A/N: This is supposed to be set immediately after chapter 13 of Lessons on Gentlemanly Behavior. You don't need to read it first to understand this story, though. This is, after all, pretty much PWP.

Night Falls

Asbel was living in a dream.

For the first time in months, his body felt light. All the weight that had burdened his shoulders was completely gone, and no sliver of doubt remained in his heart. Nothing other than a smile could pass over his face - or, more accurately, ever since that happened, he had been grinning like an idiot.

After all, he and Richard were, finally, together.

Following a very tense and unexpected confession, the rest of their day was spent among loving gazes, interlocked fingers, and sweet kisses. Hours passed and they did nothing other than enjoy every second of each other's company - which, to them, was everything.

However, as they sat together after supper, lazily watching the stars, they made an unpleasant realization: it was getting late, and sleeping meant retiring to their own rooms - where they would be apart. There was an exchange of glances, a silent understanding, and the decision that Asbel would move his belongings to Richard's quarters. The king assured him that no rumors would spread, for he trusted his servants. Asbel smiled at his words - not because he feared gossip, but because seeing Richard regain his trust in people overjoyed him.

Only when Asbel arrived at his room to gather his luggage did he start to think of certain implications. He would be sleeping in Richard's room - a room with a single bed. Granted, it was big enough for an entire family, but he and Richard would be sharing it... alone. They would be lying on the same mattress, nothing but silk sheets and light sleepwear separating their bodies - and Asbel had the tendency to roll around in his sleep and move a little too much...

He began to sweat, and it wasn't because of the weight of his bag.

Trying not to flush, Asbel arrived at Richard's room, and softly knocked on the door. It opened almost immediately, revealing a grinning king inside. Richard had already changed into a robe, silken and creamy white, fastened around the waist by an elaborate pale green sash. Asbel wondered if he was wearing anything underneath, but brushed the thought aside before he got a little too red.

"I missed you, Asbel," Richard teased, pecking him on the lips before leading him inside. Asbel blushed deeply as he thought about the possibility of a passing servant witnessing the scene; however, before Richard could comment on his 'adorable flushed expression' - as he had done quite a few times over the last few hours - Asbel mumbled something about getting changed and rushed to the bathroom.

He quickly slipped out of his clothes and into his pajamas, almost regretting his speed once he realized he was still a bit too flustered to face Richard. For half a minute, his feet paced around the cold floor. It did little to alleviate Asbel's mood; in truth, he seemed to be getting even more anxious. Exhaling, he conceded his defeat and opened the door.

Richard was lying against the pillows, half-seated. One of his legs was stretched over the sheets and properly covered by his robe; the other was slightly bent, and fully exposed beyond the silken fabric. Asbel found himself shamelessly staring at Richard's bare thigh, and only upon hearing Richard's voice did he realize his mouth had been slightly agape. He blinked, forcing himself to keep eye contact through the redness that crept to his face, and spoke, "S-Sorry, Richard, what did you just say?"

"I asked for you to join me, Asbel," he repeated, smiling amusedly.

Asbel let out a meek 'oh', and scuffed to sit on the edge of the bed. This time, his gaze was locked on his own knees, his embarrassment becoming a bit too much for him to bear. He felt the mattress move, and soon Richard was sitting by his side, his hand resting gently over his own. Asbel turned to see him smiling, and when Richard slowly leaned in his direction, he couldn't help but close his eyes and kiss him. Richard returned it eagerly, one hand moving around Asbel's waist to rest on his back, the other cupping his cheek tenderly.

For a moment, Asbel forgot all about his previous embarrassment, and lost himself in the warmth of Richard's mouth. He wrapped his arms around Richard's body, the silken fabric of his robe sliding beneath his hands. They moved closer with every second, until their sitting position started to get in their way and they tumbled back against the pillows.

Only then did Asbel realize the escalating nature of the situation. Richard's robe was loosening, and now there was no question that he was completely naked underneath; and Asbel himself couldn't fail to notice the slight tightness in his own pants. He tried to compose himself and order his thoughts - this certainly wasn't a situation he could afford to mess up - but thinking straight was almost impossible under Richard's soft lips, wet tongue, and wandering hands... Wandering hands. Asbel suddenly noticed that his shirt was crumpled at his chest, revealing all of his stomach and his left nipple, which was perked under Richard's teasing fingers. He wanted to protest, but he had no idea what to say - and with lips locked over his own, he didn't know how he could utter a sound.

When Richard's mouth moved away from his, Asbel found his opportunity to speak - but his attempt at saying Richard's name faded into a surprised gasp when he felt a warm tongue over his nipple. Unable to resist - not wanting to resist - Asbel allowed Richard's lips and tongue to travel over his skin. From one nipple to the other, then descending to his navel, where it stopped briefly before proceeding further-

"Richard!"

Richard froze, startled at hearing his name spoken in such a tone. He looked up, confused, his head directly above a very prominent bulge in Asbel's pants, and his fingers under its waistband, having been about to tug it down. "Asbel?"

"Are you... are you sure you want to do that?" he asked, wide-eyed.

Richard blinked in bewilderment. "Don't you want me to, Asbel?"

"That's not what I mean!" - Really, at the moment, there was nothing Asbel could've wanted more in the world. Richard's lips were wet and full, and Asbel knew well how soft they were. And his groin felt so unbelievably tight - "I just... I just don't want you to do anything that would make you uncomfortable."

Richard smiled. "Don't worry, Asbel." He turned back to his previous activity, once more working on that waistband-

"Richard, no! What I mean is that... I'm not sure I can do the same thing for you."

Once more, Asbel saw amber irises look up at him, and this time Richard sat back on the bed, smiling kindly. "Asbel, it is fine." He took one of Asbel's hands in his own. "I understand that you might feel uncomfortable about performing such an act. I would never think to hold it against you."

"N-No, Richard... It's not that I feel uncomfortable. I just... I have no idea how to do this," - he paused, his gaze falling away from Richard face to rest on the crumpled sheets - "I have no idea how to do any of this."

"Asbel..." Richard moved towards him, and gently touched his cheek. Asbel's eyes slowly rose to meet Richard's, who held his gaze for a moment before kissing him softly and embracing him. "Please, don't upset yourself over it. As long as I can have you by my side, everything will be perfect to me." He moved back a bit, only enough to look into Asbel's eyes, smiling. "Besides, it isn't as if I have any experience, either."

"But... you're so confident, Richard. You always know what to do." His gaze dropped again. "And I'm always completely clueless."

"That's not true, Asbel. How many times have you saved me? If you were indeed clueless, I wouldn't be here today." He paused. "And I... I am far from confident. I spent seven years in love with you, and yet I lacked the courage to say anything about it."

"Richard..." He fell silent for a moment. "But... we're here now, right? That's what matters." A soft redness tinted Asbel's cheeks. "And even if you say you're not confident, you really seemed to know what you were doing... j-just now."

"Well..." Richard smiled shyly, "I have... educated myself."

Asbel's eyes widened. "What?! How?!"

It was Richard's turn to blush. "You would be surprised at some of the books that can be found in the royal library." He gained another shade of pink. "And I... I wanted to know how to please you, Asbel."

Upon hearing those words, Asbel was able to grow even redder than Richard in a fraction of a second. It drew a timid chuckle from the monarch, who leaned in to press a kiss against Asbel's lips. He returned it, a bit hesitantly at first, and then relaxing at the now-familiar warmth of Richard's mouth. Whenever Richard kissed him, Asbel felt all his worries melt away, his embarrassment disappearing as instincts took over him. He never had to fear he was doing something wrong, for everything felt natural - and maybe, if he held on to that feeling, he wouldn't be unsettled when Richard's mouth left for lower grounds...

He tried to gather some confidence, letting his own hands move past Richard's half-open robe, his fingers trailing the subtle curves of his chest and stomach. Richard shuddered softly in surprise, his lips vibrating against Asbel's as he let out a hum of pleasure; and Asbel, feeling heat rise to his head, moved his hands to Richard's back, still inside his robe, and pulled his body against his own.

Asbel felt Richard move to reach for something on the nightstand, but his mind was feverish under Richard's kisses, so any attempt to use his brain was lost before a coherent thought could be formed. Soon, Richard was pulling his shirt, and their physical contact was broken for a second so the piece of clothing could be removed.

Once it was out of the way, Asbel immediately wrapped his arms around Richard's neck, kissing him desperately, as if the brief moment without the feel of his lips had been too much for him. He now reveled in having so much of Richard directly against himself, his bare chest hot under Richard's own, making Asbel long for an even deeper kiss. He dug his fingers on Richard's soft hair, trying to pull him closer, but Richard broke away from him instead.

Asbel was left hungering for a moment, but before he could protest, he felt Richard's wet mouth over his jaw, moving to bite at his ear. He felt it descending with rough kisses on his neck, and nibbling at his collarbone. Licking a nipple until it was fully rigid and then moving to the other, trailing the lines of his abdomen, leaving a lingering kiss over his navel - and then he felt something different...

Fingers tugged once more at his waistband in a motion that was almost growing familiar, and this time, it pulled his pants down halfway to his thighs. To his dismay, Richard left his underwear in place, the fabric stretching uncomfortably over his erection. Richard paused for a moment, admiring every inch of Asbel: from his twitching groin, to the muscles in his stomach, to his heaving chest, and to his face - his increasingly flushed face, crimson under Richard's piercing gaze.

"You're beautiful, Asbel." The natural, spontaneous tone of Richard's voice left Asbel breathless, and the image of Richard - his robe pooling around the sash at his hips, revealing lean muscle covered by pale skin; his golden hair framing his flushed face, his heavy breathing puffing through red, swollen lips - made Asbel want to repeat the same words. However, he found himself speechless, unable to do anything other than staring at his lover, maintaining heavy eye contact despite his embarrassment. There was no way he could tear his eyes from Richard when he was looking like this.

Richard was the first to break eye contact, dropping his gaze to the bulge under his face. His lips approached it slowly, and for Asbel, the motion seemed to take an eternity. When he finally felt a soft touch over the stretched fabric, he couldn't keep himself from gasping, as the faint stimulus did nothing but drive his member harder - and thirstier for direct contact. Richard repeated the action a few more times, planting butterfly kisses that drove Asbel mad. When he was about to beg for Richard to do something, he felt a tug at his underwear, and in a swift motion it was pulled away from his body along with the pants that had been resting around his thighs.

For a moment, Richard paused as if to collect his thoughts, breathing heavily. Asbel had to use every ounce of restraint in his body to keep himself from buckling his hips towards Richard's face, his vision blurry as he stared at Richard, dizzy with anticipation. A while later, Richard's fingertips lightly ran along Asbel's length, drawing another anxious gasp from him. As slowly as ever, Richard's head moved towards Asbel's groin - as Asbel watched restlessly - until he pressed a kiss against the base of his shaft, lingering for a second before he pressed another kiss a little further up.

He repeated the action all the way to the head, moving leisurely. When Richard's lips touched Asbel's most sensitive spot, he couldn't hold back a moan. When his mouth opened to take Asbel inside, the sound uttered was even louder.

Richard's tongue worked tenderly around the gland, making Asbel's mind swim with pleasure. Without realizing it, Asbel dug his fingers in golden locks, trying to push Richard further onto him. He complied to the best of his ability, doing everything he could to make the experience as pleasurable to Asbel as possible.

As Richard slowly worked his mouth, one of his hands roamed through the sheets to find the small jar he had previously retrieved from his nightstand. Now that Asbel was distracted, this was the best time to do it - besides, Richard's own member had been feeling painfully hard, craving for any sort of attention.

With his mouth still on Asbel, he struggled to remove the lid with one hand. It was difficult to focus on both actions at once, especially with his arousal rubbing against the sheets, but even if his tongue became clumsy, Asbel was past being able to notice. Once the jar laid open, Richard scooped a bit of the substance with his fingers, and then took it past his hips and under the silken fabric of his robe. As his fingertips pressed against his entrance, he paused for a moment, hesitating. But then he thought of Asbel, hot inside his mouth, muttering his name softly, running his hands through his hair. And he pushed.

The first slender finger slid inside without much effort, the motion strange and yet not entirely unpleasant. He wished the fingers could be Asbel's - what would he think if he saw Richard doing this to himself? - but he knew he couldn't ask that of him. Maybe, in the future, once Asbel felt more comfortable...

The second finger brought considerable discomfort, but Richard tried to ignore it. This was required if he wanted to be one with Asbel - and what was a mild soreness in comparison to the love he had nurtured for so many years? With that in mind, he slowly prodded against the ring of muscle, easing it gently. He thought of Asbel with every passing second, focused on his voice, his warmth, his touch - and soon he had a third finger inside. The dull pain was faint in comparison to his rising anticipation. In a while it would be Asbel inside him, and the idea almost made him moan around the erection inside his mouth.

He could no longer wait, lust clouding his mind. Even though he knew he should spend longer preparing himself, he was too anxious to take Asbel. He slid his fingers out of his body, and his mouth away from Asbel's member, drawing a disappointed whimper from him.

Asbel opened his eyes, feeling a little lost, taking a while before he was able to focus his vision on Richard. He saw Richard sitting up, a little below his own hips, scooping something out of a small jar. Before he could ask what he was doing, Richard's clever fingers began spreading a cool, wet substance over Asbel's arousal, making him gasp at the renewed touch. Asbel threw his head back, losing himself again - until the feeling of Richard's hands went away, and confused, Asbel stopped to look at him.

Richard was on top of him, looking as beautiful as Asbel remembered. The silken robe was completely gone from his torso, now only held around the hips by the green sash - and Asbel could make out the shape of Richard's erection, hard against the soft fabric. He wanted to reach for it, to make Richard feel as good as Asbel himself had felt; but hesitation took over him, his fear of doing something wrong and disappointing Richard being far too great. Frozen, all Asbel could do was stare at the way Richard was straddling his hips, and yet, in all his inexperience and naïveté, fail to realize what was about to happen.

He watched as Richard's hips rose and came down again, making Asbel feel something soft and warm against the tip of his erection. He gasped, finally understanding what Richard was doing. Immediately, he attempted to protest - but he found his voice gone upon feeling the incredible tightness around his member. For a second his brain seemed to shut down, his whole body wanting nothing more than to revel in this new, wonderful pleasure - but before Asbel's mind could drift away, he caught a glimpse of Richard's expression. His eyes were locked shut as he breathed heavily through his mouth, tiny beads of sweat rolling down his fair features. He even seemed to shiver.

Knowing what Richard was attempting to hide, Asbel desperately tried to push his hips away - and yet failed in face of gravity's force, and the weakness in his own overstimulated body. "R-Richard, you're... I'm hurting you!"

Richard slowly raised his heavy lids, his gaze moving to Asbel's face. "I'm fine, Asbel," he replied, panting, "I will get used to it. I just... I need a moment." He lowered himself further down Asbel's length, making Asbel utter a sound that was a mix of pleasure and anguish.

"Richard, you don't... you don't need to do that," Asbel repeated, sitting up as far as he could so that his face could be on the same level as Richard's, "P-Please, just-"

He was interrupted by lips pressing against his own. Strong hands kept his head from moving as Richard kissed him, not allowing him to pull away and speak another word. Asbel groaned against his mouth, but his protest was completely ignored as Richard used the opportunity to shove his tongue past Asbel's lips. It was one of the most passionate kisses Richard had given him, and soon he was being pushed back against the pillows, no longer possessing any strength to resist.

For a while, all the movement between them was restricted to their tongues, as Richard slowly adapted to the presence of Asbel's arousal in his body. With Asbel's lips against his own, the pain seemed to fade away quickly - and the fact that it was Asbel, Asbel in his arms and inside his body, warm and tender and hard for him... The amount of pleasure this brought Richard was enough to drown out any pain. And, before he knew it, he raised his body slowly, until only the head of Asbel's member remained inside him - and dropped back down in a swift movement, taking all of him at once.

The action made him break the kiss, and Asbel let out a gasp. He looked up at Richard, still speechless from the sudden, intense movement that made his mind swim. Richard himself felt his head light from pronounced pain and pleasure, almost surprised at what he had done. He dared another rise and fall, this time moving a little more gently, and he found it hurt less than the previous time. He repeated the movement again, and again, and soon he had built a slow rhythm.

During this, Asbel felt beyond himself. He threw his head back against the pillows, as he desperately tried (and failed) to compose himself through the waves of pleasure coursing across his body. He attempted to gather the pieces of his mind, to remember that his enjoyment was being paid by Richard's pain - and as soon as he realized that, his eyes shot open and flew to Richard's face.

And he could hardly believe what he saw.

If Richard's previous expression had been an attempt at concealing pain, his current one was nothing but shameless ecstasy. Fluttery heavy lids, cheeks tinted with pink, half-parted lips - and golden hair flowing as he moved against Asbel's body...

He had never seen Richard look this beautiful.

Asbel's heart was beating madly, uncontrollable urges taking over him. His hesitant hands moved to touch Richard's knees, crawling beneath his robe along his thighs, until they rested on his hips. Richard opened his eyes, as if in surprise, and looked down at Asbel, the color in his cheeks growing brighter. Asbel lost his breath under Richard's gaze, those amber irises small around dilated pupils. Unconsciously, his hands left the warmth of Richard's skin - only to hurriedly undo the sash that kept his robe in place. It fell, the silken fabric sliding down his pale skin to reveal the hips and thighs that Asbel so longed to see - along with what stood in between.

Asbel knew he must've been out of his mind when one of his hands made for Richard's erection, his fingers closing around it and drawing a low moan from Richard's lips. The sound nearly made Asbel withdraw his hand and shrink against the mattress in shame, but a part of him adored hearing Richard's voice like this - so heavy with lust and need - and that part overwhelmed him, making his hand work slowly on Richard's arousal. Every sound that left Richard's lips went directly to Asbel's groin, and soon his hips were thrusting upward in the same rhythm of his jerking hand.

Asbel's free hand moved to rest on Richard's hip, first to feel the curves of hard muscle and soft skin, then to hold firmly onto it and aid their movements. Their pace increased as much as their current position would allow for, but for Asbel, it wasn't enough - he wanted more, to thrust even faster into Richard, to make those soft moans that left his lips even louder. It wasn't long until Asbel lost control and flipped him to one side, making Richard fall against the sheets with a surprised gasp, only to climb over him and enter him again.

Holding Richard's thighs, Asbel leaned down, trying to clumsily kiss Richard's neck at the same time as his hips moved vigorously. Richard used the opportunity to wrap his arms around Asbel, murmuring his name between moans that grew louder with every thrust. Asbel could feel his climax welling up inside him, and held it back as strongly as he could, moving one hand to pump Richard's arousal in the same rhythm as their bodies moved. Richard's legs tightened around him, his breathing growing heavier with every jerk of Asbel's hand, every thrust of Asbel's hips. Asbel's heart pounded in his chest, his erection throbbing inside Richard. He didn't know how much longer he could last - not with Richard's voice so lustful in his ear, not with Richard's body so hot against his own.

As if reading his mind, Richard's muscles clenched around his member, and with Asbel's name on his lips, he came, warm liquid flowing between their chests. The increased pressure on Asbel's arousal was more than enough to push him over the edge, and soon he was riding out his own climax, clinging madly to Richard over the sound of low moans.

As the waves of pleasure slowly faded, he dropped against Richard's chest, panting. Delicate fingers ran through his hair, caressing him gently. He closed his eyes for a moment, relaxing against the comforting warmth of Richard's arms, breathing the familiar scent of his skin. Once his heartbeat had steadied, Asbel attempted to slide to Richard's side, afraid that his body's weight would be a burden on Richard; but he was kept in place by Richard's arms, which involved him in an unyielding embrace.

"Stay here for a while, Asbel," he whispered, his voice softer than the silken sheets.

Smiling, Asbel complied. If Richard wanted it, maybe he could spend a little longer resting against his warm chest. Maybe he could sleep a little, under those gentle arms.

Maybe he could spend the rest of the night nestled in that embrace.