[5:00 a.m.]

Another early morning at the Kim residence began with the screeching of a Hello Kitty alarm clock followed by a muffled stream of curses. Jongin, who had grown used to this, simply buried deeper into his fluffy pillow with a husky groan. He felt the weight of the mattress shift. The person beside him sat up, stretching palms to the ceiling before standing up. A feminine moan perked his interest enough to glance up secretly, watching the silhouette of his girlfriend dance clumsily around the dark room for her clothing.

“Ah hah~” She whispered victoriously, a pile of clothes tucked beneath her folded arms. Jongin blinked to clear the remnants of sleep from his vision. He focused on the pretty feminine form tossing the old clothing into the hamper by the bathroom door, squinting to trace her sleek profile illuminated in the soft light leaking from the shuttered window. With another rustle, she hid it all beneath Jongin's green Keroppi bathrobe.

The sudden light from the bathroom made him wince, shoving his face once more into the soft pillows. He grinned into the feathers that prodded his sticky face. She was so pretty, he hummed and wiggled about to her end of the bed. It wasn't near as warm, but it smelled like her. And that was alright.

But not nearly enough.

Jongin sat up on his elbows, looking over his shoulder towards the bathroom. The door was closed and the sound of running water echoed through the private apartment. He could already imagine the warm steam opening his pores and cleaning all the sweat from his sore body. He could also imagine how it would flush her skin into that pleasantly pink tone that made him want to lure her back onto this tangled throne of sheets and pillows.

But no. He furrowed his thick brows with a frown, running a hand through his messy bed-head before swan-diving onto the stockpile of retro fashion pillows his girlfriend accumulated over the years.

There was a schedule today.

It seemed for guys like Jongin, schedules were imminent. Always around the corner, waiting to pull him away for business with the promise of big money and smiling/screaming fans.

But not this time.

For once—and quite unexpectedly—his schedule was blank for the month.

As of yesterday at 10:00pm, Kim Jongin had no plans.

His ears still rang from last night, mixing with the monotonous sound of the shower and a faint humming noise that brought an automatic smile to his lips. The concert was the last of the holiday season. Just in time for Valentine's Day. One of Jongin's favorite things about the winter holiday was that he could turn their apartment into a tropical paradise. That meant he would crank the heat as much as he desired (or deemed appropriate)—or so he persisted, insisting that it was good for his joints and muscles after a hard day's work. He did this out of love...

And with devious intention.

His girlfriend who loathed hot weather would wear sweatpants around the house in protest. That is until she thought he wasn't around or paying attention. It was moments when he was away or busy with work that she'd switch sneakily into those flimsy pajama shorts... or just ex-nay her pajama bottoms altogether.

So, mostly out of love... he smiled mischievously at the thought, curling into his girlfriend's vanilla-scented blanket. But his moment of peaceful relaxation—and not so decent thoughts—was interrupted by the blasted Hello Kitty alarm, meowing in protest.

“Damn it...” Jongin groaned and snatched at the meowing clock.

[5:20 a.m.]

Layla had pressed the snooze button on accident...

Jongin shut off the pink alarm and carefully set it back on the wooden end table. The sound of running water shut off, replaced by the rustling of the curtain and bath towels. A lovely tune resounded quietly beneath it. Layla began to whistle the soft tune of Zion T's “No Make Up”, making Jongin forget about the annoying alarm clock. A gentle smile etched its way across his lips once more.

He wanted to see his girlfriend.

It had been so long since they had this precious time together, and the schedule! He wanted to see her before that blasted word took her away from him again. She had to work today, and if he kept laying there, he wouldn't get to spend as much time with her. It wasn't like he could sleep now anyways.

Today was Saturday, the last day of work for Layla before the vacation she requested months ago. She was a creative designer at the local vintage boutique down the block. It was half of the reason their apartment was decorated in various Americana trinkets and décor from the sixties, seventies, and late fifties. The shop was always empty during the holidays which made Jongin wonder why they even bothered staying open so late into the season. But Layla didn't mind. She said that meant he could visit her more without being bothered by the photographers and whatnot.

Layla was a unique individual.

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