'I assume you are familiar with the rules,' Izer spoke once the pair stepped into his chamber.

 Sivan nodded, gazing at the massive room around him. The walls were white, carved with similar gold as the rest of the Obsidian palace. A large four poster bed lay neatly made in one corner, the silk bedsheets beckoning. A spacious wardrobe stood on the opposite end, also embossed with gold. On the other end of the room, a long white curtain covered the entire wall-sized window that overlooked the palace gardens. The room was very much like the rest of the palace, classic and elegant. However, Prince Izer had added personal touches in the form of a large fireplace and a tall armchair with pearly white cushions and a large blanket that lay carelessly on the floor.

'I do apologize for the mess,' Izer said, waving a hand dismissively as he led Sivan towards the large window, moving the curtain and sliding the glass door open. 'I was rather...occupied with myself before I heard your footsteps. It can get rather...dull here.'

He glanced at Sivan once, a playful smile on his lips. Sivan was afraid he would burst into flames at his subtle teasing. He glanced at the blessed white quilt lying on the floor, momentarily entertaining the idea of Izer sitting on the chair, pleasuring himself before Sivan's arrival. The thought made blood rush to all the wrong parts of him and he quickly distracted himself.

Cards. Faro. Yes.

'I would be glad to assist you there,' Sivan said before he could wrap his words around his head. Izer smiled softly, his eyes lighting up in an ethereal glow.

'I would be very interested in that. But...' he lifted the cards again, 'We do have a different task in front of us for now.'

They walked out into the large balcony that had been meticulously decorated. White flower pots carved in intricate gold sat on the ground, lush green plants emerging from them with a careless elegance. At one end of the balcony stood an ornate, metallic swing, and on the other, a round glass table with two wicker chairs facing each other. Izer nodded at one of the chairs, gesturing for Sivan to sit. He sat on the opposite end, placing the deck of cards on the table.

'Would you like to do the shuffling of the cards?' Izer asked, crossing his long legs elegantly as he sat on the chair.

'I suppose so, I am rather deft with my hands,' Sivan said. Much to his delight, Izer's trilling laughter sounded again, making him pause for a second.

He placed thirteen cards of Spades face up, making the game board. Distributing the rest of the cards in stacks of twos. He then proceeded to distribute the golden coins, embossed with the symbol of the bee between both of them, before finally reaching for the smaller, silver pennies and dividing them in a similar fashion.

'Would you prefer to be the keeper? Or the player?' Sivan asked.

He glanced up at Izer, his breath ceasing for a moment. Izer's face was turned away from him, gazing at the magnificent skyline. His chiselled jaw set, his long eyelashes casting a dark shadow on his alabaster skin. His lips, parted slightly. It was hard for Sivan to imagine how the Creator had spent so much time and care on crafting this beauty. A work of artistry.

Izer finally turned to face him. 'I would prefer to be the one to wager.'

Sivan nodded, taking deep breaths to calm himself. The night was perhaps going to be long and hard, in more ways than one.

'I wager...' Izer began, his eyes scanning the cards facing upwards, 'Seven of clubs.'

He placed three gold coins on the seven of Spades, to mirror his bet.

The game commenced, and Sivan placed a card from his deck face up on the table. The seven of diamonds, the losing card. He then proceeded for the second card, the winning card, pulling out- a seven of clubs. He glanced up at Izer, whose face had lit up in a smile again. The moonlight streaming onto his skin casting an unearthly glow.

'Astounding,' Sivan shook his head, the coincidence not fazing him as he handed three gold coins to Izer. 'Wager.'

'Nine of hearts,' Izer spoke with a momentary thought, placing five gold coins this time on the nine of spades. Sivan's eyes widened.

'Getting bolder, I see?'

'Indeed,' Izer said, leaning into his chair and gently lifting the collar of his see through robes, revealing his sharp collarbone completely.

Sivan turned the first card from his deck, the 3 of Hearts. The losing card. He then proceeded to turn the next one, hardly believing his eyes.

'Nine of hearts,' he whispered under his breath. 'What sorcery is this?'

Izer smirked. 'You owe me five coins of gold, sir.'

Sivan paid his due, his mild surprise now turning to awe. Izer kept guessing each card correctly, which was of course easier as he could rule out more and more cards from the possibility. The last round would have three cards left and Izer would have to guess the entire order for his bet to be fruitful. Sivan glanced at his own measly pile of two gold coins, and over to Izer's tall, glittering stack of coins.

'The precise order,' Izer began, furrowing his eyebrows. 'This one...might be rather tricky.'

Sivan didn't say a word, still astounded by how he had got every card right. Were the cards enchanted perhaps? The entire deck did belong to Izer after all. Or was he simply that fortunate?

'I would say...' Izer took a deep breath, and much to Sivan's shock, rose to his feet. He watched, mesmerized as Izer walked over to him, his clothes rustling as he sat on his lap. The sudden warmth of his body made all rational thoughts leave his brain. His seductive scent ensnaring his senses. 'I would say...the King of hearts, the four of clubs and...'

His voice trailed off as he reached for Sivan's hand. His slender fingers entwining around Sivan's. He watched as Izer brought their entwined hands closer to his mouth, touching the tip of his fingertips with his soft lips. The lower part of his tongue snaked out to lick the tip of Sivan's forefinger, as he slowly found himself pulled towards the Arkham prince.

The touch of his tongue unleashed the wild beast Sivan had been taming all night. The soft, warm, grazing touch making him squirm for more. But he knew, Izer was not someone who would yield. He watched as the Arkham prince leaned his head lower, his lips enclosing around the distal part. His eyes meeting Sivan in an electrifying gaze as he sucked deliberately. The glistening saliva leaking from beside his lips, streaking down his finger. '-King of Diamonds,' Sivan finished in a whisper, leaning away finally.

It took him a good minute to get back to reality. Sivan glanced at the cards still facing downwards and proceed to flip the upwards, not surprised that they were in the exact order Izer had said. Although, the lusty haze in his brain made him extremely unbothered by a fickle card game.

'You are...gifted at this game, truly,' Sivan whispered, his voice hoarse with longing.

'Would perhaps be a bit too arrogant to admit that indeed, I am,' Izer said, smirking. 'I wonder...if I should be graced with any...rewards?'

'I would be willing to offer you my mouth,' Sivan said, leaning in slowly. Izer didn't speak, and Sivan leaned in further till their lips were mere inches apart. His heart hammered, his very essence squirming to kiss the man in his arms. Before their lips touched however, Izer placed his fingers on Sivan's lips, creating an agonizing barrier between their mouths. He shook his head, his eyes bright with mischief, glowing with an alien aura.

He turned his head, exposing his neck to Sivan who immediately took the invite, his mouth clasping hungrily on the exposed flesh. Izer let out a soft moan, making Sivan rock hard with hunger. He sucked eagerly on his skin, letting his tongue trail lower down to his collar bone, to his neck, nibbling his earlobe. Each time his mouth touched Izer's skin, the knot in his belly tightened, electricity crackling like a thunderous sky. His skin tasted of something sweet, something mysterious. Or perhaps it was merely his scent. Whatever he was, Sivan knew he couldn't get enough of it.

His mouth travelled along the front of his sheath and to his shoulders, trailing kisses down to his wrist. Izer shivered slightly in his arms, his soft, erotic moans lighting a devastating fire inside Sivan. He reached for Izer's robes, lifting them to his torso as his hands eagerly caressed his hard abdomen. Izer placed his hands firmly on Sivan's, gently pushing them away before he leaned back. Sivan glanced at him, raising an eyebrow in question.

'I prefer you...to be a spectator for tonight,' Izer whispered before he rose to his feet. Sivan watched, unconditionally intoxicated as Izer slipped out of his robes, dropping them unceremoniously on the floor. Sivan's breathing was laboured as his eyes took in the exotic beauty of Izer's body. His lean, muscular torso, the flawless skin shimmering under the moonlight, the trail of hair leading down to his engorged manhood.

'Spec...tator?' Sivan whispered, words a torturous chore.

Izer nodded, taking his sit on the chair, placing his legs on the table. 'I shall not allow you to touch me, or yourself. You may...watch.'

Izer had heard of great tortures being carried out in the dungeons of the Obsidian palace, however, he couldn't imagine anything worse than what he was being subjected to.

Izer didn't seem to care whatsoever, as he threw his head back, taking his time to slowly pleasure himself. His soft moans joining the symphony of the night. Sivan watched, motionless, his entire existence rooted in spot. Izer's lips parted, his chest heaving as he led himself closer to the edge of paradise.

'Fuck,' Sivan muttered under his breath. A part of him wondered how bad would it really be if he were to give in to his animalistic desires. If he were to disregard the Arkham prince and get to his feet, if he were to kiss him, if he were to use his mouth for things other than to give orders. If he were to make him weak in the knees, similar to how Sivan was feeling.

The minutes were the longest Sivan had ever experienced. Each of Izer's moans like a whiplash to his consciousness, each of his squirms like a flare of flame on his skin, burning him to cinders, reducing him to ashes. It was the most beautiful, the most agonizing sight Sivan had ever seen. A devastating beauty, that he couldn't look away from. For he knew, if he did, he would simply succumb. Succumb to something terrible.

After an exquisitely miserable eternity, Izer finally reached the epitome of his pleasure. His alabaster skin flushed with crimson, his moans arrhythmic, his movements more frantic. A last whimper, a cry of ecstasy that would make the very heavens stir escaped his lips. And finally, his eyes met Sivan's, the scarlet tint in his face brightening.

'You truly are...a very patient man Prince Sivan,' he spoke. 'For a moment...I was assured you would break your resolve.'

'I had every mind to,' Sivan admitted. 'You are...the most exquisite beauty I have ever laid my eyes upon.'

'I am...' he smirked, '-familiar with those words.'

He reached towards Sivan with an outstretched hand, and Sivan's heart faltered when he saw the glistening white streaks between his fingers. As if pulled in by some magnetic force, he leaned towards Izer's hand, sucking the fluid off it. His tongue hungrily devouring Izer's essence, the saline taste exactly what the beast inside him craved. Their eyes remained locked in a timeless infinity.

Izer leaned back too soon, rising to his feet and pulling his robes back on himself. 'I am afraid, I must retire tonight. We do have...quite a big event tomorrow.'

'The Charity race,' Sivan sighed. 'I suppose we do.'

'You don't seem enthused,' Izer observed, tilting his head slightly.

'Perhaps because I am not,' Sivan admitted.

Izer chuckled. 'I must admit, you do maintain a sense of humour. Quite a rare trait among the nobles I meet.'

Sivan rose to his feet, slowly coming to a realisation that Izer was now dismissing him. 'I shall...look forward to seeing you there.'

'Likewise,' Izer said, leading him towards the exit. 'And goodnight. Maybe...if you win the next game of Faro...' he trailed off, his mischievous smirk back on his lips before he shut the door. Sivan stared at the golden bee for a long time before, dejected, he made his way back to his own chamber on the ground floor. It was smaller than Izer's although the interior was decorated almost as tastefully.

He undressed and lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling as image after image flashed in the eye of his mind. Izer. Naked. Squirming. Moaning.

Sivan let out a sigh of frustration, but he gave in to his fantasies. Pleasuring himself slowly, torturously till he broke again and again and again. His insatiable hunger for the Prince of Arkham driving him till he lay completely wasted.