”I’m fine. I promise.”
Tan held his gaze for a moment before slowly lowering his hand with the washcloth. He got a pained expression when he took in the state of Cole’s cheekbone.
Cole didn’t know what it looked like, but Tan seemed quite upset about it.
“It doesn’t hurt. It tingles a bit, but it’s not painful.”
Tan still didn’t seem convinced. He sighed and threw the cloth on the floor near the bathroom.
“I really am sorry.”
Cole shook his head.
“I could’ve put my hand on your shoulder or something to give you a warning. It’s not your fault.”
Tan sighed with a frown. He then cupped Cole’s cheeks and blew softly on the bruise.
Cole closed his eyes. It felt kind of nice with the gentle puff of air.

Tan blew three times before he stood still.
Cole kept his eyes closed while his heart started to beat faster. He knew in every fiber of his body that Tan gazed at his face.
Seconds went by to the rhythm of his heart.
Tan moved slowly, but soon enough, Cole could feel Tan’s lips touch his. It was just a soft, warm touch before Tan snapped back and let go of Cole’s face.
“Sorry. I just…”
Cole opened his eyes to see Tan’s flustered expression.
“It’s okay.”
Tan met his gaze. His cheeks were warm with a blush, but the shy look in his eyes made Cole's heart flutter like never before.
“It’s okay”, he repeated.
Tan held his gaze for a moment before he cupped Cole’s cheeks again.

The sparks flowing through his body almost numbed the insecurity in his mind when Tan pressed a kiss to his lips.
He really wished he knew how to respond properly, but he had absolutely no experience with kissing.
It didn’t seem to bother Tan though. One kiss was followed by the next, seamlessly followed by another.
Cole hoped he didn’t seem uninterested or cold when he tried to figure out what to do. Mimicking Tan wasn’t easy when he didn’t know exactly what Tan did. Whatever Tan did, it was nothing less than perfect. Cole hoped he got even close to that perfection.

Tan’s tongue touching his lip sent a new wave of sparks through his body.
Tan’s mouth was a bit more open when he placed a new kiss on Cole’s lips. Cole mirrored the gesture and felt Tan’s tongue touch his.
For a moment his head went numb while his heart sped up even more. By reflex, he grabbed Tan tightly around the waist. Tan gave out a small moan before deepening the kiss. The sound was like a soft hum, seeping in to Cole’s ears like liquid gold. Cole squeezed tighter and got a deep inhale from Tan, followed by a shaky whimper.

After a few deep kisses, curiosity struck him. Feeling Tan’s body grinding against his, he just had to know what he felt like.
Cole carefully got his hand down Tan’s breeches. It didn’t take much when they were quite loose after he got them unbuttoned. Soon he cupped Tan, feeling the warmth fill his hand.
A small whimper gave him courage to explore further.
Only seconds later he found something feeling like a pearl under Tan’s skin. Tan gasped and wrapped his arms around Cole’s neck while pressing his cheek against his. Cole could feel Tan’s heart beating against his chest, while Tan’s shaky breath whispered incoherent things close to Cole’s ear.
Whatever he had found, it was obviously sensitive. He proceeded as carefully as he could, hoping he didn’t do the wrong thing by letting his touch linger.

The soft touch seemed to make Tan week in the knees. He hung almost full weight on Cole’s shoulders while small twitches in his hips made him grind against Cole.
Cole was unsure how long he should keep it up – or how long he could. The sounds’ Tan was making seemed to numb his brain in to a liquid warmth, seeping down his body.
If they kept going he would not be able to think at all.

Tan suddenly snapped back from Cole.
Cole barely realized what was happening before Tan took a strong grip on his belt and backed up to sit on the bench above the cabinets. Quick hands opened Cole’s pants.
The moment later he got pulled in to a strong embrace. His foggy mind barely registered that Tan helped him aim before reality hit him as a part of his body seemed to melt in to Tan’s.
Pressed against Tan, he realized he was in a situation way above his head.

“Oh, don’t tease. Please move.”
Tan’s breathy whisper broke the state of panic. He needed to do something, even if he had no idea how he was supposed to move. Aim seemed obvious, but pace and how big the movements needed to be, he had to guess. It didn’t feel like the right moment to pause for a conversation.

Small movements felt like a good start.
He put his arms around Tan and tried to make his movements confident.  He wasn’t sure if he succeeded in the confident part, but Tan didn’t seem to notice. Tan’s hand took a gentle, but firm, grip on Cole’s neck. The other hand grabbed Cole’s shirt. The tight fist pressed against Cole’s back while Tan’s shaky breath turned in to soft moans and whimpers. Once again the sound turned in to liquid warmth, seeping through Cole’s body.

Cole leaned in to Tan’s embrace and focused on lasting long enough to at least avoid complete embarrassment. Tan didn’t make it easy with the sounds he made. He wasn’t loud or anything, but Cole’s ear was close to Tan’s cheek and every sound Tan made seemed to send a small vibration through Cole’s heart. That, and the feeling of Tan’s body against his and surrounding him, was far beyond anything he had experienced before.
Cole made sure to register everything. Tan’s scent, his warmth, the sounds he made and the feeling of their bodies in such a close embrace. He doubted there could be anything that came even close to it.

Cole lost the strand of thought when Tan tensed his back and held on to him harder. A quiet gasp was followed with Tan getting a better grip on Cole.
For a moment Cole worried that he had done something unpleasant or painful. Tan’s body tensed, followed by a shaky whimper. Cole could even feel Tan tense inside. Tan’s whole body seemed to hug Cole tightly.
That was the last straw. His mind fell deep in to a tide of warm, soft feelings that numbed his thoughts completely.

Cole placed a hand on the bench. He suddenly felt out of breath, as if he had forgotten to breathe for a moment.  Maybe he had. The flood of feelings was clear in his mind, but everything else was foggy. The only thing distinctive was Tan’s chest moving against his and the strong arms and legs, still wrapped around him.

Tan sighed and leaned his forehead against Cole’s shoulder.
He huffed shortly, as if he were ironically amused by something.
“I completely ambushed you with this, didn’t I?”
Tan’s soft mumble sounded heavy with guilt.
“That’s not how I remember it.”
Cole lifted his head to meet Tan’s gaze.
“I kissed you first.”
“I shoved my hand down your pants first.”
A crooked smile twitched in Tan’s cheek.
“Yeah. You’re right. That was definitely the point of no return. This is entirely your fault.”
Cole returned Tan’s smile.
“I can think of worse things to do”, he said softly.
Tan gave Cole a loving look before he leaned in for a kiss.

After a few kisses, Tan stepped down from the bench.
“Well, I hope you’re up for that soon again. After this, I don’t think I can keep myself off you for long.”
Cole raised his eyebrows while buttoning his pants.
“Glad to hear I wasn’t a complete failure.”
“Failure?”
“Yeah. I don’t have any experience.”
“That was your first!?”
Cole straitened his back and gave Tan a confused look.
“Of course it was.”
Tan stared at him for a moment.
“I thought… At least a handful of times or something…”
Cole raised his eyebrows again.
”You think a prince would be allowed to have bedfellows in Orison?”
“You’re not?”
“Of course not. I even had bars on my window and a guard searching my room before I went to bed. I was strictly forbidden to flirt with people.”
Tan had a blank expression before he rubbed his forehead.
“Damn… If I had known, I would have asked or something. Now I feel even worse for throwing myself at you like that.”
“I don’t see the issue. It’s not like I was suffering.”
Tan sighed deeply.
“I guess what’s done is done… I’m deepley sorry, but I’m glad I didn’t traumatize you… but I am a bit curious. You seemed to know what you were doing, because… Damn. Jock was pretty worthless compared to you.”

Cole was baffled for a second, until he gathered his thoughts again.
“Really?”
He couldn’t believe an experienced guy would have less to offer than him.
“Definitely. It could be because I’ve worked myself up for days. Or it could be a mermaid-thing, but you definitely took me by surprise. If you want me, I’m all yours, let’s be clear on that.”
Cole chuckled.
“Good to know.”

Tan tilted his head and gave Cole a curious look.
“I would like to know more though. I mean… Bars on the window and a guard searching the room sounds like prison.”
Cole shrugged.
“Can’t argue with that. My life had a clear purpose. I needed to get married and have children to serve my family and my kingdom. I’m even educated on it.”
“Educated?”
Cole nodded.
“Yeah. Most girls want to marry the heir to the throne. As a younger child, you need to have other qualities to be interesting. I’ve taken lessons in courting, poetry, music, literature, history, fencing and socializing, but the most important thing of all is to be pure. The girl I’m to marry is supposed to be the only girl in my life. I was forbidden to even look at other girls, even if servants and maids didn’t count. That part is quite funny when I look back at it. I’ve learned to dance by dancing with guys, and some of them were quite handsome.”
Tan pressed his lips together to hold back a grin.
Cole shrugged.
“The moment I realized that boys were an option for me was when an old lady came to teach me how to produce an heir. She had two guys with her that were there to show the positions that I needed to know. I wasn’t allowed to look at girls, as I said, so the young men demonstrated how to do it. They didn’t move or anything. They just took one position at the time while the old lady talked about benefits and usefulness,” Cole sighed a deeply, “Those visions had me entertained for many nights the following years.”
Tan couldn’t hold it and chuckled shortly before he stopped himself.
“Sorry. That was cute and sad at the same time.”
He gave Cole an apologetic look.
Cole smiled and shrugged again.
“It’s okay. I see the irony in it. I can just imagine the look on my dad’s face if I had told him that the lessons made me realize I like boys.”
Tan snorted a laugh again before he walked over to give Cole a strong hug.
“I’m so sorry you had to endure that. However, here with me, there are no bars on the windows and my door is always open. I would be a bit upset if you started flirting with others, but in the end it’s your choice. Okay?”
Cole could hear a strain in Tan’s voice in the last few words, followed by a short breath, as if to collect himself again.
Cole hugged him tightly.
“I appreciate the open door, but I don’t see the reason to flirt with anyone when I have you.”
A shiver went through Tan’s body before the hug got even tighter.
Cole smiled and closed his eyes.
There was no rush. They could hug it out for as long as they needed.