"You squeaked." I pointed out, unable to keep the laughter from my voice. "When I kissed you. Like a dog toy."
"I did not squeak." His whole face was crimson now, indignation warring with embarrassment. "That was a... a masculine exclamation of surprise."
"It was adorable." I grabbed his shirt again, pulling him back toward me with determination. "Now do better."
Something shifted in his expression — determination replacing embarrassment, his jaw setting with resolve. "I can do better."
He kissed me again, slower this time, more deliberate, his hands sliding from my face to my waist. He pulled me closer, and I rewarded him by melting into it, letting him feel how much I wanted this through the soft sound I made against his mouth.
"Better." I murmured against his lips, feeling his smile.
"I'm a fast learner." He whispered back, his breath warm against my skin, and then proved it by doing something with his tongue that made me gasp. His hand slid under my shirt, fingers brushing bare skin, and I arched into the touch without thinking. He groaned softly, the sound vibrating against my mouth.
"Is this okay?" He pulled back just enough to ask, his voice rough in a way I hadn't heard before, his pupils blown wide.
"God, yes." I tugged at his shirt, my patience evaporating as I felt the pulsing of the bond almost make me go into a haze. "Off. This should be off."
He pulled it over his head so fast he almost elbowed me in the face, fumbling in his eagerness. "Sorry, sorry?—"
"Stop apologizing." I ran my hands over his chest, feeling muscles flex under my palms, warm skin over hard definition. "Start kissing me again."
He obeyed enthusiastically, his mouth finding mine with renewed purpose. We kissed until I couldn't think straight, until his scent was everywhere, until I was half in his lap and his hands were exploring and I wanted more, more, more?—
"Wait." I pulled back, breathing hard, my lips swollen and my whole body humming with want. "Wait, we should stop."
"Stopping." He said immediately, though his whole body was tense with the effort, his chest heaving. "We're stopping. That's totally fine. That's—" He took a deep breath, visibly struggling. "That's really, really hard, actually."
"I know." I rested my forehead against his, sharing breath with him. "But I want to do this right. With all of you….that..and I am still scared something is going to happen or have the urge to run away again.”
"That's fair." He nodded rapidly, still catching his breath. "That's so fair. You're so reasonable. I'm going to die, but you're very reasonable."
I laughed, some of the tension breaking, the sound bubbling up from somewhere warm in my chest. "You're not going to die."
"I might." He said seriously, his eyes still dark with want. "From wanting you. It might actually kill me."
"Then we'll add that to your trophies." I kissed his nose, then his cheek, then the corner of his mouth, light teasing touches. "Died from wanting. Very impressive."
"You're enjoying this." He accused, but he was smiling, his hands still warm on my waist.
"Little bit." I admitted with zero shame.
"Mean." He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close despite the fact that we'd agreed to stop, his chin resting on top of my head. "Can I at least scent you? Please? I want you to smell like me too."
"Where?" I asked, already knowing I'd say yes, already wanting it. He took my hand, lifting it gently, and pressed our palms together so our wrists aligned, his skin warm against mine. His scent sank into my skin — ocean and mint and something bright and young.
"There." He murmured, his voice soft with wonder. "So you carry me with you." We sat like that for a long moment, fingers intertwined, catching our breath, his scent mingling with Hwan's sunshine and Jin-ho's rain on my skin.
"For the record," Tae-min said quietly, his thumb tracing circles on my palm, "I'm really glad you're weird about socks."
"For the record," I replied, squeezing his hand, "I'm really glad you build ramen shrines."
"They're not—" He stopped, then laughed, the sound light and happy. "Okay, they're shrines. They're totally shrines."
"I know." I lifted our joined hands and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. "I think that's great." When we finally emerged from his room, I found the others in the living room, pretending very badly that they hadn't been waiting, their casual poses too studied to be natural.
"Good game?" Hwan asked from the couch, his voice too casual, his eyes immediately dropping to our still-linked hands.
"I destroyed her." Tae-min announced proudly, finally releasing my fingers so I could settle onto the couch beside Hwan. "She's hopeless. The worst."
