Work Text:
Sunlight filtered softly into the room, warming the sheets beneath them and painting the walls in pale gold. Kim Dokja stirred, half-awake, caught somewhere between sleep and consciousness. The first thing he noticed was warmth — steady, familiar — coming from behind him.
Yoo Joonghyuk’s arm rested securely around his waist, firm even in sleep, as if letting go had never been an option. The alpha’s presence was quiet but absolute, grounding in a way that made Dokja’s breath slow without him realizing it. He shifted slightly, testing the hold, only to feel the arm tighten just a fraction, instinctively pulling him closer.
Joonghyuk’s breathing was slow and even against his back. His alpha scent lingered faintly in the air, calm and reassuring, stripped of its usual sharpness. It wasn’t overwhelming — it never was with Dokja. Instead, it wrapped around him gently, like a promise made without words.
Outside, the distant sounds of morning drifted in — the quiet chirping of birds, the soft hum of a world beginning its day. Inside, time felt suspended. Dokja lay still, listening, letting the peace settle deep into his chest.
He turned his head slightly, just enough to glimpse Joonghyuk’s sleeping face. In the soft light, the sharp lines of the alpha’s expression eased, replaced by something unguarded and calm. It was a rare sight, one Dokja never grew tired of.
Carefully, so as not to wake him, Dokja reached down and laced their fingers together. Joonghyuk responded without opening his eyes, thumb brushing once against Dokja’s knuckles, as if acknowledging him even in sleep.
A quiet smile curved at Dokja’s lips.
For once, there was nowhere else he needed to be. No expectations, no worries waiting just beyond the door. Wrapped in warmth and held securely, Kim Dokja let himself linger in the stillness of the morning — safe, loved, and exactly where he belonged.