In the castle forest stood a mausoleum. It was an old building, not very big, and built entirely out of stone. It wasn’t used these days, not since the castle church had built a new grand mausoleum much closer to its location some hundred years ago. But it was still a beautiful building, with vines crawling up its walls.

Not many came there during the day, the only ones that came and went was mostly the guard on duty to patrol the area. Izana knew the schedules of the guards, and knew when nobody would be at the mausoleum. Some times during that time, he took the opportunity to go there. Nobody else would be there, and the sound of birds chirping and leaves rustling were the only sounds that could be heard. It was a peaceful spot, where he went when he needed some absolute peace and quiet, away from everyone else, just for an hour or two with a book, if he was able to spare the time from his busy schedule.

And it really had been busy lately. Not as busy as it could be, but still busy.

He had not opened the novel he had brought yet, instead leaning against the wall, with his eyes closed and his face turned toward the sun’s warmth. It was a lovely spring day, one of those days not far from the end of the winter, that should be spent outside and not indoors with mountains of paperwork, as he had done the last couple days. The air smelled of dirt and sunshine and fresh green vegetation.

He opened his eyes and looked toward the trees, and saw a shadow moving among the leaves. “I thought I felt a presence,” he remarked, and Obi dropped down on the ground.

“I wasn’t sure I should bother your Elder Highness,” he said, wandering over. He seemed to have been enjoying a nap, if the way his clothes were creased was any indication. “It seems I was the one bothering you though?” he said in a light tone. Obi grinned, a chuckle barely heard across the distance. “You really did,” he said. Izana let out a breath that was a mix of a laugh and a sigh through his nose.

“The stone is warm,” he said, and put a hand against the stone wall. Obi walked up to his side, placing a hand against the wall’s surface. He was standing right in front of Izana, half capturing him between the wall and his body. His shadow fell over Izana, cool in the sunlight. “It is warm. So elder highness is drawn to warm places.”

“Not as much as you,” Izana stated. Obi laughed, and moved even closer. “Yup, I love rolling up in a spot of sun,” he said, still with that laughter in his voice. Izana moved his hand from the wall and to Obi’s neck. It was comfortably warm, the natural warmth of his skin combined with the warmth from the sun shining onto it.

“You’re blocking the light,” he said, and tugged at Obi’s hair. Obi blinked in surprise, then snorted. “Oh I’m sorry, did I interrupt Your Highness’ sunbathing? But you know the shadows might cause lines on your face.” He grinned, and turned on his feet so he leaned against the wall just by Izana’s right. Such a cheeky expression.

“So what are you reading?” Obi then asked suddenly, before Izana could make a retort and as his hand fell back to his side. He snatched the book out of Izana’s hand, turning the volume over to have a look at the title. “The Haunt of the Theater? I’ve heard of that, isn’t it some love story?”

“Among other things,” Izana said, holding out his hand to tell Obi to return the novel. He had nearly finished it by now, and had been intending to finish it today, but it could wait a little longer.

“So Elder Highness reads love stories.” Obi didn’t immediately return the book, instead flipping through the pages, briefly pausing at the illustrations and reading some lines. “I do, occasionally,” Izana sighed. He ran his fingers through his ponytail. “Obi, are you intending to return that?”

“Later,” Obi said. He took one of Izana’s hands in his, and led him around the mausoleum. The shadows were a bit chilly, and a shiver ran down Izana’s spine. “I see the book got things into your head,” he remarked as Obi dropped his jacket on the ground and placed the book on top of it. “Just a bit,” Obi retorted, capturing Izana against the stone.

The kiss warmed, distracting from the cold stone. The warm skin and the cool leather of Obi’s hands and gloves contrasted against his hips and the hot tongue and heated lips made more shivers run through him, for completely different reasons. “Well,” Izana breathed as Obi broke the kiss to let him catch his breath, “you certainly know how to be convincing.” Obi grinned broadly. “I’m pretty convinced I didn’t need to do any convincing at all.” Izana snorted, and with a smile that exposed his teeth he grasped Obi’s backside in a firm grip, pulling him flush against him. Obi let out a pleased noise as their bodies pressed together. “I was pretty convinced,” he said, leaning in against Obi’s ear so his lips brushed against the shell. “that I was going to get some alone time. As that has been interrupted, I hope you are ready to make it up to me.”

“Mm,” Obi leaned his head so Izana’s lips were even closer to his ear. “sound good to me. I have some time.”

“Good,” Izana murmured, pulling his lips away with a parting nibble to the ear, as his hands moved to the front of Obi’s pants to unbutton them. His hands then moved to his back, sliding down and into his pants to once more grasp at his ass cheeks. Obi snickered, and flexed and relaxed the muscles in his ass. Izana snorted, but enjoyed the feeling of his muscles moving under his hands. He clutched tighter, kneading the cheeks in his hands. He liked the way they felt, with the perfect firm muscle mass and just enough softness to be comfortable. It wasn’t the first time that he had stood with his hands pushed down the back of Obi’s pants.

“Woe me,” Obi said dramatically, “I’m only wanted for my great ass.”

That made Izana laugh, and he shook his head. He buried his face against Obi’s neck, hiding the grin on his face. He made sure his lips didn’t touch Obi’s skin, or he would be able to feel the expression on his face. “You are ridiculous.”

“I am very not ridiculous,” Obi said with a deliberately silly voice.

Suddenly, Obi’s movements stilled and the laughter was silenced. Izana blinked, eyelashes brushing against Obi’s skin due to the proximity. Then he heard it too.

The sound of voices getting closer, and feet moving across the pathway that winded through the forest. Izana held his breath, listening, unmoving. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, the voices were too low, but it was easy to tell that it was Zen and Shirayuki.

Izana bit his lip, keeping his head against Obi’s shoulder. He had not expected those two to show up, it was throwing him completely off. From the way Obi had stiffened in their embrace, Izana could guess that he had been thrown off as well. For the same and different reasons. Slowly, he moved his hands, pulling them free of Obi’s trousers without a sound, and slipped them to his hips instead, hooking his fingers through his belt loops. Obi’s hands were frozen in his hair and on his neck.

Izana loved his younger brother and these days didn’t have all that much against Shirayuki (she was an asset and she was clever), but they had absolutely terrible timing. He wanted to get laid, not listen to murmurs of voices or laughter while holding his breath, waiting in the shadows like some common thief.

Once they were finally gone, Obi stretched and looked up at the shadows. They had moved, but the two of them were still hidden away from the sun.

“I don’t suppose you’re still up for it?”

Predictably, Obi shook his head. He slid down the wall, sitting down on the grass and pulling his jacket closer. He picked up the book, and held it out for Izana who took it. After a few moments of neither of them moving, Izana bent down and picked up the jacket, only to drop it between Obi’s legs. Obi looked up at him in confusion. “You were going to make things up to me, right?” Izana said as he planted himself on the jacket. He leaned against Obi’s chest. “Then at least keep me company while I finish another chapter or two.”

Obi wrapped his arms around Izana’s waist and leaned his chin on his shoulder. His hands slid up underneath his shirt, and Izana realized that he must have lost the gloves sometime while they were making out.

“I can at least do that,” Obi hummed. He was making himself comfortable, Izana could tell. But so had Izana. It was easy to fit against Obi, no matter the position. They were used to touching, and they had found many good ways their bodies could fit together.

Perhaps it was a bit dark to be reading in the shadows, but at least it wasn’t cold.