Work For Your Affection (BakuTodo)

hand holding, again

At some point during the night, Icyhot rolls on top of me and buries his face in my neck. I don't mind. He's not heavy. Plus, our bodies pressed against each other like this keeps me warm. My arms circle around his waist, locking him in place so he doesn't fall over.

I wake up before he does. His breathing tickles my neck but I bear it so we don't have to separate. I distract myself by allowing one hand to wander his back while the other cradles his head, lacing my fingers through his impossibly soft hair. He purrs in his sleep, directly against my skin. My heart jumps from how cute his little noises are.

When Icyhot finally opens his eyes, he lifts his head up to look at me. Our cheeks brush against one another in the process. The side of my face goes numb at the smooth texture of his skin.

Our faces are close, noses on the brink of touching. Sunlight creeping through the window shines on his angelic face, his blue eye in particular brightening to the most irresistible cerulean. Damn. He's so pretty that it hurts.

He smiles. "Morning."

I smile back. "Hi."

I glide my hand through his hair again. It's too damn soft for me not to touch it. I work my way down and massage the back of his ear with my thumb. His eyes close, only to open them when I pull my hand away, as if he's chasing my touch. To give him what he wants, I cup the side of his face and brush my thumb against it. My smile widens as I internally squeal at how chubby his cheek is.

"Did you sleep well?" I mumble.

"Yeah," he says. "You?"

I nod before leaning forward, pressing my forehead to his. "I don't want to get up, but I need to get ready for class."

Icyhot's hand trails down my side. When he reaches my hip, he gives it a squeeze. "Me too. But I can meet you outside your room later so we can walk to breakfast together. If you want, of course."

My gaze shifts from his eyes, to his nose, then ultimately landing on his lips. "Sounds perfect."

*

I hold the door open for Icyhot as we exit the dorms. He offers a smile of gratitude, and I almost walk into a lamppost because I'm too busy smiling back at him to pay attention.

He hasn't brought it up yet. I keep waiting for him to, but he doesn't. Maybe he's planning on going over our arrangement tonight.

Well, I don't want to wait until tonight. Call me selfish, but I need more of Icyhot. And I need him now.

"So," I say, "are we going back to our regular deal tonight?"

He stops walking and stares at me. "You mean having me do your homework? Sure, I'm fine with that."

I sigh in relief. "Good."

We continue walking, but the conversation doesn't pick up. This is like pulling teeth. Why does someone so adorable have to be so damn clueless?

I tilt my head down. "Are you, uh, gonna give me a task to do?"

He blinks twice. "Do you want me to?"

I shrug. "Just figured you'd want to."

That sweet smile blesses his face once more. "Okay."

Then, without warning, he slides his hand into mine.

Yes. Fuck yes.

Out of everything he could've picked, this is the one I wanted the most. I've missed this so much, his delicate little hand wrapped around mine. We've only been walking like this for a few seconds and I already feel livelier. Like I can conquer the world or something.