Page 109 of Crown of Steel

He does, fumbling with the tiny iron hinges before they finally click. “Remember when I called the cage a crown of steel?” The words leave my mouth on a whisper and I lace my fingers through his. I don’t know why this makes me so nervous, but it does. I want him to love this and to understand my intention. I want him to accept it.

“I do,” Régis breathes, and together we open the gift.

It’s a chess board.

“I want to be your king of steel,chaton.”

“My…” His face flushes and he dips his gaze when he discovers the metal chess pieces.

“You’re so strong, Régis. You got rid of that cage.Youdid that, my fierce and proud boy. That cage, that reflected your past. This—” I gesture to the pieces that Régis now inspects one by one, their silver color glittering in his eyes. “This can be our army.” With a growl I lunge forward and capture his mouth with mine. His lips are already wet, already waiting for me, impatient for our touch. Brushing our mouths together, I revel in his soft sigh, chest pounding with a sense of reverence. “Ourfuture,” I mumble against his lips.

Pulling back to gauge his reaction, I catch the moment his lips curl into a beautiful smile. Relief, happiness, infatuation, it’s all there in those piercing clear eyes. It’s breathtaking. “We’ll share an army of steel.”

“I love it,” Régis breathes, then leans forward to place his own hands over mine as we hold the iron chess pieces, and his mouth is back on mine.

“Let’s play now,chaton. Come on, let me beat your glorious army and fuck you for the rest of the evening as my reward.” My tongue darts inside his hot mouth and circles around his, flicking and playing while my body heats up.

“Not now,” Régis pants, “There’s a birthday celebration outside. They’re waiting for us.” When he sees the desire in my eyes, he pulls back with a taunting smile, then places a final peck on my mouth. “I know. I feel the same. But later. First we celebrate with the others.” He stands up before I can, giggling when I try to grab him with a whine but hit the air instead, a playful smile curving his luscious lips as he looks down at me. “Are you seriously pouting?”

“No.” I get up with a grin, knowing it’ll be a permanentfeature on my face tonight because he has just made me the happiest asshole on earth. Then I pull him into me one last time before collecting the chess pieces into their little bag, fold the wooden board neatly around it and put it onto his desk. “I never pout.”

“Liar.” Régis pats me on my ass, then flees to the door on a jog, cackling as he opens the door before I can get to him.

“You’re gonna pay for that.”

“Ididn’t know you enjoy cooking?” Régis asks my twin when he’s standing right by him in the tiny kitchen corner of our shared dorm. Sprawled out on the couch are Dominique and Gaël, the latter wearing a birthday crown that is brightly colored and has 22 written on it.

“Enjoy?” Louis closes the fridge with a push of his hips, holding two bottles of champagne as if they were arms. “I am the fucking best you can get here in college.” Handing out one to Régis, he hands the other one off to me. “Get your ass to work, bro.” Louis’s gaze darts between the both of us. “Fuck,brosI meant. Not fuckbros. Damn, this shit got so complicated.” Tossing the bottle my way, he chuckles at his own joke, then turns back to his pans. He’s making Boeuf Bourguignon upon request from our birthday boy.

“Nope, it didn’t get complicated.” I watch Régis struggling to open the bottle of champagne, and pull him in, right when the cork pops, and the fizzy drink shoots out of the bottle and against Régis’s chin and cheek. His eyes turn wide in surprise, and from the couch comes a loud concert of cackles from Dominique and Gaël. I don’t hesitate, but slurp the drink right off his face, making an obscene sound as I do. “Our little brother is mine, and mine alone.”

“Oh, get out of my kitchen you filthy love birds.” Louissnatches the towel from his shoulder and shoos us away, but not before he grabs the bottle out of my hand. “You can keep him!” He sings when Régis and I burst out with laughter as we skitter away and back to the couch.

“Oh, you filthychaton.” I continue to lick Régis face even when he’s lying onto the couch, although my tongue is now solely focused on his mouth. Hmm, those sweet lips. I wouldn’t mind taking him back to his room and fucking him senseless, but the door opens and in come Jo, Maxime and Julien, who is pouting as he follows the others. Across from me, Dominique flies out of his seat and wipes off invisible dust from his hoodie, before making his way to his friends.

They exchange pleasantries and smile as they catch up on plenty of things. Louis fills up their glasses and Gaël puts on some music. I decide to help my brother in the kitchen, and when I turn over my back I’m relieved to find that Régis is chatting to his friends, shielded by Dominique. Or is it him who’s shielding Dominique? My gaze finds Gaël, who is carefully watching his boyfriend while talking to Louis at the same time. My twin’s phone buzzes, and when he picks it up from beneath the white cooking apron he has put on for the occasion, he frowns. Then his face flushes.

“Are you okay?” I can’t help but ask.

He shrugs. “Yeah, it’s just, uhm—”

“What?” Gaël now also asks, frowning.

Louis shrugs again, but the movement falls flat. “Nothing. It’s for homework.” Then he pockets his phone and turns around, presenting us with his back.

“Homework?” I mouth to Gaël, whose brows are still pinched, making his painted eyes look even more like a cat. My brother never cares for homework, which is why Dad arranged private teaching sessions with the new teacher Régis speaks so highly of, Mister Montague. Oh…

“Arthur?” Régis takes that moment to call me out. When Ilook up, I catch him staring at me with a playful grin. The chess board has been put out onto the coffee table and the others are sitting around it, holding their glass, and their breath as they gaze between us. “Wanna play a game?”

“With you?” I rasp. Hmm…

“Of course.”

I cock my head. “What will I get when I win?”

He smiles, cheeks flushing with excitement. “Me,” he breathes. “What will I get when I win?”

“Everything you want,chaton.”

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