Jongkook opens his eyes to the vision of an angel. 

Jihyo lays quietly in his arms, her long hair fanned prettily across his pillow. Her almond-shaped eyes shine with warmth in the morning light as her hand works at taking away his pain, sending hot tingles from the curve of his neck down to the base of his spine. He groans out loud and slides his fingers through her hair as he tightens his arm around her. 

"I'm still here." She whispers into the column of his neck.

"Yeah? Good." He says, pressing a kiss onto her forehead.

Is this why people sleep in? 

Even when they were dating in the past, they never woke up pressed so intimately against each other before. He likes this feeling, it feels like... home. 

She stops kneading his neck and he whines softly, protesting the loss of that magic.

"How's the hangover?" She sits up and brushes his hair away from his eyes, pressing a cool hand against his forehead. He takes her hand away and slowly eases himself into an upright position, wincing as his head pounds. 

A wave of nausea hits him and he lies back down, his head hitting his pillow hard. The world around him starts to blend at the edges and he closes his heavy eyes. 

Haha better make sure that he made his godchild last night. 

"Not good, Jihyo-ya. Can we just lie down and not move?" 

She chuckles. "Give me a minute, Oppa." With that, she disappears from his room. He smiles at the sound of Ring's paws scurrying across the floor downstairs, probably following Jihyo around the house. 

Lifting an arm to cover his eyes, his mind drifts back to the night before. 

He had woken up once in the middle of the night to find Jihyo huddled up against his back, her cold fingers under his shirt for warmth. He turned to face her and saw the blanket on the floor. Without a second thought, he had pulled her cold body closer to him, wrapping her arm around his waist before burying his nose in her hair and falling back to sleep. 

He's glad he did that.

Waking up with her in his arms was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time. 

Jihyo returns to his room, a glass of water and some pills in hand.

"Here Oppa, this should help with the headache." 

He smiles gratefully and props himself up briefly to pop the painkillers into his mouth. He takes a long drink of water, the warm liquid sloshing in his swirling tummy. "Thanks, Jihyo-ya."

She takes the glass away from him and makes for the door of his room again. He grabs her elbow and pulls her back, her hair whirling at the sudden movement. Taking in her comforting floral scent, he asks tentatively. "Stay with me?" 

"I was going to make you something light to settle your tummy, Oppa." She says. A tremor in her voice betrays the calm expression on her face. 

"Stay with me, Jihyo-ya. I just want to sleep it off."

There was a moment of silence before he felt her relenting, setting the empty glass on his bedside table. She turns to look at him and his heart skips at the tenderness in her eyes. 

She loves me.

She only said it once to him after her return, and even so, she was drunk then.

But right here, right now, it was clear that she does.

Maybe he has finally succeeded at tearing down her defenses. Maybe he finally eliminated her insecurities. 

Regardless of the reason, he seizes the chance to drag her down next to him on the bed, tucking her face under his chin.

"Thanks for taking me home and staying, Jihyo-ya." 

She smiles and merely shakes her head. "Sleep, Oppa. I'll always be here." 

He buries his nose into her hair with a contented sigh and slips into sweet oblivion. 

Yeah. This feels like home. 

Jihyo had awoken an hour before, finding Jongkook still asleep, his breaths slow and regular against her cheek. Their legs had ended up in a tangle under the sheets. It feels surreal, how much closer they have become after all that they've been through. 

And all she did was become a little bit clearer about what she wants to do about her feelings. 

She presses a kiss against his chin before finding her way out of his arms, padding her way quietly down to his kitchen.

The area is spotless and tidy. She checks his fridge, hoping to find some ingredients that she can put together for a simple meal.

Years of living alone had taught her how to put ingredients together for a meal. Probably not gourmet worthy, but there's something about making your own food, adding a bit of this and that, to create a concoction that warms your soul.

Hopefully she can make something for Jongkook to rehydrate his body.

Well, after learning about what he did for her with Ring, she just wants to do a little more for him. She's not sure if anything will ever be enough though. 

She finds some frozen chicken s, some old carrots and onions. This will do. She turns on the stove to heat some water, and starts chopping up the vegetables. 

Ring, who had obediently stayed downstairs throughout the night, follows h