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Beautiful and mysterious. Beautiful and possibly dangerous; Kihyun has no way of knowing yet. Delicate on its surface, a large magenta blossom the size of a dinner plate, layers and layers of moist, silky petals fully opened, fully flourished, with a pale-pink center, perched upon a thick, sturdy stem of blood-red, about two-feet tall or so and several inches thick, sleek and smooth with no leaves, still firmly rooted into the patch of black soil in which the field team had excavated it, along with the hundreds of other flora samples, for Kihyun to examine.

It's magnificent.

It's a specimen unlike anything that Kihyun has ever seen on Earth, a gorgeous plant, elegant but strong, and there's an energy emanating from it that Kihyun can sense, can feel in his fingertips just by standing near it. If he listens carefully, he swears he can even hear a low, deep sound emitting from within, like it's trying to draw him closer into its swirling depths. Kihyun's almost afraid to touch it, to get too close and to disturb it's perfect, terrifying beauty. Well, to disturb it or to be swallowed up by it, he isn't sure.

In the six months since the Starship expedition crew arrived on this strange, wild planet, Kihyun has seen hundreds and hundreds of flora samples, anything that the field team could get their hands on and safely bring back to the station for him, and they were all fascinating in their own way. But this one, this one particular flower, something about it has captured his interest like no other. It's truly one of a kind; according to the field team, it had grown near the outside rim of a massive cliffside cave, all on its own. In fact, it seems to perfectly encapsulate everything he's ever looked for in his career as a botanist, everything that makes his seemingly dull job so truly thrilling, so truly rewarding, even though he's never gone outside the station, never even seen any of it in its natural habitat.

The field team may be the ones who do the physical mapping and exploring of this planet, but Kihyun, he's the one who gets to make the real discoveries. In the station's large, state-of-the-art botany laboratory, he's the one who breaks the samples down to their essence, the one who tests and examines and analyzes them, figures out what they're really made of and what makes them tick. It's immensely satisfying both to his intellectual curiosity and his desire to make an impact on the world, because he never knows what he'll find once he starts his own exploring, whether it's under the microscope or sifting through thousands of lines of collected data. Everything is new and the potential for life-changing discoveries, discoveries that could change humanity, could change everything, is unlimited, just waiting to be unleashed.

And Kihyun, he does this all while being careful, so, so careful, and not just because it's part of his duties to preserve the specimens as best he can for further study when they return to Earth a year from now. While the unknown nature of the flora is thrilling and exciting, it's also incredibly dangerous, and Kihyun knows full well how quickly and how overwhelmingly things could go wrong in an instant when dealing with an alien species. There could be a cure for cancer lurking in this plant's cells, sure, but there could also be a lethal virus ready to latch onto humanity and destroy it from within. And there could be the key to unlimited clean power hidden in its strange, pulsing energy, maybe, but there could also be the catalyst to Earth's ultimate downfall.

As a scientist, Kihyun understands that nature works in powerful, often unexpected ways, and that something incredible or catastrophic can be hiding in plain sight, even within something so beautiful and seemingly innocent. He respects all nature and its potential for both progress and destruction, even when that nature is alien, and so is careful to treat every specimen as a unique, complex being, and to give every sample his complete, undivided attention.

Right now, he's getting ready to dive on in to his first round of examination of this new, amazing specimen. He's in the lab alone for once; usually there are about a dozen or so other botanists from the 200-member Starship science team puttering about in there doing this and that, but right now it's just Kihyun. He's already in his lab coat, hands sterilized and gloved, his large, round glasses perched on his nose and cleaned so that he can see every detail perfectly.

The lab itself is spotless and sleek, a large, spacious room with glass walls on all sides so that the botanists can see out into the hallways while they're working, and it's brightly lit with cold-white lighting for maximum visibility. The air inside is always kept slightly cold, the entire room soundproof and spotless to ensure focus, and there are dozens of different machines and equipment all ready to go, everything highly advanced and specially designed for dealing with alien samples, everything pristine silver and white, cool metal and durable steel.

There are freezers and heaters, storage containers and storage cabinets, all full of other samples carefully cataloged and stored, perfectly preserved for further testing and the eventual trip back to Earth, and there's a large examination table right in the center of the room, its height at about Kihyun's hips and its surface several yards wide, enough for at least two people to lie down comfortably in its center. There are also various kinds of computers all organized at different workstations, lined up alongside microscopes and other smaller kinds of testing equipment, and there is every kind of scientific tool and instrument imaginable, all organized neatly in specified areas.

It's any scientist's dream come true, a lab fully capable of anything that the scientist can dream of doing. And as if that weren't enough, the lab is designed to record visual, audio, and vital statistics, such as air pressure and toxicity, at all times, and is capable of being completely sealed off from the rest of the station, a quarantine measure if anything goes wrong inside. It's never happened in Kihyun's time here, but he's heard stories from previous expeditions and is glad for the added security. He understands what he signed up for, and in the event of an emergency, would be relieved to know that nobody else would be hurt from his research.

The floor squeaks beneath his shoes as Kihyun prepares his equipment to begin testing, striding back and forth from different machines and scribbling down notes onto a clean notepad, all while keeping a close eye on the specimen that he's moved carefully to rest atop one of the workstation tables. It seems to watch him curiously as he moves about and gathers the tools that he needs, and Kihyun's becoming more and more convinced by the second that this flower might be sentient, that it's aware of its surroundings and capable of interacting with them. The thought has him intrigued and excited, unable to resist letting his mind wander to thoughts of scientific prizes and worldwide renown for this amazing discovery.

When he's finally ready, he steps up to the flower, eye-level with its extraordinary blossom, and takes a deep breath, his mind focusing like a laser as he brings a steady hand gently to one of the petals to take his first good look at the plant's external structure. The large petal is even softer than he expected it to be, slightly wet with some kind of sweet-smelling discharge, and he can't help but grin to himself as he runs his hand over the other petals, over the full shape of the blossom, and as the flower seems to react to his touches by opening itself up further, like it's inviting him in to go deeper. It's truly incredible, and Kihyun is in absolute awe, mesmerized, hypnotized, not unlike an insect being drawn into a carnivorous Venus fly-trap, he realizes faintly, way in the back of his mind.

He's still lost in the trance of the beautiful flower when suddenly, there's a loud tapping on the glass from outside that jolts him free. He lets out a little gasp and looks up, hands still touching the petals, his heart skipping a beat for an altogether different reason when he sees who it is that's come to visit him.

It's field team member Shin Hoseok, Kihyun's best friend and colleague, and he's waving at Kihyun excitedly from the other side of the glass, smiling wide, his eyes scrunched closed into joyful crescents, framed by long, dark eyelashes. Kihyun smiles, because Hoseok is beautiful, and brave, and strong, and sexy.

Yes, he's all of those things, and Kihyun just so happens to have an enormous, embarrassing crush on him.

Hoseok's still wearing the jumpsuit of his hazmat uniform from that morning's field expedition, but he's peeled off the top section of the suit and let it hang around his hips, his torso covered only by a tight, gray t-shirt that stretches taught over the muscles of his chest and stomach (and over his back, too, Kihyun imagines with a rush of heat to his cheeks). The short sleeves of the t-shirt hug his biceps perfectly, and black fingerless gloves cover his large, strong hands.

As a scientist, Kihyun will quickly take in tiny details no matter what he's looking at, and especially when he's looking at something he's interested in, and so he immediately spots Hoseok's dog tags dangling low around his neck. The entire field team wears them, in case something tragic happens out in the alien wilderness, and Kihyun can almost hear the familiar, light chiming sound that they make when Hoseok walks. Kihyun notices that Hoseok's also got a few of his piercings in today, a few delicate, tiny hoops climbing up the shell of his ear on one side and catching the light like little jewels.

Hoseok clearly hasn't washed up in a while, but Kihyun doesn't mind, not when Hoseok's hair is gorgeously messy, his face slightly flushed and his lips bright pink from wearing the full hazmat gear all morning while out exploring. With a sharp ache in his chest, Kihyun also takes note of a few fresh, dark bruises scattered up and down the pale skin of Hoseok's arms, a new scrape going down Hoseok's cheek, and the nasty scratch on Hoseok's neck from last week, still visible, dark red and scabbing around the edges, only now just starting to heal on its own after days of needing constant attention.

Whereas Kihyun's skin is perfectly smooth as always, untouched, his body soft and fragile from always staying indoors, Hoseok's body has become strong, hardened, even more so than it already was when they left for the expedition. His already prominent muscles have gotten bigger and firmer, and while he was always beautifully-built, he's starting to reach inhuman levels of masculine beauty and rugged handsomeness.

And there's an edge to him now that wasn't there before, his eyes sometimes bright from the wonders and sometimes dark from the horrors that he's seen on the outside. He's become experienced, wise, strong, has come to know an entirely different world just outside the station that Kihyun can only put together in his imagination from the small pieces of it that they bring back to him.

But Hoseok's ever-increasing, hardened beauty, his newfound wisdom and strength...they haven't come without a price, a terrible price that Kihyun wishes with all his heart that Hoseok never had to pay.

In his time on the expedition, Hoseok has endured every kind of injury possible. He's suffered from broken bones, and third-degree burns, and painful scalding, and nasty infections. He's been bitten by strange animals and impaled by sharp edges, and he's endured every manner of cut, scrape, scratch, lesion, fracture, laceration, and abrasion. On one particularly worrisome occasion, Hoseok was badly poisoned from toxic underground fumes, and he fell into a coma for three days (the three longest days of Kihyun's life as he sat frozen and teary-eyed by Hoseok's hospital bed the entire time).

Hoseok's had hypothermia and heat stroke and dehydration, and he's been sick more times than Kihyun can count. In fact, he's become a regular in the ship's expansive medical bay, Kihyun often by his side all night long, holding his hand tightly and doing everything he can to keep Hoseok's spirits up while he often deals with slow, excruciating recovery.

Hoseok has become almost invincible to pain, and with each injury has only grown stronger, but it still breaks Kihyun's heart every time he comes back from exploring only to go straight to the emergency room. Like Kihyun with his potentially dangerous research, Hoseok knows what he signed up for, is prepared for the dangerous nature of his job, but all of the injuries and all of the sickness, no matter how insignificant, well, they hurt Kihyun too, they hurt him terribly. Because, on an alien planet, they never really know how bad an injury is until after it's healed, and every trip exploring the outside could be someone's last, could be Hoseok's last, and the thought alone makes Kihyun feel bitterly cold all over.

They've lost field agents before, so it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility, Kihyun knows. And though Kihyun is not a religious person, whenever Hoseok leaves for the outside, Kihyun always says a prayer, to whoever might be listening, wishing with his entire being for Hoseok to return to him safely. After all, Kihyun doesn't know what he would do, how he could ever go on if...if anything happened to Hoseok. All Kihyun knows is that it would entirely destroy him, and that there wouldn't be much stopping him from following Hoseok into the uncertain darkness.

But it's hard to focus on those kinds of thoughts when Hoseok's smiling so bright at him from the other side of the glass, waving cheerily for Kihyun to let him inside. And so Kihyun gives his head a little shake to clear away the gloom, then raises his eyebrows and gives Hoseok an amused grin, as if to say "Hold your horses, I'll let you in." He glances at the flower again, delight and curiosity replacing the dread in his chest from his dark thoughts, before making his way to the lab's front door and unlocking it to let Hoseok inside.

The moment Kihyun unlocks the door with the electronic switch on the wall, Hoseok pushes it open and strides in loudly, his black combat boots tracking mud all over the clean floors. Before Kihyun can even get a word out, Hoseok rushes towards him and pulls him into a warm, crushing hug.

If it were anyone else, Kihyun would be annoyed at the lab's cleanliness being compromised, but it's Hoseok, and so he forgets all about silly things like that and just freezes in place, blushing furiously, going a little lightheaded, the breath pulled from his lungs as Hoseok fully embraces him around his waist, burying his face into Kihyun's throat and squeezing him tight with his muscular arms. Kihyun just blinks, wide-eyed in shock, face quickly deepening from pink to rosy to deep, deep red.

A moment passes, and then he timidly returns the hug, shyly wrapping his arms around Hoseok's broad shoulders, and wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, could Kihyun get used to this feeling, being pressed up flush against all of those wonderful, warm muscles, Hoseok's body like a lovely, solid furnace. Kihyun's hands shake slightly from where they rest on Hoseok's shoulder blades, but he doesn't think he's ever felt so safe and protected as he does in this moment.

Hoseok squeezes him tightly for a few more long seconds, rocks the two of them back and forth a bit and hums happily, low in his chest, before finally unwinding from around Kihyun with one last affectionate squeeze. He then leans back, but not too far, and brings his hands to Kihyun's shoulders, looks right into his eyes as he beams, glowing with joy. Kihyun just stares at him with wide eyes, his face almost on fire from how hot it feels; Kihyun wonders if he looks like a cartoon, with steam coming out of his ears and dizzy stars floating around his face. And Hoseok is even more breathtaking up close, of course he is.

"Kihyunnie!" Hoseok exclaims, laughing, his teeth perfect and blindingly white, his eyes sparkling. "I'm so glad to see you! I missed you so much, it's been way too long."

"I made you breakfast this morning, hyung," Kihyun says dryly, smiling wide anyway. "'But yeah, I missed you too."

As he cools down from the impact of Hoseok's amazing hug, Kihyun's eyes focus in on the cut on Hoseok's cheek, which Kihyun can see now is actually much worse than it looked from far away. It's fairly deep, and it's even still bleeding a little bit, dotted with tiny bubbles of red, red that Kihyun never wants to see, and Kihyun's chest aches.

"Are you okay?" Kihyun asks, worried, reaching a hand to stroke Hoseok's cheek. He carefully runs his fingers over the cut, and when he pulls them back, his fingertips are stained red, and that same red is smeared down Hoseok's face. It hurts Kihyun's heart to see.

"That? That's nothing," Hoseok says casually, brushing it off with a chuckle. He pulls an old rag out of the pocket of his hazmat suit and takes Kihyun's hand in his, stopping Kihyun's heart for a moment as he carefully wipes Kihyun's fingertips clean. And yeah, Kihyun will definitely need to re-sterilize now, because who knows what that rag's even for, but he really could not care less, not when Hoseok's holding his hand so gently, so carefully.

As Hoseok releases Kihyun's hand and returns the rag to his pocket, he glances over Kihyun's shoulder, catching sight of something, and he grins wide.

"I see you received my gift from this morning," he says, nodding in the direction of the flower, then returning his gaze right to Kihyun's eyes.

Kihyun gasps, excitement bubbling up in his chest again. "It was your find?" he asks excitedly, turning around to look at the flower himself. It's still standing proudly where he left it, though he could swear its position has turned slightly, as if the plant rotated itself to face them.

"Yeah," Hoseok replies, fondly. "As soon as I saw it out in front of the cave, I thought about how excited you'd be to get your cute little nerd hands all over it. I've never seen anything like it."

Kihyun blushes red again, because Hoseok just called him "cute" (well, he called his hands cute, and nerdy, but still) and because Hoseok was thinking about him out there in the wild, and because this entire situation right now is so sudden, and because Hoseok's hands are still pressing affectionately into his shoulders and he's standing so close and Kihyun thinks his heart has reached the speed of light.

"It's incredible," he says shyly, looking down to avoid Hoseok's penetrating, loving gaze. "But it can wait. I want to know how you're doing, and besides—"

"I know," Hoseok interrupts, laughing apologetically, "I totally compromised the controlled environment in here. Sorry about that, I just couldn't resist when I saw you through the glass, working so hard and looking so cute."

Okay, this time, Hoseok really did just call him cute, and Kihyun feels light and giddy, like he's swallowed a million balloons and could float off into the vacuum of space. "It's okay," he murmurs, still looking down at his feet, "Really, I'll work on it later."

"But Kihyunnie..." Hoseok starts, his hands gently sliding from Kihyun's shoulders. He walks over to the flower and Kihyun follows, watching as Hoseok looks at it with the same kind of fascination that Kihyun had been feeling from the moment he first saw it.

Hoseok is staring at the flower, but Kihyun is staring at Hoseok, watching how his eyes catch the light and sparkle as he slowly circles around the table, admiring it from all angles. Kihyun goes still where he's standing, transfixed, mesmerized, and his eyes slide down Hoseok's beautiful face, down the slope of his nose to his cute, unique nostrils, over his soft cheeks down to his lips, and Kihyun's gaze lingers there, his breath catching in his chest as he loses himself in thoughts of kissing Hoseok, of being kissed by Hoseok, of Hoseok's tongue sliding into his mouth and Hoseok gripping onto his face and taking control, pulling out all of Kihyun's bashfulness and caution and filling him up with nothing but pure, glowing pleasure.

Kihyun watches as Hoseok leans over slightly to grip the edge of the table to get a closer look at the flower, batting his eyelashes and tilting his head, the veins in his arms popping as the muscles flex, and Kihyun feels a rush of heat at the thought of that same image from a different angle, from below, as Hoseok hovers over him pushed up on those strong arms of his, caging Kihyun beneath him on a large, soft bed and looking down at Kihyun with that same coy, playful smirk, the light behind his hair shining around him like a halo as he tells Kihyun with his eyes how he's going to ravish him beyond belief, bring him to ecstasy beyond his wildest dreams.

Kihyun gets so lost in his fantasies that he doesn't notice Hoseok reaching out his hand to touch the flower until it's too late, until after Hoseok is already delicately stroking one of the petals. At that moment, Kihyun's brain snaps back into reality, screams "Hoseok" and "danger" and Kihyun rushes over with a start, his shoes squeaking loudly on the floor as he yanks Hoseok's hands away by the wrists and ushers him back several feet away from the flower.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kihyun exclaims, laughing incredulously while still holding onto Hoseok's wrists, one in each hand.

"It looked so soft, I couldn't resist," Hoseok murmurs, smiling apologetically, amused.

"I haven't had much chance to examine it yet, and it could be dangerous. No touching," Kihyun says sternly, unable to look away from Hoseok's beautiful eyes shining with playful guilt.

Hoseok chuckles, stares down fondly at little Kihyun holding tightly to his wrists with an iron grip, with puffed-up, red cheeks and wide, frantic eyes. It's an adorable scene, because they both know that Hoseok could easily break out of Kihyun's hold if he wanted to. "Relax, Kihyunnie," he says. "I'm the one who pulled it out of the ground in the first place, remember? It's harmless."

"We don't know that, Hoseok," Kihyun says, voice growing serious, "we can't make any assumptions. We're on another planet, and we can't be too careful."

Hoseok laughs again and then they both go silent, standing motionless in that same position as something exciting hangs in the air between them, Kihyun's hands tight around Hoseok's wrists and his thumbs pressing into the pulse points, Hoseok's eyes staring right through him as he beams and lets out a soft sigh. It's like the whole word stops around them, and for one wild second, Kihyun swears that they'll kiss, but it passes, diffuses after just a moment.

Kihyun dramatically rolls his eyes to save face, then gently releases Hoseok's wrists, looking down at the ground and blushing profusely. When he looks up again, Hoseok is returning to the flower, stopping in front of it and leaning down to look once more into its depths, this time with his hands behind his back. Kihyun follows a few seconds after and stands next to Hoseok, his heart skipping a beat when he notices the faint blush splashed across Hoseok's cheeks, but he pretends not to see it.

They stand together in silence for several long moments, looking into the flower's vibrant colors but not really seeing anything, both much too focused on the other's presence, hyperaware, warm and tight and tense in the best possible way.

"It really is beautiful," Kihyun murmurs, finally breaking the silence. "It's things like this that make the job mean something, that make being so far away from home worth it."

"It's worth it because we can share it," Hoseok says without missing a beat. "Because I could share it with you."

Kihyun can't help but blush furiously at that, and he glances at Hoseok shyly from beneath his eyelashes, feeling like a teenager on his first date. Not that this a date, of course. It's just him and Hoseok hanging out in the lab together, nothing unusual, nothing they haven't done a million times before, but right now, and lately, just being in the same room with Hoseok feels so special, so intimate, like both are just waiting for the other to make a move but at the same time, enjoying this little push-and-pull, the expectation, and the anticipation, of something more.

Kihyun wonders if he's just imagining it, if he's delusional, or if Hoseok really might return his feelings. The thought is a little scary, but it's wonderful, and Kihyun will stay in this strange little limbo of their's forever if he gets to exist with that hope in his heart.

He returns his attention to the flower and finds himself sucked back into its hypnotizing beauty. Its colors seem to have grown even more vibrant, more tempting and sumptuous, like a work of art brought to life. It's like every time he blinks, the colors grow richer and deeper, the petals more delicate and soft, the strange moist coating glittering underneath the harsh laboratory lights.

It's terrifying how easily this flower has taken hold of him, and Kihyun finds that he can't bear to look away anymore, and that all he can do is move in closer. And Hoseok appears to be on the same wavelength, just as hopelessly enchanted as they both slowly lean in towards the flower's center. They lean in together, simultaneously, so still and focused that the sides of their heads and faces touch as they lean in closer, closer, closer, closer...

Suddenly, the flower contracts into itself and then opens again in one swift motion, expelling a thick cloud of bright red dust right at their faces. Kihyun is momentarily blinded as the dust lands in his eyes and in his mouth and all over his cheeks. It tastes like soil and metal and the shock has Kihyun stumbling backwards and grabbing onto Hoseok's hand for balance, the two of them tumbling roughly and painfully onto the hard floor together and coughing as they breathe in the dust and it sticks to the inside of their throats.

All Kihyun can see is red, red everywhere, and then black as he falls unconscious.

----------

When Kihyun's eyes flutter open a few minutes later (though it feels like it's been hours) it takes a long moment for him to even realize that he's awake.

He blinks slowly, his vision blurred, and the entire world is tinted a strange, pale red. His head feels odd, too, and it's not painful, just very weird, unsettling, his thoughts slow and sticky, like his neurons are coated in jelly.

He feels something cold and hard and smooth against his cheek, and he realizes that he's lying on the laboratory floor with his head turned to the side, and that he's looking straight at his glasses lying underneath a table across the room. They must have been knocked off of his face when he fell, and that explains why everything is blurry, but it doesn't explain the strange red tint to his vision that still won't clear.

He keeps blinking as he tries to understand all of this, as the sensory information trickles into his brain slowly, the clarity of waking up dripping in little by little. He doesn't feel any sharp pains anywhere on his body, and so he concludes that he wasn't injured by the fall to the floor, but he registers a heavy weight resting on top of him, and he lets out a soft little moan as he lifts his head from the floor and turns his face to see what's crushing him.

It's Hoseok, lying right on top of him, his head pillowed on Kihyun's shoulder and his limbs sprawled out, his entire weight resting on Kihyun's body. He's starting to wake up too, and as Kihyun processes this new information, his entire body goes hot, and tense, and hypersensitive to every point of contact, blood rushing inside him as he fully realizes with wild excitement and terror that it's Hoseok lying on top of him and that they're pressed flush together from their shoulders all the way down to their pelvises.

That alone would be enough excitement to keep Kihyun up at night for weeks. But something unfamiliar in the back of his mind, in the pit of his belly, awakens at their proximity, flares up, floods Kihyun with intensity, with an arousal like he's never felt before, a shocking and overwhelming desire to be fucked senseless, for Hoseok to fuck him senseless, rough and fast, and hard, and deep. He wants to be filled, wants to be filled up, needs it or he'll die, and it's different from his usual sweet, rather innocent crush on Hoseok. This feeling, this feeling is depraved, is filthy. More than anything else, more than his life, Kihyun wants, wants, wants, wants.

He sees flashes in his mind of skin and sweat, can feel it hot at his fingertips and wet on his tongue. His entire body coils inside, like every dirty fantasy he's ever had about Hoseok is rushing through his system at once, combining and building up on top of each other and growing and growing and growing until Kihyun feels on the verge of death from the glorious pain and pressure of his arousal, and he blinks weakly, mouth falling open as sweat beads along his forehead and a deep flush begins to creep down his neck and chest.

Hoseok slowly lifts his head from Kihyun's shoulder and pushes up to hover over Kihyun, just as Kihyun had fantasized about earlier, Hoseok's dog tags dangling right over Kihyun's throat, and as Hoseok's eyes open to look down at him, Kihyun can see that they're glazed over with red, just as he guesses his own must be. Something dark and hot flashes through them at the sight of Kihyun panting, so wrecked beneath him, and it does things to Kihyun's sanity, and goes straight to his cock and his balls and his ass.

Neither of them moves from their current position. They just stare at each other, blinking, understanding, stunned. They're breathing together, in tandem, and Hoseok's face is so, so, so close, too close, and yet, not close enough. He looks down at tiny Kihyun caged between his massive, muscular arms, and his broad, gorgeous chest heaves with each deep, heavy breath. Kihyun's chest is heaving too, his face burning, and he feels strange, so strange, he can't quite describe it, but he loves it, and Hoseok is looking down at him with a glorious hunger in his eyes that Kihyun can't identify but that has him feeling weak in the best possible way, an intensity to match Kihyun's own, but where Kihyun is ready to submit, begging to submit with every cell in his body, Hoseok is ready to dominate, and Kihyun wants it so, so bad.

The tension between them is thick, almost chokingly so, thick and solid, like something physical in the air, and they can't move, can't stop staring at each other, and it goes on forever, and it builds and builds until Kihyun is positive that something is about to snap. His eyes flutter, and he swears that all of his wildest fantasies are about to come true as Hoseok looks into his eyes with heat and electricity and pure, unbridled lust. Yes, that's what it is, that's what that look in his eyes is. It's lust, and Kihyun's thoughts haven't quite caught up with the situation but his body, his body is hot and tense and screaming yes like it's the only word he knows.

He wants it, he needs it, needs Hoseok, and he's sure he'll die if Hoseok doesn't fuck him right here, right now.

But then, before anything happens, before their lips can even touch, Hoseok gives his head a firm shake, his dog tags chiming around his neck, and he lets out a little grunt as he sits up and back on his knees, both of them snapping out of whatever the heck that just was, Kihyun feeling like all of the air has rushed out of his body in one breath as that paralyzing desire retreats back to bubble under the surface of his skin at the loss of contact with Hoseok, leaving him dazed and dizzy and unsatisfied. He frowns, and tries to ignore the urge to lean up and grab Hoseok's shoulders, to pull him back down and right into his body. Instead, he just closes his eyes and breathes loudly, his heartbeat loud and painful and fast in his chest.

Hoseok rests on his knees for a moment, straddling Kihyun's thighs, before he starts to stand, and when Kihyun opens his eyes, Hoseok is reaching out a hand to help Kihyun up to his feet.

Kihyun sits up carefully, a little sore and out-of-it and hopelessly confused and turned-on but still apparently uninjured, and he gratefully takes Hoseok's hand, determinedly looking away from him because he's too embarrassed by that strange, heated moment, and because the weird tint to his vision still won't go away; neither will the hot excitement clawing at his gut.

But as Hoseok stands up and pulls Kihyun to stand up with him, the momentum of his strength, of his pull on Kihyun's hand, has Kihyun stumbling and colliding forward into Hoseok's chest, Kihyun grabbing onto Hoseok's shoulders for balance as Hoseok grabs onto his hips to save him from falling.

And again, their faces are too close, lips almost touching, and their eyes meet each other like magnets, and Kihyun can feel Hoseok's breath on his mouth, the moisture of his lips and tongue and the heat in his gaze, and he grips onto Hoseok's shoulders tight enough to bruise. He can see that Hoseok is feeling it too, by the way his eyes go dark and half-lidded, by the way his lips part into a sensual "o", and by the way his hands slide low to rest briefly on Kihyun's ass, pulling him up and forward and closer, and there's another long, long, endless moment of tension, their mouths ghosting over each other, their heads tilting to opposite sides for them to fit together as they stare at each other with strange, red eyes and electricity in their fingertips, blood running hot through their veins, arousal screaming at them from deep inside, pushing and pushing and pushing to be set free.

But again, it passes. Like a crackle of lightning, momentarily bursting, momentarily lighting up the entire night sky before fizzling out and disappearing back into the clouds with a low rumble of thunder.

They awkwardly separate, chuckling nervously and unable to meet each other's eyes.

Hoseok turns away and rubs the back of his head, flushed, while Kihyun's eyes land on the flower, still watching them from its spot on the table, and he sees that the strange red dust that it sprayed them with is spilled all over the place, all over nearby tables and equipment and all over the floor. He notices now that it's all over their clothes and that it's even floating in the air around them, like a spray of red paint, like a mist of blood.

Thoughts of being spectacularly ravished, of letting Hoseok have his way with him fade to the back of his mind as Kihyun's years of training start to kick in, and he quickly strides over to the table that the flower is sitting on and hits the emergency quarantine button hidden on its underside, one of many all throughout the lab. An alarm begins to sound loudly and the entire room locks down, steel panels lowering to cover the walls and the glass windows and every door and machine sealing itself shut. The cold white lights lower to the emergency red lighting, and now even without the strange tint to their eyes, everything around them is bathed in dark, pulsing red.

The quarantine button will have contacted the emergency team, who will be on their way shortly with medical and emergency personnel, but for now, they have no idea what that plant just sprayed at them, and Kihyun turns to Hoseok in panic, his sight still red and blurry.

But as soon as he sets eyes on Hoseok, it's like something hot washes over him, and all of the panic, the fear, all rational and logical thought instantly vanishes, and all that's left is his desire, his need for Hoseok, like it's his purpose in life, his calling, like it's all he needs more than air and more than his heartbeat and more than anything else. It actually hurts, how much his body wants Hoseok at this moment, and he knows by instinct that there's only one way to relieve this pain, this unbearable pressure, this wonderful and excruciating need inside.

The feelings tumble through quickly and he's frozen, hopelessly fixed in place, staring right at Hoseok with wide eyes and arousal filling him up down to his fingertips and his toes, to every nucleus of every atom in his body. And he can see that the same is happening to his friend, from the flush in Hoseok's face, to the way his chest is heaving, to the heated look in his eyes and the telltale bulge in his pants that has Kihyun's mouth going hot and dry in an instant. Hoseok looks like a predator, ravenous, hungry for Kihyun's body, the opposite and the complement to Kihyun's desire, the missing piece he needs to be fulfilled, to be complete, to be whole.

The flower did this, that strange red dust did this, Kihyun realizes, and it's crazy, it's terrifying, but it's amazing, it's glorious, and through the fog of the intense arousal, the intense desire coursing through him, Kihyun feels like something incredible is about to happen, that something incredible is happening.

And though this goes against everything he thought he was, goes against his shyness, his caution, his hesitation, he doesn't care anymore. He wants what he wants, and he knows deep down that the flower hasn't brainwashed him, isn't forcing him to think this way, to want and need Hoseok so desperately like this. No, it's simply telling him the truth, bringing it to the surface and amplifying it, sure, but it's the truth, perhaps the one great truth in Kihyun's life. And it's embarrassing and frightening in its intensity, but Kihyun loves Hoseok, he wants Hoseok, he wants him so bad in every way possible, and if this is indeed all that the flower's done to them, amplifying something that was already there, then Kihyun realizes Hoseok must love him, must want him too.

They stand there silently, breathing heavily and staring, that deep, primal feeling building up inside of them until it's all they know. Kihyun's eyes rake over Hoseok's spectacular body and he feels that intense desire growing thicker, growing stronger, and it's amorphous, undefined, but overwhelming, uncontrollable, like his thoughts have been erased and all that's left is pure instinct, loud and blaring, like the alarms going off all around them, like the flashing red emergency lights and the red tint to their vision.

He can't fight it anymore, neither of them can. Neither of them want to.

There's a beat of silence, and then they're rushing towards each other and into each other's arms, their eyes slipping closed and lips molding together in a searing, passionate kiss.

They fit together perfectly, Kihyun's arms sliding over Hoseok's shoulders and his hands threading into Hoseok's hair, Hoseok's arms winding around Kihyun's waist and up to support his back, the two of them pulling each other in close as their mouths slot together. The first kiss shared between them is deep and hot, and Kihyun tugs roughly at Hoseok's hair and Hoseok's fingers press hard into Kihyun's shoulder blades as they separate briefly and kiss again, and again, and again, and again, fast, hard, wet, messy, tilting their heads in perfect tandem like they're sharing one mind, the flower's spell guiding them, telling them exactly what they need to do.

They kiss and kiss and kiss and kiss, and each kiss is like pure heat, dripping with lust and fire as their tongues press against each other's lips, as they suck and push against each other's mouths deeper and harder with each contact. Hoseok's tongue slips smoothly past Kihyun's lips into his mouth and their tongues twist together inside, sliding against each other as Kihyun tugs harder at Hoseok's hair and Hoseok rubs his erection between Kihyun's legs, and Kihyun's hands are shaking because this is all he wanted and it's really happening and it's more amazing than he ever even dreamed and all he needs now is for Hoseok to touch him.

Each kiss, each touch, they simultaneously cool the burning desire inside of them while also making it so much worse, soothing it while also feeding it, growing it stronger, and it feels so good but it's not enough, and soon, they're pressing even closer together and Hoseok is guiding Kihyun to walk backwards, but never once moving away from his lips, Kihyun losing himself completely as Hoseok sucks on his tongue. Kihyun starts moaning into Hoseok's mouth, his cock already painfully hard, and there's a building pressure and wetness in his ass that's accumulating quickly with each kiss, and Kihyun has no idea what it is but he can already feel it starting to drip down the backs of his thighs inside his pants.

They keep kissing as Hoseok guides him back and back and back until Kihyun is slammed into the wall, the steel emergency panels rattling and his lab coat slipping down his shoulders at the forceful contact as Hoseok ruts into him and kisses him fiercely, Kihyun clinging onto Hoseok's hair for dear life as Hoseok's hands drop down to grip the backs of his thighs. He hoists Kihyun up into the air like he weighs nothing, pressing him harder into the wall and his fingers digging painfully into the meat of Kihyun's skin.

Their lips separate at that with a loud, wet sound, and saliva from their kisses dribbles down Kihyun's chin as Hoseok's hot mouth quickly moves to latch onto Kihyun's neck, right at his pulse. Kihyun throws his head back against the steel panel and moans, loudly, broken, wrecked, his mouth falling wide open as Hoseok starts pressing harder into him, mouthing at his neck and sucking at the skin, pressing his tongue against Kihyun's throat as his lips work.

Kihyun keeps moaning as Hoseok releases from the one spot and tilts his head to the other side to mark up a different spot on Kihyun's neck, and Hoseok adjusts his hold on Kihyun, lifting him up higher and pressing him harder into the steel panels until Kihyun can feel the bolts holding the panels together digging into his back, leaving indents in his skin. While Kihyun starts to feel dizzy, his orgasm beginning its slow, sticky build inside him, Hoseok is busy nosing at the collar of Kihyun's shirt, undoing the buttons with his teeth to get to Kihyun's shoulders. Kihyun's eyes flutter open and he looks down as Hoseok starts sucking again at his skin, marking him, claiming him, scattering love bites all along his collarbone, looking like a vampire, or a demon underneath the dark red lighting, a glorious, sexy monster that Kihyun is all too happy to give himself over to.

Hoseok holds him there for what seems like forever, and Kihyun's mind has gone completely blank as he takes it all with delight, until Hoseok finally lowers him back to the ground, but only to press him hard into the wall again and kiss him fiercely on the lips, his hands moving down to grip Kihyun's ass and squeeze. At that, the strange pressure that Kihyun has been feeling low on his body, at his entrance, dips and then surges, and the mysterious wetness increases, and Hoseok is squeezing and squeezing and squeezing at Kihyun's ass cheeks, and pulling Kihyun up and forward into his crotch while pressing against him, rubbing against him, rutting against him at the same time. It's too much to keep track of, too many sensations and too much heat and moisture and pleasure, and Kihyun doesn't know how much more he can take before he comes undone.

Hoseok suddenly breaks away from Kihyun's mouth to take one of Kihyun's earlobes into his mouth, and his hands finally release Kihyun's ass cheeks, unwinding from around Kihyun's body to slide up underneath Kihyun's shirt, up his stomach and his chest, all the way to his nipples. Hoseok's hands are so big and his fingers are so strong and Kihyun throws his head back again, whimpers at the feeling as Hoseok rubs over his nipples with his thumbs.

Hoseok keeps sucking Kihyun's earlobe as he starts rolling forward into Kihyun's pelvis and Kihyun swears he's going to come in his pants, because Hoseok's erection is so hot and so big and so hard and he can feel it perfectly even through the thin material of their clothes, and it's wet and leaking and Hoseok's grunting low in his throat as he kneads at Kihyun's chest and starts rubbing Kihyun's nipples with the heels of his palms, and Hoseok's dry humping him and touching him like a wave, a smooth roll up and down and up and down and up and down as Kihyun is hopelessly rutted into the wall.

And Kihyun feels his orgasm right there, right there, as he's held right at the moment before climax, that perfect, perfect moment, and his eyes squeeze shut and he can't breathe or think and everything is tense and tense and building and building, and his ass is dripping wet and he's sure he's about to come with the force of a hurricane, but all he can do is open his mouth in a long, silent scream, the pressure trapped in his chest and throat as his climax rushes forward.

Hoseok must sense it, or rather, the flower must be guiding him, because at that moment, at the exact moment that Kihyun is about to come, Hoseok quickly slips his hands out from under Kihyun's shirt and Kihyun really does scream as tears leak from his eyes and his orgasm retreats. Kihyun sobs in frustration as Hoseok returns to kiss his mouth and his hands slide back around Kihyun's waist, and soon Hoseok is ushering Kihyun to move again, walking backwards and pulling Kihyun along with him to a new spot, and Kihyun can only stumble forward as he tries to follow, his legs shaking violently and his hands digging into Hoseok's shoulders for support.

He lets Hoseok kiss him sloppily all over his lips, at the corners, at the edges, only a few of the kisses making the mark, most of it just Hoseok sucking Kihyun's lips into his mouth, and Kihyun's much too exhausted to even try to kiss back, the torment of the failed orgasm excruciating and exhilarating, a truly marvelous torture.

Hoseok kisses him and kisses him and kisses him and after a few more moments, as Kihyun regains his bearings and starts responding again to the kisses, the beginnings of the next orgasm starting to blossom inside him, they begin to strip each other. It happens so quickly, so perfectly coordinated, layers coming off smoothly and dropped onto the floor, shoes and socks thrown around everywhere, buttons ripped off and fabric torn until somehow, they're both stark naked and spun around, Hoseok guiding Kihyun backwards until Kihyun's lower back hits the edge of the large examination table, the one in the center of the room that's the perfect size for Hoseok to fuck him on.

Kihyun breaks away from Hoseok to lie back on the table from his thighs up, his knees bent and his legs dangling over the edge, his eyes fluttering open as his bare back comes into contact with the cold metal of the table's surface. The strange pressure in his ass is almost unbearable now that he's lying down, his entrance contracting and expanding with each breath he takes, as if it's stretching itself, prepping itself for Hoseok's cock to be pushed inside. His own cock is bobbing against his stomach, hard and dribbling out precome, pink and sensitive and ready to burst at any moment. And his hole is now soaked, sopping wet with a thick, sticky liquid that seems to be coming from inside his body, running down the backs of his thighs and his legs and his ankles, down onto the floor beneath his toes, and he realizes suddenly that it's his entrance self-lubricating, what must be another effect of the red dust. He moans loudly at the realization, because how wonderfully filthy, and his ass produces even more of the sticky liquid as each second passes, so much that it's creating a small puddle beneath him on the table that he can feel oozing up the small of his back and down his ass cheeks.

Kihyun weakly looks up at Hoseok, who is resting for a moment as he hovers, leaning over Kihyun with his hands on the table on either side of Kihyun's face, the dog tags still hanging down around his neck, glowing even in the red-tinted darkness. The flashing red lights and the red tint to their vision is making everything more intense, more surreal and extraordinary, and Hoseok, Hoseok is gorgeous beyond compare, a god, his defined abs and his broad chest and his massive arms and his wide shoulders ghostly pale, thick and firm and glistening with sweat, expanding and contracting beautifully as he breathes. His nipples are hard and his lips are swollen and his eyes are half-lidded and his cock is enormous and thick and magnificent standing against his stomach and dripping from the tip, and Kihyun's hole quivers and produces more lubrication at the thought of it sliding inside of him.

Something shifts between them then, a kind of cooling down like they're suddenly doused in a summer rain as they both stare at each other, breathing deeply as their heartbeats start to slow. Hoseok is gazing down at Kihyun and into his eyes, and as Kihyun pants, heaves beneath him, completely submissive, Hoseok bends forward and down to give Kihyun a long, slow, deep kiss, sensual and passionate, pulling the air right from his lungs and lulling him into a sudden hush, a sudden calm, a sudden bliss amidst the chaos around them, and Kihyun can feel the cold metal of Hoseok's dog tags right over his heart.

Kihyun sighs contentedly into Hoseok's mouth and reaches up to grab at Hoseok's hair again as they kiss slowly like this for a few long moments, lazy, indulgent, tasting each other and all of the feelings of passion and love flowing between them, because this, all of this, it's more than just primal lust, it's more than just a desire to fuck and be fucked. There are real emotions behind it, emotions that the special flower must have sensed and tapped into, and they take a moment to just enjoy it, to feel each other down to their bones, down to their nerve endings, down to their very souls. Kihyun moves his hands down to stroke Hoseok's face, cupping his cheeks on both sides and matching Hoseok's kisses with equal passion.

They break apart for a moment, their mouths just barely touching, wet with spit and aching to meet again, and they just look at each other, really look.

Kihyun knows he's not perfect; he's small and weak and feeble, and shy, cautious, doesn't always know how to handle his feelings. But with Hoseok, and the way Hoseok is looking at him right now, Kihyun feels beautiful, feels adored, cherished, loved in a way he's never been loved before. And Hoseok, his body is covered in scars and scratches, cuts and burns, half-healed wounds from his many injuries, imperfections all over, but to Kihyun, they're beautiful, everything about Hoseok is beautiful, and Kihyun wants Hoseok to know how he loves him with everything he is and that he knows that the feeling is returned.

It's a glimmer of what their relationship could be, what their relationship is underneath this chemically-induced passion. And as the soft moment passes, as the red dust takes hold once again and fills them up with its shameless, primal urges, they both take care to remember that, to remember those special kisses and the look in their eyes as they found each other, became themselves for a moment in the middle of something so bizarre, so outrageous and terrifying in its power.

Things quickly begin to heat up again as Hoseok surges forward and kisses him wetly. He then reaches one hand down, wrapping it around Kihyun's cock with his strong fingers, his palm hot and rough on Kihyun's sensitive shaft, Kihyun moaning into Hoseok's mouth at the contact. Hoseok strokes Kihyun's cock slowly as he kisses him, a round of gentle tugs up and down, enough to keep Kihyun right on edge but not enough to tip him over, and Kihyun whines loudly when Hoseok releases him only a few moments later.

Hoseok moves away from Kihyun's mouth and starts to kiss wetly down his body, kissing his throat, his chest, over his stomach, down Kihyun's thighs and legs, and he drops down to his knees on the floor, gripping the edge of the table on either side of Kihyun's thighs. Kihyun timidly lifts his head to look down at Hoseok and their eyes meet, and the heat that surges between them has Kihyun moaning again and throwing his head back onto the table, knocking it painfully but not caring one bit because Hoseok is grabbing onto his thighs and spreading his legs open, pushing them down by the backs of his thighs and bending Kihyun in half. Kihyun's ass is pressing hard into the table and a fresh wave of the sticky discharge dribbles out of his hole now that his legs are spread, and it drips off the table and onto the floor, his ass right in Hoseok's face and his entrance wide open.

Kihyun's cock is throbbing painfully and leaking as Hoseok keeps his left hand latched onto Kihyun's right thigh while he reaches his right hand for Kihyun's balls. They're covered in Kihyun's fluid and Hoseok cups them, the back of his hand getting wet as his knuckles slide over the fluid on the table and his fingers getting wet as the fluid keeps steadily dripping from Kihyun's hole. Hoseok rolls Kihyun's balls around in his hands a bit and squeezes gently, and Kihyun whines and whimpers, his fingers scratching uselessly at the table for purchase, but there's none, and so he can only turn his head to the side and scream as Hoseok keeps squeezing him, and he's certain, with all these sensations and the side of his face pressed against the cool metal table, that he's about to come again. The pressure of orgasm, the glorious burn is overwhelming and unstoppable, growing hot and fast inside him until he knows it's about to happen, and he's about to come all over himself and all over Hoseok's face.

But then, just as he's about to come, Hoseok releases his balls and swiftly reaches up for Kihyun's cock, curling his right thumb and index finger around the base to stop him from climaxing. His fingers are warm and wet from Kihyun's discharge and he holds them there firmly like a cock ring as Kihyun yells through the retreat of another powerful orgasm, and Kihyun's crying, sobbing, tears streaming down his face, because it hurts so much but it's also so good and Hoseok just watches Kihyun fondly for a few moments as he cries, the red tint to Hoseok's eyes darkening as Kihyun breathes heavily through it, lowering back down from the brink of climax.

Kihyun can't stop sobbing and whimpering, his chest heaving, his eyes squeezed shut as tears leak out and Hoseok releases his cock after a few long moments. Then, as his left hand still holds tight onto Kihyun's right thigh to keep him steady, he brings his right hand back down to Kihyun's hole and slips his thumb easily inside. Kihyun's hole is sopping wet and it sucks in and squelches out Hoseok's thumb as he pushes and pulls it in and out lazily, pressing hard into the back of Kihyun's left thigh with the rest of his fingers splayed out over the soft, sensitive flesh.

It's just enough to keep Kihyun right on the edge, Kihyun moaning brokenly with each penetration and release of Hoseok's thumb. Hoseok is absolutely tormenting him, the red dust making him merciless and cruel, but so wonderfully so and Kihyun thinks he might die from this, that Hoseok is actually going to kill him from this, but what a way to go and Kihyun loves it so much, it's truly the most incredible thing he's ever experienced in his life, like he's transcended to a higher plane of existence, like he's seen and felt true paradise.

Eventually, Hoseok retracts his right thumb entirely and swipes his right index and middle finger through Kihyun's fluids, then pushes both fingers inside Kihyun's hole and begins finger-fucking him again, slowly and steadily in a rocking kind of motion and in little circles, scissoring and stretching him to the point that Kihyun's hole becomes so wide and loose that Hoseok could easily slip his entire fist inside if he felt so inclined.

And it feels marvelous, almost relaxing after a while, the dull pain and pleasure soothing Kihyun, keeping him aroused but staving off another orgasm, because neither of them are ready for this to be over yet, not until Hoseok can really fuck him, push inside of him and fill him up to the brim. Kihyun can't open his eyes or do anything else right now but just lie there helplessly and take whatever Hoseok wants to give, and it seems to go on for hours as Hoseok works his fingers in and out of Kihyun's body and Kihyun kind of wants to just stay here forever because this moment right now is true bliss.

Hoseok does stop after a time, however, and he moves his right hand up to hold onto Kihyun's left thigh, now with one thigh in each hand, and he leans forward to kiss them, biting into the soft skin gently and laving his tongue over the bites, preparing Kihyun for whatever's going to happen next.

Hoseok lowers his face and to Kihyun's surprise, he licks a long, slow stripe up the length of Kihyun's cock, flattening his tongue at the base and laving all the way up the shaft to the tip, his tongue so hot and wet and the stroke so perfect that Kihyun lets out a humiliating noise that's part sigh, part whimper, part breathy, shaky moan. Kihyun's hands travel down his own body and find Hoseok's soft hair, and he tangles his fingers inside as Hoseok laps up and down his cock a few more times, Kihyun tugging hard as Hoseok closes his lips around the tip and gives a few gentle sucks, just a little bit, just enough to make Kihyun crazy with need.

Hoseok then starts bobbing his head up and down Kihyun's cock slowly, takes in more of Kihyun's length with each suck, goes down about halfway but never all the way. At one point, Kihyun's cock just barely brushes the back of Hoseok's throat, and it's such a tease that it has Kihyun ready to cry again because it's sublime and cruel and Kihyun's whole body is quaking, quivering from the sensations.

Finally, just as Kihyun is about to lose patience, to sit up and shove Hoseok's face down all the way to his hilt, Hoseok suddenly withdraws from Kihyun's cock and moves on to Kihyun's balls, giving them a few gentle licks before taking one into his mouth. At that, Kihyun's brief moment of fire instantly dissipates and he throws his head back on the table to let out a whine, his hands slipping out of Hoseok's hair, twitching as they rest uselessly at his sides. Hoseok sucks for a few moments before moving on to the other one, somehow knowing exactly when to stop, exactly how to hold Kihyun in a state of frustration that's both unbearable and excellent, Hoseok's mouth so wet and soft and perfect, like a dream, like every dirty dream Kihyun's ever had about Hoseok come to life and so much better than he could have ever even imagined.

Kihyun's mouth goes dry and his vision goes white when he feels Hoseok's mouth moving down to hover over his entrance, finally, and he can't help but push his thighs inward, pushing his legs closed out of reflex, squeezing Hoseok's face on both sides at Hoseok's first few licks. Hoseok licks slowly and indulgently, like he's tasting him, and Kihyun's hands return to Hoseok's hair to tug at the strands as his thighs squeeze Hoseok's face between them, Kihyun moaning loudly when Hoseok's tongue penetrates him and Hoseok starts licking along the inside of the ring of muscle.

As Hoseok licks and laps inside Kihyun's body, Kihyun's skin breaks out in a cold sweat, his blood rushing hot through his veins, and he uses his thighs on either side of Hoseok's face to pull him in closer to his ass, to urge him forward, to urge him to go deeper. And Hoseok does go deeper, sealing his lips around Kihyun's hole and sucking slowly as his tongue works along the rim and the walls of Kihyun's entrance.

Hoseok teases him like this for a long while, and Kihyun aches all over from being played with for so long, his entire back and his ass and his thighs sticky with sweat and the fluid from his body, and when Hoseok finishes, withdrawing his tongue and lips with a filthy noise, he carefully stands up, still holding tight onto Kihyun's thighs and pushing them back further so that Kihyun's ass opens wider. Kihyun turns his head from off the table back to face up, lifting it slightly so he can look straight at Hoseok as his eyes flutter open.

His entrance keeps dripping, and Hoseok standing over him holding onto his thighs, Hoseok's face smeared and his mouth dripping with the strange discharge from Kihyun's ass, Hoseok's cock looking somehow bigger and thicker and wet with his precome, it's a sight that Kihyun wants burned onto the insides of his eyelids for the rest of his life. His head falls back again to the table and he bites down into his lower lip so hard that he breaks the skin, tastes his own blood in his mouth as he hears Hoseok sighing deeply above him, Hoseok moving in closer and lining himself up with Kihyun's entrance, standing strong and tall and towering like a magnificent beast.

And then, with the red lights still beating down on them and the alarms still blaring as if to urge them on, Hoseok pushes inside of Kihyun, wet and easy and wonderful.

It feels so tight, so perfect, and Kihyun's whole body retracts, his ass sucking Hoseok's cock inside like a vacuum and blood rushing to Kihyun's pelvis as Hoseok grips bruisingly hard onto Kihyun's thighs and starts to move, starts to thrust, slowly at first, pushing deep all the way to his hilt and then pulling out all the way to his tip, in and out and in and out and in and out. And the noise, it's the dirtiest thing Kihyun has ever heard, more than anything he has ever dreamed up on his loneliest nights alone in bed, and all he can do is breathe and moan as Hoseok moves in and out of him, steadily increasing the pace and the power, hitting him rougher and harder with each thrust.

Hoseok keeps thrusting brutally, pushing his cock in and forward and digging his fingers into Kihyun's thighs, losing himself and grunting loud as he fucks him, pounds into him over and over and over again. Hoseok's cock is so big and thick that even with the lubrication and all of the prep, there's still pain, but it's the most lovely pain, and Kihyun can feel each hit of Hoseok's cock inside of him flickering through his veins to his fingertips, to every corner of his body like an electrical current flowing through him as Hoseok fucks him and fucks him and fucks him, and the force of Hoseok's thrusts, the power granted to them by Hoseok's standing position, has Kihyun sliding back and forth on the table through the sticky mess beneath him, his body limp with pain and pleasure as he rides it out and as Hoseok falls into a fast, hard rhythm.

Even through his pleasured haze, Kihyun can tell that Hoseok is getting close as Hoseok's thrusts grow rougher and uneven, as his grunts and noises grow louder and higher in pitch, his grip on Kihyun's thighs tighter, so tight that his fingers are leaving deep marks in the skin. And Hoseok's cock, even from inside his body Kihyun can feel it throbbing and growing hotter and wetter, and Hoseok is shouting out each breath as he keeps moving, as his orgasm rushes forth and as he pounds into Kihyun without stopping, closer and closer and closer and closer.

And then, with one last, strong thrust, Hoseok comes, a loud yell ripping out of his throat as he spills inside of Kihyun with the force of an explosion. He keeps fucking Kihyun through it as he's hit with waves and waves of hot pleasure, and it just keeps going, so much come spilling out of him and into Kihyun's body that it starts leaking out of Kihyun's hole after only a few seconds, and as he keeps going, fucking Kihyun again and again and again, it doesn't seem to be stopping. Hoseok is coming and coming and coming, but his cock is still hard and full, the stream of come seemingly endless even as Kihyun is filled to the brim and overflows.

In his weakened, exhausted, painfully aroused state, Kihyun faintly realizes that the red dust must have affected Hoseok's body too in a similar way to his own. Where it gave Kihyun's entrance unbelievable self-lubrication, it seems to have affected Hoseok's cock, and it's...capacity...and Hoseok seems to have the same realization as he starts slowing down his pace, come still flowing out from his cock inside Kihyun's body, but only slowing down, not lessening, not emptying yet, not even close to emptying.

Hoseok stops moving, moaning with each breath as he comes down from his orgasm, his cock still full and hard inside of Kihyun and ready for another release, and he stands there for a moment in confusion, still clutching onto Kihyun's thighs as the both of them cool down and process this new information. Kihyun's eyes flicker open again and meet Hoseok's, and they both just breathe heavily and stare at each other, minds buzzing, bodies hot and sticky and disgusting, and something wild flashes through Hoseok's red gaze.

He gently lowers Kihyun's thighs so that his legs are once again bent over the edge of the table, and Kihyun whines in dismay at the loss of contact, about to cry again if Hoseok is really quitting on him now after everything. That is, until Hoseok grabs onto Kihyun's waist and slides him back to the center of the table, his entire body now resting on the flat surface after having slid easily through all of the fluids beneath him. Hoseok grins, looking devilish again in the dark red emergency lights, and he crawls on top of the table, on top of Kihyun to hover over him on his hands and knees, ready to finish this once and for all.

Hoseok lowers himself down, rests on his forearms on either side of Kihyun's head, their naked bodies pressed flush together, Hoseok's weight heavy on top of Kihyun and crushing him, pressing him down into the cold, hard surface of the table. Hoseok then lines himself up again with Kihyun's hole, and Kihyun reaches up to wrap his arms around Hoseok's shoulders to grip onto his shoulder blades, his legs wrapping tightly around Hoseok's waist, his heels digging into the small of Hoseok's back and his face pressed into Hoseok's throat, and he braces himself for the grand finish, his body hot with anticipation.

Hoseok sighs in pleasure and slides in again with ease, and because Kihyun is still full of his come from the first orgasm, Hoseok's cock pushing in causes more come to overflow out of Kihyun's entrance and run down Kihyun's thighs and onto the table into the already filthy mess of sweat and come and discharge. And Hoseok resumes fucking Kihyun even rougher and harder than before, using the full power and momentum of all of his muscles as he thrusts into Kihyun's ass, so strong and smooth that Kihyun starts sliding beneath him from the force.

They're rocking together, their bodies slotted together perfectly and moving perfectly, and Kihyun is shouting, his voice going louder and higher each time Hoseok slams into him, and Kihyun is crying again because his orgasm is coming faster and even more intense than before, than ever, and Hoseok is relentless, his stamina incredible as he just keeps going and going, fucking Kihyun so good and hard that Kihyun sees stars, sees other worlds behind his closed eyes as the pleasure builds and builds and builds, and it feels like the entire universe is collapsing in around him, coiling and coiling and curling and curling in his core, everything condensing, every feeling contracting into a tiny point deep inside of him too deep to even comprehend, his body paralyzed in pleasure as he's brought to the edge, within an inch, within an atom of his being, his body, everything.

And then, with Hoseok's last, big thrust, Kihyun finally comes, harder than he's ever come in his life, with a long, loud yell between them. His come spills out all at once and his ass squeezes tight around Hoseok's cock inside of him as white-hot pleasures rolls through him over and over again, Kihyun seeing a thousand different colors and momentarily losing all sentience, all sense of who he is, all sensory input, the pleasure surging through him in one endless, spectacular moment where he swears he died and was brought back to life simultaneously, a million times over.

Kihyun's face is soaked with tears and burning and he moans through it all, through each wave as the pleasure simmers and tempers down, and Hoseok resumes thrusting to his second orgasm, Kihyun's come making it frictionless between their bodies, Hoseok's chest and stomach sliding over Kihyun's own, slippery with all of their different fluids. He thrusts and thrusts and thrusts and it's painful now for Kihyun, everything oversensitive and tender, but Kihyun loves it, clings onto Hoseok with everything he has and urges him on with soft, pleasured noises.

Finally, after a few final deep, rough thrusts, Hoseok comes again inside of Kihyun, yells and shakes and rides it out, keeps going and going as he comes and Kihyun is so filled that as more spills out of Hoseok's cock, more overflows out of Kihyun's ass, and it's unbelievable how much oozes out and it's disgusting and filthy and amazing and Hoseok is breathing so heavily, wheezing, his whole body trembling as he comes down from the impact of his orgasm and empties himself out, moving in and out of Kihyun thick and sticky and squelching, grunting as he gradually slows down and milks out every last bit of come from his body. And Hoseok's crying now, too, his tears falling onto Kihyun's face as he moans in pleasure, from the grand satisfaction and the marvelous burst of release.

Kihyun clings onto him as Hoseok breathes heavily, and they stay stuck together for a long, long time, gasping, hearts pounding, not wanting to move, both of them coming down and each second endless, eternal, their bodies gradually lowering from hot ecstasy to cool, relaxed contentment, gratification, wonderfully spent and sated and sleepy.

Eventually, Hoseok slips out of Kihyun with a grunt, gently pushes up and rolls off of him to lie down on his back right next to him, leaving Kihyun hot and sticky and sweaty, shivering as the cool air of the room hits his bare skin and flutters over his wide-open hole. He feels small and exposed without Hoseok touching him, but he can still feel Hoseok's warm, strong presence beside him, so he knows he'll be alright.

They lie there flat on their backs on the table next to each other, in silence together, breathing heavily, flushed and hot and as Kihyun stares up at the smooth ceiling, feeling more satisfied than he's ever felt before, breathing in perfect sync now with Hoseok, he notices that the red tint is finally leaving his vision, his eyesight returning to normal, and at the same time, the red emergency lights are fading away, the lab restored to its usual cold, white lighting.

The alarms quiet around them too, and soon, all that can be heard is their heavy breathing beside each other, and Kihyun feels boneless, Hoseok's come still oozing out of him and his ass wonderfully sore, every bit of tension and stress gone from his body. He feels light and free, like Hoseok fucked every bad feeling right out of him, like he's been reborn into a new and better world, like he'll never hurt again.

It's quiet now as they both lie there, and as their heads clear, as the red dust seems to be leaving their systems, they both begin to fully process what just happened, what they just did. And it hits Kihyun like a train, everything rushing into his mind at once, and he feels his face going bright red all over again, because holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.

But he's so happy, he realizes. He's ecstatic. He lets out a little laugh of disbelief, of amazement, because wow, wow, wow, was that incredible. Wow.

He turns his head to the side to look at Hoseok, to check on him and to see how he's reacting to all of this, to what just happened, because it all happened so quickly and so effortlessly and so powerfully, and Kihyun is pleased to see that Hoseok's just as much of a wrecked mess as he is, his face turned up to the ceiling with his eyes closed, his mouth fallen open as he catches his breath. Kihyun watches with fondness as his chest rises and falls, and Hoseok must feel Kihyun's eyes on him because a moment later he turns his head to the side to look at Kihyun just as Kihyun is looking at him, and his eyes blink open, and they're back to their soft, chocolate brown, full of wonder and amazement and the same happiness that Kihyun knows is mirrored in his own eyes.

They gaze at each other and slowly, they both start to smile, shocked at what just happened but so happy that it did happen, because it was incredible, and they really did that, they really shared that together. It was filthy and terrifying but amazing, holy shit was it amazing, and Hoseok grins, lets out a little laugh just like Kihyun did, and he reaches a hand between them, his palm facing up for Kihyun to take. And Kihyun gladly takes it, and they intertwine fingers, and it's soft and warm and even after everything that just happened between them, it's the most wonderful feeling of all.

Kihyun loves Hoseok, he really loves him, and Hoseok loves Kihyun, really loves him too, and they didn't need the red dust to know that, but they can't say they don't appreciate the help it gave them, the push it gave them to move things forward. And what a push it was.

Kihyun and Hoseok look at each other with affection shining in their eyes, and Kihyun swears they're about to lean in, about to roll into each other and embrace again, this time without the red dust urging them on, but their moment is interrupted when the steel panels on the walls start to rise, and all of the machines and doors start to switch on and open.

Within a few seconds, the room is completely exposed and fully operational again, though still an absolute mess of bodily fluids and red dust and clothing tossed everything, and to their horror, the emergency and medical personnel are pushing through into the lab from all sides in full hazmat gear, and Kihyun and Hoseok are still very much post-coital, still very much naked lying on the table together, and they both sit up quickly, burning red in embarrassment, Kihyun's heart stopping as Hoseok quickly leans over and in front of him to cover his naked body, protecting Kihyun's modesty from the thirty-or-so pairs of eyes that just walked in.

It's absolutely mortifying, and Kihyun would want to be swallowed up by the ground if he weren't feeling way too good to even care. Okay, maybe he does care a little bit, but only because they were caught like this, after...all of that.

He rests his hands on Hoseok's shoulder and peeks over it shyly as Hoseok guards Kihyun's naked body from view, not that it does much because it's completely obvious what just happened, and now that his vision is back to normal (though still blurry, because he has no idea where his glasses ended up in all of this) he can see that the flower is standing proud, erect, looking larger and more open than before, almost as if it bloomed from them reaching climax together (and maybe it did, maybe it did).

Nonetheless, the atmosphere in the room is incredibly awkward as the medical and emergency personnel just stare at them in shocked, awkward, silence, nobody having the guts to speak or do anything. It seems like hours go by until one brave person from the medical team finally strides forward, a few large towels in hand. He tosses them to Hoseok who easily catches them both, handing one to Kihyun behind him, both of them shyly wrapping the towels around their hips to cover their private parts as they embarrassedly stand up, not able to make eye contact with anyone else, Kihyun nearly choking on air when his ass stays stuck to the table for a moment too long, and he stumbles forward to grab onto Hoseok's bicep with both hands, moving in as close as possible to Hoseok, instinctively seeking his protection.

There's another long, long moment of silence, and Kihyun can see that Hoseok is flushed bright red all the way down his neck and chest, but he stands strongly and proudly, protectively next to Kihyun, fighting through his own embarrassment to save some dignity for the both of them, and Kihyun is touched.

The person from medical who had given them the towels suddenly laughs and turns the light on in the helmet of their hazmat suit to show their face, and Kihyun is mortified all over again to see that it's Lim Changkyun, a mutual friend of theirs and the youngest surgeon on the entire medical team. He's grinning wickedly, about to laugh his ass off as his eyes dart back and forth between the two of them, and somehow, it's even more embarrassing that it's a friend of theirs rather just another nameless colleague.

"If you're wondering why we took so long to respond," Changkyun says, "we didn't. We were about to force open the doors and bust in within ten seconds of the lockdown, but when we saw what was happening on the cameras, well...we decided to let you guys finish first."

The room fills with nervous chuckles, nervous snickers and squawks from the rest of the medical and emergency agents, and Kihyun knows now that they'll go down in history not for their scientific achievements as part of the Starship expedition crew, but as the kinky couple who fucked for the first time in the botany lab under the spell of an extraterrestrial sex flower. A story for the ages, surely. He glances up at Hoseok, who's grimacing slightly, likely having the same kind of thoughts.

"That's a pretty powerful aphrodisiac you discovered there, isn't it?" Changkyun says, shaking his head incredulously. "Not exactly the kind of discovery that will change life as we know it, but there's certainly a market for that kind of thing back home."

He looks back and forth between Kihyun and Hoseok, then pointedly looks over their shoulder, and all over the lab, at the mess the made, and he laughs again. "Though it'll probably be best to dilute it down a bit, don't you think? Dial down its effects to a normal level?

"Can we leave?" Hoseok asks suddenly, flustered, and Kihyun is grateful that he even has the wherewithal to say anything coherent.

"Of course, of course," Changkyun says. He turns around to face the rest of the emergency and medical team. "It doesn't look like there's anything life-threatening going on, so I'll call for the clean-up crew to get down here and get this place back in working condition." He snickers and Kihyun's face feels like it'll burst into flames at the thought of what exactly the clean-up crew is going to be cleaning up.

As all of their colleagues start leaving, Kihyun lets out a long sigh of relief, his hands finally sliding down from their iron grip on Hoseok's arm. The two of them walk behind everyone else, Hoseok leading the way, both of them looking down at the floor, not able to look at each other and not able to look at anyone else, not wanting to know the exact identities of who caught them in such a compromising position. They pause only for a moment to pick up Kihyun's glasses from the floor, and thankfully, they're not shattered or broken, but it only makes the situation more awkward when his full vision is restored and he can see every detail of the mess of the room, and oh lord did they make a mess.

When they get to the door and are about to leave after what seems like an endless walk of shame, they're stopped by someone reaching out a hand to block their way, the last of the emergency team. The person flicks the light on in their helmet, and if things weren't already embarrassing enough, it's another one of their friends, Lee Minhyuk, grinning wide like it's Christmas.

"You two lovebirds just made me $300 richer," he says triumphantly. "Hyungwon from engineering and I have had a bet going for three months now. He thought you guys would keep up the whole 'will they, won't they?' thing going until we were back on Earth, but I knew there was no way you two would wait that long, that you were totally gonna do it while we were still up here."

Hoseok coughs, blushing again, and Kihyun shrinks against his side as Minhyuk chuckles. "Though, of course," Minhyuk says, turning to leave and follow the rest of the emergency team out of the lab, "I didn't imagine it happening like this."

Hoseok takes Kihyun's hand then and pushes roughly past Minhyuk, leading Kihyun towards the hallways, so they can go to lodging quarters to get cleaned up and dressed, and to get away from all of the eyes on them.

As they get further and further away from the lab, further and further away from the embarrassment of everyone knowing what just happened, Kihyun starts to feel happy and calm again, starts to feel giddy again. After all, who cares if everyone knows about them when all of their wishes and desires for each other just came true in the most spectacular fashion? And from what Minhyuk was saying, it sounds like everyone already knew about them anyway.

He squeezes Hoseok's hand gently as they approach Hoseok's room, happy to be right by Hoseok's side, and feeling relieved, feeling loved, feeling like he was made to be there when Hoseok squeezes back.

----------

As one of the higher-ranking members of the field team, Hoseok gets a room all to himself, and his room is bigger than most of the others on the station, and he even has his own bathroom.

They go in the shower together and rinse each other off with warm water from the detachable shower head, silent and feeling strangely shy even after everything, blushing and facing away from each other as they dry off afterwards with fresh towels.

Then, they change into clean clothes, Kihyun borrowing some of Hoseok's and his heart feeling warm at how they feel so huge and comforting on his much smaller frame, and at the faint, lingering scent that they carry of his soap.

Finally, when they can avoid it no longer, they sit side by side on Hoseok's cramped little bunk, Hoseok's hands curled in his lap and Kihyun feeling impossibly shy next to him, neither of them sure where to even begin.

"So that was...something," Hoseok starts, voice quiet. He laughs nervously, playing with his fingers and looking down at the floor.

"It was amazing," Kihyun says, blushing again, feeling a burst of heat just thinking about what they did together in the lab.

Hoseok looks up and at Kihyun, his hands going still, and he smiles, a small, nervous little smile. "It was pretty intense, huh?" he asks, "And um...I'm pretty sure that flower...it wanted me to get you pregnant." Kihyun starts and his blush deepens as he turns to look at Hoseok in shock, the two of them locking eyes.

"I mean," Hoseok continues, quickly, looking away again and obviously flustered, "I don't think it differentiates between species and whether or not it's actually possible, I think just...whatever gets sprayed with that dust...it's supposed to be like...a fertility thing, you know?"

He pauses and shrinks in on himself a little bit, shy and embarrassed again. "The urge it gave me...it was like...I had to...I had to just...fill you."

"I understand," Kihyun interrupts. He reaches for Hoseok's hand and Hoseok takes it, and they look at each other again with soft eyes as Kihyun continues, "It made me feel like I would die if you didn't...you know...fill me."

They both chuckle nervously at that, and share another moment of silence, but this one feels a little less awkward, a little more relaxed and warm, and Hoseok's hand is big and strong, comforting and protective.

"It was definitely amazing," Hoseok says quietly, "But I want you to know...that's not really me." He coughs and Kihyun tilts his head in confusion.

"Not the feelings for you, I mean," Hoseok continues, quickly. "Of course, those are definitely me. I definitely have...very strong feelings for you," he says, softly, and Kihyun can't help but smile at how flustered he is. "But the manner in which...the way the dust had me go about it...I just..."

He sighs, his face dark red, and Kihyun is growing increasingly amused at seeing strong, sexy Hoseok so nervous, so clumsy with his words.

"I'm a romantic guy, you know?" Hoseok says finally, squeezing Kihyun's hand and looking right at him again. "And next time, I promise it will be way more romantic."

"Next time?" Kihyun asks, smirking. He can't help but tease, and he's rewarded with Hoseok sputtering incoherently for a few seconds, blushing even darker as he realizes what he just implied. Kihyun giggles and squeezes Hoseok's hand back.

"I'm definitely looking forward to next time," Kihyun murmurs, surprised at his own boldness, but then again, he does feel bold. He feels everything wonderful sitting here right now with Hoseok.

Hoseok hums low in his chest, fondly, as he turns his whole body to face Kihyun. Then, he reaches his other hand, the one not entwined with Kihyun's on the bed between them, out to stroke Kihyun's face, Kihyun turning to face Hoseok and leaning into his touch.

"I've liked you for a long time, a really long time," Hoseok confesses, his voice gentle as he strokes his thumb over Kihyun's cheek, and Kihyun feels like he could melt. "I really, really like you. And I..."

Kihyun's lips part as he awaits Hoseok's next words, his eyes shining and his heart racing all over again. "I want to make love to you," Hoseok finishes, not breaking eye contact, "I want to make love to you sweet and slow and romantic, like you deserve. Because you're my treasure, Kihyunnie. And I want to make you happy. I want you to be happy."

Kihyun feels like his heart is about to burst with the way Hoseok is looking at him right now and he can't help but lean forward and kiss Hoseok's cheek, so innocently, so sweetly that it feels like a dream.

"I am happy," Kihyun says. "You make me so happy."

----------

Two weeks later, Hoseok does make love to Kihyun, sweet and slow and romantic, right on top of that cramped little bunk, and it's even more mind-blowing, even more amazing than what happened in the lab, and Kihyun is happier than he's ever been, so happy he thinks he could drown in it.

And when Hoseok whispers, "I love you," into Kihyun's hair afterwards, and Kihyun murmurs it back, Kihyun knows they'll be happy for a long, long time.

----------

A year later, when they finally return to Earth, Hoseok proposes to Kihyun the minute their feet touch the ground, and Kihyun knows they'll be happy for the rest of their lives.