The next morning, when I go to open my eyes, the first thing I'm aware of, is the aching pain in my neck. It makes me wince a little, and when my sleepy gaze falls down to the weight on my lap, I temporarily forget about the uncomfortable feeling. Himchan is peacefully resting away, and I suddenly feel a lot more awake, to see how my hand is in his hold. Our fingers are still laced together, and seeing how snuggly he looks, makes my lips itch upwards a little.

But then I'm reminded of the random cramps, that are making me feel sore all over, for sleeping in a sitting posture, and it makes me grimace.

How am I going to get up, without waking him up?

I can't exactly just sit here, and wait for him...because who knows how long that will take?

And I don't think I can purposely wake him up, because he looks so—

Movement is suddenly felt, and my eyes return their attention back to Himchan, to see him slowly opening his eyes.

He appears to be a little dazed, and when his sleepy eyes set themselves on me, a gentle smile, ever so carefully, makes its way onto his face. It looks so delicate, and slightly out of character of him to do, as he's always either grinning like an air-head, smirking like a shifty thing, or frowning like a sour-faced cat. This new expression makes him look (almost) charming, and because he seems to be staring at me in such an unusual tender way, it makes me slightly stiffen up a bit.

And for the first time, I can't seem to continue the eye-contact with him, as I now find myself awkwardly tearing my gaze away.

"You stayed," he softly notes. "You really stayed..."

Himchan then untangles his fingers from my own, to then reach up, and lightly caress my right cheek. This effectively grabs a hold of my attention, as it makes me look back down at him, feeling somewhat startled. My hands suddenly have a mind of their own, as they then automatically go to cup his warm hand. He allows me to hold it against my cheek for a bit, until I then gradually set it back down onto his chest.

"Of course," I finally manage to say. "I don't like breaking my promises."

Himchan is quiet at my reply, as though taking the time to absorb in my statement. With that soft look on his face, he then smiles a little, looking somewhat amused, as if he has just figured something out. It makes me curious, and I'm about to say something about it, but the action of him slowly sitting up, prevents me from doing so. Himchan lets out a yawn, as he now goes to stretch out his limbs, all while making baby dinosaur noises.

I laugh a little to myself at this, and then use this chance to also try to ease up my poor comfort level, but am finding it a little difficult.

"Best sleep ever," announces Himchan; "Why don't we do this more often?"

Still rotating my arms to shake off the ache, I then frown a little. "Because I feel as sore as heck," I mumble, rather gloomily. "Anyway, how are you feeling?"

The blonde blinks for a bit, just before breaking out into a grin. "I feel amazing!" he exclaims, in wonder. "And it's all thanks to you."

His gratitude somewhat surprises me, and because it's the first time that he's genuinely thankful, I give him an honest smile.

———————————————

Unlocking the door, I then step inside, and then reclose it back behind me.

Today was a full day, (of grabbing lunch with Subin, and then heading off to the Infinitize club to sing with Woohyun) but despite feeling a little tired, everything went well, and I feel satisfied with the outcome.

My content feeling makes me hum to myself, as I go to take off my shoes, and then set aside my purse. But right after I do that, I halt in my steps, as curiosity begins to fill me. There's something lingering in the air, and my sense of smell likes what I'm able to take a waft of. It's a fairly delectable aroma, (that's making me visualise a creamy pasta dish, of some sort?) and the welcoming scent, now encourages me to head towards the kitchen.

Although, after a couple of steps, the sight of something scattered across the floor, makes me pause in my tracks.

This is odd; why are there flower petals, on the floor...?

I carefully walk pass them, and then pop myself into the kitchen, but the sight before me, makes my mild curiosity instantly turn into one of immense confusion.

With slightly rounded eyes, I do a double take, as Himchan continues to cook away, without a shirt.

And even though he's wearing the apron, everybody knows that the cooking wear, only covers the front part of yourself...

Which is why because he seems to be so engrossed with his cooking, the back of Himchan's torso, continues to freeze me still in my spot.

And when he finally notices me, I pretend as though I wasn't gawking at him, by casually walking in, to get myself a glass of water.

"Hey, you're finally home!" he beams, in a relatively happy voice.

My head bobs once in reply, as I'm now sipping down the cold liquid.

Still with the cheerful smile on his face, Himchan then returns his gaze back to his cooking. "I didn't know you would be home this early, but I'm glad," he merrily says. "Anyways, I have a surprise for you, but it's not quite ready yet."

I blink a little at him, momentarily forgetting about his exposed upper half; "A surprise?"

Himchan nods at me, looking excited. "Yeah, go and have a shower, and it should be ready after that," he says.

"Alright then..." I slowly mumble. "And by the way...aren't you cold?"

My question makes Himchan tilt his head ever so slightly at me, with a confused look.

His puzzled face then looks down at himself, and the sudden flicker of surprise in them, tells me that he's just realised his half ness. "Oh, woops," he blurts out, blinking a little. "I guess I was in such a rush in wanting to finish this, that I forgot to put on my shirt, after my shower..." Himchan then shrugs his shoulders, and the sheepish look on his face suddenly dissipates into a smug expression; "But you seem to like what you're seeing, so I guess it's not such a bad thing."

I give him a weird look, and it only gets weirder, as Himchan is now striking some (what he likes to call them) 'model-material' poses.

Eventually shaking my head at his silliness, I then make my way into the bathroom, and the result of my actions, makes him chuckle to himself.

———————————————

When I'm out of the shower, and have finished blow-drying my hair, I then make my way back out, just in time to see Himchan place down a steaming plate.

He then eagerly beckons me over to take a seat, and when I go, my lips form into a circle of surprise, at how nicely the table is set out. Everything seems so perfect and spot on, that it makes me take my time, in examining the whole thing. Himchan has even gone to the trouble of lighting up a cute candle to put on the side, and not only does it slightly warm up the area, but it also makes my heart squeeze in appreciation.

And when my eyes finally set themselves down onto the fettuccini dish before me, the sight of the creamy noodles makes me suddenly remember something.

"You know what I've been craving for?" I softly say.

I'm not sure why, but Himchan is currently playing with my hair, and the gentle touch is slowly lulling me off to sleep. "Me?" he brightly assumes. My unamused expression makes him laugh; "Okay, okay, what is it?"

"Pasta," I respond; "A creamy pasta dish, of some sort."

This seems to intrigue him a little, as he suddenly stops his actions. "Pasta, huh?" repeats Himchan, rather curiously. He then asks; "White sauce or red sauce?"

I think for a bit; "White sauce."

"So you don't like red sauce?" he probes.

His question makes me hum a little in thought. "I actually like both," I say. "But white sauce wins by just a bit."

Himchan nods his head a little; "Oh, I see."

I snap out of my little daydream, to see Himchan expectantly looking at me.

It makes me blink, and when he keenly gestures for me to try the food, I then pick up my fork, and begin to twirl the noodles around it. Placing the small bundle into my mouth, I start to chew, and because my tastebuds is enjoying the food, I hum out a pleased sound, to show him my approval. Himchan's eyes light up in happiness at this, as he then breathes out a sigh of relief. I continue to voice out my liking of his cooking when I swallow down the noodles, and my praise is enough to make him now start on his serving.

And as the two of us continue to eat, I can't help but feel a little odd about this random act of kindness.

Sure, he's gone and helped me out on multiple occasions, but that's only because I've asked him to.

He would also look rather insensitive when helping me, so to see him very comfortable with this is a little peculiar. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it seems as though his cold has changed him somehow, which is a little weird. Himchan appears to be much happier now, and although it might just be a weird phase that he's going through, (since he is a somewhat strange person) but he's a lot less snappy, in comparison to when we first met.

Although he's still very up-himself, and rather arrogant, I think the weirdest part about this whole thing, is when he would sometimes lose his cool, and actually stutter.

Maybe it's because I've become so use to his off-the-roof confidence level, that him being caught off guard, is unusual for me?

I think my poker-face has just accidentally slipped up though, because out of nowhere, Himchan suddenly speaks up. "What's wrong?" he questions, rather curiously.

I'm pulled away from my thoughts, as I look up at him; "Hmm?"

My small response makes Himchan chuckle. "You keep giving me this weird look, as if this is the first time that I've done something like this for you," he explains. "Didn't I often surprise you like this?"

Never, is what my mind thinks of, right away.

But I put on a convincing smile, and laugh out an equally convincing chortle. "It's not that, I'm just really..." My voice trails off for a bit, as I give him a sheepish look; "I'm just really surprised and grateful for this."

Himchan softly smiles at me, as he goes to twirl some more of his noodles around. "You really kept your promise that night, and didn't leave me, so...I just wanted to do something for you," he says.

The usual confident aura around him suddenly feels dulled down, and this makes my facial expressions ease up at him. "Did you recently remember something?" I carefully ask.

My query makes his tender smile turn into a rather humourless one. "Yeah..." he quietly says. "When I was around, eight, maybe, I caught a pretty heavy flu. The doctor came to examine me at my bed, and I was kind of falling in and out of sleep, to hear what he was saying. All I could think off at the time was how much I wanted my parents to be there with me, but they were at work."

The last part of his sentence makes me frown a little, but I patiently wait for him to go on.

Himchan goes to absentmindedly poke at his noodles for a bit, as he continues on with his story. "I got to speak to them on the phone though," he says. "I asked for them to come home, but no matter how much I begged, they wouldn't. They sugar-coated their words to not make me feel so bad, but I still cried, so my grandmother took over the call from there."

The image of a young Himchan crying away makes my chest fill with worry, as I now nibble on my food.

My concerned face makes him smile a little, but it slowly falls down, bit by bit. "My mother ended up coming home earlier than usual," he says. "I didn't expect it, and because I was so incredibly happy to see her, I tried to keep her with me, no matter how tired I was feeling."

Hearing that, it makes something suddenly click inside my head.

So that's why he was being extremely talkative, even though he looked so exhausted...

"She thankfully stayed around a lot longer than I thought she would, until it was time for us, or more like me, to sleep," says Himchan. "Of course, I didn't want her to leave, so I pleaded for her to stay, and she agreed. I was so happy at her answer, that it actually made it harder for me to sleep," he points out, with a small chuckle. "She told me that she wasn't going to go anywhere, and that my father was going to come and see me soon, too, and I thought that...maybe after this, then they would be around more?"

The realisation of Himchan possibly not seeing his parents much, make me frown, with wilted shoulders.

A rather solemn expression now occupies his face. "The next morning, when I woke up, I realised that my fever was gone, and I couldn't wait to tell my mother about it," he says. "But she wasn't there, and I was later informed that she had left very early in the morning. I should have expected something like this to happen, but the young and naive me didn't want to, and so...in the end, I was just faced with the same disappointment again."

The sadness evident on Himchan’s face makes my chest compress, and when I catch how his eyes look a little glazed, (from tears?) it makes me feel even worst.

Himchan’s face gradually relaxes, as he now looks up from his plate, to lightly smile at me. "Which is why when I woke up, to see you still where I last saw you, it made me really happy," he informs. "It made me so happy, that I just had to do something special, to say...thank you."

My eyes widen a little, as Himchan sheepishly rubs the back of his neck, in a rather timid manner.

When I manage to recollect my thoughts, I eventually return his smile, where the two of us then continue to enjoy the rest of our food together, with my heart being engulfed in a bizarre bubble of warmth.

———————————————

When we finish dinner, Himchan doesn't let me touch a single plate, as he insists on doing the dishes. He doesn't want me to do them for some reason, and no matter how much I offer to help him, he doesn't allow me to. I give him an odd look, when he bit by bit, begins to push me away from the kitchen sink, and out into the lounge room. With a bent brow, I then sternly voice out my wanting to assist him, but he successfully silences me down, by placing his index finger onto my lips.

The sudden action makes me cross-eyed for a second, as it's a little out of nowhere.

"Yejinnie, hush," croons Himchan. "Speak no more, for the Himbear shall take care of everything." He then slowly removes his finger from me, with a beam; "Okay?"

I blink at him a little; "But I—"

Without warning, Himchan's hand is suddenly placed onto my entire face. "Shhhh," he loudly whispers. "Just sit over there, and look pretty for me."

And because I can't quite see anything right now, it makes me take a couple of steps backwards, to remove his palm from my face.

I don't hesitate to give him a weird eye for (literally) face-palming me, but all Himchan does, is grin back at me.

With a guarded nod of my head, I then agree to his request, by slowly making my way over towards the couch. Himchan happily enters the kitchen to get the chore done, and while he's washing away, I try to take my mind off of his weirdness with the weather forecast, but it doesn't seem to be working so well. So then I decide to flick through the channels for something else, and eventually settle down, on some random dinosaur movie. This choice is a lot better, as I find myself slowly becoming absorbed into what's happening, and leaving behind of a certain blonde in the kitchen.

But it doesn't last very long, as I suddenly feel something plop down beside me.

"So what are we watching?" he casually questions, with his eyes on the screen.

"Some dinosaur movie," I reply, after a brief moment.

Himchan notices the slight pause in my response, which makes him bring his gaze over to me. "What?" he chimes, rather innocently.

Still wondering the cause of his strange behaviour, it makes me stare at him for a second longer, until I eventually shake my head at him. "It's nothing," I say, and then return my attention back over to the screen.

Somewhere along the movie, I'm not sure how it happened, (although I think it's because Himchan's more stealth then I give him credit for) but I find myself being cuddled against his warm body. It's quite comfortable to be in his embrace, and I don't find it so awkward, as I use to. Himchan would make small comments here and there about the show, and some of the things that he says, makes me giggle. Such as asking me the type of dinosaur I would want to be, (if I ever got the chance to be one) because he would then compare it to his own choice.

And of course, Himchan, being the conceited thing that he is, ends up claiming how his dinosaur-self would be a lot better than my own.

I shake my head good-naturedly at him, amused by his silliness.

"Oh, I know!" he suddenly chirps. "How about we both just be tyrannosauruses, so we can eat everyone?!"

I laugh at his perkiness, just before lifting up my hand at him in agreement; "Deal."

Himchan brightly smiles at me, just before giving me a high-five. "Woo!" he loudly cheers, just before snuggling back into me.

A smile effortlessly comes onto my face, as we both now give our attention back to the television.

Throughout the movie, I'm not sure if it's because I'm tired from the full day, or that it's because of the small, relaxing circular motions that's currently being done on my back by Himchan, but I'm finding it to be a slight struggle, in keeping my eyes open.

Although, what Himchan says next, completely wakes me up, because I suddenly feel as though I have the energy of 5000 suns.

"So I was wondering...how about some y time?" he nonchalantly asks.

I am absolutely wide awake now, and almost choke on my own saliva from the surprise; "You don't mean as in...?"

And as Himchan begins to nuzzle against my cheek, I know that he's serious. "I mean exactly what you mean," he purrs, rather huskily.

I gulp, and instantly find myself standing up, and out of his embrace. The hasty action makes Himchan confused, as he proceeds to tilt his head at me in puzzlement. I clear my throat in an attempt to get back my voice, but am not sure of what to say.

"We can't, because I'm—" I blink for a bit, and luckily, an idea reaches my head in time for me to blurt out; "—really tired right now." Hoping to look convincing, I then create a false yawn, and then pretend to rub my eyes to show my exhaustion. "Yeah, I'm really tired, so, um...maybe next time?"

Himchan frowns a little. "You're tired?" he repeats, sounding disappointed. "But I can wake you up!"

I force out a laugh, and then continue on my tired act, as I now begin to head into the bathroom, to brush my teeth. Himchan follows me, and tries to convince me, as we go to brush our teeth together. This continues on, until I'm in my room, and because my “no's” mean no, Himchan pouts, when he sees me go to turn on my night-light. He lets out a dramatic sigh, and then thankfully surrenders. I'm glad he doesn't push for it, and find his grumpiness to be a little funny.

But just before I can shoo him out of my room, he then stops me.

"Can I at least get a goodnight kiss?" pouts the blonde.

I don't say anything, as I hesitantly lean in, to give his cheek a quick peck.

But Himchan doesn't seem to be impressed by that, as he then flattens his eyes at me. "Aigoo, you call that a kiss?" he skeptically says, with a look of disapproval.

I find that I don't have the chance to reply to him, as his fingers swiftly (yet gently) take a hold of my chin, tilting me up to him, for his lips to suddenly capture my own.

And as they lightly, and ever so tenderly, press down, the unexpectedly sweet sensation that I feel from it, surprisingly hurts the beating organ in my chest.  

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A/N: So, did you guys scream? You all seemed to like the fluff from the last chapter, so I'm curious about your reactions now, hehehe >:D

Thanks for reading, subscribing, commenting, upvoting, and sharing this link out through Twitter and whatnot; I'm really grateful for your support, and am so very happy that this story is receiving a lot more love, than I thought it would! :'D

Thank you so much, and I'll see you all in the next chapter! ♥