"I'm glad you're alright, and safe here with us," Shafiq whispered. "I promise I'll make everything worth it."
"You already have," Ender replied. He started to say more, but his thoughts scattered at the sound of footsteps, and he looked up into the smiling faces of Nadir and Berkant.
Berkant held out a hand, and after a moment of hesitation, Ender placed his own in it, huffing in surprise when he was reeled up and in, strong arms wrapping around his waist before Berkant bent to kiss him, softly but ardently. Like being warmed slowly by a crackling fire. Ender curled his hands around Berkant's ridiculously muscled arms.
Nadir pressed up against him from behind, pressing wet, open-mouthed kisses to his neck and shoulders, fingers slipping inside his robe to trail along his skin, sending delicate shivers running through him.
He moaned as Berkant deepened the kiss, threading a hand through his hair and kneading at his scalp. His hands were sobig. All of Berkant was ridiculously big, and even with all the kissing and touching, Ender found it hard to believe he could explore all of that exactly as he'd wanted from the moment he'd seen Berkant.
Eventually they drew apart, panting into their shared air. "Not bad, Jackal."
"Not bad yourself, meerkat."
Ender laughed. "Why am I a meerkat?"
"A type of mongoose, tenacious and smart, capable of surviving in rough environments where most would fail, cooperative and social," Shafiq said, brushing his fingers alongEnder's cheek before turning his head to take a kiss of his own, leaving Ender whimpering, aching, when he drew away. "Shall we move this to our bed?"
He was going to be in the king's bed. As a concubine. Of the king. With his two other concubines. Ender was nearly dizzy from it all, but dwelling on those realizations wasn't really possible as he was stripped and spread out on the softest blankets he'd ever felt.
Nadir crawled over him, straddling his hips and bracing himself on his arms as he leaned down to kiss Ender, hungry and eager, their cocks sliding together. "You're so pretty," Nadir said breathlessly.
"I look like you," Ender said with a laugh.
"It's different," Nadir insisted before kissing him again, feasting on his mouth before working down his body in slow, teasing fashion.
Ender all but howled as Nadir's mouth wrapped around his cock, digging his fingers into his wickedly soft hair. On either side of them, Shafiq and Berkant watched like it would cost them dearly to look away.
Just as he was on the verge of coming, Nadir pulled off. "You bastard," Ender moaned, but before he could protest further, he was being pushed and pulled to his knees, and groaned loud and long as Shafiq pressed up behind him. Teeth dragged along the nape of his neck, provoking a noise Ender hadn't known he could make.
Behind Nadir was Berkant, doing just as devastatingly wicked things to him, leaving them pressing against each other, cocks rubbing, leaving trails on their sweat-slick skin. Ender resumed kissing Nadir, clinging to him for dear life as they both were worked open. Shafiq's fingers were hot and huge, stretching him with deft expertise, the scent of roses from the bedroom oil surrounding them.
Ender held even tighter, nails biting into Nadir's skin, Nadir's fingers almost bruising where they clung to his sides. The fingers slid away, and then Shafiq's cock was pushing inside him. Ender wrapped his arms around Nadir's neck, panting heavily in his ear, Nadir's hot breath against his shoulder as they were fucked in time, pushed against each other as Berkant and Shafiq took their pleasure.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Ender gasped out.
"I can't— fuck—" Nadir said right alongside him.
"Come for me, beauties," Shafiq said before biting at Ender's throat, and that was all it took. Ender came with a cry, only just noticing as Nadir did the same, their release mingling on their skin. Moments later Shafiq thrust deep into him one last time and came, groaning in his ear, fingers almost painfully tight on his hips. Berkant followed immediately after, face buried in Nadir's throat.
Ender blinked as he slowly calmed down, cool air washing over his heated skin. "Not to be hopelessly cliché, but all I want to do now is sleep."
Shafiq chuckled as he gently pulled out, kissing his shoulder affectionately. "Sleep all you like."
Berkant withdrew briefly, returning with warm, damp rags he used to clean them all, before urging Nadir and Ender into the middle of the bed. "Keep him company, little mongoose. I'll attend dinner with Shafiq, and we'll be back later. Show off his pretty matched set tomorrow during public court. That will cause a tizzy, hmm?"
"I think you're having too much fun with the idea," Shafiq said with a chuckle, their voices moving slowly away. Ender wanted to say thank you, or goodnight, or something, but he was warm, and his body felt too heavy, and speaking seemed too difficult to manage.
So he settled for curling around Nadir, breathing in his warm, sweet scent, and falling gently into slumber.
The Peacock
Jankin disembarked with the wind behind him, practically blowing him off the ship—and very nearly right into the filthy harbor waters. Thankfully, he made it to land safely, though after weeks at sea his legs were more than a little wobbly on land.
Dredging up everything said by the man he'd befriended on the voyage, a native Tavamaran who'd disembarked early after bidding him farewell, Jankin left the harbor and ventured into the city proper. It was alive and bustling as all large cities were. People shopping, meeting for meals, children running amuck. He pressed onward, stretching his legs and getting used to land again, but mostly eager to see the famed Market that many other countries tried to recreate, but had no true equal.
When he finally slipped out of a street barely wide enough for the little carts that everyone seemed to use for hauling goods around, his breath caught. There were more stalls than could be counted, each one covered with colorful fabric that seemed wholly unique, no two exactly alike, though it was easy to pick out the more expensive shops from the cheaper simply by how many colors, and how elaborate the pattern, of the fabric.
People talked and shouted, cut through with music, the bleating, barking, and other noises of all kinds of animals. The air was redolent with unfamiliar scents, and his stomach growled at the idea of real food, rather than bare ship fare that reduced eating to a miserable chore.
