Henry. Just. Henry.

Chapter 18|Creaking

“Uhhh… Henry?”

“Y-yes.” He snapped his head up.

“Are you okay?” Ezra said, rubbing his neck and looked away. “You were… staring at my body.”

“Oh…”

Henry’s mouth agape, he couldn’t help but look down again. Ezra’s body wetted his throat. Right now he thought with his dick and his dick wanted to do unholy things to him. So why would Ezra look sadden by that?

Then it clicked like a ding from an oven in his brain. The bullying he got as a kid, the body-shaming. Ezra’s body was no mountain gifted by the gods, more of a demi-god presenting him a hill. But according to him, he couldn’t give less of a fuck.

“I was staring because you’re hot.”

Ezra looked at him, searching for the truth in his expression. He never showed his body to anyone outside his family, but he knew someone as blunt as Henry was no liar and the blush reddened his cheeks. “Th-thanks.”

“Besides,” Henry raised his shirt. “My body isn’t the best thing since slice bread either. I have like…” He counted on his stomach. “Six flabs.”

Ezra laughed. “Gimme a moment to get changed and I’ll join you in bed.”

“Oh la la!”

“Not like that!” He said from the closet.

Henry plopped on the bed, hands behind his head and gasped. This was the first time the two had seen each other’s bodies. From all the sexual hints and joking around, he’d think by now something would have happened.

But Henry recoiled at the nasty images of passionate copulation. He’ll admit, he wanted to strip Ezra and fuck him like a rag doll. The man was sexy. But his heart craved something more than his dick could never offer.

Love.

His eyes went wide, and he propped up on his elbows.

What?

Ezra came out of the closet, and Henry’s sigh laden with relief. He wasn’t planning on facing anything, at least not tonight.
Ezra sat on the edge of the bed, shagging his hair with a towel. “So, you looked like you wanted to talk about something.”

And for a moment, Henry had forgotten about the betrayal leaking out of his heart. Now it gushed out being this close to him. He sat up, his pensive face now serious.

“Be honest with me Ezra.”

Henry looked at him, ready to snuff out a lie.
“Did your dad tell you and your sister to get close to me, so marrying one of you would be easier?”

Ezra stopped drying his hair and his eyes spread like a fish. No doubt wondering why would his father tell Henry that. He let the towel fall on the bed and sucked in a shaky breath.

“Well… yeah, but for a good reason.” He forced a smile. “Henry, my kingdom is-“

“I saw what your kingdom looks like. Your father and I had a father-and-son-in-law bonding day.” He rolled his eyes. “He took me to Xander and showed me why this marriage needs to happen.”

“Good!” Ezra said, facing him and cocking one foot on the bed. “So you understand now. Henry, when we get married so many things are gonna be fixed, not just with Xander, but all the other kingdoms too. You know-“

“Yeah yeah, Xander is the financial system of the country. I get it.”

“So… why are you against this marriage?”