The Price of Envy

"Am I feeling sad?" Heise asked himself. But he knew the answer, no.

Heise's breath was shallow and his pulse quickening as the scene in all its details unfolded before him. The tension between Ru and the sultan was electric, their connection undeniable, a magnetic pull that seemed to defy reason. Ru trembled in the sultan's grasp, his lithe frame dwarfed by the genie's towering presence. The sultan's hands, large and veined with silver, pressed possessively against Ru's stomach, holding him close in a way that was domineering. Ru's green eyes flickered with defiance, but his body betrayed him, leaning ever so slightly into the sultan's touch.

"How he enjoys it, bitch!" Heise whispered.

Heise felt like an intruder, a voyeur in this intimate, dangerous dance. But he couldn't look away. Yet, as he watched, a fierce, possessive thought clawed its way to the forefront of his mind, unbidden and unrelenting.

'This man... he should definitely be punished."

Heise's thoughts of whipping and chaining the genie were so enjoyable it almost caused him to lose focus.

'And that innocent-looking little devil... not my type at all, but...'

"I beg you, please..." Groaning, Ru let forth a sound. His sincerity nearly convinced Heise to come to his rescue.

'But what if it's real?'

This question that crossed Heise's mind made him think.

'It's already real, idiot. Why do you think Ru destroyed the genie?'

After a moment, Heise's brain made a request he didn't even want to consider.

'This boy should be mine. No one else's.'

Heise's jaw tightened, his fingers curling into fists at his sides. The thought startled him, its intensity burning through his usual composure. Heise had been a man of strategy, of calculated moves and cold logic. However, this was an entirely different experience. It was raw, primal, and utterly irrational. Ru played the role of a pawn, serving as a tool to achieve a specific goal. Or at least, that's what Heise had told himself. But now, as he watched the sultan's hands slide up Ru's sides, as he saw the way Ru's breath hitched and his lips parted in a silent gasp, Heise felt something he hadn't allowed himself to feel in a long time: desire.

The Sultan leaned down, his lips brushing against Ru's ear as he whispered something too low for Heise to hear. Ru's eyes fluttered shut, his body trembling, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, exposing the delicate curve of his neck. The Sultan's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile, and he pressed a kiss to Ru's throat, slow and deliberate.

"Fuck you!" Heise swore again. His stomach churned, a hot, searing jealousy rising in his chest. He stepped forward, his movements sharp and purposeful, but the dreamscape seemed to resist him, the air thickening like molasses. He was trapped in the shadows, forced to watch as the Sultan claimed what Heise now realized he wanted for himself.

"Get your hands off him!" Heise shouted, his voice piercing through the dream like a blade. It was low, dangerous, and filled with a quiet fury that made even the sultan pause.

The genie turned his head, his blue eyes locking onto Heise's. For a moment, there was silence, the tension between them crackling like a storm about to break. Then the sultan smiled, slow and predatory.

"And who are you," the sultan asked, his voice a deep, resonant purr, "to demand anything of me?"

Heise stepped forward, his presence commanding despite the dream's resistance. "I am the one who brought him here," he said, his voice steady but laced with menace. "And I am the one who will take him back."

Ru's eyes snapped open, his gaze darting between Heise and the sultan. "Heise?" he said, his voice trembling. "What are you—"

The sultan's grip tightened around Ru's waist, pulling him closer. "Ah, so this is your little shadow," the sultan said, his tone mocking. "How quaint."

Heise's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching. "Let. Him. Go."

"Or what?" The sultan chuckled, the sound low and rich. "You'll fight me for him? In my domain?"

Heise didn't respond. Instead, he raised a hand, and the dreamscape around them began to shift. The golden palace gates shimmered and cracked, the walls of the sultan's domain trembling under the force of Heise's will. The sultan's smile faltered, his eyes narrowing as he realized the extent of Heise's power.

"You dare—" the sultan began, but Heise cut him off.

"I dare," Heise said, his voice cold and unyielding. "Because he is not yours to keep."

Ru's breath hitched, his eyes wide as he looked at Heise. He had never seen Heise like this, so raw, so unguarded. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

The sultan's grip on Ru loosened slightly, his expression darkening. "You think you can take him from me?" he said, his voice a low growl. "You think you can challenge me?"

Heise stepped closer, his movements deliberate, his eyes never leaving the sultan's. "I don't think," he said, his voice soft but filled with steel. "I know."

The air between them crackled with tension, the dreamscape trembling under the weight of their power. Ru stood frozen, caught between them. He didn't know who to look at or who to trust. But as Heise's gaze met his, something shifted. There was a promise in Heise's eyes—a promise that burned brighter than the sultan's possessiveness.

"Ru," Heise said, his voice firm but with an undercurrent of something softer. "Come to me."

Ru hesitated, his eyes darting to the sultan. The genie's grip tightened again, his expression darkening. "You belong to me, Lirui," the sultan said, his voice a low, dangerous purr. "You always have."

Ru's breath hitched, his body trembling. But then he looked at Heise again, and something in him snapped. With a sudden, desperate movement, he wrenched himself free from the sultan's grasp and stumbled toward Heise.

The sultan's eyes blazed with fury, but before he could react, Heise raised a hand, and the dreamscape shattered. The golden palace gates crumbled, the walls collapsing into nothingness. The last thing Ru saw was the sultan's furious gaze before everything went dark.

When Ru opened his eyes, he was back in the real world, lying on the floor with Heise kneeling beside him. Heise's hand was on his chest, his expression unreadable but his eyes burning with an intensity that made Ru's breath catch.

"Heise," Ru said, his voice trembling. "What—"

"You're mine," Heise said, his voice low and filled with a possessiveness that sent a shiver down Ru's spine. "No one else's."

Ru's eyes widened, his heart racing. But before he could respond, Heise leaned down, his lips capturing Ru's in a kiss that was fierce, demanding, and utterly consuming. Ru's mind went blank, his body responding instinctively.

When Heise finally pulled away, his breath was ragged, his eyes dark with desire. "Mine," he said again, his voice a low growl.