Letters From The Sky (JoongNine AU)

Chapter 22

Nine

"Nine, are you asleep?", I could hear the puppy's voice asking me, for the fifth time in an hour.

"How to be asleep, when you keep being an annoying bee, Joong?", I said it liked I was annoyed, but actually I was entertained by his show of clinginess.

"I won't be, if you just come back to this bed where I could hold you".

"And then what? That is a single patient's bed, you or I will break our back sleeping on our sides for the whole night. I love you, but I would rather sleep on this sofa instead. I'm not that tall, so it is comfortable enough".

"Not that tall! tsk! Just don't want to admit that you're little...". I could hear him mumbled. I snorted. He was sulking, and just keep finding a point to bug me. "You know Nine, I thought that if I was sick, you would be more...".

"More what?", I asked while rising my eyebrows, just to provoked him. Is this a sickness, to provoke him just because he looked too cute; sulking? A handsome, rugged looking face; acting liked a baby, it is really hard to keep my face straight, when all I want is to kiss those lopsided angry lips to a smile.

"Nothing!", he said curtly and turned to the other side after that, covering himself with the blanket. I sighed and stood from the sofa, getting up into the bed again. No more visitors, this late at night. So, more or less, I didn't have to jump out of the bed again; an action that almost made me lose my footing and might be the next patient in bed.

"Aren't you warm, can you breathe?", I asked while circling my hand on his waist. My chin was landing on his shoulder, trying to coo him out of his cocoon, talking softly. Joong didn't answer and stubbornly stayed in the same position. I laughed a little, and trying to pull the blanket away a little. I managed to reveal his head. His eyes were tightly close, he was huffing, trying to control his breathing, he must be, because my weight was almost on half of his back. I kissed his ear and cheek then tried to turned his face towards mine by holding his chin firmly, to no avail. Gad! So stubborn. His resistance only fuelled my effort more.

I use my strength to turned him and at once sat across his torso immediately, causing him to take in a surprised breath and opened his eyes.

"You said this isn't home, but what you are doing now is not helping, Nine", he said tightly.

"You left me no choice, I couldn't talk with a statue, could I?", I said while bending and holding both his hands with mine on the side of his pillow.

"When I talked, I was a bee, when I finally stop talking, I'm now a statue. There's no pleasing you. If you don't mind, I think I'm going to sleep". Oh...he was not just sulking, he was angry. I let go of my hold and held his face between my palms, my thumbs were softly caressing his prominent cheekbones. His eyes were cold, but he didn't push me away or be aggressive. He was waiting for me to move. I bent down and kissed him slowly, to ease the tightness of his lips away. Although he was angry, still, slowly, he kissed me back. I was relieved.

"I'm sorry, don't be angry. I just want to tease you a bit, because you're cute when you sulk", I told him with a smile and pinched both sides of his cheeks. His serious look still not subsided.

"Sometimes, I thought about the ideal lover, liked what most love story always shown...", he said and then looked at me quietly. His words almost made me feel like I had been a let-down, in a way. I took a deep breath, nodded and about to move, but halted when he held my wrists and then continued, "but...rather than have a damn perfect lover, I would want every part of you just liked this; you who challenged me and also relent, who made me mad and calm me down after, who play with my sanity and then keep me grounded too. Even if you leave me, Nine, I don't think I would find someone else after...because, I don't want to replace these memories; that will be replayed back in my mind; with anything new".

I looked at him with a painful heart; because such words only brought me back to him of the past; the him that I left and became just liked what he just said.

"Didn't you promise that if I accept your everything; you will live well too, after us? Then why do you still think that way, Joong? It will only make the separation harder", my voice was almost a whisper.

"Then...don't leave me, please, I beg you...", his eyes were pleading, hopeful.

I kept my lips tight. I couldn't give him the answer that he needed. I couldn't say an empty promise to something that I knew, would eventually happen. I pulled my hands away from his hold that had slackened when I didn't answer.

I put my palm on his beating heart, brought his palm towards mine, and then solemnly said, "I can't promise not to, Joong. I'm so sorry. But, I promise, that as long as we are together, I will love you till you feel more than enough; to overflow. We will sometimes fight, be mad at each other over foolish things, but, just know that I won't ever be out of love with you...".

I could see the sadness that he was trying to hold back, his throat gulping a few times. Then, he tried to put up a smile, and said, "Well then, I shall be a bee...and annoyed you so much. Let see if you could still be in love with me". I smiled because I knew he was just saying that to play hard to get, since he was still sulking.

"And Nine..."

"Yes?"

"I love you, but, I think...ermm...maybe it's time for you to get up from there, it's too...ah...distracting". My eyes widened, as I just realized how it was too.

"Aii Joong!", I said, slapped his chest in embarrassment, and immediately removed myself before things got worse.