Tiger Eyes
From: teatimetaemint
Title: Tiger Eyes
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,800
Prompt: numinous: relating to the supernatural or spiritual; surpassing comprehension or understanding
Warnings: implied Baekhyun/Yixing, Lu Han’s eye color, (kind of) soulmate!AU
They were already fifteen minutes late and Sehun wasn’t the least bit surprised. Not that that kept him from standing there on the busy sidewalk with his arms crossed in front of his broad, but skinny chest - his foot tapping an annoyed beat as the frisky evening breeze tugged at his almost white-blond hair.
Almost there. He’d gotten the message over ten minutes ago, but there was still no sign of the missing couple. If he was lucky, Baekhyun and Yixing would show up by the time the movie started, even though he had purposefully given them an earlier showtime. If history was about to repeat itself - again - he would still be here in another twenty minutes. He didn’t even know why he still bothered to meet up with his hopeless colleagues. Or why he actually showed up at the designated time.
Why he ever agreed to play the third wheel on Baekhyun and Yixing’s non-date in the first place, was still a mystery to him. But these days he could barely stand staying alone at his apartment, so he’d probably just been desperate for a reason to get away. He would simply plead temporary insanity and suck it up.
But still, he’d had a rough couple of weeks and he just wasn’t in the mood for this. Lately, work had been a lot more stressful than he would have liked. He had no idea who had come up with the tale that accountants led boring lives, but Sehun would have been more than happy to share some of his workload with the clueless sap.
Then there were the dreams.
Sehun had always dreamt vividly, especially since that night five years ago, but these past couple of weeks had been vivid to the point of being almost emotionally draining. Or maybe it was the waking up part that was playing hell with his psyche.
He was in the middle of talking himself out of sending Baekhyun and Yixing another impatient text, when the awareness slammed into him with the force of a fist to the face.
He’s here.
It was a knowing, pure conviction in his gut, and the thought barely had time to form in his mind before he was wrenching his head around, desperately searching for the familiar form of him. The flicker of awareness faded as soon as it flared inside of him and now it was a kind of panic that pushed him forward, eyes still roving over the busy street and sidewalks of the shopping street.
Find him. I have to find him!
In those few minutes that felt like an eternity to him, Sehun wasn’t thinking straight. He wasn’t listening to reason or trying to question what he was feeling. All he knew was that he had to find him.
Pushing through the crowd he headed towards the little plaza just ahead of him, heart in his throat and his entire body trembling with something that might have been fear, might have been exhilaration.
So close… can’t miss him.
Sehun just knew that he had to find the man he’d only seen in his dreams so far.
He’d been nineteen the first time he’d dreamed about Lu Han. He’d just gotten home after what had to have been the most humiliating date in the history of disastrous dates and he’d fallen asleep on his bed, metaphorical tail tucked between his legs, feeling a little pissed off and a lot embarrassed. It hadn’t felt like a dream and the young man in his non-dream hadn’t felt like a stranger. Instead the sight of the man sitting in the sand and staring out at the choppy water had somehow loosened the tight knot of humiliation and anger in his gut. Sehun hadn’t hesitated, instead he’d simply walked forward and dropped down in the slightly damp sand next to the man. That night he’d dreamed about staring out at the sea, at watching birds dip and shoot up through the salty air, dreamed about telling the man all about his disaster of a date. That night was the first of many nights he’d spent alongside the older man. And that night was also the first time he dreamed about that smile, as he listened to the man tell him that his screw-up of a date could just go fuck himself - that it was his loss.
”My gain.”
He still vividly remembered the wild dip in his stomach at hearing those words, that smooth voice. He still remembered the heat shooting up the back of his neck as the man turned his head towards him and shot him that wicked half-smile.
He hadn’t dreamed about Lu Han every night in the following years. Sometimes there had been weeks, months on end without a single trace of the older man in his dreams. The longer the absences, the more lost he felt. The more often he dreamed about Lu Han, the more his dependence grew.
Who are you?
He’d wanted to ask him that question so many times, but no matter how much he longed for the answer, his dream self never asked. And Lu Han never told him.
Where are you?
That was a question he’d asked too many times to count. And he’d gotten the same frustrating answer every single time.
“Find me.”
Helplessly out of breath, Sehun stumbled another step forward, brushing past a mother with her excitedly chattering child and suddenly there he was. Sehun came to a stop so abruptly, it was as if he’d collided with an invisible wall. His entire body went bowstring-tight, as he sucked in a breath sharp enough to have his lungs protesting at the sting of cold air.
Lu Han.
Lu Han.
Sitting at the edge of the small fountain in the middle of the small plaza, legs stretched out in front of him, eyes closed and head tipped back to let the last rays of sunshine bathe his achingly beautiful face. As the short strands of his glossy dark hair danced in the wind, he looked like a cat curled up in its favorite sunny spot. It wasn’t as freezing cold as it had been only weeks before, but there was still a chill in the air that let everyone know winter wasn’t quite willing to hand over the reins to spring yet. And still, he looked so content in his light black jacket, grey jeans worn white at the stress points and leather sneakers, it seemed almost rude to disturb him.
Not that Sehun actually felt capable of moving. Or breathing, for that matter.
He knew that face. He’d drawn and sketched it too many times to count. He knew the gentle slope of that nose. In his dreams he’d traced the path of that sharp jaw line, had marveled at those unfairly long eyelashes, had thought about those maddeningly distracting lips for nights on end. He was achingly familiar with the way they could and would tug up at one side to curve into that dangerous half-smile whenever Sehun said something foolish. He knew how they felt pressed to his.
Because even though he’d never met the man outside of his dreams, he still knew him.
Sehun wasn’t sure if he would have been able to move or otherwise make his presence known anytime soon, but it turned out to be entirely unnecessary. He saw the sudden change in Lu Han, saw him straighten - tension flooding his body, the muscles in his legs tightening - just a second before his eyes snapped open and met Sehun’s wide-eyed gaze. What little breath he’d had left exploded out of his lungs in a stunned whoosh.
Tiger eyes - that was how he’d always thought of them. The tawny, almost amber shade, the unflinching nature of his gaze, the way they could go from intense, to mischievous, to laughing in the span of a few seconds. Like a tiger seizing up its prey and deciding if it wanted to make a meal of it or simply play. Now those eyes were zeroed in on Sehun as he flowed to his feet in a move so smooth, so quick, the younger man’s heart did a half terrified, half yearning flip in his chest. Lu Han’s unwavering gaze never moved away from him as he stepped up to Sehun. The air between them was all but heating up with the palpable tension Sehun could feel rippling over his skin. He didn’t dare to blink, let alone draw in a breath, terrified a single move would snap the connection between them, would have Lu Han disappearing right before his eyes and turn him back into nothing more than a dream - forever unreachable.
He sensed, rather than saw the slightly shorter man reaching out, still unable to break the crackling eye-contact. He knew, even before their hands touched, that they were going to fit. Skin brushed skin, fingers interlinked with his, their palms pressed together and the warmth of the touch, the sheer rightness of it had the choking pressure in his chest easing - even as something hot and tight coiled low in his belly.
“There you are.”
A brilliant smile. That smooth voice, with a hoarseness to it he’d only heard in a few dreams before, flowing over him. Those tawny eyes softening in pure welcome.
“You’re real.” The words felt and sounded like they had been carved out of him, but Sehun didn’t think, he didn’t wait for a reply. Instead he simply pulled Lu Han into a hug that screamed crushing relief, as he all but curled himself around the older man. “You’re real.”
It took only a moment for one of Lu Han’s hands to cup his nape, as the other settled over his hip, his fingers slipping under his heavy jacket until they pressed into smooth, warm skin, the touch grounding them both. And even though Sehun had several inches on Lu Han, it was the younger of the two who ended with his head tucked beneath Lu Han’s chin. He was the one breathing in and out against the skin of his neck, body curving in a way it had done countless times before. They fit in a way that was as familiar as it should have been impossible for two people meeting for the first time.
It was the first meeting and the thousandth.
The pace of Sehun’s heartbeat was as choppy as his breathing, as he drew in another breath and found the answer to a question that had haunted him like a vengeful ghost.
Lu Han smelled like freshly cut grass, warm skin and a hint of citrusy soap. It made Sehun want to stay there - with his face nuzzled into the curve where his neck met his shoulder - and never move again.
He felt Lu Han chuckle, as much as he heard him. “Looks like you’re as much of a cat in real life, as you are in those dreams.”
“I’m not the one with tiger eyes,” he murmured into the curve of the older man’s neck, still reluctant to pull away.
“Tiger eyes, huh?”
Sehun could tell from the sound of his voice that Lu Han was pleased with the comment and it didn’t take much effort to imagine the smug look that was undoubtedly gracing his face.
“Looks like you’re just as vain in real life as you seemed in those dreams.”
Jumping back less than a second later with an indignant yelp at the fleeting, but painful pinch to his side, Sehun found himself scowling at an innocently smiling Lu Han.
“Be careful who you call vain, brat.”
“I told you not to call me that, jerk.”
It was all so familiar, the teasing argument, the mock scowls and well-tried nicknames, and even though none of this made the least bit of sense - not the dreams they had both shared for years, not the sudden meeting without warning nor the mystifying link he could feel pulsing between them - they still found themselves grinning at each other like fools.
“It’s a good thing you noticed me standing there like a statue. I don’t think I could have moved, to be honest. I felt like something hit me in the head,” Sehun eventually confessed, his voice taking on a hint of petulance. “You were so calm. Now that I think about it, I’m actually a bit pissed that you didn’t seem the least bit nervous when you saw me standing there. You didn’t even seem surprised.”
By that point he might have actually sounded like a sulking child - he certainly felt that way - but for once he couldn’t find it in himself to care.
“Oh, I was definitely nervous,” Lu Han replied as he raised Sehun’s hand until it was pressed to the spot right above his heart. The solid, but definitely quickened heartbeat turned Sehun’s pout into a delighted smile. “Still am. It’s just that I was too relieved to let that stop me.”
The grip of Lu Han’s hand around his wrist tightened for several heartbeats, and Sehun felt a tingle at his touch, all the way down to his toes. “You’re real and you’re actually here. Do you know how fucking happy I am that you’re not just a figment of my overactive imagination? Ever since I started having those dreams, a part of me has wondered if I was losing it. But at the same time I was terrified they might stop.”
Sehun’s breathing went a little shallow as Lu Han took another step closer, successfully trapping their linked hands between their bodies.
“I know your favorite color used to be blue, but now it’s yellow because it makes you think of my eyes. I know you’re convinced that eating green stuff in the morning will make you sick. I know you hate spending time on your own and that you’re actually happy when your friends and co-workers show up at your apartment unannounced - even if you’ll never admit it.” Lu Han’s amusement was more than obvious from the sparkle in his eyes and the warmth of his tone. “I know your favorite band, I know you have a weakness for chocolate, I know you only brew coffee for breakfast because you like the smell of it, not actually the taste. I know that you confuse your entire family and friends with the fact that you can draw like you do, but still enjoy your work as an accountant.”
Sehun thought his heart might simply jump out of his chest at the short silence following that last statement.
“I know you’ll make that pleased, little sound in the back of your throat when I do this.” Before he even finished the sentence, Lu Han’s thumb began rubbing gently over the inside of Sehun’s wrist and the sigh whispered over his lips before the taller man could hold it back. “How can I know all this when we’ve never really met before? Yet in my dreams I’ve talked to you, touched you, kissed you.” His tawny gaze lowered to Sehun’s lips for the fraction of a second, while his voice went deep enough to spark a tiny shiver of awareness down the length of Sehun’s spine. “Tell me how that’s possible.”
Sehun was practically breathless by the time Lu Han ended his little speech, but that didn’t keep him from answering, completely uncaring how thin his voice sounded. “I don’t know. I have no idea how any of this is even possible, but I also don’t really care. You’re here and I know you the same way you know me. I don’t give a damn about the details.”
Swallowing, his dust dry throat protesting at the sudden movement, he held Lu Han’s bright, intense gaze. “I know you drink way too much coffee. I know you think the only thing worth your time on TV are football matches, especially when Manchester United is playing. I know solving the Rubik’s cube relaxes you. I know you have a tiny scar on your right hip from a sword fight gone wrong with your best friend in kindergarten. I know that you’re stupidly proud of the fact that you’re prettier - sorry, more handsome than every person you’ve ever kissed.” Sehun’s eye roll had Lu Han giving him another laughing pinch to his side. “Until me, of course.”
“And you’re calling me vain.”
“It’s not called being vain. It’s called being right.”
Lu Han’s eyes flashed with that dangerous glint that told Sehun he was about to regret his last words, when the sudden blare of Baekhyun’s ringtone from his back pocket had them both blinking like two people coming out of a trance.
“Shit.”
Almost dropping his phone as he tried to pull it out of his pocket without letting go of Lu Han’s hand, he didn’t even get out a greeting before Baekhyun started shouting at him.
“Where the hell are you? I can’t believe you’re later than we are! Wait, you didn’t just leave, right? We’re only ten minutes late!”
“Make that thirty minutes late. And no, I haven’t left. I’ll be right there.”
Ending the call before Baekhyun had the opportunity to interrogate him further, he shoved the phone back into his pocket and met Lu Han’s amused eyes.
“I was supposed to meet Baek and Yixing at the movie theater. We wanted to watch the new Bond movie.”
“Ah, you mean your co-workers who refuse to acknowledge the fact that they’re basically dating?”
Of course he had told Lu Han about them at one point, even if he couldn’t quite recall that particular conversation at the moment.
“That would be them.”
“What do you think they’d say to a double date?”
“Guess we’ll find out,” Sehun answered, even if the broadening smile on his face - not to mention the ballooning happiness in his chest - made talking a bit difficult.
“Just one more thing…”
Sehun didn’t have time to ask what the older man was talking about. He didn’t even have time to finish sucking in his expectant breath before Lu Han curled his fingers into the soft hair at Sehun’s nape and pulled him into a kiss that had heat flooding his belly and spreading outwards in rippling waves of pleasure.
For something they had done in dreams so many times before, it felt exhilaratingly new. Maybe it was knowing that this wasn’t a dream, that he wasn’t going to wake up to find Lu Han gone. Or maybe it was just always going to be that way for them. Sehun could only hope that the warm pressure of the shorter man’s lips would always make him feel this breathless, this connected, this wanted. That the taste of him would always feel exactly right, even as he hungered for more, more, more. That the press of their bodies would always leave him aching with that hot, content glow in his chest.
The older man’s hum of approval had Sehun tightening his grip on his jacket, as Lu Han tilted his head to change the angle and deepen the kiss. And Sehun just couldn’t resist. Catching the shorter man’s bottom lip between his teeth, he gave it a short nip and breathed out on a happy sigh at Lu Han’s immediate reaction. He loved the way such a small bite was enough to have goosebumps roughening Lu Han's skin every single time. Loved that it sent that tiny shudder through his body and had him crushing Sehun harder to his chest. As if it made him forget - just for a few seconds - to be gentle with Sehun.
By the time they finally pulled away, only to lean back in for a few more nuzzling kisses - short, light, affectionate - they were both breathing a lot heavier.
“Just wanted to see if it’s as good in real life as it was in our dreams.” Lu Han’s voice had roughened to an almost growl that only tightened the hot coil in the younger man’s belly.
Sehun was still busy trying to gather his wits, pretty sure that kiss had melted most of his brain. In the end he didn’t get out much more than a breathless “And?”
For the nth time that day, those tiger eyes flashed with quick mischief and Sehun braced himself for what would undoubtedly be a purposeful dose of exaggerated awfulness. Because who else but Lu Han would enjoy watching Sehun cringe and shudder at his cheesy lines?
“Better than I could have imagined in my wildest dreams.”
Sehun lowered his face as another gust of wind sent salty water spraying in their direction. The sound of the waves, the cries of seagulls and the hiss of the wind blended into an unexpectedly soothing cacophony of sounds, as he felt Lu Han tug his hand into his lap and start toying with his fingers. They had been quiet for what might have been hours, but Sehun didn’t feel the need to talk, to break the peacefulness of the moment. But then Lu Han was pushing up to his feet, brushing and patting the sand off his dark jeans and he knew what was coming.
“See you.”
Even as he felt his grip on the dream slip, he wanted to cling, to claw it back until it was only Lu Han and him again. Leaving the other man’s side was the most horrible way to start his morning, even if the potential of a new day beckoned him out of sleep and into reluctant wakefulness. Smothering his frustrated whine in the depths of his fluffy pillow, he debated the pros and cons of staying in bed so he could sulk a few more minutes, when an arm slipped around his waist and scared him half to death.
Barely holding back the surprised yelp, it took Sehun only a second to find his bearings and then his displeased scowl was melting into a sunny smile. Squirming around until he was facing the sleep-rumpled, gorgeous man in his bed, not even the familiar pinch at his waist could stop him from wriggling closer until they were pressed together - shoulder to toe.
“Keep still, brat.”
The words were half growled, but obviously just a token complaint, as the arm around his waist tightened, anchoring him to Lu Han’s side, and fingers slipped under the waistband of Sehun’s boxers to pet the slightly marked skin. Those tiger eyes, still heavy with sleep, blinked at him from beneath the messy curtain of his bed-tousled hair and Sehun felt another smile tugging at his lips.
Leaving Lu Han’s side in their dream might have been the worst part of his day, but waking to him right beside him in bed was definitely one of the best.
Author’s Note: Thanks to my wonderful beta for - once again - whipping my fic into shape at the last minute.
Title: Tiger Eyes
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,800
Prompt: numinous: relating to the supernatural or spiritual; surpassing comprehension or understanding
Warnings: implied Baekhyun/Yixing, Lu Han’s eye color, (kind of) soulmate!AU
They were already fifteen minutes late and Sehun wasn’t the least bit surprised. Not that that kept him from standing there on the busy sidewalk with his arms crossed in front of his broad, but skinny chest - his foot tapping an annoyed beat as the frisky evening breeze tugged at his almost white-blond hair.
Almost there. He’d gotten the message over ten minutes ago, but there was still no sign of the missing couple. If he was lucky, Baekhyun and Yixing would show up by the time the movie started, even though he had purposefully given them an earlier showtime. If history was about to repeat itself - again - he would still be here in another twenty minutes. He didn’t even know why he still bothered to meet up with his hopeless colleagues. Or why he actually showed up at the designated time.
Why he ever agreed to play the third wheel on Baekhyun and Yixing’s non-date in the first place, was still a mystery to him. But these days he could barely stand staying alone at his apartment, so he’d probably just been desperate for a reason to get away. He would simply plead temporary insanity and suck it up.
But still, he’d had a rough couple of weeks and he just wasn’t in the mood for this. Lately, work had been a lot more stressful than he would have liked. He had no idea who had come up with the tale that accountants led boring lives, but Sehun would have been more than happy to share some of his workload with the clueless sap.
Then there were the dreams.
Sehun had always dreamt vividly, especially since that night five years ago, but these past couple of weeks had been vivid to the point of being almost emotionally draining. Or maybe it was the waking up part that was playing hell with his psyche.
He was in the middle of talking himself out of sending Baekhyun and Yixing another impatient text, when the awareness slammed into him with the force of a fist to the face.
He’s here.
It was a knowing, pure conviction in his gut, and the thought barely had time to form in his mind before he was wrenching his head around, desperately searching for the familiar form of him. The flicker of awareness faded as soon as it flared inside of him and now it was a kind of panic that pushed him forward, eyes still roving over the busy street and sidewalks of the shopping street.
Find him. I have to find him!
In those few minutes that felt like an eternity to him, Sehun wasn’t thinking straight. He wasn’t listening to reason or trying to question what he was feeling. All he knew was that he had to find him.
Pushing through the crowd he headed towards the little plaza just ahead of him, heart in his throat and his entire body trembling with something that might have been fear, might have been exhilaration.
So close… can’t miss him.
Sehun just knew that he had to find the man he’d only seen in his dreams so far.
He’d been nineteen the first time he’d dreamed about Lu Han. He’d just gotten home after what had to have been the most humiliating date in the history of disastrous dates and he’d fallen asleep on his bed, metaphorical tail tucked between his legs, feeling a little pissed off and a lot embarrassed. It hadn’t felt like a dream and the young man in his non-dream hadn’t felt like a stranger. Instead the sight of the man sitting in the sand and staring out at the choppy water had somehow loosened the tight knot of humiliation and anger in his gut. Sehun hadn’t hesitated, instead he’d simply walked forward and dropped down in the slightly damp sand next to the man. That night he’d dreamed about staring out at the sea, at watching birds dip and shoot up through the salty air, dreamed about telling the man all about his disaster of a date. That night was the first of many nights he’d spent alongside the older man. And that night was also the first time he dreamed about that smile, as he listened to the man tell him that his screw-up of a date could just go fuck himself - that it was his loss.
”My gain.”
He still vividly remembered the wild dip in his stomach at hearing those words, that smooth voice. He still remembered the heat shooting up the back of his neck as the man turned his head towards him and shot him that wicked half-smile.
He hadn’t dreamed about Lu Han every night in the following years. Sometimes there had been weeks, months on end without a single trace of the older man in his dreams. The longer the absences, the more lost he felt. The more often he dreamed about Lu Han, the more his dependence grew.
Who are you?
He’d wanted to ask him that question so many times, but no matter how much he longed for the answer, his dream self never asked. And Lu Han never told him.
Where are you?
That was a question he’d asked too many times to count. And he’d gotten the same frustrating answer every single time.
“Find me.”
Helplessly out of breath, Sehun stumbled another step forward, brushing past a mother with her excitedly chattering child and suddenly there he was. Sehun came to a stop so abruptly, it was as if he’d collided with an invisible wall. His entire body went bowstring-tight, as he sucked in a breath sharp enough to have his lungs protesting at the sting of cold air.
Lu Han.
Lu Han.
Sitting at the edge of the small fountain in the middle of the small plaza, legs stretched out in front of him, eyes closed and head tipped back to let the last rays of sunshine bathe his achingly beautiful face. As the short strands of his glossy dark hair danced in the wind, he looked like a cat curled up in its favorite sunny spot. It wasn’t as freezing cold as it had been only weeks before, but there was still a chill in the air that let everyone know winter wasn’t quite willing to hand over the reins to spring yet. And still, he looked so content in his light black jacket, grey jeans worn white at the stress points and leather sneakers, it seemed almost rude to disturb him.
Not that Sehun actually felt capable of moving. Or breathing, for that matter.
He knew that face. He’d drawn and sketched it too many times to count. He knew the gentle slope of that nose. In his dreams he’d traced the path of that sharp jaw line, had marveled at those unfairly long eyelashes, had thought about those maddeningly distracting lips for nights on end. He was achingly familiar with the way they could and would tug up at one side to curve into that dangerous half-smile whenever Sehun said something foolish. He knew how they felt pressed to his.
Because even though he’d never met the man outside of his dreams, he still knew him.
Sehun wasn’t sure if he would have been able to move or otherwise make his presence known anytime soon, but it turned out to be entirely unnecessary. He saw the sudden change in Lu Han, saw him straighten - tension flooding his body, the muscles in his legs tightening - just a second before his eyes snapped open and met Sehun’s wide-eyed gaze. What little breath he’d had left exploded out of his lungs in a stunned whoosh.
Tiger eyes - that was how he’d always thought of them. The tawny, almost amber shade, the unflinching nature of his gaze, the way they could go from intense, to mischievous, to laughing in the span of a few seconds. Like a tiger seizing up its prey and deciding if it wanted to make a meal of it or simply play. Now those eyes were zeroed in on Sehun as he flowed to his feet in a move so smooth, so quick, the younger man’s heart did a half terrified, half yearning flip in his chest. Lu Han’s unwavering gaze never moved away from him as he stepped up to Sehun. The air between them was all but heating up with the palpable tension Sehun could feel rippling over his skin. He didn’t dare to blink, let alone draw in a breath, terrified a single move would snap the connection between them, would have Lu Han disappearing right before his eyes and turn him back into nothing more than a dream - forever unreachable.
He sensed, rather than saw the slightly shorter man reaching out, still unable to break the crackling eye-contact. He knew, even before their hands touched, that they were going to fit. Skin brushed skin, fingers interlinked with his, their palms pressed together and the warmth of the touch, the sheer rightness of it had the choking pressure in his chest easing - even as something hot and tight coiled low in his belly.
“There you are.”
A brilliant smile. That smooth voice, with a hoarseness to it he’d only heard in a few dreams before, flowing over him. Those tawny eyes softening in pure welcome.
“You’re real.” The words felt and sounded like they had been carved out of him, but Sehun didn’t think, he didn’t wait for a reply. Instead he simply pulled Lu Han into a hug that screamed crushing relief, as he all but curled himself around the older man. “You’re real.”
It took only a moment for one of Lu Han’s hands to cup his nape, as the other settled over his hip, his fingers slipping under his heavy jacket until they pressed into smooth, warm skin, the touch grounding them both. And even though Sehun had several inches on Lu Han, it was the younger of the two who ended with his head tucked beneath Lu Han’s chin. He was the one breathing in and out against the skin of his neck, body curving in a way it had done countless times before. They fit in a way that was as familiar as it should have been impossible for two people meeting for the first time.
It was the first meeting and the thousandth.
The pace of Sehun’s heartbeat was as choppy as his breathing, as he drew in another breath and found the answer to a question that had haunted him like a vengeful ghost.
Lu Han smelled like freshly cut grass, warm skin and a hint of citrusy soap. It made Sehun want to stay there - with his face nuzzled into the curve where his neck met his shoulder - and never move again.
He felt Lu Han chuckle, as much as he heard him. “Looks like you’re as much of a cat in real life, as you are in those dreams.”
“I’m not the one with tiger eyes,” he murmured into the curve of the older man’s neck, still reluctant to pull away.
“Tiger eyes, huh?”
Sehun could tell from the sound of his voice that Lu Han was pleased with the comment and it didn’t take much effort to imagine the smug look that was undoubtedly gracing his face.
“Looks like you’re just as vain in real life as you seemed in those dreams.”
Jumping back less than a second later with an indignant yelp at the fleeting, but painful pinch to his side, Sehun found himself scowling at an innocently smiling Lu Han.
“Be careful who you call vain, brat.”
“I told you not to call me that, jerk.”
It was all so familiar, the teasing argument, the mock scowls and well-tried nicknames, and even though none of this made the least bit of sense - not the dreams they had both shared for years, not the sudden meeting without warning nor the mystifying link he could feel pulsing between them - they still found themselves grinning at each other like fools.
“It’s a good thing you noticed me standing there like a statue. I don’t think I could have moved, to be honest. I felt like something hit me in the head,” Sehun eventually confessed, his voice taking on a hint of petulance. “You were so calm. Now that I think about it, I’m actually a bit pissed that you didn’t seem the least bit nervous when you saw me standing there. You didn’t even seem surprised.”
By that point he might have actually sounded like a sulking child - he certainly felt that way - but for once he couldn’t find it in himself to care.
“Oh, I was definitely nervous,” Lu Han replied as he raised Sehun’s hand until it was pressed to the spot right above his heart. The solid, but definitely quickened heartbeat turned Sehun’s pout into a delighted smile. “Still am. It’s just that I was too relieved to let that stop me.”
The grip of Lu Han’s hand around his wrist tightened for several heartbeats, and Sehun felt a tingle at his touch, all the way down to his toes. “You’re real and you’re actually here. Do you know how fucking happy I am that you’re not just a figment of my overactive imagination? Ever since I started having those dreams, a part of me has wondered if I was losing it. But at the same time I was terrified they might stop.”
Sehun’s breathing went a little shallow as Lu Han took another step closer, successfully trapping their linked hands between their bodies.
“I know your favorite color used to be blue, but now it’s yellow because it makes you think of my eyes. I know you’re convinced that eating green stuff in the morning will make you sick. I know you hate spending time on your own and that you’re actually happy when your friends and co-workers show up at your apartment unannounced - even if you’ll never admit it.” Lu Han’s amusement was more than obvious from the sparkle in his eyes and the warmth of his tone. “I know your favorite band, I know you have a weakness for chocolate, I know you only brew coffee for breakfast because you like the smell of it, not actually the taste. I know that you confuse your entire family and friends with the fact that you can draw like you do, but still enjoy your work as an accountant.”
Sehun thought his heart might simply jump out of his chest at the short silence following that last statement.
“I know you’ll make that pleased, little sound in the back of your throat when I do this.” Before he even finished the sentence, Lu Han’s thumb began rubbing gently over the inside of Sehun’s wrist and the sigh whispered over his lips before the taller man could hold it back. “How can I know all this when we’ve never really met before? Yet in my dreams I’ve talked to you, touched you, kissed you.” His tawny gaze lowered to Sehun’s lips for the fraction of a second, while his voice went deep enough to spark a tiny shiver of awareness down the length of Sehun’s spine. “Tell me how that’s possible.”
Sehun was practically breathless by the time Lu Han ended his little speech, but that didn’t keep him from answering, completely uncaring how thin his voice sounded. “I don’t know. I have no idea how any of this is even possible, but I also don’t really care. You’re here and I know you the same way you know me. I don’t give a damn about the details.”
Swallowing, his dust dry throat protesting at the sudden movement, he held Lu Han’s bright, intense gaze. “I know you drink way too much coffee. I know you think the only thing worth your time on TV are football matches, especially when Manchester United is playing. I know solving the Rubik’s cube relaxes you. I know you have a tiny scar on your right hip from a sword fight gone wrong with your best friend in kindergarten. I know that you’re stupidly proud of the fact that you’re prettier - sorry, more handsome than every person you’ve ever kissed.” Sehun’s eye roll had Lu Han giving him another laughing pinch to his side. “Until me, of course.”
“And you’re calling me vain.”
“It’s not called being vain. It’s called being right.”
Lu Han’s eyes flashed with that dangerous glint that told Sehun he was about to regret his last words, when the sudden blare of Baekhyun’s ringtone from his back pocket had them both blinking like two people coming out of a trance.
“Shit.”
Almost dropping his phone as he tried to pull it out of his pocket without letting go of Lu Han’s hand, he didn’t even get out a greeting before Baekhyun started shouting at him.
“Where the hell are you? I can’t believe you’re later than we are! Wait, you didn’t just leave, right? We’re only ten minutes late!”
“Make that thirty minutes late. And no, I haven’t left. I’ll be right there.”
Ending the call before Baekhyun had the opportunity to interrogate him further, he shoved the phone back into his pocket and met Lu Han’s amused eyes.
“I was supposed to meet Baek and Yixing at the movie theater. We wanted to watch the new Bond movie.”
“Ah, you mean your co-workers who refuse to acknowledge the fact that they’re basically dating?”
Of course he had told Lu Han about them at one point, even if he couldn’t quite recall that particular conversation at the moment.
“That would be them.”
“What do you think they’d say to a double date?”
“Guess we’ll find out,” Sehun answered, even if the broadening smile on his face - not to mention the ballooning happiness in his chest - made talking a bit difficult.
“Just one more thing…”
Sehun didn’t have time to ask what the older man was talking about. He didn’t even have time to finish sucking in his expectant breath before Lu Han curled his fingers into the soft hair at Sehun’s nape and pulled him into a kiss that had heat flooding his belly and spreading outwards in rippling waves of pleasure.
For something they had done in dreams so many times before, it felt exhilaratingly new. Maybe it was knowing that this wasn’t a dream, that he wasn’t going to wake up to find Lu Han gone. Or maybe it was just always going to be that way for them. Sehun could only hope that the warm pressure of the shorter man’s lips would always make him feel this breathless, this connected, this wanted. That the taste of him would always feel exactly right, even as he hungered for more, more, more. That the press of their bodies would always leave him aching with that hot, content glow in his chest.
The older man’s hum of approval had Sehun tightening his grip on his jacket, as Lu Han tilted his head to change the angle and deepen the kiss. And Sehun just couldn’t resist. Catching the shorter man’s bottom lip between his teeth, he gave it a short nip and breathed out on a happy sigh at Lu Han’s immediate reaction. He loved the way such a small bite was enough to have goosebumps roughening Lu Han's skin every single time. Loved that it sent that tiny shudder through his body and had him crushing Sehun harder to his chest. As if it made him forget - just for a few seconds - to be gentle with Sehun.
By the time they finally pulled away, only to lean back in for a few more nuzzling kisses - short, light, affectionate - they were both breathing a lot heavier.
“Just wanted to see if it’s as good in real life as it was in our dreams.” Lu Han’s voice had roughened to an almost growl that only tightened the hot coil in the younger man’s belly.
Sehun was still busy trying to gather his wits, pretty sure that kiss had melted most of his brain. In the end he didn’t get out much more than a breathless “And?”
For the nth time that day, those tiger eyes flashed with quick mischief and Sehun braced himself for what would undoubtedly be a purposeful dose of exaggerated awfulness. Because who else but Lu Han would enjoy watching Sehun cringe and shudder at his cheesy lines?
“Better than I could have imagined in my wildest dreams.”
Sehun lowered his face as another gust of wind sent salty water spraying in their direction. The sound of the waves, the cries of seagulls and the hiss of the wind blended into an unexpectedly soothing cacophony of sounds, as he felt Lu Han tug his hand into his lap and start toying with his fingers. They had been quiet for what might have been hours, but Sehun didn’t feel the need to talk, to break the peacefulness of the moment. But then Lu Han was pushing up to his feet, brushing and patting the sand off his dark jeans and he knew what was coming.
“See you.”
Even as he felt his grip on the dream slip, he wanted to cling, to claw it back until it was only Lu Han and him again. Leaving the other man’s side was the most horrible way to start his morning, even if the potential of a new day beckoned him out of sleep and into reluctant wakefulness. Smothering his frustrated whine in the depths of his fluffy pillow, he debated the pros and cons of staying in bed so he could sulk a few more minutes, when an arm slipped around his waist and scared him half to death.
Barely holding back the surprised yelp, it took Sehun only a second to find his bearings and then his displeased scowl was melting into a sunny smile. Squirming around until he was facing the sleep-rumpled, gorgeous man in his bed, not even the familiar pinch at his waist could stop him from wriggling closer until they were pressed together - shoulder to toe.
“Keep still, brat.”
The words were half growled, but obviously just a token complaint, as the arm around his waist tightened, anchoring him to Lu Han’s side, and fingers slipped under the waistband of Sehun’s boxers to pet the slightly marked skin. Those tiger eyes, still heavy with sleep, blinked at him from beneath the messy curtain of his bed-tousled hair and Sehun felt another smile tugging at his lips.
Leaving Lu Han’s side in their dream might have been the worst part of his day, but waking to him right beside him in bed was definitely one of the best.
Author’s Note: Thanks to my wonderful beta for - once again - whipping my fic into shape at the last minute.