Too focused on the clay pot he was trying to make - the keyword being "trying" as his attempt was starting to look a little disastrous - Kazuki didn't even realize someone had entered the house until the person was inside, almost next to him. He stopped his work and looked to the side, opening his mouth for a 'welcome home', only to realize it wasn't his father like he had expected. "...Soushi?"

"Commander Makabe is staying in Alvis tonight," Soushi told him, going straight to the point. Nothing unusual there, and Kazuki didn't mind although he did think Soushi had softened a little in the last year or so, after returning to the island. "I thought I'd come check on you, seeing he tried to call but couldn't reach you," Soushi continued. "But it looks like you were so unusually focused on that pile of clay," he pondered, "that you didn't pay attention to anything else. No wonder your father was worried."

"Oh," Kazuki replied. "I was just..." He looked at the miserable-looking pot in front of him. He knew there wasn't much hope left for the thing, but for some reason he refused to quit. "I'll explain it to him later," he added, then tilted his head. "But maybe it was you who was actually worried? You came all the way here after all."

"Would you prefer that?" Soushi answered with a question, clearly not expecting an answer as he surely knew it already. "Maybe I just thought I'd get some proper dinner tonight."

Kazuki laughed a little and returned his attention to the pot again, making another attempt to form it into a proper shape. Soushi sat down nearby, and Kazuki glanced at him. "Let me finish this, and I'll see about dinner after that. Would you like anything specific? I picked up some fish earlier."

"Anything is fine," Soushi replied, turned to look to the side and studied the pot Kazuki was working on. "That's pretty pathetic," he commented in a slightly criticizing tone of voice. "But you tried."

Kazuki pouted. "Play along for once and tell me I'm making progress or something."

"Would I lie to you?" The question was sincere, and Soushi asked it with a smile so captivating that Kazuki was distracted by it for a moment before he caught himself and concentrated on the pot again. There was no need for him to reply, and they ended up sitting in silence for a while, simply enjoying each other's company. Soushi leaned closer to watch his partner working, and Kazuki did his best to ignore him, especially with that focused look in Soushi's eyes that somewhat bothered him.

"Don't tell me you're hungry and wish I'd just quit already," Kazuki said.

"That's not it," Soushi replied. "I'm simply admiring your dedication." He switched his position a little so he was on his knees next to Kazuki and waved his right hand above the pot. "It's just mud, but you're forcing it into a shape," he remarked. "No, not forcing," he then corrected himself. "You're forming it. Guiding it, hoping it would follow your hands and agree with you."

This kind of analysis was typical of Soushi, Kazuki thought, but he listened, smiling to himself. "Maybe you're hoping that you'll reach an understanding," Soushi concluded. "In the end, this clay can be reasoned with, to a degree. It works with Festum, too. Depending on the Festum, of course, but if even simple mud can understand you..."

"One day," Kazuki agreed.

Soushi raised his hand to Kazuki's face and wiped his cheek a little. "You've got clay all over yourself."

"It's fine," Kazuki assured him. It was the truth, and a little dirt was to be expected. "I'll go wash before we- hey!" He didn't get to finish the sentence as Soushi pulled his t-shirt up and over his head, temporarily obscuring his view of the pot. He sighed as he moved his hands to let Soushi finish getting the garment off. "You know, that was..."

Obviously pleased with his latest move, Soushi took his seat again and put the shirt down next to him. "Unnecessary, perhaps?" He inquired. There was a short pause as Kazuki chose not to reply and returned to his work instead. "I just thought that since Commander Makabe isn't coming home, it means the house is ours," Soushi continued, watching Kazuki work on the pot again. "There's fish for dinner, but do you want to have sex before or after we eat?"

Kazuki's hands slipped, and the pot turned into a messy pile of clay under them as he turned to gape at Soushi, eyes wide and his face gaining a red hue. He was about to mutter some kind of a reply when Soushi leaned over to place a kiss on his lips, and Kazuki gulped, feeling a rush of heat going through his body, all the way down to between his legs.

"Before dinner," Soushi deduced, took off his glasses and put them to the side before he raised a hand to Kazuki's shoulder and caressed him.

Kazuki shivered a little, eager to return the touch, but a short glance at his hands told him not to. "Let me go clean up," he pleaded, but Soushi was obviously not listening no matter how sensible his appeal was. This was not a good time or place, and Soushi's lips on his neck were not making things easy and he was getting more and more turned on by the second. "Soushi...!"

There was no reply; instead, those lips advanced lower onto his chest, and Kazuki had to bite his tongue to keep himself from gasping audibly. He held his hands up, and as much as he would have liked to wrap them around his partner, he kept them away from Soushi, not planning on getting his clothes dirty. At this rate, Soushi was doing a rather good job doing that himself though.

"We can't... Not here," Kazuki managed, praying his boyfriend would listen and actually think about this for a moment.

No such luck. "You want me to stop?" Soushi asked, his right hand going down Kazuki's side while the left went for his hair. His mouth had stopped on Kazuki's chest, and he licked a nipple, not even bothering to wait and see if the reply was positive.

"...No," Kazuki admitted quietly. His body had betrayed him already and trying to act like they could stop now was pointless. He wanted Soushi, and the place and any other inconveniences would have to be ignored. Maybe it was because he was weak, or maybe Soushi was simply too irresistible; whichever the case, Kazuki knew he gave in too easily, without any regrets.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Soushi's touch was everything he ever could have wished for, and he had to struggle a little to keep himself focused and not let his mind blank out too much. Letting Soushi go ahead and do whatever he wanted was tempting, but it didn't change the fact that the place was unsuitable for this, and Kazuki was dirty from working here for the last hour or so.

"I really should go wash," he complained, even though he knew Soushi never did anything like this without planning ahead. "But..."

Soushi moved up to nibble an earlobe. "You don't want me to quit," he mostly whispered, turning Kazuki's head to the side a little. "Not now. Not anymore. Not when you're already part of me."

"I'm...?" Kazuki asked, a little confused. He opened his eyes and tried to say something else, but a sensation of pleasure shot down his body again, and the hands he had been doing his best to keep away dropped down on his knees then went for Soushi's waist in an attempt to draw his partner closer. "...A part... of you," he confirmed, closing his eyes again. He had no idea what kind of twisted Festum sex game Soushi was playing, but he was too willing a player.

The next thing he knew, Soushi was dragging him up from where he had been sitting. Kazuki looked at him, but he lost balance and found himself toppling over down on the platform to the right. He ended up on his side and was pushed down to lie on his back, then Soushi was on all fours on top of him, a smirk on his face.

"Now then..." Soushi mused. He quickly got rid of his own shirt and started working on Kazuki's pants. They were soon pulled off without resistance, and after the underwear followed, Soushi returned to his earlier position and looked down again, seemingly delighted at the sight of his naked partner. Kazuki felt slightly embarrassed, but considering the situation, it was a little too late to be putting up any kind of bashful act. His right hand sought for Soushi's left, and Soushi took it, raising it to his face.

"Don't," Kazuki muttered. "You'll get dirty."

Soushi smiled at him. "I'm part of you. Does that not make me dirty already?" He kissed Kazuki's fingertips but then let go of his hand and reached to the side where the disaster of a clay pot lay. He rubbed his hand on it until there was wet clay stuck on his hand and drew his thumb across his face, leaving a light muddy trail on his cheeks. Kazuki blinked at that, but didn't have a chance to comment anything as Soushi's next move was to place his hand on Kazuki's chest and leave a hand print there. He grabbed more clay, drew his hand across his boyfriend's chest before running it along Kazuki's side, all the way down to the outer part of his leg until it moved in a circling motion towards the inner thigh and finally between the legs.

"Ah...?" Kazuki heard himself utter when Soushi's fingers brushed by his erection then wrapped around it and stroked a little. "Soushi!" Breathing was suddenly hard, and he gasped for air, squirming under the touch until the hand was suddenly gone, leaving him a brief moment to try to clear his head.

His time was limited, however, because Soushi was far from done. More clay; another hand print, this time on Kazuki's stomach, after which Soushi took Kazuki's hand and put it against the pot instead. He let go, and Kazuki raised his hand to Soushi's chest and moved it down his body slowly, leaving a thin trace of mud in its wake until he reached Soushi's trousers. He worked a moment to get them open and pulled them down as far as he could reach, moving his free hand in as well to make Soushi's underwear meet the same fate.

Soushi leaned down for a kiss and returned his fingers to Kazuki's sex. "Now I'm definitely dirty," he noted. "In more than one way."

Since he couldn't think of a good reply, Kazuki just whispered his partner's name quietly and moved his hips up to press himself against Soushi's hand. The need to have Soushi was getting intolerable, but he needed to wait and see where this was going. Still, some sane thought in the back of his mind also told him they needed to prepare properly, and clay was definitely not a good lubricant. "Soushi," he called his boyfriend's name again. "We... need to..."

"Already?" Soushi questioned, withdrawing his hand from Kazuki's manhood. "You're so impatient." For a moment Kazuki wasn't sure of what he was talking about, and he gave Soushi an inquiring look. "I suppose then," Soushi continued, clearly ignoring his partner's confusion. "If you can't wait to become one with me."

Kazuki shook his head. "No! Soushi, I..." He started to say but went quiet as he watched his partner sit up. Soushi had something in his right hand, which was still clean unlike his left. The item in question was a pack of lubricant; where Soushi had gotten that from, that Kazuki didn't know, but the obvious answer was that Soushi had had it on him the whole time.

Soushi used his teeth to tear the pack open and spread the contents all over his right hand fingers. He rubbed some of the lube on his own hard-on while he grabbed the discarded garments that were lying in a pile next to them, rolled them up and stuck the heap of clothes under Kazuki's lower back. He then moved closer again, supporting himself with the left hand this time. He switched his position so that he was kneeling between Kazuki's legs, and his right hand went for Kazuki's buttocks. "Relax."

Obedient as ever, Kazuki spread his legs more and relaxed as much as he just possibly could. Soushi spread some of the lube between the buttocks then pressed a finger inside, which made Kazuki tense up momentarily. Soushi stopped and waited patiently, giving him a bit of a look, and he gulped and composed himself again, his hand grabbing onto his partner's left wrist as he loosened the tension from his body. The finger instantly moved further inside, and Soushi teased the sensitive area outside with his other fingers.

"A-ah... Soushi," Kazuki mumbled. The pile of clothes under his lower back eased the position he was in, and he lifted his right leg on Soushi's shoulder in an attempt to give his boyfriend better access. Soushi pushed the finger deeper, then another followed, and Kazuki moaned quietly and focused all his effort to allowing it. It felt so good, but he knew what he really wanted, and he reached for Soushi's face with both hands and let his fingers brush by his cheeks. "Want... you."

"I am you," Soushi whispered, and Kazuki forced his hazy mind to concentrate on his partner's words. "You are me," Soushi continued in a soft tone of voice. He withdrew his hand and leaned down, positioning himself better. He supported himself with the right hand again and raised the left to Kazuki's chin, letting Kazuki's leg fall from his shoulder to his upper arm. There was another quick kiss on the lips before he pressed his erection slowly inside Kazuki. "And now, we're one."

Kazuki grunted out of pain, and his hands went for Soushi's shoulders, gripping onto them until the point where he was leaving marks on them. Soushi didn't care; he simply waited for a moment for Kazuki's body to adjust before he moved, thrusting in steadily. Kazuki responded, moving against him and ignoring his own cries. The discomfort soon passed, leaving a burning sensation that tormented him and made him want more. "Gah... ah... Sou... shi!"

There wasn't really much more for him to want; Soushi continued moving in a very stable rhythm, and Kazuki shuddered, holding onto his partner with all his might. It was the combination of feeling Soushi's skin against his own; the slight touch on his hard-on as it occasionally grazed against Soushi's stomach, and the pressure inside him. It made him feel intoxicated, and he momentarily lost himself to the blaze, letting that fever burn him and take away all his strength.

"Hot like lava," Soushi remarked, caressing his partner's face. "Everything... burning."

Those words made Kazuki snap out of it, though the heat remained, and he had to struggle for a moment. He had no idea how Soushi could stay so calm considering the circumstances, but then again this was Soushi; never mind the fact that this pleasure was mutual, Soushi's self-control was as unbreakable as the hardest stone.

Stone, huh? Kazuki wondered in his mind. Stones were what the ground was composed of, but that ground, earth, was mostly really just mud, that same clay he had been molding earlier. He had to grit his teeth to keep himself from moaning at that point as Soushi hit a particularly weak spot inside, and he tensed for a moment before loosening into Soushi's hold. It would have been so easy to just let ecstasy take over again, but two could play Soushi's sex game, he decided. He could feel Soushi trembling just a bit, and he moved his hands into Soushi's hair and focused himself enough to look at his boyfriend's face. "No," he whispered. "Shattering into... pieces of... gah..."

Soushi stopped for a moment and stared down at him with a surprised look on his face, and Kazuki smiled a little before he had to close his eyes and bite his tongue to keep himself quiet. It didn't work very well, and he whimpered audibly, silently praying to last a bit longer. It was not an easy task, especially when Soushi started moving again, though Kazuki could tell he was slowly losing control.

"Pieces of crystal," Soushi then concurred. He traced the side of Kazuki's face with his fingers, and though he wasn't looking, Kazuki could feel an unusual warmth from him. It was like they truly were one, and he gulped, feeling his eyes water. Maybe Soushi had been right after all, and he was indeed burning, melting under his partner's touch.

Another moment of that passion, then Soushi froze all of a sudden, and Kazuki was forced out of the haze. He blinked a few times to open his eyes just to see the distressed look on his partner's face. Soushi was alarmed, and Kazuki looked at him eyes wide, moving a hand to Soushi's face. "Soushi?"

"Ka... zuki," Soushi muttered, clearly struggling to cool his head in the middle of all this. His voice was strained, yet somehow... startled? Worried? Kazuki was too out of it to figure it out. "Kazuki!?" Soushi's voice gained a bit of strength, and the concern was apparent now. "Does it hurt? Should we stop? Do you want me to move away?"

"Soushi...?" Kazuki managed to whisper. "...Why?"

"You're..." Soushi ran his index finger up from Kazuki's jaw to the corner of his eye. "This." He leaned down to place a kiss on Kazuki's cheek, and that was when Kazuki realized he had been crying.

Kazuki closed his eyes, a smile touching his lips. "Stupid," he chided, slowly slackening under his boyfriend. At least the fact that Soushi had stopped moving gave him some time to try to get better adjusted to their position. "First you go on about... all that fancy stuff about being one and all that, and... then... gah." He had to take a short pause as his body reminded him that they were still in the middle of sex and Soushi was definitely still inside of him. "You... freak out over... something like this?"

"Who's stupid?" Soushi hissed at him and pushed into him with some force, causing Kazuki to yelp and cling to him. "I was worried for a moment, there!" He reproved, picking up the earlier pace of movement. "Don't scare me like that..." Those last word were said in the gentlest tone of voice, then he finally trailed off and returned to caressing Kazuki's face, and Kazuki just kept smiling and let himself receive everything. Soushi was literally part of him, and although they couldn't read each other's minds like this, Kazuki's trust in his partner was beyond absolute. If it meant that his mind slipped and he gave in to the heat, it didn't matter.

That was exactly what was about to happen though, as Kazuki quickly found himself twitching and unable to keep quit. Soushi was constantly hitting that weak spot now, and he was being pushed closer and closer to his limit. "Nn... ah... Soushi... aah!"

"If only I could..." Soushi mumbled, panting a little and getting his fingers tangled up in Kazuki's hair. "...Understand you even better," he went on with a hint of regret in his voice. "I always wanted to... Kazuki..."

It took some effort to shake the blur from his mind, but Kazuki concentrated on those words and let his hands move down from Soushi's hair to gently hold his partner's face. "You... are me," he spoke softly, struggling to keep himself from crying again. "I... am you." With that, he allowed the pleasure fill him, and gasped for breath as reaching that limit was imminent now. "A-ah..."

A couple of more thrusts was all it took, then Kazuki could feel a hot rush through his body, and he squeezed his eyes shut, letting the orgasm take over his senses. "Nngh... Sou... shi!" He could feel his boyfriend shaking, but all he could do was clutch onto Soushi and let himself slowly cool down.

Soushi pushed in a few more times, tensed, mumbled something under his breath before he pulled out and slumped on top of him, and Kazuki petted his hair, rather enjoying the weight on him. He did acknowledge the mess, but there had been one to begin with considering all the traces of clay on him that had dried by now.

"How about a bath?" Kazuki suggested with a tired smile. "After that, I'll try to gather some energy for making that dinner." There was no reply, and he kept stroking Soushi's hair, waiting for his partner to regain his strength.

It took another half a minute before Soushi finally moved, shook his head a little to clear it and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He glanced down at Kazuki then looked away before slowly pushing himself up to his knees and picking up his glasses while at it.

"...Soushi?" Kazuki questioned, a little confused by his partner's actions.

Soushi stood up and pulled his pants up. "I'm fine. This is a mess, though," he said, nodding down. "Our clothes might need a bit of cleaning, too."

Kazuki sat up. "Not a problem," he replied with a smile. "I can wash them, and you can borrow one of my shirts for the evening. Come on, let's go get that bath ready." He pulled his t-shirt on - for no real reason seeing Soushi had definitely seen him naked already, but he just felt like he needed to - and headed upstairs with his boyfriend following after him.

The ideas Soushi could come up with were sometimes a little strange, but it wouldn't have been Soushi otherwise - and Kazuki knew that no matter how much he complained, the result was usually more than worth it.

Author's notes:

Another result of LH’s Twitter query for SouKazu PWP ideas. She didn’t even have time to start coming up with anything for this when I saw the comment and my brain went to places. In other words, all blame goes to Ventrue.

Title comes from the OST of an obscure PS2 game called The Sword of Etheria (OZ in Japan) which never got an US release. The soundtrack was by the Castlevania composer Michiru Yamane and we quite liked it.

- Elmina (July 2015)