An excruciating vibration yanked him rudely out of sleep. It felt as if the sound were drilling straight through his skull and echoing there. His eyelids were leaden; every attempt to open them hurt, as though sand had been poured underneath. Not only his head but his entire body felt sluggish, foreign, as if it were made of cotton and far too distant from reality.
The vibration didn't stop. Every rattle on his nightstand sent a sharp stab through his head and made the headache worse. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling of his bedroom.
Heavily, he let his head fall toward the side the vibration was coming from. Even more heavily, he rolled onto his side. He felt naked, but he ignored whatever that was and focused on his damn phone. He had to stop that noise, otherwise his head was definitely going to explode.
Annoyed, he grabbed the phone and answered the call without even looking at the display or the time.
"Yeah?" he croaked. His own voice sounded unfamiliar and rough.
"Whoa, Isaac? Are you sick?" Noah's cheerful voice asked with concern. Every word hammered painfully into the folds of Isaac's brain. He squeezed his eyes shut, as if that might stop the pain.
"No," he muttered. "Just got up. What's up?"
He scraped together the absolute minimum of patience and tried not to sound too irritable. At the same time, he had to force himself to hold it together, not to just end the call and sink back into the pillows. Why the hell was Noah calling so early anyway?
"Wow, I usually only sleep that long if I've hit the bottle a bit too hard the night before," Noah laughed.
At his words, Isaac thought about the previous evening. He had definitely drunk too much. He resisted the urge to look at the clock and focused on what mattered so he could lie back down again. But before he could prompt Noah to get to the point, Noah cheerfully continued.
"Anyway, I'm calling because we want to order something later. Feel like pizza?"
The word alone made Isaac's stomach revolt. An unpleasant tug set in, and he suddenly felt nauseous.
"Don't care," he muttered. "Just order."
"Okay, I figured you'd say that. We can also look together later if you're still too tired right now," Noah said understandingly. "Don't worry, Isaac! I'll take care of everything! So, see you around six?"
"Yeah. Just do it," Isaac said. He rubbed his eyes and forced himself awake. "See you later."
Without waiting for another response, he hung up. The phone landed roughly back on the nightstand—right next to a blister pack of painkillers.
Perfect.
He reached for the water bottle beside his bed—to his great relief, it was still completely full. Greedily, he raised it to his lips and drained it in long gulps, as if the water could simply wash the pain away.
Afterward, he grabbed his phone again and squinted at the display with narrowed eyes.
It was one o'clock in the afternoon.
With a soft curse, Isaac let himself fall back into the pillows. His head throbbed dully, as if someone were pounding against it from the inside. When was the last time he had slept this long? He had wasted so much time. He still needed to go grocery shopping and continue working on the painting. Time was slowly but surely running short before the next commission.
He assessed his headache and decided it would be better to stay in bed for at least another half hour. He pulled the blanket up a little higher as he shivered, only to realize that he was completely naked except for his underwear.
Right, the meeting, he thought wearily.
Just how drunk had he been if he hadn't even managed to put on his sleepwear? The previous evening was shrouded in fog; he couldn't even say what had happened or when he had lost control. He didn't tolerate alcohol well, and he was so aware of that fact that he never drank more than a single glass of wine.
"Well? Sleep well?" a voice suddenly asked beside him.
Isaac flinched violently and sat up in a flash, as if something had stung him. In his shock, he couldn't even tell who had spoken. Was the cop still here with him? Damn it, the past night was completely blurred; he could barely remember anything.
"B-Benedict?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
But deep down, he hoped he had only imagined the words—and that he was alone in his room.
Panic crept up inside him. If he was almost naked, had he seen his scar? Though he was still in his room and not at the police station. His thoughts suddenly began to race as he tried to make sense of the situation. All he could remember was that he had been in that bar with Benedict… he didn't even know how he had gotten home.
Damn it, if only I hadn't drunk so much…
"Never dare to address me by his name again."
The voice speaking to him was cold and sounded infinitely angry. Isaac was immediately flooded with guilt, even though he couldn't say why. He looked toward the voice and could vaguely make out the contours of the person sitting in front of his bed.
"Noctis?" Isaac asked cautiously.
"Ah. Finally you're addressing me by my name," Noctis replied coolly. "For a moment there, I was worried that thanks to your wonderful date yesterday, you'd forgotten who I am."
"D-Date?" Isaac stared at him in disbelief. Confusion mingled with a rising anger. Once again, Noctis was acting as if it were perfectly normal for him to be sitting at Isaac's bed in broad daylight, watching him sleep. "What the— That was not a damn date!" he snapped. "I met the cop to get my hands on his notebook!"
Annoyed, Isaac switched on the bedside lamp so he could finally see Noctis properly. The moment the light came on, he regretted it—and his volume right along with it. A sharp pain shot through his head, and he grimaced.
Noctis met his gaze with icy calm. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his entire body language radiated irritation, even though Isaac didn't even know why.
Isaac pressed his hand against his throbbing temple, but the headache didn't stop him from shooting Noctis an angry look.
"Well? Did you get it?" Noctis asked.
From the expression on his face, Isaac could tell immediately that he already knew the answer. That self-assured calm only made him more irritated.
"No," Isaac growled.
Noctis shrugged indifferently. "Given that pathetic attempt, I'd have been surprised if you had."
"Don't act like you were there," Isaac snapped.
"Present for what?" Noctis asked, raising an eyebrow. His tone might almost have passed for innocent, if not for that challenging look. "How about you tell me about your evening, Isaac? After all, it was the first time you've ever gone out with someone."
Isaac glared at him, annoyed. Why did he care so much? And why did he sound so pissed off about it? Noctis had always provoked him with his sharp remarks, but thanks to his hangover, Isaac was especially thin-skinned today. Slowly, a defiant smile spread across his face. Fine—let him get the answer he so desperately wanted.
"It was pretty fun," Isaac said, deliberately calm. "He picked a quiet bar. We had a few drinks and really enjoyed ourselves."
He leaned back slightly, studying Noctis provocatively. "Who would've thought a cop could be so entertaining? Maybe I'll ask him if we should go on another date."
He emphasized the word date with full intention. There wasn't much he could use to tease Noctis, but he seemed sensitive to that particular word, so why not?
Noctis's gaze darkened. For a moment, Isaac had the unsettling feeling that he had gotten himself caught in an invisible spider's web, with no easy escape.
"I saw how much fun you were having with the cop," Noctis snorted. "What was it you said again?" His voice dripped with mockery. "Oh right. I have no intention of seducing anyone."
"I didn't seduce anyone," Isaac shot back sharply. "And how would you even know what happened?"
He paused for a moment, then stared at Noctis in disbelief.
"Were you there? Did you damn well follow me?!"
Noctis leaned back in his chair, his posture still defensive.
"I was present, yes. But unfortunately not from the beginning."
"Since when? Did he see you?" Isaac asked. He rubbed his face. "Wait… is he even still alive? Did he see my scar?"
"To my regret, he's still alive, yes," Noctis snorted. "Even though I would have preferred to rid the world of him."
Isaac let out a relieved breath. He could absolutely have believed Noctis capable of killing the cop and then disappearing afterward—for whatever reason. But that would have raised questions and probably endangered everything their boss was working toward.
"Why are you so relieved?" Noctis asked irritably.
"Because I want to avoid anything that would cause our boss trouble," Isaac replied honestly. He exhaled slowly. This conversation was far too exhausting for him. Even without a hangover, it would have been hard to endure. His gaze fell on Noctis's annoyed expression. "Are you finally going to tell me why you're so pissed off? I really don't feel like playing this game."
Noctis raised an eyebrow. "Because you drank too much?" he replied coolly. "Did you forget everything that happened last night and what you got up to with the cop in your bed?"
The way Noctis pronounced the words got up to made Isaac flush hot with shame at once. His heart gave a restless jolt.
"G-got up to?" His voice cracked slightly. "What exactly am I supposed to have gotten up to with a cop here?"
All at once, he felt ashamed. If only he could remember something! But instead of answering, Noctis's gaze lingered on Isaac's bare torso. Reflexively, Isaac pulled the blanket higher and tried to cover himself.
No no no no… that definitely did not happen!
Noctis tilted his head. "You really can't remember anything at all, can you?" he noted.
Isaac shook his head wordlessly.
"All I remember is that we were at the bar," he murmured. "The rest is… gone."
Noctis stood up and moved closer. Then he knelt down between Isaac's legs at the edge of the bed. Instinctively, Isaac retreated until his back hit the pillows.
"So you don't remember how he was lying on top of you?" Noctis asked as he braced himself over Isaac. "Or how you took the initiative and climbed on top of him?"
"W-what?" Isaac stammered. Noctis pressed him back into the bed, his hand slipping beneath the blanket and brushing over Isaac's bare stomach. Isaac flinched at once. "N-Noctis, wait…!"
"You can't remember how you explored his face first, and then his body?"
Isaac shook his head. "I definitely didn't do that!" he protested weakly. All at once, he felt deeply uncertain. There was no way he could have groped the cop. He hadn't even been interested in him!
His thoughts broke off when his gaze fell on the hand stroking his stomach, steadily wandering lower. His leg twitched briefly; every time Noctis's hand moved further down, it felt like electrical impulses igniting his desire for more.
Why does it feel so good when you touch me?
And that despite the fact that Noctis was so angry with him. Even so, his touch was gentle. His head was still throbbing unpleasantly, but the painkiller seemed to be slowly taking effect.
"Don't let yourself get distracted, Isaac," Noctis said softly.
Then a thought occurred to him.
"Wait," Isaac said, placing his hand on Noctis's chest. "Are you jealous? But why?"
Noctis's expression darkened completely.
"Maybe because in that one night you got closer to the cop than in all the years you've known me? You didn't just go out with him—you also rolled around with him in your damn bed!"
"But we're friends, Noctis, nothing more! And you know exactly why I'm trying to get close to the cop—I definitely don't want to start anything with him!"
"Then why do you tell him in a seductive voice that you think he's beautiful?"
Isaac froze.
"Why do you show him that you want to see him again?"
Noctis's hand, which had been resting on Isaac's stomach, now moved up to his face. He gently brushed beneath his eye. "Why do you tell him that you love the color of his eyes? Even though you've never said that about mine?"
Isaac had nothing to say to that. He held his breath when he saw the pained expression on Noctis's face. Isaac's hand rose to Noctis's cheek. Could it be that everything he had taken as playful teasing from Noctis had actually been meant seriously after all?
If so, then every racing heartbeat he had felt had been justified.
"Noctis…" Isaac said softly.
"You said you wanted to paint him," Noctis continued quietly, almost bitterly. "Because you think he's beautiful. Because you judged his body to be… good."
Isaac swallowed hard. His throat felt dry.
"D-did I with him…?" His voice trembled slightly—it would have been his first time, after all, and with someone he didn't even like. On top of that, he couldn't remember it at all.
"No." That was all Noctis said. He rested his forehead against Isaac's. "And I would have killed him, damn it, if he had touched you. You belong to me."
Before Isaac could utter a single word, Noctis's lips were on his.
For a brief, confusing moment, he forgot everything—the throbbing in his head, the bitter taste of the hangover, the fact that he felt physically miserable. Still, he couldn't bring himself to push Noctis away.
His body tingled; all at once, everything felt heightened. The brush of Noctis's clothes against his bare skin, the touch of their lips, and Noctis's hand on his cheek.
His heart beat faster and faster. Was he even doing this right? But in the same instant, he shoved the thought aside. He had seen enough kisses—surely it couldn't be that terrible.
A soft moan slipped from his lips. It felt good. Better than he had ever imagined, even if he could count the times on one hand.
Only then did he realize how much he had longed for this. How much he had wished that Noctis wasn't just playing with him and that his advances had been sincere.
When Noctis's tongue gently brushed over his lips, Isaac flinched and finally pushed him away.
"Noctis…" he breathed, breathless. "Wait…"
This was all happening far too suddenly. He wasn't ready for this yet. He must still be drunk if he was just letting all of this happen.
"I've waited long enough." That was all Noctis said. Moments later, their lips were pressed together again.
This time, Isaac didn't push him away. Instead, he wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer. He didn't care that he was almost naked. He didn't care either that he not only needed a shower, but also his toothbrush.
His mind shut down, and he gave himself over to the sensation of the kiss and everything it was doing to his body. He wanted more of Noctis. Without thinking much about it, one of his hands wandered over Noctis's back. Noctis leaned further into him, his weight resting on Isaac's torso. But as much as he enjoyed the contact, the pressure on his stomach made him feel unbelievably sick.
So sick that he felt like he was going to throw up.
Isaac's eyes flew open. He shoved Noctis away without a word and staggered toward the bathroom, where he vomited into the toilet.