Jaemin woke softly to the steady, comforting thrum of a strong heartbeat beneath his ear. Early morning light filtered in through the curtains, painting the room in quiet, milky gray stillness. The air was rich with the mingled scent of their bodies: cedar, strong and warm, weaving through the soft, drowsy sweetness of cherry blossoms.
He gave a slow, languid stretch, and found that he was wrapped in Do-hyun's arms, his head pillowed on the alpha's chest. He could feel the warmth of the other man's skin, the comforting weight of his arm draped protectively but gently over his waist.
He lifted his head just enough to see Do-hyun's profile, his amber eyes tracing the line of the alpha's sharp jaw, the strong column of his neck. His features were relaxed in sleep, all traces of tension from the day before erased.
Watching him like this, hearing the steady rhythm of his breathing, felt like home.
He gently shifted, trying not to disturb his mate, but Do-hyun's arm tightened around him instinctively, and a soft rumble resonated from his chest. Wondering if he had fallen deeper into slumber, Jaemin fell still, only to startle when Do-hyun spoke, his voice husky with sleep.
"'s still early, what're you so awake for?"
Jaemin's heart fluttered as he gave a small laugh. "Don't know. Probably slept too much yesterday."
"Mmm, true. Feeling better?"
"Yeah." He peeked up at Do-hyun, whose eyes were still shut. "I'm sorry, Do-hyun. About last night, at the restaurant. I shouldn't have—"
"No."
Jaemin stopped short, confused. "No?"
"Not allowed to say sorry for being attacked," Do-hyun mumbled, still half asleep. "Bitch was crazy. Should've ripped her a new one." He stretched to drag Jaemin in closer, nuzzling into the crown of his head. "C'mere. Sleep some more."
Obediently, Jaemin closed his eyes and snuggled in, but then a thought occurred to him that had him pulling back to look up at Do-hyun again. "Jaehyun-hyung…"
Do-hyun grunted, a tinge of annoyance shooting through the cedar scent in the air. "No. I'm Do-hyun. Kang Do-hyun."
"That's not what I meant, I know who you are." Jaemin snorted in amusement. "I meant, did Jaehyun-hyung go home after I fell asleep?"
"Yeah." Do-hyun gave a deep sigh, then turned away from him to sprawl on the other side of the bed in a grumpy slump. "Asking about another man first thing in the morning, you hurt my feelings."
Alarmed, Jaemin propped himself up on one elbow. "It isn't like that!" he rushed to explain. "Jaehyun-hyung was the only one that I could turn to when things fell apart for me, in Vienna." His voice softened to a hush as his mind went back to the time. "He gave me therapy when I was thinking of quitting entirely, and helped me rediscover the joy of music… helped me get back up again."
Do-hyun huffed, unwilling to give up his sulk so quickly, even though he did feel a pinch of gratitude towards the man who had helped Jaemin, both back then and yesterday. "What a lifesaver. It's a miracle you two didn't just get together."
Jaemin blinked. "Jaehyun-hyung is an ace."
"What, you think he's above your league or something?" Fully awake now, Do-hyun flipped back to face Jaemin, movements vehement in his frustration, although he had no idea why he felt the need to defend his own mate's worthiness of being with someone else. "I'll have you know, our Seo Jaemin is a top-notch conductor and composer, and with such a celestially beautiful face, there's no universe in which he isn't good enough for some ordinary Kwon Jaehyun—"
"That's not what I meant." The corners of Jaemin's mouth trembled as he tried not to smile at the alpha's reactions. He really could be so adorable sometimes. "Jaehyun-hyung is asexual. He doesn't want relationships in that way."
"Oh." Do-hyun paused, realization hitting him. He felt silly now, recalling that Jaehyun had said as much to him when they parted. "But… then… how about you? Did you ever…"
Jaemin sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Never. I was too scarred from what happened to even consider letting anyone else in that way again. I only focused on rebuilding myself. Until…" he paused, glancing at Do-hyun shyly, a blush creeping across his fair cheeks, "... until you."
Do-hyun stopped, his heart skipping a beat in his chest as Jaemin continued, "Jaehyun-hyung is one of my most trusted friends. He's never judged me, and, in a way, part of the reason why I felt safe with him back then, especially after what happened, was because he never desired me. All he did was teach me that it was okay to trust again, not just others, but myself too. But he will never be someone I look to as a mate."
His amber eyes shifted to rest meaningfully on Do-hyun's dark ones, which had taken on a soft glow of adoration. But then, an instant later, the glow dimmed.
"But… you turned away from me, and ran to him instead."
Jaemin shifted uneasily. "I… I thought you were angry at me," he admitted.
"I was angry, but not at you." Just remembering the incident at the restaurant made Do-hyun's anger flare, but he hurriedly tamped it down. "I was angry at the bitch who did that to you, and…" his voice dropped in shame, "... and at myself, for not being able to stop it."
"You brought me back to safety. That's what matters." White hands came up to cup the sides of Do-hyun's face as Jaemin stretched up to plant a soft kiss on his alpha's forehead. "Thank you for taking care of me, jagi," he whispered, "my Alpha."
Against such a sincere reassurance, Do-hyun had no defence. Tipping his face upwards, he caught Jaemin's mouth with his own, lips warm and caressing. As their kiss deepened, he shifted to press Jaemin onto his back with his weight, eager to seal their recommitment to each other, but Jaemin broke away with a breathless laugh.
"We're going to be late for rehearsal if we take this any further."
Do-hyun groaned loudly, head dropping back onto the pillows as Jaemin wriggled out from underneath him. "You can't just call me 'your Alpha' like that and then run away," he complained. "You're such a tease, Seo Jaemin!"
"You can have your reward if you behave well at rehearsal today, Concertmaster Kang," Jaemin threw over his shoulder with a smile as he padded to the bathroom.
"What happened to keeping work and personal life separate?" Do-hyun called after his retreating back. "Huh? Seo Jaemin? Yah, don't think you can escape just like that, the toilet can't keep you safe from me!"
Jaemin's laughter echoed back to him from the bathroom. "Oh, spare this lowly one, oh great and powerful alpha."
"Don't call yourself lowly." Do-hyun rose from the bed with a grunt, then followed Jaemin to the bathroom, but stopped in the doorway to lean against the frame.
"By the way. There's something I need to tell you," he said hesitantly, demeanor now completely sober.
When Jaemin cocked a questioning eyebrow at him, mouth already full of toothpaste, Do-hyun proceeded to tell him about the new wave of articles, the ones drawing the spotlight to his episode with Conductor Park. Jaemin listened to all of it in silence, then spat into the sink.
"Ignore it. Let them roll out their pathetic stories and rumors; we're just about confirmed for a performance at a big event next month, and we'll make sure we're nothing but perfect. Let them see exactly how 'unstable' we are." He planted a quick, minty kiss on Do-hyun's dejected face as he stepped past him towards the shower, drawing his clothes off. "Now, are you joining me or not?"
Do-hyun's head snapped up. "I thought you said we were going to be late."
"I think we have time for a quick one." Jaemin paused to look back at him. "Unless my Alpha doesn't want to?"
But Do-hyun was already hopping out of his shorts, eagerly yanking his shirt over his head in one swift motion.
"You need to put a bullet through my head if that day ever comes."