Not Quite a Prince || Eric Sohn

~ 62 ~

Dayeong woke up to the feeling of Juyeon's arm around her waist. She could vaguely hear his alarm going off and groaned in annoyance as he reached to turn it off, and then his arm was around her again, holding her close to him. Her hands grasped the material of his shirt as she pulled herself closer to him. 

"I want to wake up like this every morning," he murmured into her hair. She curled her body against his, nodding in agreement. 

"Soon," she said, with more confidence than she felt. 

He kissed her forehead, which she took as agreement as well.

"I'd kiss you, but I feel like we should both brush our teeth first," she mumbled into his chest, making him laugh. "What time is it?" she asked him. 

"Five. I set the alarm early so that I wouldn't be caught leaving but... um... who's your guard right now?" 

Dayeong dragged a hand across her face. "You better wait two hours. Chan takes the shift at seven, and I'd rather keep our relationship a secret from as many people as possible. It's safer that way." 

"He's going to kill me when he finds out I stayed the night," Juyeon grumbled, his fingers playing with her hair. 

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," she giggled, playing with one of the buttons on his shirt. She unbuttoned one, and then the other. 

"What are you doing?" he asked, and when she looked up at him there was amusement flickering in his eyes. 

"Mind your business," she said, wrinkling her nose at him as she buttoned his shirt up again. 

"How are you going to protect me from Chan?" he said softly, cupping her face with both hands as he looked at her. 

"Are you doubting my skills right now?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. 

"Never," he said, pulling her towards him so that her head rested on his chest again. She could hear the soft beating of his heart, and even though it was cheesy, she imagined that his heart was beating in time with hers. The thought made her smile. 

"Honestly, I'd trust you with my life," he said, sounding so serious that she couldn't help peering up at him. 

"I wouldn't," she said. "I don't think I'm capable of protecting anyone." 

"I think you're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for," Juyeon told her, gently resting his chin on the top of her head. "But I mean it. I trust you with my life. You, my parents, and Eric are the people I trust the most. You're the people I know who love me the most. I'd even throw Chanmi in there as an honorable mention. You all love me, in different ways, but I know you do. So I trust you guys the most."

Dayeong smiled, cuddling into his chest. "I would protect you with my life," she said after a moment. "I really think I would." 

"I hope you won't," Juyeon whispered. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me." 

"And in the same sense, I wouldn't want you to get hurt because of me." 

"I really love you," Juyeon told her. "A lot." 

"I know," she said softly. "I love you too. More than you even know."