~ Two years ago ~

"Have you ever been with someone, Armin?" Timo asked. "Intimately, I mean."

"No," Armin replied, shaking his head.

Even though he had no experience himself, he was always highly curious about the subject that he and his friends sometimes spoke about: nudity and human lusts.

Armin was the only virgin amongst the friends.

"Oh, poor Armin," said Bright.

"You don't know what you're missing," Klaus replied.

"I just never met someone I wanted to sleep with."

Armin was not a prude, but he believed you should love before giving yourself.

"What does it feel like?" he asked. He'd already asked them before, but he wanted to hear it again.

"Oh, my... It- it feels like pure bliss. Like you've entered the gates of paradise. Like you want to crawl inside the other person and just eat them up. You want everything they can offer you. You want to bury yourself in them, taste them, smell them, and feel them."

"Wow, Bright, you went a little overboard with the description there. We don't need to know everything." Peter laughed.

But Armin didn't laugh. He listened with wide-open ears. Was it truly that amazing?

Kristof showed Armin the spot he had in mind to hang the painting Armin made of him. It happened to be that the man had a huge chamber filled with memorabilia he'd brought back with him from his travels. He was very proud of his collection. The nude painting would make a fine attribute for his collection of oddities. It wasn't about the painting to Kristof if he was honest. It was about the man that had painted it. And that he had painted him in secrecy.

The servants never came here. It was his room. His room that held his most secret treasures. It wasn't for anyone else's eyes but his and now his husband's. Armin could enter this room whenever he wanted to, Kristof made sure to tell him that.

Together, they hung the painting on the wall among all sorts of other paintings. Armin saw fragments of the world on these canvasses he'd never seen before.

One particular painting had a special place in the room. It hung alone on a wall, ready to be admired. It depicted one woman, one man, and one boy.

"Who are they?" Armin asked, looking at the trio. He had a hunch but he was afraid to ask Kristof if he was that boy and those people were his parents.

"This is me and my parents..." Kristof answered. "I don't remember posing for it, but it must have been right before their deaths because it's signed the same year."

"You look like your father."

"Yes I do, don't I?" Kristof smiled.

"You're just as handsome...And your mother is beautiful too."

"Yes, she was. Oh, Armin, I'm so glad I own this painting. Otherwise, I don't know if I would have been able to remember their faces as clearly as I do now."

"What was your life like with them?"

"Honestly, I don't remember all that much but I do remember being very happy. They were loving parents and I remember we lived in a big house. And I also remember it to be white with a large dark green front door."

Armin took Kristof by the hand to let him know that the man had him as part of his family from now on. Kristof looked back at him so lovingly, it made Armin's stomach flutter.

"I resented my heritage and the money they'd left me. They were killed because of it. So I stayed with Isoldi in her small cottage. But then she died as well, when I was sixteen. I never touched my parents' money until I went traveling after her death. And the rest I spent on starting my business."

Armin loved that Kristof wanted to share all these stories of his life with him.

Together they looked at the other treasures in the room. There were cabinets filled with all sorts of beautiful, ugly, unusual, and otherworldly objects: things Armin had never seen in his life. Species of dead animals, old letters, wooden statuettes, ceramic bowls, and hundreds of other things. Armin had asked the meaning of every object and Kristof had explained them all. However, one particular item had caught Armin's eye.

It was a cup made of silver. According to Kristof, it was almost two thousand years old. On the cup was an image of two naked men...doing things to each other... A younger man lowered himself over the manhood of his older lover. Their legs were entangled, while the older man hugged him from behind, kissing his back.

Armin understood the image represented them having sex, but it looked really different from the way he once had sex.

They were naked. He was not.

They looked excited. He was not...

~~~

That night, Armin lay in bed, on his back, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the past. He thought about the conversation he once had with his friends. About sex. He also thought about what had happened today.

The silver cup came dancing through his mind as well, and with it, all kinds of indecent thoughts. He wished his first time could have been with Kristof instead of Roan.

Armin's friends and the two men on the cup seemed to enjoy themselves while having sex but he hadn't. He thought it was awful.

But...what kind of lover would Kristof be? How would it feel to be loved by him? Has the man ever been with someone before?

Armin decided he wanted to talk to Kristof about it. He wanted their bond to be sealed in the flesh as well. And he no longer desired to annul their marriage.

But how should he ask him to bed him?

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Kristof finished his breakfast and while wiping his mouth, he stood up.

"After all my absent days, I need to go visit the mine today. But...I'll miss you," he said to Armin with the sweetest smile on his face.

"I'll miss you too..." Armin blushed.

"Do you know when Klaus will arrive?" Kristof asked.

"I think in the evening?"

"We will give him a good welcome."

"When will you be back? I... I want to talk to you about something," Armin bit his lip.

"Do- Do I need to be worried?" Kristof didn't know what Armin meant by talking about something. He was instantly afraid it meant bad news.

"No, not at all. No need for worries!"

"Okay," Kristof sighed in relief before he walked over to Armin and placed a kiss on top of his head. Armin smelled so nice. He wished he could bottle the scent and take it with him everywhere he'd go. "I will be back soon. We can talk before dinner?"

"Please. I'd like that. See you soon," Arming answered, smiling.

~~~

"Good, sir. Now, gently squeeze the horse with your heels." Will explained.

Armin did as the other said and the horse began to walk.

"That's right. Good. Sit up straight, sir. Do you want to go a little faster this time?" Will asked.

"Yes," Arming answered, feeling the mighty beast move underneath him.

"Okay, bump him lightly with your heels again."

The horse started trotting and Armin loved the feeling of it. He couldn't wait to go faster but WIll said that this would be all for today.

After the riding session was over, Armin climbed off the horse. "Can I come tomorrow again?" he asked Will.

"Of course, sir! You can come anytime you want. All this belongs to you anyway, so you don't even have to ask me." Will smiled and pointed out to the horses and stables.

"Thank you... How long have you been working here?"

"Ever since my mother started to work for the good sir. I have been taking care of these horses for...I think about six years."

'The good sir,' Will had called Kristof. Armin noticed that his man was very loved by all his staff and mineworkers. He must be such a good boss.

And there it was again! His mind again focused on Kristof alone.

Armin sighed with a smile. He couldn't wait till it was afternoon so he could see him again.

✧══════•❁❀❁•══════✧

Kristof had left the mine a little earlier than planned. He'd asked Adam to stay in his place because he wanted to go home and talk to Armin. The sooner the better.

While he sat in the carriage, on his way home, he wondered what Armin wanted to talk about. He really had no clue. He had been so happy these past few days. The feeling when they'd kissed was everything to Kristof. Of course, he wanted more than just kisses. But he didn't want to rush Armin.

When he arrived home, he instantly searched for Armin. May told him that the man was in the garden and she was right.

His younger lover was squatting next to the rose bushes, smelling their flowers. There grew over a hundred different varieties, their colors brightening up the greens. Armin amongst all these pretty flowers was a vision to behold. Kristof loved the sight.

"Oh," Armin said, noticing Kristof. A smile grew on his face.

"Do they smell nice?" Kristof asked.

"Yes, they do."

Armin plucked one red rose and stood up, bringing the rose to Kristof's nose so the other could have a sniff as well.

"Yes, very sweet."

They were both stupidly grinning at each other.

"So... shall we sit? Over there?" Armin pointed towards the white wooden bench that stood under the gazebo. It was his favorite spot. The white gazebo was grown with flowers and it had the best view over the garden.

"As you wish."

"Kristof...I have something to tell you. I don't know what my father told you, but...I'm not a virgin anymore."

Armin knew it was common for an arranged marriage that the person being 'bought' was still a virgin.

"Thanks for telling me. That doesn't change anything for me, Armin." Kristof replied.

"Did you...ever...have a lover before?" Armin asked with much curiosity.

"Yes, I've had someone I consider to be a former lover. But our relationship was mostly physical."

"Oh," Armin responded. So Kristof wasn't a virgin either?

"He was a foreigner I met during one of my travels. And you? Did you...sleep with the man we spoke about earlier?"

"Yes," Armin said

"And was it...nice?"

"No." Armin shook his head.

"Why wasn't it nice?"

"It hurt."

"Was he your first?"

"Yes, my first and only. It was one time and it was horrible."

"I'm sorry for that."

"So, what I wanted to speak to you about was...I want us to...I mean--" Armin cleared his throat. "I want us..."

Why was this so hard? He'd thought about it all day. But now he had to say it and it came out all wrong!

"Relax, Armin, just take your time and tell me what is on your mind," Kristof replied. He had never seen Armin struggle with words before.

"Okay." Armin blew out a breath of air and said, "Kristof...I want to sleep with you."

Kristof blinked. His heart skipped a beat. "Armin, I... I want that too, more than anything in the world. A-are you sure?"

"Yes. I want you. Please, give me a new first time. I want it to be you. I want to repeat our ceremonial night with the clothes and all. Just with a different ending. Tomorrow. Let's complete our marriage tomorrow."

Armin actually wanted it tonight, but he didn't know when Klaus would arrive.

Kristof swallowed hard. He couldn't believe this. Of course, he wanted Armin. He wanted him more than anything in the world. Kristof took both of Armin's hands and nodded.

"Are you scared?" Kristof asked.

"I am a little," Armin admitted.

Kristof caressed Armin's cheek. "I will--"

"Sir! SIR!" A loud cry echoed through the garden. It was Adam running towards them. The man was completely out of breath and blackened with filth on his face. His eyes were veiny red, looking mortified while tears had made clear streaks through the dirtiness on his cheeks. "Sir! There's been an explosion in the mine!" he then cried out, right before he dropped to his knees from exhaustion and started crying.

Kristof was shocked by the news. He kneeled beside Adam and took his crying friend in his arms.

"Tell me everything, Adam!"