Seungwan is very content being here like this.

When it comes down to it there are only a handful of things a person really needs in life to start with, traditionally referring to the obvious basic needs such as water and food, clothing, safety and shelter which are –or at least should be– the same for every individual. It can also be argued that healthcare and education should be part of that list too. And then there are also the psychological needs, with love unarguably at the forefront. Everybody needs and deserves love, unconditionally. That’s a good foundation to start building your life around.

Other than those factors and the additional needs they may fulfill in the process, Seungwan personally doesn’t think she needs much more than what is in the room she’s currently occupying to feel a deep sense of happiness and tranquility settle into her bones. The thought brings a lazy, soft smile to her features as she closes her eyes briefly and leans back, sighing softly as she lets the feeling overtake her.

Here, at home in her apartment, it’s nice and relaxed. It feels safe and cozy and warm and everything else you’d possibly want it to be. It’s nothing extraordinary or particularly special but it is exactly the way she likes it. It’s home and has everything (or reminders of everything) that makes her happy.

Worry-free, albeit a bit full and tired after dinner and work, Seungwan is lying completely stretched out on her couch in the living room. Even like this she’s only barely occupying half of the available space –whether the couch is just too big or she’s too small is anybody’s guess–.

Wrapped up in the biggest, softest blanket she owns and head perched up just a bit to give her by far the best view in the entire apartment (if not the whole world in her opinion), the tips of her fuzzy socks peek out from under the blanket and she moves her toes gently to the music as she absentmindedly hums along to the melody. The familiar walls reflect the music coming from her record player just right, amplifying it in a way that makes it feel like she’s completely surrounded by it. It’s almost magical the way the music resonates within her too. Of course, this is because she meticulously chose the position of the record player in the room when she moved in exactly for this intended purpose. Clearly it was well worth the trouble of trial and error given the utter delight it brings her whenever she uses it. Earlier, she put on one of her favorite vinyl records, a classic jazz arrangement her dad gave her for her birthday last year, and she’s just been leaning back and relaxing to it since then. To pass the time while waiting.

Mostly waiting, in all honesty.

All in all, it really can’t get better than this on a cloudy Friday night. It is simple but good and there’s no need to go out in search of adventure when she’s got all she needs right here.

Except it could actually be that much better –perfect even– if the person occupying her dinner table would finally come join her on the couch and give her some highly anticipated cuddles.

Talk about love and everything she needs being exactly in this room.

Her girlfriend sitting in her apartment like it’s her own, calmness and warmth emanating from her and spreading into every nook and cranny, including her mind, is definitely the initiator and biggest contributor to her current (deliriously) happy state, fuzzy brain and train of thought. Not that it is a very new feeling, Joohyun effortlessly elicits a range of messy emotions in her chest at any given moment with the simplest of things and actions, but every now and again there’s this sudden realization that hits her, prompted or not, and it still makes her giddy. She basks in these moments, tries to memorize every detail over and over again as she sits back and allows herself to get lost watching her. It feels like a privilege.

To be honest, Seungwan is getting sleepier by the minute. She suspects the warmth of the blanket (not necessarily meant for herself in the first place) is starting to get to her and she is becoming the slightest bit impatient, fingers almost twitching to reach out and touch. She just misses her, is all. She’s not like this often, this clingy because 9 out of 10 times Joohyun is already right next to her, pressing as close as possible and giving her all the attention she could ever ask for. That leaves very few opportunities for her like to be like that.

But today Joohyun is too far away for her liking. And for far too long.

Up till now she’s been quite comfortably watching her from where she lies on the couch, admittedly getting lost in the million thoughts going through her mind as she observes the other being completely herself, blissfully unaware and with all her little habits on display for her to see and swoon over. She has an excellent side-view of her as she sits half cross-legged on the chair, her legs almost unnaturally twisted in a way that couldn’t and shouldn’t be comfortable for anyone for longer periods of time but which seemingly doesn’t bother her at all. Sitting weirdly like that she’s hunched over a note book, her metal-rimmed round glasses slipping down to the tip of her nose which she lazily attempts to reposition by scrunching her nose every now and then. It doesn’t work, obviously, as objects don’t like to go against gravity unless actively moved upon by an actual force like well… her hand for instance, but it’s still a very cute attempt and an adorable sight when she twitches her nose like a bunny every so often. She almost wishes it would work.

Unbothered, Joohyun also expertly twirls a pen between her fingers and bites her lip softly while she thinks and scrolls through her iPad placed to her left before she eagerly sits up and writes something down.

She’s is wearing a light grey hoodie that looks way too big on her, her hands are barely visible and hidden in the long sleeves and it makes her look even smaller than she already is. She has a suspicion that it might actually be one of her hoodies but the older would just reply ‘Don’t you mean ours?’ with a devilishly attractive sly grin if she asked her about it. Her hair is carelessly put up in a messy bun for convenience, numerous wisps of dark hair falling out and framing her face and brushing her shoulders, and the jeans she was wearing when she came in straight from work have been exchanged for black leggings within the first 10 minutes of arrival when Seungwan was still finishing cooking dinner.

It looks like she’s working on something that requires a lot of concentration if she’s judging by her expression and lack of reaction to her continuous gazing. Not even a sneaky glance is directed her way to tell her she’s aware of the eyes on her.

The other woman looks incredibly soft and comfy and she has been toying with the idea –but successfully holding herself back– to tip-toe over to squeeze her to death and smother her with kisses, instead actually trying to give her some space so she can work in peace.

However, she has no idea what Joohyun is working on or how long it will still take before she finishes and it’s actually quite challenging, she has to admit. The surge of affection bubbling up in her chest is hard to resist. Who can blame her, really?

Usually when Joohyun comes over to her apartment after work she really tries to not take anything with her and the same goes for herself when she goes to Joohyun’s place, both wanting to spend all their time together without distractions. Luckily it works out most of the time, other than maybe sending some last-minute emails that never take too long. But sometimes it also doesn’t, a change in deadline or sudden extra workload can ruin their plans just a bit and requires some small adjustments to their evening together. A dinner becomes take-out delivery and a movie marathon becomes just one or two for the night.

Whenever that happens and she opens her door to the sight of an apologetic looking Joohyun with dropped shoulders and slightly sad eyes, she is usually successful in persuading her to work on it whilst sitting on the couch without too much resistance from her, by arguing that she could at least make herself comfortable while she puts in extra hours. When the older agrees with a nod and a grateful smile, Seungwan presses a kiss to her temple and goes to reassure her that she won’t be a distraction at the same time. Though this is met with a different reaction, more of a knowing chuckle and a halfhearted eyeroll before Joohyun takes her by the hand and they settle on the couch while she sports a faint blush at the reminder of other times.

She really does try to keep her promise as best as she can, truly. She never purposefully sets out to disrupt her concentration. She wouldn’t…. it’s just that an absentminded Joohyun plays a very dangerous game with her resolve when she leans further into her side in an attempt to completely fuse their bodies together. With her wandering hand trailing up and down her inner leg agonizingly slow, drawing circles on the inside of her knee and leaving goosebumps on sensitive skin in its wake. Heat really rises up to her cheeks when her soft and nimble fingers subsequently press into her thigh through her jeans, going higher and higher upwards…..

It isn’t really all her fault to begin with when the work session changes its course if you ask her. And although Joohyun would innocently claim otherwise, it wouldn’t be a total surprise to her if a part (if not all) of Joohyun knew exactly what she was doing from the beginning or realized half-way through her administrations if she’s judging by the blinding, toothy smile playing on the older her swollen lips and her mysteriously glimmering eyes when they finally do pull apart again.

It’s not always like that though. On other, more quiet nights, Joohyun positions herself between her legs, her back pressed against Seungwan’s front and her laptop on her lap as she taps away at whatever report or presentation she has to finish. No funny business (intended or not), just relaxed. Huddled together underneath a blanket, Seungwan then watches a show the older isn’t particularly invested in, listens to some music and organizes her playlists or dives into a good book. In those moments it’s not so bad that their plans for the evening may have slightly changed and time actually passes by rather quickly.

The few times when there’s an overwhelming and confusing amount of paperwork to be dealt with, Joohyun will lay it all out on the couch and floor to get a good overview of it and she would sit a bit further away. Still, no matter how inconvenient of uncomfortable it may be, she reaches out to lace their fingers together loosely and brushes a finger over her knuckles affectionately, has her feet tucked under her thigh or even holds on to just one finger.

As long as they spend time together she is incredibly happy. Like she said, she doesn’t need a lot. With Joohyun by her side she’s alright, no matter what they do.

However, without a doubt, there’s always at least some physical contact between them it seems.

Which is why it’s extra noteworthy that she decided to sit at the table today. So far away.

Actually, she may be exaggerating just a little. It’s not that far away, maybe only about 4 or 5 meters at most, but she’s not too fond of any distance between them now. She’s just in need of some extra affection and wants to fall into Joohyun her arms and drown in her embrace, be as close as she can right now. It’s beginning to feel increasingly more like a need with every passing minute of gazing at her in admiration, affection bubbling up and her heart steadily pumping loving warmth through her whole body.

After they finished dinner about an hour ago they wordlessly fell into the routine they naturally established in the last few months, where Joohyun washes the dishes and she does the drying up, their hips and shoulders bumping (in a kitchen that definitely has enough space not to) and soapy hands brushing as Joohyun hands over the plates, glasses, cutlery and pans.

In all honesty, they could use the dishwasher conveniently included in her kitchen and get it over with without much effort but there’s something oddly domestic about washing the dishes together. It’s an unspoken agreement between them that they will do it together, unless there’s an unreasonable number of dishes. It’s very nice to be like that, doing simple house chores while talking about their day or just enjoying the comfortable silence that surrounds them. It feels incredibly domestic and easy.

They started out slow and efficient, moving in unison and working together with ease, like they always do. But at some point Joohyun steadily increased her working speed and Seungwan desperately tried to keep up from that point onwards. Her expression grew more concerning, her eyes wild and wide and eyebrows raised much higher than before in clear distress and shock. It never fails to elicit a slight panic in her chest –she’s handling fairly fragile objects after all– and she looked at Joohyun with pleading eyes when she was handed one slippery item after the other without sufficient time to finish the ones before. An amused and merciless Joohyun sneakily watched her from the corner of her eyes until she couldn’t keep up anymore and really struggled with juggling the dishes that accumulated in her arms. She gaves up just before disaster could come down on her and she sighed in defeat, whining the tiniest bit in retaliation as Joohyun only chuckled and the widest smile took over her face.

The teasing ‘still too slow, baby’ and big eyes undeniably shining in delight when she kissed her and took some of the dishes from her, while looking the least bit apologetic, are reason enough to tell her it has become a favorite game for her girlfriend at this point. Everyone knows the older loves winning games, no matter how silly. A certain child-like playfulness is never far away with the people closest to her.

And who is she to even think of depriving her of that joy? She really can’t bring herself to do that even if she wanted to. Especially when Joohyun looks that beautiful with that self-satisfied smirk and slightly scrunched eyes while she holds in her amused laughter when she returns to her task at a much more reasonable pace, giving Seungwan time to catch up to her. She’s much too smitten with Joohyun to do anything but suppress a wide grin. It’s quite literally a miracle that she has never let anything shatter to a million pieces yet, Seungwan thinks to herself.

After they finished washing up and put all the dishes away in the cabinets Joohyun surprised her by saying “I have some homework, I’ll join you in a bit” as she quickly brushed past her, walking out of the kitchen and towards the table to set up her stuff. She stopped in her tracks and blinked in surprise, then snapped her head to follow her movements in a daze. She could only respond with a quick nod when the other looked back over her shoulder, eyebrows characteristically raised in silent question. Anything else wouldn’t come out of , suddenly very dry and words floating around but none of them within reach for her stunned brain to process normally. She continued her way to the couch as if on autopilot, not registering anything as she was too distracted by the funny feeling instantly swirling in her stomach.

And that’s how she found herself laying on the couch, largely unmoving and watching Joohyun for the last… 40 minutes? 50 minutes? She honestly has no idea how long it’s been since that moment but her mind has definitely been running the whole time, uninterrupted. She put on some music like she always does but it serves merely as background noise today, her mind’s much more interested in fixating on the fact that her girlfriend just said homework so easily. Like it’s nothing.

Homework.

Not home-work or work.

But HOMEwork… One word.

Before she has always said ‘work’ but the concatenation of that simple little word makes her heart flutter, her breath involuntarily hitch in and her hands instantly clammy with the underlying insinuation.

The word echoes in her mind and it weighs heavy on her chest in the best way humanly possible. Joohyun really feels that way about her, too. About them. It’s safe to say that she can’t bring herself to tear her gaze away from the other woman even for a split second, observing her silently as a silly love-sick smile tugs at her lips, making her cheeks ache a little with the continuous strain as an all-consuming feeling washes over her.

You see, Joohyun is not the type of person to just say something without much thought. She thinks about everything long and hard. She’s meticulous, may even be calculating at certain times. She thinks ahead or takes a step back to assess the situation and then chooses her words or course of action carefully. Thus, it is not surprising that most of the time there’s a deeper, nuanced layer to what she says. It’s just a matter of what people want to hear. Whether they look beyond the surface and make an effort to understand her or what she means without outright saying it. For those that do, they’ll see and recognize the small things. Even if she might be reserved, honestly laces Joohyun her words and Seungwan knows to really listen, does it naturally and will eagerly take each and every possibility to try and decipher every meaning hidden in between words. Simply because its Joohyun and she wants to know every single detail about her and what goes on inside that beautiful brain of hers. She’s gotten quite good at it too, if she says so herself. Even by just looking into her eyes she knows her thoughts.

In conclusion, Joohyun’s words were definitely deliberate, said in an almost nonchalant way as if it’s no big deal and she’s just merely stating a fact, and that easily sets off a whole new wave of emotions and made her mind spiral to where she’s currently knee-deep into thinking about how she can happily spend the rest of her life with exactly what (and more importantly who) is in her living room at this moment. She is just short of planning the whole rest of their lives together.

So she’s been happily daydreaming since she went to lie on her couch. In contrast, Joohyun looks more troubled than usual. She mumbles something under her breath before she frowns and sighs frustratedly, her body deflating more and more with time. Seungwan desperately wants to take away the scowl on her face, smooth out her brows and pull her closer.

Looking at Joohyun, it feels like heart is about to burst, unable to hold everything in. The older looks irresistibly cute and she’s also been waiting for a while for her to finish her mysterious homework. She is really anticipating those snuggles and wants to shower her with love and just be close to her.

Joohyun her cheeks that were happily munching on home-made teokkbokki earlier are calling to her, just asking to be held and kissed a thousand times over. Even more so after she said that and turned her whole mind upside down.

Having made up her mind, Seungwan finally decides that she has done more than enough waiting. And Joohyun should take a break anyway. She slowly sits up and untangles herself from the blanket, grunting softly as her stiff body protests from the sudden change in posture. She pushes herself up and rounds the couch, taking light steps to make her way over to where Joohyun is sitting.

“Hyunnie”, she breathes out quietly when she is coming within arm’s reach, aegyo lacing her words as the endearment slips past her lips. “I’m getting lonely over there.”

Surprisingly unstartled, Joohyun slowly sits up at that, twisting her body towards her as she angles her head upwards. She locks eyes with her and her face instantly lights up, her lips