It went well... For him

I lay on my bed in the dark, staring at the ceiling while Ethan slept across the room, softly snoring after another late-night gaming session. He had come back from his second date with Sophia earlier, flushed with excitement and nervously replaying every moment for me.“She held my hand when we were walking back,” he had whispered, grinning like an idiot. “Just for a few seconds. It felt… nice.”I had smiled and clapped him on the back. “That’s progress, man. She’s clearly into you. Keep doing exactly what you’re doing.” He thanked me again, called me the best roommate ever, and went to bed happy.But I couldn’t sleep. There’s a storm inside me I didn’t expect.

Part of me genuinely likes Ethan. He’s kind, earnest, and tries so hard. Watching him fumble through his insecurities, desperately framing his cage as some noble personal choice for “self-regulation,” stirs something uncomfortable in my chest. I keep encouraging him because that’s what the legacy demands - discretion, patience, and allowing the official bloodlines to form naturally. Yet every time I push him toward Sophia, something twists inside me.Because I want her too.I’ve seen the way she looks at me. The way her breath catches slightly when I stretch or when my shirt rides up. The subtle flush on her cheeks when our eyes meet a second too long. She likes Ethan’s gentleness and the emotional safety he offers. But her body reacts to me in a way it never will to him. That pull is ancient - the same instinct that made King Gallus choose my ancestors all those centuries ago.

Tonight, after Ethan fell asleep, I went to the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror. Broad shoulders. Thick arms. The kind of frame that comes from generations of deliberate strength and freedom. Then I thought about Ethan — decent, intelligent, but forever limited by the system his bloodline was cursed with. A system my family was elevated by. Am I supposed to wait until he turns twenty-two?

Am I supposed to watch him fall in love with her, only to become the man who satisfies her when the truth finally comes out? The old teachings say yes. The legacy is clear: we support, we wait, we provide pleasure without claiming the bloodline. We keep the powerful families stable. That is our duty and our pride.

But for the first time, it feels… cruel.I like the guy. I hate watching him **** himself with insecurities that aren’t truly his fault. When he says things like “I feel inadequate,” I have to bite my tongue so I don’t tell him the truth too early. And yet, when Sophia comes over and her eyes drift across my chest, a darker, more primal part of me stirs with satisfaction. That part wants to stop encouraging him. That part wants to take what nature so clearly intended.I slipped back into bed and exhaled slowly.Tomorrow Ethan wants to plan a third date. He’ll probably ask me for more advice, more reassurance, more ways to impress her. And I’ll give it to him. I’ll smile, pat him on the back, and tell him he’s doing great.Because that’s what a Torvald bull is supposed to do. Still, lying here in the dark, I can’t ignore the conflict tearing at me. The legacy demands patience and quiet dominance. My friendship with Ethan pulls me toward genuine loyalty. And the heat I feel when Sophia looks at me whispers that some instincts are older and stronger than any king’s decree.The arrangement endures.But for the first time, I’m not sure if I want it to.