Bright morning light crept gently into the bedroom. Li Xingyuan stirred as a beam of sunlight nudged at his eyelids. He groaned softly, not quite ready to leave the comfortable blankets that surrounded him. His senses returned in pieces: a soft pillow under his head, a plush blanket draped over him carrying a faint scent of detergent and... a weight across his torso?
Li Xingyuan's eyes fluttered open. The unfamiliar ceiling above was pale ivory, not the bland off-white of his dorm room.
Right. I'm at Damien's place...
He stayed still for a moment before trying to move, but realized he couldn't. Something heavy and warm rested on him. Heart quickening, Li Xingyuan turned his head to the side, and froze.
There, nestled comfortably against his side, was Damien. Sometime during the night, Damien had ended up on the bed as well—half on top of him. One of Damien's arms was draped over Li Xingyuan's waist, and Damien's face was incredibly close, mere inches away on the shared pillow. His soft brown hair was slightly tousled, a few strands falling over his closed eyes. And his lips—rosy and parted just enough for the slow, steady breaths of deep sleep—were dangerously near Li Xingyuan's collarbone.
The redhead felt his brain short-circuiting. His first instinct was to tense up like a statue.
Sh*t.
The situation was so unexpected, so absurd, that he didn't know whether to burst out laughing or to melt through the floor in embarrassment. A fierce heat flooded his face; he could feel the blush all the way to the tips of his ears.
Calm down, calm down, he commanded himself, but his thundering heartbeat refused to listen.
What exactly happened? Had Damien sleepwalked in here? His memory was blank after their parting last night. Perhaps Damien had woken up cold or uncomfortable in the living room and decided to go back to his bed?
After thinking about it, Li Xingyuan found it hard to believe.
He took it upon himself to take the couch. He probably just walked in out of habit...
He could feel the weight of Damien's arm, solid and reassuring across him, and the faint tickle of Damien's exhale against his t-shirt. This close, Li Xingyuan could make out every delicate eyelash fanned across Damien's cheek, every little features that he had—especially the mole by his eye. He looked so peaceful, so innocent in sleep that Li Xingyuan's racing mind took a temporary backseat to simply absorbing the sight.
It hit him then—this was perhaps the first time he'd seen Damien from so close. And it was… well, it was making his face burn, that's for sure.
Li Xingyuan prided himself on being the teaser, the one always in control during exchanges. Yet here he was, face as red as a tomato, flustered by something as pure as waking up next to a friend.
Get a grip, Li Xingyuan, he scolded himself internally.
Li Xingyuan carefully tried to shift, testing if he could slip out from under Damien's arm without waking him. But the moment he moved, Damien mumbled in his sleep and unconsciously snuggled closer, his arm tightening around Li Xingyuan's waist like a vice.
His breath caught.
He was utterly trapped.
This is fine. Everything's fine.
Li Xingyuan stared up at the ceiling, trying to will his heartbeat to slow down. It was no use. He was hyper-aware of every point of contact between them, and the heat and slight scent radiating off Damien's body was making him feel warm all over.
The faint smell of citrus that had bathed the room the moment he entered. He thought that smelling another's alphas scent like this would make him feel unpleasant. However, tonight, he had one of the best sleep he'd ever had.
A tiny, traitorous part of his mind noted how nice this actually felt.
Damien's body molded against his side was pleasantly warm, and his gentle weight gave a sense of safety. It had been a long time since Li Xingyuan had slept next to someone—if ever—who made him feel this comfortable.
He smells good, Li Xingyuan thought before he could stop himself. No... Stop... I have to get out of this situation.
He needed to do something before Damien woke up. Li Xingyuan wasn't sure he could survive the embarrassment if Damien opened his eyes and found them in this… interesting situation. But every time he so much as moved a tiny bit, Damien responded by nuzzling closer, as if he were a giant pillow he refused to let go of.
In the end, the redhead decided perhaps he should just bite the bullet and wake Damien up—gently, without making it weird. He lifted a hand and hovered it near Damien's shoulder, hesitating.
Before he could even act, he felt Damien stir against him. It started as a slight change in breathing, then a soft sigh. Damien's eyelashes fluttered, and Li braced himself.
Here we go. Great.
Green eyes blinked open slowly, unfocused at first. Li Xingyuan watched as confusion rose up on Damien's face, presumably as he registered that what he was lying on was not the couch but in fact… Li Xingyuan.
Damien's gaze traveled up, meeting Li Xingyuan's own wide eyes. For a split second, neither of them moved or spoke.
Then, in a fluster, Damien sat up and launched himself back, nearly falling off the bed. Luckily, Li Xingyuan managed to grasp his arm in time.
"Um…" Damien's voice came out slightly higher pitched than normal. "Good morning?"
Li Xingyuan opened his mouth and promptly closed it again. "...Are you alright?"
"I—I'm so sorry!" Damien stammered, running a hand through his messy hair in a frenzy. "I don't even know how I got here... I—"
He was at a loss for words, kneeling on the bed and looking anywhere but at Li Xingyuan. The embarrassed look on his face was quite the sight. Li Xingyuan never imagined he'd see his calm hyung look so... flustered.
The absurdity of it all suddenly struck Li Xingyuan in a comedic light, and a bubble of laughter welled up in his chest. He pressed his lips together, but it was useless—his laughter spilled out, bright and echoing in the morning quiet. Damien stared at him, bewildered, which only made Li Xingyuan laugh harder until he was clutching his stomach.
"Sorry... It's just—your face—" He mimed Damien's wide-eyed horror and that set him off again. All the tension and embarrassment transformed into laughter that he couldn't stop. It felt good, releasing the nervous energy that had held him stiff.
Damien, seeing that Li Xingyuan wasn't angry, began to chuckle too, albeit sheepishly. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess this is pretty funny, huh?"
When Li finally calmed down enough to speak, he sat up properly on the bed, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. "Honestly? Yeah. I mean, here I was panicking and you were just—" he made a cuddling motion, "—totally out of it. Who knew you were such a 'cuddler', hyung?"
Damien groaned, covering his face with one hand. "I swear I don't usually do that. I must've been more exhausted than I realized… I went to the bathroom last night, and I sort of remember waking up and… I'm so embarrassed." He sighed deeply. "I didn't crush you, did I?"
Li Xingyuan bit back a fresh laugh and shook his head. "No, I'm in one piece. It was… fine." More than fine, maybe. But he kept that to himself, simply offering a lopsided grin. "If it helps, I was too shocked to move. I thought if I budged even a millimeter you'd wake up."
Damien looked at Li Xingyuan apologetically. "I really am sorry. I invaded your space."
Li Xingyuan waved it off. "Don't worry about it, hyung." He nudged Damien's side playfully. "At least you're cute when you sleep, not a drooler. Unlike some of my dorm mates who invade my... space..."
The words "you're cute" hung in the air between them. It was meant as a tease but it lingered for a second longer than intended. And Li Xingyuan realized that. He felt his face heating up again.
To the redhead's relief, Damien mustered a light comeback. "Good to know I don't snore or drool. That's a boost to my morning self-esteem."
Li Xingyuan grinned, glad the awkwardness was subsiding. "Gold star for you," he joked. Then he added more earnestly, "Really, it's okay. Not a terrible way to wake up, honestly."
"Alright, alright." Damien said, standing up and stretching his arms above his head, "But, I still owe you a real breakfast to make up for the rude awakening."
"That, I will not refuse, especially if you're cooking. Time to put those skills to use."
Damien laughed, already moving toward the kitchen. "Coming right up. You okay with omelettes? I've got eggs and some veggies."
"Sounds perfect." Li Xingyuan moved to follow, then realized something. "Hey, you got your groceries back?"
Damien glanced over his shoulder while washing his hands at the sink. "Ah—actually yes, I did. I stepped out while you were in the bathroom." He smiled a little. "Watch this chef cook you a real meal."
"Ha! Let's see what you can do."