There was a time when Kang-woo would never miss the chance to drag Chin-hwa to the bathroom, just so they could bath together.
He knew just what kind of temperature Chin-hwa liked his water to be in and came to get used to that water temperature as well.
But after he hit puberty, all that stopped.
He hit puberty earlier than anyone his age, so he was very conscious when things started to feel different with his senses as an Alpha.
He could get whiffs of Chin-hwa's pheromones which were still nurturing. Chin-hwa secreted pheromones subconsciously, and though they weren't intoxicating, Kang-woo knew from that moment that getting closer to him would only make him think bad thoughts.
So, they stopped bathing together but didn't stop sleeping in the same bed. Because Kang-woo felt his intentions would be well known if he stopped doing that as well.
Kang-woo touched the water and turned off the tap. It was just the right temperature, he thought.
He got up, sighed, and walked towards the door. He reached for the knob but paused and gave out yet another sigh.
"I can do this." He said to himself. "It's just a bath. I just need to get him to the bathroom and he'll do the rest himself. I can absolutely do this."
He opened the door and walked towards the end, only for his eyes to widen as he found Chin-hwa topless on the bed, without any form of defense.
He immediately covered his mouth and looked away.
'I thought I told him not to take off his shirt.' he thought and pressed his eyelids together tight. He immediately covered Chin-hwa up and carried him, after making him a burrito. 'Does he have any idea what he's doing?'
(Pretty sure he doesn't.)
Chin-hwa was sleeping peacefully. He felt hot in his clothes because he drank more than he actually realized.
Chin-hwa rarely drank alcohol but when he did, he had no drunken symptoms right away. One would think he could hold his liquor really well but in fact, they just had delayed effects.
Once he was settled and had stopped drinking, the alcohol would start taking effect in his body.
It would make him quite delusional and he would feel hot. And he'd do just about anything to get rid of the heat, even if it meant going completely naked in front of a stranger.
Luckily, it had never amounted to that before.
Kang-woo placed Chin-hwa on his feet and called,
"Little Hwa, Hwa. You have to wake up."
Chin-hwa felt groggy. He just wanted to sleep so why was Kang-woo calling his name like that?
"It's time to take a bath, Hwa. Can you do it?"
Chin-hwa fluttered his eyelashes and finally opened his eyes. He looked at Kang-woo who looked a bit distressed and smiled,
"You're so handsome."
Ah, that came out of nowhere. Kang-woo wondered what was going on in his drunk mind.
"Hwa, if you... If you're awake, you can take your bath now, right?" He asked but Chin-hwa suddenly flung his arms around Kang-woo, hugging him. "Hwa, you..."
"Hm, I don't want to bathe on my own." He said, his face joyous from being tipsy. "Bath me, Byul."
"But I can't." Kang-woo immediately declined causing Chin-hwa to pout his lips.
"Is it because Little Hwa had been a bad boy?" He asked, his face slowly dropping in sadness. "I don't want Byul to see Little Hwa as a bad boy. I'm good. Very good. I ate all my snacks this time. I didn't mind what the other kids were saying either and I..." His eyes gradually grew teary and he sniffed. "I didn't run away from home to find you. So, I wasn't a bad boy, right?"
Kang-woo's heart felt a pang, seeing Chin-hwa's saddened face and the words he said.
He was almost on the verge of tears. No, rather he was already crying. Beady tears rolled down his milky skin as he sobbed quietly.
"Hwa," the words softly escaped Kang-woo's lips and he brushed his hand over Chin-hwa's tears. He knew he shouldn't be thinking such thoughts but how could Chin-hwa still look so adorable when crying?
Chin-hwa sunk his cheek in Kang-woo's touch and opened his eyes to look at his, causing Kang-woo to flush.
'Ah, what am I thinking? He's acting like this because he's drunk.' Kang-woo thought to himself, throwing his gaze aside. But he could not ignore one fact. 'But, that just gives his true feelings away, doesn't it?'
He looked into Chin-hwa's eyes sadly, cupping his face and hurting from the thought.
"Was Hwa a bad boy, Byul?" Chin-hwa asked, sniffing and crying more. "You have to tell Hwa, so he won't do it again."
"No, you weren't a bad boy." Kang-woo said. "You've never been a bad boy. And Byul likes that you're a good boy. So, keep being good, okay?"
Hearing that, a smile played on Chin-hwa's lips and he beamed.
"Really? Hwa is so happy to hear that." He said, allowing Kang-woo to sigh in relief. But he felt relief a little too soon. "Then, will Byul give Hwa a reward?"
"A reward?"
"Yes, Byul will have to give Hwa whatever Hwa wants." Chin-hwa said and hugged him again. "Will Byul do that?"
Kang-woo took a moment to think. As simple as that request sounded, it was way more complex. He had no idea what Chin-hwa would ask of him. And even if he tried to think, he couldn't come up with anything.
But he wanted to make the promise. Even when he knew it might be a trap for him, he wanted to give Little Hwa whatever he wanted.
"Alright, so, what does Little Hwa want?" He asked, patting Hwa's back, only for him to realize Chin-hwa was still topless and they were yet to commence with the bath.
"I want..."
"Hold on," Kang-woo said. "Take a bath first while you're still sober. You can tell me what you want afterward." He said and dashed out of the bathroom, leaving Chin-hwa confused.
"Eh?"