-3-

            There is a loud snore that draws Tae Sub from his sleep, causing him to stir awake restlessly. He lifts carefully from between Kyung-Soo’s warm chest and strong arm, confused and dazed by the darkness surrounding him. Peering around for a moment, he tries to remember how and when he had actually fallen asleep. Coming up short, he yawns unfulfilled memories away dismissively.  
            Near him Kyung-Soo just barely awakens from his sleep when a breathy, soft hum. As if having felt the seemingly sudden absence of Tae Sub’s weight against him, he lifts himself up to search for the missing presence. Despite his eyes having to lurk in the darkness barely open, they catch sight of his partner accurately. At the sight of his familiar hunched figure, a sheepish grin spreads across Kyung-Soo’s face.
            “Thanks for this, they feel better.” He says, voice hushed and groggy, yet dripping with sweetness.
            The sleepy hazel eyes of Tae Sub move gradually toward the feet lifting to twirl circles on the other side of him, one behind him and one in front of him. He slaps them down, tries to pull off a smile half asleep. “Next time you can clip your own toenails. Or better, you can clip mine.”
            “Sure, sure. I can do it, as long as you also still clip mine next time. Although the nails might be short from this time.” The other replies to him with his attractive deep voice, trying to rub sleep from his eyes.
            Dark hair somewhat shakes about in amusement. “Is that how you bargain? You need to work on your persuasive skills, there’s starting to lack. Clipping down my own toenails is tiring enough. You’ll need to do better than that to convince me to bother with yours again.”
            Legs cross at the knee slightly, causing the thinner man to fall somewhat closer. Eyes glow playfully as they often do. “How about a nice, relaxing bath for your hard work? Chae Young left a ton of expensive bathing oils the last time she came to visit. I can offer that and get in with you. It’s double the bonus.”
            Tae Sub begins to pat his knee as if to set his loved one up for upcoming disappointment, but ends up rubbing it as if to hypnotized by the shape instead. His love, seemingly unfiltered by sleep, causes him to smile deeply but he drowsily retorts anyway just because he can, “In your dreams. I wouldn’t let you in my bath even if I wanted to. Both our tubs are too small. We’d probably end up breaking it.”
            “We can always get new ones.” that mouth works quick.
            He finds himself feeling warm, but sets out on ignoring it. “Or we could just bathe separately.”
            “We could, you’re right. It’d just be a bigger waste of water.” Kyung-Soo counters, lifting an eyebrow competitively.
            Tae Sub lifts his own, coming prepared for a fight. “Who said we’d do it at the same house?”
            The owner of the current house drops his head back, huffs tiredly at the ceiling. He jokes, “It’s like you don’t even want to be near me anymore. Have we gotten to this point?”
            The visitor lets laughter escape him for a moment, no matter how dry and groggily it sounds. When it dies down he leans forward, places chapped lips on a sharp jawline with accuracy and a softness only love would ever know. He shakes at the still captured knee enthusiastically. “Did we not just watch a marathon and sleep together? If I didn’t want to be near you, I wouldn’t even be sitting here like this. You would know that the best. I don’t fall asleep around people I don’t want to be around or trust to see me sleeping, if I can help it.”
            Kyung-Soo breaks into a smile that compliments every edge, dent, peek, and wrinkle on his face, scooting closer without any show of hesitation. He leans into Tae Sub, nose rubbing nose adoringly as he breathes in the dreamy familiarity of their situation. When eyelids shut lightly, he closes his own. Lips find lips, greet each other with soft flesh again. The moment of tenderness passes, welcoming smiles.
            He meets the gaze of his guest, finding only warmth and love. “I’m glad you can trust me with your sleeping face now in that case, because I can still remember when we stayed in for a movie here a long time ago. You were falling asleep every few minutes, but refuse to nap. I even offered you my shoulder to nap on, even my bed and you still didn't take it!”
            “I can remember that too… I had stayed up all night trying to study. I couldn’t even get anything done worrying over the sudden date. I barely slept either. It must’ve been funny to see me the next day.” Tae Sub smiles at the memory, going back to rubbing the knee softly. He enjoyed the rough touch of the denim fabric.
            Kyung-Soo chuckles, hand reaching for another hand to toy with. He pokes and prods, examining the details. He retraced lines over and over again, admiring features he already knew. “It was funny, really funny. I thought you were going to go to sleep walking when we walked to the bar before it.”
            Tae Sub watches him, letting his hand brush purposely against fingers or palms every so often. A minute is taken up to think. “Drinks and a home movie… how old school of you. What were you thinking then?”
            Kyung-Soo hums delightfully as he thinks back, looking up to meet the curious gaze of his lover one again. “Well, I was thinking that you would probably appreciate the simplicity of it and that that simplicity would take the pressure off you. It was predictable, no there was no need for a panic. We could just enojoy each other's time. I was actually really worried about that when you had first call me to set it up.”
            “Did I sound that scared that you had to worry so much?” Tae Sub grins, remembering when he got up the guts to call the mysterious, handsome stranger he had met by chance on his flight back to Jeju. He could still recall how he stared at the business card for almost two hours before calling and how nervous he felt dialing. He turned the hand in his over, poked at knuckles pretending they were buttons on his phone.
            “You did, but I was impressed you called first. It was an ego boost. I was gonna sit around and hope you called the whole week, and call you if you didn’t, but then you called that same night.” Kyung-Soo chuckled.
            Tae Sub turned his back to him, scooted back into his space where he had slept that portion of the night. He leaned his head on the older man’s chest, relaxed in the embrace that surrounded him. “I hadn’t been hit on that much then, hardly ever honestly. It had been a long time since the last time I was when you suddenly decided to. That panic that had returned back to me after so long... I thought you were absolutely terrifying, but brave. I wanted to be like that, wanted to try being myself. I was scared to even take the card, but I really wanted to have it and to accept. I was dying to go out. To go on a real date and not just shy away from what it was, or just play pretend.”  
            “Are you saying it didn’t even have to be me then who asked?” Kyung-Soo’s lips dropped into a pouting frown as he rested his head on his own shoulder to peek at his fiance.
            “No…” Tae Sub turned his head slightly in his direction, folding his arms across his own chest comfortably. “I wanted it to be you. I wouldn’t have called if I didn’t want to be with you. It was just me wanting to live a little. Being ready to finally, or so I thought. You just showed up and ended up being the perfect person to do it with.”
            Satisfied, Kyung-Soo grinned cockily as he snuggled closer. He rubbed his nose against the nap of Tae Sub’s neck before gifting it with a lingering kiss. He watched his partner try to shake him away, sneakily attempting to bat him with his head hair as if to rebel affection. “In any case, I’m glad I went for the chance when I did and didn’t let you go. I was thinking I’d probably be bothering you when I gave you my card.”
            “You were. I almost died from the awkwardness of being hit on by some hot guy. No one expects that on a normal plane ride, especially not from someone who looks like you do. But then it happened, and then you wouldn’t stop peeking over at me every couple of hours. It was torture, you didn't even look away when you got caught. Just bowed your head awkwardly. I almost didn't get any sleep on the flight and was too nervous to even finish my dinner tray.” Tae Sub grabs the arms wrapping around his stomach. He unfolds them, bringing them closer to his puckered mouth. He places individual kisses on each of the hands before folding them at the navel to return the warmth and security they gave.
            Kyung-Soo snuggles his face against Tae Sub’s cheek, gratefully and lovingly. When he feels him squeezing his face against his somewhat, he removes himself to quickly peck his cheek, feeling almost as if he couldn’t help but to. Especially with his cute fiance returning affection. “Trying to make me feel better?”
            “Yes, and no.” Tae Sub glanced up at his personal body pillow as best he could. “I do want to make you feel better since it’s been a long day for you dealing with your siblings, but I do mean that. All of it. Really… I almost crawled out of my skin knowing such an attractive guy was watching me from across the seats. I kept thinking about how silly I'd look if you caught me sleeping or how stupid I'd look eating if our eyes met during a meal and I accidently dropped my food or wine. It was nervewracking, but also excited in a way.”
            Kyung-Soo shakes his head at him. “Well, let’s just hope I stay attractive as long as we’re together. It may not be the only thing keeping us together, but it’s one of the most important one it seems like.”
            Tae Sub chuckles, nudging him with his head.  “Enough out of you. Let’s sleep now, we have to wake up soon and drive home to see the family. I don’t want to be too sleepy when we visit.”
            “Sure,” Kyung-Soo smiles warmly at the mention of family. “Sweet dreams.”
            “Sweet dreams…” Tae Sub shuts his eyes, relaxes more in the arms that protect him.
            Soon they drift back off into sleep, peaceful in each other’s company. Later they wake up, aching and laughing and regreting it all when they realize that they probably  should have slept in the bed. They cook breakfast together. They take turns using the shower. They head out, riding together in Kyung-Soo’s car to see Tae Sub’s large family once more. Upon arrival, they are greeted with a familiar love.
            Tae Sub gets a confident grin, dying to show off his partner to them all over again. The first thing he shows his family is their pair of rings that he bought when Ji-Hye’s eyes catch notice of them. This will be the first time he will gloat and brag about their love and their union.