By Zephyria 
Haon’s lips fluttered, and his cheeks flushed a deep crimson.
His eyes darted away from In-ho, brimming with embarrassment. Despite this, his body remained clung tightly to In-ho, refusing to let go.
Through their chests pressed firmly together, In-ho could feel Haon’s thumping heartbeat. In-ho stroked his back, as if to soothe the racing heart.
“Do you want to do it now?”
A faint trace of amusement lingered in the voice whispering against Haon’s ear.
“A-Ah, no…! I didn’t mean we should do it right now.”
Flustered, Haon shook his head vigorously. His heart sank at the thought that In-ho might perceive him as someone overly lustful.
“I meant… in the future, I mean, later on, often… uh, a lot…”
The more he tried to explain, the stranger it seemed to sound. Watching Haon’s face grow redder by the second, In-ho seemed to be simply enjoying himself.
“Alright, Haon-ssi.”
With a gentle smile, In-ho pressed a quick kiss onto Haon’s fluttering lips. He traced his lips over Haon’s mouth, the dip of his philtrum, the bridge of his high nose, and his rounded forehead.
“I like you much more.”
In-ho smiled, echoing the words Haon had once said to him.
He was awake, not sleeping.
Realizing this, even the pale skin of Haon’s inner flesh flushed red. Hiding his face in In-ho’s embrace, Haon faintly grumbled, asking why he had pretended to be asleep.
In-ho brushed off the question with a laugh. Then, he gave a gentle, painless nip to the nape of Haon’s reddened neck.
* * *
Haon recovered quickly.
After sleeping soundly for another day with In-ho, surprisingly, his appetite returned. It was the first time he had been able to eat so soon after a heat ended.
Haon ate so well that In-ho actually became worried.
“Can you eat more?”
Haon, who was chewing the savory porridge thoroughly, nodded. Since porridge was easy to digest, it was fine to eat a lot of it.
“I’ll eat all of that,” Haon said, pointing to the bowl of porridge In-ho was holding. Haon was eating a late breakfast sitting on the bed rather than at the table. It was a meal closer to lunch.
“You can leave some.”
In-ho scooped a small amount of porridge with the spoon and fed it to Haon. Haon opened his mouth like a sparrow and accepted it eagerly. He then gestured with his eyes for In-ho to eat some as well.
Only then did In-ho put some porridge in his own mouth. He had brought only one bowl, claiming that he usually didn’t eat much for breakfast.
“In-ho-ssi, you’ll have lunch, right?”
“I should. How about you, Haon-ssi?”
“This is enough for me.”
“Then you’ll have to finish it all.”
Smiling, In-ho scooped more porridge. Haon didn’t decline and simply kept his mouth open. In-ho loved feeding Haon, and Haon loved every action In-ho took to take care of him. They were a perfect match.
“I’ll apply the medicine.”
In-ho placed the empty porridge bowl on the nightstand and picked up the ointment. Since Haon couldn’t take oral medication, In-ho was thorough with the topical treatments instead.
He gently spread the ointment on Haon’s palms, which still bore bruised marks, his feet full of scratches, and his cheeks marked with blue bruises. He even pursed his lips to blow soft breaths of air—hoo, hoo—over the areas.
Haon followed suit, blowing air with his mouth as well. Then, In-ho suddenly kissed him—mwah!—making Haon burst into laughter. The clear, childlike sound of his laughter delighted In-ho’s ears.
Despite the bruises and wounds scattered across his body, Haon seemed brighter than usual. Not a single shadow remained on his pale face. Perhaps it was because he had no memory of that day.
In Haon’s mind, only the moments of being comforted by In-ho remained vivid. That seemed to be why he couldn’t stop smiling.
“I’ll apply it for you too.”
Picking up the ointment, Haon gently pulled on In-ho’s shoulder. He wanted In-ho to come closer, but when In-ho didn’t lean down, Haon approached him and applied the ointment himself.
As he spread the ointment over the scar on In-ho’s left cheek, he locked eyes with him. Then, naturally, he kissed him.
In-ho wrapped his tongue around Haon’s, which clung to him like a magnet, and stroked the softly swaying hair. Feeling the gentle touch on the back of his head, Haon let out a pleasant moan.
When a large hand slid down his spine and rubbed his waist with a slow, heavy pressure, Haon let out a whimpering sound as if tickled. However, In-ho did not withdraw his hand.
Haon’s legs, hidden under the blanket, fidgeted. When he softly raised his knees to make his presence known, the hand resting on his waist moved further down.
“You should sleep more.”
In-ho asked as he slid his hand beneath the thick blanket. Lately, Haon had developed a post-meal drowsiness he never had before; he became lethargic after a hearty meal.
Whenever Haon showed the slightest sign of sleepiness, In-ho immediately laid him back on the bed, saying that he needed sufficient rest since his fever hadn’t completely subsided.
“Right… now… I’m not sleepy.”
Haon shifted his waist slightly and pressed his body close to In-ho. In-ho was massaging the inner flesh of his thighs under the blanket. As Haon’s breath grew heavier, In-ho’s hand delved deeper.
Soft flesh touched the back of In-ho’s hand. Haon wasn’t wearing any underwear. He was only wearing the oversized pajama shirt In-ho had given him. Since the length covered his hips, it wasn’t uncomfortable; in fact, it was more convenient.
“You look sleepy.”
In-ho rubbed the tip of his nose against Haon’s slightly drooping eyelids. Haon refused to admit the creeping sleepiness until the end.
“I can sleep… later…”
With a deep sigh, he made a longing expression as if complaining to In-ho, while subtly brushing his lower half against the back of In-ho’s hand.
He wanted In-ho to touch him more. It was a problem; he felt addicted to In-ho’s touch.
In-ho kissed the whimpering Haon and climbed under the blanket. As if he had been waiting, Haon gently slid his knees between In-ho’s thighs.
Lying with their legs tightly entwined made his lower body even hotter. Haon rubbed himself against In-ho’s thigh on his own. Since In-ho wouldn’t go all the way, he had to be satisfied with touching the front.
In-ho held him only to the extent that it wouldn’t strain Haon’s body, which still had lingering symptoms of a cold. Haon, who had only recently awakened to his sexuality, was grateful for In-ho’s consideration, but at the same time, he found it regrettable. Honestly, quite a lot.
“Hng…”
Haon closed his eyes tight as In-ho gripped and pressed his buttocks with a wide palm. The moment his lower part was pressed firmly against the hard thigh, a heated moan burst out loudly.
Stimulated by the sound in his ear, In-ho swallowed a breath and raised one thigh to add a slow, grinding stimulation. He swallowed Haon’s lips as he twisted his waist, sucking the saliva pooled inside. As he rubbed the tip that was leaking fluid, Haon’s wet moans were vividly transmitted into In-ho’s mouth.
The two did almost everything except for penetration whenever they had a spare moment.
Ugh, Haon grit his teeth, his toes curling. Haon gasped for breath, thoroughly soaking In-ho’s hand.
Meanwhile, In-ho waited for the afterglow of the curled-up Haon to fade. As the breathing gradually calmed, In-ho took off his top to wipe the semen from his palm and then wiped between Haon’s legs.
“Now you’re sleepy, right?”
Haon nodded blankly.
Watching In-ho clean his body, he wriggled and snuggled into the broad chest. Now, he couldn’t even keep his eyes open properly. He felt like he could fall fast asleep just like this.
“In-ho-ssi…”
Haon opened his mouth slowly but couldn’t finish his sentence. He wanted to ask if In-ho didn’t need to do it too.
“I’ll sleep too.”
Misunderstanding Haon’s words, In-ho rested his chin on the head that smelled cozy. The small body completely enveloped in his arms was so lovely that he couldn’t stop smiling.
Then, Haon slowly lifted his head and blinked. His face looked curious about why In-ho was smiling. Instead of an answer, In-ho asked another question. Perhaps he had caught it from Haon, as the question was somewhat abrupt.
“Why do you like me, Haon-ssi?”
Why ask that all of a sudden? Haon slowly closed and opened his sleepy eyes, looking up at In-ho. It was a question that was too easy to answer.
“How could I not like you…”
His drained voice continued softly. It was a faint but certain tone.
“You’re perfect in every way.”
To Haon, In-ho was always dazzlingly handsome, kind-hearted, and a good person who always took care of others. A perfect being without a single flaw.
So, how could he not like him? In-ho was a person who couldn’t help but be loved. It was only natural that he liked him.
“In-ho-ssi… out of all the people I’ve seen, no, just in the whole world, you’re the most perfect…”
Drunk with sleep, Haon rambled on with praises for In-ho. Loving the feeling of In-ho hugging him even tighter, he buried his face in the chest where a slow heartbeat echoed and fell deep asleep. In-ho smelled wonderful today, as always.