Kabal - 7. Chapter 7

Nico squirmed in his mate's arms. "I can walk all by myself."

Diarmad gripped him even tighter, signaling him without words that he didn’t intend to let go. “I know. But you might not walk to where I want you."

Reaching his rooms, Diarmad maneuvered a hand free, opened the door, then kicked it shut behind them as soon as they were inside. Slowly sliding down his mate’s body, Nico gasped when Diarmad’s hipbone brushed his hard dick. Fuck!

Then he found himself pushed up against the door. With both of his hands placed on either side of his head, Diarmad leaned in, his hot breath wafting over Nico’s face. "So, you want my hands touching you after all, I gather?"

Looking up, Nico swallowed hard. "Yes."

"Ripping your clothes off your body?" Diarmad bent down, pressed his lips against Nico’s neck, and covered the spot where he could feel his mate’s rapidly beating pulse.

"Yes...." Nico tipped his head to the side, giving Diarmad’s searching mouth more access.

"...sinking my teeth into your vein, sucking your blood?" Diarmad opened Nico’s shirt with one hand, and nipped at his collarbone with sharp canines.

Nico groaned at the brief sting, which converted into hot heat pooling in his groin.

"...marking you, making you mine again?" Diarmad flipped Nico around, grabbed his shirt by its collar, pulling it down quickly, effectively locking Nico’s arms behind him with the shirtsleeves. Molding himself against his mate's back, Diarmad ground his hardened cock into Nico’s ass, making sure he knew exactly what he meant by 'marking him'.

Nico growled, not liking the feeling of being trapped. "Let go of me!" He struggled to get his arms free, but to no avail; he was no match for Diarmad.

As if he wanted to prove his point, Diarmad wedged his leg in between his mate's thighs, opened Nico’s belt buckle, then unbuttoned his fly and slid his hand over Nico’s hot, damp skin, into the fabric of tight boxer briefs, seeking his mate’s hard, weeping dick. Tightening his hand around it, he urged him on, "You want this. Do not fight me. You are mine."

When Nico only grunted, he tightened his hand on his cock even more. "Answer me. Look me in the eyes and answer me. Are you mine?"

Nico turned his head and gazed back into his mate’s swirling silver eyes, his mind still wide open, so Diarmad could see exactly what he wanted, no, what he needed, even if he couldn't say it with words, and it seemed to work.

Diarmad buried his face in Nico’s neck, deeply inhaling his scent. "Yes! Mine."

Stepping back, he untangled Nico’s arms from his shirt, then turned him around, so he leaned with his back against the door.

Diarmad let his gaze wander over the body that had haunted his dreams for so long, from surprisingly broad shoulders over erect nipples surrounded by small, tawny disks, down to a flat stomach; the open fly not only revealing his mating mark, but also a hard, pierced cock, still partially covered by black fabric. He looked into his mate's teal colored eyes, discovering flecks of the familiar silver in them; one more sign this man was truly his mate.

Locking their gazes, Diarmad got on his knees, reached out for Noël’s slacks, and tugged them down completely, together with his underwear. The sight of Noël’s cock pointing to his face, the swollen red head already leaking drops of precum which trailed down the big silver hoop of his Prince Albert, made him growl.

Nuzzling his face into Noël’s balls, he inhaled deeply the unique scent of his mate, before he ran his wet tongue up and down the hard length, swirling it around the ridge of its crown. He played with the silver ring he had been fantasizing about since he first saw it, until he heard Noël's gasp.

Cupping Noël’s balls with one hand, Diarmad held the base of Noël’s cock with the other, laving it with his tongue until his hand dripped with his own saliva. The perfect lubricant.

Afraid his legs would give out under him, Nico had to steady himself by placing his hands on Diarmad's shoulders, when Diarmad engulfed his dick in one go. Feeling a probing finger, he involuntarily spread his legs more, welcoming the slight pain. He hadn’t been with anyone for a long time; hadn't felt the need. ...not until now.

“Fuck….” Nico groaned as he sank his fingers in his lover's thick hair, trying to stave off his orgasm, but it was too late. The finger in his ass, perfectly in sync with the mouth on his cock, was too much. Shouting Diarmad's name, Nico bucked into his lover's mouth, filling it with his cum.

Yes! Diarmad held Noël's hips with both hands as his hot seed hit his tongue, and he swallowed everything down until the last drop.

Feeling drained but content, he rested his forehead against Noël's lower stomach, his lips pressed against their mating mark.

Nico couldn't stay on his feet a minute longer; he sank down and joined Diarmad on the floor, a hand still buried in his mate's dark brown locks. Stroking back a wayward strand, Nico slid his arms around Diarmad’s neck and sought his lover’s lips with his mouth, licking until they parted for him. He moaned. So good... It wasn’t until he traced his hands along Diarmad’s side that he noticed unlike him, Diarmad was still fully clothed. Tugging on his rumpled dress shirt, he demanded, "Off...."

Without saying a word, Diarmad got to his feet and held his hand out. Nico took it, and was immediately pulled up and led to the bedroom. There, Diarmad threw back the comforter as an unspoken invitation.

With his eyes never leaving his lover, Nico climbed into the bed, under the sheets, and waited.

Diarmad stepped back, shrugged off his black coat, and then slowly opened the white dress shirt button by button, never taking his eyes off him. “I want to be inside of you. I want you wrapping those long legs around me while I finally feel your heat surrounding me again.” He unbuckled the belt, pulled it out of its loops, and let it fall on the floor on top of his jacket. Toeing off his Chelsea boots and socks, he unzipped his pants and let them fall to the floor. Kicking them to the side, he pushed down his boxers, never losing eye contact with Nico. Seeing his mate's gaze wander up and down his body spurred him. He stood still only a moment longer before he stalked over to the bed and straddled Nico’s hips, the open dress shirt still hanging on his shoulders, enhancing the dark hair sprinkled over his chest.

Nico’s breath hitched when he felt Diarmad’s cock grinding against his own. His mate ran his long, elegant fingers lightly up and down his sides. He couldn't help arching his back, pressing himself even closer against Diarmad. Every touch felt so familiar, something he'd craved for so long without even knowing it.

Then Nico realized Diarmad had acted exactly as he wanted him to act, including the little striptease he just did. That made him conscious of the fact he'd never bothered with putting his mental shields up. He was an open book. He also noticed something else for the first time: Diarmad's shields were still fully in place. As he slightly probed them, they became even stronger.

So his mate took full advantage of Nico’s openness but wasn't willing to do the same for him. Nico’s mood ranged between pissed and sad. Diarmad clearly still didn't trust him enough to open up, although he could see everything Nico was, everything he felt for him.

His first reaction was to slam his shields back up. That got Diarmad's attention. "Noël?"

"I still don't know all of your precepts, but one thing I know for sure; when one Seraei opens himself up for another, it's common courtesy to do the same." Nico wiggled himself free from Diarmad, suddenly feeling uncomfortable naked.

Although Diarmad looked ashamed, he didn't stop him. Nico waited, but when his mate failed to respond, he got up and collected his clothes that were still lying discarded by the front door. Now he felt ashamed himself for how easy he had been.

Diarmad sat on the bed and watched as Noël pulled on his pants without closing them, opened the door with the rest of his clothes bundled under his arm, and exited without looking back. His heart beat rapidly in his chest, only it felt as if it had broken into pieces when he saw the single tear running down Noël's face. He wanted to jump out of the bed, call after his mate, stop him from leaving, but he was frozen in place.

Nico didn't know how he made the few steps into his room. All he remembered was sliding down the door, the pile of his rumpled clothes still firmly tucked under his arm. So many emotions zapped through him; the most prominent were hurt and humiliation. How could I have been so stupid? He'd bared his soul; his innermost self to his mate, only to get slapped back into his face that he wasn't deemed trustworthy enough to be offered the same.

When he finally got back to his feet, his whole body was in pain; every muscle, every joint screamed at him for sitting tensed up on the floor for so long. He dragged himself into the shower and got under the hot water, still wearing his dress pants. He didn't care they would be ruined; he knew in this life, he would never put them on again anyway.

After standing under the pelting water for several minutes, he eventually pushed down the soggy material of his pants, stepped out of them, and grabbed the shower gel. He proceeded to scrub every square inch of his skin as if he could wash away the feeling of Diarmad's hands and tongue on him. After that, he washed his hair, pulling at the strands so hard his whole scalp burned. Everything to mask the other feelings....

The water was getting cold, and although he welcomed the numbing sensation at first, he eventually stepped out of the shower, toweled himself dry, and walked back into his room. Standing in front of the still open closet, he remembered how he'd chosen his clothes for the evening, full of hope.

Diarmad sat on his bed and stared at the closed door, a lonely sock still lying on the floor. The impact of what he had just done hit him with such force, it almost suffocated him. With his actions during the last ten minutes, he had probably destroyed anything between him and Noël, and he had no one to blame but himself.

How he had prided himself on the fact he had hardened; he didn’t need anyone. He didn’t need someone he trusted, only to be betrayed again. This was the result: He had walls within walls around him so high he himself couldn't tear them down, and he couldn’t even let the one man who meant everything to him in.

He had to talk to someone, and the only person who came to mind was the man who had been his best friend for decades before he drove him away, as he had everyone else: Landyn.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he grabbed his discarded pants, pulled them up, buttoned his shirt, and made his way over to Simon and Landyn's room. He threw one glance at Noël's closed door, where he heard low sobbing; the sound of it almost tore his heart out.

Diarmad had to knock twice before a very naked Simon opened the door, a fresh bite mark on his neck. When he saw his king standing there in disheveled clothes, he immediately became alert. "What happened? Where's Nico?"

Diarmad shook his head. "I need to speak with Landyn."

Simon opened his mouth to refuse the request, when he was pushed aside by an equally naked Landyn. "Sorry love, I didn't mean to─" Landyn ran his hand down his mate's arm soothingly.

"'s okay, just make sure he didn't hurt Nico," and with that, Simon turned into the room only to come back seconds later with a pair of sweats and a t-shirt in his hands. "Put these on and see what he's done. I'll be down in a minute." He looked at Diarmad, daring him to contradict him; he didn't.

Landyn and Diarmad went down into the living room where Diarmad pointed in the direction of the liquor cabinet. "You want something?"

"No damn it; just tell me what the fuck happened! I thought everything was well. Nico showed you, and everyone else in the room, how he feels about you. All you had to do was show him the same, and everything should have been good. How did you manage to fuck up something so simple?" Landyn asked angrily, all his prior sympathy for the man forgotten.

"I could not do it," Diarmad mumbled, barely audible.

"You couldn't do what? Fuck him?"

Diarmad's head shot up angrily. "Must you be so crude?" Then he turned his gaze to the calm sea outside the window. "I couldn’t let him in. I tried, I really tried, but I could not... I froze," his voice broke.

"So what's the big deal? Explain it to him; tell him you couldn't accept his invitation to read him, at least not yet, that you need more time. He'll understand."

"No... I mean, I did read him; I explored his mind. I saw what he wanted me to do, and I-I could not resist...."

"Wait! You mean you read him without giving him the same opportunity? That's against the Codex, against everything it stands for!" Landyn yelled, too upset to care who could hear him.

"I know that! Why do you think I came to you? You have to help me; we need to tell him...."

"You know what? You two are getting on my last fucking nerve! First, he blabbers about grabby hands and shit, then you─fuck! Couldn't you just fuck each other's brains out and be done with it? Think of something, bare your soul if you must, but get over this! We have important shit to deal with that needs both of you on the same page, damn it." He cocked his head. "Crap, I believe he's in the foyer...."

Nico knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, at least not without the appropriate agent, A.K.A. Jack, so he pulled out some semi-clean, faded black jeans, and a random t-shirt, then made his way to the door. He knew Ivan had a secret stash in the kitchen, solely for cooking purposes, of course. Hopefully, everyone was either in their rooms or in the living room and he could sneak down without anyone noticing him.

Standing in front of the kitchen door, Nico could hear Ivan’s and Simon's muffled voices on the other side. He knew he wouldn't be able to stand their inquisitive attitudes tonight, nor did he want to explain why he was in need of booze, so he turned and walked to the living room instead, because he knew there was a small cabinet there with all the right bottles.

The closer he came to the entrance though, the more he could hear shreds of a heated discussion going on between Diarmad and Landyn. He hesitated briefly, but then decided they must have felt him coming anyway, so he walked through the entire room without paying attention to the two men facing off near the window. He walked around a chair, opened the cabinet, grabbed a bottle of Jack, and turned around, lifting the liquor in greeting before he left the room without a word.

When he heard Landyn calling his name, he walked faster until he ran up the stairs. When he got to his room, he went in, locked the door behind him, threw himself on top of his bed, and opened the bottle to take one long swig. Yeah.

Nico woke to a key being turned in the lock, but the door wouldn't open. Looking at the chair he had shoved under the door handle before he started his private drinking binge last night, he almost grinned, almost, because the slightest movement of his face caused him enormous pain. Fucking Jack!

Nico needed a moment to realize the heavy pounding he heard wasn’t in his head, but at his door.

"Nico, open the fucking door before I kick it in!" Ivan's anger practically radiated through the thick wood.

Have fun with that; it's solid oak. Nico turned away and pulled a pillow over his head. Darkness, much better.

Later that morning, Nico couldn't ignore the incessant ringing of his phone any longer. He fumbled with the annoying thing, finally found the right button and barked, "Leave me the fuck alone!" before hanging up and switching it off. Then he slowly got up, holding his head with one hand while squinting against the bright sun coming through the partially closed shutters. There was a reason he only indulged in the comfort of Jack occasionally.

Trudging into the bathroom, his head felt like it was going to shatter when he heard somebody practically knocking down his door again, while yelling, "I got your breakfast and some Tylenol! Get your sorry ass into gear so we can start cleaning up the mess you two made, damn it!"

Tylenol! First pee, then door. He relieved himself and washed his hands quickly before he went to the door. Pulling the chair away, he found a tray with lots of greasy, spicy food and the promised bottle of pills. Thank you, Ivan.

Nico washed down some pills with OJ and then started his own special way of dealing with a hangover by eating two of the spicy tacos followed by some bacon and eggs. His head felt better, so he felt ready to try the coffee next. The aftereffect was he fully remembered why he felt he had to drown his sorrows in Jack in the first place.

Going over to the window, he opened the shutters and stepped out onto the small balcony to breathe in the fresh, clean ocean air, but this wasn't enough; he still felt suffocated. I need to get out of here.

He took another much-needed shower, threw on his favorite jeans and shirt, rolled the sleeves up, and grabbed his leather jacket and helmet.

When he went downstairs, Nico’s gaze was drawn to the door of the piano room, because for the first time since he had arrived, it stood wide open. The sun shining through the large bay windows created an almost magical glow on the piano's black, shellacked surface, and the lid stood invitingly open.

While he was still staring, Henry trotted out of the room, wagging his tail as if he were begging him to enter. The planned ride on his motorcycle quickly forgotten, Nico rushed through the open door.

There, in his usual chair, sat Diarmad, smiling sadly at him.

"I know it’s probably too late, but I wanted to give back what always belonged to you. I could never have sold your beloved Steinway, knowing how much it meant to you... and to me. As soon as I saw the pain in your eyes, I was ashamed of myself for telling you I sold it." Diarmad closed his eyes briefly, his face showing the shame he felt, even now.

"Anyway, in your unique way, you showed me yesterday that you have forgiven me and you still love me; that for you the past is the past." Diarmad looked up, seeking his mate's reaction, and Nico saw tears pooling in his silvery eyes.

Tears?

Diarmad shook his head. "What did I do? I thanked you by showing you in my unique way, my inability to let go of my guilt, my trust issues, and the wall I built around me and my heart. On top of this, I violated the Codex by scanning your mind without granting you the same courtesy. Noël, Nico, I know this is unforgivable, even if it is too late now, let me give you this," and then Nico was immersed by Diarmad's mind; he could feel all his sorrow, his despair, but above all, he felt the determination to fight for him with all he had.

For a brief moment, Nico felt overwhelmed. This could have answered all the questions Nico had in the past: Why Diarmad hadn't told him about the circumstances of the assassination attempt. What he felt when he saw him with Kris— Then he realized, all of this wasn't important anymore. That was the past. Maybe later...

He gestured for Henry to wait outside the room. "Guard the door." Then he looked into Diarmad’s eyes. Walking over to his chair, he never lost eye contact.

"I think we have some unfinished business left from last night, don't you?" Nico bent down, steadied himself with his hands on his mate's shoulders before he brushed his lips over Diarmad's mouth. Then he did it again and Diarmad shuddered. Moving his hands down the sides of Nico’s body, Diarmad gripped his hips and growled, "Kiss me properly."

Nico managed a playful bow. "As you wish, my king" He ran the tip of his tongue around the seam of Diarmad's lips until his lover gripped him harder.

"Noël."

“Nico.” Quickly hiding his grin, he plunged his tongue deeply between Diarmad’s barely open lips, making himself familiar again with the taste of his mate's mouth.

When they broke apart, Diarmad's mind was still open, and Nico could feel hope, joy, relief and passion, but still apprehension. Searching his mate's eyes, he started to unbutton Diarmad's dark blue shirt, following his hands with his lips. After slipping the last button through its hole, he parted the shirt by running his hands over Diarmad's chest and shoulders. When he touched the mark he'd given Diarmad, it felt as if an electric current was running from his fingers right through his arm, through his body and into his cock. Damn.

Nico pressed his lips against the leaping black cat before he trailed down to the nipple under it. Diarmad threaded his hand through Nico’s hair, holding him in place, as Nico bit lightly into the beaded nub until he tasted blood, then licked it soothingly, before he kissed his way up again. Reaching Diarmad's ear, he whispered, “I need you.”

Nico found himself lifted in the air and placed on the hastily closed piano lid. Letting his legs fall open involuntary, he watched Diarmad step forward, his hands on the first buttons of Nico’s jeans, and then he stopped.

Nico stared at him before he grinned, nodding in the direction of his jacket. "Inside pocket."

Grabbing the jacket lying on the floor beside the piano, Diarmad searched the pockets until he held up the small tube triumphantly, then his expression changed.

Nico knew exactly what was going on his mate's mind, and he hurried to answer the question before it was asked. "Just my overly-optimistic self; I bought it at a rest stop before I came here."

Watching him closely for a moment, as if assessing the truth in Nico’s words, Diarmad bent forward to kiss Nico’s neck, letting his hands trail down his sides until he found the buttons of his jeans. Nico’s cock sprang free of its confinement as soon as he had it completely open.

When Diarmad didn't do anything more, Nico looked up. "What?"

With a possessive glint in his eyes, Diarmad grabbed his dick, rubbing his thumb over the sensitive spot right under the head. "No underwear? Where were you planning on going?"

Nico shrugged. "Just for a ride on the bike. I've been feeling confined, frustrated, and needed to get out, clear my mind. Why?"

"You belong to me. You're mine. If we do this, you’re mine."

Nico frowned and poked his finger accusingly in Diarmad's chest. "If this is to work, you have to trust me."

Diarmad closed his eyes, then whispered in a barely audible voice, "I know, I do."

Realizing Diarmad still needed reassurance, Nico reached out for him and pulled him against his body until he could lean his forehead against Diarmad's chest. Feeling the rapidly beating heart, he confirmed in a soothing voice, "I'm yours."

After some time, he nuzzled his face into Diarmad's chest murmuring, "Where were we?"

"I love you,” Diarmad said resolutely. "My mate..." he murmured. "Mine..." and sank his teeth in Nico’s vein.

 
Thank you for reading and reacting to the chapter.
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Thank you, @Valkyrie, for patiently deleting my finally, that, suddenly and obvious again. I'd be lost without you.