Tension Relief (Meine Liebe/Meine Liebe Wieder, Ludwig/Naoji)
Title: Tension Relief
Fandom: Meine Liebe/Meine Liebe Wieder
Pairing: Ludwig/Naoji
Author: little teapot
Recipient: Karanis
Rating: NC-17
Warning: Sex
Summary: Sometimes, distractions are necessary.
Author’s Notes: Karanis’ prompt/notes: Ludwig/Naoji, sex in public places. Bonus points if there's hair and bondage. Even more gold stars if it's bondage USING the hair.
It started as a simple walk. The town’s main street was decorated brightly in celebration of the festival, red and yellow streamers connected each lamp post, off set by large white bows tied neatly to each one. The delicious smells from the bakeries wafted down the streets as they prepared their offerings for the day. Music of many variations and regional selections played and were heard depending on which section of the main thoroughfare one strolled along the avenue.
Ludwig walked along with Naoji and noted a look on his face that didn’t belong there. Naoji didn’t seem unhappy, but neither was it one of happiness. This was a vexing situation for Ludwig, as it had been Naoji’s idea to take a break from their midterm studies.
Interspersed with times of silence, Ludwig would occasionally point out many of the regional costuming as they prepared for the scheduled parade. Naoji was pleasant enough about it, nodding and asking questions as to the functionality of a costuming element or its over all historical meaning.
The conversation seemed to lack Naoji’s usual spirit.
Silence, Ludwig could abide. There was a time for conversation and a time for silence. However, the silence that rolled off of Naoji wasn’t a contemplative silence. It was a tense silence.
When he could no longer tolerate it, Ludwig skillfully guided them along until they had take the lesser traveled route through the throngs of people and ended up along the sidewalks, behind the many stalls that lined either side of the street. Finally, he stopped in front of one of the storefronts, closed for the celebration. Ludwig watched as his friend continued to walk, so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn’t noticed Ludwig was no longer beside him. “Naoji.”
Startled, Naoji turned, caught sight of Ludwig several paces behind and he cast his gaze down at the ground. “My apologies, Lui. I suppose I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Something other than relaxation seems to occupy your thoughts.” Ludwig walked to meet Naoji and paused in front of him before continuing on.
Naoji fell into step beside Ludwig. “I suppose I’m feeling a bit nostalgic.” He gestured around them. “We have festivals in Japan and while it’s not the same in terms of the physical trappings, it’s still quite similar in the way it…” Naoji frowned.
“Feels.” A nebulous term, evoking emotion instead of rational but served Ludwig’s use nonetheless.
“Yes.”
“And you miss your home.”
“Yes.” Naoji clasped his hands behind his back, a move he was wont to do when he was feeling unsure. “And no.”
Ludwig slanted his eyes to watch Naoji, one eyebrow arching artfully in question.
“Of course, I miss my home and my family, but I have friends here to keep me company so it makes the separation easier.” Naoji laughed and it sounded strained, keyed up. “We’ve been out for some time, perhaps it’s time for me to return to my room.”
They hadn’t been out that long and Ludwig knew the deflection for what it was. Naoji was feeling uncomfortable in the large press of people as they lined the streets in wait for the parade. He could hear the band striking up in the distance, which meant it would be along shortly and then not only would it be crowded, it would be noisy as well.
That would just add to Naoji’s unease - a situation that was completely unacceptable. His hand on Naoji’s elbow, Ludwig steered his friend down the next turn between two buildings.
“Lui?” Naoji asked. He looked around in confusion. “Where are we going?”
“You wish to return to the dormitories. This route is the quickest and least traveled since the parade has everyone’s attention,” Ludwig said confidently. He released Naoji’s arm and gathered up Naoji’s hair, stroking down the tail in an intimate gesture and allowing the ends to spill off his fingers. When the last of the hair trickled off his fingertips, he heard Naoji release a soft sigh.
“Ah, I…thank you.”
They walked quite a distance, turning down side streets and the more muffled the noises of the celebration became, the more Naoji calmed. He laughed nervously. “While I enjoy festivals, I think I prefer quiet solitude as a way to relax.”
Their pace slowed considerably now that they were no longer in a hurry to get away and Naoji dropped into a leisurely stroll once more, his head bowed in more silent contemplation.
It was his turn to stop in the middle of the street and Ludwig noticed it almost immediately. “Naoji, are you well?”
“Yes,” he said and when he met Ludwig’s look, a fire sparkled in his brown eyes. It was a look Ludwig was becoming quite familiar with and he felt an answering pulse through his body.
Time spent together was precious. Classes, independent studies, outside lessons for their fencing and horsemanship - it kept their schedules quite full. The times where they could be alone with nothing pressing were rare, making it that much more valuable to Ludwig.
It finally all clicked together what was bothering Naoji. In the depths of Naoji’s gaze, Ludwig could see it all with crystal clarity.
The moment hung in time as they looked at each other before they both sprang into motion. Where Naoji had strength, Ludwig had speed, which was why he was one of the top fencers at the Academy, and it served him well in this instance.
His hands closed on Naoji’s uniform and pulled him in for a kiss. Their mouths collided and blood tinted his tongue. Ludwig couldn’t tell whose lip had been cut and didn’t want to take the time to find out. He was far too busy exploring Naoji’s mouth.
A pivot and a shuffled step had Naoji colliding hard with a building, the air escaping his lungs in a gasp that broke their kiss apart. Ludwig licked and realized it was his lip that had split but it hardly mattered. The pooling of heat in his groin mattered. The press of Naoji’s erection against his hip mattered.
The look in Naoji’s eyes, an invitation for intimacy even there in the middle of a town in the throes of a festival, mattered.
With a firm grip on Naoji’s wrist, Ludwig twisted until it forced Naoji to face the wall and had to put his free hand out to help steady himself. Falling in behind him, Ludwig pressed behind Naoji and held his gaze over Naoji’s shoulder as their bodies aligned.
Shaking his head to get the hair out of his face, Ludwig seized on an idea suddenly and he smiled.
Ludwig gathered up a handful of his own hair and pulled it over his shoulder. Wrenching Naoji’s arm up behind his back, Ludwig looped his hair around the wrist, catching it in a half hitch knot. Hair being slick, the knot wouldn’t stay on its own but Ludwig held the tension on the end of the ‘rope’ and that sufficed to keep Naoji’s wrist in place.
“Lui, wait, what-”
“No talking, Naoji,” Ludwig said against the shoulder Naoji’s jacket.
“But we’re outside.”
“Your observation skills are what mark you as being a worthy Strahl Candidate.” He slid his hand down Naoji’s free arm and grasped at the wrist, moving Naoji’s hand to the front of his trousers. “Unfasten.”
Naoji shifted against the wall and resisted against Ludwig’s tug. “Lui, please, we’re in public.” His protests, however, were half-hearted and proven so when he rocked his hips back against Ludwig.
Leaning into Naoji to hold him still with his body weight, Ludwig hitched Naoji’s bound arm up higher, well aware of the strain on his shoulder. The hard line of his erection pressed against the tailored seam of Naoji’s uniform pants.
Once Naoji stopped fighting, Ludwig whispered against Naoji’s cheek. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course, Lui but-”
“No buts. Trust me. Unfasten your trousers and push them down your thighs.”
There was hesitation but it was fleeting. Naoji reached down, one-handed, to unbuckle and unzip. Ludwig could feel Naoji’s heart race in anticipation. He smiled and placed a kiss against Naoji’s neck. “Very good.”
He shifted his own weight and with his boots, kicked at Naoji’s feet, nudging them close together. “Close your legs, Naoji. Keep them tight together.”
Naoji complied and Ludwig worked on his own pants. His bare hips met the heated flesh of Naoji’s ass, and his cock, now erect and throbbing, slid easily against his cheeks. The friction brought forth a set of moans, and Naoji let his head fall to rest against the coarse brick building.
Ludwig’s fingers wiggled beneath the twist of fabric holding Naoji’s fundoshi in place and the cloth fell away. He liked that about Naoji. Even though in a foreign country and adopting their mode of dress over the traditional garb of his homeland, Naoji still wore a fundoshi beneath his uniform. Ludwig found it quite erotic. It was a shame they couldn’t do more with it. Perhaps another time.
With his feet positioned outside of Naoji’s to help keep them squeezed them together, Ludwig pulled his hips back and after a fast adjustment, slid his cock between the pressed flesh of Naoji’s thighs. He groaned. Not quite like being inside Naoji; not like his mouth but still an acceptable sensation.
And it allowed free range of motion to satisfy the need to thrust.
His cock slipped freely, the friction heating his flesh further as it nudged against Naoji’s sac. Reaching around, he guided Naoji to place his hand on his own dick and to close his fingers around his shaft. “Stroke, Naoji. Show me you enjoy this as well.”
Ludwig could tell Naoji enjoyed it, if his breathing and the mewling hums were anything to go by. He set his teeth lightly into the flesh of Naoji’s neck, just below his ear. With one hand steady on Naoji’s hips, he picked up the tempo of his thrusts in earnest.
Every slap of their hips echoed off the red brick and down the alley. The sounds of the festival drifted in occasionally as the parade marched by their little alcove and mingled with the grunts and moans that rose from the two. Naoji, normally quiet and reserved, could be quite vocal when in bed, an attribute that always pleased Ludwig.
They moved in time, thrusts synchronized to the march of the drums that beat along, rising in volume, then fading away as it passed. Ludwig pounded against Naoji, still holding to his wrist and his hip to keep him pulled from the wall, thus giving Naoji’s hand freedom to stroke uninhibited.
“You need to come, Naoji. We are alone now, but the sounds of the parade are fading. It will be over shortly and soon our position will be covered in pedestrians as they head back home.” Ludwig nipped at Naoji’s ear and he lowered his voice, husky and rough from his own approaching orgasm. “Unless you wish them to see you like this, with your lips parted and your hips bared for me; breathless and needy….”
To punctuate his words, he released his bruising hold and tenderly stroked down along Naoji’s hip and thigh. Naoji rewarded Ludwig with a jerk and he arched back against Ludwig’s chest. Such talk always seemed to have that affect on Naoji, as if he enjoyed the thrilling possibility of discovery.
…a fact that Ludwig pressed ruthlessly. He was close and wanted to have Naoji close as well. Not to mention his threats of discovery were not just pretty words to excite Naoji further but a real possibility. “Would that please you? To know that someone, there, off barely hidden around the corner, or peeking out of their window, watching us and finding they can’t turn away as you throw your head back and shout my name when you release?”
According to Naoji’s moan, it did.
Ludwig released his hold on his hair and Naoji’s wrist, and slipped his arm around to pull Naoji tight against him. Biting his lip to stifle his shout, Naoji arched and moaned low. His fist slowed down and he pulsed out against the building, painting it with white stripes.
The tension in Naoji’s body was enough, tightened down through his legs and provided enough pressure that Ludwig was easily able to follow. Wordlessly, with only a sigh against Naoji’s now sweaty neck, Ludwig dragged Naoji hard against him and added his contribution to Naoji’s over the brick.
He stood there for a moment to catch his breath and waited for the pounding in his chest to slow. Very little to clean up, Ludwig removed his handkerchief from a pocket and handed it to Naoji, careful that he didn’t cause a mess as he stepped away and tucked back into his uniform.
Naoji was silent while he finished cleaning up. The fundoshi was a lost cause. He simply wound the fabric up and tucked it away with the handkerchief and pulled his trousers up. Once he was presentable, Naoji turned to face Ludwig. His face still flushed and his bangs damp, he combed at them and pushed them from his forehead.
“Thank you.” Naoji’s smile faltered when he rolled his shoulder.
Ludwig arched eyebrow. With a gesture, he indicated they should walk and started down the alley, only to stop when he noticed Naoji wasn’t following. “Is something the matter?”
“Only,” Naoji glanced over his shoulder back toward the festival. “I find I don’t wish to return back to the dormitories just yet.”
Ah. That did take care of the problem then. Ludwig kept his expression neutral and turned to head in the direction of the main street and the fading sounds of the parade. “Very well, we can go back if that’s what you’d prefer.”
People were starting to drift away from the parade route and they passed Ludwig and Naoji with cheerful greetings and waves; their conversations were loud and excited as the children raced ahead, darting back and forth with the excess energy that public gatherings gave them.
Naoji dodged a pair of particular energetic children and fell into step with Ludwig. “Lui, was…” he hesitated and then gestured behind them. “Was what you said true?”
“Mmm? About?”
Naoji’s voice dropped to a whisper. “About someone…watching?”
Ludwig let his lips curl slightly and he slanted his eyes over at Naoji who had turned an interesting shade of red.
He let the silence linger.
“Lui?”
Fandom: Meine Liebe/Meine Liebe Wieder
Pairing: Ludwig/Naoji
Author: little teapot
Recipient: Karanis
Rating: NC-17
Warning: Sex
Summary: Sometimes, distractions are necessary.
Author’s Notes: Karanis’ prompt/notes: Ludwig/Naoji, sex in public places. Bonus points if there's hair and bondage. Even more gold stars if it's bondage USING the hair.
It started as a simple walk. The town’s main street was decorated brightly in celebration of the festival, red and yellow streamers connected each lamp post, off set by large white bows tied neatly to each one. The delicious smells from the bakeries wafted down the streets as they prepared their offerings for the day. Music of many variations and regional selections played and were heard depending on which section of the main thoroughfare one strolled along the avenue.
Ludwig walked along with Naoji and noted a look on his face that didn’t belong there. Naoji didn’t seem unhappy, but neither was it one of happiness. This was a vexing situation for Ludwig, as it had been Naoji’s idea to take a break from their midterm studies.
Interspersed with times of silence, Ludwig would occasionally point out many of the regional costuming as they prepared for the scheduled parade. Naoji was pleasant enough about it, nodding and asking questions as to the functionality of a costuming element or its over all historical meaning.
The conversation seemed to lack Naoji’s usual spirit.
Silence, Ludwig could abide. There was a time for conversation and a time for silence. However, the silence that rolled off of Naoji wasn’t a contemplative silence. It was a tense silence.
When he could no longer tolerate it, Ludwig skillfully guided them along until they had take the lesser traveled route through the throngs of people and ended up along the sidewalks, behind the many stalls that lined either side of the street. Finally, he stopped in front of one of the storefronts, closed for the celebration. Ludwig watched as his friend continued to walk, so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn’t noticed Ludwig was no longer beside him. “Naoji.”
Startled, Naoji turned, caught sight of Ludwig several paces behind and he cast his gaze down at the ground. “My apologies, Lui. I suppose I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Something other than relaxation seems to occupy your thoughts.” Ludwig walked to meet Naoji and paused in front of him before continuing on.
Naoji fell into step beside Ludwig. “I suppose I’m feeling a bit nostalgic.” He gestured around them. “We have festivals in Japan and while it’s not the same in terms of the physical trappings, it’s still quite similar in the way it…” Naoji frowned.
“Feels.” A nebulous term, evoking emotion instead of rational but served Ludwig’s use nonetheless.
“Yes.”
“And you miss your home.”
“Yes.” Naoji clasped his hands behind his back, a move he was wont to do when he was feeling unsure. “And no.”
Ludwig slanted his eyes to watch Naoji, one eyebrow arching artfully in question.
“Of course, I miss my home and my family, but I have friends here to keep me company so it makes the separation easier.” Naoji laughed and it sounded strained, keyed up. “We’ve been out for some time, perhaps it’s time for me to return to my room.”
They hadn’t been out that long and Ludwig knew the deflection for what it was. Naoji was feeling uncomfortable in the large press of people as they lined the streets in wait for the parade. He could hear the band striking up in the distance, which meant it would be along shortly and then not only would it be crowded, it would be noisy as well.
That would just add to Naoji’s unease - a situation that was completely unacceptable. His hand on Naoji’s elbow, Ludwig steered his friend down the next turn between two buildings.
“Lui?” Naoji asked. He looked around in confusion. “Where are we going?”
“You wish to return to the dormitories. This route is the quickest and least traveled since the parade has everyone’s attention,” Ludwig said confidently. He released Naoji’s arm and gathered up Naoji’s hair, stroking down the tail in an intimate gesture and allowing the ends to spill off his fingers. When the last of the hair trickled off his fingertips, he heard Naoji release a soft sigh.
“Ah, I…thank you.”
They walked quite a distance, turning down side streets and the more muffled the noises of the celebration became, the more Naoji calmed. He laughed nervously. “While I enjoy festivals, I think I prefer quiet solitude as a way to relax.”
Their pace slowed considerably now that they were no longer in a hurry to get away and Naoji dropped into a leisurely stroll once more, his head bowed in more silent contemplation.
It was his turn to stop in the middle of the street and Ludwig noticed it almost immediately. “Naoji, are you well?”
“Yes,” he said and when he met Ludwig’s look, a fire sparkled in his brown eyes. It was a look Ludwig was becoming quite familiar with and he felt an answering pulse through his body.
Time spent together was precious. Classes, independent studies, outside lessons for their fencing and horsemanship - it kept their schedules quite full. The times where they could be alone with nothing pressing were rare, making it that much more valuable to Ludwig.
It finally all clicked together what was bothering Naoji. In the depths of Naoji’s gaze, Ludwig could see it all with crystal clarity.
The moment hung in time as they looked at each other before they both sprang into motion. Where Naoji had strength, Ludwig had speed, which was why he was one of the top fencers at the Academy, and it served him well in this instance.
His hands closed on Naoji’s uniform and pulled him in for a kiss. Their mouths collided and blood tinted his tongue. Ludwig couldn’t tell whose lip had been cut and didn’t want to take the time to find out. He was far too busy exploring Naoji’s mouth.
A pivot and a shuffled step had Naoji colliding hard with a building, the air escaping his lungs in a gasp that broke their kiss apart. Ludwig licked and realized it was his lip that had split but it hardly mattered. The pooling of heat in his groin mattered. The press of Naoji’s erection against his hip mattered.
The look in Naoji’s eyes, an invitation for intimacy even there in the middle of a town in the throes of a festival, mattered.
With a firm grip on Naoji’s wrist, Ludwig twisted until it forced Naoji to face the wall and had to put his free hand out to help steady himself. Falling in behind him, Ludwig pressed behind Naoji and held his gaze over Naoji’s shoulder as their bodies aligned.
Shaking his head to get the hair out of his face, Ludwig seized on an idea suddenly and he smiled.
Ludwig gathered up a handful of his own hair and pulled it over his shoulder. Wrenching Naoji’s arm up behind his back, Ludwig looped his hair around the wrist, catching it in a half hitch knot. Hair being slick, the knot wouldn’t stay on its own but Ludwig held the tension on the end of the ‘rope’ and that sufficed to keep Naoji’s wrist in place.
“Lui, wait, what-”
“No talking, Naoji,” Ludwig said against the shoulder Naoji’s jacket.
“But we’re outside.”
“Your observation skills are what mark you as being a worthy Strahl Candidate.” He slid his hand down Naoji’s free arm and grasped at the wrist, moving Naoji’s hand to the front of his trousers. “Unfasten.”
Naoji shifted against the wall and resisted against Ludwig’s tug. “Lui, please, we’re in public.” His protests, however, were half-hearted and proven so when he rocked his hips back against Ludwig.
Leaning into Naoji to hold him still with his body weight, Ludwig hitched Naoji’s bound arm up higher, well aware of the strain on his shoulder. The hard line of his erection pressed against the tailored seam of Naoji’s uniform pants.
Once Naoji stopped fighting, Ludwig whispered against Naoji’s cheek. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course, Lui but-”
“No buts. Trust me. Unfasten your trousers and push them down your thighs.”
There was hesitation but it was fleeting. Naoji reached down, one-handed, to unbuckle and unzip. Ludwig could feel Naoji’s heart race in anticipation. He smiled and placed a kiss against Naoji’s neck. “Very good.”
He shifted his own weight and with his boots, kicked at Naoji’s feet, nudging them close together. “Close your legs, Naoji. Keep them tight together.”
Naoji complied and Ludwig worked on his own pants. His bare hips met the heated flesh of Naoji’s ass, and his cock, now erect and throbbing, slid easily against his cheeks. The friction brought forth a set of moans, and Naoji let his head fall to rest against the coarse brick building.
Ludwig’s fingers wiggled beneath the twist of fabric holding Naoji’s fundoshi in place and the cloth fell away. He liked that about Naoji. Even though in a foreign country and adopting their mode of dress over the traditional garb of his homeland, Naoji still wore a fundoshi beneath his uniform. Ludwig found it quite erotic. It was a shame they couldn’t do more with it. Perhaps another time.
With his feet positioned outside of Naoji’s to help keep them squeezed them together, Ludwig pulled his hips back and after a fast adjustment, slid his cock between the pressed flesh of Naoji’s thighs. He groaned. Not quite like being inside Naoji; not like his mouth but still an acceptable sensation.
And it allowed free range of motion to satisfy the need to thrust.
His cock slipped freely, the friction heating his flesh further as it nudged against Naoji’s sac. Reaching around, he guided Naoji to place his hand on his own dick and to close his fingers around his shaft. “Stroke, Naoji. Show me you enjoy this as well.”
Ludwig could tell Naoji enjoyed it, if his breathing and the mewling hums were anything to go by. He set his teeth lightly into the flesh of Naoji’s neck, just below his ear. With one hand steady on Naoji’s hips, he picked up the tempo of his thrusts in earnest.
Every slap of their hips echoed off the red brick and down the alley. The sounds of the festival drifted in occasionally as the parade marched by their little alcove and mingled with the grunts and moans that rose from the two. Naoji, normally quiet and reserved, could be quite vocal when in bed, an attribute that always pleased Ludwig.
They moved in time, thrusts synchronized to the march of the drums that beat along, rising in volume, then fading away as it passed. Ludwig pounded against Naoji, still holding to his wrist and his hip to keep him pulled from the wall, thus giving Naoji’s hand freedom to stroke uninhibited.
“You need to come, Naoji. We are alone now, but the sounds of the parade are fading. It will be over shortly and soon our position will be covered in pedestrians as they head back home.” Ludwig nipped at Naoji’s ear and he lowered his voice, husky and rough from his own approaching orgasm. “Unless you wish them to see you like this, with your lips parted and your hips bared for me; breathless and needy….”
To punctuate his words, he released his bruising hold and tenderly stroked down along Naoji’s hip and thigh. Naoji rewarded Ludwig with a jerk and he arched back against Ludwig’s chest. Such talk always seemed to have that affect on Naoji, as if he enjoyed the thrilling possibility of discovery.
…a fact that Ludwig pressed ruthlessly. He was close and wanted to have Naoji close as well. Not to mention his threats of discovery were not just pretty words to excite Naoji further but a real possibility. “Would that please you? To know that someone, there, off barely hidden around the corner, or peeking out of their window, watching us and finding they can’t turn away as you throw your head back and shout my name when you release?”
According to Naoji’s moan, it did.
Ludwig released his hold on his hair and Naoji’s wrist, and slipped his arm around to pull Naoji tight against him. Biting his lip to stifle his shout, Naoji arched and moaned low. His fist slowed down and he pulsed out against the building, painting it with white stripes.
The tension in Naoji’s body was enough, tightened down through his legs and provided enough pressure that Ludwig was easily able to follow. Wordlessly, with only a sigh against Naoji’s now sweaty neck, Ludwig dragged Naoji hard against him and added his contribution to Naoji’s over the brick.
He stood there for a moment to catch his breath and waited for the pounding in his chest to slow. Very little to clean up, Ludwig removed his handkerchief from a pocket and handed it to Naoji, careful that he didn’t cause a mess as he stepped away and tucked back into his uniform.
Naoji was silent while he finished cleaning up. The fundoshi was a lost cause. He simply wound the fabric up and tucked it away with the handkerchief and pulled his trousers up. Once he was presentable, Naoji turned to face Ludwig. His face still flushed and his bangs damp, he combed at them and pushed them from his forehead.
“Thank you.” Naoji’s smile faltered when he rolled his shoulder.
Ludwig arched eyebrow. With a gesture, he indicated they should walk and started down the alley, only to stop when he noticed Naoji wasn’t following. “Is something the matter?”
“Only,” Naoji glanced over his shoulder back toward the festival. “I find I don’t wish to return back to the dormitories just yet.”
Ah. That did take care of the problem then. Ludwig kept his expression neutral and turned to head in the direction of the main street and the fading sounds of the parade. “Very well, we can go back if that’s what you’d prefer.”
People were starting to drift away from the parade route and they passed Ludwig and Naoji with cheerful greetings and waves; their conversations were loud and excited as the children raced ahead, darting back and forth with the excess energy that public gatherings gave them.
Naoji dodged a pair of particular energetic children and fell into step with Ludwig. “Lui, was…” he hesitated and then gestured behind them. “Was what you said true?”
“Mmm? About?”
Naoji’s voice dropped to a whisper. “About someone…watching?”
Ludwig let his lips curl slightly and he slanted his eyes over at Naoji who had turned an interesting shade of red.
He let the silence linger.
“Lui?”