The noise of the shower jet splashing against the floor ceased, only some spare drops of water still fell to tick the already wet surface. Kyuhyun walked out of the bathroom keeping his bathrobe on and tapping its soft sponge all over his body, so to dry up faster. Water though still trickled down his ankles and somehow ran inside the slippers, with which he made his way around the small room, in order to reach the high wooden screen that was employed to keep his bed separated from the rest of the living room.

Under other circumstances he would have freely changed clothes without occurring to such protection, but even though his guest was peacefully sleeping, Kyuhyun couldn't surely pretend that the other boy was invisible to resort to his own habits.

Ryeowook, indeed, was anything but invisible. The boy was nosy and liked to talk a lot, he was too bubbly, as if he had been released straight from a sparkling bottle of champagne, and that made him somehow fill the air with his overwhelming presence. Nothing too bad, but Kyuhyun, who was used to live alone and rarely spoke to people, still had some difficulty while dealing with such a change overnight.

Moreover, what had happened only the week before troubled him a lot. 

That night, when Ryeowook had finally confessed that he had fallen in love with him, Kyuhyun was pushed with his back against a wall, caged in his own insecurities about what true feelings he felt towards the boy. Was it simply sympathy for a person that had to face lots of struggles during his eighteen-year-long lifetime, or was it seriously something more? 

Kyuhyun didn't bother to change into warmer clothes, he simply sat at the desk, facing the squared twin bed where Ryeowook was sleeping on to, as he moved his eyes from the living boy's feature to the one that had been portrayed with all his innocence on to thick paper, a wise play of lights and shadows drawn with carbon pencil. 

It was the same portrait that Kyuhyun had drawn during the night Ryeowook had spent to incessantly crying himself to sleep, after his confession. To him, it seemed selfish to exploit someone else's weakness, but on that very moment Ryeowook appeared to be wonderful, beautiful while exposed, be that just too much fragility coming straight from the way he slept tugged inside the covers, or the soft hug he was giving to Kyuhyun's cushion. He absolutely loved to see how the younger one's lashes fluttered, slightly distrubed, or how his breath got steadier after being interrupted by numerous hiccups or short, repetitive sighs.

Kyuhyun felt hypnotized as he once again watched over Ryeowook's sleep and thought of a way to tell him that finally, with him being his personal muse, he had placed second in the contest and was about to leave for two weeks. As much as he dreaded to leave him alone now that things were slowly coming together, Okinawa couldn't wait. His golden chance couldn't wait.

A soft rustle of the covers attracted Kyuhyun's attention, which moved onto the small lump on the bed until he saw that Ryeowook had rolled onto his hip and was facing him. "Tonight...can we sleep together again?" he forced his eyes slowly open and set those two dark jewels on to Kyuhyun's face, sharing a sleepy smile "Come here, or you'll freeze" he croaked with hoarse voice as he patted on the empty spot next to him.

Kyuhyun looked at him, eyes fixed onto that pure smile with a little pang of irritation due to his stupid uncertainty. He just wanted to follow his heart, Ryeowook's voice, and threw himself on to the bed next to him...but that was rather inconvenient.

"Why not?" Ryeowook tried again, sounding slightly offended and a bit sad too "Have you already forgotten our promises? No more hiding..."

No, he hadn't. How could Kyuhyun forget the second time his bluntness got the better half of him? After dragging Ryeowook under one of the library desk and kissing him, taking his time to discover the strange feeling of kissing another man, he had also experienced his personal hunger while ravishing the boy's mouth for the second time. He had never been that straight-forward with anyone else in his life.

Ever since getting to know each other, Ryeowook had revealed himself to be a contagious presence that was slowly getting him addicted, and Kyuhyun couldn't think of anything else but wanting to kiss him endlessly.

It was automatic, plus Ryeowook did nothing to keep him from processing certain kind of illicit thoughts. 

The high school student was too bright, always too happy and Kyuhyun swore that even his smile could become the most effective medicine ever, if looked over and over again every single day of his life. It was as if Ryeowook had silently - yet too evidently - slipped inside his already programmed daily routine and managed to mess it all, replacing it with unpredictable events. 

There was, by no mean at that point, a way to ever deny the fact that Kyuhyun was getting used to have him around the house, and prayed never to get rid of him in the future too. The kiss, which he thought at first was meant only as a little token of gratitude for the great enthusiasm Ryeowook was pouring into helping him to get ready for the important art contest, was only a pretext to finally unleash the strings that bound his heart and prevented him to feel something more, something bigger.

Love was the fear of unknown, but lines and limits had gotten more and more blurred over the days, and Ryeowook had explicitly erased any precautions to hide the fact that he had gotten fond of his older roommate. Should he do the same and demonstrate his significant changes over the months? As in a renewed promise to take great care of him once he would be back from the workshop.

"I... I haven't forgotten!" Kyuhyun grumbled, walking over to where Ryeowook was and passing him by, headed to the drawers where he had forgotten to take his underwear from "It's just that I prefer sleeping on the couch and leave the bed to you, you know that" he replied with a shrug.

"Right" Ryeowook mumbled. He rolled again in bed, this time following the directions the taller one was getting, confusedly walking around from drawer to drawer like a dancing bumblebee. The taller one was too preoccupied to get something to wear, to notice the sound of the covers being lifted and Ryeowook's body padding his way up to where he was standing, until a pair of warm arms slipped under his own and circled him around the waist.

"I want you to sleep with me" Ryeowook childishly lamented, his soft cheek against Kyuhyun's back, his ear probably focused at listening to Kyuhyun's running heartbeat.

Kyuhyun let out a soft chuckle, understanding, by the way Ryeowook's voice sounded too soft and whining, that the younger one was probably harboring a seasonal flu or whatever. He was slightly delirious for manifesting such little wimps.

He turned around in the weak embrace and held Ryeowook close to his now half uncovered bare chest, strands of warm flesh peeking out of the bathrobe, catching Ryeowook's eye and make him blush.

"How are you? Do you have a fever?" Kyuhyun asked, worried. He lifted one hand from Ryeowook's hip and placed it softly under the boy's bangs in order to feel his body temperature. He didn't feel anything abnormal and tried by subsiding his lips instead. With a light peck on the forehead, Ryeowook didn't even notice to be grumbling when Kyuhyun's voice followed up: "You should go back to sleep"

"I know!" Ryeowook once again protested "I'll go, if you come with me" he pouted, hands gripping the bathrobe collar and pulling it towards himself, uncovering more inches of Kyuhyun's body, which he automatically aimed to while hiding his face in the crook of his neck.

"Okay, I surrender" Kyuhyun softly chuckled at the sensation of Ryeowook's hot breath tingling his neck skin. With his big hands on the small of his back, the taller one held Ryeowook even closer, feeling their two abdomens brush together from underneath the fabric of their clothes.

"Please" Ryeowook repeated his plea "Please, don't go" he drew in a sharp sigh as he slipped both hands on Kyuhyun's neck, inside his robe and pushed the garment to slide off his arms. With his body revealed in front of Ryeowook's eyes, Kyuhyun felt a mounting shame suffocating him. That same heat choking his breath as he fumbled words of excuse for wanting to stop whatever Ryeowook wanted to do with his bare self.

It wasn't enough though, because he was dragged to step forwards, out of the tangle that once was his worn athrobe and that then pooled, lifeless, around his ankles. Not knowing how to behave, Kyuhyun could simply stand still, frozen, while Ryeowook stepped a little bit back and took his time to pull up and off his t-shirt, slide down his pants and finally straighten his back totally in front of Kyuhyun's eyes.

"This is your house, you should be sleeping in your bed, and since you absolutely don't want me to take your place on the couch, I would like you to consider the opportunity to sleep together" Ryeowook's voice had taken a sensual shade then, once used to play ert roles with his former customers. It was rather funny to see how lovingly pink Kyuhyun's face was getting.

"We...we'd need clothes..." Kyuhyun croaked, still embarrassed.

"No, we don't" Ryeowook giggled. Backing towards the bed, he bumped into the edge of it and sat there, pulling Kyuhyun over "Uhm..." Ryeowook tilted his head, so he looked as if lost deep in thoughts "We would both sleep more comfortably like this. You would avoid the couch and your neck cramps, I would have a warm pillow to snuggle with, plus I don't take too much room. I can make myself little and cute and just sleep on a tiny side, if only you'd allow me to."

"Issues with your physical measures?" Kyuhyun narrowed eyes and threw a glance at the boy, this time sharing a little teasing grin to get rid of the growing tension.

"No, I don't have any!" Ryeowook insisted, pouting "I'm naturally this slim and I would really keep from bothering you"

"I don't think so" Kyuhyun responded, legs automatically open and placed, in a stradling position. at each side of the younger boy "I guess it's something about your height in particular" 

"What's with my height now! Don't you dare!" Ryeowook reproached, pointing his accusatory finger, before his hand could grab Kyuhyun's again and thread fingers with him.

"See? Maybe I can grant you the truth behind your cuteness" all the tease had made Kyuhyun momentarily forget the particular situation in which he was basically and stradling Ryeowook, but when this one continued to push his weight back on the mattress, so to slide and reach the comfort of the center, Kyuhyun sighed, totally resigned as he surrendered to the events. Kyuhyun gently grabbed Ryeowook by the nape of his neck and bent to quickly press his lips onto the boy's.

"Wait!" Ryeowook, initially a bit flustered by the sudden kiss, was quick and grasped Kyuhyun's shoulders to push him a little bit away with both hands "I'm totally sure about this, what about you?"

Kyuhyun glanced over the boy's shimmering eyes and found them sparkling ever so tenderly, that he was positive he would have spilled out the truth about his feelings sooner than expected. In the meanwhile he simply shrugged: "I am not, but it's you so..."

"What does that mean?" Ryeowook retracted his legs from under Kyuhyun's weight and sat cross-legged, arms stretched and hands firmly gripping his shoulders to keep Kyuhyun away.

"That was to shut you up, but I think I shouldn't make a habit of it, therefore I'm sorry if I got you offended or..."

"Not the kiss! It's about...sleeping together?!" Ryeowook hollered, too indignated to always receive such elusive replies.

"You said it. I am getting way too addicted to your kisses, so even though I might not be ready to sleep together, it's happening and...it's you here in my arms, I am a nervous mess right now, but I think I might give it a go...I've already started touching you in another way than that of a friend anyway, haven't I?" he concluded with a sigh.

Ryeowook widened his eyes and suddenly let go of Kyuhyun's shoulders, momentarily frozen: "You...don't look like you are convinced at all" he explained, abandoning himself to the soft mattress, where he plopped down with his back and opened arms on both sides, a light frown of disappointment appearing on his features.

"No...don't, don't misunderstand me..." Kyuhyun started "I could have already stand up and walked away right now, if only I had decided to..."

"Then do it!" Ryeowook kept on pushing him away, totally disappointed and even a little bit hurt. Kyuhyun wasn't the best when it came to express himself with words, especially if he wanted Ryeowook to understand that, in between his uncertainties, he really treasured him so much to the point of even confessing. If only there was no Okinawa on the morrow, if only his mind didn't deny what his heart was feeling...

But ifs surely didn't bring anyone anywhere, and that was something known over the centuries, no matter what age or race, so Kyuhyun finally put his prideful mind aside and started to think with his heart for once. He tenderly smiled as he cupped Ryeowook's soft cheek and caressed it slowly, piercing his eyes with the sweetest look he'd ever shared. When Ryeowook seemed to have finally moved his attention back to Kyuhyun, a bit breathless for the unexpected move, the older one ducked his head and reached the petite's lips in a quick peck. It became longer when Kyuhyun didn't seem like able to part from that soft mouth, instead he moved his own against Ryeowook's and tried, maybe a bit too soon, to slip his tongue past the boy's parting lips.

"I'm sure about it. I want to love you" Kyuhyun whispered after parting a little away from Ryeowook's mouth, his breath tickled him as the statement brought shivers along the boy's spine. 

He trembled and Kyuhyun, propped on all four, took a thorough glance at the slim, beautiful body that lied underneath his own, not forgetting to nervously bit his lip while enduring the nervewrecking wait.

Admiring Ryeowook from head to toe was fantastic. He admired everything from the petite one's nature: the small shoulders and the prominent collarbone; the smooth planes of his chest with s peeking from the flesh, already rigid due to some drafts of unmerciful air present in the cold room; the light lines of a sketched abdomen with soft and slightly curvy hips, where one diagonal rosy stain had replaced the once worst coffee burn he had caused; and then luring, milky thighs and the more intimate presence of the boy's member, guarded between his legs.

Kyuhyun felt his face flush in suffocated hotness much more than before. Ryeowook had always been graceful and elegant while dressed, but glancing up on his bare essence enhanced his already outstanding beauty to the extent that it was too overwhelming to take in through one gaze only. It didn't matter if he was only eighteen, Ryeowook looked fully grown up under all aspects and the only thing that he still kept from his age was the childish cuteness within his heart.

One step forward and Ryeowook was too dangerously close to Kyuhyun, pleading to be noticed. He stretched his arms and entoured the taller man's neck, crossing wrists and pulling him to crash on his smaller frame: "Kiss me again" he softly ordered, now just a few inches apart from Kyuhyun's rosy, plump lips.

Kyuhyun was keeping all his restraint and control - and yes he still was, he swore he was - but those words were only a mental factor and there they were kept, locked up, because unexplicably his body moved first and immediately his hands where on Ryeowook's hips to make them buckle a little bit higher, a littel bit closer to his person to feel his warmth.

Just a touch of his fingers on the boy's hips helped him to feel the burning hotness and Ryeowook's nice temperature, which he wanted to make rise and see how much exactly high that little body could get, so Kyuhyun totally crumbled in front of the only brake he had imposed on himself not too long ago.

His lips pressed on Ryeowook's and found their soft texture, two pink lines very accustomed to sharing sweet smiles and happy grins just for him.

It was just some preparatory, sloppy kisses at the beginning, but like that much more was about to come. Kyuhyun understood it when Ryeowook's hands naughtily drew cirrcles and nonsensical drawings on his tensed back, giving him pleasant goosebumps. The boy just used his roaming hands to touch and explore what still he didn't know about Kyuhyun: he measured with precision the man's broad back, using a thumb to run along his spine and get him more (to which Kyuhyun replied with pulling again Ryeowook's hips closer and feeling both their members grind in friction one against the other), he walked with ghostly fingers on his lower back and d his firm in a couple of squeeze before Kyuhyun could softly moan in the chaste kiss and get the boy more aroused.

For a couple of seconds Kyuhyun stopped, too intent at watching Ryeowook his lips in satisfaction "You know...I-I have never done it with a man before" he revealed as if that were a dear secret no one was supposed to know anything about. But the truth was that Ryeowook knew everything about it an