Chapter Text
Yunho nervously glanced at the black, blank screen of the phone in his hand. Again, and then again, and again, swallowing hard, realizing that he had agreed to the same bet a second time. Only the first time had he gone to that place as if blind in the dark, but now he had done so quite deliberately. He probably just lost his mind because he wanted to see Mingi, or rather, feel him. He wanted it for the first time after he began to live free as a bird, having no debt to anyone, thanks to his stupid mistake. A mistake that cost him his sanity and a burning desire to try it again. He was willing to lose, just to feel Mingi's hot touch, skin to skin, and wet breath on him again. Yunho shook his head, chasing away thoughts like annoying flies, and set about looking for a new job, because there was still a hell of a lot of time left until ten o'clock in the evening.
He looked through all the available vacancies and was shocked. Why were employers' requirements for one person so crazy? Cleaner, cashier, security guard, stocking shelves — all in one job for pennies? At least the auto repair shop paid a little more. Yunho turned another page, already the fifteenth on the website, and everything seemed the same, as if they had all been made from the same template. Only at the end of this long list, among baristas, bakers, administrators, and managers, was there one vacancy that more or less interested him: “ticket salesperson at the central local history museum”, and they even accepted applicants without experience. The only thing that seemed suspicious was that the requirements were normal, the working hours were reasonable, and the salary wasn't so bad. Yunho carefully read the ad to make sure there were no strange hidden catches and immediately called the number listed at the bottom of the vacancy, waiting patiently for a response.
The beeps were indeed tedious and long, with the automated operator asking him to wait because the line was overloaded with calls. He even gathered the clothes scattered around the room and took them to be washed before the line connected, and a melodious female voice sounded at the end of the phone. Yunho immediately dropped everything and started talking to the woman, which took him almost twenty minutes, due to a short interview with requests to come on Wednesday morning so they could talk in person as well. For some reason, Yunho was sure that he had not impressed her with his short, uncertain answers, but he continued to look at other vacancies just in case, for which he received complete rejection. Even the diploma, for which he had spent four years of his life, did not help.
By lunchtime, he was tired of hearing the programmed words, “We will definitely call you back,” and, irritated, he threw the phone onto the chair and went to the kitchen to eat and wash down his unemployment with tea and chocolate cookies. He was addicted to them because they were very tasty and sweet. It was even a little sad that no one wanted to hire him, but he did not lose his last hope, which always disappeared last. He sadly took another bite of a cookie, chewed it, and washed it down with black sweet tea, fuelling himself with carbohydrates and energy. There were a little more than ten hours left until ten o'clock in the evening. Ten hours before, he would see Mingi's stern face in the red room in front of him again. Yunho even subconsciously shuddered at this scratchy thought.
During these long, passing hours, Yunho was also looking for a new apartment, or at least a small room that he could rent separately. To live somewhere, anywhere, just to get out of these cracked, cold walls that had diligently served as his fortress and home for the past few years. He called a few ads for one-bedroom apartments in the city center and was unexpectedly offered to look at several right away. The area seemed good to him because it was close to the high-rise where Mingi lived and closer to the museum, if they would even take him there, and closer to all the benefits of civilisation in general. He turned off the stove, where a portion of spaghetti was soaking up meat sauce in a hot aluminum pot. Then he went to freshen up and tidy his life-worn appearance while it cooled down a bit so it could be eaten.
Yunho took a refreshing hot shower, his skin now smelling delicately of forest berries from the gel and squeaking with cleanliness under his fingertips from the sugar scrub. He dried his wet hair thoroughly and styled it neatly with a hair dryer, then wrapped a towel around his hips and hurried to the bedroom to quickly change into something clean. Light blue jeans and a white shirt were a good choice for the sunny, slightly hot weather. He went for a slightly scruffy look, leaving the top button undone and tucking half of the shirt into his pants, leaving the other half loose. The boy also splashed on some sweet perfume and packed the things he might need into a bag. A jacket with a zipper to protect him from the cold, cream for irritation and healing, because who knows how this whole meeting with Mingi will turn out, a phone charger, and some money for the trip there and back.
He left the room, dragging the bag with his things to the kitchen, throwing in a bottle of water and a few bars as well. At least this time, he wasn't going there hungry, because he was actually a little ashamed and embarrassed about losing consciousness last time. Yunho grunted contentedly, zipped up his bag, and left it on a chair. Then he took a deep plate from the kitchen counter and poured himself some pasta, praying that he wouldn't stain his clean white shirt with the bright red sauce.
Fortunately, he didn't spill a single drop of sauce during his delicious lunch, which was good for him. Yunho put the dirty plate in the sink, took another sip of water, and went to the bathroom to quickly brush his teeth. He spent a few more minutes on this, then rinsed his mouth, looked in the cracked mirror with a big smile, and left the room satisfied. The guy immediately grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He went into the hallway to put on his shoes so he could leave the house earlier and have time to look at least one apartment before he had to go to the club. He tied the long laces on his sneakers, tucked the ends away, grabbed his keys from the shelf, turned off all the lights, and then walked out the door into the dark hallway, not forgetting to lock it behind him.
The warm September air smelled wonderful outside, and a gentle breeze played with his hair. Yunho walked down the empty, littered street to the bus stop, dancing around the deep potholes in the cracked asphalt. How much he wanted to finally change these living conditions and start living like a normal person after so many years of suffering. To go to the park for a walk, not to spend an hour getting there. To go out for tea or coffee and just walk around the city to see this unfamiliar architecture from a different angle. Just to feel that drop of freedom for a moment.
Today, for some reason, he was lucky because even the first bus to the center arrived on time, and he wasn't even late for it, which was rare for him. Yunho paid the driver in cash for the fare, settled into an empty, worn seat with a diamond-shaped pattern, and leaned his head against the shaky glass. He looked indifferently at the cracked and unfinished brick buildings floating past him.
The bus stopped in the busy city centre, where chaos reigned today. Yunho quietly thanked the pot-bellied driver and got off at this stop. He'd rather walk a few metres on his own than stand in traffic for another hour. Judging by the map on his phone, which he was now looking at closely, he was not far from his destination. After surveying the area in front of him, Yunho bypassed the hurried people and walked straight ahead, looking for the street he needed to turn onto.
He felt like a stranger here because wandering among other people in the midst of his own loneliness felt strange somehow. The boy found the right street a few kilometers away and even found the entrance, and called the owner to find out when he would be there. Receiving the answer to wait twenty minutes, Yunho sat down on the nearest bench to wait for him. It seemed like a long time because he managed to eat half a coconut bar, admiring the landscape, which consisted only of a playground, a few maple trees, and several tall glass buildings. He played with his fingers and even called Wooyoung just to chat with his friend, share news, and hear his funny voice, because he hadn't actually talked to him in a long time. They warmly wished each other a good day, and the conversation ended there, because at least his friend had a job. Yunho got up from the bench when he saw a red-faced, out-of-breath man not far away and shook his hand, greeting him quietly.
“Aren't you too young to rent an apartment on your own?” was the first thing the man asked in surprise as he entered the code for the entrance on the panel.
“I'm twenty...” the young man added calmly, pressing his lips together as he followed the man into the entrance.
“Okay, sorry. Everyone looks so young these days that they don't look their age,” said the man as he climbed the stairs.
“Can you tell me more about the apartment?” Yunho asked instead, so as not to make small talk.
“The apartment is on the second floor,” said the man, taking the keys out of his pocket. “It has all the utilities connected, and cosmetic repairs were done a year ago.”
The man opened the door for him, and Yunho went inside without taking off his shoes. The apartment was bright, with delicate lilac walls and a light, shiny floor that reflected the light from the lamp.
“To your right is the kitchen. The sunrises here are very beautiful. Straight ahead is the bathroom and bedroom... Feel free to take a look around; don't be shy...”
Yunho listens to him and walks into each room. The kitchen is not large, but it has white countertops, a stove, a refrigerator, and even a table. The wide windows let in plenty of natural light. Next, the young man goes into the bedroom, where the walls are the same light lilac colour, there is a bed and a dresser, and the bathroom next door has all the necessary plumbing fixtures. He likes it; it's neater and cleaner than where he lives now.
“How much do you want for it?” Yunho asks, closing the bathroom door.
“Six hundred thousand won a month, including utilities,” says the man, leaning on the door frame. “You understand that a lot more was invested here to make it habitable, so the price is reasonable.”
In fact, Yunho could still afford that price. He could easily make three payments, but he wouldn't have any more money left and would end up wandering the world naked and barefoot again. But he could have looked at a few cheaper apartments in other parts of the city; there was something special about this one, something that felt like it belonged to him.
“The apartment is wonderful... but I need to look at a few other options before making a decision...” the young man says, adjusting the bag on his shoulder.
“Call me when you change your mind,” the man said with a smile, letting Yunho pass so he could leave.
“I will,” he said, shaking his head.
Yunho considered two other options that he liked and were even cheaper. One apartment cost three hundred thousand, but it had no furniture in the bedroom, no washing machine, and no appliances in the kitchen. The other one cost four hundred thousand, was located in an old building, had heating problems, a constantly malfunctioning elevator, and also no washing machine, although it had a minimal set of other furniture. He was faced with a difficult life choice: to find something not too expensive, but at the same time decent. The main thing was that there were no homeless people, drug addicts, or alcoholics in the building, that it was clean and tidy inside, and that the ceiling wasn't in danger of collapsing on his head. He didn't want anything more than that. Glancing at the clock on his phone, Yunho realized that he still had two hours before his game with Mingi. But he needed at least an hour to get to the high-rise in the city center, and he also needed to eat something and find a restroom urgently. Considering all the circumstances, he decided to go to the first café he saw nearby. A sandwich and a bottle of water, or at least tea, should solve all his immediate problems at once.
The place nearby was warm inside, smelled of coffee and something sweet like vanilla and chocolate, and the staff was so friendly when he walked in that they were practically beaming. He politely greeted the girl behind the counter, ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, and paid in cash. Having completed part of his little plan, Yunho went to the men's room for a few minutes because he couldn't hold it anymore.
The water was pleasantly warm when he finally rinsed and washed his hands with fragrant white soap, and then a wave of air dried his hands so that there wasn't a single drop of moisture left. It felt like a relief and a way to get used to part of his new life. When he was done, Yunho left the restroom, picked up his order from the counter, and sat down at the nearest round table with a bright red rose in a vase, which caught his eye.
He slowly enjoyed a delicious toasted ham sandwich, chewing each bite thoroughly before swallowing. He was in no hurry, especially since even from here he could see the top of the high-rise building. The young man looked thoughtfully out the window, watching people move in their own directions under the soft streetlights, immersed in their own affairs. Yunho finished his hot tea with a cherry flavor from a beautiful porcelain cup and then placed it on the table next to a plate with only a few small brown crumbs remaining. After thanking the girl at the counter once more, he left the café, walking towards the building and feeling an inexplicable warmth spreading through every cell of his body, making it burn, and his heart beat wildly in his chest.
When Yunho reached the glass building, the clock showed fifteen minutes to ten. He stood in front of the panel trying to enter the password “1616”, but the numbers didn't work, because the panel lit up red, indicating an error. Yunho just snorted at this. How stupid of him to think that the password was still the same. The numbers one hundred percent immediately change right after the game for the safety of this place. He waited a few minutes, hoping that the owner of this place would contact him, but it seemed that his expectations attracted too much attention. He was definitely catching strange, scrutinizing glances from people, like, “What is some commoner doing near this expensive house?”
Yunho went down a few steps and stood on the sidewalk, pretending to be looking for something on his phone, when it suddenly rang with a short notification that only contained the numbers “0808,”. He barely flinched at the unexpectedness, thinking, "Couldn't this have been done a little earlier?" Looking around to see if anyone was following him, Yunho slowly approached the door again and entered the four-digit code. The panel flashed green to confirm the code, and the door opened for him. He immediately went inside, and the door closed automatically, plunging him into darkness for a few seconds.
Under the fluorescent light, Yunho walked confidently forward, then carefully descended the familiar narrow corridor to the basement, trying not to fall on the dark steps, which were barely visible in the dim red light. At the entrance stood the same serious guard with a stony face, who didn't even look at him. And next to him, with his arms crossed over his chest and his back leaning against the black wall, stood another man who had escorted him to the sixteenth floor last time. His platinum white hair was braided into a high ponytail at the back. The boy descends from the last step onto the flat cement surface, and the man glances at him indifferently, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around. Yunho looked at him a little puzzled, but said nothing as he was taken by the elbow and led back upstairs. He allowed himself to look at the man a little as they walked calmly toward the elevator. A straight nose, an empty working gaze, and the faint scent of sweet women's perfume seem to cling to him. Yunho involuntarily notices a golden badge attached to the pocket of his jacket in the shape of a tower, with only “Seonghwa” written on it.
“That's a beautiful name,” he thinks to himself.
They are silent almost the entire way, and Yunho is the first to break the prolonged silence in the hot metal cabin, which creaks sharply from the movement of the mechanism pulling it upward.
“Why are we going up?” asks the boy, lowering his head and looking at his worn-out shoes, which should have been thrown away long ago, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
“Your game will take place on the top floor, sir,” the man says quietly, avoiding his gaze. “The owner will explain everything to you himself.”
Yunho just nods at his words, trying not to think too much about what Mingi is up to. Because he was completely and utterly cunning. The elevator slowly stops with an announcement of arrival on the sixteenth floor, and the doors open, inviting them to exit. Yunho exits first and boldly heads to the familiar left side of the corridor, looking for the black door with the number eight. He suddenly looks back to see if the strange man is following him, but there is no one there. The employee seems to have realized that there is no need to lead him further.
Yunho stops in front of the familiar door, staring at the number and taking a deep breath before knocking on it several times. There was no doorbell. He knocks insistently, first once softly, then louder, so that the owner can definitely hear him, whatever he is doing. Slow shuffling sounds come from behind the door, and the lock clicks, forcing Yunho to take a few steps back from the door so as not to get hit in the nose.
They open slightly, and the owner of the apartment appears from the crack. His hair is slicked back with gel, leaving a few strands loose in front, and his white, loose-fitting shirt, unbuttoned at the top three buttons, hangs off his shoulder, revealing his collarbone. His classic black pants hug his hips. Mingi actually looks good in any outfit.
“Hello,” Yunho says, his voice almost hoarse, trying not to stare at Mingi like he's crazy.
“Come in,” the man says, stepping aside to let the boy into the spacious apartment.
“He could use a little more politeness,” Yunho thinks with a snort, but he still enters the apartment, taking off his shoes on a black rug and placing them neatly at the threshold.
He wrinkles his nose and sniffs. The room smells of perfume, something light, noticeable, like citrus mixed with musk. It is pleasant to his nose, almost unobtrusive and not cloyingly sweet. Listening carefully, he catches a musical motif, no words, just a pleasant melody that relaxes him, lifting the weight of tension from his shoulders.
Mingi leads him deeper into the room he knows so well, the contours of which he memorized in the few hours he spent here last time. They stop in the living room, where the furniture has been rearranged slightly. The sofa now stands against the wall, and the armchair next to it faces a panoramic window, offering a full view of the city at night. The floor lamp is gone. In the middle of the white, fluffy carpet stands a round, wide black table with a matte surface, and on it is a black and white board with glossy figure glasses filled with orange and cherry-colored liquid.
Yunho sits down on the chair with a cushion prepared for him, opposite his black pieces, already knowing that the owner of the game will definitely play with the white ones.
“Before we start, let's talk,” Mingi says in a low, firm voice. He pulls a chair up behind him in one smooth motion, sitting down relaxed, leaning back against the wooden backrest, and crossing his arms high on his chest. "Ask me any question you're interested in. I know you have a lot of them."
“Why are we playing here?” Yunho asks immediately, already expecting a possible evasion of the answer, as Mingi did last time.
“I think you'll be more comfortable playing here than downstairs,” he shrugs, looking at Yunho with anticipation of the next question.
“Why do you think so?” he asks, avoiding the dark, deep gaze of those brown eyes.
“Because you're relaxed and don't intend to run... Down there, you were restrained...” Mingi replies easily, correcting his white figures on the chessboard.
“Then, I didn't know... where I was going or what I was getting myself into,” Yunho replies tremulously, touching the edge of the table with his fingers.
“And now you know?” Mingi asks with a teasing laugh, raising his eyebrows.
“You... Today I was going to you,” the boy replies nervously, swallowing his words.
“It's bold... and very imprudent of you to fall into this trap again. Did you like the pain so much that you decided to swim in it again?” Mingi says slowly, drawing out each word, catching Yunho's interested gaze.
“I...” the boy begins, nervously clutching the table even tighter, because Mingi always strikes with words that take your breath away.
“Don't answer... I don't care. The rules are the same: if you take the last pawn, you win, if not, I win,” Mingi replies hoarsely, moving the white pawn on the right forward to make the first move, and Yunho just rounds his eyes in surprise. "My bet is the same. You and your body. However, I want, wherever I want, and as much as I want."
“Okay...” Yunho agrees and, despite the noise of blood in his ears, looks at the wooden board in front of him, specifically at his side with the black pieces.
He takes his black pawn and moves it from square f2 to f4, making his move.
“My bet is your heart,” Yunho says confidently, and Mingi's face becomes a little stunned.
If Mingi took his whole body, then Yunho had every right to find his place in that cold, ice-covered heart, because Mingi was definitely bluffing under his serious appearance. The boy had already seen what this man was really like, and they could easily play this game together to find out more.
Mingi frowns and nods in agreement, looking at his pieces and moving another pawn. So far, everything is starting calmly, but this feigned calm only leads to even greater tension. Yunho touches his black pawn with his fingertips and moves it in the same way, freeing up the pieces behind it. Now he is looking to make his next move with his knight. Mingi shakes his head thoughtfully and moves his rook forward two squares, while Yuhno confidently moves his black knight and attacks the white pawn. He smiles quietly to himself, but does not rejoice too much, because this is only the beginning of the game.
After thinking and assessing the situation, the black-haired man continues his move and moves his white officer one square diagonally, forcing Yuhno to make his next move with his black rook two squares forward. Mingi snorts quietly, presses his lips together, and moves forward with another white pawn. The boy shrugs his shoulders and calmly takes the man's white pawn with his black knight, raising a sparkling glass to his lips and drinking a bright orange, cloudy liquid from it. It was orange juice, the acidity of which made Yunho grimace, but at the same time, surprisingly, it was not alcohol again.
“If there's orange juice in your glasses... pff,” Yunho mused aloud, still grimacing from the sour aftertaste. “Then what's in mine?”
The man ignored his question for a few minutes, thinking about the best move to make, but then moved his left white pawn forward one square again. It seemed to Yunho that Mingi had some kind of obsession with them today. Yunho looked at the board, then, without thinking, he made the same move, passing the turn back to Mingi.
“You have a low-alcohol raspberry liqueur,” the man said quietly and tensely, moving his white officer to square e4.
“And last time, what was it?” Yunho asked again, starting at least some conversation in their boring silence while moving his pawn to square b3.
“Whiskey and pomegranate juice...” the man replied hoarsely again, making a move with his knight, barely glancing at Yunho.
“Why don't I have any alcohol, but you do?” Yunho asked thoughtfully, moving his bishop diagonally one square.
“It's a rule. One of the two players always stays sober,” Mingi replied, making his move, even relaxing his posture a little and waiting for Yunho to make his. “I usually take young adults under the age of thirty into the game... because it's more interesting to play in that age range, and the choice of desires is wider, and the drinks are adjusted to the age as well.”
“Your words sound disgusting somehow...” Yunho snorts, jumping his knight from one square to another.
“Don't think I'm obsessed with sex... because you're my second. Not everyone... and not for everyone are the stakes so high. As I said before, I'm not a monster,” Mingi replies, moving his white rook sharply along the line.
“I don't think... I'm interested in knowing why you chose me as your second,” Yunho says sarcastically, raising the corner of his mouth in a sly smile as he moves his pawn, attacking the same white officer.
Mingi snorts lightly at his move, raises his eyebrows as he looks at the chessboard, and takes out Yunho's damn knight with his own officer. He drinks berry liqueur from a glass and savors its sweet aftertaste on the tip of his tongue. Yunho finally takes Mingi's white officer with his black pawn diagonally and also drinks a few milliliters of sour orange juice.
“I chose you, more because I wanted to feel something like this again, and in fact, it felt even better than with the previous one. And there is something in you besides a beautiful face,” Mingi said easily, moving his rook one square to the right.
“You mean I got to you?” suggested Yunho, moving his black officer.
“You could say that,” Mingi replied easily, unsuccessfully attacking Yunho's black officer, who was, in fact, protected by the queen.
Yunho thinks for a second and immediately moves his queen to attack Mingi's rook, forcing him to retreat from his intention to destroy him, and then, with his next move, he moves his pawn forward again.
“You play better...” Mingi says approvingly, looking at the board for a possible move to take someone out, and takes Yunho's pawn with his pawn, drinking a glass of alcohol from it.
“Thank you,” the boy replies modestly, leaning back in his chair, moving his black officer to take Mingi's pawn, which has just been moved forward.
Yunho doesn't drink any more juice for now, but simply puts the pieces on the opposite side, looking at the board. At the moment of their game, two white pawns, an officer, a black knight, and a pawn have already been lost, which is slightly less than last time. At least he is not giving away pieces thoughtlessly this time. Mingi moves his white knight to b6, and Yunho moves his black knight, making the first check to the white king. Mingi goes on the defensive and successfully takes Yunho's second and last black knight off the board with his queen. He demonstratively raises his glass in the air, watching Yunho sweat, and then drinks the liquid, swallowing the red tincture in one gulp. Now the game is becoming much more intense, because all the pieces have been played and the board has turned into a real battlefield.
Yunho makes a move, then Mingi, and so, time after time, the number of pieces on the table only increases. They seem to be playing offense and defense and attack, chasing each other. Not missing the opportunity, Yunho takes Mingi's white rook with his own and reluctantly drinks the juice from the glass after his husband's remark that he should drink everything to the end and not leave them full on the table. Mingi takes Yunho's rook with his queen and thus attacks his pawn and officer. The boy doesn't really care about these pieces right now, and he just moves his black queen and takes Mingi's last white rook, attacking his three pawns and simultaneously putting another check. The man opposite him skips his turn and moves his king one square to the side.
Yunho takes the white pawn with his queen and moves to the n5 square, drinking everything from his glass to the last drop. Mingi's white queen, on the other hand, takes the black officer, treacherously putting the boy in check for the first time. Unfortunately, Yunho is also forced to flee from this. Mingi takes another black pawn and puts Yunho in check again, forcing him to flee again and skip another turn. In fact, he is now allowing Mingi to make several moves in a row. As soon as the black-haired man finishes his move, Yunho irritably takes his officer off the board and drinks his juice again, still grimacing. Mingi makes one move with his king, and then Yunho takes another white pawn, attacking the knight and pawn. Mingi escapes from him with his knight to the f5 square, saving his much more important and valuable piece.
Yunho takes the remaining pawn and puts the king in check. The man runs away from him again. The boy moves his pawn forward, wanting to reach the end with it. Mingi, on the other hand, triumphantly takes the black defenseless queen with his white knight, leaving Yunho practically defenseless with only one officer, a rook, and four pawns. And the only thing left for Yunho to do is to simply move forward to exchange one of them for another stronger piece. After his move, Mingi moves his queen to the right, closer to the black king, and Yunho moves his pawn forward again.
“So... we're already playing our second game, and I still don't know how old you are. That seems a little unfair,” the boy says gloomily after his move.
The older man stares at him intently for a few seconds, then looks back at the board. Mingi moves his knight to block his opponent's move and prevent him from reaching the end of the line.
“If it makes you feel any better, I'm twenty-six,” Mingi replies dryly.
Yunho's hand freezes in the air for a second before he touches the piece. He never thought he would like a man so much older than him, to a certain extent. He thinks about it and moves his rook, attacking the other player's knight. Mingi laughs quietly, puts the black king in check, and Yunho curses because he has missed his move again, but he still moves the weak piece a little further away from the attack. Mingi takes the black pawn with his queen and puts the king in check again, forcing Yunho to flee from him once more.
The boy sighs heavily and looks at the board, realizing that, unfortunately or fortunately, he has lost again. He has one pawn left at the top of the board on the white side, whose move to the line is blocked by a white knight. Mingi will take it in a few moves anyway. There are two more pawns in the middle of the board, one of which will be exchanged and fall to the next move of the white pawn, and the other will be destroyed by the queen. And despite all his efforts, only Mingi's last white pawn will remain on the board among all the available pieces. No matter how much Yunho doesn't want to think about it, Mingi won't let him win under any circumstances. So he decides to resign himself.
“I lost again,” Yunho sighs quietly, biting his cheek from the inside, his hands trembling slightly under the table on his knees. “In any next move, the white pawn will remain on the board, because you will take my last black pawns anyway,” he says in defeat, pushing his chair back and getting up.
“Glad to hear it,” Mingi replies, flashing him a mischievous look. “You know what to do...” he mutters, drinking the liquid from the black king's piece and turning it over on the chessboard. Yunho nods and walks slowly to the bathroom door with his head down while Mingi puts all the pieces on the table.
Yunho uses the toilet, takes a hot shower, and when he comes out, steam trails behind him. He dries himself with a towel, throws a warm, fluffy robe over his body, and ties it at the side. This time, for some reason, he feels no fear, because this time he is sure that everything must be different. The boy leaves the bathroom, stepping barefoot on the light marble tiles, looking for Mingi, but instead sees only a busy waiter who, without even paying attention to him, takes the last glasses on a tray and leaves the room.
Nothing else here reminds him of the game except himself.
As soon as the front door closes behind the staff, Yunho awkwardly scratches the back of his head and walks to the bedroom, where Mingi is already closing the thick curtains, as if hiding them both from the whole universe. Yunho swallows loudly when his gaze accidentally falls on the mirror, and he barely flinches. The memories in his head are still as vivid as if they were both here just yesterday. Mingi's footsteps are quiet, calm, and non-aggressive. The man turns off the lights in the entire room, plunging it into complete darkness, and turns on only the salt night lamp on the table, which glows with a dim orange-pink light.
“It will be different... and this time you will really enjoy it,” Mingi says softly, approaching him and enveloping the stunned boy in a warm, tender embrace, as if opening up a new breath in him.
“I'm yours, today, tomorrow, and anytime you want,” Yunho says quietly, leaning his head on his strong shoulder and inhaling the smell of cigarette smoke clinging to his skin.
“Okay, I'll be right back,” the man says, leaving a soft, warm kiss on Yunho's relaxed forehead and leaving the bedroom.
Yunho feels a strange elation and butterflies in his stomach from his words. While Mingi is away, he takes off his robe in the dim light of the lamp and settles comfortably on the bed, bumping his foot on something hard and quietly groaning when it digs into his skin. He picks it up with his hands and seems to recognize from its size and inscription that it is a tube of lubricant. The guy rolls his eyes and shakes his head, throwing the thing aside somewhere to the edge. The sheet under his body, which was already completely drenched with sweat from excitement and anticipation, was pleasantly cool, and the cotton fabric seemed to tickle him. Yunho even closes his eyes for a few long seconds, trying to get used to the feeling of complete nakedness in a stranger's house again.
Mingi returns to the bedroom in a few minutes with a towel around his hips and closes the door to the room. He approaches the bed slowly, as dangerously as a wolf approaching its prey while hunting.
“You look so sexy when you wait for me here like this,” Mingi says hoarsely to him.
Yunho ignores him, opens his eyes, and glances at the shadow of the man moving monotonously in the lamplight, searching for something. He shifted on the sheets, moving closer to the wooden headboard, leaning his back against it, and pulling his legs up, just waiting to see what Mingi's next move would be. The older man exclaimed quietly when he found what he was looking for in the desk drawer and turned to Yunho, tilting his head to one side, suspiciously pondering something.
“What?” Yunho asked him quietly and uncertainly, his gaze wandering around the dim room.
“Come here...” Mingi said, motioning to him with his hand, and Yunho did so.
The boy bent his knees and obediently sat on the edge of the bed, keeping his gaze fixed on the handsome face of the man in front of him. Mingi closed the drawer, approached the boy, holding something like a ribbon in his hands, and touched Yunho's chin with his fingers, lifting it higher, feeling him nervously swallow the lump of saliva in his mouth.
“Let's play with you a little more...” he said sweetly, lifting the corners of his lips in a cheeky smile.
Yunho could only manage a surprised “oh” and clung to the sheet beneath him as the dark, wide silk ribbon fell over his eyes, completely blocking his vision. It plunged his vision into blind darkness, forcing him to orient himself in space with other senses. Mingi carefully tied a strong double knot at the back of his head so that the ribbon would not accidentally fall off or come undone. Then he chuckled contentedly, running his hand through his hair and adjusting the crease on his nose.
“Will you be a good boy for me?” Mingi asked playfully, leaning close to his face with a low note in his voice. He enveloped his skin with a tremulous, moist breath, caressing his smooth cheek with his thumb in circular motions.
Yunho nods, then suddenly remembers that Mingi doesn't like gestures and quietly says, “I will,” moistening his instantly dry lips with the tip of his tongue.
“Well done,” Mingi whispers in his ear, and Yunho immediately turns his head to the right.
This voice, which penetrated deep into his ear, caused him to shiver and gave him goosebumps that ran back and forth. The touch on his face suddenly disappears, and the older man takes three large steps away, which Yunho hears clearly. Now he was on guard and could only rely on his hearing to pull himself together and not give in to panic.
"You can tell me and take a break if it gets too much for you or you feel sick, but know that I won't stop bringing pleasure to both of us, at least until I get bored," Mingi says, and Yunho hears the rustle of fabric, its heavy fall to the floor, some clinking, knocking, and rustling nearby, and then soft footsteps echoing across the floor.
“I understand...” Yunho mutters hoarsely, moving a little further away from the edge of the bed.
The young man turns tensely when the bed sags somewhere behind him and tries to feel for Mingi with his hands, but all he manages to do is pat the emptiness. It seemed as if he was simply hallucinating. The man suddenly leans toward him, running his fingertips along his neck, causing the boy to flinch, and then kisses Yunho's soft lips with a breath in which he senses a subtle note of berry liqueur.
“Don't be afraid...” Mingi whispers silkily in his ear, leaving a single kiss on his lips, eliciting a quiet whimper from Yunho.
“Easy for you to say,” the boy replies, rolling his eyes under the ribbon.
Words like “Don't be afraid” don't help him at all right now, because he has no idea what to expect from Mingi at this point.
“I won't hurt you... I promise,” Mingi whispers, running the tip of his nose along Yunho's temple. The boy just nods understandingly and leans in for the touch; at least now, he could trust him a little.
The man settles Yunho comfortably on the bed, somewhere in the middle. The boy's head rests on a soft, low, flat pillow, and his black hair spills out onto the red velour fabric. Mingi turns him on his side, bending his knees, feeling Yunho already breathing heavily in his arms. He gently touches the boy's body with his palm, feeling his trembling limbs, so strong that it feels like he is electrocuting him. Although he certainly had no intention of doing so and did not even have the disgusting thought of doing so in his head. Yunho turns his head from side to side, trying to figure out where the man is on the bed. But it was useless to orient himself by touch, because they were everywhere. Mingi touched him chaotically in different parts of his body, playing with his fingers on the delicate skin on the inside of his thighs, digging his short nails into his buttocks, and kissing him. This left wet spots on his stomach, back, and neck that quickly dried.
Yunho sighed quietly, barely audibly, and moved his legs when Mingi ran his hot fingers over his sensitive perineum and higher, as if mocking him. The light pressure lasts no more than a few seconds, and he just tries to get used to it, but it disappears immediately, causing him to exhale loudly and catch Mingi's deep purr on another part of his body. Something wet and hot touches his ribs and leads along a path to his shoulder blades. The boy can only imagine what it is, or rather, in his situation, it is better not to imagine because it could be anything.
He tries to relax and trust Mingi's gentle touches, but immediately tenses up and clings to the sheet when he hears the sound of a lid clicking. Perhaps if he could see, he would behave differently. Something incomprehensible slides across his body, tickling the skin on his stomach. It feels like a piece of fabric, but he can't quite make it out. However, it is definitely something soft, thin, and pleasant, like a grounding device. He exhales unevenly, as if suffocating, when the texture of the object suddenly changes, and it becomes something piercingly cold and metallic, which immediately becomes noticeably warmer when heated by the temperature of his flushed skin.
“Relax for me now...” Mingi says, not very reassuringly, sending vibrations with his lips somewhere near his neck, additionally kissing him wetly where his Adam's apple is. Yunho can smell his clean black hair, its porous texture, as well as the trail of tart cologne with woody notes washed off his body.
“What is this?” the boy asks confusedly, swallowing his words, as this same incomprehensible metallic texture with a pointed tip teasingly rubs against his opening.
“You'll like it...” Mingi replies with a quiet, deep laugh.
“I don't think so...” Yunho mumbles, but even despite his distrust of Mingi, he takes a deep breath through his nose and slowly exhales through his mouth.
“I want to see how well you take it...” the man says too poisonously and sweetly, leaving a trail of kisses from his buttocks to his thighs, and at the same time, Yunho can hear a kind of thick, wet slurping sound.
“Is...is it new?” he asks, turning his head upward as if trying to see Mingi's face under the dark bandage. Perhaps to Mingi, this sounds like a ridiculous, meaningless question, but for some reason, it was really important for him to hear an honest answer.
“New... I'm not that stupid,” the man replies, and Yunho can only imagine his eyebrows rising and his face frowning in dissatisfaction. He could actually imagine a million other reactions on his face, but everything was blocked by the dull pressure that was intensifying on his ring of muscles.
“Relax and breathe slowly,” Mingi says in a voice that burns his skin as Yunho makes a sound like a meow.
His fear fuels his desire even more uncontrollably and dangerously. Mingi held the boy's legs from jerking, stroking his thigh in circular motions with one hand to relieve the tension, while pressing harder with the other and penetrating him with the rounded tip of the object.
Yunho really tries to relax, but the wet cold and pressure spreading through the walls inside him seem to paralyze him. He takes another convulsive, deep, slow breath, feeling how the internal muscles around the elongated and not very thick object that Mingi is inserting into him slowly part, yield to the intrusion, and adapt to it. The boy can say for sure that it is no wider than two of his fingers and that it is quite tolerable due to the large and generous amount of lubricant. However, it is still unusual and a little uncomfortable from the friction.
“Good boy. You're taking it so well,” Mingi whispers praisefully, pushing the plug until it sinks deep and completely and locks into place.
Yunho nods several times in response to his praise, trying to suppress the moan that sits in his throat. He just bites his lower lip harder and buries his head in the pillow from the pleasant tingling sensation and fullness inside.
“Come on, sit on my lap...” Mingi coos falsely affectionately, squinting his eyes with wild pleasure and delight at once again having the opportunity to test the boy's endurance. He helps him slowly sit down on the bed and watches in the darkness as Yunho's face changes, and a tense moan of discomfort, but not pain, escapes his lips. “That's it...” the man purrs deeply, holding his hand and pulling the boy onto his lap.
“Do you like it?” Mingi asks, clearly pleased with his work, placing Yunho's lost hands on his shoulders, and Yunho immediately digs his nails into them and bows his head.
Mingi touches his body slowly, teasingly leaving a kiss on his neck and above, trying to understand every reaction that comes from Yunho. The boy shakes his head and leans forward, whimpering and pressing himself closer to Mingi with all his weight, as if trying to escape or hold on. When Mingi slowly presses his hand on the plug, playing with it and moving it even deeper than it already is.
“Mmm...” A long, sweet sound escapes from his fluffy lips, and his fingers dig deeper into Mingi's shoulder.
“Don't hold back... let me hear you,” Mingi says contentedly, continuing to slowly and rhythmically move the object inside, and Yunho, tensing his back, obediently lets out another quieter sound.
All the sensations of touch, hot, breathless kisses, and sounds intertwine into a single frenzied whirlwind of intoxicating excitement, and the sensations intensify significantly when Yunho feels Mingi's hard, wet cock pressing against his thigh. The boy just sways, moving his hips forward slightly to cause at least a little extra friction between them, but Mingi just clicks his tongue discontentedly against soft, bitten red lips. Holding the boy tighter, he changes their positions with a few light movements, eliciting a high-pitched scream and a stifled hiss from Yunho. Now he hangs over him like a predator while he lies sprawled on the sheet.
“No friction, Yunho... You're not in charge here,” Mingi warns him, biting the pale skin above his chest and reluctantly climbing off him.
“Mph... Can you at least move me a little more carefully?” Yunho grumbles, running his hand over the sheet, searching for Mingi.
“Next time...” the man says from somewhere far away, and Yunho sighs disappointedly at the loss of intimacy, but “next time” actually sounds a little encouraging.
“I need to have a smoke,” Mingi says casually, rummaging through the drawer in search of a pack of cigarettes.
“Are you serious? Do you need that right now?” Yunho says, somewhat disappointed and irritated, listening for the older man's location, which seems to be somewhere to the left. But he understands perfectly well that he himself is to blame for this.
“Yeah, have fun without me, I'll take a look,” he says with a snort, rustling the cardboard, and Yunho hears an additional strange clicking sound, like on a remote control or console.
“How do you... ah-h...” He is so breathless that he doesn't even have time to finish what he wanted to say, as a rather strong vibration spreads with an additional pulsation inside his body.
“The main thing is, don't touch yourself...” Mingi says slyly, clicking his lighter, and a tiny flickering flame slips out of it.
“Mh...” Yunho leans forward, bends his knee sharply, dragging his foot across the crumpled sheet. He moans quietly and tensely, pressing his head against the pillow as pleasant buzzing impulses slowly roll through his entire body in waves.
Mingi plans to take three slow puffs and immediately extinguish the cigarette in the ashtray so as not to saturate the air with this smoky, acrid tobacco poison. That will be enough to show the boy his place for now.
“Fuck... mmm,” Yunho gasps, breathing heavily, tensing his abdominal muscles, trying not to roll around the bed and not to use his hands, but just to somehow get used to these intense new sensations. It was strange, but also quite good at the same time. Everything in him trembled with deafening excitement, especially when the tip of that thing pressed against that sensitive spot inside him.
“I wonder how long you'll last...” the man thinks to himself, leaning his back against the wall at an angle so he can see all the curves of this beautiful body.
He watches with a piercing, hungry gaze as the guy in front of him writhes and whines, even though it wasn't the strongest setting. Only the fourth of ten, which is quite enough for the first time, although... Mingi thinks for a moment as he lights the tip of his cigarette until it starts to smolder, then presses the number five on the remote control. He knows that Yunho won't last long and wants to see him come without using his hands, just from this little innocent stimulation. The guy clutches the sheet tightly, bites his wrist, trying to stifle the whimpers from the fire building up in his lower abdomen. He should have guessed that Mingi was a little sneaky from their first meeting, but at least now it was some kind of pleasant torture for him.
Mingi takes his first slow, long drag, throwing his head back and releasing a thick cloud of white smoke into the air. He chuckled to himself, enjoying the sight before him, how Yunho's long legs twitched impulsively, and his hands tried to find a place to hold on. In the pink-orange intimate light and only for him, this performance looked so aesthetic and damn exciting. The older man shakes the ash from his smoldering cigarette and takes a second drag, and it becomes somewhat uninteresting when Yunho's reactions weaken from rapid habituation. Mingi, without even thinking twice, presses the number eight on the tiny remote control. He could have easily gone up to ten without regret. Yunho whines louder, pressing his nails harder into the skin on his thigh, scratching it, and quietly begging as the vibration and stimulation of the nerve endings inside become only stronger. So strong that it breaks through and makes him jump off an imaginary cliff just to get rid of it.
“Please... please... please,” he whines, sniffling, turning his head back and forth, barely lifting his body off the bed.
Mingi remains silent and indifferently takes a third slow drag, prolonging this moment of double pleasure, and simply waits for the moment when Yunho will break through. He sounds so needy, desperate, and depraved when he begs him. The man takes the cigarette out of his mouth and exhales the last puff of acrid smoke into the air, just as Yunho freezes in front of him for a few seconds as if in a freeze-frame. Then he arches his back, moaning uncontrollably as he releases himself and drips semen with his loud name on his lips. The man extinguishes his cigarette in the ashtray for a long time without turning off the toy, allowing the boy to catch his high a little longer. Then, slowly approaches Yunho, sitting on the edge of the bed next to him.
The hot, sweaty body shudders and convulsively trembles, and from the corner of the gaping mouth, from which quiet, pleading whimpers and wheezes still escape, a thin stream of shiny saliva runs down to the chin. He turns off the vibration, ending the boy's torment, and throws the remote somewhere on the table. Yunho's body, tense from the continued strong orgasm and stimulation, immediately relaxes, as if trying to spread out across the bed like a puddle. Mingi places his hot palm on his toned stomach, which slowly rises and falls with his ragged breathing, and moves to his chest, where under his fingertips he can feel Yunho's heart pounding beneath his ribs as if he had just run a marathon.
“I would gladly watch this all night,” Mingi whispers into his dry, swollen lips, then merges them into one, sharing with Yunho the taste of all his bad habits.
The boy feels so utterly broken that he doesn't even react to the tart and bitter taste of tobacco in his mouth, which Mingi spreads there with a greedy kiss. Yunho only reacts when he feels that same weak self-control in his body after it stops trembling impulsively and tightly squeezes the object deeply embedded in him. Mingi easily deepens the kiss, enveloping him with his thick, wet tongue, and Yunho feels on the verge of drowning and losing himself in it. Mingi kisses him persistently and desperately until he takes all the precious air away from him. He gently breaks away, pausing and barely touching the corners of Yunho's lips, breathing heavily with him.
“Was I... was I good for you?” Yunho asks in a quiet, uncertain, thin voice, feeling Mingi's elbow with his weak fingers.
“You definitely were...” Mingi says warmly, taking his hand in his and touching his knuckles with his lips.
“Will you pull it out of me?” Yunho asks again, turning slightly to the side and pulling his legs up to himself.
“You want to be in control again... Don't make me punish you for it again,” Mingi snorts hoarsely, rubbing his hand, but there is not a hint of anger in his voice.
“I'm sorry,” Yunho mumbles, basking in the soothing warmth that Mingi is giving him right now.
The older man lets him catch his breath for a few minutes, and Yunho does just that, pressing his cheek and stomach against the cool bed. He slowly and deeply inhales the sweet but heavy smoky air through his nose and wiggles his hips a little, trying to overcome the unpleasant sensitivity and somehow change the angle of pressure inside. He knows and feels that Mingi, behind him, sees this, but he tries to remain silent, clenching his teeth and saying nothing.
In any case, Mingi certainly does not leave the already needy, hot body unattended. He gently kisses Yunho everywhere, sliding a trail of kisses down his shoulders, leaving red marks on his shoulder blades, and caressing his lower back, buttocks, and thighs with his hands. He seems to accidentally touch the round edge of the submerged toy in the opposite direction, watching Yunho wince. He's just playing with him, teasing him with his touch and igniting the boy inside stronger and brighter than a real wildfire. Mingi sucks on the sensitive smooth skin on his thigh, sending a deep hum of pleasure through him, than lets go. In the light of day, Yunho will be like a canvas covered with his bright pink, beautiful spots.
“Are you rested?” he coos, running the tip of his nose along his back, and Yunho just sighs lightly at his words.
“You're insatiable...” the boy replies, slowly turning from his side onto his back.
“You lost... and you know I'm taking everything,” he replies coldly, caressing his skin from his ribs to his chest with his hand, pinching his swollen nipples, to which Yunho only moans softly.
The man keeps himself under control internally so as not to overdo it like last time. He certainly did not intend to cause Yunho severe and real pain, but he intended to squeeze him dry to the last gasp. He carefully hovers over the boy and reaches for a slightly higher flat pillow, placing it comfortably under Yunho's hips, lifting his pelvis higher for himself. Mingi also removes the pillow from under his head so that he lies only on the mattress.
“Are you comfortable?” he asks softly, looking for a forgotten tube of lubricant on the bed.
“Mhm...” Yunho replies quietly, nodding his head affirmatively.
Mingi clicks the cap, squeezing a little thick liquid onto his fingers, and puts the tube nearby so he can easily reach it later.
“Spread your legs for me,” Mingi says a little imperiously, touching Yunho's ankle with his clean hand.
A wave of inexplicable panic rises inside the boy, but ignoring it, he listens to Mingi and shamelessly spreads them as wide as he can. The man moves between his legs, contemplating the submissive boy from his favorite angle, which causes electrifying goosebumps on his skin. He runs his hand along the inside of his thigh, causing the boy to twitch slightly, and leads it to his crotch, touching the metal edge of the toy. He pulls it toward him and slowly, inch by inch, pulls it out of his wet insides.
“Don't clench... let it out the same way you let it in,” Mingi whispers hoarsely, holding his knee with his elbow. Yunho groans hoarsely in response as the object presses even harder and pulls on the sensitive walls until it completely exits him with an obscene wet sound.
“Good boy... good boy,” Mingi praises him silkily, throwing the dirty toy aside.
“Can I... can I ask you a favor?” the boy asks barely audibly, turning his head away, feeling a strange sense of relief.
“Depends on what it is,” Mingi asks with some interest, raising his eyebrows and spreading the slippery, odorless lubricant between his fingers. For the first time in all his games, the losers ask him for a favor.
“Don't hold back... but be a little gentler,” Yunho says, squeezing his fingers.
“Breathe, I hear you...” says the man with a slight smile, and calmly, almost without resistance, easily inserts his first finger inside, replacing the meaningless toy with himself.
He moves it slowly, long and monotonously, in and out. He has nowhere to rush, because the next game is early in the morning, and he wants to use all of the short night they have left for their pleasure. He doesn't even care how many times Yunho will come from this stimulation, but he will definitely make him feel good. He pulls out his finger, adds a little more lubricant, and watches Yunho's frowning reaction as he adds two more, pressing and stretching him a little more. The boy tilts his head to the side, whimpers quietly, and bites his lips when he presses his slippery fingers against the smooth, wet walls, expanding them. Mingi moves them faster, eliciting a loud, drawn-out moan from him when he hits the prostate at just the right angle.
“Mph... that's better,” Yunho mutters without even thinking about the words, clutching the sheet. Mingi narrows his eyes suspiciously, slowing down for a moment, but doesn't stop moving his fingers inside, and asks quietly and hoarsely:
“Better than what?”
“My fingers...” the boy replies with a quiet sigh.
“Did you touch yourself?” Mingi asks with a quiet laugh and distant understanding, moving faster again as if in tiny revenge.
“Mhm...”
“What were you thinking about then?” the man asks again, tapping his fingers on the same spot, making Yunho squirm harder.
“I, ahhh, I was thinking about you... and how, um... you're fucking me and pressing me against this bed.”
“Unexpected...” he replies, pulling his fingers out and giving the boy a few seconds to rest.
“Are you angry?” Yunho asks quietly, turning his head straight.
“No, I'm not angry,” Mingi replies honestly, inserting his fingers again and picking up a moderate pace. “At least I wasn't the only crazy one,” he adds quietly and laughs, kissing the skin on his thigh.
“You... um, too?”
“Yeah, I couldn't stop thinking about you since you left...” Mingi confesses, eliciting another loud moan from him, watching as the Yunho's legs tense up and realizing that he was again on the verge of heavenly pleasure.
“Will you show me?” he asks, velvety, reducing the stimulation and rolling them in a circle. “I want to see how you touched yourself...”
“Nngh, it's embarrassing...” Yunho shakes his head negatively.
“I don't think you're in a position to refuse me,” Mingi says somewhat sarcastically, slowly pulling his fingers out of him and wiping the remaining lubricant on the corner of the sheet. “Well... I'm waiting, baby...”
Yunho sighs in defeat, presses his lips together, and reaches his right hand under him, touching the wrinkled outer edge with his fingertips. This position isn't very comfortable, but he can still reach it. He collects a few drops of the lubricant smeared there and plunges two fingers into the gaping hole as deep as he can, quietly groaning and slowly moving them. He can clearly hear Mingi whistling, and damn, how he wanted to see him right now. Yunho moans demonstratively as he plunges them into himself faster and harder, biting the inside of his cheek and throwing his head back on the mattress.
“Damn, that's hot...” Mingi responds with a dull, resonant sound that echoes his ringing moans.
The blood in Yunho's body rushes to his ears, a dull pulse gradually spreading throughout his body, concentrating far in the depths. The erection causes the penis to touch the lower abdomen with its slippery tip, while the guy, barely arching his back, tries to penetrate even deeper with his fingers. He makes a few confident movements, and a familiar impulse runs along his spine, causing a spasm. The orgasm is very close, ready to cover him with a new, powerful wave.
“Enough...” Mingi says firmly, stopping his hand, and Yunho, unable to restrain himself, covers him with curses.
Why the hell is he teasing him when he was so unbearably close to release?
He pulls his fingers out in disappointment and lowers his slightly numb hand onto the sheet, quietly gasping to Mingi.
“I hate... you.”
The man laughs loudly at these words and replaces Yunho's fingers with his three thicker ones, eliciting a hiss from the boy's lips. This stretching feels deeper and stronger and much more sensitive when he is already teetering on the edge of stars before his eyes.
“Do you still think so?” Mingi asks wetly, hitting the nerve bundle several times with his fingers. “I thought... that you liked me,” he says sweetly and mockingly, hitting the spot harder and deeper with his fingers, causing loud whimpering and trembling.
“I can't... ugh... I can't...” Yunho cries out hoarsely, stuttering, and pushes his hips away from the pillow, trying to move away as Mingi moves faster.
He feels an uncontrollable heat rushing through him like fire, and everything outside seems to drown in waves of white static noise as orgasm rolls over him again. Yunho jerks sharply and uncontrollably with a loud howl. A hot, thick stream of semen bursts from his tense, sensitive cock, splattering across his stomach and reaching his chest in small drops.
“This pressure around my fingers feels crazy,” Mingi thinks, barely moving them, patiently waiting for Yunho to come down from the clouds he has carried him to.
Yunho takes another convulsive breath, and this time the feeling of lightness and immersion in a borderline state of bliss lasts much longer. Mingi quietly and smoothly praises him in a pleasant, soothing voice, gently kissing his knees at the same time, until the boy's body gradually relaxes in his arms. When the pressure that had lasted for several minutes finally subsides, the man carefully withdraws his fingers, wipes them, and crawls closer to Yunho. Gently touching his face, Mingi softly turns the boy's head toward him. In the dim light, his lips barely twitch, and his forehead is still wrinkled. The post-orgasmic haze still hasn't let go of him.
The older man strokes his damp hair soothingly, combing the dark strands with his fingers, then reaches for the knots of the ribbon tied at the back of his head. He slowly unties both, removing the ribbon from his eyes and throwing it on the ground. Yunho blinks at him for a long time, slowly getting used to the lighting and Mingi's excited face hovering over him. The only thing he can really mumble and barely manage to smile is a short “Finally.”
“Is it too much for you?” Mingi asks quietly, assessing his face with an attentive gaze.
“No... It's fine... I remember the warning,” Yunho replies, moving closer to feel Mingi a little closer.
“Okay...” he exhales.
“Are you still going to fuck me?” the boy asks innocently, squeezing his hand on his thick thigh.
“Of course. How do you want me to fuck you?” Mingi asks him softly, finally handing Yunho the lever of control that he had once again taken upon himself. “Slowly... quickly, or like last time?” he whispers, touching his damp temple gently with his lips.
“Not like last time...” Yunho immediately protests, shaking his head. “Slowly... I'm sensitive.”
“Then I'll do it with you very slowly all night long...” he murmurs into his skin, gently crushing the boy's lips and allowing Yunho to grab his face for the first time and pull him closer.
When Mingi finally enters him to its full length in one slow, smooth motion, both exhale in unison with a slight moan. Yunho cannot hold back from the deep, long-desired feeling of fullness he has been craving for so long, and at the same time, the overwhelming sensitivity. Mingi cannot hold back from the tightness and pressure caused by his walls squeezing every millimeter of him. Yunho's blurred gaze focuses on those dark, shining eyes in front of him, and he finally touches the man wherever he wants. He hugs Mingi tightly by the shoulders, pressing closer and breathing in the scent of his salty skin. The older man keeps his promise and slowly sways his hips in a small, almost imperceptible rhythm, and each of Yunho's quiet breaths disappears between their intertwined lips.
He pauses only for a moment to gently run his fingers over the skin and feel the rhythmic, lively pulse of the artery in his neck. Each of his movements is light, careful, deliberate, and definitely means something more than just physical intimacy. Mingi tries to feel his every tremor, every shiver, every quiet moan that echoes melodiously through the dark room. He tangles his fingers in his soft hair, gently tilting his head and pressing his lips to his neck, leaving a small kiss there. He moves up with the tip of his nose to his jaw, smiling slowly and contentedly and tickling his skin with his breath. Time simply stops for him here. This becomes a moment not to take something away again, but to give something back in return. And he gives. In response, he gives Yunho all of his quiet, long-forgotten, and buried love in his hardened heart.
—
It was already dawn outside. Mingi stood in only a white bathrobe tied at the waist, twirling a cigarette between his fingers. Yunho, washed, fed, and tired, lay on his side in a clean bed, covered with warm blankets, resting after their long and turbulent night. Mingi leaned his head toward the window overlooking the city, which was still dark and barely illuminated by the lights of the lamps.
“What are you thinking about?” Yunho asked sleepily, yawning from lack of sleep.
Mingi chuckled, looked at the boy with a gentle gaze, and raised the corners of his lips in a half-smile. He admired his pure, innocent beauty in the dim natural light. The man turned on the ventilation, clicked his lighter, lit a cigarette, and slowly took a drag, then exhaled a cloud of smoke that immediately disappeared.
“Have you ever been beaten?” Mingi asked casually, watching the blurred reflection of the boy in the blue-tinted glass.
Yunho looked at him, frowning slightly, and said quietly but confidently,
“No.”
“But I have...” Mingi said with noticeable bitterness in his voice, covering his eyes and taking another poisonous drag. He didn't understand what compelled him to tell this sad childhood story to the boy. “I was ten... I had no one but my cruel father and a servant,” he began quietly after exhaling the smoke. “We lived in a large two-storey mansion, fenced estate outside the city. There was a large rose garden and empty surroundings.”
Yunho listens attentively, not even moving or breathing, so as not to interrupt.
“That place was like a prison... where they did whatever they wanted to you. They controlled your every move, and there were no witnesses nearby to help,” Mingi continues, choosing words that had always been locked away in his soul. The man glanced distractedly at Yunho, then continued, letting the cigarette smolder in his hand. “I remember as a child... they dragged me by the hand from the street into the house and forced me to play this stupid, meaningless game. But in my case, it wasn't a game, because games are supposed to be fun, and this was more like torture. My father always set cruel conditions for me..." he said, sensing a sharp intake of breath from Yunho.
“His main goal was always for me to win... In his opinion, the sole heir to the company never had the right to lose or even express his emotions.” Mingi sighed softly, took a drag, put out his cigarette, and exhaled smoke. "Whatever it was, I always had to go all the way. I had to learn how to win and build strategies because nothing was more important than his damn business..."
“Then what happened next?” Yunho asked, quietly, almost uncertainly, leaning back on the bed and grimacing slightly from the pain in his lower back.
“The rules have always been the same," Mingi continued, approaching him and lying down on the bed next to Yunho. "It was classic chess, checkmate the king of the opposite colour. I really tried..." he sniffed disappointedly, carefully pulling the boy into his arms. "I was a child... and had no idea how to play chess. And I lost... I can still feel that burning blow on my skin, even though it's been many years."
"Oh... Mingi," he says, not knowing if he can sympathise with him at all.
"He beat me periodically for every loss I suffered... for every bad grade I got... And I was foolish to think that this was normal and that it was how things should be, because I grew up in such conditions. Rudeness and violence became an integral part and tradition of this family's 'love' and the way I express my emotions now, because I was never given any other example of how to do it differently."
"And then?" Yunho asks quietly, looking up at him.
"We played for the next nine years. Every week... on the same day, and every time I lost because I couldn't get around his tactics, or by then I just didn't care anymore... I accepted the shameful fact that if I lost, I would be beaten black and blue again, and he would keep doing it until I won. Or maybe he was just taking out his anger over his wife's death on me. I really don't know. We played for the last time when I was nineteen. His stake was his business, and mine was myself, because I had no choice. I moved the pieces on the chessboard listlessly and almost reluctantly, because I had simply become accustomed to violence and loneliness and to the fact that no one could save you from it. The game was getting tense, and I didn't even look at the board when I made my queen's move. Although I don't remember exactly what piece it was... But as soon as I placed the piece on the square, my father looked at me for the first time as if I were that same ten-year-old boy and got up from his seat, disappearing into his study. I didn't understand anything at first, but when I looked at the chessboard, I noticed that his white king was upside down... I blocked it, not allowing it to move to any square, and there was no one figure to defend it either.
"You won," Yunho said quietly, touching his hand as if trying to say that he was there.
"Yes, for the first time in my life, I won and took everything. But the feeling was the same as with you, as if I had lost... I sold the company and destroyed him as the owner, leaving him with nothing, not even a penny... I destroyed him just as he had destroyed me for years. After a while, I bought this building and turned it into my own private club, which I called "The Upside-Down King." And, of course, I created new rules for the game. Because that made it easier for those who were playing for the first time to win.”
“But even someone like me managed to lose to you. Twice, the boy states the fact and quietly laughs to himself.
“It's hardest to win against me... because I'll never let myself lose again after that.”
“I believe you,” Yunho sighs easily.
“And I wanted to apologize for my thoughtless rudeness that night. I didn't want to hurt you... But I still acted like an idiot with you.”
"I won't say that I enjoyed it then... It hurt a little, but it was more tolerable with a drop of pleasure. But this night with you was the best night of my life."
“Are you trying to make me feel less guilty, or are you just flattering me?” Mingi asks, running his fingers through his fluffy hair and massaging his roots.
“Both.”
They lie there for a while, warming each other, hugging, and Yunho is already snoring quietly on his chest when a melody rings out on Mingi's phone. He moves, slowly sliding the boy off him, placing a soft pillow under his head instead of his chest, adjusting the blanket on his shoulders, and picking up the phone, speaking quietly to the person on the other end. Yunho tosses and turns in bed, catching some of Mingi's words on the verge of sleep and barely opening his tired eyelids to look at the man one more time before he leaves. Mingi fastens his belt, adjusts the collar of his fresh shirt, and looks for a black jacket in the closet.
“Are you staying?” Mingi asks briefly as he puts on his classic jacket, smoothing the sleeves to perfection.
“I'm definitely not running away, Mingi... You've taken all my strength, and my ass hurts,” Yunho mumbles sleepily, squinting at him from under the blanket.
“Well, sorry... I'll give in to you next time,” he replies with a broad smile, leaving a warm kiss on the boy's forehead.
Yunho murmurs quietly and contentedly, lowering his head back onto the pillow. Mingi rustles around in the room for a few more minutes, then quietly leaves, but before closing the door, he calls out to him uncertainly.
“Yun...”
“Mmm?” the boy replies quietly, settling more comfortably in bed and turning toward the door.
“It's yours...” the man says calmly, the sharp corners of his full lips curving as he quietly closes the door behind him without waiting for a response.
Yunho stares for a moment at the spot where the man had been standing, his footsteps receding, leaving him alone in the apartment. He fumbles quietly and cheerfully to himself because he feels that Mingi is not simple at all, and a warm feeling of reciprocity immediately fills his chest to the brim.