Like A King | bl | WMMAP | ✓

C23: can he not be so pretty?

C23: can he not be so pretty?
Alt. Title: Ijekiel feels a bit silly for overthinking things
Alt. Title: it is alright to be selfish

"I do not wish to leave you alone." He kissed the tip of Ijekiel's nose.

"I do not want you to go through what I have experienced. Loneliness... is a very, very cruel thing." Then the corner of his lips.

"No matter what happens from now on, I will prevent anything from harming you. Give me time, and I will find a way to get rid of this responsibility left to me. Ijekiel," and Idris kissed the other on the lips, deepening this intimate action until the both of them had to catch their breath.

The sound of heavy breathing filled the room as Idris gazed into Ijekiel's teary eyes.

"Give me time, and all of me... shall be yours."

"When that time comes, I—" Ijekiel held back his tears. "— I'll give my everything to you as well."

.

.

While Lucas wanted to get Idris' help with what they were planning, Athanasia kicked him on the shin and scolded him about how Idris needed as much rest as he needed. Besides, she didn't want him to face the man who took him.

Lucas and I can do this much for him! By this much, she meant giving Ijekiel and Idris some alone time!

Whenever she was reminded of the Idris she met back in Korea, she couldn't help but feel a bit comforted. There was this kind of relief inside her, knowing that she knew someone from her previous life in this world. Although it had been several years since she had seen him, Idris as Brother Ye Myung-Dae; he made her childhood quite enjoyable.

To pay him back for those memories, she could at the very least deal with the man who hurt him.

Let's just have Idris relax for a while this time!

.

.

Meanwhile, said Idris was currently... staring at Ijekiel whose smile was starting to waver under the Guardian's intense eyes. "Idris?"

"... you have lost weight."

The poor youth flinched before his lips formed a pout. "So have you."

"But you are human. All this one needs is to visit this one's territory." As a Guardian, Idris did not necessarily need to eat human food. As long as the Forest of Khione was well and thriving, Idris didn't need to do much to look after himself. He could go on for thousands of years without drinking or eating.

The reason why he lost weight was because of being subjected to dark magic and curses. If he could visit his territory, which was brimming with his mana, he would be able to regain his peak health after a night of spending time in the forest.

It was different for Ijekiel who was now a human being.

From all the years Idris had been alive, he knew that humans were the most needy creature. They needed to be looked after every single day. It was the reason why he stayed in the human realm, after all. The others didn't need to be looked after much; he simple left behind a bit of mana in the other realms to receive the latest news.

With humans, however, he needed to be present. They were fickle creatures who change loyalties in a blink of an eye. Very few received his respect and if they did, they were humans who were of old age already.

It was already surprising that Idris had taken a liking to Athanasia, Lucas, and Octavius.

"I—" Ijekiel shuttered out, a bit hesitant to tell him why he had lost weight this past few weeks. "I did not have any appetite after what happened so it couldn't be helped." Once a flash of guilt appeared in those ruby jeweled eyes, Ijekiel snatched the Guardian's hands and held them with earnest.