The next time Wonshik felt his body wake from slumber it was due to the feeling in the pit of his stomach that he was being watched. Feeling the weight of another body next to his, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion for the first few seconds, before recalling the events of the earlier morning. Adrenaline pumped repeatedly through his veins at the thought, and he kept his eyes closed for as long as his nerves could bear it.

Eventually, though, he opened them, and was greeted by a pair of dark orbs looking into his. Reciprocating the action, the blonde felt color rush into his cheeks, the burning skin increasing his heartbeat even more. Taekwoon’s eyes formed into a soft eye smile, an expression Wonshik hadn’t had the chance to see from so close before. It didn’t do anything to calm his racing heart.

“Good morning.”

The words were spoken softly, as if Taekwoon wasn’t sure if he was entirely awake. This time around, it was Wonshik’s turn to be at a loss for words. He was scared that if he even so much as opened his mouth, a flow of words without grammatical sense or actual meaning would pour out. He opted to stay silent, feeling as if the roles were inversed just this once.

They stayed like this for some time, just looking at each other, no more words being spoken into the still somewhat sleep heavy silence between them. Wonshik could feel Taekwoon’s hand still on his hip as it had been the entire time, his fingertips brushing simple lines through the fabric of his shirt. The contact was barely to be felt, as if Taekwoon was taking care for Wonshik not to notice. But the younger’s senses were on high alert concerning every little movement the other’s body would make, from the slightest shift in his position to the heaving of his chest while breathing.

As the minutes passed by, Wonshik knew he couldn’t go much longer without speaking what was on his mind. The sudden change in the atmosphere between them was making his head spin, his mind not being able to entirely wrap around the abrupt change in dynamics. He cleared his throat softly, bringing Taekwoon’s attention entirely onto himself, if it hadn’t been already.

“Earlier… why did you so suddenly…”

He didn’t have to finish his sentence, knowing full well that Taekwoon had understood him perfectly. His eyes flickered from Wonshik’s left to his right and back again, coming to stop before he shrugged.

“I wanted to wait till Hakyeon went to classes to get up.”

Wonshik sighed. They both knew that wasn’t the answer he had wanted to hear. His stomach contracted itself, insecurities about their current position pulling heavily at his insides. He didn’t know where these kinds of actions left them. Just sleeping in the same room could have been brushed aside easily, no second meaning lying behind that. But sleeping together under the same covers, entangled into each other’s bodies, that was an entirely different thing. Wonshik needed assurance, assurance that this wasn’t something he was only reading things into.

Taekwoon must have felt the atmosphere between them shifting at his response, because now the fingertips on Wonshik’s hips were clearly there, rubbing soothing patterns down to the small of his back. In a gentle motion, he detached his long fingers and reached for the younger’s hand, intertwining them. His grip was firm yet gentle, a little bit hesitant, too. Taekwoon wasn’t sure if this was okay, he didn’t know if Wonshik would let this happen. But for once he felt like he had to try and express what he was actually feeling, instead of letting it eat away at his insides.

The blonde was only slightly surprised at the gesture, his eyes wandering to their entwined hands. Seeing the elder’s hand rest in between his fingers made the butterflies return to his stomach, maybe even with a bit more determination than before. It felt like the other wanted to express what he couldn’t put into words, and Wonshik hoped he wouldn’t back down.

The other’s fingers tightened around his own, signaling him to look up. Wonshik followed the silent demand of the other, casting his eyes up to meet Taekwoon’s. The dark orbs he looked into flickered across his face as if in search for something. Wonshik could only stare back, his mind repeating over and over again, please show me how you really feel. Their eyes bore into each other’s, and Wonshik could only wait for Taekwoon to decide, to act the way he wanted to. The gleam in the other’s eyes became determined, a small smile dancing on his lips, this time clearly to be seen.

Wonshik’s heartbeat sped up again at the sight, his mind processing that the decisive moment was only a few heartbeats away, so close he could almost taste it. The tension between the two grew, and the blonde could only hear the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears, deafening him. Then Taekwoon leaned in, the movement expected but still coming like a cold shower over him, goose bumps forming on the top of his skin. Their lips met in a gentle touch, laced thick with the feelings that Taekwoon couldn’t put into words and instead conveyed with his lips.

It was as if time stopped entirely, Wonshik eyes still open, trying to process. He was a little bit slow in his reaction, taking a few seconds to realize. But then everything washed over him, pumping adrenaline into his veins stronger than before. Before he could tell his mind to, he kissed back, eyes closing, his lips moving against Taekwoon’s in the whisper of his own emotions.

A smile spread on Wonshik’s lips and into the kiss, swallowed up by the other man. Their lips moved gently yet determined, Wonshik pouring in the want he had felt since he had first seen Taekwoon. One of his hands reached up to cup Taekwoon’s cheek, fingertips running lightly over his soft skin, tingling at the contact. The elder hummed approvingly into the kiss, making a slight shudder run down the younger’s spine.

His brain felt lightheaded when Taekwoon pulled away a few moments later, his mind having trouble to find back into its thoughts. The impact had still come too abruptly, and now Wonshik felt the dizziness of having (probably) forgotten how to breathe. But the smile was still plastered on his lips in a stupid manner, making Taekwoon unable to hide a smile of his own.

Wonshik’s body was continuously trying to pump oxygen back into his brain, which resulted in him not actually thinking before he spoke the next time, his voice clearly elated.

“Wow, I never would have thought you would initiate something.”

The other’s forehead creased at the words, frowning, question marks plastered all over his face. But this time Wonshik wasn’t aware enough to notice, so Taekwoon’s silent question didn’t hit its mark.

“Why?” He asked, the confusion he felt for once clearly woven into that one word.

The lopsided smile on Wonshik’s face became wider, turning more into a boyish grin. The elder could feel that what was going to be said next would be something he would probably want to smack the other for. But he waited anyway, silently, only trying to read the younger’s face.

“You don’t look like you’d have it in you.”

Sure enough the sharp pain that ebbed through Wonshik’s hip as the other’s fingers almost tried to pierce his skin made him gain back a good portion of his senses. He laughed (or more precisely coughed) at the action, having known full well the aggressive antics he would have to face when speaking his mind. It didn’t make it less of a challenge, though, nor did it really do anything about keeping him from teasing the other in the future, Wonshik knew.

Taekwoon’s eyebrows were furrowed at the younger’s words, a menacing gleam sparkling in his eyes, and he started to move his hands to punish the younger again, because frankly, with that line, once really wasn’t enough. Wonshik should’t have questioned his courage or even brushed his pride, and this meant only one thing for Taekwoon: war.

Wonshik’s body started to squirm under the poking and pinching of the older male, puffs and laughs and small cries of pain pouring from his mouth. His hands tried to shield his body from the harm of Taekwoon’s fingers, which turned out to be a much more complicated task than he had thought. Taekwoon was swift in his motions, retreated just as fast from one side as he was in attacking at the other. Guffaws of laughter fell from Wonshik’s lips as the other finally had him in a vicious grip, tickling his sides mercilessly. Wonshik felt like he was going to burst from the pressure in his chest, tars threatening to spill from his eyes, and Taekwoon’s laughter that had joined his somewhere along the way didn’t help with getting his breathing under control. In the end, the younger had no other choice but to plea for his life.

“P-please- St-stop! I swear, I w-won’t- I won’t do it again!” Wonshik exclaimed in between his fits of laughter, Taekwoon’s fingers not budging even one inch. “I can’t a-anymore! I s- I swear! A-ah-“

Finally Taekwoon took pity on the blonde, settling back to simply rubbing his fingers soothingly over the skin on the other’s hips. A sweet smile was plastered on his face as he eyed Wonshik, who was taking deep breath to calm himself down, coughing up some stray bits of laughter now and then.

Letting out a slow and long breath, Wonshik eyed the other skeptically. “Peace?” He asked cutely, and Taekwoon nodded. The blonde let out a sigh of relief. “That was torture, I swear, never do that again.”

The elder didn’t see a reason to reply, simply snuggling closer to the younger’s body heat, breathing in his musky scent. Wonshik blushed, but brought a hand up to comb through Taekwoon’s dark strands of hair. They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other’s presence, getting accustomed to the change in their relationship. Wonshik wasn’t sure just how he was supposed to label it, but he figured they weren’t in that age anymore where you passed the line of friend/boyfriend with just kissing. Though for him it was already as if he had opened to Taekwoon his inner self, showing him with honesty what was inside, he didn’t know how the other thought about it, and he didn’t want to push him too fast. Taekwoon was Taekwoon, and Wonshik was pretty sure that he needed his time to sort things out for himself.

A single finger poking into his hip made him snap out of his thoughts. He looked down at the man in his arms, who was looking slightly up to bring their eyes together.

“We should get up. I have classes later.”

Wonshik groaned at the words. Classes. That had completely escaped his mind. He shook his head, pressing Taekwoon’s body closer to his own, bathing a little longer in its warmth. “Just a little bit longer.” Soft, happy laughter escaped Taekwoon’s lips, making Wonshik grin into the other’s dark hair. This had been one special morning, and it seemed like it would only get better.