As dazed and heated as he feels, Serpico has just enough presence of mind to flinch when he hears the metallic clack of his sword. But there's not much room for him to pull away -- when he jerks his head aside with a muffled grunt, Lon'qu's too quick to close the distance between them once more, clacking teeth off teeth before biting into his lip. The best he can manage is to grope at Lon'qu's forearm, clumsily trying to stall his movements.

He's immediately relieved when the sword only tears through his clothes, especially because it somehow feels right to expose himself like this. His chest rises in a hard gasp the instant he's allowed a moment to breathe, and Serpico smiles dryly as he glances down at his ruined clothes.

"These were probably worth months of your pay --"

And then he suddenly shoves Lon'qu at armslength, much harder than might have been expected. Because looking down like this, he's caught sight of the strange mark on his abdomen, which should not be there. Serpico's frozen in shock for a split second before he looks up at Lon'qu, his gaze fierce and sharp. A far cry from the gormless, innocent look he'd been wearing until now.

"-- what about you?"

He yanks hard at Lon'qu's clothes, trying to get past the unfamiliar folds and ties. Mostly to see if Lon'qu's also been inflicted with that strange mark. But he can't deny that seeing bared flesh doesn't send a hot thrill down his spine.