Page 7 of Cupid’s Flight

Finally filled in a way so achingly good, Leo’s groan echoed. The slap, as Hei pulled back and then slammed home, sent Leo onto his tiptoes as stars exploded behind his eyes, joining his moans.

“We’re getting clean, remember?” Hei said through panting breaths. “Keep working on getting your hair clean while I wash your back!” His words tapered off in a groan as he thrust deep. “You’re so tight, even after everything we did last night.”

Leo’s fingers spasmed more than scrubbed in his hair. Hei moved them a step backward so Leo was under the water. He did his best to tilt his head to rinse. The problem was, most of his attention had to be focused on keeping his knees from collapsing, as every thrust sent shockwaves through his body.

“I’ll get you clean down here too,” Hei said, his soapy hand drifting across Leo’s stomach and down to encircle him and start gently tugging in the same rhythm as his thrusts.

“Close,” Leo managed to get out. Hei thrust inside again, hitting in just the right spot, and Leo’s vision went white as he came hard into Hei’s hand. When he was aware again, Hei was panting into Leo’s shoulder, his hips jolting as he came too.

Hei slid free as he collapsed against the tile wall, leaving Leo feeling empty, but sated.

“I guess—” Leo paused to catch his breath and then tried again. “I guess we should actually get clean now.”

Hei laughed. “Yeah. Otherwise I’ll start thinking about round two, and I don’t think we have time for that.”

“Maybe later,” Leo replied. Half of his hair was still soapy, so he ducked his head into the spray to finish rinsing.

Brushing his own fingers against sensitive skin combined with every glance over at Hei as he got clean, left Leo half hard again as he stepped out of the shower to grab a towel. It would be so easy to reach for Hei and explore some more—his body clearly wanted it—but they unfortunately didn’t have time. Leo watched as Hei covered himself with a towel, but reluctantly tore his gaze away.

“I only have chitons. Do you want to try one of those? What color would you like?” Leo asked, looking over at Hei who was drying his wings with a second towel.

“I should be fine,” Hei replied. He picked up his dropped yukata and shook it out, and all the wrinkles shook out too. “My clothes don’t stay dirty long.”

“That’s convenient. I’ll grab myself a fresh chiton,” Leo added, heading out of the bathroom and into his closet. “I’m not really sure where the rest of your clothes ended up.”

“I’ll find them,” Hei replied.

Leo left him to it, pulling out a purple chiton and stepping into it. The skirt portion went down nearly to his knees, with the panel covering his chest secured by the band around his neck. The back was open for his wings. Although, now that he thought about it, Hei’s yukata had a closed back. Somehow when he put it on, his wings slid through. It must be the same magic that allowed his clothes to clean themselves, but it was pretty convenient. Leo’s back got cold in the winter sometimes, and snuggling in a jacket with his wings was difficult. Leo would have to ask if that magic was something cupids could use too.

“Ready?” Leo asked as he walked out of his bedroom and found Hei in the foyer waiting for him.

“Not really,” Hei replied. “I have a feeling this isn’t going to go well.” He shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out.”

“Guess so.” Leo led the way outside, closing and locking the door behind Hei. “Follow me.”

“Right.” Hei nodded, but he held out one hand. Leo took it, and they jumped into the air together, flying hand in hand toward Elder Parnus’s house.

They were a couple minutes late when they arrived, but aside from a slight tingling that said Leo’s lips were a bit swollen, they both appeared completely put together and not as if they had just fucked like rabbits in the shower a few minutes before. Leo knocked and one of the assistants pulled the door open a moment later.

“This way,” he said, waving one hand toward the hallway inside. “They’re in the small dining room.”

Leo knew the way, heading to the archway to the right that led into the dining room. Inside, Elder Parnus sat at the head of the table, a glass of amber liquid and ice in one hand. If he was already drinking, this visitor must be vexing. Leo stifled a sigh and turned to look at whoever had followed Hei up into the clouds.

Where Hei was moon-silvered in color, this man was burnished copper. Red hair and wings—a deeper shade of red than the bright shade of the feathers of the oldest love cupids—and eyes that glowed like fire. If Leo hadn’t met Hei first, he would have said this tennin was the most handsome being he had ever seen; however, Hei easily outshone him.

“Right,” the tennin snapped out the second Hei stepped into the room. “Enough of this foolishness. You have duties and responsibilities, and you will return to your role as tennyo immediately.

“Shen Shi, I told Obaasan before I left that I wasn’t going to return until it became time for me to reenter the cycle of reincarnation. I don’t understand why you’re here.”

“It is time for you to abandon this childish behavior and grow up. You were born a tennyo and must return immediately. The duties you were born to perform are incredibly important.”

Hei’s eyes narrowed and he clenched his fists, his fury so clearly visible his body practically shook with it. “I am older than you,” he snapped out. “You have no place lecturing me like this just because you were born for the first time while I was still reincarnating. You are not my sempai or hyung. Besides, Obaasan told me it was my duty to travel and find a place that actually called to my heart. How dare you ignore her words and chase after me! You are not here for reasons appropriate for a tennyo.”

Shen Shi sniffed in disdain, apparently oblivious to Hei’s words. “What are you going to do with yourself while you laze around trying to find ‘your heart’?” he asked, his tone scathing with rebuke. The sneer on his face turned his beauty into pure, malevolent ugliness.

Hei grinned, his usual childlike joy returning in a flash, although Leo was fairly certain he was only using it to mask his continued anger. “For now?” Hei shrugged. “I think I’d like to try being a cupid. I have a lot of practice bringing happiness to Buddhas, so I think helping people find love would be something I’d be good at.”

“A cupid?” Shen Shi shook his head in disappointment, his sneer not abating in the least. “Cupids at least have their little arrows. You lack even that much and are meant for so much more important work than that.”