Prompt: “When I said ‘whatever helps you sleep at night,’ I didn’t mean this.”

You know, I totally forgot to say that the last story was a continuation of Woohyun and Sunggyu's storyline from I Think I Love You. It was really vague, but yeah. Originally I was going to make this hosoo, but then I thought of Sungjong's teddy bear and I ended up settling on hojong instead. I'm only posting this because I'm trying to focus on An End Has a Start (which feels a lot like pulling teeth right now).

"When I said 'whatever helps you sleep at night,' I didn't mean this."

Howon lays stiffly on his back, his hands folded over his stomach as he stares up at the ceiling. Sungjong's head rests comfortably on his shoulder as if this is a regular occurrence. One of his arms is wrapped around Howon's bicep while the other is thrown across his chest.

"Well, my teddy bear helps me sleep at night," Sungjong responds easily. It hadn't taken long for him to adjust to Howon's warmth next to him. Which is surprising considering this is the first time they've been so close to each other. "And since Sungyeol's being a and holding him hostage, you'll have to be his substitute."

"I'm not sure how I feel about being a substitute for Sunggyu," Howon snorts in amusement. At first he'd been a bit jealous that Sungjong had named his favorite stuffed animal after Sunggyu of all people. (Not that he would rather share his name with it—no amount of knowing looks from any of other guys could make him admit that.) But after learning of the teddy bear's real purpose, Howon is now content not having a connection with an inanimate object used for stress relief. ("Like you don't want to be Jongie's stress relief," Woohyun had insinuated with an exaggerated waggling of his eyebrows. It takes a good amount of self-control to keep from violently wiping the smirk off of Woohyun’s face.)

Sungjong traces abstract patterns on Howon's chest. He's quiet for a beat and Howon swears he can feel his heartbeat against his arm. "Who knows, maybe you could be his replacement."

"I didn't know the position was open."

"It's a recent development," Sungjong replies. His hand has stilled, resting over Howon's heart and warming the other's skin through his shirt.

"How am I doing so far?" Sungjong hums as he thinks. If Howon didn't know any better he'd think they were flirting with each other. But that's not possible. They're friends. Just friends. Close enough to lie in bed together in a totally not romantic kind of way, but still: just friends. That almost sounds convincing to Howon.

Sungjong's voice is teasing when he gives his answer, making Howon's gut feel like he has hundreds of tiny butterflies fluttering about inside it. "You definitely show promise."

Howon's not so dense that he can't tell the statement is about more than being a cuddling companion. He just finds it hard to believe. He's never really gotten the impression that Sungjong harbored any romantic feelings for him. Sure, he's been silently hoping for it—that much he's willing to admit—but he hadn't thought it would ever come true. He's brought back into the moment by the press of Sungjong's lips on his cheek. Looking up in surprise, he sees the other leaning over him. In the light of the alarm clock next to the bed Sungjong's smile is sweet. "I can practically hear the gears turning in your head," he says, laughing softly.

With the pathetically long amount of time Howon's had a crush on Sungjong, he would have expected himself to have much better self-control. And yet when he finally processes the last few seconds of their conversation, he does the first thing that comes to mind. He raises himself up to meet Sungjong's lips, his hand moving to cup the other's cheek as he satisfies his curiosity. (As cheesy as it sounds, Sungjong's mouth is definitely as intoxicating as Howon had been convinced it would be. Enough so that he almost doesn't want to stop kissing him.) He pulls back almost immediately once he realizes how forward he's being.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes, squinting at Sungjong's face in the dark in an attempt to gauge his reaction. "I should've—"

Sungjong leans in to connect their mouths again and effectively silences whatever Howon had been about to say. "You're thinking too much again," he informs Howon when they break apart. The cheeky tone of his voice matches the smirk pulling at one corner of his mouth.

One part of Howon thinks they should talk before things go any further. They've gone pretty far past the line of just friends; logically they should make sure they're on the same page. (And maybe Howon just really wants to hear Sungjong say that he likes him, to hear the words coming straight from the other man.) The other part of Howon wants to say screw talking. Now that he knows the taste of Sungjong's lips, he feels the need to commit it to memory. Which, obviously, requires that they kiss again (and for the rest of the night).

“I like you, too,” Sungjong says, as if he’s reading Howon’s mind. He returns to his original position with his head resting on Howon’s shoulder. “And whenever you decide to finally ask me out, I’ll be happy to say yes.”