VARSITY 9 | VOLUME II | BL

TWENTY-FOUR

Warmth. Safety. Comfort. Wen was ushered awake by a comforting warmth he had never felt before. Mmm, I like this... Though he had not realized what was creating the cozy and safe sensation, Wen was all for it. He had not slept that well in a few months and was grateful for the relaxation and rest that came along with the cozy warmth.

A soft breath rustling his hair caused Wen to open his eyes slowly. After blinking his blue and silver orbs a few times to adjust to the morning light, Wen realized he was flush against Kean's chest. Oh...so this is why it's so warm... Now that the heat source had been discovered, Wen's lips curled into a soft smile, and he snuggled closer into the kyro.

Kean, whom Wen knew was a heavy sleeper, instinctively tightened his hold around Wen when he felt the arlex move into him. Wen's cheeks heated slightly when he recalled just why he had been able to sleep so soundly through the night. The arlex's heart sped in his chest, but he was not embarrassed of it as he had been in the past. Instead, he smiled to himself and enjoyed the comfort he found within the kyro's embrace.

Wen remained still against Kean for a half hour longer before deciding it was time for the two to get ready for class. "Kean, Kean." Wen began with calling the kyro's name softly before advancing to tapping Kean's chest and eventually shaking the kyro's shoulder. However, nothing seemed to be working. "Dammit, why do you have to sleep like a freaking rock?"

Once his gentle methods had been exhausted, Wen lifted the hand cuffed to Kean's and placed his hand on either side of Kean's lips and squeezed the kyro's cheeks while calling out, "Yekean Li!"

Luckily for Wen, Kean's eyes popped open in reaction to his full name and the pressure on his cheeks. Wen could not help but chuckle at Kean as the kyro stared at him with wide eyes and squished cheeks. Cute.

"Good morning," Wen bid with a smile while releasing his hold on Kean's face.

"Morning," Kean returned, still slightly confused as to what was happening. "Did you sleep okay?" Kean inquired when he had processed Wen's method of waking him.

"Mm, thanks to you," Wen returned flirtatiously while gazing into Kean's dark red orbs.

"That's good," Kean returned with a soft smile. The kyro then brought his cuffed hand to his face and mimicked Wen's hold on his cheeks. "Was this the only way to wake me up?" Kean asked with a light chuckle.

"Mm hm," Wen answered with a small nod. "I had tried nicer ways, but..."

"No worries," Kean responded with a slight chuckle, assuring the arlex he was unhurt with a small smile. "Its not your fault I sleep like a rock. Thanks for waking me up. We're not late, are we?"

"If we don't get up now, we will be," Wen answered honestly after turning to check the holographic clock floating on his nightstand. He had wanted Kean to get as much rest as was possible before waking him and had gotten sucked into admiring the kyro, so he had not realized how much time had passed until Kean posed the question.

"We'd better hurry, then," Kean said as he reached his free hand to the cuffs that linked the two. "Think we can shower in under ten minutes?"

Kean's question nearly caused Wen to laugh. The arlex's confidence was high as he answered, "Easily. We're guys. We don't have much to clean."

Cocking a brow and tilting his head to the side, Kean sat up in the bed and flirtatiously replied, "Well...we'll see about that." Before Wen could process what he had just said, Kean triggered the release of their cuffs and said, "Ten minutes starting now," before picking Wen up and setting the arlex on his lap.

Wen's eyes widened when he felt himself straddling the kyro's waist. "Kean-!" The arlex's exclamation was cut off by Kean entrapping Wen's lips in his and giving the arlex a deep, passionate kiss.

Wen's eyes fluttered closed, and his body melted in reaction to Kean's touch. The way Kean caressed his waist and pulled him close lit a spark within Wen, and he knew the ten minutes were not going to be enough. Ohhh, shit...we're not going to make it on time...

+++++

While Kean and Wen made good use of their ten minutes, Lay was making Liyam very worried. Liyam woke to Lay shivering in the bed, and when he placed his hand against the lyr's forehead, Liyam quickly determined Lay had a fever. Being a lyr, Lay was naturally cold-natured and, thus, was more prone to catching a virus. If Liyam had been a kyro, the heat from his body would easily offset Lay's cool nature and keep the lyr safe in the night. But, since Liyam was a dion, he was not much help in this area.

However, Liyam was a decent cook. So, after carefully lifting Lay and holding the lyr in his arms, Liyam got to work. Being ambidextrous and naturally talented when it came to hand-eye coordination, Liyam made easy work of steeping tea and cooking up some congee with only his less dominant hand available.

Even though Liyam was not a kyro, he did have a higher heartrate, and, thus, he did emit more body heat than was normal for a dion. This came to Lay's rescue as he waited for the tea to finish steeping. Liyam made sure to hold Lay close to his chest to allow the lyr to absorb as much heat as he could while the congee was cooking.

"How you doing, little lyr?" Liyam asked quietly as he added a bit of honey into the herbal tea.

"Sleepy," Lay answered as he leaned into Liyam's chest.

"'Mkay, we'll go back to bed once you've had some congee. For now, drink some tea. It will warm you up." Taking the mug of steaming tea along with two fever reducing tablets, Liyam carefully made his way to the large sofa stationed in the center of the living area to the left of the kitchen.

Keeping the mug as steady as he could while sitting down, Liyam offered the warm cup to Lay once the two were situated. Taking the fever reducers, Lay plopped the pills into his mouth before washing them down with a sip of hot tea. A small smile came to the lyr's lips as he felt the hot tea warm his throat and chest.

"The pills will make you pretty drowsy, so I think we'll have to take a rain check on class today," Liyam said as he took the mug from Lay and set it on the stand stationed beside the couch.

Hearing Liyam's words, Lay's eyes widened slightly. "Don't let me make you miss class. We should reach out to Coach Jeon and see if-"

"It's alright," Liyam assured Lay as he set his hand on the lyr's head and patted him gently. "I'm sure Wen will share his notes. And they record the lectures, so we can watch them when you feel better."

Lay released a small breath of relief, and he nodded in agreement. "Okay. Let me message our profs then."

"No need, dear. I did that while the tea was steeping."

Lay's cheeks unintentionally blushed when he heard Liyam call him 'dear'. He had noticed that the dion had been calling him endearing terms for a few weeks now. And while Lay had never replied to them or addressed it, the red in his cheeks told Liyam all he needed to know.

"Did you like that, dear?"

Liyam doubling down on the nickname caused Lay to fight to hide the smile that crept onto his lips. "Did-did I like what?" Even though Lay pretended to not know what Liyam was referring to, the dion knew Lay was purposefully playing dumb. So, he did not press it and merely smiled gently at the male in his arms.

When a few moments of silence had passed between the two, Lay thanked Liyam for his care. "Thank you for everything: the tea, congee, messaging our profs, your warmth... You're too good to me, Liyam."

Liyam's dark green eyes softened at Lay's words, and he gazed into Lay's dark blue eyes before voicing genuinely, "You deserve so much, Lay. You are kind and caring and love everyone even though they may not deserve it."

The dion's words took Lay by surprise. He had never heard Liyam speak so deeply and so genuinely. This was a side of Liyam he had yet to see, and it intrigued him greatly. He wanted to know more about the dion and uncover the gem that lied beneath Liyam's rough façade. So, when he said, "I want to know you, Liyam," he meant it. "I want to know what no one else knows; I want to explore you like you've never been explored and uncover your every detail and want."

"Will you let me know you...?"