Three centuries passed in the blink of a divine eye.
The heavens watched with awe, and sometimes, despair, as Hemketu continued his relentless teasing.
He would appear at Banesh's chambers unannounced.
Hemketu (leaning against the doorway, smirk in place):
"Morning, wife. Your scrolls look lonely. Shall I keep you company?"
Banesh (frowning, composed as ever):
"You are supposed to be attending the Southern Spirit Realm. Why are you here?"
Hemketu's amber eyes glimmered.
"To make sure you didn't forget me."
He dropped a plate of sweet fruits onto Banesh's table.
"You owe me a kiss," he whispered.
Banesh hid a sigh behind his hand.
"Impossible," he murmured, though a blush betrayed him.
---
He would steal Banesh's hair ornaments just to watch him chase him through the celestial gardens.
Hemketu (holding a silver hairpin between long fingers):
"Catch me if you can, Shrimati Banesh."
Banesh, floating gracefully but with a hint of exasperation:
"You will regret this."
Hemketu just laughed — a soft, dangerous sound.
"You will forget to be angry, eventually."
And slowly… slowly… Banesh's heart softened.
---
Forbidden First Time — Secret Under the Blanket
The monsoon pattered softly on the Mangrove Throne, silvering the river beneath. The blanket, thick and woven from moon-thread and river-silk, was wrapped around their waists, cocooning them in shadow and warmth.
Banesh's chest heaved, back arching against Hemketu. The restraint of centuries had shattered — a mixture of curiosity, longing, and forbidden desire flooding him.
Banesh (voice trembling, fast, almost panicked):
"Ah… Hem… Hemketu… I… I shouldn't… ohhh… gods aren't… we aren't—"
Hemketu's lips brushed his temple, soft yet insistent.
"Shhh… only tonight, Gahana-Dev. Only with me."
Banesh cried out, a sharp, startled whimper followed by a gasp.
"Ahhh… I… I've waited… I can't… ohhh! Hemketu… please…"
Hemketu's hands moved with care, guiding him, brushing along his spine, fingers tracing curves that had never been touched, never explored.
"You are allowed… only with me… only for this night."
Banesh's voice broke again, breathless and fast:
"Oh… oh Hemketu… it feels too much… I… ahhh… I can't hold it… don't stop…"
A soft moan escaped Hemketu, warm and low.
"I won't. I'll take care of you. You don't need to hold anything back."
Banesh trembled violently, sobbing softly into the curve of Hemketu's neck, his hands clutching the blanket as though it could anchor him against the storm of sensation.
"Ahhh… Hemketu… ohhh… I… I didn't know… I've never… gods aren't… they can't… and yet… ohhh!"
Hemketu's lips trailed along Banesh's collarbones, his touch gentle, reverent.
"You are mine, even if the heavens forbid it. Every cry, every whimper… it's yours, only yours."
Banesh arched, shivering, moaning uncontrollably, words tumbling in a rush:
"Ohhh… Hemketu… I… I can't… I'm… ohhh! I want… I need… only you… please… don't stop…"
Hemketu wrapped him close, whispering between soft kisses, guiding, holding, loving:
"I've waited centuries for you to surrender… this curiosity, this desire… it is beautiful, and it's ours tonight. Only ours."
Banesh sobbed, whispered, moaned, his voice rising, trembling, almost screaming in intensity under the blanket.
"Ohhh… Hemketu… I… I'm yours… all mine… all yours… ohhh!"
And in that cocoon of warmth, under moon-thread and river-silk, they explored each other with reverence and longing — centuries of curiosity, temptation, and suppressed desire finally released.
When it ended, Banesh collapsed against Hemketu's chest, trembling, sobbing softly, body and heart completely spent.
Hemketu brushed his hair from Banesh's face, voice soft, adoring:
"You were perfect, Gahana-Dev. You've always been mine."
Banesh whispered between trembling breaths:
"…I am… yours… always… Hemketu…"