10

Warmth. That was the first thing Felix felt.

Then the quiet. No sounds except soft breathing, slow and even — not just his own.

He blinked groggily, lashes fluttering against the sunlight peeking through the curtains. The arm around his waist registered first. Then the leg tangled with his. Then the soft, steady thump beneath his ear.

His heart jumped.

He looked up.

Hyunjin.

Still asleep — barely. His lips were parted, hair a mess across the pillow, brows relaxed like the world wasn’t heavy for once. His hold around Felix’s waist hadn’t loosened at all during the night.

Felix flushed, eyes wide.

What the hell…

He tried to shift back, just a little.

But that was enough.

Hyunjin stirred.

A low hum escaped his throat, gravelly with sleep, and he cracked one eye open. His gaze found Felix’s instantly, and for a moment — just a second — they both froze.

Neither of them spoke.

Felix swallowed. “I— I didn’t mean to—”

“You move a lot when you sleep,” Hyunjin said, voice still thick with morning haze. “Or maybe I do.”

Their legs were still tangled. Felix didn’t try to pull away.

He should’ve.

But Hyunjin’s hand was still on his waist, fingers flexing slightly — not pushing him away.

There was something in Hyunjin’s eyes.

Unsaid.

Undeniable.

His gaze dipped.

To Felix’s lips.

Felix’s breath caught.

And then Hyunjin leaned in.

Slow. No hesitation. Just gravity — soft and inevitable.

Their lips met.

A quiet sigh against each other’s mouths. A soft press at first — warm, patient, grounding.

But when Felix tilted his chin up, kissed back — just a little firmer, more open — Hyunjin shifted closer, arm pulling him tighter against his chest.

The kiss deepened. Sleepy, messy, full of warmth and need and unspoken promises. Hyunjin’s hand slid up Felix’s spine, cupping the back of his neck, thumb brushing the edge of his jaw. Felix whimpered softly into his mouth — still half-asleep, half-lost in the way Hyunjin made him feel.

When they finally pulled apart, breath mingling in the quiet, Felix didn’t dare meet his eyes right away.

But Hyunjin tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and whispered:

“Morning.”

Felix smiled, dazed. “Morning.”

---

The clink of cutlery was soft, almost rhythmic against the fine china. Sunlight spilled lazily through the tall windows, pooling golden over the long dining table where only two seats were occupied — Hyunjin and Felix, side by side.

Felix had showered and looked fresher, though there was still a sleepy softness to his eyes. He picked at the neatly plated breakfast the maids had prepared — scrambled eggs, roasted tomatoes, toast with butter already melted in.

Hyunjin, sitting beside him in a soft knit sweater and black trousers, looked unfairly calm for someone who had just spent half the night tangled up with Felix in ways neither of them dared mention. He ate quietly, chewing slow, eyes occasionally flicking toward Felix.

Felix tried not to notice.

But he was hyper-aware — of Hyunjin’s shoulder brushing his, of how his leg would bump Felix’s under the table and not move away, of the way Hyunjin hummed softly under his breath between bites.

It was all too casual.

Felix almost hated how normal it felt.

Until—

His phone buzzed.

He flinched.

Hyunjin paused mid-sip from his coffee, then set the cup down and looked over.

Felix checked the screen.

Minho.

Hyunjin’s gaze dropped to his plate. Unbothered, like he hadn’t even seen it. Like he didn’t care.

Felix hesitated, then answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Lix” Minho’s voice came in, warm, cheerful. “How are you feeling today?”

Felix stiffened, glancing toward Hyunjin again, who was buttering his toast with a strange precision.

“I’m okay,” Felix replied softly. “Just having breakfast.”

“Oh, good. I was worried — you didn’t call at all. Everything alright?”

“Yeah,” Felix said quickly. “I was just tired. Slept early.”

Hyunjin’s buttering paused — just a second — then resumed.

“Well, guess what,” Minho chuckled. “We’ll be back tomorrow. Things are moving really fast with the arrangements. The venue is looking great. Thought maybe when I get back, we could go shopping together for your suit?”

Felix stared at his toast.

He didn’t respond fast enough.

“Felix?” Minho said again, gentler. “You there?”

Felix forced a smile, even though Minho couldn’t see it.

“Yeah. That’d be nice.”

A pause.

“I miss you.”

Felix felt Hyunjin shift beside him, maybe just to reach for the jam — maybe not.

“…Miss you too,” Felix whispered, barely audible.

The call ended.

Felix locked the screen and set the phone aside slowly. The silence was loud. The room was suddenly too cold.

Then Hyunjin spoke, voice low, casual.

“Food is getting cold.”

Felix looked at him.

Hyunjin didn’t look back.

He just spread jam across his toast and took a bite like nothing was wrong.

And Felix — Felix smiled tightly and took a bite too.

But it didn’t taste the same.

------

[EVENING — THE BACKYARD POOL]

“Seriously? You’re swimming now?” Felix stood at the edge of the pool, arms crossed over his chest. “It’s freezing out here.”

Hyunjin was floating lazily on his back, arms spread, wet hair slicked back like some mythological drama prince. “It’s not that cold.”

Felix narrowed his eyes. “That’s a lie.”

Hyunjin turned his head, grinning. “You sound like my grandma.”

Felix scoffed. “I’m just trying to keep you from catching hypothermia, you idiot.”

“Then come in and test it yourself.”

“No way. I’m not falling for that—”

Hyunjin swam closer, his tone shifting to something more convincing. “I swear, it's really not that bad. Feels nice after the hot shower I took earlier.”

Felix hesitated, glancing down at the still water. It didn’t look that bad. He raised an eyebrow. “You’re not tricking me, right?”

“Would I lie to you?” Hyunjin said with a face so innocent it had to be fake.

Felix sighed. “Fine.” He peeled his shirt off with a dramatic huff. “If I freeze to death, I’m haunting you.”

“Can’t wait,” Hyunjin smirked, extending his hand.

Felix grabbed it—and the second his foot hit the water—

“OH MY GOD—” he gasped, jerking back. “YOU LIAR! IT’S FREEZING!”

Hyunjin burst into laughter. “Oops.”

“Oops?! Are you serious?! I can’t feel my legs!”

“You already committed,” Hyunjin shrugged. “You might as well come all the way in now.”

Before Felix could escape back onto the deck, Hyunjin tugged hard on his arm, pulling him into the water with a huge splash.

Felix surfaced sputtering, curls drenched and sticking to his forehead, his whole body trembling. “You—absolute—menace—”

“I prefer the term 'strategic genius',” Hyunjin said with a smug smile.

Felix glared at him, but the glare didn’t last long — because Hyunjin had already drifted closer, hands slipping around his waist under the water like it was the most natural thing in the world.

The laughter faded.

The air shifted.

“Someone ever told you you're cute when you’re mad,” Hyunjin murmured.

Felix’s cheeks flushed — not from the cold this time. “You’re lucky I didn’t drown.”

“Mm. I’d save you.”

“I doubt it.”

Hyunjin leaned in, slow — until their foreheads touched. “You’d owe me your life. I’d collect in kisses.”

Felix blinked, caught between a breath and a heartbeat.

Then Hyunjin kissed him.

Soft at first — just lips brushing, testing the waters in a way the pool never could. But when Felix didn’t pull away — when he leaned into it instead, tilting his head slightly to kiss back — Hyunjin deepened it.

Wet. Warm. Wanting.

The water may have been freezing.

But between them?

It was burning.

Felix gasped softly against Hyunjin’s mouth, arms instinctively wrapping around his neck as their chests brushed underwater. Skin on skin. Wet and shivering — but neither of them seemed to care.

Hyunjin pressed in closer, one hand splayed against the small of Felix’s back, the other cradling his jaw. The kiss deepened again — sloppier this time, wetter, lips slipping from the water that clung to their mouths.

Felix moaned softly into him.

Hyunjin pulled back just enough to murmur, breath brushing against Felix’s cheek, “Still freezing?”

Felix's eyes were half-lidded, breath unsteady. “Only everything except you.”

Hyunjin chuckled, low and dark. “That’s fixable.”

Without warning, he lifted — hands gripping under Felix’s thighs, hoisting him up in one smooth movement. Felix let out a surprised gasp, legs instinctively wrapping around Hyunjin’s waist as Hyunjin turned and pressed him against the cool tiled edge of the pool.

Water sloshed around them.

Felix gripped Hyunjin’s shoulders, back hitting the edge, heart slamming against his ribs. “You’re insane.”

Hyunjin kissed down his neck, warm mouth trailing fire over cold skin. “You love it.”

Felix tried to argue — he really did — but it turned into a moan when Hyunjin’s teeth scraped just under his ear. The heat in his gut twisted tight.

The tension snapped.

Hyunjin’s hand slid down between their bodies under the water, fingers slipping past the waistband of Felix’s soaked swim trunks. Felix gasped, head falling back with a thud against the edge as Hyunjin wrapped his hand around him.

“You’re already hard?” Hyunjin whispered against his throat. “From just a kiss?”

Felix moaned — high, broken — as Hyunjin began to stroke him under the water, slow at first, then with a roughness that had Felix bucking helplessly in his grip.

The water made everything slicker. Hotter.

Felix’s thighs clenched tighter around Hyunjin’s waist, his breath coming fast, little desperate sounds leaving his lips as Hyunjin jerked him off under the surface — the contrast of cold water and hot friction driving him insane.

“Look at you,” Hyunjin murmured, dragging his lips over Felix’s jaw. “Falling apart already.”

Felix whimpered, eyes fluttering shut. “Please…”

Hyunjin didn’t stop — his hand sped up, grip just rough enough to make Felix cry out. The sound echoed in the still night air, swallowed by the water and the distance of the backyard.

No one could hear them.

No one could see.

“Say it,” Hyunjin breathed against his mouth. “Tell me you want it.”

Felix’s voice cracked. “I—fuck—I want it.”

Hyunjin crushed their mouths together in a bruising kiss — all tongue and teeth and barely restrained need — while his hand worked Felix to the edge.

Felix broke the kiss, panting. “I’m—Hyunjin, I’m gonna—”

“Go ahead,” Hyunjin rasped, stroking him faster. “Come for me, baby.”

That was all it took.

Felix came with a sharp cry, shuddering in Hyunjin’s arms, body jerking under the water as his orgasm hit like a wave. He clung to Hyunjin like he’d drown without him, breathing hard against his shoulder.

Hyunjin held him through it — lips on his temple, hand gentle now, just stroking him through the aftershocks.

Felix barely had time to recover before he felt Hyunjin grind up against him, hard through his soaked trunks.

Felix blinked, dazed. “You didn’t…?”

Hyunjin’s eyes were black with want. “Didn’t want to come without being inside you.”

Felix’s heart stuttered.

In one smooth motion, Hyunjin turned him, pressing him chest-first against the pool’s edge, hands splayed on either side of Felix’s.

“You sure?” he whispered, breath hot against Felix’s ear.

Felix pushed his hips back in answer.

That was all Hyunjin needed.

He tugged his own trunks down just enough, lined himself up, and pushed in — slow, steady, filling Felix inch by inch while water lapped around them, the stretch deep and dizzying. Felix choked on a moan, nails scraping the pool tile.

“God—Hyunjin—”

Hyunjin groaned into his shoulder, bottoming out, gripping Felix’s hips tight.

Then he started to move.

The rhythm was rough but controlled, hips snapping forward, water splashing quietly with every thrust. Felix braced himself, legs trembling, moans spilling out like he didn’t care who heard.

“You feel so good,” Hyunjin panted, snapping his hips harder. “So fucking tight.”

Felix sobbed his name, head falling forward, skin flushed and slick.

They moved like that — lost in it, in the water, in each other — until Hyunjin finally came with a deep, guttural groan, burying himself to the hilt as he spilled inside, body shaking.

For a moment, the only sound was the water rippling around them. The wind. Their breathing.

Hyunjin leaned against Felix’s back, lips brushing his neck. “Still think it was too cold to swim?”

Felix let out a shaky laugh, still breathless. “Shut up.”

Hyunjin kissed his shoulder. “Next time, we try the shower.”

Felix turned enough to smirk. “Next time?”

Hyunjin smiled, wide and wicked. “Oh, baby. You’re not getting out of the water that easy.”

-----