Page 28 of Midnight Pleasure

Ares chuckled softly, the sound rumbling against Apollo's skin. "You wish."

Apollo laughed, rich and confident, even with his hands bound behind his back. "You know me too well. But maybe this time I'll just let you get away with a bit of fun."

Ares was grinning now, too, getting into the moment as he leaned back to appreciate his handiwork. "Just a bit? How magnanimous of you."

Apollo turned his head, and his gaze was dark with promise when he met Ares's eyes. "Do not push your luck, Ares. You're about to find out just how generous it is that I can be."

Ares's pulse quickened. The challenge was clear in Apollo's voice. "I'm counting on it."

And then the power shifted again, their roles like liquid but unbreakable, the leather strap only a temporary boundary, a line they both knew would soon be crossed, but for now it was part of their dance, a dance fueled by the push and pull of their desires, the unspoken understanding that no matter who took the lead, they were always in this together.

With the heat between them rising, Apollo drew back just far enough to murmur against Ares's lips, "I'm going to make you beg, Ares. And when you do, you'll know exactly who's in control.

Ares's heart was pulsing, his breath coming hard as he looked up at Apollo—a man full of defiance, a man full of desire. "You think so?" he threw at him, his voice threaded with heat. "Maybe you'll be surprised at how far I can push you."

Apollo's smirk was pure fire, his eyes as dark as intention. "I'm counting on it.

A night, long, stretching; a collision of powers and a surrendering to each other, a surrender to bring the other across the very edge between control and submission. A dance both knew well, yet all was different now. There was no going back, only forward, into the blaze of the unknown.

But in those silent vows, sworn by the heavens' witness, Ares knew that whatever battles came after theirs, he and Apollo would stand as equals before them but most of all as partners bound by the unsayable glue of an unyielding, feral love, entirely their own.

Epilogue: A Future Together

Ten years had passed. Sunlight continued its soft early morning light, as it spilled through the trees and dotted shadows across the wood floor in the cabin. The open windows let in the smell of pine and earth, blending with the richer scent of brewing coffee.

Ares stood in front of the large bay window, his eyes on the land that had become their haven. It was ten years back since he and Apollo erected this cottage by their hands; the world outside, however, had changed in that period, but the steady rhythm of their life together only seemed to grow in its stride.

A patter of tiny feet across the floor behind him, then a pair of voices chattering excitedly. He turned in time to see Hector and Harmony bound into the room, their faces flushed with the energy of youth. The two were eight now and he embodiment of life and curiosity. Hector's dark curls were a crazy mess, but Harmony's had been tamed, pulled back into a braid that was already starting to unravel at the end.

"Dad! Papa! We found a turtle!" Hector crowed, showing them a tiny struggling thing he cradled in his dirty hands.

Harmony beamed; she got that sparkle in her eye that had always reminded Ares of Apollo. "Can we please keep it?"

Ares chuckled, squatting down before the turtle. "I don't think the turtle would be very happy living inside, don't you?"

Hector frowned, chewing this over. "But we could build it a pond! Right here, by the cabin!"

Apollo stood in the doorway with a mug of coffee in one hand, as nonchalant as ever with an easy smile. His hair was slightly longer than it used to be with a few strands of gray at his temples, but his eyes still had that sharp intensity that had always drawn Ares in. The years had, of course, softened some of his rough edges, but undeniable strength still emanated from his presence.

"A pond, huh?" Apollo echoed with his back to them, leaning against the doorframe and sipping his coffee. "Big project, are you sure you are up to it, kiddo?"

Hector put on eyes full of determination. "Y-yes! I can do it."

Harmony also nodded her agreement, her braid swinging with the movement. "We can help, too!"

Ares exchanged a glance with Apollo. The silent communication that over the years had passed between them with no aether blockage. There was warmth in the gaze of Apollo; a shared kind of mirth at the twins' eagerness. Ares knew they would finally bend to them. Like they always did when it came to their children's schemes.

"All right," Ares replied, standing with a playful sigh. "You two help Papa and me clear the area first and as soon as the pond is finished, the turtle goes back to its home."

The twins cheered. No doubt, they were already working out the logistics as they bounded outside, leaving Ares and Apollo in the cabin. Their laughter echoed through the trees, a melody that never failed to make Ares smile.

Apollo laid his mug down on the table and crossed the room to stand next to Ares. He slid an arm around Ares's waist and drew him in close, and together they watched their children playing in the morning sun.

"They're growing up so fast," Ares murmured, pride and wistfulness both coloring his voice.

"They are," Apollo concurred, his thumb rubbing small circles against Ares's hip. "But they're happy and that's what matters."

Ares nodded and burrowed into the heat of Apollo. "That’s all that matters."

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