Stray Kids Comfort Collection

2.1 Hyunjin: Sleep Aid - Part Two

I inhaled, a familiar and comforting scent filling my senses, and I slowly opened my eyes as I woke up. Sweet brown orbs were already staring softly back at mine. I didn't even have to look down at his mouth to know that he was smiling. I couldn't help it; I smiled back.

"Hi." He whispered. The gentle words in the quietness of the morning enveloped us both.

"Hi." I whispered back, allowing my eyes to roam and take in the landscape of his bare face and his gaze.

"Call in to work. Spend the day with me." He suggested, bringing his fingers up to brush the stray strands of hair out of my face, tucking them behind my ear, and returning to caress the contour of my cheekbone.

I couldn't think around the tender affection. I could tell my body was begging for more time to rest now that it had a taste. A relaxing day with Hyunjin sounded like absolute heaven, so I nodded my answer.

His eyes lit up with my response. "Yeah?"

"Yes."

He smiled and drew his arms tighter around me, hugging me close and kissing my forehead. "Okay."

"Where's my phone?" I yawned.

He raised his arm over his head, his hand disappearing across the armrest to grab my phone from the end table. "I plugged it in before we fell asleep." He unplugged it without loosening his embrace around my back and handed it to me.

I spoke the command at my screen to call my workplace and waited for it to connect the call. The voice that answered was familiar, so I quickly explained that I would not be going in to work today and would need to take a sick day. They said they would relay it to who needed to know, said goodbye, and hung up.

With a deep, contented sigh, I handed the phone back to Hyunjin, who quickly placed it back on the end table, and I closed my eyes again, melting back into the cushions and the warmth that radiated from his body. "Thank you again."

"Did you sleep well?" He rested his cheek against my forehead. His hand unconsciously rubbed soothing circles across my back. It was almost hypnotic.

I hummed a 'yes' as I focused on the path of his hand, drawing me mentally down again like a weighted blanket. "If you keep doing that, I'm going to go back to sleep."

His soft laughter made me smile, and he slowly stopped the hand movement. "Do you want to sleep some more? Or do you want me to order breakfast and make some plans?"

"Those are my only options?" I asked.

There was a beat of silence before I suddenly squealed and burst into laughter. Hyunjin had wrapped himself around me and was tickling me mercilessly. I knew he had built up his strength from working out, but I never imagined he was strong enough to hold on to my fighting frame the way he was. It was quite surprising, and I would have to appreciate it later since I was struggling to free myself and breathe at the same time. We nearly toppled off the couch. He stopped just as quickly as he started, his full laughter drowning out my gulps of air to catch my breath. His eyes were alight with triumphant mischief while I'm sure mine were ablaze with disdain.

"Your laugh is one of the most beautiful sounds to me. It makes me feel alive, especially when it's me making you sound that way." He closed his mouth, pressing his lips together to let his giggles escape through his nose.

"I feel the same way about you." I confessed. I couldn't resist the way his eyes sparkled down at me, and I gave in to the joy that emanated from him. A smile spread across my face, softening my expression.

Our eyes locked. My breathing hitched as I felt his arms tighten and squeeze me, and his legs shift to tangle and rub against mine comfortably. I looked down at his lips, how they relaxed and slowly parted, then back up to his eyes. There was gentle familiarity in them that told me that I was safe with him. We were longtime friends. In our familiarity and comfort over the years, we'd shared affectionate pecks on the lips. Nothing romantic. However, the charged air between us spoke of a hope for something more.

He slowly leaned forward and brushed his lips against mine, testing the moment. I breathed him in–my trusted friend, my Hyunjin–and leaned into the whisper-soft caress. My lips melted into his. He pulled away with a shaky breath and a hint of hesitancy in his eyes. I smiled encouragingly at him and nodded for him to continue. He kissed me again, and his limbs drew me even closer when I opened to let the tip of my tongue tease his. His sharp inhale told me that he wasn't expecting this from me, much like how I hadn't expected him to want to cross this line either. Yet here we were, melding together from head to toe on my couch all thanks to my insomnia and his generous caring. The kiss was serene, neither of us in a rush or being carried away with reckless passion. We explored each other's mouths and lips at leisure.

I'd lost all sense of time in the moment and had no idea how long or short we had been kissing. Eventually, he drew away, taking a long, deep breath. He pressed a short, sweet kiss on my nose and sighed contentedly.

"Breakfast?"

No one could have wiped the smile off my face. "Yes. Breakfast, please. And coffee."

"I can do that." He stretched with a groan and grabbed his phone off the end table near mine. Several minutes later, with a nod, he put his phone back where he had grabbed it from. "Okay, done. So, now what?"

My eyes drifted back to his kiss-swollen lips. I wanted them on mine again, but I wanted to respect his taking the lead on crossing that line. "I... um..." My mind blanked when he drew his bottom lip between his teeth and let it slide out. I sigh escaped me.

He smirked and laughed, the sound soft and blanketing. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Kiss me like that again? Because you have my permission. Anytime. Always. Yes. Forever. Amen." I rambled, and my gaze was broken when he threw his head back and shook us both with his hard belly laugh. He shook his head and looked back at me, laughing even more. I couldn't help but join him.

With a bright smile, he leaned forward and enveloped my mouth with his once more with the same controlled pace and balance of push and pull between us. But this time, there was a peaceful joy that surrounded us. It was as if he was sharing his life energy with me, infusing his heart into me. When we pulled away for air a little while later, he took his time to kiss tenderly up my jawline and then to the sensitive pad of flesh on my neck below my ear.

I hissed a gasp into the room. "Hyunnie..."

He chuckled breathily against the same spot and pressed one more soft kiss there. "Just seeing how much I can get away with."

"Take a girl on a date first." I lightly panted.

His laugh was interrupted by my doorbell. "Breakfast and coffee are here." He pecked me swiftly on the cheek and untangled himself from me to sit up and stand from the couch to go answer the door.

Watching his form walk away, hair mussed from sleep and my hands, was my chance to dissolve into a puddle. If i could have melted into the couch cushions, I would. There was no going back now, and I wasn't feeling any semblance of regret for making out with Hyunjin. Kissing him and being held by him were everything. That was only twice, and I was already addicted.

"Come eat, Jagiya." He called from where he was setting everything out on the table.

I sat up and beamed at him. "On my way."