Villain's Second Heart: Trapped in A Fantasy Novel (BL)-Chapter 61: What I Came For

"Did that satisfy your research needs, Professor Oby?"

Just a moment of silence - then, Oberyn slapped his shoulder, his face going red.

"I knew you were going to say something stupid."

He crossed his arms and turned away, getting a mouthful of water from the showerhead. He spits it out of his mouth and pouts.

Ezra burst into laughter grabbing the Nephilim and grinning as Oberyn tried to push him away. But he didn't let go, caging him against the slick shower wall.

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy it," Ezra teased, voice low, full of amusement.

Oberyn's blush deepened, but he didn't deny it.

Instead, he sighed, letting his forehead rest against Ezra's shoulder. The tension bled out of him, replaced by a strange, almost drowsy kind of warmth.

Ezra felt that shift immediately.

This wasn't just exhaustion.

This was trust.

His teasing grin softened, his arms loosening just slightly around the Nephilim's waist.

"Hey."

Oberyn stirred, tilting his head just enough to look up at him.

They stayed like that until the water started to cool, until reality began creeping back in.

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And when they finally stepped out of the shower, dried off, and got dressed in loose, comfortable robes - Ezra couldn't help but notice the way Oberyn stayed close to him.

Not in an obvious way, nor in a way anyone else might have noticed.

But Ezra did.

He noticed the way Oberyn's shoulder lingered against his arm, the way his fingers curled around Ezra's wrist absentmindedly, and the way they almost tripped on each other as they walked back to the room, each step a desperate desire to be closer than ever.

"Hello, boys," Rav said, waving but not looking away from the roaring firepit he'd lit for the evening. The sun had finally fallen from the sky, and a cooler breeze swept over the mountain. The fire felt quite nice from where Rav was sitting.

"That was some shower," he purred. "Bet you're both clean as a whistle. Ezra's the whistle, I imagine."

The human blushed. "Is it comedy hour, Rav?"

The Ferin snickered, covering his face with an ornamental fan different from his usual. "How about take-out tonight? I'm FAMISHED."

"Take-out...?"

Rav nodded. "It takes me only a minute or two to get down to the Ferin Village, you know. I'm happy to fly down for a quick bite. What do you want? I'll bring us all back something."

"I'd be lying if I said I were familiar with Ferin cuisine..." Ezra pondered.

"Me too," Oberyn said, retreating in on himself. "But Deek is quite a good cook, so I bet there are plenty of good options..."

"Yes, yes!" Rav leapt up, excited. "You two are nearly virgins - when it comes to Ferin cuisine, anyway," he said snidely. "Oh, how fun - I know just the thing. Alcor used to love it even as a human - I'm sure your tastebuds are similar, what with you having his body and all. I'll be back quicker than you can say -"

He was already gone before he finished the sentence, so Ezra and Oberyn didn't hear the end.

"Now that we have a moment where he's out of earshot, I just have to say your benefactor or whatever he is, Rav - he's insane."

"An insane catboy millionaire," Ezra mumbled.

"What?"

"Oh. Just something I called him when we first met."

"I don't mean it in a bad way, though," Oberyn confessed, focused on the stars above. He smiled as a cool breeze blew through them both, with faint traces of the fire's heat mixed in the brisk air.

"I like Rav," Oberyn said. "You, me, him. Deek once a week. I could get used to this."

"Me too," Ezra said, but his mind was elsewhere. The brunt of his many responsibilities weighed over him, and he knew this wouldn't last forever. Not if he wanted to rid Oberyn of his curse, and eventually rid himself of his Second Heart.

It was as if Oberyn could read Ezra's thoughts, commenting quietly on something he'd learned earlier after they both spent some time mutually lost in thought.

"Rav said I have a second curse on me."

Ezra's face scrunched. "What?"

"Something from long ago," Oberyn said. "From my time on the moon..."

"What is the curse? Is it causing you pain?"

Ezra's words were laced with anxiety, but Oberyn smiled and brushed off his concern.

"We can talk about it later, after dinner," he decided. "I think I owe it to you, given everything that's happened between us..."

"What do you mean? Why do you say it like that...?"

"It's not a physical curse. I didn't understand it at first. I still don't, Ezra...but I know partly where it comes from."

"Does it have to wait?" Ezra frowned. "I'm worried about you."

He grabbed the Nephilim's waist and tried to look into his eyes, but Oberyn couldn't help but look away.

"Ezra, I...you make me feel a way nobody else ever has," he smiled weakly. "It almost makes me sick. When you're not around, I feel so lonely. I can't stand it. I always want more from you, but I -"

"I don't want to put it off," Oberyn said. "But it'll take a long time, is all. I want to tell you about life on the moon. Everything."

Ezra smiled, brushing a strand of Oberyn's wet hair out of his face. "Only if you let me bore you about life on Earth - my Earth, anyway."

Oberyn laughed, sweet and warm. "Bore me? Ezra, the world you're from sounds incredible, even from what little I've heard."

Ezra's mind wandered. "It is pretty cool," he chuckled. "But you, Oby? There's nobody like you in my entire world. And...this might sound really cringey, but..."

Oberyn tilted his head.

"Well, the reason I came to this world was to find love."

Oberyn gulped.

"Love...? You came here just for that?"

"Yeah, Oby," he said, grabbing the Nephilim's hand. "I think I came here to find you."