He couldn’t distinguish what was a dream and what was reality.

At some point, a sweat-drenched face appeared before his eyes.

It was clearly a familiar face, yet for a long while, he still couldn’t recognize it. Perhaps because the expression on that face was far too unfamiliar. It was like the face of someone he had never met before.

“…….”

“Are you awake?”

“…….”

“Aren’t you?”

Yuri looked at him with hazy eyes, only half-open, vaguely wondering in his mind: ‘Who is this?’ As if realizing that Yuri wasn’t fully conscious yet, the other didn’t say anything, just silently lowered his head and sucked on Yuri’s lips. He devoured those lips without the slightest hesitation, as if ravenously consuming something delicious to fill a starving belly. After pulling away slightly, he looked down at Yuri with that same unfamiliar face as always.

It was a beautiful face.

When in a cheerful mood, that face was as sweet as an adorable kitten, purring from its throat. Yuri knew that when that face smiled, it shone as brilliantly as the sun.

Yet, the face before him now, though still beautiful and radiant, no longer carried the soft sweetness of a kitten.

At some unknown point, it had transformed into a sleek, mature leopard, gazing down at him with the eyes of a wild beast.

‘What is this……. It’s not a kitten…….?’

Yuri briefly entertained a slightly absurd thought, then wondered: *‘Then who was that kitten?’*

It was…….

“Do you like it?”

A whispering voice suddenly sounded.

Only after hearing that question did Yuri realize the intense pleasure surging uncontrollably from below. There was a hard and so swollen mass pressing against Yuri’s private spot. That scorching hot piece of flesh, rubbing forcefully against the base, shaft, and tip of his penis—since when had it been there? And since when had Yuri himself been drowning in overwhelming pleasure, letting out short, breathless and nonsensical sounds like moans?

Between the gap where their rigid parts rubbed against each other, a liquid had mingled together, indistinguishable as belonging to whom, trickling out with wet slick noises.

“Can’t even talk, huh? Well, me too, that’s all.”

Those short, fragmented words pieced together into a sentence. “Haaa.” A bead of sweat dangled at the tip of his nose, swaying with the rapid, pleasure-filled breaths he exhaled, before finally falling with a faint splash. The sweat seeped onto Yuri’s lips, carrying a sweet taste.

“You like it that much? Mr. Gable, you’ve been like a soulless shell this whole time…….”

The whispering voice was low and rough. The hot and ragged breaths, as if on the verge of breaking, once again grazed Yuri’s lips with a gentle bite. It was no longer possible to tell whose breathless gasps or searing heat they belonged to.

It felt so good.

His hazy mind could only register the pleasure, as if it were the only thing that existed.

There wasn’t a shred of awareness left for anything else—shame, reason, or confusion, things like that. All that remained was the panting rush of pleasure racing below.

“——.”

His breath caught. The tightening sensation from below made that moment flash white before Yuri’s eyes for an instant. The explosion of ecstasy was intense and vivid in every detail. A sense of release, as if something bound had just been set free.

And amidst it all, Yuri didn’t even notice his body trembling in waves. By the time those tremors began to subside, who knows how much time had passed, and the last remnants of his consciousness slipped into a drowsy haze.

“How can you sleep like this? ……. Are you seriously asleep already? ——I said I’d do my best to serve you, but don’t you think this is a bit unfair?”

The hard and so swollen sensation still relentlessly prodded below, mingling with a scoffing laugh that sounded almost exasperated.

The hands that had been gripping Yuri’s back tightly until now seemed to gradually loosen. That hand caressed down from his back, then paused at his hips.

“——Planning to just keep sleeping like that? You’d better wake up.”

“If you got up right now and told me to stop, I would……. But you probably don’t want that, do you?” – The whispering voice nibbled at Yuri’s earlobe.

Yuri’s shoulder instinctively flinched. A low, involuntary sound escaped from his throat.

It was a sensation both familiar and somehow utterly strange.

This feeling was like when he had once melded his body with someone long ago. Yet, at the same time, it was an unfamiliar sensation, entirely distinct from any experience he’d ever had.

He could feel the tight grip around his groin.

One of the other’s hands grasped Yuri’s private part, which had softened after its release of pleasure, along with his own, still rigid and brimming with unspent desire. That hand began to move slowly, then gradually picked up speed.

Before long, desire surged again as if driven by that sensation, and a stream of scalding, damp heat erupted upward. Lust overflowed and clung stickily to the lower abdomen.

“…——.”

For a moment, all movement ceased.

He seemed to hear a sound like the growl of a beast.

And for a long while, everything felt suspended, as if the world itself had stopped turning.

Then, after that.

“What’s this, getting hard again already?”

The other man let out a laugh, then exhaled a lazy yet deeply satisfied breath. Yuri’s part, which had just been rubbing against his desire and relentlessly stroked, now stiffened again in an instant. He tapped lightly on its tip with his fingertip. His own part, though it had just released, showed no sign of wilting; it remained fully taut, swaying helplessly each time it was tapped.

“Now that I look closely, Mr. Gable, you’re really quite lewd. Your body, your expressions……. How have you managed to restrain such a lascivious body all this time? It must’ve been quite a struggle.”

His excited, trembling voice was laced with a vague thrill. He slowly slid his hand downward, caressing Yuri’s half-erect part. Not just that part, but the lower abdomen and the groin beneath it were also slowly explored by his touch.

The hand rubbing the wet, lust-soaked area below, drenched with both their desires, moved downward. Further down.

At some point, the man had stopped speaking. All that remained was his ragged breathing, thick with excitement, echoing roughly. And every now and then, his greedy lips would press in, ravenously sucking on Yuri’s.

“——.——.”

Unconsciously, Yuri’s brow twitched. A crease formed between his eyebrows.

A strange and unfamiliar sensation stirred.

The hand kneading between his legs gradually slid lower, digging deeper bit by bit, until it finally reached that silent, hidden place right in the center.

That hand seemed to pause for a moment, but it didn’t hesitate for long.

Into the body.

Accompanied by an uncomfortable, utterly foreign sensation Yuri had never experienced before, that hand invaded deep inside.

And uncontrollably, Yuri’s body jolted. His body instinctively recoiled, clenching tightly around the finger digging deeper within.

“——.”

The genitals pressed against Yuri’s groin twitched slightly. A low sound, like a groan mixed with a smack of the tongue, rang out.

Before long, the hand that had been gently caressing and pushing into his body grew somewhat rougher. As if patience was wearing thin, he began gathering the semen that had soaked Yuri’s groin, using it as lubricant, pushing further inside while adding one, then two, then three fingers, stretching the interior as he advanced.

Coudn’t breathe.

“Ah, ah, haa, ah…….” – Some short panting breaths escaped in disjointed bursts.

It didn’t hurt at all. But the strange, dry, and uncomfortable sensation welling up made Yuri’s body stiffen. Yet, at the same time.

The hand rubbing and relentlessly scraping inside his body, at some fleeting moment, suddenly sparked a flare with a sharp burst.

“——!!”

It was just a tiny spark, but it had clearly struck something within his body. Yuri’s body jolted involuntarily and clenched in response.

The hand paused for a brief moment. Yuri could feel a piercing gaze fixed upon him.

“…….Ah, right. Is it here…….?”

A low voice, laced with a growl, reverberated in the air.

And then—

“——!——!!——!!!”

A cry burst out. No—he couldn’t even tell if it was a scream or a moan. Nor could he discern whether it was shock, pleasure, or terror.

Under the relentless assault on that one spot inside his body, Yuri’s vision whited out, his mind spiraling into chaos beyond control. He had no idea how his body was twisting, what sounds he was making, or how distorted his expression had become.

The gaze never left him for even a second, as if wanting to devour him whole, finally unable to hold back any longer, teeth sank into the nape of Yuri’s neck. Not just his nape, but his shoulders, ears, chest—everywhere was bitten, sucked, marked.

“You like it? You like it this much? ——Fine, as much as you want.”

The voice was rough, husky, laced with excitement and ragged breaths, whispering words that were anything but gentle.

Soon after, the hand that had been stretching and slickening Yuri’s insides withdrew. Yet even as it left, an unfamiliar sensation of fullness lingered, the place still throbbing faintly. Then, immediately after, a fierce relentless heat rushed in, filling and seizing that emptiness completely.

Couldn’t breathe.

The sensation of being violently torn apart by what thrusting relentlessly into him robbed Yuri of all awareness, leaving only the mindless instinct to clutch desperately at what was before him. In frenzied, he dragged the sweat-drenched body fully into his embrace, consumed by the scorching wildfire of sensation as he forced that terrifying ecstasy deeper into his own body.

And then——Yuri’s mind went white.

**************

“……..”

For a while, Yuri didn’t even realize his eyes were open. Slowly blinking, once, twice, then stared blankly at the ceiling, unaware of what he was seeing, moving only like an automaton, blinking emptily with a mind wiped white.

Consciousness returned only when he registered a change in sensations he hadn’t noticed before. The sound of running water from the bathroom, he didn’t know when, had stopped.

And then, the thought ‘The water stopped’ surfaced, dragging fragments of awareness back into his mind.

“…….”

For a fleeting moment, Yuri wished he could lose consciousness again.

The instant his mind began working, his body made itself known, aching in every joint, so exhausted he couldn’t move even a finger. Then, he became aware of his situation: Sprawled in the middle of the messy living room, clothes and liquor bottles scattered everywhere. And then, the memories came flooding back,

Not all memories remained intact.

First came fragments as hazy as dreams, then stretches of complete blankness where nothing could be recalled—until, at some point, Yuri opened his eyes and gradually regained consciousness up to this moment.

Ah, right. Perhaps several hours had already passed since he first awoke. That realization, too, only came to him now.

After blacking out in a daze and waking at some unknown time, the first thing Yuri noticed was the pale dawn light creeping through the large glass window in the living room. Normally, this would have been the hour he went for a swim, so his body, out of habit, had roused itself on its own.

And the next thing he realized was Ling Xinlu—lying half-sprawled atop him in a posture like an overturned frog.

“Awake now? ……. Are you lucid this time? ……. Still not fully conscious?”

Judging by his tone, the question seemed to have been repeated many times already. Come to think of it, in the blur of half-formed memories, Yuri faintly recalled hearing those words before.

Ling was slowly rocking his hips. And with each motion, Yuri, still lying on his back, was jostled along. The reason was simple: Their lower halves remained connected.

Still unable to tell whether this was a dream or reality, Yuri stared blankly at him with an empty mind, managing only a soft: “Nnn…….” At that, Ling’s face, which had been watching him intently, twitched faintly. At the same time, the thrusting from below paused momentarily.

The lower part of his body, where sensation had nearly gone numb, soon transmitted the feeling of something wet trickling along the crevice of his hips.

Not just his hips, but the area below his waist, down to his thighs, was soaked by that flowing liquid, leaving the entire lower half of Yuri’s body drenched and sticky.

‘Could it be that even while I was unconscious, he kept doing it?’

As that dazed thought of ‘Could it be’ flickered through his foggy mind, the part that had been buried deep between Yuri’s legs withdrew. When the thing blocking the passage below pulled out, the flood of semen trapped inside gushed out all at once, once again soaking the area below Yuri’s hips.

“…….”

Yuri’s body involuntarily shuddered in reflex.

“Awake now? ……. This time for real? ……. Tsk. Still not fully conscious?”

Ling Xinlu muttered softly, then let out a low click of his tongue. He lightly licked Yuri’s trembling eyelids, then moved to his lips. He looked like a cat. Just moments ago, he had clearly been a leopard, yet at some point, unnoticed, the cat had returned.

“Sleep a little. Even if you don’t say it, you’ll probably close your eyes soon anyway……. I’m starting to feel tired too, so I’ll rest for a bit.”

“It’s been a while since I last did this, so my stamina’s drained too quickly,” Ling Xinlu mumbled, then lay on his side next to Yuri.

‘Stamina drained……. What’s that? Why does it feel so different from the meaning I know…….’ – Yuri vaguely pondered with his muddled mind.

Ling Xinlu said he was tired, but it didn’t seem like he intended to sleep. Though he looked lazy, he still propped himself up on one elbow, lying on his side, silently gazing down at Yuri. One of his hands slowly caressed Yuri’s body.

‘—It feels like something strange just happened, doesn’t it?’

Yuri, with lifeless eyes, stared up at the ceiling, intending to mutter that to himself.

But the words wouldn’t come out. His lips parted slightly, but from his dry, hoarse throat, only a faint wheeze escaped.

Yuri gave up and closed his mouth.

Ling Xinlu, looking down at him, tilted his head slightly: “What did you say?”

“Did you like it?”

For some reason, hearing this made Yuri feel a slight surge of irritation.

“Yesterday, Mr. Gable, how many times did you really climax……. Your stamina’s impressive. You kept moaning and clinging to me, so I didn’t stop and just kept going.”

Whatever. But this wasn’t what Yuri wanted to hear from this man. Yuri closed his eyes. A soft  self-murmured question: “Asleep?” echoed faintly.

Even with Yuri’s eyes shut, Ling Xinlu continued to stroke his body, as if petting a cat. Sometimes he rubbed Yuri’s head, sometimes slid his hand down to his booty. Occasionally, he even playfully teased Yuri’s now-softened and limp part.

With a mindset of letting everything slide – truthfully, still dazed and with his mind not fully functioning – Yuri lay there motionless. But even so, he hadn’t expected it. Ling Xinlu, who seemed like he’d only rest for a moment, once again thrust his hips between Yuri’s legs.

This was the first time Yuri had experienced the sensation of his consciousness slipping away while his eyes remained open.

“…….”

Beside Yuri – who now lay limp, unable to move even a finger – Ling Xinlu emerged from the bathroom, the place where the sound of running water had just ceased.

If Yuri’s fragmented yet somewhat coherent memories were correct, Ling Xinlu hadn’t slept a wink all night. Yet here he was, looking utterly refreshed, as if he’d just woken from a long slumber after his bath.

“…….”

“…….”

Yuri stared dazedly at Ling Xinlu, who silently returned his gaze while drying his hair with a towel. Then, without a word, Ling turned and walked toward the kitchen.

“……., ……. Lin—”

Yuri tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat, refusing to form completely. Still, the faint, breathy sound that escaped must have reached Ling Xinlu’s ears.

Ling Xinlu, mid-step toward the kitchen, suddenly halted. He turned his head, eyes widening slightly as he looked back at Yuri.

“Awake now? ……. Really awake this time?”

The skeptical tone of his added remark suggested he’d repeated this question countless times already. Each time before, though Yuri had opened his eyes and heard him, he’d shown no reaction whatsoever. But this time, Yuri weakly shifted his gaze toward him.

“Ah, you’re really awake now.” – Ling Xinlu muttered, sounding almost surprised. He started to approach but hesitated, then turned back toward the kitchen instead. He poured a glass of warm water before striding back.

“Here. You were looking for water, right?”

That was correct.

Yuri slowly swallowed the sips of water as Xinlu supported him and brought the glass to his lips. More than half the water spilled, but the few small sips that made it past his lips and down his throat were enough to gradually clear his mind.

“Are you okay? Last night you kept waking and passing out, completely out of control—to the point I thought you might go into shock. I was a little worried.”

“…….”

‘Me?’ Yuri wanted to ask, but no words came out. He himself felt exhausted enough to die. Both physically and mentally.

Yuri weakly glanced at the clock. It was already morning, the time when people began bustling about. Outside, the constant hum of traffic rose up, flowing past beneath the apartment complex.

No matter how he looked at it, Ling Xinlu had undoubtedly stayed awake all night, yet he appeared impossibly, unnaturally alert. Yuri stared at him with undisguised suspicion.

‘Did I really sleep with this man?’ – No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t comprehend it.

“……., …….”

But the most incomprehensible thing was this very situation.

Even though his memory was fragmented in places, it wasn’t as if he remembered nothing at all. Yet now, he couldn’t say he didn’t know why he’d ended up like this or what had happened between him and this man. Even the reason that led to it, Yuri vaguely recalled.

But.

Getting drunk and making a mistake, then waking up in the same bed—in such circumstances, what truly unsettled Yuri’s mind more than anything was:

He didn’t know what the future held.

After unexpectedly forging an unforeseen relationship, he had no idea what expression to wear when facing the other person—what expression to wear, what to say, or how to proceed smoothly. Yuri had absolutely no experience with this. Never before had he been in such a situation.

“Your memories are unclear? I rarely devote myself so wholeheartedly in service, you know.”

At that moment, Ling Xinlu – who had been crouching in front of Yuri and watching him – suddenly spoke. Yuri blinked. Xinlu let out a soft “Hmm”, showing no particular emotion, then sighed and ran a hand through his still-damp hair.

“I didn’t expect to do this with Mr. Gable either, yet somehow, here we are. I’m the type who won’t sleep with someone unless I like them, no matter how infatuated they are with me……. I really did put in my best effort to serve you, though.”

The final words were uttered with a lightly playful smile. Yuri stared blankly at that face before mumbling: “…….Yeah. Guess so.”

The unease in his chest seemed to soften slightly. The embarrassment over this chaotic situation gradually dissipated; because Ling Xinlu’s attitude hadn’t changed one bit from before last night.

How to face this situation, how to look at him—those thoughts suddenly seemed unnecessary from the start. Ling Xinlu spoke with a tone as if this were just a minor, insignificant hiccup, something unexpected but no big deal.

‘Well……. that tracks. Yeah, guess it really does.’

Neither of them were kids who’d panic and wonder what this relationship would become, nor were they the type to blow things out of proportion. That said, with this man’s personality, there might be cases where he’d deliberately stir up trouble and make others take responsibility, but for now, that wasn’t the case. He’d said it himself, after all.

“Serve you wholeheartedly.”

The feeling of being ‘served’ in bed, for some reason, made Yuri pause because it felt a little strange. It definitely wasn’t exactly a pleasant sensation.

Seeing Yuri sitting there dazed, head lowered to stare at his own knees, Ling Xinlu’s smile vanished for a moment.

“Mad?”

Yuri looked up at the serious expression on his face, then shook his head: “No”, he replied in a soft but clear voice. A flicker of worry that had crossed Ling Xinlu’s face melted away, replaced by relief.

Why would he be mad? It wasn’t forced, and even though his memory was hazy, Yuri knew full well he had ‘enjoyed’ it. The sensation of pleasure still lingered in his lower body, so claiming he hadn’t enjoyed it now would be dishonest. Yuri wasn’t angry. It was just that the feeling in his heart, hard to put into words, remained vague and overwhelmingly strange.

“……. Did you like it?”

And this time, a question opposite to the one before rang out. Those eyes, sparkling with a smile, carried the charming gaze of an adorable kitten, just as always.

Yuri hesitated for a moment, then silently nodded. The overwhelming whirlwind of sensations had made it impossible to recall his exact state of mind at the time, but yes—he had liked it. No, in fact, among all the relationships he’d had in his life – not that he’d ever been particularly active romantically – this was the one that had made him lose control most completely. To the point where he wondered if he’d always unknowingly leaned toward ‘this inclination’ without realizing it.

In front of Yuri, who nodded silently, Ling Xinlu also gave a faint smile.

“I thought it was fine too. No, actually, I really liked it. Enough to feel that putting in all that effort to serve you this time was worth it.”

His face, like that of a satisfied, well-fed cat, scrunched up slightly before he muttered, as if to himself: “Yesterday really just happened by chance and ended up like this, so I can’t say for sure whether it’ll happen again in the future.” But as he spoke the words that followed, he looked at Yuri and flashed a gentle smile.

“If next time I feel interested again, well, um…….”

He paused there. Then, with the towel he’d been using to dry his own wet hair, he gently dabbed at Yuri’s face, where tears or saliva had dried, leaving sticky traces.

“If next time I feel interested again…….” – Though he didn’t finish the sentence, the rest was easy enough to guess.

‘——I’ll do it for you. ——I’ll serve you.’

“…….”

Yuri silently looked at Ling Xinlu, then lowered his eyes slightly. He obediently let Xinlu’s hand wipe his face gently with the towel, but in his heart, he thought: ‘No, I don’t really want that…….’

It wasn’t that he disliked it enough to outright refuse, but he didn’t feel particularly eager either. Clearly, the memories of last night hadn’t left a bad impression; in fact, the sweetness of it lingered faintly in his body, still tingling vaguely. But even so.

Perhaps it was because his mood right now wasn’t great.

Yuri looked at Ling Xinlu with a heavy, subdued feeling that matched the exhaustion weighing down his body. When their eyes met, Xinlu tilted his head and smiled, no different from usual.

And in any case, there was one thing Yuri felt fortunate about. Facing a Ling Xinlu who was still the same as always, Yuri didn’t need to feel flustered and could treat him as he had before.