Rain and thunder rolled over the sky. Seonghwa's arm that carried Hongjoong's hand held an umbrella between the two of them as they walked down the streets. His other arm bore a leather bag in which they had stored today's harvest of their visit to the city.

San had little time for them. He had barely opened the door and exchanged a few hushed words with Seonghwa before he had sent them off again. Hongjoong hadn't got to see Wooyoung to gossip with him about Seonghwa. Now that things between them got more serious, Hongjoong would have loved to ask Wooyoung for advice. Alas, he could still mention it in a letter.

After the brief visit to San's home, they had scouted out an area with many businesses to explore. There were some purely for enjoyment as opposed to the slum-usual vendors that could only make money by selling the essentials. They spent some time in a bookstore while Hongjoong picked out something new he wanted to read, and Seonghwa bought new ink for his calligraphy. Afterwards, they had picked up some flower seeds for Seonghwa to plant that he had been absolutely ecstatic about.

The long day of walking the uneven ground in his heels resonated in Hongjoong's legs. His calves hurt, and since they were out in the open, there was no option to sit.

The rain thrummed on the umbrella.

"Where do you want to go next? Anything that interests you?" Seonghwa drew Hongjoong closer so they could hear each other over the thunder in the sky, coupled with the noise of the carriages rolling past. Other people brushed by them in their raincoats to seek a warmer place.

"I don't know my way around, so I can't tell you what possibilities are in my interest, earl," Hongjoong chuckled. Anywhere to rest from all the walking would be great. Sitting in a corset was just as bothersome as walking in heels, but he would appreciate some tea over more wandering.

With a hum, Seonghwa looked down the street. His eyes scoured the lit glass windows of the various shops showcasing their wares. During Christmas time, most of them were decorated with religious or festive items that set the mood.

"Then how about candies?" Seonghwa perked up. His free hand pointed at a building further down the road that shone and glimmered in many colours even from a distance.

"Do you like those?" Seonghwa turned to look at Hongjoong. Hongjoong shrugged.

"I like chocolates. Candies aren't in the budget for most people in my area."

Seonghwa smiled at him and adjusted the umbrella so it would protect as much of Hongjoong's skirts as possible. His sentence got interrupted by thunder, but he repeated himself with a patient chuckle.

"Then let's get you chocolates and perhaps you find a liking in something else."

Seonghwa paid attention not to get under a horse's hooves as he led them to cross the streets. They weaved between the other people that dotted the streets on their indiscernible tasks. Since it was afternoon and the skies were so dark, it felt like night already. The street lamps were on despite it being just dinner time.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa would probably return home soon. By this hour, Mingi and Emily must have prepared a nice nourishing meal for them. With the frigid temperatures, Hongjoong's gratitude for a heated house with meals every day to live with had risen.

When they arrived at the store, Seonghwa shook out the umbrella and left it outside as they stepped in. The warm air that greeted them smelled sweet like honey as the scents of the candies mingled. Hongjoong spotted chocolate treats, cookies like the ones they had made, colourful bonbons and sweets he couldn't even name. It was a paradise for kids about to ruin their teeth forever with all the goods they found in here.

The woman behind the register greeted them with a smile on her wrinkly features. A man whom Hongjoong presumed to be her husband worked in a small back area and occasionally peered up at them.

Seonghwa led Hongjoong to look around and the sheer variety had Hongjoong speechless. He couldn't decide what he wanted to try.

"We could get various chocolate snacks for you to taste. I am a huge advocate of dried fruit encased in chocolate. Or nuts," Seonghwa suggested when he picked up on Hongjoong's starry-eyed amazement.

They walked a slow round so Hongjoong could look at everything. Seonghwa joked about some candies that looked just like Hongjoong's dress and considered picking them for that reason alone for them to try.

"Personally, I like these." Seonghwa gestured to a box filled with brown, oval candies with a rough texture. They smelled of nothing much, not that Hongjoong could pick out their scent over all the other treats.

Upon Seonghwa's call, the man came over to fill a bag with the things for Seonghwa and weighed them.

"Ever tasted candied almonds, ma'am?" The seller asked when he noticed Hongjoong's curious gaze. Upon the shake of his head, the man grabbed one to hand it over.

"They are super trendy in Germany and France right now. Try it."

Unsure, Hongjoong glanced at Seonghwa, but the earl smiled at him to go on. Hongjoong tasted sugar when he took it in his mouth and the hard candy cracked when he bit down on it. Now, he could taste the almond encased in the sugary coat and he liked it. The taste wasn't too obnoxious or sugary, and the nut balanced it well.

With an astonished hum, Hongjoong nodded at the other two.

"Give me a second bag of them," Seonghwa grinned at the seller. Satisfied, the man followed the wish.

They left the store with their almonds, some chocolates, and some strawberry bonbons that Seonghwa liked in tow. Once outside under the umbrella, they listened to the thunderstorm that had distanced itself considerably from the city and took the rain with it.

"I can imagine candied almonds would be an easy concept for the slums to make use of, as well. They aren't hard to make and even if nobody has the money to buy sweets, perhaps people could make them by themselves," Seonghwa pondered. He had handed Hongjoong a bag to carry, and they snacked on the almonds as they walked.

"I'm sure they would like it. The brats on the streets delight in any sweets they get awarded with during begging trips."

Seonghwa took another almond as he scouted the street for other activities to do. Exhaustion had crept into his face by now as all the different people and noises around him tired him out.

"Should we return home soon, so we can have dinner and go to rest as it gets dark?" Hongjoong proposed. With a nod, Seonghwa handed him another almond before he packed the rest into his pouch.

"I look forward to being dry again, yes. Perhaps you wish to help me plant my new flowers in the garden tomorrow?"

Hongjoong eyed Seonghwa warily.

"This isn't a euphemism, is it?"

Chuckling, Seonghwa pulled him into an alley so they could take a shortcut to the outskirts of town where their coacher awaited them. The tall walls of the buildings protected them from wind and rain, so Seonghwa closed the umbrella as they wove between narrow stones.

Without the protective shield over them, it was easier to see Seonghwa's grin as he levelled his gaze at Hongjoong.

"Do you wish it to be?"

With a huff, Hongjoong stared up ahead. He could excuse his blush with the cold that bit at his cheeks. He knew Seonghwa grinned at him teasingly, but he tried to ignore it.

"How audacious of you to assume I would allow you that so soon in our relationship," Hongjoong said, his voice frosty. It didn't deter Seonghwa.

"Didn't we agree that the idea of waiting past marriage with these things was nonsense? From how willingly you pushed your chest into my face last time, I would suspect you aren't outraged by taking a step further." Seonghwa's grin turned triumphant and Hongjoong's need to dig his heel into the man's foot swelled.

"I- This is not the time to be discussing this, earl!" Hongjoong fumbled as he tried to free his hand from Seonghwa's arm, but his attempts at distance fell short. Before he could step a metre away from Seonghwa, the man reached out to capture him. His arm wrapped around Hongjoong's waist to jerk him closer and trap him against the earl's body. The corset under his fingers made Hongjoong feel smaller in his arm.

"Seonghwa-" Hongjoong broke off when Seonghwa hauled him into the canopied entrance of a house. They thudded against the wooden door and Hongjoong prayed it wouldn't open as Seonghwa descended his lips upon Hongjoong's.

Their kiss tasted of candied almonds, though Seonghwa's passion didn't match the mild taste of the candy. The way his hands grabbed onto Hongjoong's waist and his lips moulded into Hongjoong as if he wanted to become one with him right there was unseemly. If anyone discovered them doing this in the dark alley, they would get whistled at. Rumours about the earl's untamed desires would spread like wildfire.

Hongjoong's legs got weak when Seonghwa's tongue prodded his lips. It brushed against Hongjoong's to share their warmth and to entice him into agreeing he wanted more.

The need to put Seonghwa in place overwhelmed Hongjoong, as he was trapped between the earl's lips and the cold wood. Before he would show a side of him that wouldn't fit his female image in public, he elbowed the earl off. Seonghwa grinned, his eyes glinting as he licked his lips.

Without a word, Hongjoong sent him an icy glare. Then he turned on his heel to march further down the street. Seonghwa trudged along and adjusted the bag over his shoulder as he laughed about Hongjoong's embarrassment.

"Oh, don't pretend, my sweet lady. Or are you afraid anyone but me could see your adventurous side?"

Seonghwa's giggles echoed in the alley as he followed Hongjoong's agitated stomps. Instead of a reply, Hongjoong simply ducked into an adjoining path to disappear from Seonghwa's eyes. If Seonghwa wanted to play, they could play. Only if he found Hongjoong somewhere in a corner, he might get the kiss he so desperately wished for.

Fuelled by his plans for what he would do to Seonghwa once the truth was out and he was the one shoving the earl around, Hongjoong marched through the empty streets. Nobody had a reason to lounge around back here, and most people had returned to their homes by now.

Hongjoong rounded a few more intersections. He still heard Seonghwa's steps as he searched for his fiancée with some chuckles.

When he found a corner he was satisfied with, Hongjoong pressed into the edge behind a house, joining to what he assumed to be a lane leading to a backyard for how cramped it was. He made sure no shred of his skirt stood out of the angle as he pressed his hands to his lips and listened. His quickened breath warmed his stiff fingers.

Seonghwa was close. His steps seemed to find the right way instantly, as if he figured out whether Hongjoong took right or left turns within a second. Infuriated by the nonchalant arrogance, Hongjoong prepared to spring out of his hiding spot and startle the living hell out of the lord.

"What an unfortunate area to hide in, mylady. You are aware that in these shadows, nobody will see what I might do to you? Your game entices me," Seonghwa's voice echoed from two swerves away. Hongjoong bit his lip, reluctant to reply so he wouldn't give himself away. In his mind, he cursed Seonghwa tenfold for igniting a spark of excitement in Hongjoong's belly.

Hongjoong leaned to dive when Seonghwa's steps neared. Before he could move, however, a shadow moving to his left in the alley had him freeze.

He thought it was a cat, but it was far too big to be a cat. For a moment, his heart stilled in his chest as he recognised the shape of a person.

With an awkward nod, Hongjoong apologised and squeezed to the wall to let the man in the black trench coat, who had appeared so abruptly next to him, pass.

However, the stranger didn't move past Hongjoong. His gloved, black hands shot out from his sides, right at Hongjoong. The bells of the church nearby that struck ten right at the same time drowned out Hongjoong's startled noise when they grabbed onto him. A big palm came to press over his mouth and an arm draped around him that was so strong he got carried rather than dragged. Suddenly, they moved further into the darkness of the alley.

Disoriented, Hongjoong tried to free himself, kicked and punched away. His panicked eyes flickered over the street as he tried to locate Seonghwa, tried to signal for help.

The tall man who lugged Hongjoong off smelled of metal. The scent had all alarm bells in Hongjoong's head shrill, but they got drowned out by the church.

Deafened by the noise, Hongjoong yanked on his gloves in a frenzy. His kidnapper faced away from him, so he didn't notice when Hongjoong dropped the soft leather on the ground and left a mark. No noise came from the stranger when Hongjoong elbowed his firm body desperately.

The brutal arm around Hongjoong's waist pressed his breath out of his lungs as he got hauled into the entrance of a house. He gagged when the corset dug into his guts, and then a door slammed shut.

Darkness enveloped Hongjoong as a lock clicked.