Phoenix
My eyes fluttered open, and I immediately froze. Wait a second... wasn't Atlas supposed to be on the couch? Then why the hell am I the one on the couch, and why is he practically wrapped around me like a damn blanket?
Oh crap.
I blinked a few times, trying to process the situation. My arms were wrapped around his waist, and his head was resting on my shoulder. Our faces were way too close—close enough that I could feel his breath against my neck.
What the hell happened last night?
I felt my face heat up as I carefully tried to move without waking him, but of course, fate wasn't on my side. Atlas shifted, tightening his grip around me like I was some sort of oversized teddy bear. I let out a quiet, exasperated sigh.
How did we even end up like this? I remember letting him crash in Phoenix's room, and I definitely didn't plan on joining him on the couch. Maybe I was too tired and just... fell asleep here? Damn it, Ace, how careless can you be?
Atlas murmured something in his sleep, his face nuzzling against my neck, and I felt my heart do an annoying little flip. No, no, no. Absolutely not. I am not getting flustered over this idiot.
Trying one more time, I carefully moved his arm off me, but he just groaned and snuggled closer. Great. Just great. Now I'm stuck like this, and I can't even blame him since I'm the one who apparently decided to crash on the couch.
I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears, and I bit my lip to keep from making any noise. I'd rather die than wake him up and explain why I was practically cuddling him.
Just as I was trying to figure out my next move, Atlas's eyes slowly fluttered open. He blinked a few times, clearly disoriented, before his gaze finally focused on me.
Oh no.
A lazy, sleepy smirk spread across his face, and I knew I was screwed. "Morning, Princess," he mumbled, voice low and raspy.
My face burned. "Don't call me that," I hissed, trying to shove him off, but he just chuckled and tightened his grip around me.
"Comfortable?" he teased, his smirk widening.
"Shut up!" I snapped, finally managing to wriggle free and sit up, glaring daggers at him. "What the hell are you doing on the couch?"
He just stretched, looking annoyingly unbothered. "I could ask you the same thing. Thought you were gonna leave me to the couch while you slept in your room."
I scoffed. "Yeah, well... guess I dozed off."
Atlas chuckled, giving me that stupid, confident grin. "Didn't mind it, though. You're pretty cute when you're asleep."
I could feel my face getting redder by the second. "Stop talking," I muttered, running a hand through my hair in frustration.
Atlas just gave me a lazy, satisfied grin, clearly enjoying every second of my embarrassment. I hated how he made me feel so off-balance—like I was the one getting played.
Stupid, flirty bastard.
I was still in a bit of a daze, trying to piece together how we even ended up in that position on the couch. My mind was running in circles, and my face still felt hot from how close we were earlier.
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to shake off the embarrassment when suddenly the door to the bathroom opened, and out walked Atlas—barely dressed, just a towel slung low on his hips, water dripping from his hair and trailing down his chest.
Oh. My. God.
I nearly choked on air. The idiot didn't even bother drying off properly. His toned torso was glistening with water, and he looked way too comfortable like that. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips when he caught me staring.
"Enjoying the view, Princess?" he teased, raising an eyebrow.
I shot him a glare, trying to cover up how flustered I was. "Put some damn clothes on!" I snapped, looking away, but I could still feel his presence like a damn heatwave.
Atlas just laughed, completely unbothered. "Why? You seem to be liking it just fine," he taunted, walking closer to me.
I gritted my teeth. "Stop strutting around half-naked like you own the place," I grumbled.
He leaned down a little, and I could feel his breath against my ear. "Your place, your rules. But if you wanted a private show, you just had to ask," he whispered.
I shoved him away, finally managing to glare straight at him despite how red my face must've been. "Stop messing around, idiot! Go get dressed before Phoenix walks in and starts questioning your sanity."
Atlas just chuckled and gave a casual shrug. "Fine, fine. Don't miss me too much," he winked, heading to grab his clothes without another word.
The second he was out of sight, I buried my face in my hands, trying to cool off. That bastard. How does he manage to get under my skin so easily? He's definitely doing it on purpose, just to mess with me.
I took a deep breath to calm down, but I could still hear his voice in my head, teasing and smug as always. Damn flirt. I'll get back at him for this one day.
"I'm a boy, stop calling me princess."
Atlas paused mid-step, clearly having heard me. He turned around, his smirk softening into a more playful grin.
"Oh? But you're my princess," he teased, leaning against the doorframe. "Doesn't matter if you're a boy or not. You've got that attitude, and I can't help but mess with you."
I shot him a glare, trying to hide how embarrassed I felt. "I'm a boy. Stop calling me that," I mumbled again, looking anywhere but at him.
He just chuckled, clearly not taking me seriously. "Alright, alright. How about 'Your Highness' then? Or 'My Majesty'? Maybe 'Little Prince'?"
I groaned, grabbing the nearest pillow and chucking it at him. He dodged effortlessly, that stupid grin never leaving his face.
"You're insufferable," I muttered, folding my arms.
Atlas just gave me a little wink. "And you love it," he shot back before finally heading to get dressed, leaving me alone to cool off and process the whirlwind of teasing he just threw my way.
My face was still burning, and I grumbled under my breath, "Damn flirt…"