Evolution of a lover's heart | jjk

04

After having a taste of what it's like to study with you at, according to him, 'reasonable hours,' it gets hard to keep Jeongguk away. Not that you try to, anyway. And so your place becomes the new go-to for study sessions, early mornings turn into afternoons, sometimes dipping into early nights, and your bed becomes what Jeongguk drapes himself over, each time, posture worse than the last.

"Ugh."

"Hmm?"

"My head is killing me," Jeongguk groans again.

You turn around in your office chair to face him where he lies on his stomach, laptop casting a blue glow over his face that's scrunched up.

You twist back around to place your pen on the desk before you're rising. "I'll get you some water."

It takes you a moment to collect what you're looking for. A quick trip to the kitchen, one to the bathroom, and one to the living room, and when you're satisfied, you return.

Anyone else and you would've asked them if they wanted to go home to rest, but you know that a partial reason as to why Jeongguk prefers to study outside of his shared apartment is his loud roommates. Apparently, they're having a party tonight, so going home is probably the last thing he wants to do.

Jeongguk rolled around while you were gone, now on his back and starfishing in the middle of your bed. Gently, you sit on the edge and offer him your open palm. "Painkillers?"

"Are you drugging me?" Despite his question, he holds his hand out under yours, and you drop the pill, offering him the glass of water from your other hand.

"Yes. Take a nap if you want."

You utilize the time it takes for him to sit up, swallow the pill, and chase it with water to put the third thing you collected, a soft blanket, over his lower half. Jeongguk seemingly finishes the entire glass's worth before he places it on your nightstand with a 'clink' and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

"No, I gotta finish proofreading," he complains and extends his hand to reach the laptop by his feet. But you can see that he's exhausted and in pain, and he doesn't get the chance to actually grab the device before you press your hand to his chest.

"I'll do it."

Jeongguk bites his lip but remains where he is, face closer to yours than ever before. You see the complaint that bubbles behind his dark eyes and threatens to spill from his mouth. "I've finished everything I need to do tonight, so just rest a little and continue it later, okay?"

"Fine. But only for twenty minutes."

"Or... until you feel better. No need to rush things just because you don't want to be a bother," you smile with your eyebrow raised knowingly.

Jeongguk mutters something under his breath but allows you to push him back down and pull the blanket to cover more of him. On your way back to your desk, you grab his computer and turn the ceiling lights off.

For a while, it gets quiet.

You sit on your oversized office chair, back towards the bed and one foot underneath you. You rest your chin on your knee, using one hand to alternate between scrolling the document, making corrections, and typing little notes down on a loose sheet of paper next to the laptop.

Jeongguk hasn't said anything else, and even if you haven't turned around to check, you suspect he's sleeping. If you listen closely, you can hear his steady breaths in between the sounds of you pushing your fingers to the keyboard—which you try to do as quietly as you can already.

But just as you're about to google a synonym you've had on the tip of your tongue for the last two minutes, Jeongguk speaks. His voice isn't loud, quite the opposite, actually. It's careful. Gentle. But compared to the silence you've been engulfed in, it feels eerily clear, and you almost don't process his words.