Don't Come Near Me, I'm Just a Background Character [BL Harem]

57 - The Knight

(A/N: Happy birthday, ACuriousStoryteller.)

Cyrus stared at the pale pink lips in front of him, subconsciously swallowing dry. His adam's apple rolled up and down his neck as his blush grew brighter. He had always felt this way, ever since he was a child. Whenever he saw Remis, he knew that he always wanted him to be his. And yet, until this moment, this pure, plain yet warming feeling, crashing over him like a wave, had never been experienced before. He never felt the unfamiliar shyness, such titillating sweetness. Instead of wanting Remis to himself, he wanted to treasure him, hold him in his arms and whisper sweet nothings into his ear.

Cyrus pulled Remi closer, their breaths colliding. His head turned to a tomato red shade as he saw Cyrus' eyes deepening. In the background were the soothing swashes of the fountain's water landing back in the pool. Remis sat, deathly silent. He stared at Cyrus' fierce yet passionate eyes, his supple red lips. His clear skin and long, sharp nose. The uncharacteristically open yet bashful demeanor, paired with his determination, made him all the more enticing. It turns out that he wasn't as desensitized to the ikemen's beauty as much as he thought.

At that moment, it was as if they were in another world. Cyrus' chest heaved up and down, ever-so-slightly, like a little rabbit's breath, as if afraid that he would disturb the delicate, tense moment. Then, after a moment, his fuzzy mind began to clear, and he became aware enough to blurt out the words, "can I kiss you?"

Remis' heart jumped and began beating as fast as a running hare's legs. He could see the glimmers of vulnerability in Cyrus' eyes, ones that rarely surfaced. His demeanor was tense yet hopeful, his lips slightly pursed as he, himself, surveyed the other's reaction breathlessly.

At that moment, Remis felt charmed. Cyrus wasn't a good person. Remis knew and wasn't perturbed by it. He saw his actions in the otome game, his possessiveness yet restraint as he withheld himself from hurting the heroine for his own selfishness. Cyrus's innocuous attitude made it harder to reject his request. What would happen if he said, "no, I don't want you to"? How would that hurt him? After finally opening up, just a little bit, and revealing his real personality, he would just shut himself back inside.

Remis' emotions were turbulent. He wasn't thinking. He didn't really want to. So, without thinking, before he could stop himself, he nodded.

Cyrus was stunned. His bewildered mind, however, was already overwhelmed by the desire to get closer and he wasn't going to let the opportunity slip. A rush of jubilation filled him as he hastily pressed his lips against Remis', gently yet ravenously devouring him as he pushed himself closer. Remis felt himself suffocate, but his lips were quickly sealed again before he could gasp for breath. The faint muffled sounds were dampened by the running water behind them.

Cyrus felt his limbs pumping with ecstatic electricity. He could feel Remis' warmth, the little resistance and hesitation giving way to a slight yearning. When they finally separated, Remis' face was flushed, his lips parted as he took deep gulps of air. The happiness of being accepted by his first love buried Cyrus as he shivered with adrenaline. His eyes were eagerly trained on Remis' swollen lips as if craving for more.

Remis snapped out of his half-drunken state. His breathing evened. His still-damp lips weighted heavy on his mind as he began to blink his eyes. He then remembered that his legs were still wrapped around Cyrus' waist as he sat in his lap, his clothes intimately rubbing against the other's. Only one thought flashed in his mind at that moment. What was I thinking?

He was quick to react after that. As fast as the wind, he sprung off of his lap. Cyrus reached forward to snatch him back, but Remis was hasty, his movements unpredictable and agile. He muttered a one-word incantation, one he had created himself. A light, translucent plume of fire appeared beneath him, suspending him on a bed of bright flame. Then, as fast as light, the flame moved up, flying directly out of the garden and into the sky. His silhouette was gone in a half-second, and Cyrus was left standing, blankly processing with his hand still outstretched.

----

Remis didn't enter his room immediately. Perched on the bed of mellow, comforting fire, his relaxed legs dangled from the ledge as he loitered outside his dorm window, peering into the slightly stained glass. He caressed the gentle breeze flowing above him which had brushed his hair upward in a cascade. Eventually, after a moment of deliberation, he sighed and pulled the window up. He gestured for the magical-carpet-like spell to move into his room. He dropped off its edge as soon as it entered the living room and closed his fist, stifling the mana and ending the incantation. A wisp of flame escaped, fluttering airily around the room before disappearing.

He made a beeline to the couch and exhaled deeply as soon as he felt the comfort of the supple, soul-sucking cushions. The soft pillows stacked neatly on the armrest was like a gentle embrace for him as he stuffed his face into its velvety fabric.

He didn't even bother to try to process the situation that had just happened. Instead, he was more confused with the swirling, restless emotions bouncing up and down in his gut. It made his toes wiggle with restiveness, ill at ease. He gulped dryly as he breathed in another deep breath, seeking to tamp out those unsettling emotions and feelings. A few minutes passed, and with no luck, he sprang off the couch and did an anxious circle around the coffee table in front of it. It was blank pacing.

Three knocks resounded. Remis was particularly eager to answer the door, wanting to use whatever it was as a distraction from his discords. But before he could reach for the door's handle, it unlocked and swung open by itself. Taken by surprise, he stumbled back, his heart pounding as he fell butt-first onto the floor. The person opening the door was also taken aback. Peeking out from the luggages stacked in front of him, his eyes flitted to the youth lying on the floor with alarmed eyes. Then, before his mind could process it, the person exclaimed, "m-my lord?"

Remis blinked. That voice was strangely familiar. Paired with how he addressed him, a respectful "my lord"... His eyes traced up the luggages, eventually landing on a head of tomato red hair. Now it was his turn to be taken aback.

"Little tomato– I-I mean, Sir Reask?"

----

Remis recalled his meetings with Reask in the palace during the crown prince's aide selection. Remis recalled his fond memories about his strange encounters with him in the palace. Their unorthodox first meeting, when Remis stumbled and fell from the carriage stairs and was caught by the knight had left a lasting impression. The times where Reask taught Remis how to hold a sword in that expansive field. Remis particularly liked his red face that perfectly matched his hair whenever he was embarrassed. He had fond memories of the knight and enjoyed their conversations during his time in the palace. He thought that when he left to go back to Alsar Academy, he wouldn't see Reask again. Yet here he was, lying in front of the door, seeing Reask's head flushed tomato-red from the nickname.

The knight stumbled forward over the barrier of luggages and bowed respectfully. His eyes flitted up occasionally, fixing themselves on Remis' face, before flickering back down bashfully. Remis cocked his head to the side with a slight smile creeping onto his face from amusement. His mood grew less clouded as he was distracted from his conversation with Cyrus just a few minutes ago in the garden.

Remis extended his hand forward to the bowing Reask, bringing him up from his respectful position. "No need for greetings, we've known each other long enough now."

"O-okay," Reask stuttered. The impact of those words brought innocent joy to Reask's heart, and as Remis raised him from his bow, the knight found himself unconsciously holding onto Remis' hand, reluctant to let go.

Noticing Reask's inadvertent grip, Remis playfully urged him to release it, accompanied by a light-hearted laugh. The realization that his eyes had been fixed on their connected hands hit Reask, prompting him to hurriedly let go. Remis, amused by Reask's evident happiness, subtly slipped his hand away, leaving the knight momentarily wilted.

However, his next actions made Reask freeze. On his tiptoes, Remis used his freed hand to gently caress Reask's fiery red hair. In his innocence, Remis viewed the knight as a cute little tomato, unaware of the effect his actions were having on him.

"So... anyway," Remis stopped his patting and retracted his hand, "may I ask, what brings you here, Sir Reask?"

The knight blinked dazedly, needing a moment to regain his composure. Slowly, his slightly bowed head snapped up, and with a mixture of nervousness and enthusiasm, he exclaimed, "Oh! Yes, I've been enrolled in Alsar. I'm moving in now, this is my dorm room." Reask's face flushed an even deeper shade of red as he stammered, "Umm, and... I guess you would be my roommate... my lord."