Yeon Yiseo opened his mouth, eyes fixed on Alexander’s collarbone.
“Alex… how’s the wound?”
At his question, Alexander raised his brows, as if the mention had reminded him of something he’d forgotten.
“The wound? Oh—you mean the mark you left. Wanna take a look?”
With a teasing edge, Alexander tugged lightly at the collar of his pajamas with his index finger. The gesture, and the words that came with it, were so provocative that Yeon Yiseo froze up, his answer momentarily stuck in his throat. His lips pressed tightly together. Alexander gave a low laugh at his reaction.
“It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt. Just check if it’s healing okay.”
As Alexander unbuttoned his pajamas, Yeon Yiseo reluctantly moved closer. The bite mark he’d left near Alexander’s smooth collarbone had faded. It had almost completely healed, though a small scab remained—just enough to make Yeon Yiseo frown. He gently brushed his fingers over the area.
“…It really doesn’t hurt?”
“Not at all. Wanna rub it? Promise it doesn’t hurt.”
“…No. Rub it? That’s… I’ll pass.”
Even if it looked fine, it was still the spot he’d bitten. Just touching it made him nervous—rubbing it was out of the question. A glance at Alexander’s face made it obvious that he’d been joking, seeing how his eyes sparkled with mischief.
Yeon Yiseo turned his gaze back to Alexander’s collarbone. So he had been telling the truth when he said it would heal quickly. At the time, he hadn’t been sure whether to believe him—but now that he saw it with his own eyes, he was genuinely impressed. He already knew Alexander rarely got sick thanks to his strong immune system, but even his wounds healed fast. The body of an extreme-dominant Alpha was no joke. He couldn’t help but wonder—what must it feel like to live in that kind of body?
“How are you feeling?”
“Me? You mean…”
“Yes. You, Yiseo. You were struggling the other day, weren’t you? Is everything okay now? Can you move around alright?”
His cheeks flushed with heat. Even if he tried to play it cool, he had no resistance when it came to this kind of topic. The cause of his suffering that day came to mind all too easily, making it hard to stay composed. Eyes darting left and right, he replied.
“I’m fine now.”
“I’ll be more careful next time.”
Yeon Yiseo felt another wave of heat rise in his face at the mention of “next time.” Of course he understood what Alexander meant. He nodded slowly.
“…Yes. I’d appreciate that.”
He blinked rapidly, trying to ignore how hot his ears felt. Alexander’s gaze, fixed intently on him, was too much to handle. The air seemed to grow denser between them, but not in an overwhelming way—just enough to feel comfortably warm. The atmosphere was cozy, filled with little bits of conversation.
Eventually, it was time for bed. Alexander whispered a soft “Good night” and kissed Yeon Yiseo’s cheek. Then he lay down first. Yeon Yiseo, still lightly touching the spot where he’d been kissed, slowly followed, wondering if that was really the end of it.
As if reading his thoughts, Alexander spoke.
“If we go any further tonight, your body might not be able to handle it, Yiseo. Then you’ll be exhausted at work tomorrow—or worse, you might not make it to work at all. That wouldn’t make you feel good, right? And I don’t want that.”
“…Right.”
Alexander sat up slightly, kissed Yeon Yiseo’s temple, and pulled him into a gentle embrace. The firm press of lips against his skin left a lingering warmth that melted something inside him. Alexander’s arms were large and comforting, and Yeon Yiseo relaxed completely in his hold.
“It might be a strange thing to ask when we’re already in bed like this, but… would you mind releasing some pheromones for me?”
There was no reason to refuse. As Yeon Yiseo let out a subtle flow of his pheromones, Alexander pressed his nose to his neck and took a deep inhale. The strands of his hair brushed against Yeon Yiseo’s nape, tickling him and making his shoulders twitch. Feeling the flinch, Alexander lifted his head, silently asking what was wrong.
“Your hair tickled me.”
“Ah, I see.”
“…Ah.”
Alexander kissed his neck. Caught completely off guard, Yeon Yiseo let out a small noise and clutched the spot his lips had touched. He looked up in a daze and met Alexander’s playful gaze. If it had really just been teasing, then reacting seriously felt a little awkward.
It was… a strange feeling, seeing Alexander like this.
“Uh… ah—ahaha, ah, h-hold on, that tickles—ahaha—”
Alexander wrapped him in his arms, tickling his sides while planting kisses along his neck. The playful scuffle that broke out—Yeon Yiseo trying to escape through bursts of laughter, and Alexander chasing after him—was only made possible by how large the bed was. No matter how many times they rolled around, there was no risk of falling off.
Their playful tussle finally ended when Yeon Yiseo climbed on top of Alexander. Breathless laughter faded little by little. Still catching his breath, Yeon Yiseo found his ankles and the curves of his heels enclosed in Alexander’s large hands as he straddled him, knees pressed into the bed.
“Looks like you win, Yiseo.”
Alexander grinned and ran his thumb gently along the arch of Yeon Yiseo’s foot. Whether the gesture felt sensual because of the intent behind it or because he was imagining things didn’t matter.
The cause wasn’t important.
Yeon Yiseo leaned down and kissed him. Their lips met and parted, then met again, gradually deepening into something far from innocent. Wet sounds rang out as lips moved, teasing and inviting—urging them into a kiss that grew deeper and more intoxicating.
As Yeon Yiseo languidly traced Alexander’s lips with his tongue, the other responded by slipping into his mouth, prompting him to open wider. Their tongues met, and a broad stroke along the roof of his mouth left him breathless. Alexander pressed his thumb gently against Yeon Yiseo’s trembling jaw.
The room gradually filled with the mingling scent of their pheromones, thickening the air around them.
A slow, sweet ache unfurled from deep within his body. The desire to take things further began to swell beneath the surface. But desire alone wasn’t enough to justify it. They weren’t animals.
Yeon Yiseo pulled away and climbed off of Alexander.
“…We should—ahem—we should get some sleep.”
His voice had gone a bit hoarse, so he cleared his throat. Alexander sat up, watching him quietly. Flustered, Yeon Yiseo fidgeted with his earlobe.
“Alright. It’s not like tonight’s the last night, right? Let’s lie down.”
Alexander’s voice remained gentle—but there was something… spine-tingling about it. For a moment, Yeon Yiseo wavered, tempted to change his mind. But the embrace that followed snuffed out the thought.
The teasing warmth from earlier faded, replaced by nothing but cozy tenderness. And it felt good. That’s what made it so good.
Yeon Yiseo nestled deeper into Alexander’s arms and closed his eyes. Once again, he realized how comforting another person’s warmth could be.
***
Falling asleep in the same bed, facing one another—it was wonderful. There was no reason not to like it. But even so, Yeon Yiseo was still afraid of growing too used to that sense of safety. As if that night had to remain the exception, he returned home afterward.
When he said he’d bring the borrowed clothes back over the weekend, Alexander had made a subtly unreadable expression.
And then—Saturday morning, the following week.
Yeon Yiseo headed out to meet Natalie.
It had been a last-minute plan, arranged on Friday evening. When Natalie called saying she had a bit of time on Saturday morning, Yeon Yiseo immediately agreed.
The appointment was set for 9 a.m.—pretty early—but for Natalie, that was already generous.
Yeon Yiseo knew better than anyone how busy life at Dymine was, especially having worked with her directly. For someone like her to carve out time and contact him… he couldn’t just brush it off and say next time. There was no telling when next time would come.
Recalling Alexander’s disappointed face when he’d said he had to head home made Yeon Yiseo feel terribly guilty. Honestly, he’d thought they’d spend Friday night together again this week.
He could’ve stayed the night at Alexander’s and left early for his appointment—but he knew himself well enough to know he wouldn’t be able to keep things under control.
Being together always led to an intimate atmosphere. It was inevitable. Just last weekend, when he’d stayed over at Alexander’s, it had felt like they were making up for all the nights they’d missed—sex had continued until dawn. He’d spent the entire weekend in bed.
With that experience in mind, it wasn’t hard to predict what would happen.
Even if Alexander tried to hold back, this time it might be Yeon Yiseo who couldn’t.
Spending time with Alexander made him happy. He had come to understand the joy and comfort that came from another person’s warmth.
And once you know that kind of happiness, it’s not easy to go without it.
So, he’d gone home. To remove even the possibility.
Saturday morning.
The meeting place with Natalie was a café in the Lower East Side. The café opened at 8:30 a.m., and despite it being right after opening, people were already trickling in and settling at tables.
As soon as Yeon Yiseo found a seat, the door opened again—and Natalie walked in.
