"Let me love you tonight," he whispered, voice trembling. "This time… for real."
Her heart stuttered. Her lips parted as if her emotions were too full for words. Before he could say anything more, she grabbed his collar and pulled him into another kiss, heated, desperate, hungry.
He responded immediately, his hands sliding to her waist, drawing her flush against him. The heat between them climbed, emotions turning into something deeper, something that burned and soothed at the same time.
When he leaned forward, completely, she stumbled, the back of her legs hitting the edge of the bed, making her fall onto the mattress, with him following right after, their breaths quick and uneven.
For a second, they simply looked at each other.
His eyes… God, his eyes. Full of love, apology, reverence, hunger, and something new, something real.
She cupped his face gently, giving him silent assurance. He kissed her again, but this time slower. Deeper. A kiss that didn't rush, didn't hide, didn't pretend. As if he were memorizing her soul.
And that alone made her chest flutter. Because this time, he wasn't lost in someone else's memory. He wasn't loving her out of confusion or heartbreak. He was here, fully aware, completely sober… loving her. Only her.
Butterflies burst in her stomach at the realization.
His lips trailed down her jaw, to her neck, then to her collarbone, soft but needful kisses that made her arch under him, the sensation hitting every sensitive spot she'd ever known.
Layers fell away, piece by piece, not just clothes, but walls, guilt, old wounds, leaving them bare in each other's arms, raw, vulnerable, yet safe. They explored each other gently, tenderly, as if memorizing the warmth they had almost lost.
Suho pinned her hands gently above her head, hovering over her in a way that made her breath catch. His gaze locked with hers. In that moment, he looked achingly beautiful. His messy hair, lips swollen, cheeks flushed, chest rising and falling with desire, he didn't bother to hide.
There was hunger in his eyes, yes, but love overshadowed everything else. The sight of him above her made her stomach twist, heat building, legs instinctively tightening around him, inviting, welcoming.
He leaned down and captured her lips again, hands tracing her curves with a devotion that made her breath hitch. When he pulled back, his voice was barely a whisper.
"I love you, Hauena…"
Those words. Those were the words she had once begged the universe to hear. Those words were everything she had longed for. Everything she had dreamt of hearing from him, at the right moment, with the right heart. And now they came from the man above her, willingly, lovingly, fully hers.
A stunned breath left her, cheeks blooming red. He smirked softly at her reaction, stole a gentle peck on her lips, and murmured:
"Feel me… my love,"
Her heartbeat stuttered, chest rising and falling as she looked at him, this man who was finally hers in every sense.
He took one slow look at her, every inch, every expression, and then guided himself closer, gently finding the warmth of her welcoming him. She gasped, eyes falling shut, her hands flying to hold him as he moved slowly, lovingly.
Every breath they shared, every soft sound, every whispered name from her lips felt like threads knitting their souls back together.
The bed creaked under them, a quiet witness to two hearts finally choosing each other, healing, loving without guilt, fear, pain, or shadows.
In that moment, they weren't just making love. They were rewriting their story, a new beginning made of warmth, passion, trust, and devotion.
A night they would carry in their hearts forever.
Morning After
The soft morning light spilled through the curtains, warm and golden, brushing over the tangled sheets and the two bodies resting beneath them.
Hauen was the first to stir.
Her eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the quiet brightness, her body still wrapped in a deep, comforting heaviness, the kind that followed a night filled with too much emotion, too much closeness, too much love to contain in simple words.
Suho was asleep beside her, his arms firmly around her waist, his face hidden against her collarbone like he was still trying to hold the night close. His breaths were slow, warm against her skin, his chest rising and falling with a peaceful rhythm she rarely got to see on him.
She just looked at him for a moment. Messy hair. Soft lips. A faint pink flush still painted his cheeks.His hand was resting on her waist, fingers curled like he'd been afraid to let go even in sleep.
Her heart squeezed. Last night still lingered everywhere, in her heartbeat, in her bones, in the warmth between them. But instead of embarrassment or shyness… she felt full. Whole. Loved.
She brought her hand up and brushed a few strands of hair from his forehead. His brows twitched slightly, and he snuggled even closer, tightening his hold around her like a sleepy koala.
She smiled helplessly.
"Good morning, Teddy…" she whispered, pressing a small kiss to the top of his head.
He groaned lightly, nuzzling her neck. "Mmm… five more minutes…" his voice came out rough, low, and unbelievably soft at the same time.
She chuckled under her breath.
After a while, his eyes opened barely, only halfway, still foggy with sleep. He looked at her like she was the first sunrise of his life, gentle, warm, a little unbelievable.
"You're still here…" he murmured, voice raspy.
"Where else would I go?" she smiled.
Suho didn't answer. He just lifted his hand and cupped her cheek lazily, thumb brushing her skin with a sleepy tenderness that made her chest ache.
Then he leaned in, placing the softest morning peck on her lips, slow, warm, unhurried. Not passionate. Not desperate. Just love.
"Morning, my angel," he whispered against her mouth.
Her cheeks warmed. "Look who's not shy today."
He groaned dramatically, burying his face back in her neck. "Don't tease me already… I used all my confidence yesterday."
She burst into laughter.
His arms tightened around her again, pulling her flush against him, chin resting on her shoulder.
"Why do you always get nervous with me, huh?" she asked softly.
"I don't know… my heart is weak for Kim Hauen," he mumbled.
She chuckled, brushing his hair. "But I like it.... when my teddy becomes confident… he's my weakness," she whispered, teasing him.
His lips twitched against her skin, and he squeezed her waist, making her yelp. He giggled, finally looking up at her. She slapped his hands playfully.
He looked at her for a moment, really looked, "Last night…" he murmured, his tone low, vulnerable, almost fragile, "…was everything I believed I didn't deserve."
Her breath hitched instantly. Something sharp and tender bloomed in her chest. She reached for him, fingers brushing his jaw as if trying to hold his words, to soothe the ache behind them.
His eyes softened further, melting, breaking, healing all at once.
"After the accident, when Yerin… walked away, I truly believed I wasn't someone worth loving, anymore," he said softly, his voice trembling with old wounds. "So when my heart began to feel for you, I thought loving you that way… truly, completely… was too much for a man like me,"
His gaze stayed locked on hers, unwavering, vulnerable.
"But you…" He breathed, almost in awe, "You made me believe I'm allowed. That I'm worthy, worthy to love, to feel, to hope… to live, again."
Her heart clenched. Warm tears pricked the back of her eyes, not out of sadness, but because of how deeply he was opening himself in front of her.
She cupped his face gently, her thumb brushing his cheek. "Suho…" she breathed, voice barely holding together.
He leaned into her touch like he'd been waiting his whole life for such softness.
"I woke up today and… for the first time, I didn't feel regret," he confessed slowly. "I just felt grateful. And safe. And… yours."
Her lips parted, a trembling inhale escaping her.
She didn't speak; she didn't need to. Her eyes said everything: You deserved last night, and every moment after it. You always did.
He closed the distance between them, pressing his forehead to hers again, the same way he did before everything changed.
"Thank you," he whispered. "For loving me when I didn't know how to love myself, again."
Her hand slid to the back of his neck, pulling him closer, a silent answer.
"You deserve more than you think, Suho," she murmured. "And last night… it wasn't just you. It was everything I ever wanted to."
His lips curved into a tiny, relieved smile. They stayed like that, tangled, warm, breathing into each other, until the sun climbed higher.
After lying in bed for a while, Hauen finally attempted to get up.
Suho? He had no such plans. Yet.
The moment she shifted even an inch away from him, he tightened his arms around her waist with surprising strength.
"No," he muttered into her shoulder.
She blinked. "What do you mean by 'no,' Mr. Kim?"
"You're not going anywhere," he mumbled, voice muffled and adorably stubborn. "Stay."
She laughed softly. "Yaa.. Suho, it's already late, I need to get up—"
He immediately opened his eyes and pulled her back into his chest, hugging her like a warm human pillow. "No. Stay here. Stay with me," he said, sounding like a sleepy, clingy teenager.
Her heart melted. "Are you always this clingy after… um… nights like these?" she teased.
He blinked. His ears turned pink. He hid his face in the crook of her neck again.
"…Just with you," he whispered.
Something in her heartbeat shifted, warmer, deeper.
She shifted in his hold, stroked his hair. "Teddy…"
He sighed into her skin, his fingertips tracing slow circles at her waist. "Can you blame me? Last night felt like… if I let go even now, you'll disappear."
Her breathing softened. She turned gently in his arms until she faced him. His eyes were lowered, lashes trembling a little, cheeks still flushed from shyness and leftover emotion.
"Suho," she whispered, cupping his jaw, "I'm not leaving you. Not in this life. Not until I'm alive."
His eyes finally lifted to meet hers, warm, timid, full of something deeper than he knew how to say.
He exhaled like he'd been holding his breath the entire time.
Finally, he loosened his hold, just a little, and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered on her cheek, brushing lightly, like he finally allowed himself to touch her without fear.
Then he swallowed and looked away again.
"What are you thinking?" she asked gently.
He hesitated, then whispered something so soft she almost missed it. "…Did I make you feel loved last night?"
Her heart squeezed painfully, beautifully. She took his hand and kissed it gently.
"You made me feel cherished," she said honestly. "Safe. Seen. Wanted. Loved."
A small, relieved smile tugged at his lips, the kind that came straight from the heart, not the ones he gave the world.
"Good…" he murmured, snuggling into her shoulder. "Because everything I felt last night was real. Every touch… every word."
Hauen's breath caught.
"I wasn't drunk. I wasn't confused. I wasn't guilty," he said softly. "I loved you because I wanted to. Because I couldn't hold it back anymore."
Her eyes softened with emotion.
"And this morning," he continued, brushing his thumb across her cheek, "I woke up… and the first thing I thought was, 'Thank God she's still beside me.'"
Her eyes grew warm. "Suho…"
He giggled, wrapping himself in her arms. "I'm taking leave today… because I want to be with my wife, here, like this. You better treat me with love," he said, snuggling into her warmth, eyes closing again.
"Don't you wanna eat? Aren't you hungry?" she asked, chuckling.
"Later," he mumbled.
She smiled, shaking her head, holding her big baby bear close as the morning stretched a little longer.