue, like a snake, flicked and licked the blood surrounding the corners of his mouth.

     Ayra swallowed dry saliva…Yeah, he probably should avoid him…Even though his penis might be size 9,999,999.

     His hand, which was making its way to the doorknob, hesitated; Janus, on the other hand, leaned forward and rushed at the young lord, ramming his body against Ayra’s.

     “Ah!” Startled, Ayra shrieked. Though the door shook in its hinges from the impact, the mercenary hadn’t hurt him. Ayra’s lower stomach was simply throbbing. However, the young lord had almost used his magic because he thought it was an attack. Janus easily removed the young lord’s hand from the doorknob and lightly lifted him atop his shoulders.

     Ayra, who had been lifted like a piece of luggage, instinctively struggled. His companion’s shoulder blade was digging into his solar plexus. “Nngh! You…Let me down!”

     “Here, I’ve put you down.” Janus gently threw Ayra onto the bed, as easily as he’d picked the young lord up.

     When Ayra’s back hit the shabby mattress made of straw, a gasp automatically spilled from his lips. It felt like someone had hit him on the back with the palm of their hand; he furrowed his brows and groaned. When he raised his head, the mercenary was already climbing atop his body.

     Ayra didn’t give up on resisting until the very end. He leapt out of the bed and quickly ran to the other side.

     Janus laughed lightheartedly, “I said I’ll make it good for you?”

     Honestly, since the young lord’s stamina was super low, the mercenary could catch him easily and quickly, but Janus leisurely chased after the young lord. Like a cat playing with its prey, Janus he stopped right before he caught Ayra or nipped at Ayra’s nape while repeatedly driving the young lord into corners. Ayra, who had nearly lost all his strength, took a deep breath as he warily watched his opponent from near a window.

     “Mmm, Hmm…” Janus touched his chin, tilting his head from side to side, and murmured. “Ah…I get it now.”

     The corners of his mouth curled up.