"I'm sorry I ever doubted you," Night admitted once they stepped back into the warm, summer air of late-evening Ruame. "You always know the most amazing things to show me."

Kee chuckled and pulled Night close as they walked, his arm around Night as if they were lovers. "Of course I do," Kee replied. "I always have. And I've always gotten you tipsy enough to have my way with you."

Night could feel himself blushing, but he knew that to be the truth as well. There was no moderation when it came to Kee - everything was all or nothing, be it drink or art or physical pleasure. And already having indulged in drinking and a whirlwind of performances, a grand gallery and an afternoon of shopping from the entire market of artisans in the main streets of Ruame, Night knew what was next.

He considered resisting, but it would be futile - it would be to deny the very reason for his visit to his elder brother.

"You have," Night said as Kee guided him around a corner. How far they were from Kee's manor, he wasn't entirely sure, but it wouldn't be too far. They hadn't walked too far, originally.

"You'll spend the last days of summer with me, won't you?" Kee questioned a moment later. He gazed upwards at the darkening sky. "I can hardly imagine anything more beautiful than how you would be, frolicking in my gardens on a warm summer night."

"You just want to paint me again," Night commented. It wouldn't be bad - he'd posed for Kee a hundred times, for quick sketches and grand paintings, for things to be placed in his own castle in Mana Corani and for intimate art that only Kee would ever see. Night would do most anything for his older brother -- and Night knew that Kee knew that.

"I do," Kee said with a smile. "And the summer will soon be over."

"Mmm..." Night pretended to consider it. He was not due anywhere, and likely no one aside for his wife had even noticed that he'd slipped away -- if even she had.

"I will take that as a 'yes' and that's final," Kee decided, pulling Night to him for a quick kiss. Already Night had lost the scarf that he'd been using to disguise his long, black hair -- he was self-conscious that he might be recognized, especially since it seemed everyone in the town knew Kee personally.

When his mouth met Kee's, however, he stopped worrying about anything else but clinging to Kee, tasting him and touching him. They'd been apart for far longer than Night had intended, and he felt the old feelings he had for his brother welling up inside him -- staying for the last days of summer would not be a problem. Tearing himself away from Kee would.

Kee was smiling a soft, warm smile when Night finally pulled away. Night felt like a young man again smitten, unsure of what to do with his feelings. Without even thinking, he grabbed Kee's hand and pulled him beneath the veil, racing them back to Kee's manor and to the deepest part of the garden, where a statue of lovers looked over thousands of sweet-smelling blooms.

"I..." Night started, a little embarrassed at his own action. But, once he had taken a couple of deep breaths, Kee only chuckled.

"Eager," he commented before turning towards the manor. "But I have to get a sketchbook, at least. Feel free to take off your clothing, though. It doesn't suit you."

Night blushed red again as he glanced downward. Normally he wore the rich black of the Goddess of Death, his elder sister Daria. But for the evening, he was in greys and greens, clothing that made him unnoticeable among the general population of Ruame.

Once Kee was gone, he began to undress without question.

Things did not change, when it came to his reactions to Kee. He was half-hard when he began to unlace his pants and couldn't help stroking himself through the thin material as he wondered what Kee might have in store for him once the sketches had been finished.

"Here!" Kee's voice made Night turn quickly, momentarily ashamed at his state. Kee was holding a blanket along with an armful of art supplies.

"Perfect," Night replied softly, reaching for it. He didn't cover himself, but he did glance around to try to figure out where he was to pose. Kee was the artist - he was just a model. He'd tried painting, while with Kee originally, but never quite progressed beyond doodles and smudges.

"There," Kee said, pointing once Night had fully taken the blanket. At the base of the statue - Night should have known. "And lay down on it."

Night obeyed without comment, settling onto his side to stare at Kee, who had moved to one of the benches.

"Hmm..." Kee frowned and then smiled. "Look up at the statue and touch yourself."

"Kee..." Night pleaded. It was a little much, even half-drunk. He was the King of the East, after all. He'd struggled for years to gain the dignity of a ruler, yet...

"For me," Kee said quickly, his voice low and demanding. "Just for me. And when I've captured you on paper, I'll capture you in my mouth and fill your body with me. I'll make you come to me every summer without fail."

Night did not resist after that, for at that moment, he wanted not a thing otherwise. Shifting, he gazed up at the statue of the three lovers in their obscene embrace and reached to stroke his now-aching erection.

No longer was he the King of the East, or Lord General, or even a god at all.

No, he was summer, he was art, he was whatever Kee wanted him to be -- at least for the next few days.