stuck with you; knj (ambw)

Chapter 11

Yep, she's definitely sleeping. And she manages to look good while doing it.

Namjoon relaxes against her again and he soon falls asleep as well.

When he wakes up, he is disappointed to see that his arms are now empty. But then the smell of something delicious catches his attention. He rubs his eyes to wake himself up, looking over towards the kitchen.

And sure enough, Iris is busy cooking up a storm.

He tries not to disturb her as he enters the kitchen, but his footsteps quickly alert her to his presence. "How was your nap?" She asks.

"Amazing." Namjoon replies, letting out a small yawn. He's telling the complete truth, that was the best nap of his life. "How long was I sleeping for?"

"Uh.." She pauses, checking the time on her phone. "..about two hours."

Namjoon's eyes widen. "Wow, it didn't even feel like that long."

"Mhm." She hums in agreement. "I only got up like half an hour ago, I was really comfortable."

A thought comes to Namjoon's head and he wonders if it's something he should say out loud. But finally he decides he might as well.

"Is it weird that like..I sleep better when I'm with you?" He says hesitantly.

At that, Iris pauses in her task. Then she turns around to look at him with a curious expression. "I was thinking the exact same thing."

Namjoon breaths an internal sigh of relief. He's so glad she didn't take that the wrong way.

"I usually have to take pills to help me sleep." She continues.

"Really?" Namjoon asks in surprise. "Why can't you sleep?"

"It's usually stress from work combined with other stuff going on in my life." She shrugs, acting nonchalant about the whole thing. "I've been taking them ever since.." Iris pauses suddenly and something changes in her eyes.

Then she turns back around, continuing with her task. "..since college." She finally finishes.

But Namjoon can tell that wasn't what she was going to say.

"Oh." He replies, deciding not to push it. If it's something important, she will tell him when she's ready. "Well, what if we try sleeping together?"

"Excuse me?" Iris' snaps her head around to glare daggers at him.

"No, no that's not what I meant!" He rambles when he sees she is offended. "I-I mean like if we sleep in the same bed and cuddle. S-since you said it helps you sleep better and I don't mind it so-"

"I'm just playing with you." Iris interrupts him with a small chuckle. "I know what you meant."

"That's mean." Namjoon pouts. He had genuinely gotten scared that she was offended by what he said.

"I know." She grins. "For real though, I actually really like your idea."

"You do?"

She nods, making Namjoon smile.

Now he can cuddle with his soulmate every single night? That's a win.

_______

Namjoon had seen Iris' room before but he's never been inside. Now that he's here, he notices all the unique details.

The decor is very minimalist, but she does have a few pictures of herself with friends and family. There's also a large window that provides a beautiful view of the city down below.

He sits down on the bed, marveling at the softness of it. This is so nice.

Iris stretches as she enters the room, a yawn leaving her lips. "What's that?" Namjoon asks, tilting his head.

"What?" Iris replies, approaching her side of the bed.

"On your head."

Iris chuckles. "Oh, it's a bonnet. It protects my hair when I sleep."

"Oh." Namjoon smiles. "I thought it was a cute little mushroom hat or something."

Iris starts laughing even harder, nearly collapsing on the bed.

"What's so funny?"

"Little mushroom hat." She manages to get out between giggles. "I'mma start calling it that from now on."

Namjoon still doesn't understand why it's so funny, but he's glad he made her laugh.

"Okay I think it's time for you to get some sleep." He says as she finally sobers up from her laughter.

"Yeah you're probably right." She replies, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I'm gonna stay up and read for a bit, is that okay?"

"Yeah, just turn the lamp off when you're done." She says, climbing under the covers and coming closer.

Namjoon nods, picking up his book from the nightstand.

"What are you reading?" Iris asks, putting her head on his shoulder.

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." He opens up to the page he left on, resting his bookmark on the nightstand. "It's a book about this guy who's the last human left on Earth and the planet is run by aliens."

"Oh." Iris blinks up at him. "That sounds..intense."

Namjoon laughs. "It is, but it's also pretty funny."

"Well while you enjoy that, I'm going to enjoy my sleep." She cuddles up against his side, resting her head on his chest and throwing her leg over his.

Something about this position feels much more intimate than the last. Namjoon's heart begins to beat a little faster as he wraps his arm around her back, trying to focus his attention on the book in front of him. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Joon." She hums against his chest.

Joon? No one has really called him that before.

But he likes it, especially coming from her.

As Iris falls asleep against him, Namjoon is thinking about anything but an Earth overridden by strange aliens.

He is thinking about how he might have a tiny, minuscule, microscopic crush on his soulmate.