"Then...." Lyre raised his hand, only to place it back on Rain's chest. He turned his face to the side, intent on regulating his breath.
"What's wrong with you?" Rain smirked, knowing full well why Lyre was acting that way.
He knew his half-naked state must be affecting him.
"Can I go back to my room?" Lyre closed his eyes. He squeezed it so tight, it looked rather comical.
"Of course, if you want to do just that." Rain smirked.
"Then, I—"
A yelp escaped from Lyre's mouth when he felt himself being lifted off the ground. And before he could say Jack stole the beanstalk, he was already on the bed, with Rain lying on him.
"I love the expression of shock on your face. It makes me want to do unimaginable things to you, dear."
"Can you let me go?" Lyre asked in a small voice.
"Sleep in here, tonight. You can—"
"What will your mother say if I do that?"
And just at the mention of his mother, Lyre's palm got sweaty. His heartbeat accelerated at the thought of what the mother might do should she catch him in the same room with Rain.
Ever since he was found admiring the guards, Lyre was never allowed to be in a room with another male that wasn't his brother.
If he must be in the same room, then, one of his brothers must be there to supervise him.
Although Lyre doesn't understand why they were doing that, he figured it was to set him on the right path, as his mother always said.
"My mother? Why will she say anything?" Rain lay next to him, and placed his hand on Lyre's. "Sleep with me tonight, you can leave tomorrow."
"But—"
"You were the one who came into my room on your accord. No one forced you to do that, and I'm telling you that you are staying here with me." Rain smiled at the expression of shock on Lyre's face.
Initially, he wanted to pretend to sleep all through whatever Lyre planned to do with him.
However, when Lyre tried to run, he figured he can't allow him to do that.
Lyre sighed.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to spend the night with me? I promise I won't try to do anything funny, to you."
"Why—" Lyre started to say but stopped. He turned his face to the side and pretended to be asleep.
"What?"
"Nothing." Lyre didn't turn to face him, he kept his face to the side.
"If you said so." Rain turned, so he was facing Lyre's back.
He wrapped his right hand around Rain, and brought him closer, earning him a gasp from the merman.
"Rain?" Lyre called out in a voice so small, Rain only managed to hear.
Rain's breath hitched at the sound of his name.
"You know, this is the first time you have called me by my name." He smiled.
"I don't—"
"I love it. You can call me by my name whenever you want. Now, sleep." Rain added a bit more force to the command, and before long, the Merman was already dozing off.
"You will be the death of me, Lyre." Rain pecked him on his cheeks. "I don't know what it is about you that makes you so special."
Rain has never felt this way with another person, before.
It was as if Lyre cast a spell on him the first day they met.
"If it's a spell, then, I want it to last for as long as you want it to. Good night, love." He pecked Lyre's cheeks once more before he dozed off.
************
"It's going to be a great day." Their mother yawned as she walked towards her children's room.
She checked on Clar, and Jewel before she proceeded towards Lyre's room.
Clar and Jewel were fast asleep, so she let them be.
After all, the shopping won't be until later that day when she returns from work.
"Let's see how Lyre is getting along." She opened the door, with a smile, only to stop dead in her tracks when she found his bed empty.
"Lyre?" She walked into the room and headed straight to the bathroom. "Lyre, are you in there?" She knocked on the door, and when she got no reply, she hastened out of the room.
She had one mind, to call the husband, but she decided against it.
Their mother hastened towards Rain's room, to check on Lyre.
She placed both hands together as if in prayer.
"I hope he's in there." She opened the door to Rain's room, and peeped inside, only to see the most beautiful sight of the day.
Rain had his hands protectively wrapped around Lyre's waist, while Lyre burrowed his face into Rain's naked chest.
"Oh, my." She placed a hand on her chest, with a smile.
It pleased her to know that her children were getting along with Lyre.
"I know I shouldn't be too worried about him." Smiling, she closed the door to Rain's room, and walked back to her room, humming a sweet melody.
Rain opened his eyes when he figured the mother was long gone.
"See, you don't have to worry about mother finding you here. She was happy to see us getting along." Rain pecked Lyre's cheeks, "good morning." He said to the sleeping Merman who was yet to wake up from his first dreamless long slumber.
Rain smiled at his cute sleeping form before a frown graced his face when he thought of something that came to his mind just now.
"Who knows what mother will do when she finds out about my feelings for Lyre?"
Indeed, she doesn't mind seeing them sleeping together, but that doesn't mean she will be supportive of their relationship.
"Well, we will cross that bridge when we get to it. As for now, don't you think it's time to wake up, sleeping beauty?" Rain bent towards Lyre, intent on stealing a kiss before the Merman woke.