Work Text:
The chirping of the birds could be heard outside, in the morning that was beginning to light up to chase away the darkness of the night. Hyunsik woke up slowly, enjoying the comfort of a good, cozy bed. Before his eyes was Ilhoon, his companion, who was still sleeping peacefully.
There was time before work, he decided not to wake him up. It had been a long time since they had slept in the same bed. Yet they had been living together for two years after starting dating for five years. They were together for seven years already. They had met in high school through mutual friends. Ilhoon was the one who confessed his love first. His intimidated air made Hyunsik's heart skip a beat in spite of himself and he decided to give him a chance.
Despite the moments of awkwardness and clumsiness at the beginning, especially because it was the first time he was going out with a boy, he had never regretted his choice. In a relationship, Ilhoon was gentle and docile, cautious but bold, warm and loving. He became attached to this attitude he found adorable and without realizing it, he had fallen madly in love with him. He cared for him like if he was the apple of his eyes. Of course, every relationship has its ups and downs. They had argued many times, for things sometimes unimportant, ignored each other like complete strangers, separated without really breaking up. But everything was back to normal again. Everything was always back to normal.
Hyunsik got up quietly and went unconsciously to the living room where a huge mess could be found, a vestige of their last quarrel that lasted several days. No one had found the time or the will to take care of it. But time, now, he had it. It was still early and he didn't know what to do. A little cleaning would not hurt. Beer cans scattered everywhere, knocked down potted plants, broken picture frames and various other objects littered the floor.
The origins of their quarrels were often the same. Ilhoon would warned that he would come home late or that he would stay out all night. Too much work or a simple outing with friends. But Hyunsik was always imagining the worst, he demanded that he comes home at the usual time and as he didn't do it, he was sulking.
Ilhoon sometimes told him he was stifling him. Hyunsik didn't understand. No, it was Ilhoon who didn't understand. Wasn't it normal to always want to be with the one we love outside of work and other obligations? Wasn't that the reason why they decided to move in together?
In the end, they had spent several days ignoring each other, each of them living on his side in the house whose atmosphere was gloomy, before the quarrel broke out. Ilhoon had come to see him in the living room and, without a word, he had placed on the piece of furniture in front of him the engraved ring which he had given him and of which he had the exact copy. He had implied that he wanted to leave him. For good. However, after a long passionate exchange, he had ended up falling into his arms, again.
Hyunsik came out of his thoughts. He ended up cleaning the house from top to bottom, except for the bedroom. A pleasant lemony scent filled the freshly tidied and washed rooms. It even managed to mask the perfidious smell of the polystyrene tray of rotten meat left in the fridge and recently thrown in the trash because no one had really eaten since its opening a week ago. It took him almost an hour to do everything, it was soon time to wake up Ilhoon so he could get ready to go to work.
Getting up from the couch on which he was resting after his hard work, Hyunsik returned to the bedroom where the time seemed to have stopped. Like a doll, Ilhoon was still deeply asleep in his scruffy outfit, sleeping over the blankets because of the summer heat.
Hyunsik leaned over him and gazed for a moment at that sleepy face. He had always thought he looked like an angel when he slept. But he had to wake up now. He put his hand on his cheek, passed through his tousled hair several times and then kissed him with all the tenderness he felt for him. "Wake up, baby." But that was not enough to get him out of his deep sleep. With the night they had just passed, he must have been really tired. Hyunsik thus left him another moment of rest. He lay down and watched him sleep, stroking his long thin and fragile neck with his fingertips. He was there by his side, eternally beautiful, peaceful, motionless, and his.