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Waking up with Zen is like...

The first thing you notice when you wake up is the lit up screen of your phone - messages from the RFA, and maybe more requests for interviews - on the bedside table across the bed. It takes a moment for you to realise that it’s not yet dawn.

The second thing you notice is how warm you are. It's not suffocating hot, but the kind of warmth that reminds you of home - somewhere you feel you truly belong, so unlike the apartment you spent your days in when you first joined the RFA.

The third thing you notice is the person you're curled up against. It's not the soft comforters that you pile up beside you whenever he's not around, but something that is relatively hard and warm. That makes your eyes snap right open. You blink, and a moment passes before you realise that it's Zen's arms that are wrapped around you, and Zen's chest that you're pressed against. Even though it's not the first time you're sleeping together, your heart still beats slightly faster. His steady heartbeat soothes you, makes your heart swell.

The fourth thing you notice is how beautiful he looks even in his sleep, red eyes closed and long lashes fanning his cheeks. His long hair is splayed out under his head, and he truly looks like an angel.

You breathe out a small sigh, a thought crossing your mind. Maybe he was too good for you.

You notice him open his eyes a bit too late, and he hooks an arm around you, pulling you closer to him, if that was even possible. He presses a kiss to the top of your head before you can protest, voice low and husky from sleep. You fight the shiver that creeps up your spine.

"What are you doing? You should be sleeping, babe."

Your cheeks flush. "Just... Thinking."

He hums, an acknowledgement, a rumble from his chest. "About?"

"It's..." You consider telling him before shaking your head. "Nothing much."

There's a short pause in the dark room, and he takes a guess. "Is this about what the media has been going on about?"

When you hesitate to answer, he knows that he's hit the nail on the head. You expect him to go into a speech about how you're enough for him and how he is the one who doesn't deserve you, but you've heard enough of that from everyone else that it's becoming a pain to hear. It doesn't soothe the voices that whisper 'you don't deserve him' in your mind. Not anymore.

You brace yourself for Zen's words, but when he finally speaks up, it surprises you that his response comes out in the form of a question.

"You love me, right?"

You blink, before slowly nodding.

The corner of his lips tip up, and the smile that dances across them makes your heart flutter. "I love you, too. That's all that matters, right?"

A small grin tugs at your lips, then grows into a broad smile. You bury your face in his chest, not wanting him to see how strangely happy his words made you feel.

"What?" He tries to pull back to see your face, but you only hold on tighter to him, laughing and shaking your head.

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep."

He huffs, but his arms go around you anyway. Ruby eyes closing, he lays his head back on the pillow. For a second, you fall into comfortable silence, the world non-existant inside the little bubble you've created for the both of you.

"Hey, babe?" He asks softly, but the room is quiet enough that you hear him loud and clear.

"You know that's all that matters, right?" He repeats his question.

Your smile softens to something more intimate and heart-wrenchingly beautiful as you stretch up to kiss his cheek.

"Yeah."

A dream you wished would never end.

Description

Waking up with Zen is like...

The first thing you notice when you wake up is the lit up screen of your phone - messages from the RFA, and maybe more requests for interviews - on the bedside table across the bed. It takes a moment for you to realise that it’s not yet dawn.

The second thing you notice is how warm you are. It's not suffocating hot, but the kind of warmth that reminds you of home - somewhere you feel you truly belong, so unlike the apartment you spent your days in when you first joined the RFA.

The third thing you notice is the person you're curled up against. It's not the soft comforters that you pile up beside you whenever he's not around, but something that is relatively hard and warm. That makes your eyes snap right open. You blink, and a moment passes before you realise that it's Zen's arms that are wrapped around you, and Zen's chest that you're pressed against. Even though it's not the first time you're sleeping together, your heart still beats slightly faster. His steady heartbeat soothes you, makes your heart swell.

The fourth thing you notice is how beautiful he looks even in his sleep, red eyes closed and long lashes fanning his cheeks. His long hair is splayed out under his head, and he truly looks like an angel.

You breathe out a small sigh, a thought crossing your mind. Maybe he was too good for you.

You notice him open his eyes a bit too late, and he hooks an arm around you, pulling you closer to him, if that was even possible. He presses a kiss to the top of your head before you can protest, voice low and husky from sleep. You fight the shiver that creeps up your spine.

"What are you doing? You should be sleeping, babe."

Your cheeks flush. "Just... Thinking."

He hums, an acknowledgement, a rumble from his chest. "About?"

"It's..." You consider telling him before shaking your head. "Nothing much."

There's a short pause in the dark room, and he takes a guess. "Is this about what the media has been going on about?"

When you hesitate to answer, he knows that he's hit the nail on the head. You expect him to go into a speech about how you're enough for him and how he is the one who doesn't deserve you, but you've heard enough of that from everyone else that it's becoming a pain to hear. It doesn't soothe the voices that whisper 'you don't deserve him' in your mind. Not anymore.

You brace yourself for Zen's words, but when he finally speaks up, it surprises you that his response comes out in the form of a question.

"You love me, right?"

You blink, before slowly nodding.

The corner of his lips tip up, and the smile that dances across them makes your heart flutter. "I love you, too. That's all that matters, right?"

A small grin tugs at your lips, then grows into a broad smile. You bury your face in his chest, not wanting him to see how strangely happy his words made you feel.

"What?" He tries to pull back to see your face, but you only hold on tighter to him, laughing and shaking your head.

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep."

He huffs, but his arms go around you anyway. Ruby eyes closing, he lays his head back on the pillow. For a second, you fall into comfortable silence, the world non-existant inside the little bubble you've created for the both of you.

"Hey, babe?" He asks softly, but the room is quiet enough that you hear him loud and clear.

"You know that's all that matters, right?" He repeats his question.

Your smile softens to something more intimate and heart-wrenchingly beautiful as you stretch up to kiss his cheek.

"Yeah."

A dream you wished would never end.