Chapter Text
Derek was left hanging. Biologically and psychologically.
After making Derek too excited and too happy, Kwon Joo fell asleep. Derek had just pulled Kwon Joo’s T-shirt up when she suddenly plopped down, lying flat on his body. And Derek couldn’t help but laugh.
But when Kwon Joo frowned while rubbing her cheek against his chest, Derek tried to stop laughing. Maybe she was bothered by his laugh because his body shook. And then he realized. He still had to deal with one more problem.
So as not to disturb her sleep, Derek shuffled down the sofa. Now he was half sitting and half lying, with Kwon Joo’s body on top of him. Derek hugged her waist and pulled her up a little. He didn’t want to disturb her sleep.
While patting and softly stroking her back so she could sleep peacefully, Derek also calmed himself down. Kwon Joo’s body slumped slightly, and Derek held her hips right away. He pulled her body up, so she was now resting on his stomach. He hadn’t completely calmed down biologically, so he couldn’t risk Kwon Joo being disturbed by it.
Derek tried to take several deep breaths until he finally calmed down for real. He smiled watching Kwon Joo sleeping quietly on his body, looking very pleasant and calm. He gently stroked her head, making her smile even with her eyes closed.
The clock above the television showed it was one past five.
Kwon Joo breathed steadily on top of Derek's body. Her arms wrapped around his waist. Actually, she was still a little conscious, but she was unable to open her eyes anymore. After all, she was too comfortable to move. Listening to Derek's heartbeat slowing down made her own heart calm. She felt so safe and comfortable that she fell asleep completely.
Derek was not angry at all despite being left hanging. A little disappointed, but he could totally understand her. After a whole day at Disneyland Park, of course, she was exhausted. Added with vodka biscuits from that lunatic Duke, Kwon Joo wouldn’t be able to hold back her sleep. He understood. Completely.
Actually, Derek didn’t mind being Kwon Joo's bed, but it didn’t seem to make sense for them to keep sleeping in this position. They might get arthritis tomorrow.
So, with a very slow movement, Derek sat straight. He used his hands to hold Kwon Joo’s back protectively, then he positioned Kwon Joo to sit on his lap while turning her around. When she frowned again and mumbled a protest, Derek stopped moving.
Derek gently patted Kwon Joo's back with one hand, while he used the other to release Kwon Joo's embrace from his waist. He put Kwon Joo to lay down on the sofa, very slowly and carefully.
After making sure Kwon Joo stayed asleep, Derek could only sigh in relief and stood up. He looked at her face, then smiled like a fool. She was so adorable that he couldn't take his eyes off her.
He thought about carrying Kwon Joo to his bed, but he shook his head. He didn't need to challenge himself by doing that. It would be safer if she stayed asleep on the sofa. If they were in bed together—
Derek jumped in surprise when he heard Kwon Joo sneeze.
Hitting his own thigh to wake himself up, Derek rushed into his bedroom, took a blanket off the bed, and carried it into the living room. Very gently and carefully Derek spread the blanket and covered Kwon Joo's body from neck to toe.
He looked at Kwon Joo who was now sleeping with her mouth slightly open, and he smiled like a fool again. Seeing Kwon Joo comfortably sleeping on his sofa made Derek feel proud. Looks like he has the right sofa for Kwon Joo.
Even though he still wanted to stare at Kwon Joo who was fast asleep, Derek started to shiver a little. He felt his shirt wet with sweat. More precisely because of the excessive stimulus from Kwon Joo earlier. So, he went back into his room, changed his T-shirt, and carried another blanket into the living room.
He comfortably sat cross-legged on the carpet in front of the sofa, covered himself, and rested his head on his hands on the sofa. He observed Kwon Joo's face while occasionally stroking the girl's head when she frowned.
After Kwon Joo slept motionlessly and her forehead was no longer wrinkled, Derek felt his eyelids starting to get heavy. He caressed Kwon Joo's hair gently, gave her a quick peck at her cheek, then lay down on the carpet.
Apparently, he also chose the right carpet for his apartment. The carpet was so comfortable that he fell asleep in just a few seconds.
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Derek had tried to move quickly, but he was still too late. The sunlight had woken Kwon Joo up before he could close the window curtains in the living room. So, he sat back down on the carpet, in front of the sofa.
The sunlight forced Kwon Joo to open her eyes with a frown, so Derek stretched out his hand above her nose, blocking the direct sunlight from Kwon Joo's eyes. With a smile Kwon Joo rolled sideways on the sofa, facing Derek.
"Good morning," Derek greeted softly, using his left hand to brush Kwon Joo's hair that fell on her forehead. "Did you sleep well?"
Kwon Joo's eyes were still not fully open, but she smiled and nodded, enjoying Derek's gentle stroke on her head. "How about you?"
"I think yesterday was the best sleep I've had in 6 months," Derek replied softly, still not tired of sitting cross-legged on the carpet stroking Kwon Joo's head. "What do you want for breakfast?"
Kwon Joo grabbed Derek's hand which was covering her eyes from the sunlight, gripping it tightly with both hands. She had her eyes fully opened and was now looking in panic at Derek. "Detective Cho."
Derek's brow furrowed. Kwon Joo's tone made him panic a little so he stopped stroking her head and lowered his hand to his lap. "Yes?"
"I haven't packed my things at the hotel." Kwon Joo's eyes widened. "What time is it?"
Derek couldn't help but laugh. He was panicking for no reason. “It's still 8 o'clock. There are still plenty of times for breakfast and I'll drop you off at the hotel right after.”
After heaving a sigh of relief, Kwon Joo smiled, nodding her head. "Thank you, Detective Cho."
Kwon Joo got off the sofa onto Derek's lap, with her knees clamped on the man's waist, straddling him. Kwon Joo noticed she was still fully clothed at the moment, and so was Derek. She wrapped her arms around Derek's neck, looking at his eyes while tilting her head with a big smile.
"Why?" Derek asked sweetly, hugging Kwon Joo's waist.
While biting her lower lip, Kwon Joo answered doubtfully. "Yesterday—"
“It's fine,” Derek replied, sticking their nose together. "Yesterday must have been very tiring for you."
Kwon Joo nodded her head with a shy smile. “I hope I didn't make you feel—"
"I'm fine. Everything is under control.”
Now Kwon Joo's eyes gleamed mischievously. "For breakfast, how about appetizers first?"
Derek tilted his head confusedly. "Since when does breakfast have 'appetizers'?"
Kwon Joo pointed at her own lips. "Since I offered it to you?"
And Derek didn't wait for a second to enjoy the appetizers she offered.