A Sleepless Night
“Hehe…♪”
“Whoa…!”
A warm weight enveloped my body, and a sweet fragrance tickled my nose. Unable to withstand the force of Cecilia diving onto me, I toppled backward. My back hit the floor, and at the same moment she began nuzzling her cheek against my chest.
“Hihi…♪”
“You’re more drunk than I thought, huh…?”
I asked carefully, enduring the ticklish heat rising from deep inside as I took in her dazed, smiling face and the soft press of her cheek rubbing over my clothes.
“Hmm…?”
All that came back was a dreamy little smile. Pressing her cheek against me without a care, Cecilia gave her tail a lazy sway.
“Who knooows?”
“…You don’t even smell that strongly of alcohol. Wait—stop burrowing in…!”
“Mmh….”
She wriggled against me with pure, clingy affection, practically pouncing, until she buried her face deep in my chest. Soft, steady breaths slipped out between us. Simply holding me tight, Cecilia drew in a long breath and let it out again, treating me like her personal pillow.
“Snnniff—. Mmh, you smell so good….”
“You just said you couldn’t really tell earlier…!”
I gently pushed at the girl plastered against me with my palms. Undeterred, Cecilia locked her arms around me even tighter and stuck herself right back on.
“Just a little more. Mmh….”
That soft, yielding warmth covered me again. I started to peel her off, then realized it would never end and simply gave up.
“Haa….”
“Hehe….”
A sigh and a giggle crossed in the air. With an utterly melted expression, Cecilia rubbed her nose against my body.
“…Mmh♥”
It tickled. And it was embarrassing. Every little nasal hum that slipped out now and then soaked sweetly into my ears. It was genuinely dangerous for a guy’s self-control.
“…Why are you clinging like this again today, Cecilia….”
Half-resigned, I started talking quietly while lightly combing my fingers through the pretty hair right in front of me. Soft strands slid under my hand with a silky rustle, and each time I moved, the ears atop her head gave tiny twitches. Just knowing she reacted to my touch made me feel strangely good.
“Pretty drunk? It’s only wine, though….”
“Mmh.”
“Or did you just want to stick to me…?”
“Uuung….”
“…Say something, you little tomboy.”
“Hyaat!?”
The moment I gave one of those fluffy ears a gentle stroke, Cecilia’s whole body jerked. She lifted her head and shot me a half-hearted glare through a flushed face.
“…Okay, okay. I won’t.”
I raised both hands in surrender. She wasn’t scary, exactly—more like a strange pressure that said if I kept going she might actually pounce.
“…Hmph.”
She turned her head away with a prim little sniff. Then, after a moment of fidgety indecision, she buried her face in my chest all over again.
“…Snnniff—….”
“Again? Well… it’s not like I mind….”
While she nuzzled and sniffed at my scent, I murmured under my breath and quietly stroked those silver-white locks once more.
“Mmh….”
She squirmed as if it tickled, yet there was oddly little strength in her. Something really did feel off. She seemed more dazed than usual when she was drunk—almost sleepy.
“Sleepy?”
“…I can’t sleep.”
I’d already heard that answer once tonight. But this time I thought I understood the meaning hidden underneath.
“…Insomnia?”
I didn’t know the cause, but looking at her now it felt half-certain. If she still couldn’t sleep even after drinking this much, the symptoms had to be pretty bad. No wonder she’d stayed up so late tonight. And her reactions had felt quieter and weaker than usual… so that was why.
“Does your head hurt? Or is your stomach upset or anything?”
“Not really…?”
“Yeah? That’s good, at least….”
A little relieved, I kept stroking her hair. What could be causing it? Most insomnia came from stress—was that it for Cecilia too? Feeling the house was too small, finding living with a guy uncomfortable, or maybe…
“You smell so good….”
Her voice, almost a whisper, brushed my ear. Looking down, I found her still face-down against my chest, rubbing her nose there.
“What kind of smell?”
“Mmh?”
Curiosity got the better of me. At the question she lifted her head and looked at me, ears perking as she tilted her head, and answered in a foggy voice.
“…A comforting smell?”
“A comforting smell?”
It was awfully abstract. When I tilted my head in turn, she added more.
“It calms me down so much, and makes my heart feel warm. Mmh….”
A comforting, calming, heart-warming scent… That was somehow embarrassing. I still had no idea why I would smell like that. I couldn’t even detect it myself. …Maybe the detergent had catnip mixed in or something?
“So that’s why you’re clinging extra hard today? Because it’s comforting?”
Anyway. I tossed the ridiculous theory aside and asked her directly.
“Ung….”
She answered while lazily shifting her body. She looked sleepy, and more than that, exhausted.
“Yeah…? Well, if we knew the cause we might be able to do something about it.”
As I muttered that, something brushed my fingertips.
“Hm?”
I picked it up and brought it closer. It was a fantasy novel—the one Cecilia had been reading lately.
“Must’ve left it after reading. I’ll put it back on the shelf later… Hm?”
I flipped through it while talking to myself, then spotted something odd.
“Volume 9?”
I was sure she’d been on volume 2 this afternoon. She’d read seven more volumes since then? That was way too fast no matter how you looked at it.
“Cecilia.”
“Uuung?”
I spoke to the girl who still hadn’t fallen asleep and was only shifting restlessly.
“You already finished up to volume 9?”
“…Huh? Oh, no, not really….”
A dazed look crossed her face as if she were remembering something. I waited quietly, and she continued.
“Umm…. I was bored so I just skimmed the tables of contents of the other volumes, and then something bothered me….”
“Volume 9? What was that one about again….”
Still lying there, I rubbed my chin and dug through old memories of reading it myself. What was that part…? Ah.
“The school episode….”
The instant the words left my mouth, Cecilia’s tail gave a startled flick. When I looked at her, she quietly averted her eyes.
“Ahaha….”
An awkward laugh followed. Only now did I understand why she hadn’t been able to sleep properly.
“…You’re anxious after all?”
“….”
No answer came. She only buried her face again, as if trying to hide her expression.
“…Hm.”
I let out a small breath. After a brief moment of thought, I muttered,
“Well then, nothing for it.”
I drained the last of the wine in my glass, set it back on the table, and sat up in one smooth motion.
“…? Wh-what?!”
I didn’t just slip free—I lifted Cecilia right along with me as I rose.
“Ugh, heavy….”
I hadn’t meant it to look like a bridal carry, but that was exactly the pose we ended up in. Fully upright, it was harder than expected. Sneaking glances at Cecilia, whose face had gone bright red in my arms, I huffed and puffed my way over to the bed.
“Hup…!”
“Kya!”
With a soft thump I half-tossed her onto the mattress. In my imagination I’d lifted her light as a feather… reality was never that easy.
“E-Eunhyuk? Mmph.”
“Here—pillow.”
I tossed her the pillow that had been near her legs. She stared at me with complicated eyes for a second, then hugged it tightly to her chest.
“No, not like that.”
“Ung?”
“Under your head. Like this.”
I gently took the pillow back and slipped it under her head. While I was at it I went to the wall, switched off the light, and came back.
“Uh, but if we do this….”
“Hup.”
“…?!”
I climbed onto the bed and lay down right beside her. Even in the dark I could clearly see her wide eyes and flushed, adorable face.
“…A bit tight. Guess that’s a single bed for you….”
“E-Eunhyuk….”
“Still, come on—sleep.”
“!”
I gently cupped the back of her head and drew her toward my chest. Her small, soft body nestled perfectly into my arms. Right in front of my eyes those silver-white ears gave a startled twitch and began to tremble. At the same time she wriggled against me, sending ticklish little sparks through my whole body. I glanced down at her. She was looking up at me too, and our eyes met. Her face was even redder than before.
“I-It’s embarrassing…!”
“I’m embarrassed too.”
I answered quietly, fully aware of how hot my own face had gotten. It wasn’t as if I felt nothing. Holding a girl in my arms in bed—of course it was embarrassing. Just being careful not to touch anywhere weird by accident was hard enough. Honestly, without the alcohol I probably never would have tried this.
Even so….
“…In the end, this is what helps you sleep best, right?”
Not being able to sleep is rough. I knew from experience. Insomnia isn’t something you just leave alone. I couldn’t fix the root cause right now. So at the very least—
“It’s okay. You’re going to do just fine.”
—I could ease the anxiety. If my scent comforted her, she could breathe it in as much as she wanted.
“You’re not alone. I’ll help you.”
“….”
“So tonight… let’s get some real sleep, okay?”
Still holding her, I gently stroked those soft strands of hair. Tearful eyes looked back at me. Pretending not to notice, I gave her a quiet smile and kept stroking.
“Tomorrow we’ll get ready together. Buy whatever we need, gather the information we need….”
“….”
“Want me to tell you some stories from my school days too? Not sure how interesting they’ll be, though.”
I felt her nestle closer without a word. Her heartbeat thudded against me.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“…Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Thank you, Eunhyuk….”
A quiet, swelling tenderness settled over the darker desires and gently put them to sleep. For now, this was enough.
“Thank you….”
As the soft thanks kept coming, I kept stroking her hair. On and on, until her breathing finally evened out.
“Good night, Cecilia.”
In the quiet night, two small sets of breathing filled the room.