C | Extra 1.1 | Crack In The Morning

“……Eum.”

What time is it?

Ian slowly became aware of the afternoon sunlight filtering through his eyelids, lying on the unfamiliar, large bed. His body felt heavy. He had woken up, but his eyes wouldn’t fully open, half-closed as they were. His consciousness was even more blurred. It was hard to tell whether this was reality or the subconscious.

“Ah… Late again today.”

Ian murmured to himself, his expression oddly sour.

It had already been over a week. It seemed like nearly ten days now. Waking from sleep had been a struggle. At first, he thought it was just a brief period of adjusting to the time difference and didn’t take it seriously. But the mornings remained hazy even after a week. Ian would only manage to open his eyes well into the afternoon, and before midnight, he would fall into a deep sleep as if dead. After more than a week of this, he began to worry there might be something wrong with his body.

Hebauris, a country mostly mountainous, was at a higher altitude compared to other places. The royal physician who examined Ian had repeated that his body was merely adapting to the changed environment and that there was nothing particularly wrong. This had been the fourth doctor already.

“Hmm… What time is it now?”

Barely managing to open his eyes fully, Ian asked a man standing in a blurry silhouette within his still unfocused field of vision. It must be Revenant, of course. Although Revenant was caught up in work that had been delayed due to prolonged stays abroad, he was always by Ian’s side when Ian awoke. Whether it was late in the afternoon or just before midnight when Ian awoke, Revenant always left him a greeting of ‘good morning.’

“Did I miss lunch again?”

“…Yes, you did.”

Ian frowned.

“Sorry. I tried to wake up earlier today.”

Since arriving in Hebauris, all Ian had done was sleep. His head always felt foggy, and he felt sleepy even when his eyes were open. More often than not, he had fallen asleep alone even when he and Revenant had laid down together after exchanging kisses. Ian shook his head and reached out his arms. He was worried, and Revenant must be even more so. He wanted to get back to normal soon to start a new life with him.

“Come here, let me hold you.”

“…Is it really okay?”

“It’s been a long time since I held you sober.”

Ian smiled faintly with drooping eyes.

“Maybe a kiss will wake me up.”

“Ah, yes. The kiss of awakening is always reserved for the prince.”

Revenant stepped into Ian’s arms and wrapped his arms around him. The moment felt slightly off as Revenant gently pressed his lips to Ian’s. It was an extremely polite kiss.

After sufficiently enjoying the contact of their skins, Revenant slightly parted his lips with his tongue, seeking permission. Ian tenderly allowed it, and soon after hesitating briefly, the tongue entered his mouth. Unlike the polite initial contact, the sensation of the tongue deeply probing his throat made Ian shiver and clutch Revenant tightly.

But something was odd.

The texture of the clothes rubbing against him was not the grand knight’s uniform that Revenant usually wore. The feeling around the shoulders and the arms wrapped around him was slightly different. Even the way the tongue moved inside his mouth was different. Revenant would have already slipped his hand inside a loosely worn pajama shirt by now. But this kiss, whether out of propriety or hesitation, seemed more tentative.

Ian pulled his head back and forced his blurry eyes to focus.

“Leo…?”

He would have screamed. If the man he had just been kissing hadn’t already screamed first.

“Ouch!”

The man who had been holding him was suddenly thrown a good distance away. It was only after Ian fully opened his eyes that he realized he had mistaken someone else for Revenant, and that Revenant had just entered the bedroom and thrown the other man out.

“…Ah, what’s going on…,”

Ian, still dazed, rubbed his lips with the back of his hand.

“Who is that guy…?”

There was no need to ask. Revenant pointed at the man with a furiously scrunched face.

“Get out of my bedroom. …Prince.”

Before saying ‘prince’, it seemed something inappropriate had slipped through.

Prince Eduard, just before being dragged away by Revenant, shifted his shoulder that had been tightly grabbed and straightened himself up. Despite his actions, Prince Eduard was shamelessly bold.

“I wish you would recognize that it was the Sleeping Beauty who seduced first. And always, a prince’s kiss can break the curse,”

“If you don’t like walking out.”

Revenant didn’t wait a moment. He grabbed Prince Eduard by the scruff of the neck and dragged him away.

“Ouch! What are you doing! I am your superior and a royal!”

“…”

Revenant was the type not to respond to nonsense. It seemed he was about to be thrown out, as Eduard, while still grabbed by the collar, managed to twist his head back and waved at Ian.

“Good morning, Ian. Welcome to Hebauris. Ever since you arrived, it felt as if a ray of light had come into this den of beasts. This brilliant morning… though it’s a bit late for that. Anyway, I just wanted to praise your grace. And if you wish to thank me for awakening you from your long sleep, I am willingly at your disposal… Ouch!”

Thud!

In the end, Eduard was pushed out of the bedroom. Instead of opening the door, Revenant slammed Eduard’s head into it, forcing it open. As Eduard was being driven out, he turned his head as if unwilling to be defeated, whispered something into Revenant’s ear.

“Do lips of a beauty always smell so nice? Even in such an unprotected state? The moment you open up, reason flies out the window. How softly that little tongue wrapped around. I was about to refuse but it was simply beyond my patience…,”

Bang!

Revenant, after slamming the bedroom door shut, walked towards the bed.

It felt like seeing someone familiar, yet at the same time, it felt like it had been a very long time since he had last seen him. Seeing him now made it clear how dazed he had been living.

His bangs had grown a bit over the week, now covering his eyebrows. It made him look like he did when he was twenty-seven, but his expression seemed completely foreign. While he had been sleeping, he seemed to have grown slightly thinner.

…He seemed incredibly angry.

Ian swallowed dryly.

But he looked even more handsome. How strange.

Perhaps it was because of the grand knight’s uniform that Revenant was pulling at, which Ian had vaguely heard was tailored to Prince Eduard’s tastes. Despite the impracticality of the coat that fell to his ankles even with Revenant’s tall stature, Ian couldn’t deny Eduard’s good taste.

In this old-fashioned and unrealistic country, where most buildings retained the style of the 19th century, that knight’s uniform was the epitome of unreality. It was damn cool.

“Did you… sleep well? Or should I ask how you’ve been?”

“Did you say you’d hold me? Why?”

“That’s…,”
Ian opened his mouth briefly. Right, Leo was narrow-minded. It should have been obvious that it was a mistake due to half-awakeness, yet he was this sharp.

I’m overlooking it because of that outfit.

“…I mistook you for him.”

“Did the prince and I look alike? Where? Not at all.”

They didn’t look alike at all. Prince Eduard wasn’t as tall as Revenant, and he had brown hair that grew down to just below his ears.

“I couldn’t see well. Just woke up.”

“When you hugged me, you should have realized. That it was someone else. But you even kissed?”

“That’s true but….”

The kiss had just happened somehow.

“You opened your mouth, let the tongue in?”

“….”

Being spoken to like that made him feel like he had committed a great fault. Ian was also a bit angry.

If you had mistakenly done that to someone else, I would have been angry too… But still, it’s the prince who was more at fault.

“It’s a problem that there was someone else in the bedroom in the first place, isn’t it? You should be complaining to the prince, not…,”

Suddenly, Revenant overlapped his body, causing Ian to almost bite his tongue.

“…Uh, say it first. I was shocked.”

“…Not as much as me.”

Revenant pressed his body down on Ian as if pinning him down.

“I thought I was going out of my mind. …If there had been a gun, I would have shot.”

“….”

Ian only then understood that Revenant had been shocked. According to Georg, the unreasonable jealousy wasn’t really jealousy but a scar left on him.

“I should keep a gun in this room too. In case it happens again, just shoot.”

Revenant still held him so tightly that his face wasn’t visible. Ian didn’t know what to say, so he just stroked his hair.

“That person… he’s the prince.”

“What does it matter.”

It seemed like it would matter a lot.

“That’s… um, it wasn’t too unpleasant. Not enough to shoot.”

In fact, it went beyond being unpleasant, but surprisingly it didn’t seem that serious. The guy might have been shameless and crazy, but his kiss was extremely polite.

I’m a bit… weird too. Should I even use the word ‘polite’ to describe such a kiss? Because he’s a prince, do I unconsciously think of it favorably?
Anyway, he’s a weird person, and it was a weird incident.

“…It wasn’t unpleasant?”

Revenant lifted his body. His eyes, paler than usual, sent shivers down Ian’s spine.

“Why?”

“Uh…? No, that’s… like I said, I thought it was you…?”

“Now you know it wasn’t. And it still wasn’t unpleasant? So, what, it was okay?”

“That’s…,”
How could it be okay…? But, then again… a bit….

“Why can’t you answer? Was it really okay? That another human did that?”

“It wasn’t okay….”

“So, it wasn’t not okay.”

Revenant parted his lips. An expression that wouldn’t usually be seen revealed his gums.

“Have you ever wanted to try it with someone else?”

Ian arched his eyebrows incredulously.

“…Would I?”

“With a woman?”

“That’s what I’m saying, would I?”

“You only know me.”

“So?”

Revenant twisted his mouth.

“Maybe you’re curious about others. You don’t know it now, but maybe later.”

“….”

Ian lost his words for a moment.

This must be jealousy.

At the same time, he realized why he wasn’t very angry with Prince Eduard. He had simply missed the moment to be angry. It was because Revenant had acted more ridiculously.

“I’ll think about it then. Seems like I’m far from getting tired of you. Let go of me now. Let me wash up.”

Revenant seemed to have no intention of letting go.

“Do you remember how we first had sex?”

“I’m not amnesiac, and even if I was suffering from something worse, I wouldn’t forget that… And let go of me now.”

“You said you got hard just by looking at me.”

That was how desperate it was.

Ian unknowingly fluttered his nostrils.

“Because you always ran away.”

“And yet, when we actually have sex, you’re the one who most often says we should stop.”

From Ian’s point of view, that was Revenant’s fault.

It’s because your stamina is above average….
Sometimes it was scary. There was never a moment in bed when Revenant seemed tired. If Ian didn’t pass out first, the sex seemed like it could go on for days.

“Are you already tired of it?”

“No, just a moment.”

Let me say it again, it was Revenant’s fault for exceeding the libido of a twenty-year-old.

“I just missed the moment to refuse in my sleep. And you got angrier.”
You grabbed the prince by the scruff of the neck and then slammed his head against the door.
I’m still worried about that. They say you can go to jail here for just using the wrong title.

“…It could be. But know this. You can’t keep avoiding me while living in the same house.”

“What…? When did I ever avoid you?”

“You’ve only been sleeping for ten days. I couldn’t even touch you.”

“No, that’s….”

Ian didn’t know the reason for the hypersomnia that started with his arrival in Hebauris. But one thing he did know for sure. It definitely wasn’t an excuse because he was tired of having sex with Revenant.

On the contrary, it was the opposite. He was frustrated because his constant need for sleep reduced the time he could spend with Revenant.

Suddenly, he felt his lips drying.

Now that he thought about it, he realized the second reason he hadn’t been angry about what Prince Eduard did.
It was because of that uniform.

After Revenant appeared in that form, his attention had been so captivated by him that he had no interest in what happened to him.

Ian licked his drying lips.
How do you take off that outfit?

“Are you still on duty?”

“Why do you ask? If it’s because I’m on duty, we can talk later.”

No way.

Ian awkwardly peeled off the sheet wrapped around his body.

“Do I smell bad to you now?”

“…Are you seriously asking?”

“Just in case.”

“No, you don’t.”

Ian unbuttoned one button of his pajama shirt.

“Then let’s do it.”

“….”

Revenant hesitated for a moment, his expression clearly showing his anger, but it just made Ian more provocative.

“Are you treating me like a kid now? That’s pretty unpleasant.”

“I wouldn’t say that to a kid.”

Ian unbuttoned about three buttons of his pajama shirt then just threw it over his head. Revenant watched him do it.

“It’s been a long ten days for me too. No matter how much you act like there won’t be a next time every time we do it.”

It hadn’t actually been ten days, more like somewhere between a week and ten days, but that didn’t matter now. Once he became aware of his libido, it felt like he’d been abstinent for about a year.

Ian took off his pajama bottoms. What remained on his body was a thin pair of briefs. The square-cut briefs clung to his white skin and created a stark contrast.

“Where’s the gel?”

“….”

Revenant didn’t answer, just crossed his arms. He still seemed to be doubting whether Ian was just trying to placate him.
It warmed him up anyway.

“You would have put it somewhere close.”

Ian opened the bedside drawer. Sure enough, unopened boxes of gel and condoms were neatly stacked. With only his briefs on, Ian lifted his buttocks to grab the gel. He had never tried to prepare himself, but it seemed doable.

He was past the age of being embarrassed about such things. Revenant’s sex had a way of squeezing people dry to the bone.

Squeak.

Ian straightened his index finger and squeezed some gel onto it. He pulled down his briefs halfway and reached his gel-coated hand behind him.
Revenant couldn’t see between his legs. However, the outline of his slowly swelling genitals must have been visible under the underwear.

“Ah… it’s a bit cold.”

Ian slightly grimaced as he applied the gel around the tightly closed entrance. He tried inserting his fingertip, but it didn’t go in easily at first. It seemed to require some technique.

I might as well do it at this point.
Ian sucked on his drying lips. He glanced sideways at Revenant, who was still just watching.

“It’s not going in well.”

Ian lifted his chin and spoke to Revenant.

Finally, Revenant moved.

“Don’t jab it, spread it first.”

Apparently not yet willing to do it himself, Revenant placed a hand on Ian’s shoulder, pushing him back and began to lick his bare chest.

“Ah…,”

As his firmly erect nipples were wrapped in the red tongue, a thrilling sensation shot to his toes. At that moment, the fingertip stretched and entered the entrance. Ian watched Revenant, whose nipples had turned bright red, teasing them thoroughly.

It was too good to close his eyes during sex. Every expression on Revenant’s face turned into a sexual sensation. With that face, he worshiped Ian like a ritual. Seeing his greed twist his eyes and his lips twist with thirst, Ian’s body heated up so much that he couldn’t think at all with his head. Believing that this blatant greed and obsession were directed solely at him sometimes felt sinful.

No matter how much he tried to forget, he couldn’t erase the fact that Revenant had become a murderer because of him. There was no chance he would ever desire someone else for the same reason. There wouldn’t be another Leo in this world.

It was too obvious to him that the person who should be scared of getting tired was not him, but Revenant.

Why can you look at me with those eyes… It should be me looking like that, not you.