Smut warning

**********

Contrary to Hongjoong's expectations, Seonghwa didn't leave him after Hongjoong had calmed in his arms. Once his shivers stopped, the earl's tight hug around his body loosened. Some warmth evaporated as Hongjoong lifted his head off the earl's shoulder to look at him blearily. Seonghwa peered back, about to say something, when his eyes got stuck on Hongjoong's collarbone.

The mark he had left there a few days back was still visible. Its pale redness stood out among the bruises of violence as a mark enriched by affection. Hongjoong had spent a lot of time in front of the mirror, mindlessly pressing his fingers against it ever since he had escaped the earl's chambers after their heated encounter.

Before Hongjoong could hustle the blanket to hide it from view, Seonghwa inclined his head.

"It hasn't healed yet?" Seonghwa lifted his hand off Hongjoong's back to touch the mark. Under his fingers, it disappeared. The touch to the sensitive spot had Hongjoong's stomach lurch when he remembered how Seonghwa had kissed his skin.

Their eyes met, and Seonghwa chuckled when Hongjoong glanced away.

"I'm happy it's still there. It's a much better memory than the injuries I carried home from the encounter with Yunho." Hongjoong scanned his room, shy. Seonghwa's brows drew together.

"I can imagine. Do you wish for me to give you more? So that you may relish in them rather than the pain of your wounds?"

Curious, Hongjoong perked up. Seonghwa's cheeks were dusted by a faint blush that reminded Hongjoong of the sky in the morning. He hadn't parted from Hongjoong yet and only the thin blanket separated their bodies. Instead of the expected disgust, Hongjoong was awed by Seonghwa's resilience to stay close to him.

"Won't you be bothered by me being a man?"

Seonghwa smiled, a flash of stars that appeared in the morning sky.

"I can't tell you yet whether it is my fascination with my newfound attraction to men or if it's just because you are so familiar to me I could not care less, but I am not repulsed by you. On the contrary. I would like to explore and learn to find out more about you and me."

Touched by his empathy, Hongjoong squeezed him tighter. The curve of Seonghwa's spine under his fingers was hugged by his shirt and vest, the fabric soft.

"In that case, I would be happy to let you explore. And to be at ease since I have no secret to hide anymore."

Seonghwa nosed over Hongjoong's temple. His soft breath on the shell of his ear had Hongjoong lean into him trustingly.

"Then kiss me, my dear," Seonghwa mumbled against Hongjoong's short hair. When Hongjoong lifted his chin, he met warm pools of affection in Seonghwa's face. Seonghwa looked unsure but truthful in his commitment.

Hongjoong's eyes fluttered shut when their lips became one. Kissing Seonghwa was still new to him, but Hongjoong felt that each time they did it, his heart throbbed more violently in his chest like a bird in its cage trying to break out. Now that no more inhibitions and secrets divided them, the rush of emotions that hit Hongjoong had his knees buckle.

The person kissing Seonghwa was him, Hongjoong. And the person whom Seonghwa kissed was the same.

Hongjoong pressed into him with the excitement of no longer being restrained. Seonghwa caught his wobbling delight with a chuckle muffled by their kiss. They were vigilant not to hurt Hongjoong and his aching body that protested both standing and their hug.

Their kiss never parted, Seonghwa's lips never stopping their soft glide over Hongjoong's, as he turned the smaller man around to urge him to sit on the bed. Hongjoong did, his blanket cradled in front of his chest. The soft bed eased his pains as he sunk into it.

For a moment, their lips parted so both of them could catch their quickened breaths. Hongjoong adjusted on the bed when Seonghwa pushed him into the mattress cautiously. Once he leaned back in, their lips succumbed to the sweet tingling pleasure they shared.

The earl leaned above Hongjoong, supported by his elbows. Their bodies aligned in a way much more natural than through the mountains of skirts and fabrics. Appreciative of the balance, Hongjoong ran his fingers down Seonghwa's sides and spine.

A moan escaped Hongjoong's lips when Seonghwa trailed his mouth down his neck. He left heated kisses in his wake that melted Hongjoong into a puddle. His skin got set ablaze wherever Seonghwa touched him, and the heat travelled into his abdomen to accumulate there.

Seonghwa latched onto the same spot as last time. Plush lips sucked on Hongjoong's flesh until he pushed his chest out to align with Seonghwa's; craving touch. He discarded the duty of holding his blanket when his left hand treaded into Seonghwa's thick hair instead and let the black silk run through his fingers. With a hum, Seonghwa allowed him. He didn't complain about Hongjoong's fingers slipping to unbutton his vest and shirt either.

Seonghwa's pale skin came into view gradually. He was lean, if not as built as Hongjoong from many years of hard work. After unbuttoning his clothes as far as he could until only a button of the vest was left and the shirt ended tucked in Seonghwa's pants, Hongjoong arched to wrap his arms around Seonghwa's nape. His fingers massaged Seonghwa's scalp as the man dotted his love marks over Hongjoong's chest and collarbone. The blanket between them shifted aside more and more, soon exposing the lines of Hongjoong's stomach.

By the time the blanket had fallen open far enough that it soon wouldn't cover Hongjoong's aching arousal anymore, both men slowed. With dark eyes filled with desire, Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong. Panting, Hongjoong bit his lips at the sight of Seonghwa's reddened mouth. The earl's tongue flicked out as if to invite him in.

"If you wish we stop, I can stop," Seonghwa muttered as he leaned over Hongjoong's head again. Through the blanket, their middles brushed and Seonghwa's eyes fluttered as he bit back a moan. The pressure of each other was heaven.

"I would like to continue, but I also offer the option to take things slow," Hongjoong said. His shoulder throbbed from the angle as he skimmed his fingers through the short hair at the back of Seonghwa's head. Uncaring of the pain, Hongjoong stared up at the handsome earl.

As an answer, Seonghwa dipped to kiss him. Their lips opened for each other so their tongues could meet in the middle. They tangled, hot and slick as their bodies pressed against each other in the search of pleasure. Seonghwa moaned around Hongjoong's ministrations in his mouth, and Hongjoong could feel him trembling above him. His grin ended short-lived when he skimmed his tongue over Seonghwa's teeth instead.

Seonghwa tugged on the blanket between them carefully. A pained noise tumbled from Hongjoong's lips and had him pull away to help Seonghwa take it off without jostling Hongjoong's shoulder. Apologetic, Seonghwa pressed a kiss to Hongjoong's neck.

A moment later, when Hongjoong was once more naked underneath him, Seonghwa froze up. A beat passed, then Hongjoong craned his head to look at the earl. His embarrassment stood written on his features.

"Pardon me, I- I don't know how this works between men." His eyes flitted over Hongjoong's body with awe. Hongjoong hoped that finally, his flat chest made sense to Seonghwa.

"I can show you," Hongjoong breathed with a chuckle. "We can't go all the way since I'm hurt, so let's keep it simple for the first time." His hand reached for Seonghwa's middle and his arousal straining against his pants. Seonghwa worried his lip between his teeth when Hongjoong opened his pants and freed him. With its pink blush, even this part of the man was pretty.

Hongjoong pulled Seonghwa back over him after a teasing caress of his fingers against the man's tip. Seonghwa complied, and they adjusted until Hongjoong laid comfortably and Seonghwa rested on top of him with his hands cupped around Hongjoong's chest. Their legs laid between each other, offering hips and thighs to grind on.

"Move your hips," Hongjoong muttered through his distraction with the earl's thumbs flicking over his nipples.

When Seonghwa did and their lengths brushed, they shared a groan. Hongjoong's heart was ablaze with the thrill that he and Seonghwa had made it here, that the earl wanted to be close to him despite who he was, and that he shared their pleasure so willingly. The rat catcher clutched to the loose vest on Seonghwa's shoulders until it slipped to expose more skin. Hongjoong's knuckles throbbed.

Seonghwa concentrated on the way he rolled his hips against Hongjoong's, steering their movements. Caught between wanting to buck up into the rigorous earl and trying to be easy on his wounds, Hongjoong concentrated on Seonghwa's face. His brows had drawn together from bliss as it had him acting on instinct and made him forget all inhibitions towards the foreign situation. Plush lips were parted to pant around hot puffs of air.

Hongjoong lost his patience with the pretty earl's slow pace. Fire ate away at his veins and had him leaking all over his stomach, but this wouldn't be enough for him to come.

To spur Seonghwa into action, Hongjoong reached for the man's hair to haul his head down to him. Seonghwa's hips stuttered before they pressed against Hongjoong's with more might as soon as he felt the smaller male's tongue on his neck. Their tips brushed as if fighting a battle as their fluids stuck to each other. The faster and more fiercely Seonghwa moved, the more his sweaty hair stuck to his scalp. It slipped from Hongjoong's grasp.

Quickly cornered into the plane of overwhelming pleasure, Hongjoong gave another harsh suck on Seonghwa's neck. A purple bruise that matched his blossomed under his lips, similar to the flowers Seonghwa had gifted him. Hongjoong threw his head back, his grip on Seonghwa's nape trembling when the earl dipped to scrape his teeth over Hongjoong's nipples. The sensation zapped through him and had him rutting against Seonghwa's length and hip bone, like an animal in heat.

Seonghwa reached between them and wrapped his long fingers around both of them. The elegant digits doing such a dirty thing were a sight that maddened Hongjoong beyond belief. Even aroused, Seonghwa maintained a delicacy and mannerism that didn't match Hongjoong's. While sweet, it triggered Hongjoong's need to corrupt it and see what would be left of the earl's core afterwards.

"Seonghwa," Hongjoong breathed when he couldn't hold out any longer. Seonghwa's thumb dipped into Hongjoong's slit, gathering his slick on its way down.

Licking his lips, Seonghwa raised his head to look at Hongjoong. They surged into another wet kiss that couldn't muffle their pants and whines anymore. Soon, Hongjoong moaned into Seonghwa's mouth when his length twitched in the man's grasp. Hot come splattered over his abdomen.

Seonghwa followed closely behind, jerking himself to completion and Hongjoong through the tingles that surged through his spine.

Adding to the mess, Seonghwa glanced down between them. His green suit pants had got stained where they had rubbed against it, and the two softening virilities engulfed by his hand wept pitifully.

Seonghwa took his hand away when his shoulders threatened to collapse onto Hongjoong. He caught his weight on the bed to look at his lover.

Hongjoong eyed Seonghwa's lips and the flushed skin of his neck. His gaze was heavy, sleepiness tugging at him now that satisfaction left him drained.

"How did you feel? Was it too foreign?" Hongjoong whispered. With care not to hurt either of them, Seonghwa leaned their foreheads together. The homey touch softened Hongjoong's agitated heart that felt so much for the earl at once.

"It was unfamiliar, but nothing I couldn't get used to. I didn't hurt you, right?"

"You didn't." Hongjoong reached to cradle Seonghwa's head and kissed him. Their heat simmered away and a cosy warmth remained that filled both of them with comfort.

When they parted, Seonghwa got up to wet a towel in the bathroom and brought it over. He was careful as he cleaned off Hongjoong's stomach, but nothing hurt. When he was done, he pulled Hongjoong's blanket over his lolling body.

"Let's see each other at breakfast. If you wish, you may come to my room in the morning to borrow some clothes you feel comfortable in." Seonghwa said as he adjusted Hongjoong's pillows for him.

"Thank you, Seonghwa," Hongjoong smiled. His grin was sleepy, but it was honest as Seonghwa kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight, Hongjoong."

"Sleep well, earl."

Seonghwa blew out the light before he left with a quiet click of the door. This time, Hongjoong didn't get out his book to look up the chrysanthemum. As he cosied up under his blanket, happy and fulfilled, he knew what it meant.