After Happy Ever After

002. Breakfast in Bed

Breakfast in Bed
Yoojung X Yihwan / Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson
907 words

Written for #RCReadathon2020 Prompt & Pairing Please Challenge. Yoojung and Yihwan are characters from a book entitled Play It By Ear.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Yihwan's sleepy six a.m. drawl was so dangerously low, it caused an inconvenient stirring in Yoojung's loins. The way his arm was draped over her bare stomach did not help, but wriggling out of her boyfriend's embrace, she found, was not an effective way to escape this predicament.

"I have two more songs to do choreo for."

"You can do it here."

"Jagi...bed choreography is not something we wanna showcase at the concert."

His soft chuckle tickled her shoulder, making her smile. She then felt Yihwan's lips on her skin—tender and warm (and tempting) like the rest of him.

"I'm not saying do it in bed," he said, obviously keeping himself from letting out a mischievous laugh. "We have a studio here, you know. I can move stuff around so you'll have enough space to move."

"Don't you need to rehearse?"

"Not today."

Yoojung turned to face him, cupping his stubbly jaw in her hand. His impossibly long lashes fluttered slowly as he tried to stay awake for this conversation. Ugh, infuriating. "Is your word the 'law of the land' over here?"

His perfect lips curled up into a lazy smile. "Most days."

Smiling too, she closed the gap between their faces and kissed him. Because she wanted to. Because in this little bubble they shared, she could.

It made her laugh when Yihwan's reflexes failed him, making him whine when she pulled away before he could catch her lips. His sleepy face contorted with a cute frown, lips puckered and waiting for a second helping. Who knew this brooding band leader was capable of aegyo?

Tell any EG Project fan that Jo Yihwan was capable of whining and pouting and they'll straight up say you're lying. Uri leadernim doesn't do aegyo, they'd say.

Oh, if they only knew.

Except this was something Yoojung wanted to keep to herself. This, and many other little things that endeared him to her more every day.

"All right, I'll stay," she mumbled, nuzzling against his chest. The smile on her face grew when Yihwan wrapped his leg around hers and pulled her body flush against his.

She felt safest in his arms like this. Happiest in his presence. Most amused when she'd wake up in the middle of the night and see him sleeping with his mouth open. Or when he'd wear his shirts inside-out at the dorm and didn't really care to put it back on the right way because he already got lost in the music he was making.

And yet, here, she was most vulnerable, too.

One year into dating, her knees still turned to jelly when they kissed, her heart fragile when he gazed at her with those thoughtful brown eyes. Yoojung wasn't certain when she'd get used to how Yihwan would utter her name: with a wistful smile wrapped around it, like he was her favorite song and he was singing it during an encore.

"I'll make your stay worth it."

"Yeah? What are you gonna do besides possibly annoying Minchan for messing with the instruments?"

"Mmm..." He kissed her forehead. "Make breakfast? Lunch? Your favorite fruit smoothie?"

"Mm-hmm..."

"Watch you work and shower you with compliments?"

Yoojung chuckled. "And what do you know about choreography, good sir?"

"I know enough!" Yihwan's voice was louder now, a sign he was finally waking up. He ran a hand up and down her back. "I know about posture and flow and balance...and five and six and seven eight!"

"What?" Yoojung pulled her head back, not expecting the awkward shoulder popping Yihwan just did. "I didn't catch that! Do it again."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Now you're just teasing me."

"I would never!" she said with a small giggle, her hand on his face reaching for the nape of his neck. "I think you're my biggest fan."

"That I am," he agreed. "No matter what your fans say."

She bit his chin playfully. "And I am yours."

Yihwan's chest heaved as he took a long, deep breath, the smile on his face enough for Yoojung to know he was pleased at what he'd heard.

"What would you like for breakfast, my queen?" he asked, brushing her cheek with his thumb.

"Whatever you could whip up without burning the dorm down?"

"Ya."

Uncontrollable giggles escaped her lips when Yihwan found the ticklish spot under her ribs, and she tried to get away by sliding her entire body off the bed. Too bad her boyfriend anticipated this move, because the next thing she knew, he already had her pinned underneath him.

Oh. What a great view she had this morning.

"Ms. Ha...who made those spam musubis you 'absolutely enjoyed' during rehearsal last week?"

"You."

"And who prepared your adobo and kimchi bokkeumbap two days ago?"

"You."

"And you still bring up that one time I burned the butter for the pancakes?"

"I think you're cute when you're all riled up about nothing, what can I say?"

There were those narrowed eyes again. And an all-too familiar smirk.

"Well, then" Yihwan's voice sounded like a soft growl when he dipped his head in the crook of her neck and spoke. "Take responsibility for riling me up."

"But...breakfast?"

"...can wait," he said and reached for the box of condoms on his bedside table. "We need to work up an appetite first, don't you think?"

Well...he had a point.