"Have you taken any medicines for your fever?"

Dubious, JP waited on the single sofa in his microapartment while his uninvited guest was preparing the food in his makeshift kitchen. He had calmed down enough to let Sky do what he pleased, but he still found it incredible to see the future boss of the SDV University freely roaming in his place.

The young instructor stared at the man's back, watched as broad shoulders flexed every time the assistant professor moved. Sky had abandoned his dark blue blazer on the arm of the lone chair where JP was currently perched, leaving him with only the thin white t-shirt that revealed his firm arms. He looked so out of place in this simple setting, regardless of his unusually less formal appearance at the present. His height and build made the little space seem even more cramped.

JP gave his eyes a tour of the room as if he were only seeing it for the first time. He had never cared about how small this self-contained living space was for as long as it could provide him with the basic shelter needs. A single bed with drawers underneath it, a nightstand, an area that served as the kitchen, a mini leisure sofa, a coffee table that he used as a study-slash-dining table, and a small bathroom where he could also do his laundry. While it might not be ideal for people who had become accustomed to luxurious accommodation, for someone like him who wanted a cheap home where he could stay by himself, this microflat was perfect.

The size never used to bother him since he always made sure to keep the room clean and organized, but now that another person—an heir of a rich family at that—had graced this humble place with his presence and JP remembered that he had not washed the dishes this morning, he could not help but feel insecure. He would not be surprised if negative judgments were already running through Sky's head. JP suspected that the assistant professor's bedroom alone was larger than this whole apartment.

He hugged his knees and discreetly sniffed himself as his consciousness shifted to his own state. It was a good thing he had taken a quick shower to cool down his temperature this morning, so he didn't give off any unpleasant odor nor did he feel sticky. However, after staying in bed most of the time this day and with his earlier outburst, JP didn't need to check himself in the mirror to know that he had come close to a fashion disaster. There was no way a baggy shirt and old college PE pants would be able to save his physical appearance at the moment.

JP raised his head in time for Sky to send him an expectant stare over his shoulder. It occurred to the young instructor that he had yet to answer his coworker's question.

He avoided the other man's gaze and faked his fascination with the wooden flooring. "I don't store medicines at home, and I was too dizzy to go out and buy any."

There was a beat of dead air before the assistant professor asked, "How about your meals?"

"I had egg drop soup this morning, a cracker and a banana this afternoon. I didn't have the energy to make nor do I have the appetite to eat anything else."

Another long pause came to pass. JP braced himself for any scolding from Sky, but all he received from the latter was a nonchalant remark. "You should have at least drunk a lot of water."

"I did," the Philosophy instructor answered with a tinge of defensiveness. He shot his guest an irritated look, but the expression in Sky's face made him falter.

The assistant professor creased his forehead, his brows meeting in the middle. Discontent filled his eyes while the corners of his mouth were pulled downward. The facial appearance gave away that he might not be as calm as he had made himself sound to be.

Sky turned back to JP's DIY countertop and resumed putting the food together. He walked to the younger man with a bowl and a glass of water in his hands, placed them on the coffee table, and made another trip to the kitchen area to get the paper bag.

"Angela wanted you to have the porridge," Sky said, taking a seat on the wooden floor. He dragged the coffee table to bring it closer to JP and took out the remaining contents of the bag. "I bought you a few jelly puddings."

A few, he said. And then, he pulled out two packages of puddings in cups. Each bundle had half a dozen pieces in assorted flavors. Definitely not 'a few' even to an average consumer, let alone to a sick person.

"These are easy to digest, so you need to eat some before you take your medicines."

JP frowned. Even if you say that, there's no way I'm going to finish even one of them. Just looking at the food is enough to make me nauseous.

Oblivious to his inner predicament, Sky picked up the bowl from the coffee table and stirred the porridge with the spoon. "It's not that hot anymore, but I can warm it up for you if that's what you'd prefer." He looked JP in the eye and must have realized that the young instructor was not bothering to move at all. "Do you want me to feed you?"

That was enough to snap JP out of his reverie. His cheeks heated up, which he attributed to his rising body temperature. Scrambling to take the dish from Sky, he declared, "I can do it myself!"

JP went back to the fetal sitting position on the sofa and stared at the bowl of porridge. Ignoring the eyes that were fixed on him, he brought a spoonful of the soft food to his mouth.

He found it hard to savor the grub when it came off bland on his tongue. More difficult still was for him to swallow it. JP paused, waiting for his throat and stomach to settle down, as he fought back the impulse to throw up before he ingested another small amount of porridge.

After having a couple more scoops, JP made an expression that was similar to the pleading look that kids often gave to their parents whenever they wished to get out of eating their vegetables.

"I can't have anymore," he muttered, gulping to keep the last bite down.

"Are you sure? You have not even eaten half of it. And you didn't have a proper breakfast or lunch."

"I don't have the appetite for it anymore," JP repeated.

Sky's eyes softened, compassion flashing across them. With a nod, he took the bowl from JP.

As their hands brushed against each other, the Philosophy instructor expected a tug on his little finger, only to be reminded that there was no thread to do that anymore. Even so, it was his throbbing heart that recognized the person it had been wanting from the very beginning.

"You will not be able to have the jelly pudding too?" Sky wanted to know, placing the dish back on the table.

JP was just about to say no when the other man's hopeful expression made him reconsider. "I can try one."

He caught a glimpse of the small smile that flitted across Sky's lips before the man tore the plastic package and took out a cup of the sweet.

This is hopeless, and I'm an idiot, JP thought as he accepted the lychee-flavored pudding from Sky. How come he was still trying hard to please this man when he was supposed to be kicking him out of his home right now?

JP noted the faint, plummy aroma coming from the cup as he removed the lid. He sampled a small portion of the pudding, pleased when the hint of fruit and sugar managed to penetrate his reduced sense of taste.

The two men lapsed into silence while the original tenant continued to eat slowly. On the other hand, the guest kept his earnest gaze on his junior colleague.

JP could almost discern the voices of the family from the next-door flat—the mother telling her toddler to take a bath, the male and female teenagers fighting about who was going to wash the dishes tonight, and the father asking about the remote of the TV. This was nothing new to him. His neighbors never knew when to tone their voices down, and the thin walls weren't helping to filter their noises at all.

Embarrassment swung by too late, making JP blush at the thought that someone might have also heard him having an argument with Sky earlier.

'It's okay. My voice wasn't that loud.'

The thick atmosphere in between him and Sky held up, and when it became so patent that JP could no longer ignore it, he withdrew his attention from the food and put the plastic cup back on the coffee table. Quietly, he took his medicine along with the water.

"It's getting dark," JP pointed out, glancing at the window. "I want to thank you for bringing me food and medicine. I don't want to be rude, but now that you're done with what you came here for, it may be best that you go home now. I want to go back to sleep, and you must also have been tired from that whole week of seminar."

The resolute stare that Sky gave him warned JP that another disagreement was brewing. In order to avoid buckling under that fierce gaze, the young instructor buried his face against his arms that were resting on his bent knees.

"JP, we have to talk," Sky said, his tone dead serious.

"No, we don't," JP replied in a muffled voice, "There's nothing else for us to talk about."

Silence fell, and just when the Philosophy instructor was convinced that the other man had quickly given up, Sky was speaking again.

"I have learned a couple of things while I was away from you this whole week," the assistant professor began, causing JP to peer at him.

Sky was no longer staring at him. Instead, he was scrutinizing his clamped hands on the coffee table. From his expression to his voice, everything about him was sober.

"I might have been a fool and too stubborn to realize it sooner. All that time, I tried not to acknowledge my feelings because I was afraid of giving destiny any more control over me. Even you said that everything I've done for you might have been the influence of the red string. But now, I know that's not how it works." Sky turned to JP with endearment in his eyes. "These past couple of days that we didn't see each other, all I could think about was you. JP, I liked you, and I still do. Even now that we're no longer connected by the string, I could not stop wanting y—"

"Stop it," JP cut in, his words sharp. If this conversation had happened before the incident last week, it might have been easier for him to fall for Sky's words. It could not be the case now that the small wound that he had left within him was still fresh. "You're cruel, Sky. You're just saying the things that I've wanted to hear, even knowing there's no way they could be true."

Sky seemed to have something else to say, but JP didn't leave him any room for objection as he asked, "Didn't you say before that you're only interested in women? And now you're saying that you like me? Do you even know what it means?"

The assistant professor could only stare, and JP inferred that he was waiting for him to elaborate.

He shot Sky a challenging glare. "It means you have to do those things you only used to do with your female lovers. So are you saying you can make love to me? That you can have sex with me? Are you sure you will be able to stare at a man's naked body, at my body, without getting turned off? Can you do that?"

A sarcastic smile formed on his lips when his senior colleague remained silent. The reality must have thrown Sky off, and JP would be lying if he said the lack of reaction didn't sting. Whether he admitted it or not, in his inmost heart, he had held on to that tiny spark of optimism that it might turn out differently this time. That, maybe, they could finally work it out.

"You can't, can you? I'm pretty sure you won't even be able to kiss me," JP said quietly, unable to put enough force into his statement as disappointment bled him dry. He cast a dejected look at the floor because he didn't want Sky to figure out that he still had this strong effect on him.

JP clutched the front of his shirt as his chest tightened. He clenched his jaw, steeling himself to stop the dismay from taking shape. "Please go home and leave me now, Sky. I'm tired," he all but pled with a brittle smile.

'It's over,' he told himself when the other man rose to his feet. 'So, it's going to be like this again. I just never learned.'

But then, footfalls came near, and Sky was suddenly in front of him, caging him as he placed his hands on the back of the sofa.

His heart, which he was sure had just died a while ago, arose from its grave as he made out the fire from Sky's eyes.

"W-what are you doing?" JP managed to ask despite his obvious squirm.

"I already regretted not doing or saying anything to you the last time you told me about your real feelings. I am not going to act like a fool again. I will not leave until I convince you that what I am telling you is the whole truth," Sky said matter-of-factly, trapping JP not only with his arms but also under his hypnotic gaze, "You want to know if I will be able to do those things with you. I'll say neither of us will ever know unless we try."

The young instructor's eyes widened at the implication of Sky's words.

"What..." JP wavered as the word came off wheezy. He gulped to get rid of the thing that was stuck in his throat. "What are you saying?"

Apparently, Sky was not interested in giving an actual answer. He removed his right hand from the sofa, only to palm the younger man's neck and brush his thumb against his ear.

Shivers, both hot and cold, crawled all over JP's skin at the contact. His breath hitched when the assistant professor leaned his face closer.

"I apologize in advance for whatever I'm about to do. Feel free to punch me if you don't like it. I won't hold it against you."

One moment, Sky was hoisting JP off the chair and into his arm. The next, he was covering his mouth with his.

JP had always thought the initial kiss with his soul mate would be something out of a fairy tale. Chaste, gentle, the kind of mild kiss that a man gave his lover as they woke up in the morning. A caress of lips that could melt his heart with its tenderness.

But that fantasy was too far away from reality. There was nothing innocent about the way Sky's lips moved against his mouth. Hot. Smooth. Desperate. JP could not sense any ounce of hesitation in Sky's actions as he captured the back of his head with his large hand to keep him in place while their lips locked together.

Somewhere in the buried part of his consciousness, JP knew he needed to pull out of the other man's hold, stop himself from getting carried away. However, there was nothing much he could do but close his eyes and accept the fact that resistance in this situation was futile. He grabbed onto Sky's shoulder to prevent his weakened legs from collapsing as the assistant professor stole his rationality by making him experience the kiss of his life.

Sky's breath was as warm and stimulating as the first touch of the sunrise; his mouth was as velvety as the pudding that JP had just eaten, if not softer and sweeter.

Whether he realized what he was doing or not, the future university boss affirmed his dominance as he took control of the whole scenario. He skimmed, licked and nipped at JP's mouth, eliciting a moan of satisfaction from the younger man's throat. JP didn't have the time to be embarrassed about it when Sky took the chance to tilt his head for a better angle and slip his tongue in between his parted lips. It reached deep inside his mouth, searching its every corner, like a bee diving in for the flower's nectar.

The temperature in the room surged. Their bodies were on fire as they pressed against each other. JP was certain that his head was going to blow up with all the sensations while he let himself be devoured by Sky's hungry lips and tongue. His hands traveled from the older educator's shoulders to the back of his neck, feeling his hair for a moment, before they moved down to grip his collar and pull him closer if possible.

JP's entire being had become pliant. His brain had turned into mush while his mouth melted like ice cream under the heat of the searing kiss. His limbs were as wobbly as a jelly. Thankfully, he was still able to stand up straight with the support of Sky's left arm around his middle.

He had been held by other guys before, but none of those partners' touches had ever made him this delirious. So this was how it was like to be on the receiving end of a mature, serious man's physical seduction. The experience was overwhelming as it was thrilling.

Sky kissed JP passionately, as if this was what he had wanted for a long time and as if he had been waiting to do it for a hundred years. It was the ardent proximity that drowned the young instructor into a river of lustful desires until he learned to breathe in it, until there was nothing left of him but the urge to beg for more.

Before JP could totally lose himself in the moment, Sky pulled away.

Lightheaded and breathless, the Philosophy instructor opened his eyes. He initially noticed the flush in Sky's tan cheeks, as well as the unusual rosiness and glaze of his lips, but what caught his attention the most were the scowl and the troubled look on his face.

The expression threw cold water on JP's bliss as he assumed that the other man was repulsed by their intimacy after all.

"We need to take you to bed," Sky then rasped, completely smashing JP's negative thoughts.

Pessimism was replaced by shock. Gloomy ideas changed into naughty imaginations. With his mind racing, JP stammered, "B-bed... What? B-but I... I'm sick." And only now did he remember that he, in fact, still had a fever. For the past couple of minutes, it had been difficult for him to tell the real cause of his dizziness and the burning sensation on his body.

"Exactly. I can feel how high your fever is, that's why I'm bringing you back to bed so you can have a proper rest." Smirking, Sky brought his mouth near JP's ear. In a low, sensual voice, he whispered, "Were you thinking I was going to do something else to you in bed?"

JP overheated and could almost imagine the steam coming out of his head. "That—that's not it. You should have made it clearer from the start."

"Don't worry. I'm not done proving the things I can do with you yet, but I'll do it once you're clearheaded enough to remember the smallest details of it and to understand how much I really want you."

The promise caused the younger man's stomach to curl in anticipation. A titillating frisson ran through his flesh and blood.

JP reached for the hem of Sky's shirt, hesitated before he rested his forehead against the assistant professor's chest. He was afraid to pose the question, afraid that Sky would find it bothersome, but he tried to convince himself that it was alright for him to be clingy even just this once.

"If I go to sleep now, will you still be here when I wake up?" he asked quietly.

Sky wrapped both his arms around JP's waist. If that was not enough assurance, he muttered, "Only if you want me to stay for the night."