Chapter Text
The gold necklace clinked again, a soft, metallic sound that echoed as it brushed Richard’s collarbone. It caught the lamplight in glints and reflections, every flicker like a whispered prayer. Seigi could barely breathe.
Richard lay beneath him, quiet, breathless, but never still. His fingers curled faintly in the sheets. His lips were parted just enough for the smallest sound to escape, softer than speech, heavier than silence, and from the corners of his eyes, tears slipped free. Not dramatic, not broken, just… human. Beautiful, tiny drops of aquamarine fell, flowing from exquisite blue sapphire coloured eyes.
God, he was beautiful.
Seigi had never seen him like this before. He was wholly unguarded. And in the haze of light and heat, Seigi could almost believe he was looking at something not quite human. An angel, maybe, all gold and softness and sighs. No, he was a man of flesh and blood, no longer just the elegant, impenetrable jewel behind glass. And yet, even now, Richard gleamed.
He deserved beautiful things. Not just jewels (though it had taken some coaxing to get him to wear them) but love, and worship, and safety too. A world where someone would look at him– not to possess, or to display, but to treasure, full of love and admiration not for his looks, but Richard as a person.
“Can I?” Seigi whispered—not for permission, but to exist in the moment. To love him the way he wanted to be loved.
Richard gave the smallest nod, and that was all he needed.
Seigi traced his fingers over Richard’s ribs, slow and careful, as if polishing something precious. The curve of him. The heat. The shiver beneath his touch. His lips found a place just below Richard’s ear, and there– there they caught the glint of the small diamond earring. It quivered faintly as Richard inhaled, his breath catching in the hush.
“You’re not real,” Seigi whispered. “You're not—”
But Richard was, clearly, from the beautiful whine of discontent he made from Seigi’s words. Seigi stopped talking, he spoke out of turn again. He focused back on the moment, Ah–it was so warm, too warm- and alive. They both were trembling. There was a ring on Seigi’s finger, a simple, gold band with a pink sapphire. The ring that brought them together, he had started wearing it at home occasionally. And now, he felt it press between them as Richard clutched at his hand, grounding them both. The weight of it was dizzying. The warm metal burnt his skin.
Seigi wanted to say something more. Something worthy of the moment. But all he could come up with was feelings of awe, reverence, a helpless, enamored kind of love.
The necklace shifted again with Richard’s breath, sliding down his chest like a thread of light. Seigi kissed its trail, following where gold met skin, where ornament became part of the man who wore it.
Richard gasped softly beneath him, head turned just slightly, exposing the long line of his throat. Another kiss. Another offering.
And when he looked up again, there were still tears in Richard’s eyes. A fragile sheen of aquamarine. Even now, even here, he gleamed like he was made of stone and starlight…except Seigi knew better.
He wasn’t.
He was human. And he was letting Seigi love him.
All he could hear was the sound of the soft gold chain that adorned Richard’s neck, and the two bracelets that he put on him. Clink, clink, clink, they chimed with each slow, careful thrust. It was ethereal, surreal. It didn’t feel real, any of it. Just that quiet, breathless music of metal and heartbeat, of pleasure and light. A sound only he got to hear. A sound made from divinity. Why did he not wear jewellery all the time?
Seigi could barely keep his eyes open. His body burned, but his heart hurt more. Hurt in that aching, too-full kind of way. Like trying to hold sunlight in his hands. Everything he saw swam and shimmered: sparks of color, flecks of gold and heat. Gems, not real light nor real air. His vision blurred with hues that didn’t exist outside of jewelry cases and fevered dreams.
There, Richard’s hair, mussed and haloed in lamplight, turned gold- no, it turned citrine, catching each flicker of light and then shined . His eyes, wide and wet, dark blue sapphire, now spilling aquamarine tears. And his cheeks—oh, Seigi couldn’t breathe—his cheeks were flushed a delicate, impossible pink. The soft bloom of rose quartz under porcelain skin.
He looked unreal. Like something crafted by a master artisan, meant to be kept behind glass.
But he wasn’t.
He was here. Hands trembling around Seigi’s shoulders, one ring pressing to his spine, the other grasping for something solid, something safe. His breath hitched each time Seigi moved, and that chain-
God, that chain—Its clinks came a bit more rapidly.
“Richard,” Seigi gasped, and it came out raw. Cracked. Like fire behind glass.
He couldn’t last much longer. Not with this man looking at him like that. Not with that kind of trust in his eyes, that kind of beauty flooding the room. His boyfriend. His lover. His–
God, he was so handsome it hurt.
A living gem. Warm, trembling, adored. Seigi pressed his forehead to Richard’s, breath mingling, and felt everything swell up inside him like a tidal wave. Like a gem enduring too much heat treatment about to crack. Love, want, reverence, everything too big for words.
“I love you,” he whispered, a confession so soft he didn’t know if it escaped or only rang in his bones.
And Richard didn’t speak, not yet, but his fingers tightened on Seigi’s arms, bedazzled rings catching light.
That was an answer enough.
“Seigi,” Richard breathed, barely a voice, more like a pulse that passed through him. His accent curled around the syllables like silk, made them something reverent, it seemed his mother tongue was slipping through, and that was a delightful realisation for Seigi. Then Richard moved, legs curling around Seigi’s waist with surprising strength, holding him there, closer.
Seigi's vision didn’t black out. He didn’t see stars. Instead, the world behind his eyes burst open in shades of opal. Pale and iridescent, shifting with every heartbeat. Light danced across his lids, broken by colors too vivid to name—a rainbow strung inside his skull, tied to every sound Richard made.
And then, silence. Stillness. Their bodies slackening into one another.
Seigi didn’t remember how long he stayed like that, arms trembling, heart pounding. But when his mind swam back into focus, he was wrapped in the warm scent of skin and something faintly sweet, maybe Richard’s shampoo? It was probably just the scent you had being the emperor of sweets. Their sweat had started to cool, tacky and clinging, but it didn’t matter.
He nestled against Richard’s chest, cheek pressed to damp skin and gold. The necklace that had driven him wild was still there, a faint weight beneath his ear. Its links had warmed, each one molded to the heat of Richard’s body, no longer cold. But Seigi could still feel it. The way the texture differed from the skin around it. Smooth metal, warm hands. Two beautiful things in one.
Richard let out a tiny whine. It was soft, delicate, slightly petulant. “You're heavy,” he murmured, back in perfect japanese. But his fingers had already found Seigi’s hair, moving slowly, gently combing through it.
Seigi smiled against his skin. “Sorry,” he whispered, not moving.
Richard didn’t push him off. Just kept stroking his hair, slow and steady.
There weren’t any words left, not yet. Just the quiet sound of breathing, the faint glint of jewelry catching dying lamplight, and the weight of love that neither of them knew how to hold, but somehow they were holding anyway.
“Mmmnh, it’s sticky,” Richard mumbled, half-buried in the pillow. He huffed, not even opening his eyes. “This is undignified.”
Seigi blinked, then laughed. Too breathless for it to come out right. “Sorry,” he offered, though he wasn’t sure what for. He didn’t feel particularly sorry.
“You should take a bath. I’ll bring you some royal milk tea.”
Richard made a noncommittal hum. “And the sheets…”
“We’ll change them. I’ll start the bath.”
Seigi rose slowly, legs still a little shaky. The bathroom light felt too bright for the state he was in, but he adjusted the faucet until the water ran warm, humming gently into the rising steam. He rinsed off under the shower head, quick and quiet, letting the water strip away the haze of sweat and fluids. Wrapping himself in a towel, not dripping but still slightly flushed, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Hm.
He didn’t linger on it. He had someone to take care of.
“Richard,” he called softly through the open door. “Bath’s ready. Turn it off when it’s high enough.”
As Seigi turned to leave the bathroom, a soft series of clinks caught his ear. He paused, glancing back.
Richard was gently removing his jewelry, one piece at a time, his movements slow and practiced. The gold chain was first, delicately lifted from his neck with the reverence of a ritual. The bracelets followed, soft metal brushing against skin, each one catching the light like they were reluctant to part from him. Seigi watched, quietly enchanted, as Richard opened the small jewelry holder tucked into the corner of the bathroom. A sleek, elegant crystal carved just for this purpose.
Normally, Richard wouldn’t wear accessories (it wasn’t like he needed them after all). Originally they had bought the pretty little glass holder for Seigi, since he started wearing more jewellery. But lately, when he knew he wouldn’t be called away, and wouldn't be needed at a moment’s notice. Richard indulged his partner's wishes to have the gems he always compared him to, on him.
The sound of the metal, the way it whispered against glass as he laid each piece to rest, stirred something tender in Seigi’s chest. He bit his lip, trying to hold back a smile. It was silly, too full.
Beautiful , he thought again, turning toward the kitchen, the soft sounds of gold still echoing in his ears.
He padded down to the kitchen, skin still tingling, and busied himself with the tea. Three teaspoons, the water at a rolling boil. Milk added carefully, an ice cube to temper it so Richard wouldn’t burn his tongue. The domestic ritual was muscle memory to him now. He’d gladly make this tea for the rest of his life. Seigi thought about making more pudding tonight. There was only one serving left in the fridge, and Richard liked it cold before bed. That was for another time though.
Tea in hand, he returned upstairs carefully, with the steaming cup being held carefully. And then he stopped.
Richard was in the bath, half-lidded eyes drifting toward him, pale skin glistening under the lights like some otherworldly creature. The water shimmered, disturbed only by the slow ripples of his arms. His damp hair caught the light—more gold than blonde. Seigi could only compare him to a mermaid. Something polished, mythic. Maybe it was the sparkles. Maybe it was the fact Seigi was still hopelessly in love.
Mermaids were associated with jewels, weren’t they? He thought he’d read that once.
But the thought scattered the moment Richard looked up at him. Soft. Sleepy. Smile faint but sincere. “Thank you,” he said as he took the tea from Seigi’s hands. No, this was his very real human boyfriend. He needed to stop that.
Seigi almost teared up. He should be the one thanking him.
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Richard’s damp head, earning a low huff. Richard pulled the cup closer, clearly not in the mood for more attention. Seigi didn’t push it. You don’t disturb an emperor of sweets when he’s enjoying his favorite offering.
He returned to the bedroom with a quiet smile, moving to the bottom left corner of the bed and beginning to peel the sheet away. The rhythm of it felt peaceful. Familiar. A kind of blessed routine.
He hoped their seemingly marital bliss would last forever. Or at least long enough to make more tea. More pudding. More memories.
Because this?
This was worth everything.