Healing (KTH, featuring KNJ)

Chapter 35

Normally Clara would have let Taehyung sleep all night, but as each minute passed she became increasingly excited to wake him. They had spent so much time apart, she wanted nothing more than to talk with him, cuddle up tight, and bask in his love. She planned to let him sleep for two hours, but when an hour and a half had passed she found herself already making a plan to wake her exhausted bedmate.

First she gently removed herself from his arm. Then she gently crawled on top of him, one leg straddling each side of his abdomen. Taehyung started to move a bit but stilled again quickly. Clara began exploring his face and his neck with her kisses. She'd rarely had the opportunity to do such a thing. Taehyung loved to explore her with his lips, leaving her almost no opportunities to reciprocate. But she'd been hoping for an opportunity like this so she could trace his beautiful jawline with her affection.

It didn't take Taehyung long to begin to wake up under her roaming lips. He grabbed her tight against him and with a deep morning voice he jokingly scolded, "Hey, what are you doing?"

Clara rested her head on his shoulder while he rubbed her back. "That was a very nice way to wake up," Taehyung assured her. "I'm looking forward to experimenting with other possibilities."

At this Clara flushed. She was so easily made shy. Which reminded her of something she wanted to talk about. Shuffling off Taehyung's chest she maneuvered herself so she could see his eyes more easily.

"Taehyung, does it bother you that I am so shy? Tell me the truth. From what little I've heard about other girls you've dated they were not very shy. And certainly none of the other members' girlfriends are shy. Do you worry that I'm not quite the right person for you and your lifestyle?"

Taehyung gave Clara a serious look as he replied. "If I told you it was one of the things I loved most about you, would you believe me?" Clara's eyes widened in surprise.

"Clara, you are perfect. And your shyness is part of you. I hadn't really thought about it until I met you, but there are so many great things about your shyness. First, it makes it easier for me to separate my persona in BTS from my private life. You don't want to be in the public eye, and honestly I don't want to share you with anyone. What we have is Clara and Taehyung not V and Clara. And I always want it to stay that way. The fact that you don't want to be in the public just makes it so much easier to accomplish that."

"And one other thing you should understand. While I know I don't always do the best job of it, I love the feeling I get from taking care of you. If you were very independent and outgoing it might be harder to find ways to do that, particularly because we don't spend as much time together as we'd both prefer. But your shyness gives me lots of small opportunities to do things for you. Even little things like answering the door and collecting the bag from the delivery driver."

"And personally I think you are absolutely adorable just the way you are. Don't get me wrong, you are a beautiful woman. And I love that you are smart and capable. But honestly I am so charmed by your shyness that I just want to protect and love you. But I also like that I alone get to explore how to break through that shyness, particularly physically. I love your shy sweetness in those interactions because it makes me feel good to know that you trust me enough to let me, and only me, in."

"Speaking of which, Clara. Tonight I want to make love to you." As Taehyung expected, Clara hid her face as soon as these words came from his mouth, but he could feel her nodding yes against his chest. "My beautiful girl, today and tomorrow are going to be such good days. But before anything else it is time to get some dinner and get serious about our homework. When your father asks me about it tomorrow I'm not going to be the one telling him that we didn't get it done because you were too busy pinning me to the bed."

Clara slapped Taehyung's chest and huffed in mock irritation at Taehyung using her own words against her. But she was looking forward to what the evening and night would bring.