"Keep going," Nina moaned. She dug her fingers into the pillow, her eyes clenching shut as she neared climax.
Shit, Ilya thought. He had received a tall order considering he was already near his limit and her cute moaning wasn't helping either. He tried distracting himself, rattling off all the kings in the long history of their nation, one king per thrust. Dragan, Lucian, Marzen... for someone who claimed to be near climaxing, she didn't seem close at all.
In time, he exhausted the entire noble lineage. He needed something else to distract himself, something even more boring. He thought back to his university classes, to the lectures on alchemical seal theories and Professor Steinwalds' monotone voice. Though the memories bought him a few more thrusts, he truly couldn't hold it any longer. His cock was about to burst. He gave one last thrust and prayed that it would be the one to make her cum.
Ilya yanked out his cock, rubbing vigorously as it swelled. His legs went numb, his pelvis spazzing, as semen shot out and decorated Nina's stomach. He panted, weakly stroking as streaks of white continued to dribble onto her abdomen. Had he done it? Had he made it in time?
Slowly, Nina unfurled her fists, the tension leaving her body. She opened her eyes and for a brief moment, he saw it: disappointment. She wiped the look off her face, replacing it with the same brilliant smile he had fallen in love with. It was too late though. He had seen it. He had failed. He had failed her.
"Round two?" he sheepishly asked. It was wrong for only him to feel such pleasure and he wanted to make it up to her.
"I'd love to, but you know we shouldn't."
Ilya nodded. Though it didn't sit right with him, he understood. They were both grown adults now with adult responsibilities. Each of them had an early day tomorrow and couldn't afford to spend the night lost in revelry anymore. His repentance would have to wait another day.
He channeled mana into his hand, willing the water in the cup on the nightstand to rise out of its container and onto Nina's stomach. She giggled as the water scrubbed her skin clean, enveloping their messy aftermath much like a slime would. He split the blob into numerous droplets, controlling the beads so that they circled around him. The droplets spun, faster and faster, until Ilya snapped his fingers, after which the droplets deposited themselves into the chamber pot, one after the other. Nina applauded and he took a bow. A cheap party trick, it never failed to amuse her though.
It was her turn now. Nina concentrated for a second, touching her lip before softly blowing. A gentle gust of wind blew through the room, snuffing out every candle in a single pass. She turned to him, a smug expression on her face.
He couldn't help himself. The way her lush mouth curled into a smile, the way her green eyes shone, he playfully tackled her onto the bed. She let out a small shriek and fell beside him. He embraced her tightly, locking gazes with her before sharing a kiss.
"Good night, Ilya."
"Good night, Nina."
And then they separated, laying back on their respective pillows to catch some shut eye.
Some time passed in silence. But no matter how much he tried, Ilya couldn't fall asleep. He stared at the ceiling, his chest somehow feeling simultaneously heavy as well as empty. The weight of a thousand bricks was crushing him and yet, at the same time, there was a bottomless pit inside him, one he couldn't fully explain why. He felt bile beginning to rise in his throat. He was going to be sick. He swallowed hard.
Breath, he reminded himself. He watched Nina's chest rise and fall and he did his best to match her. No dice. Would this feeling last all night? He felt like he was going insane. Better to ask than to dwell on it.
"Hey Nina, you still awake?"
"Hm?" she murmured. Half awake at best.
"Are you... are you sure you don't want to go again?"
"Ilya, it's fine. I'm not mad or anything, alright? Don't worry about it so much." But that's what you said last time, he wanted to say, and the time before that. How could he not think about all the times he had failed her? He opened his mouth to apologize once more, but the sound of her snoring interrupted him. He closed his mouth. It seemed like it would be another long night with only his thoughts to keep him company.
***
"Ilya, hey Ilya, you there?"
"What?" he snapped out of his trance.
"I've been calling your name the last minute or so. You okay man?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Alyosha. Just didn't get much sleep last night."
"Oh? You and Nina?" He stuck his thumb between his index and middle fingers, a wide grin stretched across his face.
Ilya slapped him across the shoulder in a way only two childhood friends could. He laughed, "stop it, what are you, five?"
"So? Was my man getting it on?"
"Yeah," he admitted.
"So what's got you down then? You have the girl of your dreams in bed with you."
Typical Alyosha, always getting straight to the pont. Ilya looked around the half-empty tavern, making doubly sure that no one he knew was there.
"Come on, tell me," Alyosha said.
"Promise me you won't laugh?"
"No guarantees, but I'll try."
That was about as good as one would ever be able to get from Alyosha, "the truth is, I finished before her yesterday."
Alyosha stared at him. "That's it?"
Now that he said it outloud, it dawned on him just how silly his worry seemed. In fact, he almost regretted bringing it up entirely.
"I know it seems dumb, but hear me out. You said I've got the girl of my dreams, right? And if you had the girl of your dreams, wouldn't you want to make sure that you're treating her right? That you're being fair?"
"Hey, I get it. Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. You got the girl of your dreams and don't want to mess it up. I get it. But finishing first, it happens to the best of us. Don't worry so much about it, it won't happen again."
"If I was capable of not worrying, I wouldn't be having this conversation right now."
Alyosha nodded, "fair point."
"Plus, I - uh," Ilya frowned, "this wasn't the first time."
"Ah," what more was there to say?
"Shit, I'm going to mess this up, aren't I? I'm going to lose her. I'm -"
"Ilya, stop. Hey, listen to me, stop!" he grabbed Ilya by the arms and shook him, "you listening to me? Nina's not the type of person to leave you over something like this. You two love each other, so much so that it makes me jealous. Keep your head up, everything will be alright."
Alyosha released his grip on Ilya and settled back into his seat, "in fact, let me tell you what you're going to do tonight. You're going to go home and give Nina a kiss on the lips. From there, you're going to lift her up and bring her to bed where you'll give her the best sex she's ever had. And when the two of you are done, you'll probably go for a second round, maybe even a third. Probably not a fourth though 'cause it'll be past your bedtime."
Ilya chuckled, his shoulders feeling a bit less tense than they had before. How could he not? Somehow, Alyosha always knew what to say. And though he doubted the night would go as Alyosha predicted, he did feel a bit more confident.
"Thanks, Alyosha."
He shrugged, "hey, what are friends for? Though if you want to thank me, how about taking me to Gemini Palace? Or better yet, finding me a girlfriend?"
"The first one seems a bit out of my budget and I don't think anyone can help with the second, so how about I treat you to a drink instead?"
"A bottle of my favorite liquor and we'll call it even."
Ilya smiled, "you'll have to take a rain check on that for now."
He flagged down the waitress and ordered two mugs of whatever swill the tavern had on tap. She looked at him funny, almost as if to ask if he was sure. He understood. It was early, much too early to already be drinking. But he dissuaded her concerns and confirmed his selection. Two mugs.
She brought out their drinks. Ilya clinked his mug against Alyosha's, "cheers."
"Good luck tonight."
***
"Welcome home, Ilya. Mmph." He planted his lips on hers, dropping his bag by his feet as scrolls and alchemy ingredients spilled out its side. He pressed his tongue against hers, the two mingling with one another. He held it, longer than he ever had. Finally, he relinquished her, their breaths hot.
"Wow," was all she managed.
She squealed as Ilya lifted her by the legs, "bed, now," he gruffly ordered. He took her to their room and deposited her on the bed like a sack of potatoes.
"What's gotten into you?" Nina purred. While his current actions weren't anything like his normal behavior, she wasn't against it.
"Nothing," he fibbed. He was a terrible liar. He knew that and she knew that, but Nina played along. Further questions could wait until after their passionate romp. He leaned in close to her, "now, you have five seconds to take off your blouse or you'll be buying a new one."
She did as commanded, pulling her blouse over her head, teasing him with every centimeter. He pinned her arms against the bed, cupping his free hand against her cheek and pulling her face towards his. He locked lips with her once more, shorter this time.
His chest was pounding, his pulse ringing in his ears. He could barely contain himself.
Ilya yanked her skirt and panties off, tossing the garments over his shoulder as he got onto his knees. He spared a second to admire her marvelous pussy. Though he had seen it hundreds of times before, it wasn't any less impressive the thousandth time around. He grabbed her by the thighs and dragged her closer, nuzzling her carefully groomed pubes.
He licked her clitoris, starting slow and picking up speed as so too did her moaning. Her hips gyrated with each bolt of ecstasy that ran through her and she flung her arms around him, holding tight.
Her back arched. She was close. Ilya pulled away and stood. He wanted to finish with her. For them to finish together. Nina understood without a word needing to be said. She climbed onto all four, undoing the buttons on his pants and letting gravity do the rest.
