By Zephyria 
He had sроken out оf a half-imрulsivе mооd. Nаturаlly, Do-hуun gаvе a short lаugh and stroked Wоo-уeоn’s baсk.
“Why wоuld уоu do somеthing like thаt on your birthdаy?”
Something likе that? Who was thе onе whо had been attemрting ‘something like thаt’ аll this timе?
Wоо-yeоn blinked with а hаzy mind. Thе rеmnants of pleаsure hаd nоt yet fаdеd, саusing рherоmоnes tо leak out intermittently. Нis thoughts werе fragmentеd, but his hand moved оn its own.
Нis hand slid down slоwlу and gripрed the stifflу erесt pеnis. It wаsn’t Woо-уeоn’s, but thаt оf Do-hyun, whо wаs holding him. Аs sооn аs he gently stroked the shaft, a groan escaped through Do-hyun’s teeth.
“Ugh…”
With his forehead resting between Do-hyun’s neck and shoulder, Woo-yeon rubbed the glans with his thumb. He didn’t forget to move his fingers in a slow, grinding motion, just as Do-hyun had done for him. Seeing him react to every single touch was far more thrilling than he had imagined.
“I’ll do it with my mouth for you.”
“….”
Conflict flickered in those pitch-black eyes. Do-hyun remained silent, but Woo-yeon knew he was contemplating it. Just as he was about to move his hand further, Do-hyun suddenly flipped Woo-yeon’s body over.
“Later.”
Chu, lips touched his ear. The outer rim, the lobe, and down to the jaw and nape of the neck. After kissing him in succession, Do-hyun wrapped his right arm around Woo-yeon’s waist.
“Not right now.”
Do-hyun didn’t tell him why it couldn’t be now. He simply rubbed Woo-yeon’s stomach, moving his hand up to the protruding nipples.
“Hngh…”
A thick penis rubbed between his buttocks. The member, sliding long from the tailbone downward, brushed against the area near the entrance. Do-hyun pinched the nipple with his fingertips and gave a gentle command.
“Lean against the wall.”
“…Hng.”
“Keep your legs closed.”
Woo-yeon leaned against the wall with both hands and closed his thighs as told. He didn’t know what Do-hyun intended to do, but he had no bad memories of listening to Do-hyun during sex. As he obediently took the position, Do-hyun kissed the back of his neck a couple of times as if praising him.
“Don’t open your legs.”
“Hng, nn…”
Do-hyun moved the hand that had been around his waist downward and caressed the penis that had already ejaculated once. Even though he hadn’t touched it for long, the soft organ quickly reared its head. After massaging the shaft and the testicles below, he pushed his penis between Woo-yeon’s thighs.
“…What are you trying to do?”
At the innocent question, Do-hyun rubbed his nose against Woo-yeon’s nape. Water droplets clinging to his hair dripped down onto his shoulders. With his free hand, Do-hyun grabbed Woo-yeon’s chin and kissed him at an angle.
“For the time being…”
The penis wedged between his thighs slowly retreated. It was just his legs, yet the area below his waist felt tingly and strange. Pushing his hips up again, Do-hyun spoke in a suppressed voice.
“I have to do it, even like this.”
“Ah…”
The penis pushed firmly in and rubbed beneath the testicles. Reflexively arching his back, Woo-yeon leaned his forehead against the hand supporting him on the wall. Even though there was no actual penetration, the sensation was incredibly strange.
“Ugh…”
Do-hyun increased the speed slowly, very slowly. He toyed with various parts of Woo-yeon’s body, savoring the soft skin to his heart’s content. Then, just as Woo-yeon could no longer endure it and began to open his legs, Do-hyun whispered low in his ear.
“Yeon-ah, your legs.”
“Ha-ah, hng…”
Poke, poke, the smooth glans touched Woo-yeon’s penis. It scraped the perineum when pulling out and deliberately passed through the wet entrance when pushing back in. The touch on the front was wonderful, but the sensation of touching the back was frustratingly teasing.
“Ugh, hng… Hyung…”
Woo-yeon barely managed to turn his head to look at Do-hyun. Their eyes met exquisitely, and it felt as if a spark of electricity surged through him. Rubbing himself and pushing his lower body back, Woo-yeon pleaded in a tearful voice.
“I want you to put it in, hng…”
Do-hyun stopped moving. The pheromones that had been pouring out also vanished in an instant. Woo-yeon grabbed Do-hyun’s wrist with the hand that had been on the wall, his eyes drooping.
“Please put it in…”
There was no need to add anything more. As soon as those words left his mouth, Do-hyun’s eyes darkened deeply. Letting out a breath, he bit firmly into the rim of Woo-yeon’s ear.
“…Let’s go to the bed.”
* * *
The impact of the request to “put it in” was immense. Without even having time to dry himself, Woo-yeon was tormented by Do-hyun on the bed all night. At first, he groaned while clutching the pillow, and then he whimpered while gripping the sheets. The act, oscillating between fear and pleasure, finally ended around dawn.
Woo-yeon opened his eyes when the sun was high in the sky. The sound of the steady rain shaking him awake from his deep slumber. Beyond his slowly lifting eyelids, he saw a sky filled with dark clouds.
“…Ah.”
As he spoke softly, a completely hoarse voice came out. Woo-yeon blinked slowly, watching the rain streaks flowing down the window. How many condoms did they use yesterday? While he was thinking that, a tender voice descended.
“Did you sleep well?”
The culprit who had tormented Woo-yeon all night stroked his hair with an utterly affectionate touch. He kissed the cheek near his ear and pulled Woo-yeon into his embrace. De-gururu, rolling his body, Woo-yeon snuggled deep into Do-hyun’s arms.
“Your eyes are all swollen.”
Do-hyun had a full smile on his face, as if something was incredibly pleasing. Unlike the puffy Woo-yeon, his face was neat and clean. Feeling inexplicably grumpy, Woo-yeon lightly bit the hand resting on his cheek.
“It hurts.”
It didn’t hurt at all; it was just a performance for the sake of courtesy. The funny thing was that Woo-yeon’s mood improved from such a prank.
“What time is it?”
“A little past 1 o’clock. Your voice is so hoarse, what are we going to do?”
“You’re the one who did this, Darling…”
Responding bluntly, Woo-yeon buried his face in Do-hyun’s chest. Unlike Woo-yeon, who was wearing a large T-shirt, Do-hyun was wearing only a pair of black briefs. It seemed he had dressed Woo-yeon while he was asleep but hadn’t put on any clothes himself.
‘He’s warm…’
Perhaps because they were under the covers, the parts where their bare skin touched were hot. If he closed his eyes, he felt as if he would swoosh back into a dream. However, Do-hyun did not let Woo-yeon fall easily into the abyss of sleep.
“I have a birthday present…”
Those words made his ears perk up. He had received presents from Ga-ram and Seon-kyu (a bath bomb and a phone case), but something about a gift from Do-hyun felt different.
“…What’s the present?”
Woo-yeon slightly lifted his eyelids. At the utterly honest reaction, Do-hyun let out a laugh. He interlaced his fingers with Woo-yeon’s left hand and brought it up in front of his face.
“This.”
The interlaced left hand—specifically, the left wrist. A cleanly designed watch reflected the light. At a glance, the design looked ordinary, but the unique hands and the mark engraved on the side were from a brand Woo-yeon knew well.
“I thought you’d recognize it immediately. Didn’t you get a feeling?”
Woo-yeon’s mouth stammered as he examined the watch. Even Woo-yeon, whose sense of money was close to zero, knew the price range of this brand. Without a doubt, it was not a product a college student could afford.
“This… isn’t this expensive?”
“Hmm…”
Do-hyun trailed off with a slightly troubled expression. Then, he winked and gave a smiling look.
“Well, shall we call it the reward for being a good boy?”
Blink, their eyes met. Almost as a conditioned reflex, Do-hyun brought his face close and kissed his cheek.
“Happy birthday.”
It was a phrase that felt good to hear again. About four years ago, it was a phrase he had hoped to hear from Teacher. At that time, Do-hyun had disappeared before his birthday arrived, but now, they would be together even after the birthday had passed.
“Actually, I wanted to give you a ring, but I was afraid that would be too burdensome.”
Many answers rose to the tip of his throat. That he was thankful, that he liked it, or that a ring wouldn’t be burdensome at all.
He resented his own lack of eloquence once again, but Do-hyun’s eyes curved beautifully.
“It’s a couple’s watch.”
Only then did Woo-yeon burrow into Do-hyun’s embrace and pour out his emotion. A single confession was enough, more than ten words of gratitude.
“…I like you, Hyung.”
“….”
“I like you so much.”
He felt a pleasant pheromone. It was a dry and fresh pheromone, though he couldn’t tell whose it was. Do-hyun let out a ticklish laugh and hugged Woo-yeon as if he were going to crush him.
After that, they rolled around in bed for about another hour. It wasn’t a sticky act like the dawn; they just shared meaningless conversation with their legs entwined. The topic was ‘How is Teacher’s birthday so special?’
“Is it that surprising that my birthday is Christmas Eve?”
“It is surprising. I feel like I’ll never forget it.”
Woo-yeon had picked out Do-hyun’s birthday present a full six months early. Since he was tall, a coat would look pretty, and a knit scarf would suit him well. Since he received a couple’s watch, it seemed a good idea to buy other items as couple’s sets too.
“Yeon-ah.”
Do-hyun kept Woo-yeon on top of his body and gazed steadily into his eyes. Woo-yeon, who had been lying prone like a puppy, peeked up.
“I’m just asking casually…”
What was he going to say that required such a pause? There had been a similar situation last night. What was it… asking him to go to his house together?
“Do you want to live with me at my place?”
“…What?”
Woo-yeon’s eyes widened, and he went blank. Unlike the suggestion to stay the night, this was the kind of question he couldn’t answer immediately. As if telling him not to overthink it, Do-hyun gently stroked Woo-yeon’s hair.
“I’ve felt this since the tutoring days, but I think being alone in that house must be too lonely for you.”
His mind went completely blank. The heart that had been turbulent for days settled like a calm lake. Do-hyun continued speaking softly with infinitely serious eyes.
“I’m not asking for an answer right now. We’ll need the Chairman’s permission, and there will be many inconveniences here and there. I also know that this apartment is dangerous because of the reporters.”
“….”
“Still, Yeon-ah. I want you to have a place to run to when things get really hard.”
The words were so tender they almost brought tears to his eyes. The voice was calm, but Woo-yeon, hearing those words, was not. It was because the scenery he would face upon returning home immediately, and the days that would repeat, all tangled together in a complex mess.
Honestly, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t tempted. If he could escape that prison-like house and have a place to run to, then his days would be more comfortable than they are now. He might never have to feel that suffocating loneliness again.
“I…”
Woo-yeon opened his mouth frustratingly slowly. Unlike when Do-hyun told him to stay over yesterday, the words wouldn’t come out even after much deliberation. His chest felt tight, as if someone were blocking his throat.
“That is…”
Suddenly, a vibration began. Zzzzt, zzzzt, the repeating vibration was a call, not a message.
“…I think I have a call.”
Woo-yeon stood up as if deliberately trying to change the subject. Instead of holding Woo-yeon back, Do-hyun reached out and grabbed the phone from the nightstand. The phone ringing was Woo-yeon’s.
“….”
As soon as he checked the screen, Woo-yeon’s face distorted. He wasn’t frowning; he just looked pained. Woo-yeon stared blankly at the phone and spoke like a sigh.
“…I think I have to go.”
Reporter Yoon. Those four syllables blocked his throat. Reality rushed back in an instant, as if cold water had been splashed over him.