Not much longer, Raidou judged. He could probably push Ryouma over the edge in a minute or five, if Ryouma’s control stretched—but he didn’t want to, not yet.

He drew back with a last flick of his tongue and slid a hand between Ryouma’s legs, grasped him firmly at the base. A heavy pulse beat against his fingers.

“Breathe,” he said, rubbing his free hand soothingly over Ryouma’s hip. “You’re not there yet.”

Ryouma dragged a breath like he’d forgotten how, long shivers running down his legs, then another one, rasping in his throat. The third was easier. He turned his head against the pillow. He was all-over flushed now, hair tousled and damp with sweat. “I can take more,” he said, raw.

“I know you can.” Raidou moved his hand up, rubbings his palm across the small of Ryouma’s back, feeling the little hitches of hips that wanted to flex. He grinned. “I’m going to make you.”

That won him a frustrated, laughing groan, and Ryouma pushed back against him. “Any time soon?” he demanded.

“Patience,” Raidou said, and laid a light, stinging slap across Ryouma’s ass.

Ryouma jerked like a live wire had zinged him, a strangled sound catching in his throat. The muscles of his back leapt into high definition. Pinkness bloomed into the rough shape of a handprint.

Well, then.

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Raidou said, tightening his grip around Ryouma’s cock, holding him in check, “but did I detect some slight enjoyment there?”

“Gold star for the bright lad.” Ryouma still sounded strangled; he dropped his head down, and bit his knuckles, which was worth a gold star all by itself. His voice came muffled and a little reluctant: “You can do that again. If you want.”

“I want,” Raidou said.

He’d had plans to grab the lube and finish what his tongue had started, fingering Ryouma open until he was slick and shaking and begging for it—but no reason not to multitask. Raidou had two hands.

Though he really needed three. Ryouma would just have to hold himself in check. “Do not come,” Raidou told him, and released Ryouma, underscoring the order with a broad-handed slap over the same spot. Pink flared to red.

The noise Ryouma made was fractured and beautiful.

Raidou stepped off the bed, leaving him alone for the fifteen seconds it took to return to the bathroom and rinse with mouthwash—hygiene in all things—and then back to the bed, picking up the lube along the way. Ryouma was still in the same position, tense with thwarted arousal.

Raidou twitched the lube at him. “Fingers okay?”

“Yes.”

Battlefield ninja had sounded less irked. Raidou laughed. “Just checking,” he said, and wasted no time slicking his fingers up.

Ryouma was nearly thrumming with impatience when Raidou laid hands back on him. The handprint had faded away. Raidou rubbed his palm over it, warming the skin back up, and let his fingertips graze Ryouma's hole. Ryouma shivered. Raidou gave him the gentlest of slaps across one cheek.

"Seriously?" Ryouma said, releasing his knuckles to snark.

"Little harder?" Raidou inquired.

"A litt—ah!" The words cut off in a burst of sound too low to be a yelp, as Raidou put a little effort into it. Ryouma jolted forward, catching himself instantly on his elbows.

Raidou smoothed his palm over the hot red mark—the other cheek this time—and did it again, criss-crossing the angle. Now Ryouma was ready; he only hissed. Raidou gave him three lighter hits, varying the sensation to see how he took it, then hooked a hand around Ryouma's thigh, pulling back.

"Down," Raidou said. "Onto your stomach. Pull a pillow under your hips."

With entirely gratifying haste, Ryouma obeyed. His backside was shiny with lube, but not where it counted. Raidou nudged Ryouma's legs open wider and settled between them, brushing lubed fingertips over the spit-slick hole. Time to write his own name, maybe.

Or just make Ryouma yell it.

He slid two fingers in, deep and easy, and crooked them. Ryouma gasped. Raidou rewarded him with a hard slap across the back of one thigh, grinning when Ryouma clenched and made himself gasp again.

"I should make you do this," Raidou said, sliding his fingers out and back in. "I could watch while you work yourself open for me."