Connected

Preparations

My eyes fluttered open and my eyes locked on those of the man sitting across from me. I blinked a couple times trying to get my eyes to focus as the Captain sat in front of me. His arms were crossed and his lips were pursed in thought.

"Sleep well?" I saw an eyebrow twitch up slightly at his question.

I shrugged my shoulders in response and put my hands in my lap. A move that he obviously saw, which prompted him to turn around in his seat and glare through the glass. No doubt Seo and Han would be getting a talking to when he was done with me.

He turned back around and rubbed a thumb on his temple. "You do understand that you have to go back in handcuffs, correct?"

I nodded, "The whole, still in an interrogation room, clued me in." I pointed a bit around the room.

He tilted his head a bit, clearly thrown by the sarcasm. "We can't move you to a detention center just yet either, since your presence was requested specially."

I picked at a loose thread on the blanket, "So, I'm stuck here another night?" Absent-mindedly I added a, "Woo."

"Your wit is very different this morning compared to last night."

"More like a defense mechanism for when I first wake up." I leaned forward and stared directly at him, "Plus, I'm not really a fan of having people stare at me while I sleep."

"And yet, here you were, completely passed out, knowing full well that Changbin and Jisung are right behind that glass." He smirked slightly and flashed his eyebrows.

I didn't take his dare lightly. "I wasn't that deep asleep. Also, Changbin?"

"Seo." It was his turn to lean forward, "Don't change the subject. You were snoring and drooling all over the table."

I narrowed my eyes, "I don't snore!"

"Like a lawnmower. Almost left for earplugs before you woke up."

"Fine, I was snoring a bit. Do you make a habit of staring at people while they sleep?"

"Occasionally." He grinned. "People are at their most vulnerable while they are asleep. You can learn a lot about people from how they sleep."

"That's weird." It was the only comeback I could think of.

"Oh no, don't tell me you're waking up? Your sarcasm is starting to slip."

I did the only thing I could think of... I stuck my tongue out. His jaw dropped and he sat back. Then he just started laughing.

"I can't believe you just did that! Are you five?"

I huffed and sat back, crossing my arms. "No," I mumbled in response as he continued to laugh. My eyes scanned the rest of the room, avoiding all eye contact as much as I could.

Eventually he slowed down, wiping a tear from his eyes. "I haven't laughed like that in a while thank you." He sighed, "Well, just came to tell you that you are sticking around for a bit more. Glad you slept well."

He stood up and began walking towards the door. "It must have been the blanket Jisung gave me."

He stopped, his back still to me as I continued, "I didn't even ask. He just got it for me. It was so comforting." I glanced up to the glass, hopefully making eye contact with Officer Han behind the glass.

"Really?" His tone was soft and low. With his back to me, I couldn't make out the emotion he was trying to convey.

"Yes. It was such a nice gesture."

"It definitely was."

I pressed on, going for the killing strike, hellbent on getting him back after his comment last night and what he had already said this morning. "It was actually the scent that was the most calming. My mind was racing, but the mint and citrus was calming and I fell asleep right away."