Chapter XXVII: Fever

If Saturday was about discovering their chemistry then Sunday was all about exploring the possibilities of their newfound territory. They woke up Sunday morning with their bodies still thrumming so hard that they were on the first bus again. They returned to the same house where they got their first taste, this time to experiment with more. The door's lock clicking into place was like flicking a switch. The sound that meant it was time to learn to play with the fire they couldn't snuff out.

And in the midst of their learning between hot breaths and wet friction, Horokeu didn't hide how much he wanted to learn about Ren. Fingers caressing like his tongue, nails grazing like his teeth. His hands wanted to memorize all the places they can touch like his mouth wanted to memorize his taste. He wanted to know all the ways that made it easier to bring out his moans, all the places that made him scream the Ainu's name louder—he wanted to know what made Ren more willing. Horokeu tested his boundaries and Ren let him. In the positions they tried out, Ren closed his eyes and let the rest of the world fall away into black irrelevance—letting Horokeu push further. Ren didn't have to admit that he liked it, not with the way he always tightened around the blunette with each thrust that blew his mind blank. But he secretly hoped Horokeu didn't know how much he liked it. Then again, his screams were probably confession enough.

Going out the door was like fighting raw instinct. Their skins coated in sweat and the scent of each other, their bodies peeled away in sheer reluctance as they ached for more. It was so much more punishing than Saturday because they left knowing they had to wait another week to come back. But they left the house anyway only because time demanded it and if it weren't for what it threatened, it felt like nothing else could make them leave.

Even as they quietly sat in the taxi to the station the fire still licked at the surface below their skin. They rode the train while feeling the pull of their blood reaching for the other like magnets. They were swaying in the bus among their peers with their underlying thirst screaming to be quenched. Even after they were back in their dorms by curfew and lying in their beds, they were still trying to get down from the high.

But they couldn't find their way down.

Waking up to a Monday morning couldn't be more harrowing and seeing each other in first period was worse. That internal pull Ren felt just sitting next to Horokeu was magnified to something closer to a cosmic caliber. Because now, he knows what's below that school uniform. He could draw every inch of it in his head, trace every curved muscle and the lines it etched. His tongue could recall the salt of his sweat when it dragged over his hot skin. The pressure of his hands on his hip when he—

The muscle in Ren's jaw twitched as he bit his lip and focused on the metallic tang spreading in his mouth. The voice explaining what was being scratched on the blackboard up front was long lost from reaching him. Still, Ren looked up anyway, because his notes weren't enough. It wasn't enough to stop thinking about him or to keep his damn presence from rubbing against his skin. He won't deny he had his adolescent moments when he...wondered what it'd be like. How the blunette might touch him. How he would feel against him. He won't deny he let his imagination come up with any idea he can toy with. But he still had control. It never manifested into some fever he couldn't snap out of.

At least not before he ended up on this side and had another go at being a teenager. He wondered if it was really supposed to be this bad. He doesn't remember it being this bad. Then again, back then all he had was his imagination. It wasn't just fantasy anymore. Now it was real, it was really happening. Now he actually knows what it's like. It was like finally finding the switch in a room that was once pitch dark. And now he didn't know how to turn it off.

The bell rang and Ren loosed a breath to the shrill sound resonating loudly in the classroom and through the halls. And despite his efforts for the whole time he sat in his chair, he chanced a glance at the seat next to him. His hand shoving his things in his school bag stopped when his amber eyes met the onyx pair. And he saw the same fever pulsing in them. Horokeu must have seen it in Ren too, since he also looked away with the same light blush tinting his cheeks. Neither boy said a word as they filed out of the classroom with their peers. But Ren felt his heart kick when the Ainu brushed his fingers against his hand.

It didn't matter that he got it to calm down by the end of his next class. Right before the bell rang for lunch, Hao sent Ren a text saying he'll meet him and Horokeu at their usual classroom. Ren had to wait for Horokeu alone, and he didn't let anything pass over his features to even hint how much his roommate made him seethe. He upheld his usual cool stance leaning back against the cafeteria's threshold with his arms crossed over his chest. But when the blunette appeared from the corner where he usually made his turn, his heart fluttered like an unsettled bird in its cage again.

"Where's Hao?" Horokeu approached Ren with an arched brow, oblivious to what was going on below the other's seemingly collected surface.

"He'll meet us later." Ren shrugged boredly as he can manage and nodded towards the deli.

As they left the cafeteria after purchasing their lunch, Ren stole a glimpse from the corner of his eye. Horokeu walked alongside him with the casual air he always wore around him. He didn't seem in the least distracted like Ren was. And the young Tao could no longer see what he saw—or thought he saw—in his onyx eyes earlier this morning. As they made their way down the empty hall, Ren chewed the inside of his cheek, telling himself he needs to get over last weekend too.

He was utterly unprepared when Horokeu pulled him into a room he thought they were going to pass by.

"What're you—" Ren couldn't finish because of Horokeu's lips against his own. The Ainu pushed him back against the door and shoved out the light coming in from the halls, until the door completely sealed it out with a soft click. Ren was so dumbstruck that he forgot to react any further even when Horokeu's face pulled away from his.

"I'm sorry." Horokeu's quiet words made Ren blink, finally waking him to full awareness.

"I'm sorry." But the blunette spoke again as he leaned into the crook of Ren's neck, like he was too embarrassed to show his face. "I don't mean to freak you out, I swear." The strain of his whisper made Ren hold back his demand for an explanation. Its pathetic murmur pulled a heavy sigh out of Ren as it made it even more difficult for him to come up with anything reproachful despite how risky their situation was. For a moment he didn't respond as his golden eyes swiftly scanned the room. There were shelves filled with books and binders, a copier machine, and a couple feet from them was a long desk lined with three fold-up chairs. This was probably the filing room, at least from what Ren could make out in the dark. The fact that none of the lights were on could've been enough evidence that the room was already empty before they came in. But confirming that he couldn't feel anyone else's presence finally gave him a real sense of relief. He closed his eyes and let out another breath. And then grabbed Horokeu's shoulders to make him look up again.

"Then what the hell are you doing?!" He hissed, this time not holding back the sharp edge. "In case you forgot, we're still in school!"

"I know!" Horokeu groaned dramatically as he threw his head back. He groaned at the ceiling again as he took one of Ren's hands and pulled him along as he stepped backwards. Ren rolled his eyes at the Ainu's dramatic display, an amused smirk playing on one of the corners of his lips. The blunette halted at the table behind him and sat on top of it, opening his legs to bring Ren in between his thighs. His arms encircled Ren's waist so he can lean in against the younger male's shoulder and began to kiss his neck. Ren's eyes shuddered shut as suggestion dripped down his spine.

"Horohoro." He warned, sighing the name like he was remembering how to breathe. He rallied his rationale and firmly gripped the addressed teen's shoulders and pulled away, although the older one responded with his arms keeping him in place at his waist. The Ainu bumped his forehead against Ren's but the Tao tightened his hold on his shoulders to stop him from going any further.

"What did I just say?" Ren warned again through his teeth with eyes narrowing to amber slits.

"Come on, Ren." Horokeu whined. "I need my fix."

"What is wrong with you?" Ren furrowed his brows, unable to hide how perplexed he was. "And why are you talking like an addict?"

"I blame you for getting me hooked on you." Ren frowned at the excuse Horokeu came up with, not finding it as clever as the grinning blunette who seemed very pleased with it.

"Oh, so it's my fault?" Ren responded bluntly, trying not to let the blush show.

"You asked what's wrong with me." Horokeu simply shrugged.

"Whatever." Ren rolled his eyes. "Just wait until the weekend, baka Horo."

"Promise?" Horokeu let the insult slide off as he began to nestle his face into the crook of Ren's neck.

"Only if you control yourself." Ren growled lowly, not allowing the previous fervor heat him up again. His hand grabbed Horokeu by the jaw and forced him to look in his eyes again so he knew he meant it as he added, "and maintain your grades."

"What?" Horokeu blinked, apparently not expecting his academics to be brought up suddenly. But Ren's scowl meant how serious he was.

"I'm not letting you use how we spend every weekend as an excuse for your grades slipping. So those are the conditions."

"Fine." Horokeu sighed heavily, and finally released Ren from his hold as he crossed his arms and turned away with a pouting frown. "So," But the blunette drawled and Ren quirked a brow at his sidelong look. Horokeu paused and then said, "every weekend, huh?"

"Shut up." Ren punched the other in the arm, and Horokeu rubbed at the spot as he laughed.

"Why don't you make me?" Horokeu's arms captured Ren again, his movement too quick to give the other a chance to get away. Ren pushed at his shoulders but the older teen wouldn't budge. He pulled Ren's face into another kiss. Ren's hands loosened their grip on his shoulder and slid down to his chest, fingers curling into shaking fists. But he couldn't strike the Ainu, and his brows narrowed as he felt his lids close heavily over his eyes. He didn't even realize he was kissing back until Horokeu pulled away.

"What did we just discuss?" Ren seethed with a flushed face, making Horokeu beam.

"Relax." Horokeu kissed Ren again, this time briefly to assure him that he was going to keep his promise. But his face remained inches away from Ren's as he whispered slyly, "I still need my fix." Ren sent him an unamused frown.

"Just something to get me through the week." Horokeu chuckled and captured Ren's lips again, taking advantage of it being slightly agape in his attempt to respond. Ren allowed it, closing his eyes again as the movement of their lips increased. He didn't realize the Ainu's hands were getting just as eager until he felt one try to slip into his shirt after somehow managing to undo a few of his buttons. Never mind how he did it without Ren even noticing it happen. Gold eyes shot open and Ren grabbed Horokeu's wrist, the blunette wincing at how hard he squeezed.

"Don't push your luck." Ren hissed and shoved the intruding hand back at the blunette. "You've had your fix for the day." He began to redo his buttons while baring his teeth at the blunette who rubbed at his sore wrist with a playful half-smile. And to avoid letting the Ainu hold him in the room any longer, Ren went for the door, giving the other no choice but to follow after him. Ren managed to straighten his appearance when they arrived at the classroom where Hao was already started on his lunch.

"What took so long?" Hao watched the two cross the room and take their seats, noticing that they didn't put him between them. That seemed to catch his attention more than the fact that his honest question was ignored. He shrugged it off and continued on his lunch, letting Ren feel genuinely relieved that he and Horokeu didn't even hint what took them so long.

To be continued…