By the time the third movie rolled around, Kyra had migrated from snuggling cozily into D.O’s side to  basically using him as a pillow. Her legs were stretched out and propped against his on the table and her head rested on his chest. Occasionally, his hand would come to play with her hair or adjust her into a more comfortable position or pop a snack in .

it was all extremely cozy, intimate and disgustingly domestic. Her tummy was filled with this delicious melty, gooey sensation and she had no intention whatsoever of leaving his side anytime soon.

She didn’t even notice when the movie ended, though that was hardly anything new. D.O. didn’t seem to be in any hurry to move either.

‘You want to go to bed?’ he asked after a long, quiet moment, raising his head to look down at her.  

She mmhed into his side, shaking her head. ‘Don’t wanna move.’

 He hummed in agreement, dropping his head back. ‘Kay.’

They went back to quietly snuggling until Kyra dozed off.

Her eyes opened to D.O. shifting them so she was lying on the couch and he was lying on his side beside her. It made for a tight fit, but it was cozy and comfortable.

‘Okay?’ he asked quietly. She hummed, turning so she was facing his chest and then doing what she’d always wanted to do but had been too conscious to follow through on.

She buried her face into his chest, inhaling his musky scent before turning her head so she could rest it properly against him. Her arms wrapped around him of their own accord, pulling him close, and she let out a contented sigh.

‘Okay,’ she murmured, eyes slipping shut.

She felt something press against her forehead before sleep overcame her.

………………………………………………

Raina felt like she was floating.

Her body felt boneless, sated and exhausted in the best way possible and only the heavy weight of Tao’s arm around her middle kept her from completely losing herself.

There were some phantom aches that would surely come back after she’d slept in but right now, they were nothing more than a reminder of her complete surrender to her mate.

The thought made her want to blush like the she no longer was and giggle and curl up into a ball, lest she exploded.

Tao’s lips brushed over her shoulder before nuzzling into her neck, making her giggle in earnest.

‘You’re happy,’ he muttered, sounding amused. Like he wasn’t clinging to her like a lemur himself, whining the moment she tried to extract herself, even for a necessary trip to the toilet.

‘I am,’ she agreed.

He propped his head in his hand, peering down at her. ‘Oh?’ She felt him poke around with their bond, evidently trying to figure her out.

She let him because she didn’t think she could put everything – the complicated nuances of her fears and feelings – into words.

‘Raina!’ He sounded offended.

And she could understand it but that didn’t change how she felt.

‘Tao,’ she responded, trying to keep the situation light.

‘I’m not leaving you,’ he asserted. ‘And I’m not being distant!’

She kept mum. He probably thought it didn’t affect her when he went off to his little adventures.

Of course, he picked on that. He went pale, pushing away and sitting up.

‘You know?’

She met his gaze steadily, acutely feeling the loss of his solid, grounding touch. ‘We’re connected. It would be weird if I didn’t.’

He shook his head. ‘No, you’re right… I’m sorry, I didn’t think about that.’

She shrugged. ‘I figured as much.’ She eyed the space he’d abandoned meaningfully. ‘Come back?’

He slid close reluctantly. ‘So… is all of this,’ he said, referring to the room she’d gone such pains to decorate. ‘It’s to... do what, exactly? Stop me from abandoning you?’ He made it sound like her fears were unfounded and ridiculous. 

She rolled her eyes, irritated. Usually, she had a very even temperament but Tao, right from the start, had managed to get under her skin.

 ‘All of this is because it’s our hundred day anniversary,’ she snapped, sitting up. ‘Not that you remember or care… and that should tell you exactly why I’m afraid!’

He opened his mouth but closed it because of course, he had no comeback. He didn’t remember.

And his face told her that he actually didn’t care. This was too little a thing to bother about when he had the fate of the world in his hands.

Her Tao would have been the one to plan their hundred day anniversary; he would have told her that it was important to celebrate the little things. Raina felt like crying.

He let out a regretful sigh, sliding closer. ‘I’m sorry,’ he apologized sincerely. ‘I really am. You’re right, I did forget. But I do care.’

Raina glanced at him doubtfully. ‘You do?’

‘Of course I do,’ he said, hugging her. ‘I really didn’t mean to ignore you or forget about our anniversary. It’s just… I’m worried.’

She gently hugged him back, bringing him close.

‘Then talk to me,’ she muttered. ‘I’m here for you.’

‘I’ll try,’ he agreed.

‘Promise?’ she asked.

‘Promise,’ he responded, kissing her cheek before kissing her lips. He held her face, making her look him in the eye. ‘I mean it. I won’t ever leave you.’

She gripped his hands gently. ‘Even if it means you could save everyone else?’ she asked quietly. If her dreams were what she thought they were… that was a distinct possibility. 

‘Even if it means I could save the entire universe,’ he answered confidently.

She gazed at him some more before closing the distance between them and kissing him softly.

‘I will never leave you, either,’ she whispered, feeling tears prick her eyes. Even if it meant that she’d have to die a hundred deaths before he found his way back to her.

His gaze was tearful too and she could see some of her own fears reflected in there as well. But as long as they were in it together, they could do anything.

‘I love you,’ she whispered, confessing for the first time while actually looking at him.

The way his eyes softened made it worth it. He kissed her, letting his body push her down and then, time ceased to exist once again.

……………………………………….

Snuggling with D.O. was addictive, as Kyra found out in the days following her memorable movie date with him.

She’d woken up thoroughly entwined with him, legs tangled as she rested on top of him, body moving to the gentle rhythm of his breathing. It was honestly the best way to wake up in her opinion. An opinion he apparently shared because he’d made no move whatsoever to get up, just holding her close and letting his heartbeat lull her back.

And that was that.

Apparently, nothing changed after spending an entire night in the arms of the man you loved. Apparently, he just walked you back to your room and left with a forehead kiss and it didn’t matter that the gesture made you want to melt on the ground right at his feet. You went back to your life like nothing significant had happened.

That was so much bull.

 Truth was, there was no turning back. Now that she had a taste of what it meant to be with D.O., there was no way she could go back to pretending she wasn’t jumping out of her skin every moment of the day because she wanted to be touched by him. Intimately, fervently, feverishly.

Her heat, which conveniently vanished whenever they got close, had come back with a vengeance and she’d loaded up on fever and pain meds, under Lay’s disapproving supervision, so she could go about her day.

But one night snuggling wasn’t enough, in her book, to justify jumping his bones the next time she saw him. Which was at breakfast, just fyi, and she’d spent the entire time just fantasizing about his soft lips as he held her close. No wonder he’d looked concerned, she was probably drooling instead of eating like a respectable person.

Her only consolation was that Raina was worse off than her and everyone was too busy razing her and Tao to pay her any mind. That, and D.O. had threatened to break every bone in Baekhyun’s body if he dared to talk about her.

Raina and Tao had been near inseparable since they’d shown up next morning, hands around waists and sporting afterglows to rival Angel’s, thus immediately setting themselves up as target practice for Baekhyun.

The other Legends had ignored them, going about their daily business and the rest was history. Chen looked a little worse for wear and Rose looked like she’d been crying, which was concerning but the girl deflected any queries sent her way.

Kyra was preparing for university while her mind was busy churning excuses she could use to crash at D.O.’s place again when there was a knock on the door. She gave her hair a last brush before hurrying to the door to the open it, mouth opening to say hi.

‘Hello,’ D.O said.

Kyra squeaked in response, then covered , cheeks flushing. He smiled softly. ‘Bad time?’

She shook her head immediately. ‘No, no, not at all! Come in!’ She opened the door wider, hurrying to the bed to straighten it up. ‘Excuse the mess.’

‘No problem,’ he answered easily. ‘I just wanted to talk to you.’

‘Yes?’ she asked, mentally face-palming at how breathless she sounded.

‘I really enjoyed our last date,’ he said, getting straight to the point. Did she mention she loved that about him? There was no beating around the bush. ‘And I would really like to do something like that again.’

She blushed at the intensity of his gaze when he looked at her. ‘I would like that too,’ she replied.

‘Tonight?’ he asked, smiling.

She nodded, biting her lip. His gaze zeroed in on them, heating up significantly and she felt excitement stirring in her stomach.

Then she had a brilliant idea. ‘How about here?’

Raina hadn’t rearranged the room yet, so the beds were still lined together and all the other props were in place too. She’d ask Raina to take off the couple pictures but otherwise, the room was perfect for some romantic snuggling and maybe even something more.

He nodded in agreement. ‘I’ll bring snacks.’

‘Is there anything in particular you’d like to see?’ she asked. She wouldn’t be watching anything, she knew, but that didn’t mean D.O. wouldn’t either.

He shook his head. ‘Doesn’t matter, as long as we’re watching it together.’

She smiled, feeling butterflies flutter in her tummy. ‘Alright.’

They stood smiling at each other for a moment before he took his leave. ‘See you tonight,’ he said.

‘Tonight,’ she echoed.

…………………………………………