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They can’t keep their hands off of each other for the entire journey to Japan.
It wasn’t even amorous, Han Taejoo just couldn’t help himself from clutching and brushing every part of Kang Gook that he could get a hold of. A tight grip on his bicep, a soft nudge of his hip against the other’s, fingertips dancing across each other like whispers as they make their way through airport security and finally arrive in Tokyo.
On the flight over they had mostly spent the time enthusiastically telling each other all about the 3 years they had missed (well, Taejoo was enthusiastic, Gook remained calm and patient as he listened to Taejoo complain about the weather and food of England at top speed, a unabashedly fond smile on his face). Gook admitted that he’d never really stopped thinking about Taejoo in that entire time, and Taejoo agreed, both blushing as if they were still those young, naïve school kids.
And with Gook at his side, as they wondered the bustling streets of Tokyo in a comfortable silence, Taejoo suddenly felt so much that nothing really had changed since then. The short aeroplane journey had made both them incredibly tired, along with the fact the adrenaline of being reunited with the love of your life and decided to skip any kind of sightseeing for the day in favour of sleep.
They found the hotel that Gook had booked after about 10 minutes, and if the hotel clerk gave them an odd look when they said they’d be staying in a room with just one bed, they didn’t notice since they were too wrapped up with grinning at each other.
Walking into the hotel room, Taejoo collapsed ungainly onto the bed with a loud sigh. Gook followed behind with his suitcase, which he rolled neatly next to the far side wardrobe. His thumbs precisely undid his jacket buttons as he shook himself out of the offending piece of clothing, before folding it over a rickety chair that stood in the corner.
Taejoo watched Gook’s movements intently from his position on the bed, a smile threatening to tug at the corners of his mouth.
He was once again struck that Gook really hadn’t changed at all in all those three years… Of course, he had gotten slightly taller, and the lines of his face seemed to have become more mature and impossibly more handsome. But the small mannerisms Taejoo remembered so clearly were still plain to see. The gentle but firm nature of his hands, careful in their grip (now on the various items spilling from his suitcase, being pulled into neat piles ready to be packed away) and Taejoo couldn’t help but flash to a few hours earlier when those hands had cupped his face and…
He turned away from staring and sighed again, loudly, and saw through his peripherals that Gook had looked up.
‘What’s wrong?’ He then asked, returning his gaze to his task.
‘I’m tired’ Taejoo half whined, curling onto his side so he could watch Gook more easily.
The other man just smiled, sparing Taejoo a small glance, before looking down again.
‘We’ll sleep soon, just let me unpack for a bit?’
Taejoo sighed again at that, and then another sigh, and then another and then…
It was Gook’s turn to sigh, followed by him finally getting up and crossing the room to where the bed was. He looked down at where Taejoo was pathetically pouting and, with a slight roll of his eyes, sat down next to him.
Taejoo glanced up at the other’s side profile from his low position on the bed, before he pulled himself up, so he was half leaning on the other man.
‘You haven’t changed a bit’ Gook muttered, glancing round with some difficultly so he could mockingly glare at where Taejoo was half nuzzling into his neck.
‘I’ve become more handsome, though, right?’ Taejoo abruptly pulled away, a teasing grin stretched across his face.
Gook hummed in agreement, turning his head around and not-so-subtly leant back into Taejoo’s hold on him from the side. Taejoo nudged his nose against the other’s neck, his hands brought up to rub small circles along his shoulders. Gook smiled at the touch, letting his eyes close, until he felt a warm press against the shell of his ear. He let at a deep contented sigh, subconsciously his fists dug themselves into the crisp hotel sheets.
Taejoo continued to press small kisses along the other man’s ear, then down his neck, and then back up to his ear again. Gook remained still, despite his whole body buzzing at the pleasant sensations running down his neck, until he felt some wet on his ear and he burst out laughing.
Taejoo pulled back, a smirk on his face and a glint in his eye.
‘I’ve wanted to do that for so long’ He said with a smile, taking in the blush that had spread it’s way all across Gook’s ears and cheeks.
‘What? Lick my ear?’ Gook asked incredulously.
Taejoo nodded earnestly, causing Gook to snort with laughter again. He muttered something under his breath that sounded kind of like ‘You’re ridiculous’ before he twisted himself round so he was half on the bed and now facing the other.
Now looking at Taejoo’s face, Gook could see the other was also slightly flushed, which made him feel a bit better about the raging red face he knew he was now sporting. Despite how desperately he had always tried to hide it, he knew that his feelings were often very obviously written onto his face.
Particularly when he was around Taejoo.
Taejoo brought his arms to rest on the dips of Gook’s shoulders, his hands stretched up so he could run them cautiously through the other’s hair, all the while intently moving his gaze from Gook’s eyes to his lips. Gook then trailed his hand up to land on Taejoo’s cheek, where the other pushed into the touch lightly, eyes growing more hooded and his blush deepening impossibly.
And then they were kissing, and it was different from their reuniting kiss. It was as if both men were pouring every second of those 3 years, hell, 18 years of yearning into a flood of lips moving against lips. Gook’s hand moved from where it was cupped against Taejoo’s face to carefully run his fingers through the soft strands of his hair, making the other twist his head, giving their kiss a deeper, more intense angle. Despite the fact Taejoo was already breathing heavily, he let his tongue run along the seam of Gook’s mouth before he pressed himself closer into the other’s mouth. He retreated, kissing his top lip, then nibbling at his bottom lip, each kiss restricted by Gook’s less practised technique. Taejoo breathed in the other’s scent, lying under a faded cologne, which remained as familiar and home-like as it had done for all those years. His hands couldn’t help but tighten in the other’s hair, not enough to be painful, but enough for Taejoo to feel a pressure building up inside him…
He pulled back then, both of them gasping for breath, their lips the same shade of dark red. They were still close enough that their breaths intermingled, eyes finding each other’s, their irises thin slivers of colour next to their blown-out pupils. Taejoo couldn’t stop the smile from spreading on his face, and his expression was soon matched by Gook, a bubble of laughter pulls itself from his throat as he pushes his nose forward to nudge against the other’s softly.
Once their breathing had become relatively normal, Gook finally removed his hand from where it was still tangled in Taejoo’s hair, instead choosing to let it fall to the nape of the other’s neck.
‘I thought you said you were tired?’ Gook asked eventually, voice still slightly breathless, and a cheeky smile still etched onto his checks.
A strange expression crossed Taejoo’s face before he was starting to move back from the other.
‘We don’t have to do anything tonight’ Taejoo said softly, the shadow of the smile still on his face but tone gently serious. ‘I just want to be near you for now’
Gook’s face flashed suddenly with surprise before the grin returned.
‘Wow… You’ve really mellowed in your old age, Taejoo!’ He joked.
‘Hey!’ Taejoo yelled, pulling his arms away so he could hit the other playfully on the head. ‘I was trying to be a gentleman there!’ Taejoo retorted indignantly with a pout.
‘You’ve forgotten I grew up with you’ Gook said with a brow raised and a smirk. ‘You wouldn’t know a gentlemanly behaviour even if it punched you in the face!’
Taejoo was about to argue back about learning some kind of etiquette in England when a big yawn interrupted himself, suddenly reminding him that he was actually incredibly tired. Gook stood up from the bed, bringing his hand to the other so he could coax him up as well. The other reluctantly let himself be led to the hotel bathroom to get ready for bed.
Once they were lying back in the bed, Taejoo’s eyes were threatening to close completely, even though he seemed determined to keep looking at Gook for as long as he could.
Gook laughed softly, running his fingers gently through Taejoo’s hair, before he reached over his shoulder to switch off the lamp.
‘Goodnight, darling’ He whispered to the other, his tone half teasing as he mirrored the name Taejoo had called him so many times all those years ago…
Except now it was true, and Taejoo couldn’t help the smile from stretching wide on his face at the thought, even as he began to quickly drift into unconsciousness.
So many things had remained the same between them, that it made all the differences all the more sweeter.
And Taejoo couldn’t wait to revel in the ways the Kang Gook he once knew and the Kang Gook he’ll grow to know, remain equally the same, and yet also so, so different!