Eiji's hands skimmed down Ash’s sides as he settled onto his knees in between Ash's legs. And Ash—he couldn't help it. He couldn't look away.

Eiji caught him staring. "What?" he asked carefully.

Ash swallowed, forcing himself to glance away. "Nothing."

"Not nothing." Eiji tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes searching Ash from above. He hesitated and tried again, quieter this time. "Tell me."

Ash clenched his jaw. He should’ve just let it slide. But something about the way Eiji was looking at him made it impossible to lie. "I just—I just think you're beautiful."

Eiji froze. A deep red spread across his cheeks, down his throat. "…You think so?"

"Always did."

Eiji swallowed hard. His fingers curled against the hem of Ash’s shirt, gripping the fabric like he needed something to hold on to. "You're beautiful too," he said. And then, softly, he dipped down, pulling up Ash's shirt just a bit.

Ash barely had a second to register it before Eiji pressed a warm, open-mouthed kiss to his navel. Ash shuddered. His elbows buckled, his weight sinking further into the mattress.

Then another kiss, lower this time. Needier. Hungrier. Ash bit his lip, feeling a warm exhale against his skin. His arms trembled before finally giving out. He let himself fall back completely, head pressing into the mattress, body stretching beneath Eiji’s touch.

Still kissing him, Eiji snuck his hands—finally warm and impossibly soft—under Ash's shirt, feeling his chest, his waist. He trailed lower, reaching for his belt. But before he tugged it open, he paused. His gaze flickered up, wide and uncertain. "I can stop," Eiji murmured. "Just say the word."

Ash should’ve hesitated. Should’ve thought about what this all meant. Because there was no going back after this. 

But he didn’t. "Don’t," he breathed. "Don’t stop."

Eiji scanned Ash’s face, searching as if giving him one last chance to change his mind. Slowly, carefully, he undid Ash’s pants. His fingers trembled a little, but they were sure, sliding along Ash’s hips, tracing every dip, every shiver.

Eiji lowered Ash's boxers, and then—

Fuck.

Eiji’s mouth was on him.

Soft. Hot. Ash gasped, but the sound barely left him before pleasure took its place, knocking the air from his lungs. And the feeling only grew. Too much. Too soon.

Ash should have probably voiced it. Should have pulled Eiji back. But he didn't want to make things awkward again. Difficult.

Because it's not that he didn't want it. 

So he held on. Endured the dizzying rush, the over-stimulation... until he couldn’t. "Slow down," Ash breathed, his voice barely steady. His hands found Eiji’s shoulders, squeezing lightly.

Eiji froze.

Shit. There it was. The hesitation. The shift. He should’ve just kept his mouth shut. Now, Eiji was going to get flustered, second-guess himself, probably even blame himself, and things will get—

But Eiji looked up. "Tell me," he said, watching Ash with his wide, curious gaze. "How do you want me to do it?"

Ash’s breath caught. He stared, unblinking. No one had ever asked him that before. No one had ever cared to.

"I want to know," Eiji said. While Ash struggled to gather his thoughts, still reeling, Eiji's fingers traced soft patterns against Ash's hip. "Tell me everything."

Ash swallowed hard. "Uhh, I don't—" The words broke, and Ash had to take a deep, steadying breath before he found his voice again. Eiji waited patiently. "Maybe go slower?" Ash finally said. "Use your tongue. A little more. And your hand—"

Eiji obeyed instantly. His tongue curled around him in a slow, deliberate tease, and his fingers wrapped around the base. Tentative at first. Then more sure.

"Fuck." Ash's body jerked involuntarily.

Eiji moved his hand in sync with his mouth, following a gentle, steady rhythm. Ash let out a shivering cry, and Eiji paused, gauging Ash’s reaction. He tried again. His tongue traced over the underside, searching for the exact spot that made Ash lose it. And when he found it, Ash couldn't help but tremble.

"Like that?" Eiji asked before taking him back in.

Ash barely managed a nod, his breath quick and shallow. He was perfect.

Eiji hummed softly, pleased. The vibrations sent a shiver up Ash’s spine, but the hottest part was that Eiji kept watching him. The entire time. Dark lashes fluttering, gaze locked onto Ash’s face, taking in every reaction, every twitch, every sigh. And his mouth, god, his mouth, wrapped tight and wet and perfect around him, taking him in, learning him.

A wounded sound escaped Ash's lips. His fingers twitched against the mattress, aching to grab Eiji’s hair, push deeper, take more, and—

And Eiji would have given him more. Eiji would have given him anything. Everything. Without a second thought. Without even thinking if Ash really deserved it.

And that… 

That was terrifying.

Eiji must have felt the shift because his grip on Ash’s hips lightened, and he slowed his pace. Ash sucked in a breath. Focus, idiot. He flung his head back against the mattress and forced his eyes shut. But the moment the darkness took over, it whispered:

…

This isn't yours.

It never was.

Yet you still reach.

Yet you still crave.

Pulling him 

lower

and lower

right into 

your grave.

…

Ash flung his eyes open. His heart was racing. Breath hitching. Panic hovered at the edges, circling him like a famished wolf. Teeth sharp with misery. Eyes blazing with sin. And Ash wanted to run before the wolf gnawed at him. He had to run, or he'd be torn into smithereens.

But then, he saw it,

the sky

Arching above him like it had no beginning and no end. It was so clear tonight. Stars spilled across the black, embracing the nothingness with their flickering light, each one older than anything Ash could begin to comprehend.

For a moment, he just stared. The universe stared back at him. Had it always been so bright? So endless?

Suddenly, a quiet shuddering gasp tore through Ash without him noticing. A slow, pulsing pleasure curled low in his spine. His vision blurred, drowning out the light. But then, Eiji’s hand. Steady. Grounding. Pressing into his hip like a lifebelt, pulling him back to the moment, keeping him here, within the calming warmth and his steady rhythm.

Ash found the stars again. Burning, shifting, dying, birthing. That's how the stars were, even if they seemed ancient and unmoving to them. However, everyone knew that the stars shone bright. Always. But even now, on the perfectly cloudless night, on the perfect stargazing spot, Ash had forgotten about it all.

How funny was that? And how funny he would look if he could see himself here, from one of the stars? From the vast, infinite space. Just a little creature on a little spinning rock. So small, so insignificant, yet so lost in his mind. Thinking, believing that his wolf was bigger than the world itself. And even if it was, in the grand scheme of things, it was still no bigger than a pebble. Ash smiled.

A soft sound pulled him, a quiet, barely-there moan, slipping from Eiji’s lips. Pleasure, contentment, something deeper. Ash swallowed hard. His hips began slowly rocking back and forth. His chest tightened, burning, because, god, Eiji meant it.

Eiji wanted him.

And he didn’t have to. Eiji could have wanted anyone. Could have chosen an easier life. One where his hands wouldn’t have to trace over the old scars, over the wounds still trying to heal—most of which he had yet to discover. But Eiji knew that. And still, he chose Ash.

Ash squeezed his eyes shut, leaving the stars behind. His fingers curled into Eiji's hair. Moving with him. Feeling.

…

But this will end, the darkness whispered.

…

All things will, Ash answered with a thought. Yes, Eiji would leave. And one day, far from now, both of them would end too, turning into nothing but stardust. And the universe won't even notice. That's how insignificant they were.

But this? This moment, right now, where their bodies fit together? Where Eiji’s hands burned warmth into his skin? Where he felt wanted, where he felt human? This was as real as the imminent end of it all.

And that was enough. Because, despite the vastness of everything, despite how impossibly different they were, their worlds had collided. Somehow. Somehow.

That alone was a miracle. And Ash was grateful.

Ash opened his eyes as pleasure flooded him, surging higher. Faster. "Eiji," he gasped, struggling to form words. "Wait."

Eiji’s head snapped up immediately. "You okay?"

Ash barely heard him, too caught in the battle between his own body and his will. He squeezed his eyes shut, exhaling hard through his nose. His fingers flexed before reaching out, searching, finding Eiji’s wrists, gripping tight. Not to push him away, but to steady himself, to keep this moment from slipping.

As soon as the sensations became bearable, Ash opened his eyes. "More than okay." He pulled Eiji up until their faces were inches apart.

His pulse still pounded wildly beneath his skin. He needed to say something, needed to tell Eiji what this all meant. The words tangled in his throat, hard to push past years of silence and denial. But this time, he didn’t want to swallow them down. "I want you." The confession came out shaky and breathless, but he didn’t regret it. "I want you so bad."

"I want you too."

Their lips met again, hungrier this time, urgent and raw. Nothing held back. Ash let himself drown in it. Let himself feel everything. The way their breaths synced. The way their bodies tangled. How much they wanted each other.

"Be mine," Ash whispered against Eiji's lips. "Please."

Eiji smiled gently. "I am yours."