Seungcheol woke up due to the bright light falling on his eyes. He felt a familiar throbbing headache before opening his eyes.
Well, that's nothing new.
But what's new was the weight of a warm and soft figure in his arms clinging to him dependently and sleeping peacefully.
Seungcheol looked at Minghao's tranquil and innocent face which was cutely half buried at the crook of his neck.
Minghao's head was supported by his shoulder and his warm breath brushed against the sensitive spot on Seungcheol's neck making him feel ticklish. Unknowingly to him, Seungcheol's heart was slowly melting at the sight in front of him.
He also noticed that Minghao's small frame fits perfectly in his arms. He really is so perfect, so huggable.
He never really imagined that someone other than Jeonghan could tick all the boxes of the type of lover he desires. What's even more unimaginable to him is, right now he is holding Minghao so closely and intimately when in the past he had never ever considered Minghao as a love interest.
Last night he could sleep peacefully thinking everything that happened has happened in his dream but as soon as he opened his eyes he knew that them kissing wasn't a dream.
'It would have been better if it was just a dream' Seungcheol thought as he sighed helplessly. He was still not ready to give their relationship a label. The kiss from last night has made everything even more complicated for him.
But as he thinks about it it's actually very incredible because if someone had informed him the day before yesterday that he will eventually end up sharing a hot and passionate kiss with Minghao in the near future, he would have brushed it off as a joke while finding it absurd and unbelievable but now here he was, not only sharing a hot and passionate kiss but also wanting to do something more than kissing to the person who was sleeping so deeply and unguardedly.
This gesture of sleeping in his arms might be nothing special in between close friends but the person in question in this situation is the usually calm and collected Minghao. He is an elegant and easy going person who doesn't mind initiating simple skinship with everyone in their friends group but he is actually someone who never lets his guards down, not even in front of the friends in their friend group.
So for Minghao to be so unguarded and clingy with him, he must trust and love Seungcheol a lot right?
This sudden realisation caused Seungcheol's heart to tighten painfully, it's a kind of pain that actually made his whole being burst with sweetness. Since the time he started understanding the meaning of having a companion from then on he started yearning for someone whom he could claim as his to himself and not let the person he claimed belong to anyone else.
Since the time he understood what a companion is he wanted someone to be by his side and trust him completely and wholeheartedly. Until now he never found such a person....until now.
His arms encircled Minghao's waist and his shoulder as he hugged Minghao more tightly and closely.
He couldn't understand why he kissed Minghao last night? Why did Minghao's figure overlap with the blurry and vague figure in his dreams? Why was his heart feeling so painful after holding Minghao even more closer to him? What's happening with him??
The question that troubled him the most is,
Is he ready to accept Minghao's feelings for him?
He doesn't want to end up hurting Minghao just like he has hurt Sara. He wants to avoid making a mistake again but he couldn't take his eyes off Minghao, his heart keeps protesting and going against his will.
Maybe his stare was too intense that's why Minghao started stirring awake in arms.
He slowly opened his eyes only to end up looking at Seungcheol who was also looking at him.
For some reason Seungcheol's stare made him feel embarrassed but later he realised that the position he was in right now is actually more embarrassing.
How does it feel to be in the arms of someone you have loved for a long time?
To Minghao it definitely felt good but he also felt shy and jittery so he felt the need to escape this predicament quickly. He tried to move but Seungcheol was holding him tightly so even if he wanted to escape he couldn't.
Minghao felt nervous as he looked at Seungcheol. Usually he teases Seungcheol whenever he gets a chance and even took the initiative to kiss Seungcheol last night but he is suddenly feeling all his courage packing it's bag and leaving for a vacation.
His heartbeat quickened as he whispered towards Seungcheol.
"Let me go"
Even though he said that he didn't expect Seungcheol to really let him go so he was surprised when Seungcheol released him. He also felt a bit disappointed.
His mood took a deep dive, maybe due to that he felt his courage coming back as he asked, " So, what are we now?"
Hearing his question, Seungcheol responded to him with silence. He himself doesn't know the answer to this question. He doesn't want to make any commitments, especially not when he himself is not sure about his own feelings and not sure if he wants to take their relationship a step ahead. A step that would change everything between them.
Minghao had tasted bitter gourd in China when he was a kid and at that time he thought that it was the most bitter thing in this world but now he knows that the feeling he was feeling right now could even beat the bitterness of bitter gourd by many more times.
But it's not like he couldn't understand. Right now Seungcheol has still not dealt with the situation with Sara and he has too many things to consider before he could give him an answer.
That's how Seungcheol is. He never does things impulsively, he thinks everything thoroughly before making a decision and his decisions always lead to a good outcome. He really likes this quality of Seungcheol so it eased some bitterness he was feeling before. Also he felt a little happy knowing that Seungcheol is seriously considering being in a relationship with him so he thought to himself that he should be patient.
Seeing Minghao's downcast gaze Seungcheol felt anxious and also very guilty. He opened his mouth hurriedly to explain himself, " Myungho, I'm sorry, I just want to -"
But before he could finish his sentence, Minghao placed his finger on Seungcheol's lips to silence him. Minghao looked at Seungcheol's eyes and shook his head while giving Seungcheol a small comforting smile.
He moved himself and went forward to put his lips near Seungcheol's ear. He stayed in that position for a while as Seungcheol's ears instantly turned red due to the intimate contact.
Minghao smiled at Seungcheol's cuteness before saying, " It's okay hyung, you don't need to apologise. I understand your difficulties. I will wait for you until you are ready to answer me"
Minghao's voice sounded breathy due to just waking up not long ago. He was so close to Seungcheol that Seungcheol started feeling restless.
But more than that...
Seungcheol turned his head to come face to face with Minghao, his expression showed that he was very serious.
After Seungcheol turned his head their lips were so close that they almost touched just like last night. Suddenly Seungcheol smiled towards Minghao charmingly with a small tilt at the corner of his lips that made the dimple on his cheek more prominent. His eyes filled with mischievousness and warmth as he looked at Minghao's stunned expression before landing a light peck on his lips.
Minghao felt like his heart was going to explode but he didn't know that Seungcheol's heart had already melted into a puddle.
How can someone be so adorable?