The morning sun broke aggressively through the floor-to-ceiling glass of the master suite, painting the mahogany floorboards in long, golden panels of light.
Leansei slowly unfolded his eyes but immediately closed them when the harsh sun hit his face directly. He shifted his weight to the other side and cautiously opened his eyes again. His surroundings looked different—he wasn't in the guest room. He immediately sat up as the erotic, wild occurrences of last night rushed back to his conscious thoughts. He winced sharply, dropping straight back onto the mattress as a universal soreness paralyzed his joints, making his unconditioned body feel as if it had just completed a twenty-four-hour shift of heavy manual labor.
"Damn it. Last night..." Leansei muttered to himself, his gray pupils roaming around the expansive master suite. He didn't see a single trace or figure of Xerchin. "Did he leave early in the morning?" he questioned, letting out a small, disappointed pout.
He idly checked his clothes, noting that he was currently dressed in a clean, loosened t-shirt and in comfortable cycling shorts. He scratched his forehead as he realized the entire bedsheet had been meticulously cleaned, the pillows and blankets were also cleaned, and even his own skin washed free of any sticky residue.
He grabbed his hair in a fit of deep internal conflict, completely mortified that his self-control had gone completely out of bounds last night. This boundary was absolutely not supposed to be crossed in a life that didn't belong to him.
"Shit! I am so sorry, Kean. I know for a fact that this thing wasn't supposed to happen at all. This existence is not mine after all—but..." He paused midway as a vivid, breathless memory relapse of their shared passion flashed behind his eyes, making him grip his hair even tighter. "I simply couldn't control my own urges. Wait..." His fingers froze, and he stared blankly into the open air. "Maybe it wasn't my soul executing those actions. It was probably because of your residual presence—what if your consciousness has taken back control of this body... or what if it was your heart all along—" Sunk deep within his own chaotic train of thought, Leansei completely failed to notice the shifting sound of the bedroom threshold.
"Whom exactly are you talking about?"
"AHHH!!" Leansei bolted out in pure, startled surprise at the sudden baritone frequency cutting through the silence. He snapped his head toward the double doors. Xerchin was standing right there, clad in a simple apron over his clothes, holding a heavy wooden bed tray loaded with a spectacular, delicious breakfast meal. Leansei closed his eyes, wincing sharply as his lower back protested the sudden movement, but let out a quiet sigh of relief that it was just him.
Xerchin walked smoothly across the room, claiming a spot to sit on the edge of the mattress.
"How long were you standing there by the door?" Leansei asked defensively.
"Whom are you talking about?" Xerchin repeated, his light blue eyes narrowing as he analyzed Lean's flustered profile.
' So he captured that much of my rambling, huh? ' Leansei wailed silently. He tightly sealed his mouth and vigorously shook his head to drop the topic. Xerchin didn't press him, smoothly lifting the wooden bed tray and placing it comfortably across Leansei's lap.
"I honestly thought you had left the rest house entirely..." Leansei confessed in a low, self-conscious voice.
Xerchin gently handed the polished utensils straight into Leansei's hand, his gaze tracking his features with absolute warmth. "Where am I supposed to go? Now eat your meal. I personally made that explicitly for you."
Xerchin watched him eat the entire time, his focus completely unmoving. "Did you manage to secure a good night's sleep?"
Leansei swallowed a forkful of food, trying to mask his nervousness. "Quite? The bright sunlight violently hurt my eyes earlier, though," he grumbled. Xerchin glanced toward the windows, stepping up to draw the heavy curtains closed before opening the glass doors to let the fresh air roll in from the veranda. Lean checked the layout, pausing mid-chew. "Wait, have you even eaten breakfast yet? Come and join me."
Xerchin glanced back over his shoulder, a soft look entering his features. "I only drink dark coffee in the morning, Mooncalf. Just focus on enjoying your meal." Leansei frowned at his answer but surrendered, efficiently finishing every single bite of the food. The exact second the plate was clean, Xerchin gathered the empty dishes and carried them down to the kitchen sink to wash them.
When he returned to the master suite a few minutes later, he stopped dead in his tracks.
Leansei was idly lifting the edge hem of his loose t-shirt, completely exposed as he inspected his bare, flattened stomach and slender waist. The tight cycling shorts managed to fit his frame perfectly, but his skin was covered in a dense, dark sequence of deep purple, red, and dark marks—unyielding hickeys that Xerchin had deliberately left across his chest, body and neck all night long.
The exact microsecond Leansei realized Xerchin was standing by the door frame, he flinched violently. He slammed the hem of his t-shirt down, frantically pulling the heavy quilt all the way up to his chin to cover himself.
"What on earth are you hiding for?—" Xerchin started to ask, but his sentence was cut violently short as Leansei aggressively hurled a plush pillow straight at his face. Xerchin's fast athletic reflexes saved him, and he effortlessly dodged the flying projectile, a quiet chuckle escaping his throat. "It's not like I haven't seen absolutely every single asset underneath that fabric anyway," he murmured cheekily.
"You absolute no-restraint bastard!" Leansei hissed, his features twisting into a hard scowl as he held the comforter like a shield.
Xerchin paused his steps, his lips curling into a thoroughly amused smirk. "You were so incredibly sexy last night, Mooncalf... I honestly couldn't help myself—"
"You!" Leansei roared in pure embarrassment, snatching the second pillow and throwing it with all his might. Xerchin smoothly caught it this time, stepping closer to the bed. "You left a massive mountain of bruises all over my physical body," Leansei claimed defensively, aggressively tugging down the collar of his t-shirt to expose his bare neck and collarbone, highlighting the temporary dark marks staining his pale skin.
"Mooncalf, those are absolutely not bruises—not exactly," Xerchin corrected gently, his baritone voice full of absolute amusement. "The technical term for those marks is a hickey. We execute those when the emotional momentum becomes exceptionally heated—"Xerchin cut his own explanation short midway. Leansei's hand had just clamped around a heavy, white round glass antique bowl resting on the nightstand, his gray eyes flashing a dangerous warning.
"W—wait. Drop the bowl, Mooncalf. That object is a rare antique, and it will hurt remarkably bad if you throw that glass straight at my face," Xerchin pleaded, his hands raising in mock surrender as a soft, pitying look entered his blue eyes. Leansei scowled even deeper but surrendered, carefully putting the fragile glass back into its proper slot.
Xerchin slowly walked the remaining paces toward the bed, gently placing the caught pillow back onto the sheets as he sat beside him. "Okay, look, I am truly, deeply sorry I completely lost my restraint last night," Xerchin said, his features written with pure, unyielding sincerity. "It's just... holding you like that... that is explicitly the exact milestone I've been dreaming of for a month." Leansei froze, his heart skipping a violent beat as he looked into the athlete's honest eyes.
' The truth is... I can't look him in the face and deny that I didn't experience those exact same burning urges, ' Leansei reasoned silently, a sudden wave of heat rushing straight to his chest. ' I've been masturbating in my room and last night just from the sheer memory of our physical proximity. I can't act like a complete victim here... because I can't lie to my own soul that last night felt absolutely, breathtakingly good. '
Leansei let out a fake, highly awkward cough, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck to ground his fuddled nerves. "Well... the event already happened, so... there's zero choice but to accept it."
Xerchin looked up at him, a radiant glow softening his features as he reached across the comforter to gently take Leansei's hands, smoothly rubbing his thumbs against the pale fingers to soothe his shyness. "Did you... did you truly not like the experience?"
Leansei's cheeks instantly turned a blinding, breathless shade of crimson. "W—why on earth do you constantly have to ask those kinds of embarrassing questions?! I—I can't remember a single trace of the details last night..." He lied smoothly, looking away.
Xerchin let out a low chuckle. He slowly raised Leansei's hand to his own face, pressing a soft, lingering kiss against his open palm without breaking their intense eye contact for a single fraction of a second. "Would you desperately love for me to manually reminisce and recreate every single sequence for your memory right now?—"
"Absolutely not!—You insatiable bastard..." Leansei stammered out, his heated cheeks burning hotter than they ever had before. He lowered his chin, his voice dropping into a very low, barely audible mumble. "It... it was good."
Xerchin leaned closer, a thoroughly playful, teasing smirk cutting across his jawline. "What did you say? The wind must be too loud, I genuinely can't hear a single syllable, Mooncalf."
Leansei aggressively bit his bottom lip, glare fiercely into his blue eyes. "I said it was good.."
Xerchin's smirk widened beautifully. "Can you please make the declaration slightly louder so i can hear it—"
"Just forget I said anything!" Leansei shouted in pure frustration, hiding his red face under the quilt. Xerchin laughed out loud, his deep voice rich and completely filled with joy. He leaned his torso across the mattress, smoothly pulling the fabric down just enough to plant a swift, devastatingly sweet peck of a kiss directly onto Leansei's lips. Leansei snapped his gray eyes wide in absolute, pure surprise, his heart rate skyrocketing as the morning sun warmed the quiet villa room.
"You're remarkably charming, Mooncalf," Xerchin murmured softly, his baritone voice sending a pleasant shiver down Leansei's spine as he reached up to gently pinch Lean's flushed cheek.
Without waiting for a rejection, Xerchin shifted his massive, athletic frame, laying flush beside him on the soft mattress. He buried his handsome face deep into the crook of Leansei's neck, inhaling his clean scent while wrapping a broad, solid arm securely around his slender waist to pull him close. Leansei looked down at the dark, messy hair resting against his shoulder, a genuine, beautifully sweet smile breaking across his features as he slowly ran his fingers through the strands to soothe him.
A long, peaceful quiet stretched beautifully through the morning atmosphere, the gentle wind from the veranda rustling the garden leaves outside.
"Stay here with me," Xerchin whispered softly into the dark fabric of his t-shirt, his voice dropping into a tender, grounding register. "Spend another full night at the villa."
Leansei did not offer an immediate response, nor could he find a single coherent word to answer the invitation. A violent battle was actively raging behind his chest cavity; his survival instincts were screaming that he absolutely must say no to protect his boundaries, yet his treacherous heart and unconditioned body were telling him entirely otherwise.
Xerchin slowly lifted his head, his light blue eyes locking straight into Leansei's gray pupils with a pure, unshielded look of absolute tenderness. "I..." He cut his own sentence short midway, Xerchin's large, warm hand moving gently upward to cradle Leansei's cheekbone, his thumb softly rubbing against the flushed skin. Leansei's heart started pumping uncontrollably hard against his ribs all over again, the frantic thuds echoing through his chest. In that silent, frozen beat, a profound clarity washed over his soul. He finally realized just how deeply Xerchin had become the single most special person in his entire existence—to the point where his heart was beginning to view him as the exact reason why he desperately did not want to transmigrate back or leave this world anymore. It was an incredibly selfish, dangerous thing to desire, leaving his mind completely torn and shattered in between his options.
"Do you happen to remember the specific name you called me last night?" Xerchin asked, a playful, loving glint making his blue-tinted eyes glow beautifully under the morning light.
Leansei slowly, delicately shook his head, his shyness peaking.
"You called me Erchi," Xerchin revealed smoothly, a spectacular smile lifting his reddish lips. Leansei looked back at him in pure, wide-eyed surprise, his mind short-circuiting.
' Did I truly let that slip through my mouth in the heat of the moment? ' Leansei thought, his face burning like a smashed tomato.
"You did," Xerchin chuckled, reading the sheer disbelief written across his features. "And that is exactly what you're slated to call me starting right now." Leansei couldn't help but smile back at his determination, offering an obedient, shy nod of agreement.
They looked at each other intently across the pillows, the space between them turning remarkably warm, passionate, and completely full of absolute affection. Surrendering to the gravity pulling them together, Xerchin slowly leaned his head forward, and Leansei did the exact same, his fingers tightening. The exact microsecond their soft lips touched, they initiated a sweet, lingering kiss completely filled with pure, unyielding devotion. Xerchin slowly shifted his weight, his large body moving up to hover directly over Leansei's frame, trapping him beneath his broad chest as he smoothly laid him flat against the mattress sheets.
Leansei raised his hands, wrapping his arms securely around Xerchin's neck to deepen the pressure of the kiss, his heart rate skyrocketing. Xerchin's hand began a slow, agonizingly hot travel down along his hips, his long fingers smoothly sliding beneath the front hem of Leansei's loose t-shirt to touch his bare skin. They abruptly broke the physical contact, their ragged breath escaping into the quiet suite as they rested their foreheads flat against each other to collect their thoughts.
"You're still sore.." Xerchin whispered huskily, his ears turning a bright, burning shade of dark red as he checked his raw impulses.
Leansei caught his gaze, a rare, teasingly seductive glint smoothing out his gray pupils as he shifted beneath his weight. "But your length... you are already completely hardened against my thighs."
Xerchin let out a low chuckle, his features written with a deep, protective adoration as he leaned down to plant a swift, sweet peck of a kiss directly onto Leansei's forehead. "Ensuring your body doesn't experience any further physical hurt is infinitely better than satisfying my own parameters, Mooncalf." Leansei stood entirely speechless, his vocal cords locking up at the sheer, unselfish gallantry of the athlete's words. Before he could formulate a response, Xerchin smoothly slid off his torso, laying casually right back down onto the sheets beside his side and forcefully pulling Leansei's frame back into a tight, incredibly warm and secure hug to protect him for the rest of the morning.
The entire day melted away into a series of beautiful, uninterrupted moments that didn't leave a single trace of the high-society chaos behind. They just cuddled beneath the heavy sheets until the morning hours passed into the afternoon, talking softly about everything and nothing at all. They played with each other, made fun of each other's little habits, and migrated down to the living room to curl up together on the soft velvet sofa. At one point, they even took over the spacious kitchen, making a complete mess of the counters by playfully throwing flour at each other while attempting to bake a batch of pastries. It was just the two of them, completely insulated from the outside world, spending the entire day locked in each other's presence.
When the quiet of the late afternoon finally arrived, a peaceful stillness settled down over the villa.
Leansei walked to the veranda's opened glass doors and leaning his upper torso casually against the heavy glass door. He adjusted his glasses, his gray eyes softening as he looked out at the massive, brilliant horizon where the crimson sunset was perfectly ready to dip down beneath the lower valley lines. The view from the balcony was absolutely majestic—the expansive swimming pool functioning like a giant mirror that captured and beautifully reflected the golden, orange, and deep purple bleeding of the sky.
He let out a long, quiet breath through his teeth, a profound layer of contentment settling over his chest.
' How incredibly good this feels, ' Leansei thought, a small, genuine smile curving onto his lips. For the first time since his soul had transmigrated into this world, the suffocating fear of the future and the dark parameters of his countdown disappeared completely, drowned out by the absolute peace of the sanctuary they had built.
He flinched when Xerchin came behind him, his broad arms wrapping smoothly around his waist as he rested his chin gently on Leansei's shoulder, their eyes locked on the fading sunset together.
"Do you remember the first time we watched the sunset together?" Xerchin paused, a soft smile breaking across his handsome features.
"Yeah, of course. It was absolutely beautiful—and you are beautiful," Leansei chuckled softly, leaning his weight back against the athlete's chest. He placed his bare hand flat over Xerchin's forearms, anchoring the embrace.
"It's actually my first time receiving flowers," Leansei confessed, his voice dropping into a low, slightly bitter tone as he stared at the pool's golden reflection. "I never knew I would receive them unless I was buried—and honestly, I probably wouldn't get any even if that happened."
Xerchin paused, his body turning rigid. He clasped his hug away, catching Leansei by the shoulders to forcefully turn him around so they were facing each other directly.
"Hey... don't you ever dare say something like that," Xerchin commanded flatly, his light blue eyes filled with an earnest, intense seriousness. "I'll give you flowers every single day if you want them. Roses, lilies—anything. You just name it."
Leansei slowly shook his head, a genuine smile breaking across his lips as he tried to ease the sudden gravity. "Guys rarely receive flowers in their lives anyway, Erchi. Besides, it's entirely unnecessary—"
Xerchin reached down, firmly catching Leansei's hand within his own. "Just because society dictates that guys receive them rarely, doesn't mean you have to follow that metric," Xerchin said with absolute sincerity, his baritone voice deep and grounding. "If the person receiving them is explicitly you, then it is necessary." He dragged Leansei's hand up to his reddish lips, pressing a sequence of soft, lingering kisses against the knuckles. Leansei looked up at him, his gray eyes completely filled with tenderness as his heart hammered against his ribs.
"What else do you want to execute tonight, Mooncalf?" Xerchin asked softly, releasing his hand.
Leansei thought hard, his mind running through their options. "How about we watch a movie together right after dinner?"
"Sounds remarkably good, Mooncalf. Let me go to the kitchen and cook for us then."
"No, I'll help you prepare the ingredients this time and cook."
"Absolutely not. Just stay right here and rest your muscles—"
"Don't you desperately want to try cooking a meal with me?" Leansei countered playfully, a completely clueless, teasing thought slipping past his lips before he could catch it. "Isn't that supposed to be incredibly romantic like they always say in the high-society films?" Xerchin checked his movement, letting out a long, defeated sigh with a beautiful smile cutting across his face.
"Alright," he surrendered, wrapping his fingers back around Lean's hand to guide him inside. "Let's go cook together."
Xerchin and Leansei cooked their dinner together, the wide marble kitchen island completely filled with the warm sound of their fondness. They laughed over spilled spices, slipped their arms around each other's waists, and shared a constant sequence of sweet, unhurried peck of kisses on each other's cheeks and lips. The complex high-society expectations of the outside world felt completely out of bounds. Once the plates were finalized, they ate their meal with an absolute full of laughter and bright, genuine smiles painted across their faces.
Now, with the dishes successfully cleared, they had retreated back the soft cushion sofa into the dim, comfortable parameters of the living room.
They layed closely beside each other, their physical positions natural and completely relaxed. Xerchin's large, warm hand rested steadily over Leansei's back, his fingers idly tracing soft, soothing circles against the fabric of his shirt. Leansei shifted his weight comfortably, his legs resting heavily over Xerchin's lap as he leaned his head back against a pile of plush velvet pillows.
A large ceramic bowl of freshly popped popcorn sat nestled securely between them on the sheets. Leansei held the smart remote control, his gray eyes scanning the digital streaming menu as they idly snacked, casually debating which movie title they should lock in to conclude their private sanctuary of a weekend.
"What genre do you want to watch?" Leansei asked, his thumb hovering over the directional pad of the remote control.
Xerchin adjusted his posture, his large hand resting warmly over Leansei's thighs. "Whatever pleases you, Mooncalf."
Leansei was about to click on a title when the sudden, aggressive vibration of Xerchin's phone rattled against the nearby wooden table. Xerchin reached out, retrieved the device, and glanced at Leansei. The serious shift in his light blue eyes made it look exactly like an important, high-stakes call.
Leansei offered a warm, supportive smile and nodded reassurance. "It's okay, take it. I'll wait for you here, and let's watch the movie together."
Xerchin hesitated for a brief second, before giving a quiet, slightly guilty smile. "I'm sorry. This won't take long, I promise," he said. He stood from sofa, stepping out through the glass doors of the veranda and closing them firmly behind his back to secure his privacy. Left alone in the dim room, Leansei scrolled through his own phone logs; Felean was still completely ignoring his text messages. He let out a long, deep sigh from his chest.
Outside on the balcony, Xerchin accepted the connection. "Speak."
[ Young Master, Mr. Xin has been ruthlessly looking for your location for two consecutive days now, the private secretary's tight, ] frantic voice crackled through the receiver. [ His office is monitoring the parameters. ]
"Just let him be for now." Xerchin commanded flatly, his baritone voice ice-cold. "I'm busy,"
[ But he will be absolutely, violently enraged if you fail to check in by the morning, sir. ]
Inside the Living room, Leansei kept casting continuous glances through the glass panels, tracking the stiff lines of the athlete's broad shoulders. It really looks like it's a critical matter, Leansei reasoned silently, his stomach tightening with a sudden layer of anxiety.
' It really looks like it's important. ' Leansei said in his mind.
Xerchin glanced behind his shoulder, his blue eyes locking onto Leansei's curious face through the pane. His features incentives softened, and he gave him a faint, reassuring smile to disarm his worry before turning back to the dark horizon.
"Just let the matter be," Xerchin continued into the line, his tone dropping into a calculated register. "Do you possess any new details or internal entails regarding the specific investigation I asked you to run?"
The line paused for a heavy, silent beat. [ I just successfully managed to extract a few clues from the underground registry, Young Master... but I can confidently assure your line, I will get the task finalized within the week. ]
"You better be," Xerchin warned dangerously, before hanging up the call. He let out one long, controlled exhale into the midnight air to stabilize his focus, before sliding the glass doors open to step back inside. He claimed his previous spot on the cushion, lifting Lean's legs to rest it on his lap.
"all done?" Leansei asked softly, turning his head.
Xerchin offered a practical, calm nod of agreement. "Yeah. Let's start the film."
They successfully watched two consecutive movies that night, the hours slipping away peacefully into the darkness while they cuddled each other sweetly on the sofa. The physical closeness effectively muted the looming high-society problems and the dark corporate threats waiting for them beyond the gates. Once the final credits rolled across the screen, they turned off the monitor, and went to the bedroom.
Leansei took a towel from the bathroom rack. "You'll shower?" Xerchin asked, his voice dropping into a low frequency as he tracked the boy's movements.
Leansei glanced back at him over his shoulder. "Yeah, I'll go first," Leansei said as he firmly held the metal handlebar of the bathroom door.
Xerchin instantly frowned, his handsome features twisting as he sat heavily at the edge of the mattress, his broad shoulders slouching. Leansei let out a quiet, genuine laugh into the room as he clearly descried Xerchin's silent, dramatic sulking. He shook his head in absolute disbelief at the high-society athlete's behavior.
' So there's actually this kind of hidden, soft personality underneath his cold facade, huh? You truly are a cute bastard, ' Leansei thought, his chest tightening with a sudden wave of pure affection.
Leansei let out a long, playful sigh, leaning his torso casually against the door frame.
"Do you... do you want to join me?—" Leansei did not even manage to finish the parameters of his sentence before Xerchin's handsome face shot up with a spectacular, glowing expression. The cold poker mask vanished completely. Xerchin quickly stood to his feet with blinding athletic speed, aggressively snatched his own dry towel from the dresser, and practically ran straight towards him to secure his spot.
Leansei hiddenly chuckled behind his palm, thoroughly entertained and mesmerized by the completely childish, endearing act of the towering Vcheroi heir as they stepped into the private bathroom together.