The cherry blossoms on the trees perished after only a few weeks of blessing Hanyang with their beauty. Spring passed fast in Joseon and summer established itself with the deafening hums of cicadas, summer rain, and humidity that had San's hair curl after just minutes of being outside. Rather than the gardens, San liked to hide in the shadow of his room and sprawled out on the floor to get some soothing coldness. Dragons didn't sweat, so he didn't get sticky, but he also didn't cool down well. The heat was torture on his body that was used to cold water.

Seonghwa noticed his struggle with the changing temperatures. He offered San to take cold baths more often or to cool his feet in the pool in his foyer. San suffered, and while the humans pitied him, they couldn't relate well to this struggle, for they were used to this climate.

San used the accumulating heat as an excuse to leave the building occasionally and to relax in the shade of the stables. The building was partly made of stone that sucked the heat from it and usually remained chilly despite the temperature of the horses. Since San wasn't allowed to bathe in the pond for his nude appearance was improper for anyone to see in the open, he insisted that the refreshing attic of the stables and the beds of hay serviced him just as well. Seonghwa let him go begrudgingly when Hongjoong asked him to go easy on San.

Thus, San had another excuse not to finish his speech that caused him so many migraines. He liked words, but he was bad at picking them when he was forced to. In the stables with Wooyoung, he found he had much more fun than brooding over his papers.

Sporadically, Wooyoung brought fruit with him to share with San while they talked. Neither upheld etiquette nor stiff postures. They had the time of their lives staring at the ceiling of the attic or petting horses while a million conversations passed between them. Wooyoung's wisdom differed from the dragons' and they captivated each other with their knowledge.

On some days, San stayed until the late evening when the sun disappeared and the temperatures got bearable again. Most of those times when they took breaks between their talks, San's mind wandered to his affections for both Seonghwa and Hongjoong, and to the evening he had seen them with each other.

Wooyoung lay by his side, munching on an apple when San spoke up about it. He trusted Wooyoung. He knew that no matter what he said, it wouldn't get carried to the wrong ears. Unlike Seonghwa, whom San doubted since he and Hongjoong had exchanged their enlightenments about San.

"Do humans kiss a lot?"

Wooyoung hummed, unperturbed by the random topic that didn't match their prior one. He followed the wanderings of San's mind as if the path was laid out clear as day for him.

"We do. We kiss our loved ones, our families, and our friends. I heard in some countries, it can even be a courtesy upon first meetings. I kissed the palace dog before."

San chuckled at the unexpected confession.

"Have you kissed many people?"

"I enjoy kissing my younger brother because he is the sweetest rice cake. I show a lot of my affection through it. Though I am not married, so I never kissed a person deeply."

San came up short.

"Married people kiss more?"

"But of course. They lie together, so their affections are much more physical than those of friends." Wooyoung's voice had spiked curiously and the hay under his head rustled when he turned his head to look at San. Careful of his antlers, San did the same, hay getting stuck in his hair.

"The king never kissed me."

Surprised, Wooyoung hid his gulp behind his apple. Once his mouth was free, his voice lowered to a hushed whisper, even when the other servants had left long ago to rest in their homes. Night at the palace brought a blissful silence while the animals came out of their hiding spots to enjoy their time in exchange.

"Never? Not even on your wedding day?"

San shook his head, upset. He had thought Hongjoong wanted to take things slow in that regard, but Wooyoung was right. Why sleep together when they hadn't even kissed yet? Their order was all wrong if that was the sole thing Hongjoong desired of him.

Now that he thought about it, he felt Hongjoong had dodged all of San's attempts at kissing so far. Perhaps he didn't like them?

What had he seen on that drunken night? What was real?

"Perhaps he finds it unpleasant. Though I heard nice things about how humans kiss. As a dragon, you can brush snouts with each other - which we also do with affection; I do it with my sister a lot - but humans can do so much more. I read lips can be softer than pillows and taste sweeter than cherries. Kissing alone can make people weak in the knees."

Perhaps San would have felt better on that first night if Hongjoong had kissed him. From what he had learned, kissing was a major help in putting people in the mood to be closer with each other.

San bit his lip, unsure if it was appropriate to ask Hongjoong about it.

"That's true, yes. Lips are sensitive zones for us, so you can get someone all riled up by kissing them. I never heard of a person who disliked it. Perhaps he thinks it's dirty?"

San's heart sunk. That had to be it.

When his lashes fluttered, Wooyoung scooted closer with wide eyes. His hand came up to brush San's pearly hair from his face and check for tears. San stubbornly refused to cry, not wanting his confusion about Hongjoong to cloud his judgment.

"I didn't mean he finds you dirty. Perhaps he finds the act of kissing dirty. I never took him as the type."

Wooyoung's big hand was warm on San's face as he caressed his jaw and ear. When his fingers tangled with the dangling earring on that side of San's face, the dragon blinked his eyes open. Involuntarily, he gazed at Wooyoung's lips, invested with the imagination. They looked soft, though chapped with how dry the hay was and how much Wooyoung liked to talk. San also found a spot there of what he thought to be red bean paste, but when he lifted his hand to wipe it off, he halted at the sight of his claws. He didn't want those near Wooyoung's face. Hongjoong had expressed often enough how scary they were.

"You have something on your lips," San muttered instead. He blushed at giving away his investment.

Wooyoung smiled sunnily. The tips of their noses almost skimmed from how close they were and Wooyoung's hand still held San's head.

"It's a birthmark."

Endeared, San stared at it. What a peculiar place to have a birthmark in. Hongjoong had one on his neck, but San never got to pay attention to it.

A swirl of something warmed San's belly. He was jittery to ask a question but collected all his courage to word it out loud. Aware of the stakes, he muttered it in the privacy of the hay-filled attic.

"Can I kiss you, Wooyoung?"

Not surprised by the question, Wooyoung smiled.

"Will that be fine? You love the king."

Did he? San wasn't sure. He would like to, but it was hard to love someone who kept so many secrets San didn't understand.

Still, he nodded.

"He won't know."

Soothed by that information, Wooyoung leaned closer. Their noses touched and Wooyoung's nervous breath skimmed San's lips. The promise of what was to come had San's lids fluttering shut as he wanted to concentrate on the feeling. As if he were holding a flower, Wooyoung's fingers cradled San's jaw to guide him in.

The first touch of lips upon his startled San. He froze up at the ticklish sensation, about to pull back when Wooyoung pressed forward and moulded their lips into one. Wooyoung's lips were softer than he had imagined them to be and every touch was mild as they figured out how to not bite each other by accident. When their lips moved, they produced a soft, slick sound. Charmed by the sincerity and the tenderness of their inexperienced kisses, San rested his hand on Wooyoung's waist to draw him closer, encouraging him.

Since they were equally foreign to kissing, no awkwardness passed between them. They fell into a pace that was enjoyable for them and that allowed Wooyoung to hover over San while the dragon rested in the hay and relished in his affection.

As Wooyoung had said, San felt loved by kissing. It was much sweeter than his nights with Hongjoong, much more purposeful.

Perhaps it was also the fact that it was Wooyoung whom San wrapped in his arms.

Their kiss didn't last forever. Just as San thoroughly relaxed into it and loosened his shoulders to concentrate on engraving Wooyoung's touch on his lips, the stable boy withdrew from him. Their eyes blinked open as they regarded each other.

Awed as if he were looking at him for the first time, Wooyoung's fingers carded through San's hair. The fleeting touch had San chasing after his warmth.

"How was that? Better than brushing snouts?" Nervousness laced Wooyoung's mellow voice, that was so different to his usual boisterous and squeaky volume. Endeared by his concern, San held him closer where his silk-clad body aligned with Wooyoung's scratchy clothes. Together in the hay, neither of their statuses played a role.

"Much better." Grinning, San tucked a strand of Wooyoung's hair behind his ear. Bashful, Wooyoung lowered his eyes.

A minute of uncertain silence passed, but neither of them pulled away. Ever so nonchalantly, their eyes kept finding each other's lips.

"Again?" Wooyoung whispered. San already leaned in, overjoyed at the offer since the reassurance that he hadn't demanded too much from Wooyoung soothed his coiling heart.

They sunk into the hay for another kiss, then another. While San's body ignited with passion, neither of them advanced further. They held each other close, shared their excitement on the cosy summer night, and kissed until San's mind was empty of any thought. Occasionally, they plucked hay from each other's hair, only to fall into yet another pile of it.

San ended things when his lips were pleasantly numb and throbbed in his face for how long Wooyoung had worshipped them. In his opinion, he got remarkably skilled at kissing in the past hour. They had even introduced their tongues for a shy attempt until a muffled moan from Wooyoung had San retreat into politer territory.

Wooyoung's lips lingered on his for as long as possible as San pulled off. Then the boy's head dropped back into the hay. Dark eyes opened to look at San from sleepy lids, and San's heart swelled at the cosiness they offered.

Perhaps he loved too easily. Perhaps humans charmed him too quickly. In either case, he was completely enthralled by Wooyoung's lazy smile as he reached for the dragon.

"Your antlers are so gorgeous. I'll never stop admiring them," Wooyoung breathed as his fingers trailed over them. Coy, San leaned into the touch. His fingers plucked hay from Wooyoung's hair so it wouldn't look as if they did what they had been doing.

"Want to try sleeping here?"

The offer sounded promising, for the stables had a much more pleasant temperature than his room during the night, but San hesitated. If Seonghwa searched for him and found him curled up against Wooyoung, he could get into trouble.

Then again, he wasn't so sure where Seonghwa had been all day. He might have been out in the city or travelling.

With a shrug, San agreed. If Hongjoong got to do whatever he had done in the shadows with Seonghwa, San could sleep in the stables with the excuse to seek coldness. At least his part of the deal looked less scandalous.

Wooyoung fluffed up the hay in a way he swore was the softest bed and did the same for San. They also retrieved a saddle blanket downstairs that smelled of the horses to cushion San's head so he wouldn't scratch his horns on the ground.

Cosied up side by side, they relaxed while San peered at the stars through the roof. This close to nature and the resting horses downstairs that cheekily asked him whether he was having fun, San was at ease. He felt far from the palace, detached in the best way whenever Wooyoung was involved.

Wooyoung had closed his eyes and breathed regularly when San glanced at him in the dim light of the lanterns downstairs. He eyed Wooyoung's lips and had to smile.

Then he tried to get some sleep as well.