Page 133 of Discordant Cultivation

Kieran tugged the zipper down, hands trembling as he freed Vale from the denim. His fingers wrapped around heatedflesh, tentative and uncertain, watching Vale’s stomach muscles contract at the contact.

He leaned in, his breath ghosting over the head of Vale’s hard cock, and Vale’s hand tightened slightly in his hair—not forcing, just responding. Kieran took that as permission, as encouragement, and closed his lips around the head.

I thought it tasted bad before…but this is nice. Salty and warm and sweet.

Vale seemed unaffected at first, but as Kieran took more into his mouth, swirling his tongue along the shaft—panting breaths interrupted his words. “...We’ll finalize details tomorrow... Yes, talk soon.” The phone clicked off, and Vale’s voice dropped to a husky command: “Look at me, beautiful.”

Kieran obeyed, lifting his watery eyes to meet Vale’s, his mouth still full, his lips stretched around it as he kept going with slow, deliberate sucks that made his cheeks hollow. Vale guided Kieran’s head down with both hands, pushing deeper with firm pressure as he sucked a deep breath through his teeth. Kieran felt Vale’s cock hit the back of his throat and he gagged.

He tried to pull back to catch his breath as Vale triggered another heave, his eyes and nose leaking profusely as he pushed Kieran down again and again.Maybe this was a mistake—can’t breathe, throat burning, but he’s looking at me like I’m everything.

“That’s it, just a little more, sweetheart. So good, you’re doing so…mmm—.” Vale’s hips bucked slightly as he held Kieran’s head down. “Fuck—I’m going to—”

Vale moaned and shuddered as his release hit—hot spurts filling Kieran’s mouth, the taste salty and overwhelming.

But Vale’s hand stayed firm in Kieran’s hair, holding him in place, not letting him pull away. Kieran tried to lift his head, confused—it was over, wasn’t it?—but the pressure remained steady.

Why won’t he let go? Is this part of the intimacy? Am I supposed to stay like this?

His mind spun with questions, trying to understand, trying to figure out what was expected of him. The hand in his hair wasn’t cruel, just insistent, keeping his mouth where it was even as he tried to pull back.

But then another aura rolled in like storm clouds. The questions faded, resistance dissolving into haze. He stopped fighting the gentle pressure and got comfortable against Vale’s thigh, his cheek pressing into the denim like a strange, intimate anchor in the oncoming storm.

The confusion about why he was being held could wait. Everything could wait. The fog was here now, wrapping around his thoughts, and all that mattered was the warmth of Vale’s hand in his hair and the solid presence of his body as the world started to slip away at the edges.

42

Sometimes I want, sometimes I don't, sometimes I ache, sometimes I won't…

Vale

Things changed after Vale lost his temper in the basement. Kieran would appear in doorways now, hovering until Vale acknowledged him, like he was seeking Vale’s approval before settling anywhere in a room. He would say he was going to get a drink, to nap, to go to the bathroom, and then he would wait for Vale to say “okay” before doing it. He didn’t flinch when Vale grabbed his collar to pull him in for a kiss.

And then Vale took that phone call two days ago…

Two days ago, Kieran had chosen him. He knelt between Vale’s thighs, trembling, allowing himself to be vulnerable, as if he was silently asking to learn what pleased Vale instead of waiting to be taught. The trust it represented should have been the most romantic moment of their entire relationship.

But the memory wouldn’t stay tender. Vale’s mind kept pulling back to the heat of Kieran’s mouth, the tentative exploration that turned hungry. The way he looked up with those brown eyes while his lips stretched around his cock, taking him deeper…

And then that soft, confused sound when Vale wouldn’t let him pull away, keeping him close and full and exactly whereVale needed him. Not wanted him.Needed. Because all the love and lust he felt tangled in his mind until he couldn’t separate wanting to protect Kieran from wanting to consume him completely. Both felt like worship. Both felt inevitable.

“Vale?” Kieran sounded nervous from his seat on the floor, his guitar in his lap. “I had an-n-n idea about... about c-connecting with people who like the music.”

Vale set down his coffee, giving Kieran the focused attention that always made him straighten with nervous energy. It looked like an automatic response, like a flower turning toward sunlight. “Tell me.”

“I kn-know the mysterious ast-ast—mysterious look works, and I understand why it’s important,” Kieran began, “but there are th-thousands of mysterious artists. What if Thorn was d-different? What if I could t-talk to fans online, answer questions ab-about the music? Or just... like their p-pictures of their cats? People like that kind of st-stuff.”

Vale’s throat felt tight, fighting against an unexpected well of emotion as he watched Kieran’s face, taking in the hopeful look in his eyes that made him radiant.

I never expected to fall in love with you. I expected to cultivate you, to shape you, to create something beautiful and profitable. I didn’t expect to want to give you cat pictures and fan interactions just to see you smile.

“Just ab-about the music,” Kieran clarified quickly, color rising in his cheeks. “N-nothing personal, nothing that would c-compromise what we’ve built. But I’m l-lonely with just—” He stopped himself, his teeth finding his lower lip.

Lonely with just me. Say it, sweetheart. Admit that I’ve become your entire world and it’s not quite enough.

“It’s an interesting proposal,” Vale said. “Direct engagement could build the kind of loyalty traditional promotion doesn’t achieve.”

Kieran’s face transformed with a hesitant smile.