I suppose I really shouldn't be spying on him. He is, after all, in his own room, entitled to his privacy, and yet, I can't stop watching him. He hasn't noticed me yet; perhaps he is too absorbed by the book he is reading. It must be good, it brings colour to his cheeks and every once in a while he rocks his hips against the bearskin rug as though the lack of physical stimulation has grown too much for him.

As I watch, he sighs, rolling onto his back and setting the book aside. He reaches for the mug that has been warming by the fire and takes a sip, his eyes reflective. I have to smile, he is drinking hot chocolate, with marshmallows no less, something I have always considered a children's drink, and yet, I cannot imagine him ever being a child.

He sets the cocoa aside and stares into the darkness for a while instead of returning to the novel as I had expected. I am curious, what is he doing now? His eyes close as his hands move to part the folds of the light robe he is wearing and then slip under the soft fabric to caress the skin underneath. I hold my breath as I feel my body tighten, watching as he slowly caresses himself, so beautiful in the semi-darkness. His hands drift lower, pulling at the knot in the belt before sliding between his legs, forcing a low moan from his lips. I remain watching as he pleasures himself, as the moving shadows dance across his skin from the firelight; caressing, hiding, enveloping, receding, displaying, and it only make me want to see more, but somehow he keeps the most secret places hidden from my devouring gaze.

It is too much; I cannot remain simply watching. My hands drift up and unclasp my cloak, it drops to the ground with a whisper. I watch him, but he does not react to the sound, he is lost within the pleasure he is giving himself. The rest of my clothes follow just as quietly, and still he takes no notice. He is moaning more now, and gasping for air, and still I cannot see all that I wish to. I take a few steps forward, and he gasps again, this time forming a word,

"Zelgadiss!"

I freeze, does he know that I am here? He has not ceased his actions, indeed, he has increased them as he calls my name again, this time as a moan. I smile, I understand now, I am his phantom lover. Very well then, I will answer his call, just as I had intended.

I move across the floor swiftly, he is close to his release now and I do not want him to leave without me. He twists on the rug just as I reach it and the robe finally falls away, leaving him bare to my eyes, so wonderful, I need to touch him.

His eyes fly open as I move his hands away from their task. He looks at me with surprise, then tilts his head back with a moan as I slide my body between his legs, allowing his arousal to trace the entirety of my form before resting it against my own. He whimpers as I prepare him, such a pleasant sound, but his response to my penetration is more pleasing, a silent exclamation coming from an expression of ecstasy. I move within him as I find his mouth, tasting cocoa and desire as he rocks against me fiercely, demanding, and then he is finished and my name flies from his lips again, shattering the silence in the room. I watch his face through the entirety of his release before taking my own, and am surprised to hear myself crying his name at the peak, but I suppose that is expected.

We lie together on the bearskin rug, gasping for breath even as we cling to one another, our bodies excited once again with just that simple contact. His hands dance across my chest, imitating the firelight and wreaking havoc with my senses. He gives me an enticing, but suspicious look, then runs his tongue along the outside of my ear before asking,

"Just how long have you been watching me?"

I smile, and answer in a manner he is intimately familiar with, "Sore wa himitsu desu."

He gives me a mock frown, and I laugh, pulling his body closer and earn a more enjoyable expression from his as I gently take him again.