Author's Note: Wow, it's been a while since I've written for this fandom. Sorry about that! I hope you guys like this new story. I'm appalled at the lack of Jae-ha stories here. Anyway, enjoy.

Warning: Self-indulgent smut ahead. Sorry for any OOCness.

A Dream Is Just That

When he could finally call himself aware, the slim margin of consciousness was only sufficient for him to register that he was freezing.

His skin felt like ice, and if Jae-ha hadn't considered such a fate worthy of the most extreme stupidity he would have thought he was dying. He wasn't stupid, of course; even a gentleman such as himself was bound to suffer ironically at the hands of his own courteous nature.

In the distance, he could still hear the echoes of footsteps, booted feet slapping the wet stone as they carried forward the men who no doubt sought his demise.

Ah, yes, it's still raining, isn't it? If they don't kill me, I'm liable to die of exposure…I have to get out of here. I have to go home…oh my, it seems I do consider that place home now, don't I?

If only, he lamented, his hands and feet would obey him. Yet who could he blame but himself?

"Oh my God…"

He knew he must look a sight if even his captors were put off by his appearance. Somehow that seemed the most tragic to him. How un-beautiful.

He startled as soft hands rested on his shoulders, fingers curling slightly in his soaked clothing as if wary of touching him. That's interesting.

He opened his eyes, and the first words he choked out made him believe he was still dreaming.

"Yona…dear…"

He must have been twisted, because Jae-ha could swear the young woman was kneeling at his side, large eyes wide and panicked. Was she worrying herself over him? Now that wouldn't do; he hated to think that this was how she would find him, unable to even protect himself from mere men.

"Jae-ha, are you all right? Zeno and the others said your presence felt strange, so we came to find you…"

Ah, yes—now that he paid attention, he could feel the others next to him as well. Even Hak was there. He supposed he wasn't dreaming.

I guess I can't help it, he thought as a warm hand laid itself on the side of his face. It was small, and calloused, and in his state he thought that it might as well have been worth the heat of a campfire. Even if these feelings are caused by the dragon's blood, I still can't help but to want to be by your side…

"Jae-ha!"

He considered himself lucky that he couldn't remember much of the next few hours, though most of what he could recall was punctuated by searing pain. His skin burned; so did his insides, and if no other thoughts were made coherent he could at least retain one of them:

I don't want her to see me like this.

In truth, he didn't want any of his companions to see him in such a state, but the thought of her watching him writhe in unconscious agony, reduced to a pathetic mess by virtue of a drug he had consumed of his own will, put a far fouler taste in his mouth.

And then, quite suddenly, he woke up.

Light was streaming into the room, and Jae-ha's first thought was that more than a day had passed. The ache in his joints and limbs was sufficient evidence, and the dryness of his mouth lent credence to his conclusion.

But then he glanced sideways, and the remaining moisture in his throat dried up for an entirely different reason.

"Yona dear…"

Indeed, the young woman was lying haphazardly at his side, her small hands clutching the fabric of the blanket that covered him. She had no covers of her own, and as far as he could tell had not bothered to so much as bathe or even move for at least a few hours.

How long has she been here…?

Yet even with her beautiful hair tousled and in her ungraceful position, he found she looked just as adorable as always.

She and the others found me, he recalled, frowning. I've caused her quite a bit of trouble, haven't I? So much for a noble dragon warrior…even if I've never relished the thought of being one, anyway.

Looking around, he realized that they were alone in the inn's room; Hak was probably on guard outside, and as for the other dragons, he felt their presence farther away, most likely coming from the town. Yun was either with them or Hak, so until one of them realized he was awake (or came to check on him), he and Yona would remain unbothered.

In reality, his thoughts were not so pure.

Hesitantly, he reached a hand towards the young woman's sleeping face, and it twitched when a finger skimmed across the soft skin of her cheek.

How careless of her, to fall asleep with a man like me nearby. You never know what someone might do to you at your most vulnerable—though, I can't entirely blame her. Thanks to Hak, she's become all but immune to this sort of thing. For his part, Jae-ha didn't have to try to imagine it. He brushed a lock of red hair out of her face, a small grin pulling at the corners of his mouth when she sighed in oblivious contentment.

But when she folded her hand into his and scooted closer to him, until their noses were barely an inch apart, he froze. She muttered something close to his ear, and among the scattered syllables he swore he could hear a noise that sounded suspiciously like his own name.

"Jae-ha…" she sighed, her hand squeezing his harder now.

His jaw tightened as her warm breath blew across his neck, and he shivered against her. Now that's not fair, Yona dear…

Against his better judgment, he angled his face towards hers, and he thought that she appeared angelic as she burrowed deeper into his side, her lips parted slightly in her slumber as he unconsciously leaned closer…

"…I'm sorry…"

He stopped in his tracks, the slight hitch in her voice causing his heart to swell and crack. With guilt pressing at him, he took the opportunity to stroke her hair—gently, so as not to wake her up.

Of course she blames herself, even though I was the one who chose to drink it—though she doesn't know that yet. If he had ever thought of omitting that part from his explanation, those inclinations were now banished from his mind. The thought of Yona blaming herself for him doing something so idiotic made him prefer death by Hak's blade—though he would never admit so out loud.

It's no wonder why the others and I feel this way. Even without the dragon's blood, I still…

"…Jae-ha?"

His hand halted its movement when he heard her voice, and his eyes snapped to hers, now open and looking up at him with obvious confusion. Relief quickly took its place, and then a light flush spread over her cheeks when she realized their position—her, practically burrowed into the blankets with him, and their faces angled in a particularly compromising way.

He couldn't help but to send her one of his usual tight-lipped grins. "Good morning, Yona dear. Have you been here all night?"

When he received no response, he glanced at her again, and what he saw in the depths of her eyes shook him to the core. It was a gaze so intense that it nearly made him forget to breathe, one as readable as it was watery, glazed over with a sheen of what he could guess was tears.

"You…" It was painful for him to hear the shaking present in her voice. The hand that wasn't clutching his reached up to caress his cheek, and his own voice seemed to vanish. "You're alright," she finally finished, smiling brightly up at him.

"Of course I am," he crooned. "You worry too much about us monsters. You should be more concerned for yourself. I just had a bit too much fun last night."

She frowned, and beneath her poorly constructed mask Jae-ha could see that she knew more than she let on. She all but confirmed it with her next line. "You were yelling, Jae-ha. It was awful. Hak said you were probably forced to take something…I was so worried, I didn't know what to do. And after I let you go off by yourself with barely a word! What kind of friend am I…?"

Hearing her sound so self-effacing was infinitely worse than he'd imagined. "The best kind, Yona dear. The kind who torments herself for her own perceived shortcomings—even if what happened is entirely not your fault. It was mine, so please, don't blame yourself. It's not very beautiful for you to be so sad."

"No."

He was taken aback by the sudden strength in her voice, and at the realization that her face had gotten even closer to his; he could count every one of her eyelashes from this distance.

"I may be weak, but I can at least say this much—I will never again let something so horrible happen to you. Never. Even if you say you're a monster, you and the others are still my comrades. You…you…I don't know what I would do without you, Jae-ha…"

This is dangerous. "Yona…this isn't fair, you know. Getting so close is bad for you…"

Her gaze was unrelenting. "I don't care. You and Hak are always trying to scare me away like that."

This really isn't the best time to bring up the Thunder Beast. His body seemed to be moving on its own as he leaned in, noting with barely-subdued satisfaction how her lips parted unconsciously. "In that case, Yona dear…"

He felt her shiver when his lips touched her throat, her hand tightening around his while the other found purchase on his shoulder.

"…Would you want me to scare you a little more?"

His tone was still playful, but he could sense the stiffness in her body, her hitched breath as his lips moved across the skin of her neck.

"J-Jae-ha?"

He pulled away and made eye contact; despite how nervous she sounded just now, he could see her flushed complexion, how her eyes shined more with curiosity than anxiety or fear, and he would be lying if he said it didn't thrill him.

"Just kidding," he said, sending her that same old smile. He made to pull away, would have happily done so and let his dream remain just that, if it weren't for the dream itself pulling him back.

Before he could process what happened, their lips had already met. His mind went blissfully blank for a few seconds, and in that span of time all he could see and feel was her and her lips and her arms that had wrapped around his back, holding him effectively hostage.

What is she doing?
She was obviously inexperienced; it seemed, beyond initiating a kiss, the young woman had no idea what else to do. This much he could have guessed based purely on principle.

But even so, it still took his breath away.

Perhaps it was because it was her who had started it, but when she pulled back, leaving him hovering in a compromising position above her, Jae-ha stayed there. He looked down at her wide eyes and gaping mouth, a laugh hovering on the tip of his tongue.

"That was dangerous, Yona dear," he purred, eyes narrowed as he leaned back down. Her hands clutched his back as he nestled himself back into the crook between her neck and shoulder. "What are you trying to do?"

"I—I don't know," she said breathlessly. "Just…don't leave."

He wanted to refuse her, because it would have been the proper thing to do. He'd done this before, with other girls, and it had never ended well—but then again, this was Yona, and she was with him, and even though he knew how silly she could be it was obvious that this wasn't like those times with Hak.

This was different.

So, when he placed a tentative, open-mouthed kiss on her neck, lightly applying suction to her pulse point, he allowed himself to feel her squirm beneath him and release a restrained gasp without too much guilt. He caressed the side of her face with one hand, the other already claimed by hers as she brought it down to rest on her hip.

He kissed her again, though this time it was lower, closer to her collarbone, and he relished the small sounds coming out of her mouth when he did.

"Jae-ha," she whispered, bending her legs at the knee and causing his eyes to widen when he saw what she had inadvertently done—he refused to believe it was on purpose. Her knees were touching his hips, and at this angle he could feel more of her than he'd ever thought he would receive the privilege to.

"Are you trying to kill me, Yona?" he teased, though the threat was very real.

She didn't say anything, but she moaned a bit when she shifted, unintentionally rubbing herself against him as she did. His eyes widened at the sound, but especially at her beet red complexion when she realized what she'd done.

"I'm sorry!" she whispered. "I didn't realize you were…"

She couldn't even finish the sentence.

"Should I stop?"

"…No."

She pulled him back down, and he continued kissing her, laving them on her chest and newly exposed shoulders but being careful not to remove any clothing. They were, after all, not entirely alone, but it was becoming increasingly easy to forget when she kept rubbing herself on him.

I should stop this.

He thought it over and over, while she whispered his name, and he still couldn't go through with it; not even when she held his hand in hers, sliding it across her body until he could feel the tips of his fingers graze her inner thigh.

The others will be back soon.

Even with that thought hovering on the edge of his awareness, Jae-ha still kept caressing her, swallowing her tiny gasps and moans as he stroked her.

Even when she went stiff beneath him, shaking at his ministrations, the most prominent thought in his mind was how beautiful she looked—the redness of her cheeks, her glassy, hooded eyes, her euphoric expression as she bit her lip, digging her nails harshly into his back, were all as erotic to him as anything he could have envisioned.

He decided then that, even if this were a dream, he would be happy to never wake up.

...Yeah. I hope you guys liked it. Sorry if the ending felt too abrupt, but I was going for a more stylistic approach and I hope it came across well. If not, I apologize. I appreciate all forms of support! Also, if you guys have any requests/recommendations for any other stories, please feel free to ask.

-Vicious Ventriloquist