Ashrain

13. Falling in Hooves

Hongjoong was giddy to spend his time sitting with Seonghwa in the stables, doing nothing. If Mingi took notice of their closeness, he didn't comment on it yet. While he worked on the chestnut-coloured mare and her short temper, Hongjoong lounged in Seonghwa's bay and waited for his incentive to take over and groom her before bringing her back to her owner. He had long since forgotten to stay on alert about his task, too occupied with the centaur. The clanging of metal and huffs of Mingi working away on hooves that kept trying to escape his grasp became background noise.

The stables were heated by the furnace, but Hongjoong had still curled up against Seonghwa's side. He laid with his body propped against the warm horse body and played with Seonghwa's hair. Seonghwa leaned his torso in the corner and watched Hongjoong with fond eyes.

Until earlier, Mingi had partaken in their conversations, but he had grown too exasperated with the unwilling horse to mind them anymore. Hongjoong and Seonghwa whispered among themselves, unbothered by anything else.

"How do centaurs sleep? I saw you slumped into the corner before, but it can't be comfortable," Hongjoong asked. Seonghwa hummed, fingers playing with a stalk of straw.

"If we are very exhausted, we sprawl out in the grass, but the box is too small for me to do that. Otherwise, we sleep standing up. We have cushions fastened to some trees to sleep against or we lean into each other. Some centaurs also like to coil around each other to sleep."

Fascinated, Hongjoong nodded along.

"How does that look like?"

"It's similar to what we are doing right now. You would rest your upper body on my lower half and I would rest mine on yours." Seonghwa's fingertips skimmed Hongjoong's narrow hips and thighs. He pulled away shyly, but he was as invested with Hongjoong's legs as Hongjoong was with his horse body. Coy, Hongjoong reached to retrieve his hand and let it settle on his thigh. Seonghwa idly squeezed it and circled his thumbs into the soft pants clinging to Hongjoong. The touch was innocent, but Hongjoong liked to imagine the spark it would trigger if Seonghwa used it for something more.

"Sounds cosy," Hongjoong hummed, cheek pressed to Seonghwa's flank so he could feel his breathing. Rhythmic, the beat of his pulse throbbed under Hongjoong's skin.

"It is. You humans sleep in beds, don't you?"

"We do. I can show you later if you want. It's so logical to me, I never thought about how other races sleep. Now that Wooyoung knows the merman, I've been speculating about their sleep habits, too."

A pensive frown wrinkled Seonghwa's forehead.

"From what I know, merfolk sleep like fishes do. They either float aimlessly or tuck themselves into crevices or caves, especially in open water."

The idea of sleeping unbound to gravity and while every predator possible in the wide ocean eyed his defensive body made Hongjoong shudder. He was glad humans liked to build walls and roofs to feel safe.

"I'm quite curious about him, too. He must feel lonely without his people."

Hongjoong lifted his head. His hand patted Seonghwa's side as he searched his downtrodden eyes with a sad smile.

"Perhaps Wooyoung can introduce you. San might want to hear your side of the story. He is restricted to the lake, but you get to explore around. You can ease your fears with each other," Hongjoong suggested. When Seonghwa smiled again, Hongjoong beamed back.

Their cosy time together got interrupted by Mingi bringing the mare back into her bay. He cursed under his breath and agitatedly rubbed the back of his neck as he snapped the door shut. As if smug to have frustrated him, the horse neighed pompously.