trouvaille | bl | wmmap

14: it would be unfair

14: it would be unfair
Alt. Title: where in the chapter starts with something unexpected

- a little timeskip to forward the plot -

.

.

Nereus, who was growing more and more embarrassed as the seconds passed: "..." Has he always been this playful?

Unbeknownst to him, Anastacius became like this due to the fact that his brother had been teasing him for the entire duration of their visit. After the brothers teased each other the whole time, Anastacius had grown so used to it that he did not realize doing it to Nereus as well.

That day, Nereus had never been so embarrassed in his whole life that he could not look straight at Anastacius for the next few days.

Who told that man to tease him every chance he gets?

.

.

Who am I?

Where am I right now?

Since when had he accepted this man?

Since when had he realized those felings were one of love and not lust?

Anastacius did not know but he readily accepted them when he figured it out.

The scent of the sea filled his senses, with hints of lotus flowers. A pair of golden eyes stared at him from up close, looking down at him from above. Long, blue strands of hair fell like curtains at his side, casting thin shadows across his face.

Anastacius found himself being pinned to the ground by Nereus, whose eyes emitted a soft golden light. There was a hint of playfulness in them, one that seemed incredibly unfamiliar to Anastacius. Nereus, after all, had always been a gentleman.

Though he was a bit playful in the past, it was not to the point Nereus would physically do something.

Most of the time, he would say something that would make Anastacius flustered, but never would it come to Nereus getting physical.

Anastacius tried pushing the man away but Nereus barely budged at all.

"Anastacius," upon hearing his name being uttered with such a voice, Anastacius could not resist the trembling of his hands. "Do you really believe that I have good self-control?"

To this, Anastacius stiffened.

Alright, perhaps it was his fault for teasing Nereus so much. How could he not when the feelings he tried so hard to hide, grew more and more mischievous each time Nereus displayed an embarrassed face?

So, these past three months, when their children attended class, Anastacius let himself go and flirted with this man.

He sensed Nereus' interest in him but this man often resisted acting on them.

Many times, Anastacius teased Nereus out of frustration because he could tell that this man seemed hesitant of showing affection. Even though Anastacius had given him hints, Nereus acted normally every single day.

It reached the point where Anastacius grew so used to teasing Nereus that he did not realize Nereus' growing impatience.

Nereus was a man who loved a woman for more than a hundred years. And that love was not something he could easily forget. Deep inside, that affection still lingered in his heart. This was the only reason he did not act on what feelings he had for Anastacius.

It would be unfair to him if Nereus displayed his affection so blatantly when there was still a woman occupying a part of his heart.

"I—" Anastacius stammered. The urge to look away from that pair of eyes grew but a part of him wanted to stare at them even longer. He pursed his lips, hands resting on Nereus' shoulders from when he tried to push him away.