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The question he had for Caleb had grown on Barnaby as he'd traveled over the years. Time and again, he watched as his friends and acquaintances fostered new relationships or built upon existing ones. Even Isaac Merlo and ana fell had eventually bound themselves together. But not Motostoke's other false king...[break][break]

"So many of the people that came here with us have moved on to have... happy lives." The inflection in Barnaby's voice made it clear that he did not consider being trapped in this poisoned realm to bring happiness, no matter the circumstance.[break][break]

"Marriage. Children. So I wonder..."[break][break]

His pitch softened as an idle finger moved to trace along the grooves of Caleb's chest and abdominal muscles. Barnaby's touch was light and deliberate, slowly snaking its way downward.[break][break]

"You're not impotent." BARNABY FINCH was uniquely qualified to verify this fact. As if to make a point, the tip of his finger ended its journey at the tip of something else.[break][break]

"Yet you've no queen, no little princes and princesses running around your makeshift castle..."[break][break]

His was a cat's curiosity, all languid talk and smirking smile.[break][break]

"Why?"

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Incapable?[break][break]

It was an answer that Barnaby hadn't expected. To the citizens of Motostoke, Caleb Harcourt appeared so charismatic and invested, as if he truly cared about their wellbeing. The king put his heart into his work and showed his depth of concern on a daily basis. A man of the people, justly coveted.[break][break]

Yet not a happy one?[break][break]

This was a new layer to the man sharing his bed with BARNABY FINCH. [break][break]

"I wonder what deep, dark secret you harbor..." The courier mused aloud, watching as Caleb's hand reached out to intertwine with long strands of dark hair. It was a soft touch at first, so Barnaby continued.[break][break]

"That makes you believe you're—" Incapable, is what he would have said, if Caleb's rough pull hadn't cut him off. The jerking movement was enough to force the closeness he was looking for; Barnaby fell forward nearly into his lap, his robe slipping off his right shoulder and exposing the skin beneath.[break][break]

Throughout this Barnaby's eyes never left Caleb's, though now there was a flash of a challenge in their cobalt depths. [break][break]

"You're right, it's quite the opposite. Having either would be a death sentence for my own happiness." There was a subtle fire to his voice, as if the pain of Caleb's touch had stoked something already smoldering within him.[break][break]

"Now release me, Caleb."

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"Good boy," Barnaby purred, the praise a natural consequence of Caleb's expected obedience. [break][break]

Theirs was indeed a game that teetered between the sweet release of submission and the empowerment of domination. It kept the relationship at an exhilarating flux, even after all these years.[break][break]

"Probably not," Barnaby agreed with a teasing lilt in his voice, enjoying the feeling of Caleb's hand on his throat. In fact, he leaned into the touch, purposefully increasing the pressure of the hold. [break][break]

Tighter, his body language practically begged.[break][break]

"But many of those secrets are from another life." Their life back home, in Hoenn. In Kalos, too. All places they may never see again. Barnaby hadn't been resting on his laurels, however; there were perks to being a courier, after all, and he'd taken advantage of the position to amass new secrets.[break][break]

That was not something for Caleb Harcourt to hear. Instead, Barnaby leaned into this talk of freedom and cages.[break][break]

"...you're observant, I'll give you that." As they spoke, the courier's hands did not remain idle. They found their way to the cloth fastening around his robe, attempting to undo the loose knot. The fabric felt too stifling now.[break][break]

"Not us," Barnaby corrected, seeing the admission in Caleb's eyes. "The difference is that I don't have a duty to Motostoke, as you do, King Harcourt. Or are Isaac and Cygne enough to fill the role of royal incubator?"

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Caleb's rough voice caused goosebumps to pimple along BARNABY FINCH's exposed skin. He was posturing, of course — defending the other royals at the barest hint of criticism — but Barnaby didn't mind. He'd done it on purpose, after all. And just as Caleb likely wanted, too, the thrill of it made the courier stiffen in the king's palm.[break][break]

That wasn't all that stiffened, either.[break][break]

"Yes, yes. I—" Caleb's hand tightened, cutting him off and sending euphoric shocks through Barnaby's body.[break][break]

"I... mmm, understand." He murmured airily, nearly breathless now from the pressure of the king's thumb on his throat. [break][break]

Duty. Did Barnaby truly understand Caleb's perspective?[break][break]

Even after all these years, Barnaby had not divulged his past connection to ROCKET to Caleb Harcourt... or any others, really. He preferred to remain a mystery to those around him — tethered, but not bound. In a world where knowledge was power and secrets were a form of currency, the less they knew the better.[break][break]

So when Caleb spoke of duty, Barnaby did not relay his own relationship with the concept. He held no duties any longer; Admin Bee had faded away with the rest of his ROCKET associates. The only duty he had now was to himself and his wellbeing.[break][break]

Why, then, did he continue to consort with someone like Caleb Harcourt? They rarely went a month without tumbling into bed together. Of all his partners, Caleb was one of the most consistent.[break][break]

"It's preferable, really." Barnaby began again, his voice barely a whisper now. He wasn't fazed, however; in fact, his eyes were alight with a carnal excitement.[break][break]

"It'd be annoying having to sneak around as your paramour."

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Was he?[break][break]

He had been teasing, but any sort of label would imply a connection BARNABY FINCH wasn't sure he was willing to consent to. Objectively, the king was simply a warm body with a nice cock that he'd developed a fondness for.[break][break]

Caleb Harcourt understood more than most the sorts of things Barnaby desired from his partners, after all. Discretion, obedience, captivation. It was why their arrangement had lasted for so long.[break][break]

Under it all, however, Barnaby inwardly resisted the tug of affection that had grown over time. Their situation was too long-lived to be a casual fling now. There was substance there, unvoiced but requited by both men. To mention it would be to topple whatever they'd built over the last few years.[break][break]

So they didn't. And they continued in their teasing dance, floating around talk of any serious relationship.[break][break]

Was this equivalent to the happiness others had found in their loved ones and children? Did it even make either of them happy?[break][break]

The sound that escaped BARNABY FINCH's throat as Caleb released him sure sounded that way.[break][break]

"Then don't." Get in the way of his fun, he meant. The words came out breathy and needy, the longing in them almost palpable.[break][break]

Newly freed, Barnaby wasted no time in claiming his throne atop the king of Motostoke. Bed linens cast aside and robe discarded, there was no restricting fabric to stop their bodies from melding together. [break][break]

Hands perched against Caleb's chest, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to the other man's ear. Of course, the whispered taunt that came next was spoken in a slow and deliberate cadence.[break][break]

"Because you know I'm never satisfied."[break][break]

As if to accentuate his need, Barnaby found himself grinding his hips into the man beneath him.

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Perhaps this feeling was happiness, as Caleb Harcourt said — or as close as either of them would get when trapped within a poisoned place such as this. [break][break]

Every day was a battle for their survival. It made sense, then, that they'd steal small moments like this one. Where they could lose themselves in one another and forget, briefly, the hell they'd been sucked into. [break][break]

Was it happiness?[break][break]

It felt similar enough for BARNABY FINCH.[break][break]

"Caleb—!" The bite sent a jolt of pleasure sparking through his body. Reflexively, he arched upward, pressing himself as close to the king as possible as they both gave in together.[break][break]

Barnaby reached for Caleb's neck and pulled him in, kissing him roughly, before the two men fell back into the sheets in a tangle of limbs. [break][break]

A few moments passed in relative silence. Breathing deeply to catch his breath, Barnaby looked over into the face of Caleb Harcourt. The king of Motostoke. So powerful, within the scope of this tiny realm.[break][break]

But now, he seemed so vulnerable. Peaceful, even. [break][break]

Barnaby found himself reaching up to stroke the other man's cheek. They were rough with one another, but there were moments of tenderness, too.[break][break]

"Perhaps it is..." He replied softly.

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