He didn’t want to be holding hands in a place where dozens of people were sitting, and where the professor was staring with wide eyes at the front.

Looking straight ahead as he said this, Cecil wiggled his fingers to free his captured hand. Though Cyrus trembled his hand in a ticklish manner, he never released his fingers.

“It tickles.”

“Then let go…!”

Even though Cecil scolded him in a lowered voice, Cyrus just shrugged his shoulders and pretended not to know. And yet, he was annoyingly able to take notes with one hand. After trying to shake his hand a few times, Cecil eventually gave up and rested his chin on his hand.

Turning his gaze toward Cyrus, he saw his profile with its magnificent contours. Everyone said his beauty was so dazzling it sparkled, but to Cecil’s eyes, except for his protruding Adam’s apple or his pleasantly sharp cheeks, he wasn’t much different from when he was young. As Cecil admired his excessively long eyelashes that cast shadows under his eyes, Cyrus, who had been fixing his gaze on the blackboard, opened his mouth slightly.

“What? Am I too handsome?”

Cecil sighed at those brazen words, and Cyrus giggled with muffled laughter. Through it all, he still didn’t release their interlaced fingers.

Who would have thought? That Cyrus had such a foolish side to him.

Cecil chose to keep his mouth shut rather than figure out how to accept that his brother and now lover had such a foolish side. Meanwhile, the day’s final class ended, and the students and professor left the lecture hall. Cyrus no longer held Cecil’s hand, but he gathered his books at a pace slower than a turtle.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m gathering my books. Can’t you see?”

“I mean, why are you doing it so slowly?”

“Well… to do this.”

And no sooner had he finished speaking than Cyrus leaned his upper body and firmly kissed Cecil’s cheek before quickly pulling away. It made a cute “smooch” sound. Realizing the unexpected attack a beat late, Cecil’s forehead slowly heated up, and he hit his brother’s shoulder hard, causing Cyrus to burst into laughter.

“The door is still open…!”

“I told you no one’s here. You know that too, brother.”

“Are you crazy?”

“I guess so.”

Cecil was surprised and flustered, his face turning red, but Cyrus just calmly nodded to himself. Cecil was so dumbfounded he couldn’t speak.

“Let’s go, I have something to show you.”

But Cyrus brazenly gathered all of Cecil’s things too and smiled brightly as he stood up.

*

Despite Cecil’s questions about where they were going, Cyrus silently headed toward the forest that was the academy’s private property. As they went deeper inside, Cecil glanced toward the entrance.

“I won’t eat you, so hurry up.”

Cyrus said, looking back as he stepped over a tree trunk. Somehow feeling embarrassed, seemingly having his thoughts exposed, Cecil quickened his pace to catch up with Cyrus.

After walking for a while, the scenery changed in an instant. The damp, green world disappeared, and the view filled with bright pink.

They were wildflowers.

Pink wildflowers bloomed profusely. Perhaps because they hadn’t been touched by human hands, the festival of flowers forming colonies had a splendid aspect to it. It vibrated with the energy of youth that never fades.

Cecil, who hadn’t known such a place existed in the forest near the academy, wore a bright smile. He had always lingered around the lakeside with willows or nearby, but if he had known a place like this existed, he would have explored the forest more.

“How did you know about this place?”

“I come here occasionally.”

“Here?”

After asking, Cecil realized that someone like Cyrus, who disliked people, would indeed come here alone. There was no sign of people, it was quiet, and the scenery was beautiful. Geographically, snakes and other wild animals might appear from time to time, but that was no problem for them.

Cyrus sat down casually, watching Cecil who seemed comfortable for the first time in a while. When the neat-natured Cecil frowned briefly in contemplation, Cyrus patted his knee, and Cecil sat down beside him with an openly disgruntled expression.

“This is nice…”

“You like it?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s come again next time.”

“Yes.”

Swoosh—a fresh breeze blew. It cooled their sweat-soaked bodies, gently wrapped around them, and then drifted away.

Who knows how long it had been since they’d had such a quiet rest. Fighting loudly with Cyrus and becoming this kind of relationship now seemed like something from a distant world. Just then, Cyrus suddenly called his name.

“Brother.”

“Hmm?”

Looking to the side, Cecil saw Cyrus lightly hugging his knees. His brilliant golden hair was naturally disheveled, and his characteristically gloomy eyes fixed on Cecil.

“I’ll always be your brother. Remember that.”

“…”

“That’s the most important thing. Don’t forget.”

Even without being told, Cyrus seemed to have guessed Cecil’s fears. The suddenly changed relationship and the brother who felt like a stranger. Cecil had become sensitive, not knowing what attitude to maintain between these states.

Perhaps all of Cyrus’s recent strange pranks and mischievous behavior were for this reason. Maybe he tried to prevent the slow-to-adapt Cecil from thinking too much, telling him there was no need to worry and be afraid.

Thinking this way, Cecil felt sorry for Cyrus. While Cecil felt afraid, denying, and avoiding, what thoughts had Cyrus had as he steadfastly remained in place? Did Cyrus also have such a cave? A monster’s habitat that couldn’t be shown to anyone yet couldn’t be sent away either—did such a place exist in his heart too?

“…I know.”

“What do you know? You fool.”

“…What did you just say?”

“Cecil, I said you’re stupid.”

He was dumbfounded by the consecutive attacks. Staring blankly, wondering if he’d heard correctly, Cyrus mouthed ‘what’ in response. Coming back to his senses at that sight, Cecil trembled and punched his brother’s shoulder.

“Ow.”

“Are you crazy? W-what did you say?”

As Cecil shook his fist, stunned by this unprecedented reversal of hierarchy, a hearty laugh burst out, and Cecil’s waist was wrapped by a long arm.

“Ah!”

Falling onto the hill of flowers with a thud, Cecil’s lips were showered with kisses. With lips frantically burrowing into his face, Cecil couldn’t even open his eyes properly and shook his head back and forth.

“Stop, please, wait a moment.”

But his weak refusal lost its strength, and only laughter left playful trajectories across his face. The kisses came so rapidly that if Cyrus’s lips had been painted with red rouge, every part of Cecil’s face would have been stained red by now.

“Just be my brother. How can you be this cute?”

“Shut up, mm, stop it…”

The sound of flesh sucking flesh was ticklish. Finally, Cecil burst into laughter.

“Won’t you stop?”

“No.”

Looking down at Cecil with an eye-smile, Cyrus slowly lowered his head toward Cecil’s lips. His lower lip was lightly bitten, and their soft tongues met. When Cyrus bit Cecil’s tongue slightly and pulled, the red tongue extended outside his mouth.

Only tongue met tongue in the air. It created a slippery, strange sensation. Saliva flowed down the tongue into the mouth. The tongues intertwining in the air writhed like mating snakes, and their excited groins were heavily er*ect, rubbing against each other.

“Ah…”

Snake scales rose roughly on Cyrus’s excited cheeks. Cecil, with a hazy mind, reached out to stroke the traces of those scales. Cyrus then rubbed his cheek against Cecil’s hand, showing affection.

Now snake scales spread across his entire face. Cyrus began to slowly shed his human skin while looking straight into Cecil’s eyes. It was a slow shedding, seemingly revealing what their true identity was.

Eventually, a huge bright yellow snake was cradled in Cecil’s arms. The snake, gleaming with a clear color, gently bumped its mouth against Cecil’s lips. Cecil faintly giggled at that kiss.

Not long after, Cecil’s fingers also began to writhe and merge into one. His two arms and two legs atrophied, and his white, slender face was covered with black scales. Soon, what appeared in the place where the two had been sitting were a huge bright yellow python and a smaller, thinner black snake.

*

The forest, devoid of human presence, remained quiet. This meant the two beasts could move and rub against each other freely.

Cyrus mounted his brother, slowly moving along the black scales toward the head. He tickled Cecil’s back with his atrophied organs and affectionately rubbed his forehead against Cecil’s head. It was a playful request for permission. But when Cecil haughtily turned his head away, Cyrus’s thick body coiled around him like a chain. He prevented him from escaping.

A scream inaudible to human ears rang out, but Cyrus paid no attention. He bit the nape of his mate to keep him from moving and deeply inserted his er*ect p*nis. He felt the black snake writhing beneath him. As he moved in that state, lubricating fluid flowed down the inner walls.

From their previous couplings, he knew Cecil felt most intensely when the f*cking was a bit rough and tight. So today, he intended to do it Cecil’s way.