お帰り [Welcome Home] - Chapter Thirty
Title: お帰り [Welcome Home]
Authors: curionenene and yeonah
Chapter: 30/?
Fandom: SS501 + Epik High Cameos
Pairings: KyuMin, HyunSaeng
Rating: PG-16
Warning: Angst, AU
Summary: Black and white... white and black. It isn't always possible to tell what is good and what is evil; and four players in the never-ending fight for freedom would know. In a world where things are painted by shades of grey, taking a stand could mean life or death. And the struggle to be free, truly free, may tear them apart until there is nothing left but ash.
A/N: KyuJong, HyunJoong, and Tablo are played by curionenene , while JungMin, YoungSaeng, HyungJoon, Mithra and Thaestae are played by yeonah .
The first thing YoungSaeng registered as he slowly returned from the best sleep he'd had in years was how warm he was. Not an uncomfortable warmth, but one that set him at ease instantly, the felinefolk nuzzling further into it. He inhaled the earthy scent that surrounded him, like an invisible blanket of protection and affection.
After a few minutes, he gradually became aware the warmth had a source, a body pressed up against him under the blankets. Nosing the soft skin in front of his face, YoungSaeng was rewarded by the sound of a steady heartbeat, happily listening to it as he slowly woke up.
HyunJoong mumbled a little in his sleep, feeling soft skin against his own, and he snuggled into it, entirely unabashed and unwilling to let the feeling pass.
Eyes slowly opening, YoungSaeng looked up at the human, blinking sleepily. He and HyunJoong were practically glued together, legs tangled and practically every inch of skin touching, like they were pretzels wrapped around each other.
Taking this in, YoungSaeng smiled and laid his head back down on his lover's chest, closing his eyes and purring quietly.
The sound was what woke HyunJoong up. He was a touchy-feely person, so the contact didn’t bother him that much. But the feeling of something vibrating against his chest was foreign, and he blinked his eyes slowly, wondering what was causing the sound. “Mmm…?”
Feeling the other man stirring, YoungSaeng nuzzled closer, listening to HyunJoong's heartbeat as he continued to purr, lifting his head a little after a moment to blink up at his master through long bangs.
HyunJoong stared blearily at YoungSaeng, taking in the expanse of silky white skin (which felt good against his), and the absolute nakedness YoungSaeng was in. Then the way they were tangled up together, and before his mind even caught up, he promptly blushed a beetroot red. “Uh…”
Blinking, YoungSaeng watched in amusement as the color of the other man's face changed. "Morning?" he offered, resting his head against HyunJoong's chest as he watched.
It took the other man a while to realize that the beautiful creature in his arms had talked - and that it was talking to him. Seconds later, he also realized that the beautiful creature was YoungSaeng, and he belonged to him (the same way it was vice versa), and that they had made love together last night.
At the last thought, HyunJoong’s blush spread from his face down to his neck. “M-morning.”
YoungSaeng watched the blush spread, absently wondering how far it could go. "Sleep well?" he inquired, ears twitching a little as he listened to HyunJoong's breathing and heartbeat in utter contentment. He didn't feel embarrassed like he thought he would, and like HyunJoong obviously was. He just felt...happy.
The contentment obvious on YoungSaeng’s face only served to make HyunJoong blush further. His heartbeat was beginning to speed, and he was beginning to look like a human-shaped tomato. “Y-yeah. Sleep… Slept well. Very well… Yes, well… Uh… You?”
"Extremely," was the simple reply, the felinefolk blinking up at HyunJoong and hiding his amusement. "Why are you the same color as JungMin's hair?"
“I’m not!” Was the indignant squeak that came out of the human tomato, then seconds later, HyunJoong realized that he was entirely unconvincing and tried to double back. “Uh- I mean. That. Uh… What do I mean?”
"I don't know," YoungSaeng answered honestly, nuzzling closer and purposely shifting his legs and tail against HyunJoong's legs in the process of making himself more comfortable. "What do you mean?"
“I-aaaah… Don’t…” HyunJoong trailed off, finding that he felt extremely sensitive when YoungSaeng moved against him like that. His eyes fluttered closed, and he was positively radiating heat right now.
Chuckling, YoungSaeng leaned up to place a light kiss against HyunJoong's jaw, stopping as he was told, although his tail had successfully curled around one of HyunJoong's legs. "Who's the one embarrassed now?" he murmured.
Burning up from more than one thing now, HyunJoong bit his lip, trying to think of a retort. “I… I think it’s your fault. My body reacts to your needs and wants so… I… uh… meep!” HyunJoong whimpered at the feeling of fur against his leg.
"Uh-huh. Because my needs and wants are turning you into a tomato now when all I've done is say good morning." YoungSaeng smiled in amusement, nuzzling his nose into the crook of HyunJoong's neck and releasing a loud purr to see the human's reaction.
“Mmph! Saeng!” HyunJoong yelped, the vibrations travelling all the way south. He sounded not unlike how YoungSaeng had cried out just last night.
Chuckling, YoungSaeng kissed HyunJoong's neck and purred again. "Yes?" he asked innocently.
HyunJoong didn’t reply, only leaned down, burying his head into YoungSaeng’s hair and releasing a moan of frustration.
YoungSaeng smiled, reaching up with one hand to run his fingers through HyunJoong's hair. "Love you too," he chuckled, nuzzling against him and closing his eyes.
HyunJoong let out a sigh, pulling up so that he could look down at the content felinefolk nuzzling against him. He had never suspected that there’d be a day like this where he’d be embarrassed where YoungSaeng was not.
After a minute, YoungSaeng's eyes slowly opened so he could look up at HyunJoong, sensing the human's gaze. Lips curled upwards, he squirmed slightly until he was on eye level with the other man instead of curled against his chest, kissing him lightly and twining gentle fingers into his hair.
HyunJoong had been about to ask what the matter was when lips were against his, and automatically they melded against his own, working as one as he deepened the kiss. “Mmm… Saeng…”
The whisper of HyunJoong's name was lost in the soft purr that escaped, YoungSaeng parting his lips to deepen it further, giving himself to the human completely. "Thank you," he breathed against HyunJoong's lips, golden eyes half-open. "For everything."
HyunJoong opened his eyes and smiled gently despite the blush. “Silly, there’s no need to thank me for anything. Or everything. Either I would give to you in the bat of an eyelid.”
YoungSaeng smiled wider, nuzzling him lightly. "Can we just stay like this?" he murmured, playing with HyunJoong's hair and kissing his lips lightly.
“Well, we’d be the butt of whispers and jokes for weeks, but frankly, I don’t really care about that now.” HyunJoong chuckled, enjoying the forward manner YoungSaeng was behaving in. “Besides, I don’t see how I can get up.”
"We're targets for that already, what's a little more going to do," YoungSaeng mumbled, before squirming closer and tangling their legs together again. "I'm not letting you get up."
“I can see that.” HyunJoong shifted his legs, enjoying the way their skin rubbed against each other.
Purring in response, YoungSaeng kissed him happily, unable to stop. He loved just how secure he felt, like they were surrounded by a protective bubble keeping them from the rest of the world. His fingers continued to play with the other man's hair, running through the strands before following the shell of his ear, so different from the felinefolk's own.
HyunJoong almost let out a purr akin to YoungSaeng’s as the felinefolk’s finger ran over his ear. He whimpered a little, shivering at the touch - his ears were probably only a little less sensitive than YoungSaeng’s, though he never let anyone know that.
Curiosity caught by the whimper and shiver, YoungSaeng repeated the motion, breaking the kiss a little to see the expression on his master's face. "Huh...I never knew this felt good for humans too..."
HyunJoong squeezed his eyes shut, shivering. “Mmmph!” Swallowing, he looked up into YoungSaeng’s curious eyes and blushed. “Well… maybe only more so for me… I have…” A pause. “Well… sensitive ears…”
The felinefolk had his head tilted slightly to one side, observing the man, hair falling into his eyes and partly hiding the mischievous spark that appeared.
"Really? How sensitive?"
“Eh?” HyunJoong blinked, seriously thinking about this for a moment. “Well… I’d say… quite sensitive, I’ve never really tested it out, just that when people touch it I- wait, why do you want to know anyway?”
"I really don't know...” YoungSaeng pursed his lips slightly. "It's more fun to figure it out for myself."
And with that he'd hoisted himself up onto one elbow, the blanket sliding off his shoulders as he pressed his other hand down on the other side of his master and leaned down to flick the tip of his tongue against the curve of HyunJoong's ear.
A strange whine crawled from HyunJoong's lips as he felt his legs go limp even though he was lying down. Shivering, he couldn’t help the way he pressed into YoungSaeng, half wanting more, half mortified at himself.
YoungSaeng's eyes danced as he took in the reaction.
"Payback," he all but purred in delight before attacking, licking the sensitive shell and nibbling on HyunJoong's earlobe.
“Sae-ahhhh…” HyunJoong tried to protest before he all but melted with YoungSaeng’s persistent attacks. His fingers dug into YoungSaeng’s side, half wanting to push the felinefolk away, half wanting to keep him there.
Flicking his tongue against HyunJoong's earlobe, YoungSaeng pulled back after a moment to look down at his master, lips curled upwards and tail waving under the blankets. "Yes?"
HyunJoong looked down and was about to protest that YoungSaeng not do that when the entirely satisfied and happy look froze him in his tracks. His words died in his throat even as he stared at the adorable sight. “… uh.”
Smile widening, YoungSaeng snickered before leaning down to kiss the Merus. "Now you know my pain when you insist on playing with my ears and expect me to come up with a coherent response." He nibbled on HyunJoong's lower lip, still half on top of him.
HyunJoong made a face before relenting and kissed the felinefolk softly. “Fine, fine. I guess we’re even now then.”
"Mhm," YoungSaeng hummed into the kiss, pressing against him lightly as he shifted to make himself comfortable again, nuzzling against him happily.
Now that the threat of being totally embarrassed had passed, HyunJoong wrapped his arms neatly around YoungSaeng, their bodies fitting closely together. “So, what did you want to do today?”
Musing, YoungSaeng looked up at his master, tucking his head under the other man's. "Um...relax with you? We don't have to do anything important, do we?"
“Nope. Not since I…” HyunJoong trailed off as he looked down at himself. “Well, I’m not in child’s form anymore. So… I guess I’d be more useful now…”
“Not that…” He smiled as he kissed YoungSaeng’s hair for the umpteenth time. “I’d want to move.”
The felinefolk chuckled, nuzzling him. "We can tell them it's more permanent...tomorrow, right?" He wanted HyunJoong to himself today.
“Yup. Of course.” HyunJoong grinned - they’d played good agent plenty of times, so there shouldn’t be a problem bending responsibility a little.
"Great." YoungSaeng purred. "...Did you still want that bubble bath?"
A slow smile grew on HyunJoong’s face. “You know what? I actually do.”
And without further ado, he gathered YoungSaeng into his arms, rushing into the bathroom. “Bubble bath, here we come!”
YoungSaeng squeaked when he was picked up, turning red at the brush of skin before laughing and wrapping his arms around HyunJoong's neck. "Careful not to slip!"
“Now this is more like it.” HyunJoong chuckled as he locked the door behind him.
"Hm?" YoungSaeng squirmed. "Put me down so I can get it ready."
HyunJoong gently let YoungSaeng slip down, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t trust my skills in making a bubble bath?”
"No, I don't trust your skills in making a bubble bath while carrying me at the same time." The felinefolk leaned up to kiss HyunJoong lightly before turning away and starting to run the water.
HyunJoong laughed, leaning over YoungSaeng and grabbing him into a hug, nearly pushing them both over into the tub. “Well, can’t blame me for not wanting to let go.”
Squeaking when he was grabbed, YoungSaeng's lips curled upwards. "I suppose not, and I'm not complaining..." Bracing himself against the edge of the tub with one hand to stop them both from falling in, he dipped his fingers into the warm running water and flicked the droplets over his shoulder at the other man.
HyunJoong yelped, ducking to avoid the droplets and practically squirming into YoungSaeng. “Meanie!”
Another yelp came from the felinefolk as he strengthened his grip on the edge of the tub. "Don't make us both fall in." He tried to look over his shoulder at HyunJoong but couldn't.
“It’s your own fault if we do.” HyunJoong retorted, pulling away and grinning at YoungSaeng. “Besides, we’ll end up inside sooner or later.”
"Yeah, but I'd rather not end up upside-down." YoungSaeng turned himself around so he could face HyunJoong, sitting down on the edge of the tub and squeaking when his tail went into the water.
HyunJoong shook his head, sitting down beside YoungSaeng. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll get your fur all dry later. Don’t want you to catch a cold.”
"All right." YoungSaeng scooted closer to HyunJoong, resting his head on his shoulder for a moment before blinking. "We're missing something." He stood up again, hunting for the bubble bath before finding it and sitting back down, undoing the cap.
“Hehe.” HyunJoong chuckled, grabbing the bottle from YoungSaeng, and before the felinefolk could stop him, dumped half of the contents into the water. “Now we’ll have plenty of bubbles!”
"Hey!" YoungSaeng blinked at HyunJoong, half amused and half exasperated. "Plenty, yeah. We'll have more bubbles than water." He could already see the bubbles appearing, and the felinefolk snatched back the bottle before HyunJoong could dump the rest in.
“That’s good isn’t it?” HyunJoong made a bid for the bottle again. “Bubbles are fun.”
"Not when you're eating them." YoungSaeng stood up to get the bottle out of HyunJoong's reach.
“Aw! Come on! Spoilsport!” HyunJoong half whined, standing up as well and reaching for it again, leaning over YoungSaeng to make a grab for it.
"No way." Backing away, YoungSaeng held it out behind him to keep it away from his crazy master, dancing out of HyunJoong's reach; it was pointless to try holding it over his head, HyunJoong was taller than him.
HyunJoong followed after him, lunging forward and managing to grab onto YoungSaeng’s waist. “Give it here!”
YoungSaeng yelped when he was grabbed, squirmed to try and get out of the other man's grip. "No!" He held it out behind him, his other hand against HyunJoong's chest to stop him from trying to grab it.
“Yes!” HyunJoong grinned, pushing against YoungSaeng and flailing, trying to get the bottle. “Bubbles~”
"I think we've got more than enough alrea-AH!" YoungSaeng yelped when he leaned over too far and fell onto his back on the floor.
HyunJoong immediately broke away from getting the bottle to kneeling down besides YoungSaeng in concern, picking the felinefolk up. “Saeng! Are you okay?”
Wincing, YoungSaeng nodded. "Stupid tail..." He'd landed on it yet again, and that hurt more than the fall did. He wrapped his arms around HyunJoong's neck, looking around for the bottle.
“Sorry.” HyunJoong lifted YoungSaeng up, checking the felinefolk’s tail. “I didn’t think. Too focused on having fun.”
"Nothing wrong with that." The other man watched HyunJoong look over his tail. "It's fine, just sore," he chuckled, leaning up to kiss HyunJoong on the cheek. "And I think the bath is going to overflow if we don't stop it now."
“Ah… right. I’ll go turn it off no-” HyunJoong paused in his words as his eyes widened at the sight of a million bubbles flowing over the bathtub. “Oh crap.”
Looking to see what was wrong, YoungSaeng sighed, half amused. "Told you." He squirmed until HyunJoong put him down, walking to the bath to try and find the tap amid all the bubbles.
HyunJoong mused his hair sheepishly as he went over to help. “Okay…” And slowly, he stuck one arm into the tub, trying to search for the plug at the same time. “Hmm…? What’s this? AH!” HyunJoong winced as the shower suddenly came on spraying water onto both of them.
YoungSaeng shrieked at the water, instinctively ducking behind HyunJoong to avoid it before crawling under HyunJoong to turn off the showerhead. "Maybe you shouldn't touch anything."
“Maybe.” HyunJoong agreed, plopping down onto the floor a little dejectedly, poking at stray bubbles on the floor.
Getting the water to stop running, YoungSaeng sighed and looked back at HyunJoong with amusement. "I'm not cleaning this up by myself," he said, picking up a handful of bubbles and dumping them on HyunJoong's head.
“Hey!” HyunJoong quickly threw a dollop of bubbles at YoungSaeng before chuckling. “Fine. Then let’s get rid of the bubbles… like this!” HyunJoong quickly began chucking handfuls of white foam and bubbles at YoungSaeng like one did snowballs.
Squeaking as he got bubbles in the face, YoungSaeng wiped them off and lifted his hands to protect himself. "That's not gonna get rid of them, that's gonna make more of a mess!" Yelping as some got in his ears, he glared at HyunJoong before revising that thought and picking up an armful of the bubbles, throwing it all at his master.
“Then why are you throwing them as well?” HyunJoong half laughed, half yelled, dodging the bubbles and flinging yet more at YoungSaeng.
"I'm not just going to stand here and let you get bubbles in my ears," YoungSaeng declared, avoiding slipping on the wet floor as he grabbed more bubbles and chased after the other man. "Not without getting you back first!"
“Ack!” HyunJoong yelped as he nearly faceplanted into the wall, skidding to a halt and crouching low to try to crawl past YoungSaeng.
Dumping all the bubbles on top of him, YoungSaeng grabbed HyunJoong around the shoulders to stop him from going back for more, dragging him down to the ground. "Oh no you don't!"
HyunJoong yelped from the sudden weight, this time smashing flat onto the ground. Flailing, he tried to knock YoungSaeng off without hurting him. “Aww… Saeng~”
The felinefolk straddled his waist to stop him from moving, panting. "You and bubbles are a bad combination," he grinned victoriously down at his master, shaking to get the bubbles off his ears and tail.
HyunJoong whined a little, wrinkling his nose up at YoungSaeng. “Fine, fine, you win. Will you get off me th-”
“HyunJoong? YoungSaeng?” There was the sudden interjection of an all too familiar voice. “Is something wrong? What’s with all the bubble- oh my…”
There was a yelp from YoungSaeng, and within a flash he was off HyunJoong and behind him instead, hiding. "He dumped half the bottle in!" The felinefolk whined, though he was somewhat glad for the large amount of bubbles where they were sitting. They still hadn't a stitch of clothing on.
“That doesn’t explain why you were on top of him like that.” Tablo raised an eyebrow as he put his arms akimbo, staring at the war zone. “If you want to do things like that you should lock the door.”
“Hyung…” HyunJoong sighed patiently. “I did. I even put a locking spell over it. Stop overriding my spells.”
Tablo attempted to look hurt. “What? Me? Override your spells? What nonsense.”
Turning bright red, YoungSaeng buried his face against HyunJoong's back and refused to come back up.
"Maybe we should come back later." Mithra was on the other side of the doorway, wisely choosing not to look in the bathroom after taking in the state of the bed. HyungJoon, who had somehow been dragged along, had been booted back out into the hallway.
“Probably.” Tablo nodded, mock sagely, eliciting a hand full of bubbles lobbed straight at him, courtesy of HyunJoong.
“Out.” HyunJoong ordered calmly, wrapping YoungSaeng into a protective hug and shielding the felinefolk from view.
"Come on you," Mithra sighed, reaching in to pull Tablo out and moving to close the bathroom door again. "Before you get worse than bubbles thrown at you."
"Are they okay?" HyungJoon asked from the hallway, blinking owlishly.
“Better than okay.” Tablo said loudly so that HyunJoong could hear. “They’re better than they’ll ever be. Maybe a little sore an- OW! HYUNJOONG!”
HyunJoong chuckled at the way the bottle of shampoo had hit Tablo directly on the head.
"Careful, we need all his brain cells intact," Mithra called before securing the door shut. YoungSaeng listened as Tablo was ushered out into the hallway again.
"Now we're never going to hear the end of it," YoungSaeng whined, burying himself in HyunJoong's arms.
HyunJoong chuckled, nuzzling his nose into YoungSaeng’s ears. “We wouldn’t have heard the end of it even if they didn’t catch that particular scene. I have a feeling that we’re going to be very, very promiscuous these next few days.”
"Lovely." YoungSaeng purred at the light rubbing against his ears. "Maybe we should hide in here until the storm clears."
“Maybe we should~” HyunJoong grinned. “And I have a fun idea on what to do with all these bubbles.”
YoungSaeng peeked up at HyunJoong suspiciously. "And what would that be?"
“Well… why don’t I just show you?” HyunJoong chuckled, a little evilly as he slowly lowered YoungSaeng against the floor.
**************************
"Kyu~!"
JungMin tried not to whine and utterly failed when he was foiled from leaving his bedroom yet again. It had been a few days since he'd caught sick, and he felt much better now...not that any of them would listen to him. 'Them' because Thaestae was just as insistent on keeping him in bed as KyuJong was, and he had the sneaking suspicion they teamed up on occasion to give him no other choice in the matter.
That fact should have set off questions, especially since they both argued like cats and dogs for the most part, but JungMin was too busy pouting over being on house arrest.
"Please?" he pleaded, staring up at the ankou. "Just let me walk around a bit. I'm going to forget how to move if I stay here much longer. And the fever is down, see?" It was much improved, though the cough had yet to go away. That had gotten worse, but he'd prefer the cough over the dizziness and fever spells that had plagued him the past few days.
KyuJong folded his arms, trying not to give into the adorable pout. Having being exposed to it for a good few days, he was beginning to build up immunity to it, and the constant cough helped - reminding KyuJong why he shouldn’t give in.
“No. I’m not letting you go out until you’re completely recovered.” KyuJong sighed, sitting down on the bed beside the human, leaning down close to check JungMin’s temperature. “And you’re still pretty warm even if the fever’s down.”
"No I'm not," JungMin huffed, wrinkling his nose. He was feeling pretty fine, and that was good enough a reason for him to get out. "Just half an hour. Fifteen minutes. Don't they always say fresh air helps when sick anyways?" He gave KyuJong the best puppy eyes he could muster.
KyuJong would have continued to stop JungMin from going if not for the fact that it looked as if JungMin was going to mutiny soon if he didn’t let the human have his way. He deliberated it for a while, before sighing. “Fine. We’ll go down for a quick one to buy groceries. But then we’re coming up straightaway, all right?”
JungMin's expression lit up like a ten-year-old at Christmas. "All right! Thank you!" He grabbed KyuJong in a hug, kissing his lips happily before bouncing up to get ready, searching for something better to wear than pajamas.
KyuJong yelped, falling to the bed after JungMin practically glomped him, and he sighed, burying his face into his pillow, wondering why he was so easily walked over. But he guessed that bright smile on JungMin’s face made up for it.
The human was dressed and ready within minutes, a new record for him, but he hadn't been allowed to go anywhere for so long he was going to short a few circuits if he didn't go somewhere now. "All ready!" He chirped, making sure to bundle up for the slight cold so that KyuJong had less to complain about.
KyuJong blinked at the fast speed that JungMin had gotten ready. Quirking an eyebrow, he chuckled, shaking his head. “Tsk, if only you got up that fast on usual mornings. Maybe I should keep you in bed more often.”
Getting up, KyuJong smoothed down his clothes and hair, looking around for his jacket and keys. “Gimme a second to change into my pixie form…”
Pouting at him, JungMin bounced slightly in place as he waited for KyuJong to get ready. He wished they could just walk down the street without KyuJong worrying about what form he was in, but that wasn't possible for a long, long while. "Staying in bed is boring," he protested, wrinkling his nose.
“Then how come sometimes you don’t feel like getting out of it in the morning?” KyuJong teased as his form glowed and slowly shrank down. Looking himself over to make sure he’d cast the spell right, KyuJong gathered up his coat, and went to unlock the door.
"Cause it's okay in moderation, and you're comfier than any pillow," JungMin snorted, tugging on the edges of his own coat before going to the door as well. Once outside, he was quiet in case there were hunters nearby, but his eyes were dancing. Finally.
KyuJong resisted the urge to wrap his arms around JungMin once outside to make sure that the redhead didn’t run around too much. Assuming his role as sub-serviant servant, he mumbled to JungMin. “Just to the supermarket alright? Then we’ll immediately go back home.”
"Yes yes," JungMin smiled, starting down the hallway with a bounce in his step. Isn't this much better than the apartment? he asked Thaestae happily.
Very, the demon replied, but he sounded distracted.
Authors: curionenene and yeonah
Chapter: 30/?
Fandom: SS501 + Epik High Cameos
Pairings: KyuMin, HyunSaeng
Rating: PG-16
Warning: Angst, AU
Summary: Black and white... white and black. It isn't always possible to tell what is good and what is evil; and four players in the never-ending fight for freedom would know. In a world where things are painted by shades of grey, taking a stand could mean life or death. And the struggle to be free, truly free, may tear them apart until there is nothing left but ash.
A/N: KyuJong, HyunJoong, and Tablo are played by curionenene , while JungMin, YoungSaeng, HyungJoon, Mithra and Thaestae are played by yeonah .
The first thing YoungSaeng registered as he slowly returned from the best sleep he'd had in years was how warm he was. Not an uncomfortable warmth, but one that set him at ease instantly, the felinefolk nuzzling further into it. He inhaled the earthy scent that surrounded him, like an invisible blanket of protection and affection.
After a few minutes, he gradually became aware the warmth had a source, a body pressed up against him under the blankets. Nosing the soft skin in front of his face, YoungSaeng was rewarded by the sound of a steady heartbeat, happily listening to it as he slowly woke up.
HyunJoong mumbled a little in his sleep, feeling soft skin against his own, and he snuggled into it, entirely unabashed and unwilling to let the feeling pass.
Eyes slowly opening, YoungSaeng looked up at the human, blinking sleepily. He and HyunJoong were practically glued together, legs tangled and practically every inch of skin touching, like they were pretzels wrapped around each other.
Taking this in, YoungSaeng smiled and laid his head back down on his lover's chest, closing his eyes and purring quietly.
The sound was what woke HyunJoong up. He was a touchy-feely person, so the contact didn’t bother him that much. But the feeling of something vibrating against his chest was foreign, and he blinked his eyes slowly, wondering what was causing the sound. “Mmm…?”
Feeling the other man stirring, YoungSaeng nuzzled closer, listening to HyunJoong's heartbeat as he continued to purr, lifting his head a little after a moment to blink up at his master through long bangs.
HyunJoong stared blearily at YoungSaeng, taking in the expanse of silky white skin (which felt good against his), and the absolute nakedness YoungSaeng was in. Then the way they were tangled up together, and before his mind even caught up, he promptly blushed a beetroot red. “Uh…”
Blinking, YoungSaeng watched in amusement as the color of the other man's face changed. "Morning?" he offered, resting his head against HyunJoong's chest as he watched.
It took the other man a while to realize that the beautiful creature in his arms had talked - and that it was talking to him. Seconds later, he also realized that the beautiful creature was YoungSaeng, and he belonged to him (the same way it was vice versa), and that they had made love together last night.
At the last thought, HyunJoong’s blush spread from his face down to his neck. “M-morning.”
YoungSaeng watched the blush spread, absently wondering how far it could go. "Sleep well?" he inquired, ears twitching a little as he listened to HyunJoong's breathing and heartbeat in utter contentment. He didn't feel embarrassed like he thought he would, and like HyunJoong obviously was. He just felt...happy.
The contentment obvious on YoungSaeng’s face only served to make HyunJoong blush further. His heartbeat was beginning to speed, and he was beginning to look like a human-shaped tomato. “Y-yeah. Sleep… Slept well. Very well… Yes, well… Uh… You?”
"Extremely," was the simple reply, the felinefolk blinking up at HyunJoong and hiding his amusement. "Why are you the same color as JungMin's hair?"
“I’m not!” Was the indignant squeak that came out of the human tomato, then seconds later, HyunJoong realized that he was entirely unconvincing and tried to double back. “Uh- I mean. That. Uh… What do I mean?”
"I don't know," YoungSaeng answered honestly, nuzzling closer and purposely shifting his legs and tail against HyunJoong's legs in the process of making himself more comfortable. "What do you mean?"
“I-aaaah… Don’t…” HyunJoong trailed off, finding that he felt extremely sensitive when YoungSaeng moved against him like that. His eyes fluttered closed, and he was positively radiating heat right now.
Chuckling, YoungSaeng leaned up to place a light kiss against HyunJoong's jaw, stopping as he was told, although his tail had successfully curled around one of HyunJoong's legs. "Who's the one embarrassed now?" he murmured.
Burning up from more than one thing now, HyunJoong bit his lip, trying to think of a retort. “I… I think it’s your fault. My body reacts to your needs and wants so… I… uh… meep!” HyunJoong whimpered at the feeling of fur against his leg.
"Uh-huh. Because my needs and wants are turning you into a tomato now when all I've done is say good morning." YoungSaeng smiled in amusement, nuzzling his nose into the crook of HyunJoong's neck and releasing a loud purr to see the human's reaction.
“Mmph! Saeng!” HyunJoong yelped, the vibrations travelling all the way south. He sounded not unlike how YoungSaeng had cried out just last night.
Chuckling, YoungSaeng kissed HyunJoong's neck and purred again. "Yes?" he asked innocently.
HyunJoong didn’t reply, only leaned down, burying his head into YoungSaeng’s hair and releasing a moan of frustration.
YoungSaeng smiled, reaching up with one hand to run his fingers through HyunJoong's hair. "Love you too," he chuckled, nuzzling against him and closing his eyes.
HyunJoong let out a sigh, pulling up so that he could look down at the content felinefolk nuzzling against him. He had never suspected that there’d be a day like this where he’d be embarrassed where YoungSaeng was not.
After a minute, YoungSaeng's eyes slowly opened so he could look up at HyunJoong, sensing the human's gaze. Lips curled upwards, he squirmed slightly until he was on eye level with the other man instead of curled against his chest, kissing him lightly and twining gentle fingers into his hair.
HyunJoong had been about to ask what the matter was when lips were against his, and automatically they melded against his own, working as one as he deepened the kiss. “Mmm… Saeng…”
The whisper of HyunJoong's name was lost in the soft purr that escaped, YoungSaeng parting his lips to deepen it further, giving himself to the human completely. "Thank you," he breathed against HyunJoong's lips, golden eyes half-open. "For everything."
HyunJoong opened his eyes and smiled gently despite the blush. “Silly, there’s no need to thank me for anything. Or everything. Either I would give to you in the bat of an eyelid.”
YoungSaeng smiled wider, nuzzling him lightly. "Can we just stay like this?" he murmured, playing with HyunJoong's hair and kissing his lips lightly.
“Well, we’d be the butt of whispers and jokes for weeks, but frankly, I don’t really care about that now.” HyunJoong chuckled, enjoying the forward manner YoungSaeng was behaving in. “Besides, I don’t see how I can get up.”
"We're targets for that already, what's a little more going to do," YoungSaeng mumbled, before squirming closer and tangling their legs together again. "I'm not letting you get up."
“I can see that.” HyunJoong shifted his legs, enjoying the way their skin rubbed against each other.
Purring in response, YoungSaeng kissed him happily, unable to stop. He loved just how secure he felt, like they were surrounded by a protective bubble keeping them from the rest of the world. His fingers continued to play with the other man's hair, running through the strands before following the shell of his ear, so different from the felinefolk's own.
HyunJoong almost let out a purr akin to YoungSaeng’s as the felinefolk’s finger ran over his ear. He whimpered a little, shivering at the touch - his ears were probably only a little less sensitive than YoungSaeng’s, though he never let anyone know that.
Curiosity caught by the whimper and shiver, YoungSaeng repeated the motion, breaking the kiss a little to see the expression on his master's face. "Huh...I never knew this felt good for humans too..."
HyunJoong squeezed his eyes shut, shivering. “Mmmph!” Swallowing, he looked up into YoungSaeng’s curious eyes and blushed. “Well… maybe only more so for me… I have…” A pause. “Well… sensitive ears…”
The felinefolk had his head tilted slightly to one side, observing the man, hair falling into his eyes and partly hiding the mischievous spark that appeared.
"Really? How sensitive?"
“Eh?” HyunJoong blinked, seriously thinking about this for a moment. “Well… I’d say… quite sensitive, I’ve never really tested it out, just that when people touch it I- wait, why do you want to know anyway?”
"I really don't know...” YoungSaeng pursed his lips slightly. "It's more fun to figure it out for myself."
And with that he'd hoisted himself up onto one elbow, the blanket sliding off his shoulders as he pressed his other hand down on the other side of his master and leaned down to flick the tip of his tongue against the curve of HyunJoong's ear.
A strange whine crawled from HyunJoong's lips as he felt his legs go limp even though he was lying down. Shivering, he couldn’t help the way he pressed into YoungSaeng, half wanting more, half mortified at himself.
YoungSaeng's eyes danced as he took in the reaction.
"Payback," he all but purred in delight before attacking, licking the sensitive shell and nibbling on HyunJoong's earlobe.
“Sae-ahhhh…” HyunJoong tried to protest before he all but melted with YoungSaeng’s persistent attacks. His fingers dug into YoungSaeng’s side, half wanting to push the felinefolk away, half wanting to keep him there.
Flicking his tongue against HyunJoong's earlobe, YoungSaeng pulled back after a moment to look down at his master, lips curled upwards and tail waving under the blankets. "Yes?"
HyunJoong looked down and was about to protest that YoungSaeng not do that when the entirely satisfied and happy look froze him in his tracks. His words died in his throat even as he stared at the adorable sight. “… uh.”
Smile widening, YoungSaeng snickered before leaning down to kiss the Merus. "Now you know my pain when you insist on playing with my ears and expect me to come up with a coherent response." He nibbled on HyunJoong's lower lip, still half on top of him.
HyunJoong made a face before relenting and kissed the felinefolk softly. “Fine, fine. I guess we’re even now then.”
"Mhm," YoungSaeng hummed into the kiss, pressing against him lightly as he shifted to make himself comfortable again, nuzzling against him happily.
Now that the threat of being totally embarrassed had passed, HyunJoong wrapped his arms neatly around YoungSaeng, their bodies fitting closely together. “So, what did you want to do today?”
Musing, YoungSaeng looked up at his master, tucking his head under the other man's. "Um...relax with you? We don't have to do anything important, do we?"
“Nope. Not since I…” HyunJoong trailed off as he looked down at himself. “Well, I’m not in child’s form anymore. So… I guess I’d be more useful now…”
“Not that…” He smiled as he kissed YoungSaeng’s hair for the umpteenth time. “I’d want to move.”
The felinefolk chuckled, nuzzling him. "We can tell them it's more permanent...tomorrow, right?" He wanted HyunJoong to himself today.
“Yup. Of course.” HyunJoong grinned - they’d played good agent plenty of times, so there shouldn’t be a problem bending responsibility a little.
"Great." YoungSaeng purred. "...Did you still want that bubble bath?"
A slow smile grew on HyunJoong’s face. “You know what? I actually do.”
And without further ado, he gathered YoungSaeng into his arms, rushing into the bathroom. “Bubble bath, here we come!”
YoungSaeng squeaked when he was picked up, turning red at the brush of skin before laughing and wrapping his arms around HyunJoong's neck. "Careful not to slip!"
“Now this is more like it.” HyunJoong chuckled as he locked the door behind him.
"Hm?" YoungSaeng squirmed. "Put me down so I can get it ready."
HyunJoong gently let YoungSaeng slip down, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t trust my skills in making a bubble bath?”
"No, I don't trust your skills in making a bubble bath while carrying me at the same time." The felinefolk leaned up to kiss HyunJoong lightly before turning away and starting to run the water.
HyunJoong laughed, leaning over YoungSaeng and grabbing him into a hug, nearly pushing them both over into the tub. “Well, can’t blame me for not wanting to let go.”
Squeaking when he was grabbed, YoungSaeng's lips curled upwards. "I suppose not, and I'm not complaining..." Bracing himself against the edge of the tub with one hand to stop them both from falling in, he dipped his fingers into the warm running water and flicked the droplets over his shoulder at the other man.
HyunJoong yelped, ducking to avoid the droplets and practically squirming into YoungSaeng. “Meanie!”
Another yelp came from the felinefolk as he strengthened his grip on the edge of the tub. "Don't make us both fall in." He tried to look over his shoulder at HyunJoong but couldn't.
“It’s your own fault if we do.” HyunJoong retorted, pulling away and grinning at YoungSaeng. “Besides, we’ll end up inside sooner or later.”
"Yeah, but I'd rather not end up upside-down." YoungSaeng turned himself around so he could face HyunJoong, sitting down on the edge of the tub and squeaking when his tail went into the water.
HyunJoong shook his head, sitting down beside YoungSaeng. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll get your fur all dry later. Don’t want you to catch a cold.”
"All right." YoungSaeng scooted closer to HyunJoong, resting his head on his shoulder for a moment before blinking. "We're missing something." He stood up again, hunting for the bubble bath before finding it and sitting back down, undoing the cap.
“Hehe.” HyunJoong chuckled, grabbing the bottle from YoungSaeng, and before the felinefolk could stop him, dumped half of the contents into the water. “Now we’ll have plenty of bubbles!”
"Hey!" YoungSaeng blinked at HyunJoong, half amused and half exasperated. "Plenty, yeah. We'll have more bubbles than water." He could already see the bubbles appearing, and the felinefolk snatched back the bottle before HyunJoong could dump the rest in.
“That’s good isn’t it?” HyunJoong made a bid for the bottle again. “Bubbles are fun.”
"Not when you're eating them." YoungSaeng stood up to get the bottle out of HyunJoong's reach.
“Aw! Come on! Spoilsport!” HyunJoong half whined, standing up as well and reaching for it again, leaning over YoungSaeng to make a grab for it.
"No way." Backing away, YoungSaeng held it out behind him to keep it away from his crazy master, dancing out of HyunJoong's reach; it was pointless to try holding it over his head, HyunJoong was taller than him.
HyunJoong followed after him, lunging forward and managing to grab onto YoungSaeng’s waist. “Give it here!”
YoungSaeng yelped when he was grabbed, squirmed to try and get out of the other man's grip. "No!" He held it out behind him, his other hand against HyunJoong's chest to stop him from trying to grab it.
“Yes!” HyunJoong grinned, pushing against YoungSaeng and flailing, trying to get the bottle. “Bubbles~”
"I think we've got more than enough alrea-AH!" YoungSaeng yelped when he leaned over too far and fell onto his back on the floor.
HyunJoong immediately broke away from getting the bottle to kneeling down besides YoungSaeng in concern, picking the felinefolk up. “Saeng! Are you okay?”
Wincing, YoungSaeng nodded. "Stupid tail..." He'd landed on it yet again, and that hurt more than the fall did. He wrapped his arms around HyunJoong's neck, looking around for the bottle.
“Sorry.” HyunJoong lifted YoungSaeng up, checking the felinefolk’s tail. “I didn’t think. Too focused on having fun.”
"Nothing wrong with that." The other man watched HyunJoong look over his tail. "It's fine, just sore," he chuckled, leaning up to kiss HyunJoong on the cheek. "And I think the bath is going to overflow if we don't stop it now."
“Ah… right. I’ll go turn it off no-” HyunJoong paused in his words as his eyes widened at the sight of a million bubbles flowing over the bathtub. “Oh crap.”
Looking to see what was wrong, YoungSaeng sighed, half amused. "Told you." He squirmed until HyunJoong put him down, walking to the bath to try and find the tap amid all the bubbles.
HyunJoong mused his hair sheepishly as he went over to help. “Okay…” And slowly, he stuck one arm into the tub, trying to search for the plug at the same time. “Hmm…? What’s this? AH!” HyunJoong winced as the shower suddenly came on spraying water onto both of them.
YoungSaeng shrieked at the water, instinctively ducking behind HyunJoong to avoid it before crawling under HyunJoong to turn off the showerhead. "Maybe you shouldn't touch anything."
“Maybe.” HyunJoong agreed, plopping down onto the floor a little dejectedly, poking at stray bubbles on the floor.
Getting the water to stop running, YoungSaeng sighed and looked back at HyunJoong with amusement. "I'm not cleaning this up by myself," he said, picking up a handful of bubbles and dumping them on HyunJoong's head.
“Hey!” HyunJoong quickly threw a dollop of bubbles at YoungSaeng before chuckling. “Fine. Then let’s get rid of the bubbles… like this!” HyunJoong quickly began chucking handfuls of white foam and bubbles at YoungSaeng like one did snowballs.
Squeaking as he got bubbles in the face, YoungSaeng wiped them off and lifted his hands to protect himself. "That's not gonna get rid of them, that's gonna make more of a mess!" Yelping as some got in his ears, he glared at HyunJoong before revising that thought and picking up an armful of the bubbles, throwing it all at his master.
“Then why are you throwing them as well?” HyunJoong half laughed, half yelled, dodging the bubbles and flinging yet more at YoungSaeng.
"I'm not just going to stand here and let you get bubbles in my ears," YoungSaeng declared, avoiding slipping on the wet floor as he grabbed more bubbles and chased after the other man. "Not without getting you back first!"
“Ack!” HyunJoong yelped as he nearly faceplanted into the wall, skidding to a halt and crouching low to try to crawl past YoungSaeng.
Dumping all the bubbles on top of him, YoungSaeng grabbed HyunJoong around the shoulders to stop him from going back for more, dragging him down to the ground. "Oh no you don't!"
HyunJoong yelped from the sudden weight, this time smashing flat onto the ground. Flailing, he tried to knock YoungSaeng off without hurting him. “Aww… Saeng~”
The felinefolk straddled his waist to stop him from moving, panting. "You and bubbles are a bad combination," he grinned victoriously down at his master, shaking to get the bubbles off his ears and tail.
HyunJoong whined a little, wrinkling his nose up at YoungSaeng. “Fine, fine, you win. Will you get off me th-”
“HyunJoong? YoungSaeng?” There was the sudden interjection of an all too familiar voice. “Is something wrong? What’s with all the bubble- oh my…”
There was a yelp from YoungSaeng, and within a flash he was off HyunJoong and behind him instead, hiding. "He dumped half the bottle in!" The felinefolk whined, though he was somewhat glad for the large amount of bubbles where they were sitting. They still hadn't a stitch of clothing on.
“That doesn’t explain why you were on top of him like that.” Tablo raised an eyebrow as he put his arms akimbo, staring at the war zone. “If you want to do things like that you should lock the door.”
“Hyung…” HyunJoong sighed patiently. “I did. I even put a locking spell over it. Stop overriding my spells.”
Tablo attempted to look hurt. “What? Me? Override your spells? What nonsense.”
Turning bright red, YoungSaeng buried his face against HyunJoong's back and refused to come back up.
"Maybe we should come back later." Mithra was on the other side of the doorway, wisely choosing not to look in the bathroom after taking in the state of the bed. HyungJoon, who had somehow been dragged along, had been booted back out into the hallway.
“Probably.” Tablo nodded, mock sagely, eliciting a hand full of bubbles lobbed straight at him, courtesy of HyunJoong.
“Out.” HyunJoong ordered calmly, wrapping YoungSaeng into a protective hug and shielding the felinefolk from view.
"Come on you," Mithra sighed, reaching in to pull Tablo out and moving to close the bathroom door again. "Before you get worse than bubbles thrown at you."
"Are they okay?" HyungJoon asked from the hallway, blinking owlishly.
“Better than okay.” Tablo said loudly so that HyunJoong could hear. “They’re better than they’ll ever be. Maybe a little sore an- OW! HYUNJOONG!”
HyunJoong chuckled at the way the bottle of shampoo had hit Tablo directly on the head.
"Careful, we need all his brain cells intact," Mithra called before securing the door shut. YoungSaeng listened as Tablo was ushered out into the hallway again.
"Now we're never going to hear the end of it," YoungSaeng whined, burying himself in HyunJoong's arms.
HyunJoong chuckled, nuzzling his nose into YoungSaeng’s ears. “We wouldn’t have heard the end of it even if they didn’t catch that particular scene. I have a feeling that we’re going to be very, very promiscuous these next few days.”
"Lovely." YoungSaeng purred at the light rubbing against his ears. "Maybe we should hide in here until the storm clears."
“Maybe we should~” HyunJoong grinned. “And I have a fun idea on what to do with all these bubbles.”
YoungSaeng peeked up at HyunJoong suspiciously. "And what would that be?"
“Well… why don’t I just show you?” HyunJoong chuckled, a little evilly as he slowly lowered YoungSaeng against the floor.
**************************
"Kyu~!"
JungMin tried not to whine and utterly failed when he was foiled from leaving his bedroom yet again. It had been a few days since he'd caught sick, and he felt much better now...not that any of them would listen to him. 'Them' because Thaestae was just as insistent on keeping him in bed as KyuJong was, and he had the sneaking suspicion they teamed up on occasion to give him no other choice in the matter.
That fact should have set off questions, especially since they both argued like cats and dogs for the most part, but JungMin was too busy pouting over being on house arrest.
"Please?" he pleaded, staring up at the ankou. "Just let me walk around a bit. I'm going to forget how to move if I stay here much longer. And the fever is down, see?" It was much improved, though the cough had yet to go away. That had gotten worse, but he'd prefer the cough over the dizziness and fever spells that had plagued him the past few days.
KyuJong folded his arms, trying not to give into the adorable pout. Having being exposed to it for a good few days, he was beginning to build up immunity to it, and the constant cough helped - reminding KyuJong why he shouldn’t give in.
“No. I’m not letting you go out until you’re completely recovered.” KyuJong sighed, sitting down on the bed beside the human, leaning down close to check JungMin’s temperature. “And you’re still pretty warm even if the fever’s down.”
"No I'm not," JungMin huffed, wrinkling his nose. He was feeling pretty fine, and that was good enough a reason for him to get out. "Just half an hour. Fifteen minutes. Don't they always say fresh air helps when sick anyways?" He gave KyuJong the best puppy eyes he could muster.
KyuJong would have continued to stop JungMin from going if not for the fact that it looked as if JungMin was going to mutiny soon if he didn’t let the human have his way. He deliberated it for a while, before sighing. “Fine. We’ll go down for a quick one to buy groceries. But then we’re coming up straightaway, all right?”
JungMin's expression lit up like a ten-year-old at Christmas. "All right! Thank you!" He grabbed KyuJong in a hug, kissing his lips happily before bouncing up to get ready, searching for something better to wear than pajamas.
KyuJong yelped, falling to the bed after JungMin practically glomped him, and he sighed, burying his face into his pillow, wondering why he was so easily walked over. But he guessed that bright smile on JungMin’s face made up for it.
The human was dressed and ready within minutes, a new record for him, but he hadn't been allowed to go anywhere for so long he was going to short a few circuits if he didn't go somewhere now. "All ready!" He chirped, making sure to bundle up for the slight cold so that KyuJong had less to complain about.
KyuJong blinked at the fast speed that JungMin had gotten ready. Quirking an eyebrow, he chuckled, shaking his head. “Tsk, if only you got up that fast on usual mornings. Maybe I should keep you in bed more often.”
Getting up, KyuJong smoothed down his clothes and hair, looking around for his jacket and keys. “Gimme a second to change into my pixie form…”
Pouting at him, JungMin bounced slightly in place as he waited for KyuJong to get ready. He wished they could just walk down the street without KyuJong worrying about what form he was in, but that wasn't possible for a long, long while. "Staying in bed is boring," he protested, wrinkling his nose.
“Then how come sometimes you don’t feel like getting out of it in the morning?” KyuJong teased as his form glowed and slowly shrank down. Looking himself over to make sure he’d cast the spell right, KyuJong gathered up his coat, and went to unlock the door.
"Cause it's okay in moderation, and you're comfier than any pillow," JungMin snorted, tugging on the edges of his own coat before going to the door as well. Once outside, he was quiet in case there were hunters nearby, but his eyes were dancing. Finally.
KyuJong resisted the urge to wrap his arms around JungMin once outside to make sure that the redhead didn’t run around too much. Assuming his role as sub-serviant servant, he mumbled to JungMin. “Just to the supermarket alright? Then we’ll immediately go back home.”
"Yes yes," JungMin smiled, starting down the hallway with a bounce in his step. Isn't this much better than the apartment? he asked Thaestae happily.
Very, the demon replied, but he sounded distracted.