Soft and sweet with a faint hint of something similar to nutmeg or cinnamon. Gentle and pillowy distracting me from his tightening grip on my hand and the sheer obscenity of Suho's actions.

He tastes like vanilla. Not the store-bought vanilla flavorings or the cheap sweets claiming the flavor, he tastes like the vanilla creme-brulee Grandpa let me try when we visited his worksite in France. 
 

Suho tastes like vanilla and I'm addicted to his flavor.
 

He pulls back after what could have been a minute or an hour, time is a construct that does not breach the universe I am in. We both breathe heavily, a poor attempt on both our parts to get or breath back and as I my lips to relieve them of their drying state, I almost dive in for a second kiss, the taste of vanilla hard to resist.
 

Whether it be due to shock, longing, or confusion, I stare Suho in the eyes trying to find the source of his sudden but not unwelcome actions. 
 

We stay locked in an embrace until he cannot meet my eyes anymore and turns his head to place his chin on my shoulder, pulling me deeper into our impromptu hug as he tightens his grip, wrapping his arms around my torso as I return his embrace, snaking my arms around his waist as my brain fires theories at lightning speed.
 

"Thank you, Avery" Suho whispers. His voice is quiet, hard to hear even over the silence of his bedroom as if he didn't mean to vocalize his thoughts or wasn't used to having to say the words aloud for anyone within proximity to hear. 
 

I only hum lightly in acknowledgment, already having said everything I need to say.
 

He turns further into my shoulder, hiding his face in my hair as his lips move nearer to my ear, the vibration of his no longer venomous voice sending a shiver throughout my entire being. "Thank you for saving my brothers and me, for taking care of us and letting us be free even though I was being an . I don't know what we've done to deserve you but I promise I'll do everything I can to stay by your side and earn your kindness."
 

A slight trickle of fear almost ruins the moment as I recall the last time a recently claimed Warrior spilled their heart, breaking down crying themselves to sleep in my arms. Being someone not used to dealing with other people's emotional outbursts I internally plead to whatever higher being there is that Suho isn't going to break down as Luhan did. 
 

Thankfully, he doesn't breakdown, although I chose to ignore the few wet patches soaking specific areas of my shirt. Eventually, Suho pulls back and I release him from my loose hold, allowing him to close the curtains to the midnight sky and sit back on his bed, taking his invitation to join him as we lay next to each other in silence, strangely comfortable with the previously venomously grudge driven man.
 

Hours pass and although we separated long ago and have not crept any closer than needed since, we continue to bask in each other's presence, sharing stories of our pasts just as I did with Kai earlier in the evening. Although Suho listens more than he speaks, he shares a few tales of their much earlier pre-Warrior life and even the occasional censored snippet from his earlier Warrior days.
 

He never elaborates on what prompted him to kiss me nor do I ask but I settle into contentment at the thought of never knowing his reasoning and leave the matter to become nothing more than a one-time memory, even as his taste still stains my lips.
 

It's not until the faint chirping of birds sounds that I realize how long we've been in his room and how tired I feel. I have a vague recollection of drifting off and waking up again to Suho still talking quietly, his voice soothing me easily into sleep even through my determination to hang on to every word. 
 

A small knock sounds on the other side of the door and Kris's voice sounds from the other side, a small scuffle down the hall indicating someone else rising for the day. "Suho, are you awake? Avery's not in her room."
 

Suho hums and rolls out of bed with a heavy sigh, he too had drifted off several times during our talks and was also being made to suffer for our predominantly sleepless night. "Yea, I'm coming."
 

I snuggle deeper into his sheets, pulling them tighter around me as the cold air seeps through the now discarded sheets. We'd ended up under his sheets when the chill had finally gotten too much to ignore and while having a water affinity meant that Suho didn't have the unnatural heat fire affinity have, he was warm and heated the space around him as though holding his opposite affinity.
 

"Do you know where Avery is? You were the last with her and she's not in her room," Kris begins his interrogation before the door is even fully open. Suho, still half asleep doesn't answer and allows him to continue firing off question after question, leaning against the door frame to not fall down an