Chapter Text
Little soothed Minghao more than listening to Jeonghan’s heartbeat. Its steady beat, constant, soothing, regular. Alive. Present.
A nightmare had woken him, and he knew he wouldn’t fall back asleep. It didn’t matter what time it was. Three? Four? He wasn’t up til six thirty, but it made no difference. Some things just couldn’t be shaken, and it was an old nightmare. There was no need to wake Jeonghan up.
Minghao opened his eyes and let his eyes fall on Jeonghan’s sleeping figure, on the gentle rise and fall of his body, barely visible between the lighting and the heavy duvet covering him. He could hear his breathing, the soft hiss of breath in and the light snore on the way out.
Alive.
Present.
The longer he stayed awake, the more sounds he could hear. The pitter-patter of rain against their full length bedroom windows, the slight hiss of their electrical outlets, the clock in their adjoining bedroom. House noises, Jeonghan called them. Signs that they lived there, signs that this was their house. Their place. Theirs.
Shifting over in the bed, Minghao wriggled down further under the duvet, slowly moving close enough to Jeonghan that he could hear his heartbeat. And as if he knew he was there, Jeonghan reached out and tugged him closer still. Minghao held his breath, cautious ever cautious of waking Jeonghan up before his alarm, but Jeonghan’s breathing settled and evened out. Minghao relaxed. He could feel Jeonghan’s heartbeat now, its steady thud thud thud against his ear.
Maybe he would go back to sleep after all.