Chapter eighteen. Sooyeon woke up and opened her eyes to a mass of dark brown hair in the pillow next to her. The sight brought a sweet smile to her face and she sleepily moved her head to look at the window to ascertain what time it was. The princess smiled when she discovered that they still had a little time before the morning sun shine fully on them, though it was hinting at its appearance. Sooyeon moved her head back to gaze at the woman lying beside her. Taeyeon was sleeping on her stomach, hands tucked under the pillow and head turned away from her. The princess had one arm draped over the general's lower back and one of her legs tangled with Taeyeon's. The blankets, which had been covering them when she went to sleep, had slipped down to their waists during the night, giving Sooyeon a beautiful view of Taeyeon's back in the soft morning light. Sooyeon sighed and laid her head back on her pillow. She looked down at her own bare upper body and blushed, feeling a little embarrassed even with her wife still sleeping. The princess was surprised and yet comfortable with what had happened between them the night before. She was sure that if it had been anyone else doing what Taeyeon had done, taking off her clothing like that, the princess would have felt like they where forcing her hand, making her take a step she was not ready to take. But Taeyeon had made her feel safe, calm, loved and special. Sooyeon raised herself on one elbow to be able to peek at Taeyeon's face and smiled. The general had a relaxed expression that was not very common to see if she was awake. A lock of brown hair was sticking to the general's slightly parted lips and Sooyeon lifted her hand from Taeyeon's waist to tuck the mahogany tress behind Taeyeon's ear. This action made the general stir, but surprisingly she didn’t wake up. Taking advantage of the opportunity to touch, Sooyeon let her fingers glide down Taeyeon's back, watching as the general took a deep breath, but still didn’t open her eyes. Sooyeon didn’t want to awake the general, but she felt a sudden giddiness that compelled her to touch her. So she let her fingers wander over the expanse of Taeyeon's back, tracing random patterns. She brushed her fingers up the general's back until she reached Taeyeon's shoulder and leaned across the sleeping figure to continue to caress her arm down to her elbow, were it disappeared beneath the pillow. The princess yelped suddenly, startled by the quick movement of the arm she was caressing as Taeyeon's hand shot back and grabbed Sooyeon's wrist, pulling the princess's arm to slide under the pillow and thus, forcing Sooyeon to lie on top of her back. “You startled me,” Sooyeon said with a nervous chuckle, her heart still racing from the scare. Taeyeon just lay still, the rise and fall of her chest against Sooyeon deep and slow, not giving any indication that she was awake. “Taeyeon, are you awake?” the princess asked next to the general's ear after a few moments of silence. “No,” the general answered, making the princess laugh softly. Sooyeon started to nibble on Taeyeon's tender earlobe, unconsciously pressing her s onto the general's back and feeling Taeyeon press her backside into her hips. “Now I’m starting to wake up,” Taeyeon said in a moan and sighed deeply. She released Sooyeon's hand beneath her pillow and started to roll on her back. Noticing Taeyeon's attempt at motion, the princess slid back, giving her room to turn over. Holding herself up in on elbow, she pulled the sheet up to cover her chest. The princess felt a little foolish for doing that, but she felt self-conscious to be despite the fact that Taeyeon was the one responsible for her state. The romantic candle light of the night before helped her overcome her inhibitions and Taeyeon's gentle touches had made her forget any awkwardness she felt. But, no longer in the moment, and not nearly as comfortable with her body as the general seemed to be, Sooyeon reacted out of shyness. Taeyeon settled herself on her back and stretched her body, feeling the slight chill air of the morning on her bare upper body. She turned her head to look at Sooyeon and saw the princess was nervously looking down, a blush tinting her cheeks and one hand clutching the sheet over her chest. This brought an amused smile to Taeyeon's lips; since the general could still feel the heat of the princess's lips on her ear and the teasing touch of her s on her back, she personally found Sooyeon's sudden shyness highly endearing. “Are you cold?” Taeyeon asked, teasingly. “The mornings tend to be cold, you know?” Sooyeon said, blushing even more and not lifting her gaze to meet Taeyeon's. She felt foolish that Taeyeon had noticed her timidity but was unable to make herself let go of the sheet. “Not this morning,” Taeyeon said, smiling. “I’m not cold,” she added mischievously, enjoying the princess's shyness. “You’re unique,” Sooyeon said, looking up at Taeyeon. “Your body is always warm. It’s like you have an internal source of heat,” the princess said with amazement, her shyness fading as her eyes swept over Taeyeon's body. “That’s true,” Taeyeon agreed with a nod, her smile turning into an even more mischievous grin. “So don’t you think it would be smarter for you to get closer to me instead of using that thin sheet for warmth?” she asked teasingly, moving slowly, but decisively, towards the princess. “It probably would be more effective,” Sooyeon agreed laying back down on the bed, her hand letting go of its grip on the sheet and rising to comb through Taeyeon's hair while the general hovered over her. “Let’s give it a try,” Taeyeon said huskily, pulling the sheet away and taking its place. She found herself holding her breath at the exciting contact of her bare flesh against Sooyeon's. The princess closed her eyes with a sigh, smiling and letting herself relax against Taeyeon's skin as she basked in the warmth the general emanated. “See? I’m a much better option, judging by the smile on your face,” Taeyeon said teasingly, tracing a line up Sooyeon's arm with her fingers. “What makes you think you’re the one that put a smile on my face?” So