Like Magic *Book Two*

*Like Magic*

Jackson POV

Snow fell outside the window, blanketing the house in a layer of calm. I watched from the warm cacoon of Seungmin's bed as the fat flakes floated toward earth, a feeling of pleasant melancholy flowing though me. My eyes turned toward the alarm clock which read:

10:15 am

I had slept late, again- exhausted from the night before. I stretched, allowing the blankets to fall down my body as I sat up in bed, careful not to wake Seungmin, who slept peaceful, curled into the pillows next to me. I smiled, allowing myself to touch his cheek with the pad of my thumb, grateful he had been able to spend my last night in Korea just the two of us. Minho and Jisung had insisted and though our Valentine's day had been thoroughly... erotic, after dinner we parted back as two couples, content to spend a romantic evening in our original pairings.

I extracted myself from the warm mounds of bedding, padding to the bathroom to shower. I had a few hours before my flight and we had planned on lunch with everyone before my boyfriends saw me off at the airport. I stepped into the shower, letting the heat seep into me, reviving me. I replayed the last weeks in my head, pretending not to notice when a tear slid down my cheek and coalesced with the droplets, lost in the rush of water down the drain. I toweled off, tossing my toiletry case into my suitcase, and dressed- still not making Seungmin stir.

He was exhausted and had earned his beauty rest. I shrugged on my shirt- the last piece of my outfit and went to him, sinking down on the bed beside him. He faced away from me, his mouth slightly open as he dreamt, and I pulled the blankets tighter around his sleeping form- covering the marks still fading from our evening together. Once he had realized I was capable of being rough with him, he had begged me until I agreed to flog him.

It was a whole new level of trust we put into each other- silent communication and following his cues by instinct. Minho and Ji had been educating me on the finer points of BDSM and I felt that I had done them proud- the scratch marks on Minnies back from the cat of nine tails that resided innocently on the nightstand still pink- not too deep, thankfully. I had been more than apprehensive about using it on him- it seemed like too close an act of punishment.

But, since his night with Minho, he had declared he wanted to try to reenact certain events from his past with that scumbag Woojin, and replace them with similar acts with the three of us in more positive, consensual circumstances.

My fingers lightly trailed over the array of marks, causing him to shift in his sleep. He had thanked me after, as I held him to my chest- his tears drying on my skin. When I'd asked him if it had hurt, his response had been. "Pain can be pleasure. Pain can be healing- as long as it's with you."

I didn't understand it from the same perspective as him, but I did know that emotional pain, inflicted on myself could turn into something beautiful, safe and more pleasurable than the world could have ever enlightened me to otherwise.

I left him to his rest and descended down the stairs, hoping to see my other two favorite people.

I was not disappointed.

Jisung sat on the counter of the breakfast bar, wearing an oversized shirt of Minho's. His legs were bare- no doubt still in what he had slept in. Minho stood between his legs, his hands resting on Ji's hips and his mouth moved along the soft skin of his neck, making Jisung sigh, high and breathy in an effort to keep quiet.

I said nothing- content to find a quiet spot and watch their moment unfold. We'd all been together, yes- but this... watching them in their natural habitat, lost in the feel of each other was enchanting.