[Yoo Joonghyuk feels like he can suddenly breathe normally. He hadn't realized just how hard it felt to do so, but hearing that yes was like a weight lifted.
He had been worried that the other would say no and reject him. Of course, he'd still keep moving forward, but the idea that someone fated to him didn't have any intentions of wanting his company was somehow a bleak prospect. It probably didn't help that he had some really badly timed epiphanies about the other.
The man merely offers the other the smallest of smiles. Despite the small gesture, it was dazzling though. Kim Dokja might find him more or less trapped between a wall and the regressor. When it happened, who knows, but he merely lifts Kim Dokja's chin up.
Both of them must have heard plenty of indirect messages and coins being sponsored. Yoo Joonghyuk has ignored every single one of them to this point since they've been talking.] I am.
[He seems very satisfied with the answer and perhaps the other should have expected. The taller man leans down to press his mouth against Kim Dokja's own. The kiss is much like his grip on the smaller man's wrist. It's firm, but surprisingly gentle. If the other truly wanted to push him away, there was enough space for it. The hand on his chin had dropped to settle on Kim Dokja's waist and pull him closer.
He was fine with leading. If the other had no confidence or experience, then they would learn. He didn't even think of the chance that the other might disappoint him because he was already so satisfied to have them by his side.]
[That smile is enough of a distraction. It's a rare expression on Yoo Joonghyk, who spent 3000 chapters making himself miserable, even if somehow he did find moments of happiness throughout the story. It's not the first time Kim Dokja has seen a smile from him at all, but there's something genuine with this one he's not sure what to do with.
And it's his attempt at analyzing it that distracts him enough that he doesn't realize he's being moved until his back hits the wall.
He stares up at him. He is fully out of his element, and trying not to freak out.
He probably would, if that kiss hadn't shut off his brain entirely. His mind just goes blank as he tries to process the sensation of the other man's lips on his, their bodies now pressed together, the muscles of the man in front of him somehow feeling more solid right now than the rock wall behind him. His own hand, he realizes, is now on Yoo Joonghyk's shoulder.
It takes several long moments before he thinks to return some pressure into the kiss. It's not much - he really has no confidence - but it's unmistakably there. He's up on tiptoe, slightly, leaning into him, for once not thinking about anything other than how good it feels.
Like he's been waiting all his life just for this.]
The kiss felt too short yet too long and he had wanted to deepen it, but the other seemed to be overwhelmed just by this rather tame kiss. Speaking of-]
You're bad at kissing. [It's said rather bluntly, but there isn't really anything about the statement that's condescending or teasing. It's just said matter-of-factly. He doesn't seem bothered by it either. It's like he merely wanted to point out an observation he had made.
Despite insulting Kim Dokja's kissing, he leans in again to press another chase kiss before giving the other room. He apparently wanted more of it even if it was mediocre.
He already wanted more than what he had taken, but he also knew that they've been gone for a decent chunk of time and that they were still in the midst of a Scenario. Surely, the man will let him continue another time.] We can't stay here.
[He sputters, embarrassed, and trying not to be disappointed that the kiss has ended. He wishes he had a way to look up proper kissing techniques, or a skill he could buy, or -- He knows it's ridiculous, but he also knew he'd be no good at it.
Immediately several indirect messages appear with pointers for how to improve, or what he should do next. Most of them don't even make sense, and just make his embarrassment worse.]
Shut up!
[It's at the constellations, not at Yoo Joonghyk, though Yoo Joonghyk deserves to hear it, too.]
I did tell you I have no experience. You don't get to be disappointed.
[He knows they can't stay here, but now he wants to. He doesn't want to leave it like this. Maybe he'll have to find a different way to impress, one that has nothing to do with kissing.]
[The reaction was...cute. Was that the right word, he wonders, but it's the word that fits best in his head. He hadn't expected the man who so confidently told him to let go at the bridge and to claim to want to be companions in equal to become so flustered by a kiss.
There wasn't even any tongue involved.
He chuckles a little. It's soft and low, but it's a chuckle nonetheless.]
I didn't say I was disappointed. I'm not. [Why did the other think he was disappointed? Just because the other was terrible at kissing didn't mean he was disappointed. Honestly, it was one of the most pleasing kisses he had. He couldn't put a finger as to why-
Ah, wait. No experience-] Is this your first kiss? [Local Korean regressor decides that they can spend a few more minutes here so that he can ask terribly embarrassing questions about his soulmate.]
[This is getting worse by the second. The indirect messages are now a combination of sympathetic and mocking, and he can't even be happy about the amount of coin being sponsored. He wants to sink into the ground. Maybe he could buy the Recluse's Cloak to hide from the constellations and his asshole of a soulmate.
He doesn't want to answer that question.]
So what if it is?
[No, they're not doing this. He's not letting Yoo Joonghyk get his entertainment from embarrassing him, no matter how profitable.]
[The man smirks a little. He looks way too smug about this and way too pleased.
Yoo Joonghyuk was a very, very possessive man. Hopefully, the other already knew that. He grabs Kim Dokja's jaw with one of his hands as he looks at the other with eyes that looked ready to eat the other. Maybe he'll push just a little more.] Good. [The idea someone else could have had a chance with what was his made something in his stomach turn. It's something he doesn't have to worry, but he hates it all the same.] No one else can have you.
[He had let go of the smaller man's wrist only to wrap his arm around the small waist and pull him flush against him for a searing kiss. This one was far less chaste and more akin to a starving man finally being given food. Confident lips move against his soulmate's and he bites at his bottom lip to get the other to part his lips.]
[His reactions must be slowed from exhaustion. He'll blame it on that. He's still trying to process those looks Yoo Joonghyk is giving him, the tone of his voice when he makes that statement, when suddenly he's being grabbed again by those stupidly strong arms. When his own hands come up to steady himself by holding onto those biceps, they feel like rocks under his palms.
The sound that escapes him when Yoo Joonghyk presses his lips to his is one he'd like to forget ever happened. But immediately it's too intense, to the point where he can feel his own brain short-circuiting. He doesn't stand a chance at keeping up.
He flinches at the bite, lips parting as a reaction to the sudden pain. At the same time, it sends a jolt down his spine.
He's pretty sure a bite isn't supposed to feel good.]
[He doesn't hesitate at all to deepen the kiss as soon as the other parts their lips. He takes his time to explore that mouth with his tongue and paying attention to the smaller man's reactions. Commit every noise and action to memory.
It feels like just as quickly as the kiss had started that it ends. He pulls back to admire the state the smaller man was and licks his lips like he had just eaten a good meal.]
I'm leaving.
[Was that something you say to someone you just kissed the air out of???
It makes sense though. Of course, Yoo Joonghyuk would participate in the Capture the Flag Scenario. There was no way he wouldn't. The fact that he was deciding to seek his own flag instead of easily taking Kim Dokja's meant that he had made a conscious decision not to take it. He had ample opportunities and time at this point.]
[He can't stay quiet during the kiss. He tries to, but he can't focus on that while also trying to keep up, and in the end lets out little noises of frustration, of a pent-up neediness he didn't know he had in him. He's doing his best to kiss back, but it takes several moments for him to start to relax at all. Once he does, he starts to get better. Marginally.
He's still holding on when Yoo Joonghyuk ends the kiss. He'll have to break free of Kim Dokja's grip this time.]
You're--
[He's indignant. Angry. He's not sure what he is, except overwhelmed.]
Of course you are. Of course you're getting your own flag, because you can't let someone else be in charge.
[He really wants to punch the man.]
I could stop you. As the ruler of Chungmuro I could punish you.
[He tilts his head, but doesn't pull away. Honestly, the other might not be able to even support their own weight at this moment, so he just keeps his arm around Kim Dokja's waist.
He idly thinks that the other is much too thin.]
I could have taken your flag. Why are you mad? [Isn't he doing him a favor by deciding to get his own flag and walking the Ruler's Path without taking the option from the other? The other also intended to do the same, so why was the other angry that he also had no plans to follow someone else?]
Hmm? Can you though? [A careful eyebrow raised.] Last I checked, you seemed to be quite tongue tied. [What a bastard.]
[He's firm on that, at least, and he has given some thought on what to do if Yoo Joonghyk tries. Mostly he's hoping he'll be able to activate the punishment fast enough.
Though right now his head isn't exactly clear enough to go against the regressor, as the bastard is reminding him.
He can't risk losing his flag.]
Just because you have more experience, doesn't mean you get to brag about being good, you bastard. [But he has a feeling his embarrassment at the taunt is easily visible on his face.] Now I really want to punish you, even though I was going to let you leave.
[There's no real bite to his words. The regressor obviously didn't have interest in actually taking his flag even if it was convenient.]
I wasn't bragging. [He clicks his tongue in displeasure. The other really wanted to assume all these things surrounding him when he never outright said anything to imply anything that was being assumed. What a cumbersome man.] I'm leaving. You can't stop me.
[He leans in a little closer. He doesn't seem to mind if they have another round of kissing, but they're both wasting time at this point.] Are you going to try? You know we both have things to get done.
You think I don't have plans for dealing with obstinate regressors?
[Although that was before... this. He honestly isn't sure if he'll be able to fight back if Yoo Joonghyk uses kissing as a weapon. He really needs to figure out how to improve his own technique.
But Yoo Joonghyk is right, too. And if he wants to learn how to stand against the man, he should be the first to pull away here. He steps back, then winces as he accidentally steps into the tunnel wall. He'd forgotten it was right behind him.]
You can go. I don't need your help to get the throne.
All your plans have done nothing but change all of mine.
[He should sound angrier, but he doesn't. It is said with some form of fond exasperation although it was more exasperated than fond. He had no idea what was going to happen this time around, but somehow he was alright with it.]
I know you don't. [After all, the sneaky bastard seemed to have a lot of things laid out. He doesn't know what exactly. He just knows that he can trust those words. Or at least he'll try. He'll try to trust the other.]
I don't need your permission. [Except he kind of was looking for it anyways.] I need to get somewhere. [He had to conquer twenty stations in the little time they had, but he had something else to do.
He had someone to pick up. He would never forget about her, after all.] I'm going then. [He finally pulls away. His hand lingers just a little too long before he completely removes himself from Kim Dokja's body.] Don't die again, Kim Dokja.
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He had been worried that the other would say no and reject him. Of course, he'd still keep moving forward, but the idea that someone fated to him didn't have any intentions of wanting his company was somehow a bleak prospect. It probably didn't help that he had some really badly timed epiphanies about the other.
The man merely offers the other the smallest of smiles. Despite the small gesture, it was dazzling though. Kim Dokja might find him more or less trapped between a wall and the regressor. When it happened, who knows, but he merely lifts Kim Dokja's chin up.
Both of them must have heard plenty of indirect messages and coins being sponsored. Yoo Joonghyuk has ignored every single one of them to this point since they've been talking.] I am.
[He seems very satisfied with the answer and perhaps the other should have expected. The taller man leans down to press his mouth against Kim Dokja's own. The kiss is much like his grip on the smaller man's wrist. It's firm, but surprisingly gentle. If the other truly wanted to push him away, there was enough space for it. The hand on his chin had dropped to settle on Kim Dokja's waist and pull him closer.
He was fine with leading. If the other had no confidence or experience, then they would learn. He didn't even think of the chance that the other might disappoint him because he was already so satisfied to have them by his side.]
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And it's his attempt at analyzing it that distracts him enough that he doesn't realize he's being moved until his back hits the wall.
He stares up at him. He is fully out of his element, and trying not to freak out.
He probably would, if that kiss hadn't shut off his brain entirely. His mind just goes blank as he tries to process the sensation of the other man's lips on his, their bodies now pressed together, the muscles of the man in front of him somehow feeling more solid right now than the rock wall behind him. His own hand, he realizes, is now on Yoo Joonghyk's shoulder.
It takes several long moments before he thinks to return some pressure into the kiss. It's not much - he really has no confidence - but it's unmistakably there. He's up on tiptoe, slightly, leaning into him, for once not thinking about anything other than how good it feels.
Like he's been waiting all his life just for this.]
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The kiss felt too short yet too long and he had wanted to deepen it, but the other seemed to be overwhelmed just by this rather tame kiss. Speaking of-]
You're bad at kissing. [It's said rather bluntly, but there isn't really anything about the statement that's condescending or teasing. It's just said matter-of-factly. He doesn't seem bothered by it either. It's like he merely wanted to point out an observation he had made.
Despite insulting Kim Dokja's kissing, he leans in again to press another chase kiss before giving the other room. He apparently wanted more of it even if it was mediocre.
He already wanted more than what he had taken, but he also knew that they've been gone for a decent chunk of time and that they were still in the midst of a Scenario. Surely, the man will let him continue another time.] We can't stay here.
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[He sputters, embarrassed, and trying not to be disappointed that the kiss has ended. He wishes he had a way to look up proper kissing techniques, or a skill he could buy, or -- He knows it's ridiculous, but he also knew he'd be no good at it.
Immediately several indirect messages appear with pointers for how to improve, or what he should do next. Most of them don't even make sense, and just make his embarrassment worse.]
Shut up!
[It's at the constellations, not at Yoo Joonghyk, though Yoo Joonghyk deserves to hear it, too.]
I did tell you I have no experience. You don't get to be disappointed.
[He knows they can't stay here, but now he wants to. He doesn't want to leave it like this. Maybe he'll have to find a different way to impress, one that has nothing to do with kissing.]
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[The reaction was...cute. Was that the right word, he wonders, but it's the word that fits best in his head. He hadn't expected the man who so confidently told him to let go at the bridge and to claim to want to be companions in equal to become so flustered by a kiss.
There wasn't even any tongue involved.
He chuckles a little. It's soft and low, but it's a chuckle nonetheless.]
I didn't say I was disappointed. I'm not. [Why did the other think he was disappointed? Just because the other was terrible at kissing didn't mean he was disappointed. Honestly, it was one of the most pleasing kisses he had. He couldn't put a finger as to why-
Ah, wait. No experience-] Is this your first kiss? [Local Korean regressor decides that they can spend a few more minutes here so that he can ask terribly embarrassing questions about his soulmate.]
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He doesn't want to answer that question.]
So what if it is?
[No, they're not doing this. He's not letting Yoo Joonghyk get his entertainment from embarrassing him, no matter how profitable.]
Weren't we leaving?
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Yoo Joonghyuk was a very, very possessive man. Hopefully, the other already knew that. He grabs Kim Dokja's jaw with one of his hands as he looks at the other with eyes that looked ready to eat the other. Maybe he'll push just a little more.] Good. [The idea someone else could have had a chance with what was his made something in his stomach turn. It's something he doesn't have to worry, but he hates it all the same.] No one else can have you.
[He had let go of the smaller man's wrist only to wrap his arm around the small waist and pull him flush against him for a searing kiss. This one was far less chaste and more akin to a starving man finally being given food. Confident lips move against his soulmate's and he bites at his bottom lip to get the other to part his lips.]
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The sound that escapes him when Yoo Joonghyk presses his lips to his is one he'd like to forget ever happened. But immediately it's too intense, to the point where he can feel his own brain short-circuiting. He doesn't stand a chance at keeping up.
He flinches at the bite, lips parting as a reaction to the sudden pain. At the same time, it sends a jolt down his spine.
He's pretty sure a bite isn't supposed to feel good.]
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It feels like just as quickly as the kiss had started that it ends. He pulls back to admire the state the smaller man was and licks his lips like he had just eaten a good meal.]
I'm leaving.
[Was that something you say to someone you just kissed the air out of???
It makes sense though. Of course, Yoo Joonghyuk would participate in the Capture the Flag Scenario. There was no way he wouldn't. The fact that he was deciding to seek his own flag instead of easily taking Kim Dokja's meant that he had made a conscious decision not to take it. He had ample opportunities and time at this point.]
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He's still holding on when Yoo Joonghyuk ends the kiss. He'll have to break free of Kim Dokja's grip this time.]
You're--
[He's indignant. Angry. He's not sure what he is, except overwhelmed.]
Of course you are. Of course you're getting your own flag, because you can't let someone else be in charge.
[He really wants to punch the man.]
I could stop you. As the ruler of Chungmuro I could punish you.
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He idly thinks that the other is much too thin.]
I could have taken your flag. Why are you mad? [Isn't he doing him a favor by deciding to get his own flag and walking the Ruler's Path without taking the option from the other? The other also intended to do the same, so why was the other angry that he also had no plans to follow someone else?]
Hmm? Can you though? [A careful eyebrow raised.] Last I checked, you seemed to be quite tongue tied. [What a bastard.]
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[He's firm on that, at least, and he has given some thought on what to do if Yoo Joonghyk tries. Mostly he's hoping he'll be able to activate the punishment fast enough.
Though right now his head isn't exactly clear enough to go against the regressor, as the bastard is reminding him.
He can't risk losing his flag.]
Just because you have more experience, doesn't mean you get to brag about being good, you bastard. [But he has a feeling his embarrassment at the taunt is easily visible on his face.] Now I really want to punish you, even though I was going to let you leave.
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[There's no real bite to his words. The regressor obviously didn't have interest in actually taking his flag even if it was convenient.]
I wasn't bragging. [He clicks his tongue in displeasure. The other really wanted to assume all these things surrounding him when he never outright said anything to imply anything that was being assumed. What a cumbersome man.] I'm leaving. You can't stop me.
[He leans in a little closer. He doesn't seem to mind if they have another round of kissing, but they're both wasting time at this point.] Are you going to try? You know we both have things to get done.
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[Although that was before... this. He honestly isn't sure if he'll be able to fight back if Yoo Joonghyk uses kissing as a weapon. He really needs to figure out how to improve his own technique.
But Yoo Joonghyk is right, too. And if he wants to learn how to stand against the man, he should be the first to pull away here. He steps back, then winces as he accidentally steps into the tunnel wall. He'd forgotten it was right behind him.]
You can go. I don't need your help to get the throne.
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[He should sound angrier, but he doesn't. It is said with some form of fond exasperation although it was more exasperated than fond. He had no idea what was going to happen this time around, but somehow he was alright with it.]
I know you don't. [After all, the sneaky bastard seemed to have a lot of things laid out. He doesn't know what exactly. He just knows that he can trust those words. Or at least he'll try. He'll try to trust the other.]
I don't need your permission. [Except he kind of was looking for it anyways.] I need to get somewhere. [He had to conquer twenty stations in the little time they had, but he had something else to do.
He had someone to pick up. He would never forget about her, after all.] I'm going then. [He finally pulls away. His hand lingers just a little too long before he completely removes himself from Kim Dokja's body.] Don't die again, Kim Dokja.