Half-asleep, Haon rubbed his eyes and slowly came to his senses, feeling the warm, comforting presence wrapped around his body. He had assumed he was under a blanket, but what covered him was a person’s arm.
Startled by the touch of bare skin instead of soft fabric, he forced his heavy eyelids open. The eyes wouldn’t open easily, much like his muddled mind, and the unexpected resistance only deepened his confusion and made him hold his breath.
Ah, no way.
The moment he realized he was lying on a soft bed, his confusion gave way to overwhelming despair. It must have happened again—a heat episode. And it hadn’t even been a month. This was the first time he had completely lost control in such a short span.
Had something gone wrong with his body again? As he tried to assess the situation, an intense weariness swept across his face. The constant, worsening symptoms were exhausting him beyond belief.
“Ugh….”
He tried to move his legs, but a strange pressure packed tightly inside him made a faint sound slip from his lips. His body felt dulled, like he was in the throes of a severe flu, leaving him completely unaware of the condition of his lower half.
Haon bit his lip and gently lowered his head. Everything around him was pitch-black; not a single thing was visible.
He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness and attempted to remove the heavy mass lodged deep inside him. It seemed the Alpha, who had wrapped his arms around him, had fallen asleep while still inside. It wasn’t the first time this had happened, but it had never been this snug—this overwhelmingly full.
Grinding his teeth, Haon moved his hips to slowly extract what was buried inside. Even though it wasn’t erect, it was still massive. Truly, ridiculously huge.
“Ah…!”
Just as he squirmed with all his might, trying to free himself, his hips were seized by a large hand. The Alpha, now seemingly awake, caressed Haon’s pelvis and lower belly, pulling him in even closer.
“Shh—”
The Alpha gently held Haon tight, blowing soft breaths against the sweat-damp strands of hair as he pressed a kiss to them. The unexpected tenderness in the touch startled Haon even more.
But it didn’t last long. Before he could let his guard down, the Alpha slid back inside him.
“Mmng….”
As his slick walls were parted once more, his hips trembled involuntarily. In response, the Alpha blew soft puffs of air into Haon’s ear again, trying to soothe him. Shh, shh.
The Alpha’s hands moved tirelessly over his body, though their grip lacked strength. Heavy hands, slack and weighted, slid from Haon’s lower belly down between his thighs.
Until that moment, Haon had never once imagined that the person touching him might be Inho. Though Inho had crossed his mind the instant he opened his eyes, he had assumed—based on his last memory—that Inho hadn’t been there. Naturally, he thought he had gone through heat with a stranger.
“Um, excuse me.”
His voice came out weak, cracking from the effort. He cleared his throat, tightly shut his eyes, and continued speaking.
“I’m sorry, but…”
The words Please let me go rose to the tip of Haon’s tongue. Now that his heat had passed and the arousal had completely faded, there wasn’t even a shred of strength left in him to lift a finger.
“C-Could we… maybe rest a little before going again…?”
His heart pounded nervously, afraid that the other man might get angry.
“I’m sorry….”
Unable to bring himself to turn around, Haon curled into himself. A sharp pain stung his left cheek—he must’ve been hit. The thought that he’d been struck hard enough to cause sores inside his mouth made him even more afraid.
“I… I’m really sorry… It’s all because of me… I…”
With nowhere to run, he buried his face in the pillow and whispered. He knew he needed to apologize properly, but he was terrified another hand might come flying, making it hard to continue speaking.
He should’ve just pretended to be asleep. Maybe he’d provoked him even more by waking up. His heart thudded with dread. Maybe it wasn’t too late to pretend he was still asleep.
“Haon-ssi.”
Just then, a familiar voice reached his ears, and Haon’s eyes snapped open.
“It’s me. Inho.”
A cautious hand swept over Haon’s chest, as if trying to calm his racing heart. The touch helped Haon relax slightly, and he slowly turned his head.
His vision was still completely dark; Inho’s face remained unseen. But his voice came through loud and clear.
“I’m not some stranger. I’m the one living with you, Haon-ssi.”
Perhaps realizing Haon was blinking in the darkness to try and see him, Inho took Haon’s hand and guided it to his face. Haon had already recognized him by voice alone, but he quietly traced his features anyway.
“Don’t be scared of me.”
Haon paused when he heard the low voice, husky and tender, after spending so long feeling out Inho’s face.
Not once had he ever been afraid of Inho. Not even that time when Inho had nearly broken down the door to his goshiwon room—he hadn’t been scared then either.
“I… I’m not scared.”
Speaking each word with effort, his reply was met with a soft exhale—something between a laugh and a sigh. Inho’s breath stirred the fine strands of Haon’s hair, and with it, his fragile heart fluttered.
“Haon-ssi, just a moment.”
Seeking permission, Inho placed a hand on Haon’s waist and whispered for him to relax. Haon’s face flushed hot, and he looked down, holding his breath.
But rather than relaxing, Haon’s thighs tensed so much they stiffened. As Inho slowly and carefully pulled away from his body, Haon, overwhelmed, clutched at the blanket.
He clenched his teeth in an effort to stay silent, but strange noises kept slipping from his throat.
“…Ahem. Hm!”
At last, the sound of slick flesh pulling free from his tight entrance echoed vividly in the dark. To cover up the obscene noise, Haon deliberately cleared his throat loudly.
Had the bedroom been lit, Inho would’ve seen how red Haon’s face had turned. Thank god for the darkness.
Inho pulled the blanket—now down around their waists—up to cover them both up to their chins. Finally feeling at ease, Haon hesitated, then turned to face Inho.
“………”
Though Inho’s face remained hidden in the dark, Haon could feel his gaze resting on him.
Haon bit down on his lower lip as he tried to think of what to say, only to flinch from the sting that followed. When the taste of blood filled his mouth, he realized his lip had split.
“You don’t remember, do you?”
“…No.”
After Haon’s faint response, silence fell between them once again.
Just as Inho had said, everything after washing his hands in the bathroom was a complete blank.
“I’m sorry.”
Haon’s eyes widened in disbelief at the unexpected apology. Sorry? What could he possibly have to apologize for?
“It was probably because of my pheromones. That’s why you blacked out.”
“Ah…”
So that’s what triggered another heat.
Haon had been worried that his already irregular cycle had shortened even more. The relief that washed over him once he knew the cause was immense. Having a clear reason put his mind at ease.
“I wasn’t thinking. I was careless.”
“No, it’s okay. I wasn’t thinking either. I’m… pretty insensitive to pheromones.”
Just as he couldn’t emit pheromones, Haon also struggled to sense them from others. But his Omega body still responded instinctively to their presence.
‘If only I could sense them, I might’ve been more careful.’ A typical Omega would’ve either avoided the Alpha or taken suppressants once they detected the pheromones.
“I should’ve known better and stayed away… I’m really sorry. It’s my fault.”
But Haon wasn’t a typical Omega. He hadn’t done anything. He hadn’t escaped, nor had he taken medication to protect himself. And now, Inho had gotten dragged into it, too.
“I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“Haon-ssi, please…”
Suddenly, Inho pulled Haon into a tight embrace, closing the space between them.
“Can we stop apologizing now?”
His arms tightened around Haon, as if to silence his lips.
Haon, stunned, could only blink in surprise as he was engulfed in Inho’s broad chest. Being held like this felt good—but their bare bodies pressing against one another made his face flush with heat.
“If you say sorry one more time, I’m seriously going to cry.”
The gentle warning spread a warmth across Haon’s chest. The more Inho spoke, the more Haon’s body heat seemed to rise. It had nothing to do with lingering heat symptoms.
“Haon-ssi… you didn’t do anything wrong.”
Inho’s voice gradually slowed and softened, growing fainter by the second. The gentle patting on Haon’s back also weakened as his strength ebbed away.
‘He must be really tired…’
Watching Inho fall asleep mid-conversation, Haon held his breath.
Though Haon didn’t remember, Inho hadn’t slept a wink since Haon had collapsed in the movie theater. Inho had stayed up the entire time, tending to Haon, repeating intercourse until the heat finally subsided—never once letting his guard down.
Even though he didn’t remember what had happened, Haon was overwhelmed with emotion toward Inho. Surely, Inho had seen him at his most pathetic—but not once had he uttered a single word of reproach.
He hadn’t gotten angry, demanding to know why Haon couldn’t even take care of his own body. He hadn’t laughed at Haon’s clumsy behavior or awkward speech, either.
Haon gently rested his forehead against Inho’s chest as he slept deeply. The heavy arm wrapped around him felt comforting. It was like being cradled in the warmth of spring.
