"Don't get up. Please."
A phone still shrilled from the other side of the bed; you had half-risen to silence it, Jumin's arm heavy around your waist. He hadn't shown any sign of squelching the incessant noise, instead wrapping himself more protectively around you.
"Jumin—the phone."
"Please."
The vast darkness in your husband's eyes encapsulated your will to go anywhere, and soon diminished it entirely; with sudden ease, you relented and melted back into his sweet embrace. He tangled his legs with yours, waiting out the ringtone (a specialized tone for Jaehee) before speaking again.
"Why are you so eager to get up? Are you uncomfortable?"
In your arms? Never.
Too embarrassed to utter the words aloud, you settled back with a meek, "I'm comfortable. But Jaehee wouldn't call so early unless it was something urgent."
Light pushed its way in from behind the heavy, luxurious curtains, a mysterious pooling over Jumin's features. You studied the wonderfully sculpted planes of his face while he reached quietly for an answer, eyes closed, delayed by the blanket of a recent slumber.
"Nothing could be as urgent as the time I need to spend with my wife. I have the rest of the day to attend to matters pertaining to work, but this hour is completely yours."
He might as well have hooked jumper cables to your arteries; your heartbeat kicked up several notches, color racing to your cheeks. This was the reason you fell in love with this cat-obsessed, 'robotic' man—the words filled with love he so easily threw at you, the gentle caress, the expression in his eyes: this very moment.
Jumin allowed a small smile to tug at the corners of his lips, understanding conveyed through the fingers now trailing across your cheekbone, down your neck, the slope of your shoulder. His eyes followed the path, solemnly, until they flashed up to suddenly lock with yours. Electrified, you stilled, watching him drift closer, until there was a mere breath between your lips—
And the phone jolted you back from your intimate encounter.
You laughed at the incredulity on Jumin's face. "Alright, let me see what she wants."
"No."
The grip on your waist was more possessive this time; you lifted an eyebrow at the man, amused by his intended bedridden ferocity. All he achieved was a guilty morning-after glare, hair beautifully mussed from the night before. You took one last moment to soak in the sight before deftly maneuvering out of his grasp, reaching the bedside and picking up the phone.
"Elizabeth, my own (Name) has betrayed me," Jumin grumbled to the cat now replacing your side of the bed, her white head bobbing sympathetically. She mewled as he carded his fingers through her thick fur, a thunderous purr resonating from her chest; the gentle sight gave your heart a twist, almost distracting your entirely from Jaehee's heated rebuttal. Pulling yourself away from the picture, you focused on the assistant's urgent rambling until she was finished, pacing the room and pulling on a shirt you left on the ground. Elizabeth III gained a sudden interest in your restlessness, jumping away from Jumin's doting hand and weaving around your legs.
"I'm a repellent for all sorts of women, it seems," your husband sulked, eyeing the silky Persian still at your feet, very much the victim. You had finally hung up and returned the phone to the nightstand, yourself to Jumin's waiting arms. He received you without hesitance, though the exasperation in his face was loud enough.
"What did assistant Kang want?"
"You've got a meeting today with some big corporation at three."
"Which big corporation?" he inquired, now amused. It seemed he read the contents of your mind; you had been too preoccupied admiring Jumin at first to listen to poor Jaehee. Blushingly, you fired back, "A big one. Why don't you call your assistant back and ask her yourself instead of talking through me again? Be considerate, Jumin."
"Oh? You always get riled like this when you're embarrassed." He caged your chin with strong, capable fingers. "I think I quite like it."
Half-exasperated, half-aroused, you refuted him again. "Don't try to charm me out of this. Listen, would you?" Pushing away his invasive fingers didn't help much; they found comfort in the curve of your waist instead, growing warm there.
"I always listen to you. Your voice is beautiful, you know that?" Jumin laid his forehead on yours.
"Who taught you to sweet-talk like this?"
"I am naturally like this."
"First time I've seen the natural Jumin in the four years we've been married, then," you giggled, giving in to the mirthfulness of his gaze. He was right. Mornings were to cherished, and Jaehee would have plenty of time to recite the message in an hour's time.
When you had said just so, Jumin hummed in approval, finally relaxing into the bed again, his touch losing some of its possessive tension. The air around you buzzed a little less (to your disappointment), and the world was no more than the two of you breathing in sync, murmuring quiet, intermittent, sweet-nothings.
