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”Do I really have to come with you?” Liam had to ask even though he knew it was far too late to worm his way out of accompanying his sister to the Night Market when they were already on the way and the sun had almost set.
”I feel like I could’ve done more to help at home,” he said, furrowing his brows.
”You should’ve tried convincing mom, not me,” Evie said, holding the reins of their horse cart loosely. ”I can handle myself but she thinks I’m still too young to deal with the customers alone. As if she wasn’t around my age when she started!”
Their mother had raised them alone while running her shop, which was why they’d both practically grown up surrounded by the miscellaneous stands and the thick, multicoloured smoke that hung in the air, but only Evie had any interest in continuing the business. Somewhere along the way, in her words, Liam had become a boring adult as he’d gotten his well-paying apprenticeship in the city. As if it was a bad thing he wanted their family to have something real to fall back on if one day the shop didn’t pay anymore.
”But hey!” Evie bumped his shoulder. ”Might do good for you, you can just take the night off for once.”
”I thought we were going there to work?” Liam sighed. He wouldn’t deny being tired from his day job, but he didn’t want Evie or their mother worrying over him.
”I am, and I really don’t need a babysitter,” Evie said.
And, as it turned out, whatever expectations he’d had of Evie’s capability to act professional, she could handle herself.
Once they arrived, she set up the shop quickly and confidently, and when the market-goers started prowling the streets, she somehow seemed to know at a glance who to call over and exactly how much she could haggle with them. Almost everyone left paying what Liam thought to be slight overprice given how common most of their wares were. Surely they could’ve gotten their salves and herbal remedies elsewhere, perhaps even at a better price.
Liam found himself with very little to do, and even less of a reason to be there.
The Market smelled the way he remembered, and it looked the same too. The location was different—it always was—but he was almost sure he recognized some of the other sellers as the people who’d laughed at him and Evie as they had ran between the stands and caused mayhem as kids, and given them sweets for simple tasks like telling the time or reciting a nursery rhyme.
The first rule of the Night Market was that you should expect everything good on sale to have a price to match. Anything free was likely to be something you didn’t want, however, the payment didn’t necessarily need to be in money. Some even preferred it in favours, secrets and promises.
The second rule, probably, was to mind your own business and not stare at others, but that Liam had always been bad at following. He had to admit that he found the ever-changing clientele of the Market fascinating, especially after the shadows deepened and the more casual people who’d wanted to come get a glimpse and safely enjoy the thrill of the furtive atmosphere had mostly left, leaving behind the ones who came with an actual purpose.
While the Market lasted from sundown to sunrise, it was said that the real Market didn’t start until well into the night, when new customers and sellers alike started showing up.
A few, at first, until everywhere you looked, you could see at least someone who clearly wasn’t human. Goblins browsing the book stands, ogres sitting down and ordering enough food to alone make the monthly sales of the temporal teahouses, a group of women whose hair moved around suspiciously, most likely gorgons. Liam was quite sure one patron hiding their face under a hood and veil was an unicorn in human form. Daring of them, given how they’d almost been hunted to extinction multiple times before.
The Night Market was one of the only occasions most of these creatures that usually stayed away from humans ventured into town, to do trade and entertain themselves. It existed in the twilight between what the humans called civil society and the old world some said had no place anymore in the age of men, an open secret that welcomed those that respected its rules but kept the rest away.
The Market allowed for the two worlds to cross in a slightly more controlled manner, but that didn’t make it without its risks.
Liam glanced at Evie, busy joking with a customer whose laugh rang like the sweetest music. A siren, perhaps, as she seemed to have wings under her cape. Evie managed to make the deal and the siren left, happily waving back at her before turning and disappearing down the road.
This was what Evie loved to do, and for once Liam wondered when exactly their paths had started to differ.
As sure as the sun traveled across the sky, Evie belonged here.
She felt no fear but she wasn’t naive either. She’d always been good at catching lies and calling them out, and while it could be annoying at times, Liam trusted her judgment perhaps even better than his own.
Liam himself, well. He certainly wasn’t afraid either and he’d liked learning about the different creatures that visited the Market when he was younger, but the more he lived in the daylight world, the less use he had for his knowledge, and the less reason he had to retain all he’d learned. If he didn’t visit, all this could have been a distant dream, the remnants of a half-forgotten time most normal people thought it was.
Evie noticed Liam watching her and flashed him a smile.
”I was thinking of a lunch break soon, are you feeling like anything in particular?”
”You can pick for me,” Liam answered. He’d never been good at choosing, and honestly he would be fine with most anything, unless Evie had suddenly gotten into the more raw and slimier goods on offer, which he doubted. They weren’t that different.
”Okay, then—wait a moment, one more customer before we go.” Evie had spotted someone in the crowd. It was still rare that she would call for them by their name. ”Dharis! Over here!”
A little way away, a satyr raised his head and looked up from the wares he’d been examining. He said his goodbyes to the shopkeeper, who looked less than happy but soon turned to service another customer, and made his way over.
Liam knew he was staring.
Liam knew he shouldn’t be.
The satyr—Dharis, Liam’s brain supplied a little late—was huge. None of the humans he walked past reached taller than his shoulders, and without craning his neck, Liam was left looking at his half-revealed chest, covered by fur that went from blond to brown to nearly black at places. Dharis wore a knee-length tunic that draped over one side and was gathered at the waist with two belts, one a wide embroidered cloth and the other narrower leather on top of it. The sides of the garment were left completely open to let his strong and steady goat legs move freely.
Liam didn’t trust his eyes to linger on Dharis’s midriff, so it was good that his line of sight got disrupted as the satyr leaned forward and rested his forearms—lean muscle, more fur—against the stand so that they could converse at a more comfortable height, only slightly above Liam and Evie’s eye-level. He had a thick, curly mane and a beautiful pair of horns that curved along his head.
”Is your mother still sick? It’s not actually serious, I hope?” Dharis asked. His voice was low and silky, and Liam’s hands clenched in his lap, nails biting into his palms. He could only hope his reaction went unnoticed as Dharis had barely glanced his way before politely turning all his attention to Evie.
”She’s much better now, but I told her she shouldn’t make the trip yet,” Evie said, and after a few pleasantries they started discussing business, which gave Liam some well needed time to collect himself. Or it would have, if Dharis hadn’t just delivered the next blow almost instantly by chuckling, a rumbling sound that traveled all the way down Liam’s spine.
”You know I cannot accept that,” Dharis said and turned his head slightly, looking at Evie with curiosity rather than upset. They countered each other a few times and even Liam noticed that Evie stayed way over her usual price-point, until Dharis huffed and smiled slowly. ”Enough already. Either reveal your little game or give me your real offer.”
Evie looked amused as well and nothing could have prepared Liam for what she said next. ”Alright, alright. This is my final offer—I’ll halve that last price,” she nodded at Liam and her grin widened, ”if you spend the night with my brother.”
It took a minute before he could process the sentence.
”Wa— Evie!”
Dharis hummed and his eyes fell on Liam, pinning him to place as he got a considering once-over.
Soon, Dharis smiled as he said, ”Deal.”
”Great!” Evie clapped her hands together. ”Go on, Liam—I’ll be fine on my own.”
”Evie,” Liam hissed, but it went to deaf ears.
”You can thank me in the morning. Go, have fun!”
She practically kicked him out of the stand and he stumbled on the street, legs asleep from having sat for so long, and the only thing that stopped him from crashing into a few passer-bys was how quickly Dharis reached to catch him. Even just one of the satyr’s hands enveloped Liam’s waist almost completely, something his brain was quick to focus on.
”Careful,” Dharis said. ”You have such frail legs, don’t want you hurting yourself.”
Liam could feel the heat flushing his cheeks. ”I can stand on my own,” he mumbled and heard Evie stifle a snort behind them.
Just for a bit longer, Dharis kept his hand on Liam, likely to see that he really was steady on his feet. Then he withdrew it and immediately Liam wanted it back around him, but instead he started walking away from their stand and into the crowded market. Even if he was going to be stuck with Dharis for the rest of the night, he definitely wouldn’t suffer any more of this where his sister could see them.
At least Evie’s wording had been open to interpretation. Spending the night could mean practically anything as long as they stayed together.
”Mess him up a little so that he won’t look like such a mark!” Evie called in a stage-whisper after them.
”That’s all up to him,” Dharis answered her.
At that point, Liam’s whole face burned, and he was afraid to stop. Maybe he could just keep walking until he reached the edge of the world and fell to his death. He didn’t need to look to know that Dharis was following him. People made room for them as they got closer, and he heard the soft clack of Dharis’s hoofs on the cobblestone right behind him.
A small tug at his elbow finally stopped him in his tracks.
Liam lifted his head to find Dharis smiling calmly down at him, tilting his head towards a store they were next to. ”How about some tea?”
”Sure,” Liam said weakly. It was his turn to follow after Dharis as he led him to sit down and told him to watch his parcels as he went to get them a few cups and a teapot from the counter. Liam let Dharis pour the tea for him, dark forest green in his cup and deep sunset orange in his own.
”I’ve frequented your shop for a while now, but this is the first I’ve seen you. I take it you’re not actively part of the family business?” Dharis asked conversationally over his drink.
”No. I just happened to be visiting,” Liam said. He chewed on his lip, then added with a sigh, ”But I used to be, when I was younger.”
”Then, it’s not your first time at the Market?”
Liam had spent years shaking the Night Market’s influence from his behaviour so it should have made him happy that he apparently looked like a complete outsider, someone that would get lost on his own home street the moment it got dark out, but somehow it made him annoyed. He had grown here just as much as Evie had.
”Not by far,” Liam scoffed.
”Didn’t mean to insult.” Dharis held his hands up in apology. ”If that was when you were younger, then what do you do now?”
Trying to not go into too much detail, Liam explained about his job. He was starting to realize that despite the way everything about Dharis made him flustered, the satyr was easy to talk to. He listened well even though Liam wasn’t sure how familiar he was with the workings of the human society.
”And when you’re not working?”
”I...” Liam blinked looking down into his tea. His brows furrowed as he realized all the answers rising to the tip of his tongue were from the past, things he’d used to do but hadn’t had the time for in almost as long as he hadn’t been to the Market. ”I’m very busy.”
Dharis hummed. ”I see. Well, given that right now you have nothing but time, how would you spend it?”
He shifted in his seat and Liam’s eyes unintentionally followed the movement down before he quickly corrected himself. Dharis smiled, disarmingly innocent. Liam didn’t believe for a moment he hadn’t figured out the effect he had on him by now.
”We can continue talking, we can browse the Market together, or you can do whatever you wish and pretend I’m not there. Or,” Dharis tilted his head and his voice dropped even lower. Liam had to set the tea cup down which was barely short of him dropping it, ”I could always help you relax a bit, if you’re interested. I’m not sure what exactly your sister gained from our deal, but she gave me a good bargain thanks to you. I feel it’s only fair if you get something good out of it, too. I promise I can make it real pleasant for you if you let me.”
To hells with it.
”Yes,” Liam said before he could find some stupid, non-reason not to. He wasn’t likely to meet Dharis ever again after tonight and he’d embarrassed himself plenty already, he might as well get what he wanted for it when it was so readily offered to him. ”I am. Interested.”
Dharis chuckled again. ”I was rather hoping for that. You’re cute.”
They didn’t make it out of the teahouse before Liam was sitting on Dharis’s knee and they kissed. Liam needed to reach up even though Dharis hunched down for him, but he didn’t mind. It mostly excited him, as did the way Dharis was adept at minding his horns not to hurt Liam even as he moved down from his mouth to suck a bruise on his neck. Liam gasped and nearly bounced in place, one of Dharis’s hands resting heavy on his thigh.
Liam latched onto his arm and curled his fingers in the coarse fur to get his attention. Dharis moved his head back slightly and searched his face for a reason for the interruption.
”Let’s go somewhere... more private,” Liam said, his voice shaking a bit.
He wasn’t going to be able to keep his voice down if they continued like this, and neither did he want to. He also wanted more than kisses and a few marks on his skin, and as much as people minded their own business at the Market, going any further than that out in the open was still very much not approved of.
Dharis nodded, understanding, and let go of him for Liam to stand up. He relied on the table for support while he tried and failed to calm his breathing.
When Dharis had managed to gather his things and left a few extra coins next to the tea cups they were not going to clean away, he put a hand on Liam’s shoulder and steered him out into the crowd, keeping him close. It wasn’t strictly necessary given how, even if people hadn’t cleared a way for Dharis, he was quite frankly impossible to lose, but Liam certainly didn’t mind. Heat pooled in his stomach each time their bodies briefly pushed together.
Most buildings kept their doors and windows firmly shut until the Night Market ended, but there were always a few places, usually pubs and taverns that had their doors open and eyes closed from unusual customers. The people running them weren’t exactly part of the Market, but money was money and as long as they got paid in coinage they recognized, they were glad to profit alongside it.
Dharis had paid for a room in one such place before Liam could even begin to argue that he’d pay half of it, and the matter was quickly forgotten as the door closed behind them and Dharis pulled him back in between his thighs.
After a few more exploring kisses, Dharis nuzzled his ear and made his whole body shudder, whispering, ”How can I make you feel good?”
It was an easy question for Liam to answer as he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it ever since he’d first seen Dharis approach.
”I want you inside me,” he said and was pleased by the way Dharis’s eyes widened in surprise before narrowing again. Liam took hold of Dharis’s hand that had been idly caressing his cheek and brought it up to his mouth, kissing the fingers and sighing as Dharis moved them across his lips curiously, opening for him even though he didn’t press them in. Liam blinked a few times and looked up at Dharis.
The calm with which Dharis carried himself seemed to have been shaken a bit and he couldn’t keep the ravenous glint behind his eyes completely hidden. It did funny things to Liam’s heartbeat.
”Are you sure?” Dharis asked, but his free hand had traveled down Liam’s back to hold his ass. ”I am much bigger than your average man.”
Liam was extremely sure. ”That is why I want it.”
Dharis squeezed and Liam moaned, his eyes fluttering shut. ”What a bold little thing you turned out to be,” Dharis muttered in his ear and it felt ever so slightly more intense with his eyes closed.
Liam’s clothes ended up scattered on the floor, even the undershirt he debated removing. It would only serve to get in the way.
While he undressed, Dharis went through his purchases until he found a round tin that Liam easily recognized. The salve was actually meant for relieving muscle strain or cramps, but it was far from uncommon to use it for this purpose, too. Dharis removed the lid and dipped his fingers in, getting yet again closer to Liam.
”Listen.” Dharis sounded actually serious and Liam wanted to do as he said, but he’d rounded his hand around Liam and his slickened finger tapped at Liam’s bottom in an incredibly distracting manner. ”We’ll go slow. If it feels impossible, we stop. Agreed?”
Liam nodded, chewing his lip to concentrate. When it became apparent Dharis was waiting for a verbal confirmation, he huffed and canted his hips a little better against the hand. ”Agreed,” he said.
The finger pushed in and stars danced across Liam’s vision for the short moment before he closed his eyes, jaw gone slack and soft moans escaping with each move either of them made. Dharis did exactly as he’d said he would and moved slowly, taking his time guiding his finger in and out, and then in again, deeper inside Liam who pushed back on it greedily. It burned but it was also so good. As Dharis kept going and used more of the salve, the movement turned smoother and easier.
Even just one finger stretched Liam considerably, almost enough to leave any of the humans he’d been with to shame.
By the second finger, there was no “almost” about it anymore. Dharis had barely managed to add it in before Liam writhed around them and came unceremoniously, his cum spilling between them from his untouched dick. Liam took a few steadying breaths, head pressed into Dharis’s chest. He’d thought the spot of fur would be a bit scratchy like on his arms, but it felt soft and nice against Liam’s forehead.
”Was that enough for you?” Dharis asked. Liam wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but Dharis didn’t sound amused at his expense. His other hand was gently stroking through Liam’s hair, and he’d politely stopped moving inside him while Liam caught his breath. To Liam’s delight, however, he hadn’t removed the fingers and had instead buried them all the way to the knuckle inside him.
Lifting his head, Liam found Dharis looking down at him hungrily. He smiled.
“Don’t stop,” he gasped, somewhere between a plea and a command, as he braced his hands on Dharis’s shoulders and reached to kiss him.
Dharis met him and easily took control. He made Liam moan into his mouth and swallowed the sounds with a mildly self-satisfied grin, showing just how much he’d paid attention to where Liam liked it as he continued thrusting with his fingers, steadily adding to the stretch and opening him up more and more.
Against his wants, Liam had to pull away from the kiss eventually. Another loud, this time unsubtle noise fell from his lips before he could speak.
“My… mmh… legs.” He took a shaky breath and collected himself enough to finish the sentence. “I don’t think I can keep standing much longer.”
”Newborn fawn,” Dharis teased. The way his voice sounded genuinely fond as he said it stopped Liam from getting upset, as did the way Dharis picked him up with his free hand, easily holding him in mid-air like he truly weighed nothing. Liam hooked his legs around Dharis’s waist, which left him all the more open.
“Better?”
Liam nodded, breathless.
”You’re doing beautifully,” Dharis said and Liam flushed, his dick jumping again at the compliment.
Dharis smiled and slid his fingers out, giving his ass a gentle tap. Before Liam could start whining, Dharis took all of his dick in that same hand and slowly moved the shaft between two slick, bent fingers, before he started stroking in earnest. Liam let out his loudest moan so far and Dharis’s touch turned even keener. At first it looked like Liam might melt into it, but instead he started squirming. With Dharis’s firm hold, there was no fear he’d fall.
Shakily, Liam’s hands landed on Dharis’s leather belt still secured in its place and he started tugging it desperately open.
”I... I want to come on your cock,” Liam said, and he was sure he didn’t imagine the way Dharis’s eyes darkened.
”You will,” Dharis promised.
The first belt thudded on the floor.
Dharis had let go of Liam and lowered him back on his own feet, but he was held against Dharis’s side and leaned on him heavily. Dharis helped with unraveling the cloth belt so that his tunic could sooner join Liam’s clothes near his hoofs. Much quicker than if Liam had fumbled on his own, Dharis stood naked as well.
Some sort of noise escaped Liam’s throat as he finally saw Dharis’s cock. He’d known it would be huge, had brushed against it through the fabric before, yet it was still bigger than he’d expected.
Dharis brought a finger under Liam’s jaw and tilted his head up, so that they were looking at each other. ”I think I need to ask this one more time. Are you sure?”
”Yes,” Liam said, quick but with perfect clarity.
”Good.” Dharis hoisted Liam up again suddenly enough that he yelped as his feet lifted from the floor.
All of Liam’s body prickled with anticipation.
It had been, well, a while since Liam had taken anything nearly this big and the feeling of getting stretched wide open for the other man as he pushed his way past Liam’s entrance nearly overwhelmed him. Gravity pulled him down, but Dharis was sure to keep the pace slow and steady. He rubbed soothing circles on Liam’s skin and whispered him reassurances. Liam breathed as calmly as he could, chest heaving with the effort. A bit by bit Dharis eased his way deeper and Liam started to truly feel it, the way he pressed against his inner walls and made his claim.
A needy moan bubbled to the surface and Dharis paused.
When he didn’t continue after Liam felt he was ready for more, he almost unconsciously bucked his hips down only to have Dharis’s nails dig into the soft flesh of his ass.
”Stop that, you damn wilding,” Dharis hissed and adjusted his hold on Liam. ”I agreed to make you feel good, not ruin you. It’s hard enough as it is even if you don’t rush.” Balancing him on one hand, Dharis cradled Liam’s head and his thumb landed on Liam’s lips. Just like before, Liam opened for him without hesitation and this time Dharis did push the finger inside his mouth. ”And while they’re lovely, those noises aren’t helping either, so stay quiet for a bit.”
Liam’s eyes glazed over and he swallowed around the thumb, giving the minutest of nods.
”Trust me, you’ll get what you want. There’s plenty of time before the night is over.”
Dharis’s thumb occupied Liam’s mouth nicely, slipping in and out as he licked and let it rest heavy on his tongue. It distracted him enough that he almost missed how Dharis guided him to slowly sink lower in his lap again, and when Dharis finally pulled his hand away and made Liam look down, he saw himself seated to the hilt on the satyr cock.
”See? A little patience gets you far.”
The stretch was a lot, but not unbearable at all.
Trying, Liam noticed he couldn’t quite draw a full breath, having to take many shallower gasps. He didn’t have much time to think about it before Dharis pulled his head gently backwards to have better access to his neck and continue what he’d started all the way back at the teahouse. Liam’s body arched easily, lithe and bendable in his hands. Dharis sucked another mark onto his skin and Liam clenched around the cock spearing him wide, making Dharis shudder as well. He pressed soothing kisses on his shoulder, below his jaw, behind his ear and apologized for the accidental scrape of his horns.
It was all so much that it took Liam a moment to realize Dharis had started rocking up into him as he’d relaxed again, soft at first but each thrust demanding more than the last.
Liam exhaled shakily and his words slurred together. ”CanImove...already—?”
”What was that, pet?” Dharis asked, teeth grazing against his throat.
Not sure another attempt would make his speech any more intelligible, Liam rolled his hips down to meet Dharis’s next thrust to show what he meant. Instantly Dharis responded by pushing him a bit harder, whether he intended it or not, and they both groaned at how tight Liam still was. Tight, but not painfully so. Since it didn’t seem like Dharis was going to stop him this time, Liam began moving to the rhythm he gave, slipping up before finding it again.
Liam’s hands dropped from Dharis’s shoulders, moving between them, but Dharis caught his wrists and pulled them back up.
”You wanted to come on my cock,” Dharis said softly. ”So come on nothing except my cock. I know you can do it.”
Liam bit on his lip and nodded again. Carefully, he angled his hips up slightly and then slid back down, startling a choked moan out of himself by adjusting the angle just so. Dharis followed each of Liam’s movements now and he was almost frighteningly quick at finding the spot himself, soon drawing moans that got ever louder until Liam ran out of breath with each thrust getting faster and more intense. Finally Dharis bounded into Liam the way he’d longed for the whole time.
Through hazy eyes, Liam watched as his stomach pushed outwards. He thought it his imagination before it happened again, and again.
Dharis had noticed it as well and smiled, purposefully angling so that the effect amplified.
”What a beautiful sight you are, taking me so deep. Like you were made for this.”
Liam’s brain wiped clean of all thoughts. He enjoyed how full he was, filled so perfectly that he wasn’t sure how anything was supposed to ever compare with the feeling again, and his cum landed on both of their abdomens, a hot mess between them. His body slumped against Dharis’s chest while his mind remained pleasantly light, even when his senses started slowly returning to him.
Dharis hadn’t stopped, continuing to make the best use of his tender ass.
”Bear with me,” he breathed into Liam’s ear, knowing he was pushing the limits of what Liam could take. Liam couldn’t muster anything resembling an answer, so he hoped Dharis took it as the go-ahead it was when he just closed his eyes and pressed into the soft, comfortable fur. His whimpering, blissed-out cries seemed to speed Dharis’s own release, and the man came fast after that, holding Liam’s hips down to make sure that every last drop of his cum would shoot deep inside him.
The world stilled for a time.
When Liam had almost started forming coherent thoughts again, everything lunged up and down. Dharis crossed the room, and since his cock was still buried in Liam, he bounced on it with each of the steps. Liam whined at the sensation, holding on for dear life around Dharis’s neck. Dharis huffed fondly and pried his hands away, finally, carefully lifting him off of his lap. Then, he let Liam fall.
Liam hit the soft bed in the corner they had both ignored in their hurry. He lay on his back, blinking at the ceiling a few times before flinging an arm across his eyes, the only effort he made to move from how he’d happened to land on the sheets. He breathed heavy, taking air into his lungs, and every now and then one of his legs spasmed, spread wantonly open with no energy left to close them.
The bed dipped as Dharis sat on the edge and leaned over him, kissing him right above the navel.
”You did good, sweetling. You did so good,” Dharis murmured and planted another kiss on his flushed skin. Liam hummed quietly, rather proud of himself. He wasn’t entirely sure what all Dharis had called him by now, but while he would’ve hated the names under any normal circumstances, something about the way Dharis said them made them not sound like empty lines, and he couldn’t help letting them tug at his heartstrings. That was a dangerous game and Liam should’ve known better than to play it. He allowed himself to enjoy it for now anyway.
”Such an exquisite little thing,” Dharis continued. Liam absently noted his kisses had trailed lower on his stomach. ”And what a wonderful fit around me.”
A jolt traveled through Liam’s whole body and he gasped as Dharis pushed a finger shallowly between his legs.
”So full of my seed,” Dharis said, taking his time to play with Liam’s twitching hole. He stretched it a bit and some of the cum trickled out. Liam shivered. Despite how spent he felt, his dick still responded to the stimulation weakly and Liam writhed under Dharis’s weight.
Dharis stilled. Eventually the quiet was broken by his laughter, low and very unhelpful to Liam’s predicament.
Liam tried to reach out blindly, but it seemed to avail him nothing so after a while he took a peek from under his arm and grasped Dharis by a horn and made him look up. He did so with such a genuinely affectionate smile that Liam’s temper immediately faltered. He wasn’t being made fun of, even if Dharis was greatly entertained by all this.
”How about one more time?” Dharis murmured. He pressed a feathery kiss to Liam’s groin, nuzzling his dick without breaking the eye contact. Liam groaned quietly and let the arm fall back over his face.
”I—” Liam’s voice was hoarse but his words were clear enough. ”I can’t really... do much right now...”
”I’ll do all the work.”
Another small kiss, this time against Liam’s thigh that Dharis lifted up gently. Liam’s breath hitched once more as Dharis’s lips traced along his leg even when they barely touched his skin. Dharis was patiently waiting for an answer.
”Then get to it,” Liam exhaled. ”Please.”
He didn’t really need to beg, though. Dharis happily kissed his sensitive thighs again, stronger, hungrier, leaving behind some more marks. One of Liam’s legs ended up over his shoulder, heel digging into his upper back as he moved to take Liam’s dick in his mouth.
Liam didn’t know exactly how it felt. Overwhelming, perhaps, like everything about the way Dharis had touched him. He was so careful with Liam, so attentive to whatever it was Liam seemed to like, yet it was apparent he was also acting on real desires of his own. Liam’s head was still a bit dizzy and his voice came out as weary sighs with an occasional high-pitched cry as he melted into the mattress and had Dharis’s soft lips engulfing him, warm and wet.
Dharis leisurely pushed his fingers fully back inside Liam, meeting no resistance from how properly he’d been stretched by his cock before. More of his cum leaked out of Liam with each thrust he made and stickied the sheets. Despite how frictionless the movement was, shudders rocked through Liam’s body and he tightened around the digits impossibly. Dharis teased the tip of Liam’s dick with his tongue and Liam made a strangled noise, instinctively kicking the leg against Dharis’s back.
”Nh—! I’m—” Liam gasped, apology ready to spill from his lips, but Dharis paid the kick no mind and only continued to suck him deeper, moving with increased intent, and Liam found his words failing him in favour of another moan.
From the start, Liam hadn’t been quite sure if he could come again so soon. However, him being well spent already was likely the only reason he lasted even as long as he did. As Dharis curled his fingers, Liam’s dick throbbed inside his mouth and he knew he was close, so close.
”Dharis, I—” but Liam never managed to finish that sentence, either. He tensed and Dharis swallowed around him. When Liam’s muscles finally eased off, he went completely slack and he felt his mind drifting away. He could hear the murmur of words that must have been Dharis’s since he certainly had no breath to talk, but they sounded far away and he couldn’t understand them beyond their soothing tone.
His eyes pressed closed and everything went dark.
When he came to, Liam could already feel the echoes of being sore enough that he’d once felt better after falling off a horse and getting trampled on, but there was also something very satisfying in the way his body ached. Dharis had kept his word alright.
Liam lifted his head tentatively. Apart from him, the room was empty.
Sighing quietly, Liam dropped his head back and laid still for a moment longer before even trying to get up.
As he took his surroundings in better, he noticed he wasn’t at all sweaty and sticky. Dharis had cleaned him up properly sometime after he’d lost his consciousness, and tucked him under a blanket so he wouldn’t get cold. He was also wearing his undershirt.
Liam sighed again to himself. He had no complaints about how he’d been treated, even if he might’ve liked it if Dharis had stayed until he woke up.
With that though, Liam’s eyes snapped open again. How long had he been out of it? Was the night over? The room’s only window had its curtains drawn, but Liam was quite sure the light was noticeably different now than it had been earlier. Evie wouldn’t have left without him, but he’d never hear the end of it if he showed up after the Market ended.
He climbed upright and a few strands of hair fell in front of his face. He was frankly a bit surprised they’d stayed up at all, even when he was sure the topknot was a mess by now. With a glance to the side, he saw that the rest of his clothes had been helpfully gathered on the stool next to the bed.
Liam threw his legs over the bed’s edge and instantly regretted it as the floor escaped from under him.
The door opened at the same time.
”Careful there.” Dharis was immediately beside him, helping him back into a sitting position on the bed.
Liam muttered his embarrassed thanks and took a steadying breath. Perhaps it’d be best if he didn’t try any sudden movements for now.
Dharis gauged him for a bit. ”Here, you should eat.”
He handed Liam a bottle of water and something wrapped in paper, still warm when it changed hands. Peeling the paper back, Liam found it was a roast beef sandwich and it smelled heavenly. He ate and drank quickly. Each bite made him feel better, fortified, and when he was finished, licking his fingers clean, he was feeling a lot steadier.
Dharis smiled. ”Welcome back to this world.”
”What time is it?” Liam asked, looking up at him to meet his gaze.
”Nearly sunrise. I’m glad you woke up on your own, we should be leaving soon.”
Liam nodded. Much slower, more careful, he got up and found his legs did carry him this time, so he started going through his clothes. He struggled on the pants, decided he could fasten the jacket later, and finally he reached into his hair to undo the bun. He had no mirror or a brush so he opted to combing them the best he could with his fingers and tying them on at least a little tidier low ponytail instead. Bending down for his boots, he winced.
”I’m sorry,” Dharis said. ”For overdoing it.”
He’d had little else to do than watch Liam get ready, since collecting his parcels took no time at all. Liam hadn’t noticed they’d still been there, which should’ve made it clear he was coming back.
”Don’t be. I’m the one who enjoyed it,” Liam said.
Done with his shoes, Liam got a few steps closer and Dharis tilted his head at him.
The look on Liam’s face must have made him lean down without Liam needing to ask, and Liam pressed one more kiss to his mouth, both of their lips kiss swollen. Want still thrummed under his skin and it would’ve been easy to keep going like that, one kiss suddenly turned many, but there was only so much time left. They broke the kiss and Liam pulled back, a little flushed but contently smiling.
”You know,” Dharis said, running a hand through his ponytail before letting go. ”I’m sure you’d be a welcome sight at the Market more often.”
Liam ducked his head and turned to the door. ”Yeah well, we’ll see.”
”I hope we will.”
The sky outside had paled and the streets had gone mostly quiet. Many had already cleared, and those left were packing their stands or partaking in some last minute haggling. Especially the non-humans would want to be gone before the normal people woke up and started their day.
”I should go help Evie,” Liam said under his breath. ”And you’ll...?”
”I’m going this way.” Dharis pointed with his thumb.
”Then, this is where we part.”
Dharis nodded. He looked at Liam, a hint of amusement in his voice as he said, ”Take care, now. No overworking yourself.”
Liam huffed, glancing to the side. ”I guess I can try.”
They went their own ways. If Liam turned to look behind his shoulder a few times, well, that was no one’s business but his own. When Dharis had disappeared behind a corner, Liam took a deep breath, getting back to the stand and Evie waiting for him.
The moment he was in range he unleashed on her. ”I can’t believe you sold me out like that!”
”Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry or whatever.” Evie brushed past him, busy packing. ”Now help me with that.”
They fell in a wordless sync, passing the items and taking the stall apart.
”Anyway,” Evie said, throwing him an all too knowing glance, ”You certainly look like you had a lively night. So, was it fun?”
Liam was reluctant to answer, but eventually he had to. ”Yes.”
”Anything you want to say to me?” Evie asked with a triumphant, beaming smile.
Liam sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was bad at staying mad at her.
”Thanks,” he muttered.
Just as they finished packing, the sun rose above the horizon and bathed the town in light. Gone were the lanterns, the merchandise stands, the smoke and the teahouses.The people had dispersed once again until the next Night Market would take place somewhere else, back on the road like Liam and Evie should be as well. They got up on the box seat of their cart, and if—when—Evie noticed Liam moving stiffer than normal, she said nothing.
”Oh, and... mom doesn’t need to know about any of this, right?” Evie asked nonchalantly while she reached for the reins.
”I won’t tell her if you won’t,” Liam said and bumped her shoulder. ”Also... I’ll talk to her. About you being perfectly capable on your own.”
Evie gave him half a hug before she spurred the horse onwards, starting their trip home.