By Zephyria 
Fortunately, the door opened immediately.
“You’re here.”
Haon fully revealed his head, which he had been timidly peeking out with, as he looked at In-ho. He looked relieved the moment In-ho stepped out of the car.
“Why are you waiting outside?”
“Ah, that’s….”
Hesitating, Haon looked back and forth between the firmly closed front door and In-ho. His lips opened and closed repeatedly as if he were struggling to find the right words.
In-ho didn’t rush him, simply gazing steadily at Haon. The moment he saw that pale face, the restlessness in his heart suddenly fell silent. He hadn’t taken any more medication or drunk any alcohol.
“I left my wallet behind today…. My card key was inside.”
He usually takes good care of his things…. Haon trailed off, fiddling with his empty trouser pockets. Seeing this, In-ho froze for a moment, as if he had forgotten how to speak. Only after Haon met his eyes did he find his voice again.
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
Offering a faint apology that was barely audible, he took Haon’s hand. Haon’s hand, which was always warm like a child’s, had grown cold.
Just how many hours had he made him wait?
In-ho gathered Haon’s hands and rubbed them with both of his to raise the temperature. If he had known Haon was waiting by the door, he would have come up immediately.
“I should have come sooner.”
He regretted the time wasted in the car. And the time he had spent hesitating inside the elevator.
“I didn’t wait that long.”
Fidgeting with his held hand, Haon pulled one hand free and covered the back of In-ho’s hand. Then, he squeezed it tightly to signal that it was okay.
“The floor was clean, so I was comfortable sitting there.”
He shook his head, insisting it was nothing. That everything was truly fine. Haon’s gentle eyes were saying exactly that.
Because In-ho was speechless again, a brief silence hung between them.
Haon didn’t ask any questions; he only met In-ho’s eyes. He didn’t ask what had happened or who that person was. He simply looked at him quietly and patted his hand.
“Let’s go inside now.”
It was Haon, not In-ho, who spoke first. When no response came, he pressed down gently on the back of In-ho’s hand and continued the conversation on his own.
“Do you want to wash up and watch a movie?”
Or have some drinks. He listed things one by one, thinking of things In-ho might like. He wanted to be a source of strength for In-ho, who seemed to have just dealt with a difficult person.
“Should I make you some late-night snacks?”
No matter what he did, it might not be a great comfort, but he wanted to do something. Truly, anything.
“Do whatever you want to do, Haon.”
In-ho, who had been silently watching Haon, moved his arms.
“Anything is fine with me.”
He opened his arms very slowly and pulled Haon into an embrace. He moved slowly on purpose to give Haon a chance to push him away.
“I’m fine with anything too, but….”
However, Haon had no reason to push him away. Haon leaned fully into In-ho’s chest and opened his arms in return.
Stretching his arms—which were shorter than In-ho’s—as far as they could go, he wrapped them around the broad back. He even stood on tiptoe to reach as wide as possible.
“I really like everything.”
He mumbled, burying his face deep into the broad chest. Just from a hug, the tips of Haon’s ears were beginning to burn. Even so, he had no intention of backing away.
“Today… do whatever you want to do, In-ho.”
Even if his pounding heart were to burst, he wanted to stay embraced by In-ho.
As if that feeling had been conveyed, In-ho hugged Haon even tighter and kissed the crown of his head. Haon gasped, imagining white steam erupting from the top of his head. It was because In-ho’s hand had touched his thigh.
As if announcing his next move, In-ho tapped Haon’s thigh—tap, tap.
After the brief warning, he grabbed Haon’s thigh—who was still on tiptoe—and lifted him straight up. Softly whispering for him to hold on tight, he guided Haon’s flailing legs to wrap around his waist. He held Haon’s upper body firmly so he couldn’t escape.
Since Haon had given his permission.
“I—I can walk….”
Haon murmured timidly to In-ho, who had scooped him up like a child. Despite the words, he made no attempt to get down.
Instead of answering, In-ho playfully patted Haon’s bottom to silence him. Haon, whose face had turned bright red starting from his ears, could only breathe, rubbing his thumping heart against In-ho’s chest.
He felt out of breath, as if he had just exercised. Even though nothing had happened yet.
At the sound of Haon’s already heavy breathing, In-ho’s lower half hardened. The warm breath touching his neck felt ticklish. It wasn’t just his skin, but the inside of his chest that felt a tingling sensation. It was a feeling he had never experienced before.
“Haon.”
The sound of the front door lock clicking open coincided with In-ho’s voice.
In-ho supported Haon with only one hand to open the door. Haon also tightened his legs, clinging closely to In-ho’s body.
Their centers, forced together by the position, rubbed against In-ho’s hard stomach. At the unintended stimulation, Haon’s face flushed a complete shade of pink.
In-ho, his gaze softening, looked at Haon and pressed firmly against his tailbone to add more stimulation.
“Ngh.”
At In-ho’s mischievous touch, the groan he had been suppressing finally escaped. Haon buried his lips in In-ho’s chest to stifle the sound.
“Haon.”
Pressing his lips to the rim of Haon’s reddened ear, In-ho called his name again.
“Yes, yes….”
Haon’s voice, muffled by the clothes, leaked out clumsily. A shallow moan mixed with his trembling voice. It was because In-ho kept pressing his tailbone.
Though Haon squirmed and whimpered, he did not reject the touch. The stimulation applied to his lower body was beginning to lead to a distinct pleasure. It was still unfamiliar, but an irresistible feeling.
In-ho leaned against the wall with one knee bent and sat Haon on his thigh. When he grabbed Haon’s ankle to take off his shoe, Haon helped by shaking his foot.
Thump, thump.
Haon’s worn-out sneakers fell onto the spotless marble floor. In-ho touched his forehead and the tip of his cute nose in turn, meeting his eyes.
Unable to withstand the gaze that heralded a kiss, Haon eventually looked away. His heart, which had already burst, felt as if it were fluttering in a melted state. He was so nervous it almost hurt.
In-ho pulled away their touching foreheads and gazed at the flushed face for a moment.
“Haon.”
Haon was staring at the entryway floor instead of In-ho. Just like that day.
“If you don’t want to do it, feel free to tell me.”
That day, having lost his reason to heat, Haon had refused to enter the house, gripping the inner door tightly in this very spot. With a face full of terror, he had trembled like he was having a convulsion every time In-ho’s hand touched him.
“I’m really okay with anything, too.”
In-ho slowly caressed Haon’s left cheek. Even the now-faded bruise still looked like a great wound in In-ho’s eyes. As the image of him collapsed on the bathroom floor came to mind, the strength in the knee supporting Haon weakened slightly.
“I—I like you….”
Suddenly confessing his feelings, Haon hurriedly wrapped his arms around In-ho’s neck. As if fearing In-ho might set him back on the floor, he hugged him tightly and repeated the same words.
“I really like you.”
That simple confession was the best Haon could do right now. That’s why he said it so many times. Hoping his heart would reach In-ho.
“I really… I really like you a lot.”
He liked In-ho, who always listened to his clumsy voice and spoke only kind words with those pretty lips.
“I like everything. Everything… that you do for me.”
He liked everything, from the grip that firmly held his timid hand to the touch that softly handled his stiff body. And of course, the kisses that poured down until his mouth felt tingly.
“I li— mmp.”
It was just as Haon was recalling the kisses he had shared with In-ho.
Without warning, In-ho crashed his lips against Haon’s, pushing his tongue into the mouth that had opened to speak. Haon’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden intrusion of the soft piece of flesh.
But before long, the strength left his wide eyes. As In-ho wrapped his hand around the nape of his neck and rubbed his tongue even deeper, Haon’s half-closed eyes snapped shut.
“Hng, mmm….”
Haon’s body, pressed against the wall, slid up slightly. Every time a moan escaped Haon, In-ho pressed their bodies even closer. He entwined his tongue with the melted one, rubbing the flesh and pressing firmly on the spots Haon liked.
As In-ho repeatedly pressed one spot, Haon’s slender waist shuddered. The moans mixed with his quickening breath grew louder.
“Hah, I— In-ho…!”
Haon, squirming his hips from the pleasure that had intensified to the point of a throbbing ache in his lower abdomen, finally opened his mouth.
“Yes, Haon.”
In-ho completely released his tongue to let Haon speak, then licked his lips. It was hard to just watch those lips, moistened by their shared saliva.
Haon seemed to feel the same; as if enchanted by the sensation of the tongue licking his lips, he pushed his own tongue out. It was the first time Haon had initiated the contact of their tongues.
In-ho naturally sucked on the soft flesh, taking in Haon’s image with a glistening gaze. He etched every detail into his mind: the thin shoulders heaving with breath and the flushed expression.
There wasn’t a single part of him that wasn’t lovely. Even the hollow of his cheek as he chased In-ho’s tongue was adorable.
“Haon.”
In-ho spoke again. His own breath was heavy from the long kiss.
He gave Haon’s wet lips one more deep suck, then smiled as he playfully pushed out the tongue that followed. Then he said:
“I like you too.”
As if echoing Haon, In-ho repeated the same confession. Showering light bird-kisses on the wide-open lips, he whispered in a tender voice.
“I like you, Haon.”
Really, really a lot.