Hot. This is how I felt as I woke up. It was no mystery why I had a burning back seeing that Kookie was holding onto it tightly with the softest purr escaping his lips. We had somehow moved about in our sleep and my big cat ended up spooning me. His strong arms laid lazily around my hips though they had a slight grip on it. The hard muscles of his torso lifted up my back gently with each breath he took. His tail had untangled itself from his leg and was now wrapped around both of my ankles.

Difficultly, I pulled away from this morning comfort and took a full minute to stare at his sleeping form. His hair messily fell in front of his eyes, his cat-ears were pushed back against his skull as to block out any surrounding sound. A small smile stretched his lips upwards. The first few buttons of the onesie were open but it was too dark to see what was hidden by the fabric -what a shame. His tail had gone back to its original place around its owner’s leg. He looked very peaceful, and warm, and cuddly… The thought of running back into his arms crossed my mind more than once, though I knew I needed to get work done so I could spend more time with him afterwards. But only because I wanted to and nothing else, right?

If I had had a waterproof phone, I would have brought it with me in the shower to work on some translation but sadly, it was not. My job was a ‘three-hundred and sixty-five days a year’ kind of job which was why I was awaken when the sun had barely started to tickle the cloudy morning sky with its sunrays. I did love my job but the simple thought of spending more time with Kookie was a priority of mine at the moment. I quickly showered, rapidly got dressed, ate on the run and swiftly got to work on my computer; making sure not to wake the sleeping creature on my bed. By 9am, I realised that my timetable was empty for the next week and smiled from ear to ear. Ah, working full time for the past month had really worked out well, hadn’t it?

“What’s the good news?”

I gasped from the sudden noise as I was used to working in silence. I turned around on my swivel chair and shrieked as my eyes met Kookie’s chest. How long had he been standing behind my back for?

I looked up at him and he squatted down to meet my eye level. Sweeping his hair to the side, his cat-ears ruffled and he shifted his head so it almost rested on his shoulder. His right eyebrow lifted up and he bit his lip.

“I’m free of work for the upcoming week!” I grinned, unable to suppress my joy.

It seemed to spread to my surroundings as Kookie perked his ears up at the news, his eyes widening while -like pupils thinned in surprise. He took my hands which rested in my lap, “Really?”

His eyes shone brightly in the morning glow of the tepid sunlight.

I hummed at him, reaching to rustle the hair between his cat-ears, “That means that I’ve got all the time in the world for you!” I cooed.

Suddenly, Kookie fell to his knees and hugged my waist, resting his head against my thigh, “Thank you, (Y/N). Thank you for making time for me.”

I rubbed his back, though one of my hands slipped back into his hair, “Of course Kookie, anything for you.”

He straightened himself into a sitting position, exposing a good amount of his bare chest. I had a hard time looking away from his well-built pectorals though as I did, the small innocent smile on his features made the heat rise to my cheeks.

“Ah, we really need to get you some proper clothes now.”

Kookie insisted on having brunch instead of making me cook for him at home -though I tried to persuade him that I did not mind- which, to him, meant that I would get tired quicker. I gave in to his wish and we made our way to the mall.

“Of course!” I exclaimed, making Kookie jump as well as a few strangers walking nearby.

The many shelves ordered in straight lines which’s ends I could not see, the multi-coloured vegetables and fruits organised by hue, seemingly creating a rainbow of appealing meals, the sharp-scented air and the overall euphoria which emanated from the place reminded me of this special time of year in Korea; the annual festival which gathered families and celebrated the harvest: Chuseok. The smell of rice wine filled the air and I felt magically drawn to each and every counter we walked past.

Kookie walked beside me and listened as I told him about my first time trying these aliments. I remembered the time I tried making japchae without filling the pan with enough water resulting in burnt noodles. Even though Kookie was laughing and shaking his head at my former foolishness, I could not deny how lenient he became as he always found a way to comfort me from my past errors and even gave me some advice for future meals, though I was sure I would need his help even with the meticulous details he provided me with.

Two bags of food later, we decided to take a break from walking and sit at a small restaurant. Notwithstanding the fact that he had not eaten since the previous day, Kookie let me take the first bite of our mixed-flavoured mandu. He laughed every time I tried one as my face probably showed how my body reacted to the food. The foody that I am wanted to try everything in the plate; thankfully my wish was granted as Kookie started feeding me portions of his food and I did the same for mine. Stretching his hands towards me, his thumb brushed against my lips every time a piece of ravioli had decided to remain on my lips. A couple walking nearby awed at us and I could not help but feel like a schoolgirl as I hid my face in my hands. In the end, I was full before him and he asked me if he could order a desert which I wholeheartedly accepted. However, once the hotteok was put on the table, my mouth started to water again and I begged him with my eyes to give me a slice of the sugary goodness. He rolled his eyes knowingly but obliged nonetheless.

With our stomachs on verge of exploding, the shopping went slowly but smoothly. At first, Kookie did not dare grab items of clothing that drew him in although I was telling him to. However, after his first trip into a changing room he started to waddle around the shop and pick out items that interested him. I had no time to see what he had picked as he hurried back to the dressing room, turning his head slightly to wink at me before trying on the items of clothing he had gathered.

I waited outside of the changing room, taping my feet along to the shop’s loud hip-hop music. The sound of the curtains being pulled suddenly startled me, though I only gaped at Kookie as he appeared before me.

A light icy blue jeans jacket was draped over his shoulders, covering a simple white shirt with a black chest pocket. The shirt was half-tucked in a pair of jeans of the same colour as the jacket, creating small creases on the shirt where the fabric did not meet his flesh. A black belt with golden details on the sides tightened the grip of the jeans on his hips. The jeans’ pattern was simple although a few squares of black and white tartan appeared on the side on his legs, ending with a slightly teared up look, allowing threads of the fabric to hover the pair of converse I had given him.

He started posing, his hands in his jeans pockets at first as he stood straight in front of me; then he himself, executing a perfect circle. I giggled at his silly demeanour. However, as he posed sideways, with his hands in his jeans jacket’s pockets, he slightly cocked his head backwards, and looked straight at me.

My breath was knocked out of my body. He looked really, really good.

“Wow.”

He smiled gently and turned to face me fully, “Do you like it?”

I shook my head as I registered his question, “If I like it?” I said, standing up and walking towards him. I stopped in front of him and let my eyes trail over his form again before looking back up to meet his dark-brown irises. “Jungkook you are dazzling.”

I saw his ears change position under his beanie and he smiled so brightly that his eyes almost disappeared under their lids. He closed the distance between us and placed his hands beside my cheeks, “May I?”

Confused, I nodded slowly. He cupped my cheeks with his hands and bent down to kiss my forehead. I let out a breath and he moved away, “Is this alright?” he asked, still cupping my cheeks.

I nodded and smiled at him. He pecked my forehead again and walked back to the changing room with a smile that could melt every heart. He pulled the curtain back on and poked his head out of it.

“Thank you!” He grinned.

Another hour passed while Kookie tried on many different outfits and, in all honesty, everything looked good on him… Or he made everything look good. Waiting for him to choose which clothes he wanted, I wandered to the back of the shop where I found a black cap with cat-ears on them. As I turned it upside-down, I noticed that the space where the ears where had holes in them. I ran back to him and called for him outside of the changing rooms.

“Kook- Jungkook! I found something for y-”

I had not even finished my sentence that the curtain was briskly pulled to the side, revealing a bare-chested Kookie; though he still had his beanie on, somehow. He smiled down at me, a surprised expression displayed on his features.

I gasped and blushed, pulling the curtain back on the rail and hearing a female employee giggle behind me.

“Put a shirt on!” I gritted between my teeth, trying to calm down.

He appeared a few seconds later, fully dressed with the clothes I had landed him. I breathed in relief and outstretched my arms towards him, handing him the hat I had found. I pulled the curtain back on so that nobody would see his ears.

“(Y/N).” I heard Kookie whine from inside his dressing room.

“Yes?” I answered softly, getting closer to the curtain to keep our conversation -most likely about his cat-ears- private.

The curtain was pulled back abruptly, a grip on my hand yanked me inside the fitting room and I crashed into Kookie’s chest. He pulled the curtain back behind me and pointed at his head where the cap rested.

“Look!”

I shook the idea of scolding him about his wild behaviour as I watched his cap-hidden ears move in every direction, pull themselves back on top of his head and straightening up again.

“It’s perfect!” He chimed in, looking at his reflection in the small mirror. I smiled at him as he turned to me. He pulled me into his arms in a firm and affectionate hug. Taken aback at first, I s my arms around his waist and held him in my arms.

He pulled away and grinned at me, “Thank you so much!”

He grabbed my hand and pulled us towards the cashier.

As we waited in the check-out line, Kookie reached into his pants pocket and withdrew a wad of cash.

“Where did you get that from?” I nodded at the object in his hand, lifting my eyebrows.

“What do you think I was doing when I was not home?” He grinned.

I gaped at him, “You were working?”

He hummed in response. I shook my head while laughing and he paid for his outfits.

I only realised that my last shopping trip was ancient when I could not remember how difficult it had been to travel back to my apartment in one piece with all of my bags. Even if Kookie was carrying most of it, I still felt like I took too much space, therefore ending up pressed against his side. Though the trip home was exhausting, Kookie kept it entertaining for me as he made faces when people pushed him; sticking his tongue out at some, squinting his eyes at others while scrunching up his nose in fake-disgust. Many pairs of eyes went in our direction as I could not help but laugh with him.

Luckily, we managed to come back home before sundown which seemed like a miracle. I opened the door for us and, after putting everything down on the kitchen table, I slumped into the nearest chair and closed my eyes, taking a few seconds to appreciate the warmth of our apartment.

Yet, another warmth was brought to my forehead. One of my eyes popped open to see Kookie pressing his lips to my skin. I hummed, opening both of my eyes as he glided his thumb over my cheek in a soft massage.

“You can rest while I cook if you want.” He offered, pushing himself off and starting to unpack the food.

I shook my head awake at his words and forced my eyes to focus on the table, then on him, “No way, it’s my kitchen.”

He chuckled, I smiled.

As we had both been craving for meat as we came back home, I set my mind to prepare some bulgogi. However, when we were done -which was very rapidly thanks to Kookie’s help with chopping- it looked like it could have fed an entire family of bears for months.

Once again, Kookie let me have the first bite and only started to dig in his food when I had swallowed the delicious slightly-spiced piece of beef.

Noticing my constant blinking to stay awake as I stood up to clean the cutlery, Kookie jumped before me and extended his arm to stop me from going anywhere near the sink.

“Go shower, if you want.” He added the last part hastily as if scared I might interpret his sentence the wrong way which was quite a surprising thing to think about, especially coming from him when I knew that he did not even feel like it was necessary to put a shirt on when he was in public. Though I did not question him, I was too tired to. Instead, I nodded, smiled up at him and left to the bathroom.

I felt too tired to even wash my hair, the mere thought of having to dry it and comb the knotty beast almost made me give up. As I left the bathroom to grab the hairdryer in my bedroom, I almost collided with Kookie who was making his way to the bathroom with the object of my doom in his hands.

“I thought I might help you out.” He explained, taking the hint as my eyebrows rose.

I smiled and thanked him.

As I had sensitive hair, I still dreaded the thought of going to hair salons and having my hair pulled by a stranger. But Kookie was not a stranger, and he surely did not have the ‘the quicker I’m done with this client the better it is’ kind of mindset.

We sat on my bed, I was positioned between his legs with my back turned to him. He started massaging my head slightly, applying some conditioner on my scalp. His chest was warm, his hands were warm; everything at this moment told me to fall asleep, but I did not want to. I wanted to spend more time with him, I wanted to appreciate these minutes spent with him. He turned the hairdryer on and brushed my hair at the same time. Softly my brush untangled my hair and it fell nicely around my head. I turned to him, pushing the hair that had fallen in my face away from my features and sat in his lap, hugging him.

“Thank you Kookie.”

He nodded and lifted me up from his lap as if I weighted nothing and gently laid me on my bed, promising that he will return soon. True to his word, he appeared at the doorway a few minutes later, dressed in the cat onesie. I pouted and opened my arms for him to join me. He smiled at my barely conscious form and climbed into the bed, lifting me up a bit so my head rested against his chest.

“I had an amazing day, Kookie, thank you.” I breathed into his chest as I snuggled closer.

He answered but I was already too deep into my slumber to decipher his words.