It was moments like these that he lived for, but they were rare and far in between.

It was an early Sunday morning as he lay partially covered by a blanket, the sun warming patches of his skin. A peaceful silence hung in the room, only interrupted by soft breaths or the sound of the wind rustling through the tree’s leaves. Taemin was taking care that his breaths stayed deep and steady so as to not give away that he was in fact awake, which would have broken the moment he was enjoying so much.

It was only during the mornings like these, where Jonghyun would wake up to his sleeping partner without having to rush to work, that he let his inhibitions go. Growing up, he had come to learn that it wasn’t acceptable for a man to be too affectionate. He had learned that whatever he did should be paired with restraint, or he would be told to man up and stop being such a girl. He didn’t want to, though. He just wanted to be himself.

A gentle arm was rested on Taemin’s chest, soon cushioning a head. He could feel the soft puffs of breath as Jonghyun stared up at his face, soon raising his other hand to explore the finer details of his face. Careful fingers slid over Taemin’s face, brushing his cheek, tracing his nose, nudging his lips. A soft satisfied hum left Jonghyun’s throat and drifted through the air. It was a sign of contentment that the man himself probably wasn’t even aware of.

Taemin thrived on the weight on top of him, and the soft touches that explored his features. It took all the self restraint he had to not smile and press his face against the wandering hand. But he was scared that it would chase the other away. He didn’t want to risk losing these soft moments that made his world turn. So here he lay, in an imitation of sleep that he had long since perfected.

Only when Taemin’s bodily functions played up was the moment broken, and no, he didn’t have to go to the toilet. If that was the case he would’ve first stirred a bit, starting to move more to indicate that he would soon be waking up. This would have provided Jonghyun with the time to get off and return to his side of the bed. Instead, his stomach decided to announce his state of consciousness when it churned enough to simulate a small earthquake, causing both males to freeze where they were, with halted breaths.

Knowing there was no longer a point in pretending now, Taemin opened his eyes to stare down at the wide eyes which had frozen in their observation of his face. He carefully smiled at the other man, hoping to somehow help him relax, but apparently it broke Jonghyun’s reverie in the wrong way. A of panic flashed through warm brown eyes, and two palms were suddenly pressing down on Taemin’s torso as the shorter man tried to get off his chest as quickly as he could. Before his body heat could completely leave him though, Taemin grabbed at his wrists and kept them where they were, halting Jonghyun in his movements.

“It’s alright, I really don’t mind.”

A pair of disbelieving eyes stared back at him as the arms he was holding trembled.

“It feels really good to be appreciated every now and then. It shows me that you really do care.”

It was only then that the elder’s posture started to gradually relax. With a hesitant gaze fixed on the other, Jonghyun slowly went to resume his previous position. It was only once he was back in place that all tension left the air, the two men exchanging soft smiles. When Taemin finally closed his eyes again so that Jonghyun could resume his caresses, they were cruelly reminded of what had caused the tension in the first place, another growl breaking through the silence. Choked laughter filled the room as the bodies on the bed shook with exuberant laughter.

“I think it’s time for breakfast.”

A/N: And there you have it~ Happy birthday Taemin!
My writing and personal Tumblr if you like~