He brushes his fingers along the ugly scar that runs across his chest, feels the warmth of the skin seeping through his own skin, and he rests his palm against the slowly rising and falling chest. His head is nestled against the other man's shoulder, and he can't really shift out of the grip the other has on him even though it's not tight at all. It's simply too comfortable to move out of it, right now.

It might just be a tad bit ridiculous, for more than one reason. That he is this comfortable with someone he really shouldn't be this comfortable with.

Beside him, Obi is asleep. Or perhaps he is feigning sleep, it has happened before after all, and Obi is an alert and light sleeper.

Or, at least he is a light sleeper when he stays in Izana's chambers.

Because it is important that no one finds out that sometimes, the King shares his bed with one of his younger brother's Knights. It would be a disaster if anyone knew.

It would also be a disaster to be found out because they don't just share a bed to sleep next to each other, but with each other. Izana enjoys the touch of the dark-haired man's skin against his own, the dark-haired man's hands pinning his to the bedsheets, the way the dark-haired man's actions can make his back arch and his breath catch.

It is impossible to feel this kind of pleasure when sharing a bed with a woman, it is simply not the same.

Yet he is unfaithful to his queen-to-be and he regrets that. He does not actually wish to betray her, but he tells himself that at least it only happens on rare occasions.

He enjoys these secret little meetings way too much, and he wonders what will happen once he is actually married.

Fingers buries in his loose hair. It has grown longer again, and it splays over Obi's arm like a silky curtain, only a little tousled after the activities they partook in only an hour prior. Obi runs his fingers through Izana's hair, combing out the tousles and then he brushes his bangs out of his eyes. Izana has closed his eyes and enjoys the tender touches from the battered fingers, but he opens them again when Obi's hand stills halfway through a motion. He can feel him close his fingers around his hair, only for a few moments, before the hand is removed and Obi rolls over, so that they're face to face.

Obi's sharp eyes stares into his own, and the man is not uttering a word. He is clever, perhaps he knows what Izana is thinking of. Or perhaps he doesn't, it's hard to know. Izana is hard to read, but so is Obi.

After a few moments of extended silence, Izana shifts, and he presses closer to Obi.

His fingers are still splayed across the scar. He wonders how he got it, but Obi won't tell, he knows. Obi can't be coaxed into telling Izana things about himself and in the end, it's better to just be quiet and not make this into anything too serious.

Sleep, Obi murmurs into Izana's ear as he kisses it lightly, and Izana turns his gaze to meet Obi's once more. Obi makes himself comfortable, and maybe he gets ready to go to sleep for real now.

So Izana closes his eyes and shuts out the questions and the thoughts of what a mistake he is committing.

Instead, he simply listens to the sound of Obi's breath, and feels how their heartbeats slowly beats evenly at pace, more telling than anything that he will ever let pass his lips.