The golden rays of the morning sun gleamed sharply through the gaps in the curtains, slicing through the darkness of the room and shining directly onto Jin's face.
With a low groan, Jin slowly turned his head away from the intrusive light, trying to shield his eyes. But the persistent warmth followed him, stubborn and unyielding.
The longer the sunlight baked against his skin, the hotter and more irritating it became, slowly melting away the comforting fog of his sleep.
"Didn't I draw the curtains well enough last night?" he mumbled sleepily, his voice thick and raspy.
He tried to blink, but his eyelids felt incredibly heavy, dragging him back toward the pull of slumber. He sighed, preparing to shift his weight and stretch, but the moment he attempted to move, he froze.
Against his lower back, he felt something thick, solid, and radiating a deep, intense warmth. Before Jin could even process what it was, Alex shifted slightly in his sleep, moving his legs.
The movement caused that firm, rigid heat to rub directly and heavily against Jin's lower back.
In an instant, a furious blush erupted across Jin's face, the heat of it eclipsing the warmth of the morning sun.
His heart did a sudden, violent flip in his chest. The sheer closeness of their bodies and the unmistakable, firm touch of Alex's morning hardness pressing right against him,sent a sudden, sharp tingling sensation straight between Jin's own legs.
"Why of all times should this happen right now?" Jin thought frantically, his mind spinning into a shy panic.
"No, no... I shouldn't be thinking about things like this!"
Chiding himself silently, he forced his stiff muscles to move, carefully and slowly sliding out from the bed so as not to wake the sleeping man.
But as he stood up and instinctively glanced back over his shoulder, his breath caught in his throat. Through the thin fabric of Alex's nightwear, the thick, impressive length of his erection was fully and clearly visible.
Jin's eyes went completely round. The blush on his cheeks deepened into a burning crimson as his mind, against his own will, vividly imagined the sight before him.
Just then, a faint, low groan escaped Alex's lips, and his long lashes fluttered as he began to roll over.
Panic seized Jin. Moving purely on instinct, he hurriedly pulled the blanket up to cover Alex, masking the view, and softly slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him without making a single sound.
It took half an hour for Jin's racing heart to finally settle down. When he eventually ventured back from the main area of the house, he peeked into the room and found Alex still deeply asleep, entirely undisturbed.
Jin let out a long, quiet sigh of relief. Stepping softly, he gathered his bathing items and a fresh set of clothes.
He spent a full hour in the bathroom.
Most of that time wasn't even spent washing but instead, he stood in the bathroom, completely lost in his own head, fantasizing and replaying the intense warmth of Alex's body against his.
Shaking his head to clear the stubborn thoughts, he finally forced himself to take a cold bath to cool his burning skin.
Once dressed, he cooked himself a quick, simple meal to satisfy his hunger.
But there was still work to be done. Gathering the heavy pile of laundry that had been accumulating, he stepped out of the house to face the day's chores.
He walked around to the back of the house, following the familiar path that wound downwards towards a nearby water source. The stream was clear and flowing, the water cool as it rushed over smooth stones.
Dropping the heavy basket, Jin knelt by the water's edge and began the tedious process of scrubbing.
"I never expected to wash all these clothes today," he murmured to himself, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead as the hours began to slip by.
By the time the sun was high in the sky, he was almost done. The very last item at the bottom of the basket was the crumpled, blood-stained leather pouch that Alex had dropped by the door when he first arrived.
Jin hesitated for a moment, looking at the dark, dried copper stains. Curious, he carefully untied the secure knots and pulled the opening wide.
What he saw inside made his breath hitch.