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Hoetaek pushed his cart through the grocery store for what felt like the tenth time that week and his energy was drained to a pulp. His best friend, Hongseok, had been living with him for the past two weeks, due to his home being renovated, and wasn’t leaving until the next week. Hongseok was someone who ate a lot, but he did all of the cooking since he had come, and so Hoetaek was willing to buy the groceries for these meals.
But he was starting to get tired of heading to the grocery store every other day, with Hongseok wanting the freshest groceries, wanting to be as healthy as he possibly could, and wanting the best for his best friend.
Loading up the conveyor belt at the cashier, who looked at him and smiled when they made eye contact.
“Hey Taek, you’re here again?”
“Hey Wooseok, are you sick of me yet?”
The boy laughed and shook his head. Wooseok worked at Hoetaek’s local grocery store in the afternoon, which meant they saw each other on every single one of his shopping trips, growing familiar with each other.
After his groceries had been bagged, Wooseok stopped Hoetaek for a second to hand him a flier before he left, telling him it would probably be more helpful to him than any other customer.
Once he had loaded up his car, Hoetaek sat in his car for a bit, reading the flier, which was an advertisement for a delivery service that the grocery store had started recently.
Hmm, maybe I could use this service, what could go wrong?
♡
“Taek! You’re home?”
Hoetaek hummed as he slipped off his shoes and handed the bags of groceries to his best friend, who immediately slipped into the kitchen to put them away.
He sat down at the kitchen table and skimmed over the flier, before Hongseok looked at it too, over his shoulder.
“Delivery service?”
“Wooseok said maybe it would be easier for me instead of going to the store over and over again.”
“I know you don’t like leaving the house anyway, so why don’t you do it?”
Hoetaek hummed and nodded as he opened his phone and downloaded the grocery store app.
♡
Hongseok was inside Hoetaek’s guest room when he heard a knock on the door. The older man wasn’t home, so he headed to open the door, knowing that the groceries Hoetaek had ordered were set to come today.
Hongseok opened the door, surprised that the person standing on the other side looked about their age.
“Are you Lee Hoetaek?”
“Ah...no, but I can take these, thank you.”
The other man stood at the door for a second before Hongseok had a moment of realization and reached over into the kitchen to grab a small stack of dollar bills with a sticky note on top, which his best friend had designated as a tip for the delivery person.
“You look...kinda young.”
The man laughed and shook his head.
“I get that a lot, but trust me, I’m older than I look, this is just another job I do on the side. Anyway, I’ve done my job, please let…” he paused glancing at his phone to check the order, “Hoetaek...know that I appreciate the tip!”
The man bowed quickly before he left and after Hongseok closed the door, he looked down at the sticky note and smiled at the message scrawled on top, before sticking the bills into his jacket pocket.
“The delivery person came?” Hoetaek asked as soon as he arrived home.
“He was cute,” Hongseok responded, peeking his head out from behind the refrigerator.
“Gee I don’t think Changgu would be very happy to hear that, Seok,” Hoetaek said with a chuckle, thinking of Hongseok’s longtime boyfriend, Changgu, who was also waiting for renovations to finish so the couple could finally move in together.
“I mean for you! You lonely music composer! I thought he seemed like your type.”
“I’m busy, I don’t have time for that. And speaking of which, I have a song to finish, so eat without me.”
“I’ll save you something?”
“You’re the best.”
♡
Hoetaek opened the door, about to head outside, startled when he came face to face with a man who had his hand raised to knock on the door.
“Oh—I take it you’re Hoetaek?”
“Ah! You’re the delivery man?”
The man chuckled and nodded, handing the bags to Hoetaek, receiving another sticky note and a few bills in return again.
Before Hoetaek closed the door, the delivery man called his name quickly to say something.
“I...I’ve been waiting for the day I could finally meet you, I wanted to say thank you. The first day I delivered here, it was a bad day for me, but the little sticky note you wrote me really made my day.”
Hoetaek smiled and simply said he would write more sticky notes in the future if he liked them, as a thank you. He then closed the door and hummed to himself softly.
Maybe Hongseok wasn’t wrong. He thought to himself.
♡
A couple weeks passed, and Hoetaek started to look forward to grocery deliveries every few days, having a whole stack of positive message sticky notes ready in the kitchen.
He still didn’t know the man’s name, but at some point had gotten used to the delivery man’s sweet voice calling “Hoetaek, Hoetaek,” over and over again.
A knock on the door sounded and Hoetaek was ready, opening the door and handing over his phone to the delivery man, who took it, but stood confused.
“Can I have your number? My work is picking up, but I still want to make sure I’m at home whenever you come, so maybe you could text me so I could tell you if I’m here or not?”
The delivery man’s mouth made a little ‘o’ and he nodded, typing away and handing the phone back, in exchange for a little sticky note.
The delivery man had long decided to stop taking the tips since he showed up so often, not wanting to deprive Hoetaek of such an extra amount of his income, but still took the sticky notes, which Hoetaek was more than happy to keep writing.
“Jinho?”
Said man’s line of sight flickered up to the other man’s eyes and he blinked, humming in a wondering tone.
“You say my name so often, I just thought it was about time for me to return the favor,” Hoetaek said with a smile.
Jinho mirrored his expression with a thank you before he left the apartment complex, phone buzzing as he headed to his car.
Jinho!
You’re doing great today :D
Jinho smiled genuinely and his heart felt warm, as he tucked his phone back into his pocket, remembering how nice his name sounded when he was being called by the other man.
♡
Walking into his other workplace, a little boy ran and jumped into Jinho’s arms as soon as he was in the dorm frame and the man laughed and spun the child around, passing him back over to his coworker.
“You look like you’re in a good mood today hyung.”
“I realized my other job isn’t that bad after all, Hyunggu.”
“Did you find someone to date like I told you to?” the younger man teased.
Jinho blushed slightly and cleared his throat, opting to take the little boy out of Hyunggu’s hands.
“Yuto asked about you earlier, by the way,” Jinho shot, trying to hold back his laughter when he saw the younger man blush deeply. He then carried the little boy into a room and placed him down on a piano bench.
“Mr. Jinho?”
“Hmm? Linus?”
“What’s a date?” the boy asked curiously.
Jinho was taken aback by the question, but the innocence of his student’s wide eyes made him giggle, a hand reaching over to brush through his hair.
“Hmm...it’s when two people who really like each other decide they want to spend more time together, so they will go to places together, and see each other more often.”
“Can we date?”
“Maybe find someone your age, alright buddy?” Jinho said with a chuckle as he rummaged through his bag, pulling out sheet music for the little boy. The music that his small fingers produced danced through the room, and caused enough of a distraction in Jinho’s mind to get his mind off of a pile of sticky notes that rested on his desk back at home.
♡
Jinho opened the notes app on his phone and someone stuck behind him, pulling it out of his hand.
“Hey!”
“Hyung, I know for a fact that you already memorized this list, even I’ve memorized this list, do you really need it?”
“Shinwon, you don’t understand, it’s just to make myself feel better. It’s like when you use a calculator on a test to calculate 2+2 even though you can do it in your head.”
“Jinho, please, have more confidence in yourself.”
Jinho took his phone back and stuck his tongue out at the other man, continuing to pack groceries into his delivery bag, realizing that the grocery list had, in fact, already become engraved in his head without thinking.
♡
Jinho had texted Hoetaek, who told him he would be home soon, so Jinho just sat on the planter box next to the door until the other man returned.
“I’m sorry it took so long! Have you been here for a long time?”
Jinho smiled and shook his head.
“You’ve been busier lately, haven’t you?”
Hoetaek sighed as he unlocked his door.
“You don’t even know.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Do you want to come in?”
Jinho’s mouth gaped open slightly and Hoetaek chuckled to himself, telling the delivery man that he was more than welcome to make himself at home.
Before long the pair were sitting on Hoetaek’s couch, and he explained about a project he had begun doing. He was composing songs for a freelance musician, so his schedule had become hectic.
Hoetaek then asked Jinho about his tutoring job, but Jinho just smiled and said it was going well. But in reality, any stress that Jinho felt from that job felt like nothing compared to Hoetaek’s problems, so he decided not to bring it up. He then made an excuse that he had to leave and Hoetaek walked him to the door before suddenly having an idea.
“Hey Jinho?”
“Hmm?”
Hoetaek reached outside and pushed aside some of the soil in the plant pot, and unearthed a spare key, handing it to the delivery man. Jinho stared at it, confused, as Hoetaek slipped it into his hand.
“If it’s okay with you, you could just come in when I’m not home and drop off the groceries.”
“Are you sure? I feel like I’d be intruding.”
“It’s okay! I trust you. And feel free to pour yourself a cup of water or something too if you’re feeling thirsty when you come here.”
“I promise I’ll take care of everything to the best of my ability!”
Hoetaek said a few grateful words of thanks to the other man before he was about to leave.
“Wait Jinho! You forgot something!”
Jinho turned around and cocked his head to the side.
Hoetaek handed him a sticky note and Jinho laughed brightly, taking it with a grin before he waved a farewell.
♡
As the weeks passed, Jinho and Hoetaek had become fast friends. They texted each other frequently about music and Jinho was always the first to listen to the younger man’s newest compositions.
Jinho had eventually grown to open up to Hoetaek more about his own feelings, and Hoetaek always listened to him with an open mind and caring heart, which he was grateful for.
They never had the chance to become very, very close, however, since they only saw each other here and there when Hoetaek was at home.
That is, until this particular day.
When Jinho arrived at the doorstep that afternoon, Hoetaek opened the door with a smile on his face as a fragrant smell drifted into Jinho’s nose.
“Do you want to eat lunch with me? I...accidentally ordered too much food,” Hoetaek asked, almost shyly.
Jinho giggled and glanced at the younger man.
“Is that the case or did you order extra food to get me to stay longer than usual? Hmm?” he teased.
Hoetaek blushed lightly and tugged at the older man’s sleeve gently, pulling him inside.
“You can believe whatever you want to believe.”
“I’m actually glad you invited me for lunch thank you, it’s been a little bit of a long day.”
“Hmm? What happened?”
Jinho furrowed his brows a little, hesitant, not knowing if the other was ready for him to open this side of him. But when Hoetaek reached across the table and lightly tugged at his sleeve with an encouraging smile, he knew it was okay.
“Just...a parent coming to tell us her kid would no longer be attending classes because music has no future.”
Hoetaek stiffened a little. It was to be expected, however, since it was a topic that hit hard for both of them.
“But it’s okay, I ended up convincing her to stay. I told her, she can’t be the one to make decisions for her kid, you live life in the present, not in the uncertain future. Maybe her kid doesn’t understand it now, but maybe in the future it’ll be a life regret because her little daughter will keep wondering how her life could’ve been if she didn’t quit music back then. By quitting, you already know what the ending is going to be, but if you keep going, who knows where it’s going to take you?”
Jinho looked across the table at Hoetaek who started tearing up.
“Oh my gosh, Hoetaek, are you crying?”
“I wish everyone had the same mindset as you. So many people told me that my interests weren’t going to take me anywhere, and that I should give up while I had the chance.”
“We’re in the same boat then I guess,” Jinho responded with a small smile.
“Finally someone who understands,” Hoetaek said softly.
The pair shared a smile before finishing their food, hearts warm after knowing so close to them felt exactly the same way as they did, and maybe they connected with each other a little more that afternoon.
♡
Hoetaek approached his door to see that it was already unlocked, and walked inside to see Jinho peeking his head out from behind the fridge.
“Oh, you’re home?” Hoetaek joked.
Jinho blushed lightly and went back to organizing the groceries, mumbling that he should be the one asking Hoetaek that.
“Hey Hoetaek?”
“Hmm?”
“I...Would you…”
“Spit it out Jinho,” Hoetaek teased.
“We’ve been friends for a bit now, and we’ve never done anything together outside of your apartment, so I was wondering if you...if you wanted to get dinner together? Wait—are we even friends? Oh my god…” Jinho rambled nervously.
Hoetaek ruffled the older’s hair and Jinho stopped mid sentence abruptly as the younger man chuckled.
“Of course we are, and of course I’d love to. I’ll just get changed and we can head out?”
Jinho’s expression broke into a smile and he nodded as Hoetaek grinned and wandered into his room.
“I...I can drive us, would you mind?”
Hoetaek just smiled and shook his head, putting down his car keys on the kitchen counter before they walked out to Jinho’s car, driving to a restaurant a few minutes away.
They ordered quickly, and it was only then when Hoetaek grew curious, glancing at the older man across the table.
“Hey, I’m not trying to say I didn’t want to eat with you, but it was so sudden, is there a special occasion?”
Jinho held a cup of water to his lips and mumbled a few words into the cup as he blushed lightly.
“It’s...what?” Hoetaek asked, leaning forward on his hands over the table.
“It’s my birthday…”
“It’s your birthday?” Hoetaek exclaimed.
Jinho hummed as his fingers moved to drum on his water glass softly.
“I don’t usually like celebrating my birthday, but...I don’t know, I saw you earlier and I just suddenly wanted to go out maybe, for once.”
“I’m honored to celebrate your birthday with you.”
On the way back to Jinho’s car, Hoetaek suddenly disappeared into a bakery, and came back out with a cake box in hand.
“Your birthday isn’t complete without a cake.”
“I...I usually just buy a cupcake from the store and call it a day.”
Hoetaek linked arms with the older man and shook his head.
“Come on, let’s go back to my place, and you can blow out the candles and make a wish, consider it my present to you today. What do you say?”
Hoetaek looked at Jinho with such eager eyes that Jinho just couldn’t say no, and nodded, and before long they were back at Hoetaek’s apartment.
The younger man set up his dining table with the cake and then lit a few candles, ushering Jinho to sit down so he could take a picture.
The older man wanted to just blow out the candles quickly, but Hoetaek insisted on singing him the “Happy Birthday” song, to which Jinho couldn’t hold back the happiness that creeped across his face.
“Your voice, are you sure you’re not...a singer?” Jinho teased.
“Stop! I’m not that good! Now make a wish before the candles blow out!” Hoetaek exclaimed as a light blush dusted his cheeks.
Jinho closed his eyes and clasped his hands together, to which Hoetaek smiled at how sweet and lovely the other looked. When he opened his eyes again, he made direct eye contact with Hoetaek, who stared back at him with big eyes, before he blew out his candles.
After cutting the cake, both of them eating a slice or two, Hoetaek mentioned something in passing as he cleaned up the candles that were littered across his dining table.
“Hey Jinho, I...actually do have something for you.”
“Something for me?”
“I planned to give it to you already, but since it’s your birthday, I’ll give it to you now. Just wait.”
Hoetaek shot him a smile before he headed into his room, Jinho hearing rustling, before he came back out with a box.
“Can I open it?”
Hoetaek nodded and Jinho gasped slightly at the MP3 player that lay nestled in the box.
“What is this?”
“My new songs I promised to let you listen to.”
Jinho played a few seconds of one of the songs and stared at the composer with curious eyes.
“I thought you said you were having trouble coming up with new material? But this is so good?”
“I had...some new inspiration,” Hoetaek said softly, gazing back at the older man. The two stayed in that position for a while, a comfortable silence falling upon them, with only Hoetaek’s songs in the background, eyes just tracing the lines and features of the other’s face.
Something changed in the air at that moment, but before either of them could react, Jinho cleared his throat and mentioned that it was getting late, and that he should head home, to which Hoetaek agreed, mumbling that he would pack up the rest of the cake for him to take home.
Jinho gave Hoetaek a quick hug, then waved with the leftover cake in hand, one hand on the doorknob, pausing for a little bit before he turned to look at the apartment owner.
As he thought for a little longer, Jinho finally beckoned for the younger man to come closer, quickly giving him a peck on the cheek and pulling away with a small grin.
“Happy birthday, Jinho,” Hoetaek whispered.
“Thank you for today, Hoetaek,” Jinho whispered back, before heading outside and closing the door shut behind him as quietly as he could.
Hoetaek held a hand to his cheek in surprise and smiled, unbeknownst to himself, mind still muddled with thoughts of the older man.
After Jinho left, Hoetaek wandered around the kitchen and cleaned up, but paused when he saw a crumpled piece of paper inside the plastic grocery bag.
Out of curiosity, he flattened it out and blushed when he saw what was written on it. It was a list of everything that was in the bag, but what caught his eye was the very last line.
“I like you Hoeta—” Hoetaek read, the message stopping after the first letters were scrawled, a pencil scribbling over the rest of the message before it was crumbled up into a ball.
“Jinho...likes me?” Hoetaek said to himself.
A strange feeling crept up in his chest, but it wasn’t a bad feeling. It felt like a flower reaching its days of full bloom, right before it was set to be its most beautiful. Except this flower, didn’t feel like it would wither anytime soon.
It made him realize, that maybe the magical feeling that flickered between them earlier in the night wasn’t just from his imagination, but was present for the both of them.
♡
Hoetaek wasn’t responding to Jinho’s texts and there were no signs of noise on the other side of the door when Jinho knocked. Jinho couldn’t help but be a little disappointed that he most likely wouldn’t be able to see the other man today, but he took out his keys and unlocked the door, stepping inside the apartment.
He started putting the groceries away in the fridge, and in the pantry, wherever Hoetaek had told him his groceries were supposed to go, and was almost finished when he heard a cough, followed by a weak groan coming from inside one of the rooms.
Without thinking, Jinho quickly put everything else away and walked inside slowly, knocking on the open door of Hoetaek’s room. There was a rustling of blankets before he mumbled to come in.
“Jinho?” Hoetaek asked weakly.
“Hey...I just dropped off your things, but I heard you inside, are you alright?”
“I’m...fine,” he responded, sputtering out between coughs.
Jinho pursed his lips and walked to the bedside, touching the back of his hand to Hoetaek’s forehead, gasping lightly as he pulled back.
“You’re burning up!”
“I’m fine!” Hoetaek insisted with as much energy as he could muster.
Jinho shook his head and headed to the bathroom, where he took a washcloth and dampened it, heading back to the room to rest it on Hoetaek’s forehead.
Jinho kneeled down on the floor next to the younger man and sighed.
“You overworked yourself, didn’t you? I told you to rest more!”
Hoetaek pouted as he turned to look at the older man, and Jinho’s heart squeezed at his pitiful expression.
“I was almost done with the song that I thought you would really like,” he whispered.
“I know you’re busy, and I love everything you make,” Jinho responded softly.
Jinho got up but stopped in place when the younger man reached for his hand, whining softly.
“Can’t you stay?”
Jinho turned around and gave his hand a squeeze with a soft smile on his face.
“I will, don’t worry, I’ll take care of you, I’m just going to the kitchen to get you a glass of water, okay? You were my last delivery today anyway.”
Hoetaek hummed softly and buried his face back in his pillow as Jinho went into the kitchen to make a phone call as he poured a glass of water.
“Hey Shinwon?”
“Hyung?”
“I have a favor to ask you.”
“Hmm?”
“Could you do the rest of my deliveries for today? Something came up...and I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to the store.”
“You, hyung? You who never misses a day of work even when you’re sick can’t come to work? Whatever came up must be important, right?”
Jinho blushed lightly, which was obviously not visible to his coworker on the other end of the call but he hummed and looked toward the direction of Hoetaek’s room.
“Yes, very.”
“It’s okay, you always do so many favors for me, I’d be happy to help!”
“Thank you Won,” Jinho responded gratuitously.
“Of course, hyung!” Shinwon said cheerfully before hanging up the call.
After he hung up, he skittled back into the room to see Hoetaek trying to keep himself awake, waiting for him to come back inside.
“Tired?”
“Mm.”
“Here, drink some water before you sleep, alright?”
Hoetaek obliged before he laid back down and kept tugging at Jinho’s fingers.
“Go to sleep, alright?” Jinho said softly.
“But I wanna keep talking to you,” Hoetaek whined softly, lips forming a pout.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“You promise you’ll still be here when I wake up?” Hoetaek asked quietly, holding out his pinky.
“Promise,” Jinho linked their pinkies together.
Hoetaek smiled lazily as he closed his eyes, pinky still latched on to Jinho’s, as the older man made a spot for himself on the floor and leaned against the bed, thoughts clearing as he too drifted off to sleep.
Jinho woke up a few hours later, and it was already time for dinner, so he carefully detached himself from the other man and went to the kitchen to make him something that would be easy for him to digest.
He eventually decided on porridge, and tried to move as quickly but quietly as possible, so he wouldn’t wake up the sick man. Jinho hummed to himself and he was surprised that he already knew his way around Hoetaek’s kitchen, almost as if it was his own.
Hoetaek had once joked that Jinho probably knew his own kitchen better than himself at this point, and Jinho didn’t believe him until this moment.
When the porridge was almost done, a light shuffling could be heard, and Hoetaek trotted into the kitchen with a blanket wrapped around himself, still looking tired.
“I thought you left already,” Hoetaek pouted.
“I promised you I would stay! I just made you something to eat, you’re going to have a hard time getting better if you keep sleeping on an empty stomach,” Jinho said as he scooped up the porridge into a bowl.
Hoetaek groggily nuzzled his cheek into Jinho’s shoulder as he mumbled a thank you and Jinho just gently told the younger man to sit down at the table.
Jinho carried the bowl over to the table and dragged a chair over to sit next to Hoetaek instead of across from him. Hoetaek adjusted his blanket and held his hands out to eat, but Jinho just shook his head and took a spoonful of porridge and blew on it lightly, holding it in front of the other’s mouth.
“Jinho, I’m not a child,” Hoetaek whined.
“Just let me take care of you, alright?” Jinho said as Hoetaek opened his mouth like a baby bird.
The porridge eventually was completely spoon fed by Jinho to Hoetaek, who yawned quietly. Jinho held the other up by his arms and wrapped the blanket tighter around the sick man.
“Let’s get you back to bed.”
“I don’t wanna sleep,” Hoetaek whined.
“Then what do you want to do?” Jinho responded before the other leaned gently against him.
“Can we watch a movie together?”
Hoetaek pouted and looked at the older man with such pitiful eyes that he couldn’t say no.
Jinho held the back of his hand to the younger’s forehead and pulled back with a bit of a satisfied sigh.
“Alright, since your fever has gone down.”
“You’re cute,” the younger giggled, to which the older blushed. Jinho tried shaking it off immediately, as he remembered a conversation they had had once, in which Hoetaek had told him he tended to forget a lot of things whenever he got sick because his brain would be clouded by illness.
Before long the pair was sitting on Hoetaek’s couch and Jinho had a blanket draped over his legs, one that was from Hoetaek’s couch after the older man had casually dropped that he was cold.
Hoetaek seemed to cross in and out between consciousness, in which he would either be completely awake or be drowsy and giggly, which Jinho automatically assumed that he would forget in the morning.
Without realizing, the two had leaned closer to each other, until Hoetaek was resting his head on the other’s shoulder. He felt Jinho turn his head toward him and sat up quickly.
“I’m sorry, I don’t want to get you sick.”
Jinho chuckled softly and rested his own head on the younger’s shoulder instead.
“It’s okay, you’re warm.”
Hoetaek blushed, not knowing if it was from his cold, or something else. But he rested his head on the other’s, a position they stayed in for the rest of the movie. As the ending credits started rolling, Jinho took a look at his phone and mentioned that it was about time for him to head home, but Hoetaek held onto his arm and whined softly.
“Can’t you stay the night?”
“I don’t wanna intrude.”
“You wouldn’t be, I...I just want some company. When I was younger and I got sick, there would always be someone by my side taking care of me and I got better so fast. But as an adult, my sickness has always dragged on and I always thought it was because I was alone, so please? I already feel so much better compared to this morning because you’re here.”
Jinho sat back down on the couch and pushed the other’s hair back into place gently, as it had been messed up by his blanket.
“Then I’ll be that someone for you today, alright? Let’s get you back to bed.”
Hoetaek smiled lazily as Jinho helped him off the couch, an arm around the younger’s waist. The younger offered Jinho a change of clothes, but he decided against it. It did, however, take a little bit of time inside Hoetaek’s room to get him to fall asleep. The cold medicine that Hoetaek had taken made him drowsy and even more likely to do and say things that he wouldn’t usually.
It was awhile before Jinho crept out into the living room, hands on his cheeks while his face felt as if it was burning. He poured himself a glass of water in the kitchen and smiled softly to himself, before shaking off the feeling and taking a deep breath.
Gosh, I hope that’s something he doesn’t remember in the morning. Jinho thought to himself before he retreated to the couch and pulled a blanket over himself, falling into a peaceful sleep.
♡
The next morning, Jinho woke up before Hoetaek, who was still sleeping peacefully. The older man wet a washcloth and lightly touched it to the other’s face before he went and decided to make breakfast.
After he was done setting the table, he headed inside Hoetaek’s room and lightly shook the younger man to wake him up.
Hoetaek groaned softly and buried his face into the pillow before he opened his eyes and widened his eyes when he made eye contact with Jinho.
“Hey, are you feeling better?” Jinho asked softly, brushing the other’s sweat stained hair out of his face. Hoetaek pouted a little and hummed softly.
“You really stayed?”
“I promised you I would, didn’t I?”
“It’s not everyday that people keep their promises to me,” Hoetaek responded softly.
Jinho smiled as he held the other’s hand gently, feeling the younger squeeze his hand back.
“I’m not them, I told you I would stay, so I did. And I made you breakfast, you hungry?”
“You’re an angel,” Hoetaek said, now smiling brightly, “I’m just going to take a shower first, I’ve been wearing these clothes for two days this is too much.”
“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be outside waiting for you,” Jinho said, full of care.
As Hoetaek took his shower, Jinho couldn’t help but wander around outside the bathroom door, to make sure that the younger was okay. When he heard the shower turn off, it was then when he quickly ran over to the kitchen table.
Hoetaek came out wearing a robe over a big t-shirt and Jinho’s heart skipped a beat at how soft the other looked.
“What’s for breakfast, doc?”
Jinho blushed at the comment unbeknownst to Hoetaek, who was busy looking at the array of breakfast foods that were laid out on the table.
“You told me last night that your mom used to make you pancakes in the morning, and that you liked putting strawberry purée on them.”
Hoetaek’s eyes turned into crescents and he smiled, complimenting Jinho while urging him to eat as well.
Partway through the meal, Hoetaek suddenly prodded at his food with his fork as he looked at the older man.
“I don’t remember saying that? Did I do anything else?”
Jinho shook his head, but he couldn’t hide the blush creeping up on his cheeks.
“Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Jinho, your face says anything but.”
“You...saw my note?”
“I...I did…” Hoetaek started off cautiously, confused as to why Jinho knew, “unless it wasn’t meant for me. If it wasn’t, I’m not going to lie and tell you that fact won’t disappoint me.”
Jinho looked at Hoetaek with an unreadable expression. One that didn’t match his usual quiet and shy demeanor.
“Then...in that case. Yes, I like you.”
Hoetaek’s eyes turned into crescents as he couldn’t stop a few giggles from exiting his mouth. Jinho raised an eyebrow and looked at the younger man with a teasing expression.
“It’s not funny!”
“It’s not funny,” Hoetaek agreed, “but it’s funny how that’s how I found out my crush likes me back.”
Jinho’s jaw dropped open slightly and he just stared at Hoetaek, taken aback, blushing when the younger man took his hand on the table.
“What else happened then?” Hoetaek tried to press.
“It’s a secret.”
“You’ll tell me eventually.”
“Don’t count on it.”
♡
Jinho knocked on Hoetaek’s door, finding it strange, as the only thing he ordered from the grocery store today was a bouquet of flowers.
Hoetaek opened the door wearing a more tidy outfit than usual, wearing a soft looking cardigan over his usual t-shirt. His cheeks were slightly red as he motioned for the older man to come inside. Jinho handed over the flowers with a swift motion and Hoetaek stared at him, unreadable, as he handed the flowers back.
“Hoetaek?”
“Jinho, I….these flowers are actually for you. I guess the circumstances to which we met were a little strange, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. To be honest, a few months ago, I was in a bit of a rut. Work was extra stressful, because I had lost all inspiration. But then I met you, and I think without realizing, you became my muse. My songs got better and better, because I started thinking about if you would like them, and what you would say when you listened to them. And I started being able to work faster, just so I could be able to see you as much as I possibly could. And then you stayed here to take care of me just because I asked, and I’m really grateful for that. I guess this is what they call a crush, because I really, really like you, but...would you want to be with me? Like as my boyfriend?”
Jinho just giggled softly as he took the younger’s hands.
“From the first time I got a sticky note from you, even when you weren’t the person who gave it to me, I already knew I wanted to know more about you. When I was going through my most stressful days, I could just reach into my pocket and look at one of your notes, and slowly those notes weren’t the things that cheered me up, instead they became an embodiment of you. I memorized your grocery list, I memorized the route to your apartment, I memorized the layout of your kitchen, and slowly I memorized the way your eyes crinkle when you smile, and how your entire face lights up when you laugh, how gentle you are when you listen to me talk. I’ve never felt this feeling before, the feeling of my heart fluttering when I think of someone, until I met you. So yes, I’ll be your boyfriend, and you already know I like you too, so so much.”
“Can I kiss you?” the younger blurted out, his cheeks turning red.
“Yes you can,” Jinho said shyly, cheeks turning pink too.
Hoetaek beamed and he immediately leaned forward to kiss the older on the forehead and on his cheeks. He paused for a second before the older smiled sweetly, and stood up taller, connecting their lips together as both of them smiled into their first kiss. It was a very pure kiss, no heavy feelings behind it, just two people connecting for the first time, learning how the other kissed, and even learning how they, themselves, kissed.
“Can you tell me what happened when I was sick that I forgot about now?” Hoetaek asked carefully after they parted.
Jinho blushed and his knees buckled a little from embarrassment, but Hoetaek was there to catch him and keep him upright as he looked worriedly at him.
“Before you went to sleep, you said I was such a great doctor, and called me Dr. Bebe.”
Hoetaek himself then blushed as he looked at Jinho’s shy expression.
“Oh my god.”
“That’s not all sweetheart.”
Hoetaek gasped and groaned, resting his head on the shorter man’s shoulder.
“And then you asked me for a good night kiss.”
“I’m so sorry, my ma used to do that, especially when I was sick, I must’ve missed it,” Hoetaek rambled on, visibly flustered.
But Jinho shook his head with a small smile, as he sighed, pulling the taller close. Hoetaek relaxed at this gesture and let himself melt into the other. The older then tipped up and kissed him sweetly on the cheek.
“I gave it to you.”
“You’re telling me I missed our first kiss?” Hoetaek blurted out, much to Jinho’s amusement.
“It’s okay, it’s only because you refused to let go of me until I kissed you, and then said if I didn’t kiss you, you would kiss me instead,” Jinho teased.
“Now that’s definitely not something I used to say to my ma!”
“I could tell, looks like your subconscious already wanted to kiss me,” Jinho said with a giggle, to which Hoetaek squealed with embarrassment and pinched Jinho’s cheeks as the older man burst into laughter.
“And you told me you saw my note but you were going to pretend you didn’t?”
“Is that why you knew?” Hoetaek exclaimed.
Jinho hit the younger man on the shoulder and whined softly.
“Do you know how worried I was when you told me you saw my note that night?”
“It was crumpled and unfinished!”
“Doesn’t mean my feelings were crumpled and unfinished!” Jinho blurted out.
Both of their faces turned red at this bold confession and the younger man touched their foreheads together.
“You really couldn’t tell that I liked you back?”
“I am not well phased in the actions of others, in case you couldn’t tell.”
“It’s alright, I’ll help you learn.”
“I’ll look forward to it,” Jinho responded with a grin.
♡
At Hoetaek’s bedside that night, Jinho kneeled next to him for almost an hour, waiting for the younger man to fall asleep.
“You’re such a nice doctor, I will call you Dr. Bebe.”
Jinho had to suppress a giggle at the younger man’s insistence of the nickname before he changed the subject.
“What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?”
“I don’t usually eat breakfast,” Hoetaek said with a giggle.
“Hoetaek!” Jinho scolded.
“Ma used to make pancakes and put my favorite strawberry purée on it, it’s been a long time since I had it,” Hoetaek said with a nostalgic glint in his eyes.
Jinho made a mental note, knowing that he just brought strawberries from the grocery store that afternoon.
“You’re starting to fall asleep, I’m going to go outside okay?”
“Wait!”
Jinho looked at the other man and cocked his head to the side.
“I saw your note...that you like me,” Hoetaek whispered.
Jinho’s eyes grew big and he just looked back at the man in shock.
“If you like me then...good night kiss,” Hoetaek said with a pout.
“Eh?”
“If you don’t give me one, I won’t let go of you and...I’ll give you one instead!” Hoetaek said with a soft whine.
Jinho blushed as the other tugged at his arm with pursed lips. He sighed softly before he leaned over and gently touched his lips to the younger’s forehead. The younger giggled and before Jinho could move away, quickly touched their lips together as Jinho gasped. The younger’s cheeks were dusted pink as he gave Jinho a satisfied smile, turning over to bury his face in his pillow, closing his eyes.
“Night, night Jinho,” he whispered softly.
Jinho sighed softly as he patted the younger man’s head gently.
“Good night, Hoetaek.”
“I like you too,” Hoetaek mumbled underneath his breath, before he fell into a deep sleep.
Jinho couldn’t hold back a smile after hearing this, but chose to pretend he didn’t hear anything before he left the room, eyes lingering on Hoetaek one last time before he closed the door.
♡
Hoetaek bent down slightly to pick up his basket from the floor, but someone beat him to it, smiling slightly at him.
“Hello, I’m Jinho, I’m your personal shopper.”
Hoetaek just giggled as he looked at the older man, still clad in his work uniform, pulling him into his arms.
“Taek! What are you doing here?”
Hoetaek smiled at the other and ruffled his hair gently.
“I wanted to pick you up from work,” he pouted.
“I’m sorry, I got off early today, and then...someone told me my boyfriend came to visit me.”
“I wanted it to be a surprise!” Hoetaek frowned.
“I was surprised!”
Jinho tucked his hand into Hoetaek’s gently as they kept walking through the grocery store, the younger’s eyes turning into crescents at the touch.
“This isn’t stuff you usually buy, is it?”
“It’s stuff you said you like! I thought I could maybe cook for you,” Hoetaek responded shyly.
Jinho cooed at the younger’s thought and thought to himself before he next spoke.
“Hey do you want to just come over to my place? I’ve been to yours so many times, but you’ve never been to mine.”
Hoetaek just nodded eagerly before they went to check out, and before long they were going inside the older’s apartment. Jinho pulled out a pair of extra slippers for the other to wear and the pair scuttled inside after they put down the groceries in the kitchen.
“This place reminds me of you,” Hoetaek said, looking around the dimly lit living room. It was a one room apartment, there was an electric fireplace glowing in the corner, next to a table of Harry Potter books, and there were a few blankets and pillows strewn on the floor and over the couch. A few plants sat next to the window sill, well watered and jaunty.
“How so?”
“Hmm...bright, warm, cozy, cute…” Jinho’s smile grew bigger with every word that left Hoetaek’s mouth, until he finished with the last one that made him whine.
“...A little small,” Hoetaek finished with a playful tone and Jinho squealed, tackling him onto the couch and throwing light punches at his shoulder.
“You take that back!”
“I only speak the truth!”
“You’re not even that much taller than me!”
“Yes I am!”
“Shut up!”
“Make me, I dare you!”
The pair just kept giggling as they kept arguing back and forth, before realizing the compromising position they were in. Jinho was draped over the younger’s lap as he leaned back on the couch. Hoetaek gripped at the older’s waist loosely while Jinho’s arms had snaked around his neck as they rocked side to side a little.
It was then when Hoetaek leaned his head a little to the side, a teasing smile on his face, almost as if urging Jinho to follow through with the next move, to which the older responded a shy smile.
And follow through he did.
Jinho leaned in, closing the space between the two, and the younger was there immediately to chase after his lips with his own. It was a very sweet kiss, no other intentions, only the two of them exploring how their hearts beat together, and how they fit together. They kissed for a while, gentle tugs on clothing to pull the other closer, and light touches meant to comfort the other, reminding them that they were still there.
The slow kiss turned into gentle pecks as they pulled away to breathe, through light giggles, and then pulling the other in for another long kiss, still pressed up against each other.
“Hey Taek,” Jinho whispered against the younger’s lips as their foreheads touched. The younger hummed and tried to chase after the older’s lips again but the older was a step faster.
“I love you.”
Hoetaek blushed immediately as he looked back at Jinho, cheeks flushed, lips swollen, and eyes wide and soft.
“It...It’s okay if you’re not ready, it just came to my mind, and I thought about it for awhile now…” Jinho trailed off.
Jinho had grown shy at his sudden confession, and because of Hoetaek’s response, which was just silence, keeping his eyes on his face. His eyes mapped over the older’s face, all the features that made him Jinho. The latter felt his face grow warm as Hoetaek smiled gently at him, but the next words that came out of his mouth made his heart hit the floor.
“I’m not ready just yet.”
Jinho’s face fell, evidently to the both of them, but before he could react, Hoetaek was leaning forward to kiss him again. Jinho wanted to pull away, but it felt as if there was a magnetic force that was drawing him to Hoetaek without even trying.
“But I thought…” Jinho mumbled in a small voice after they separated.
“Now I’m ready—” Hoetaek interjected with a grin.
“—Huh?”
“I love you too.”
Jinho just pouted and buried his face into the younger’s shoulder, whining softly.
“I told you it was okay if you weren’t ready but the moment you said you weren’t ready I realized I was lying.”
Hoetaek pressed a few kisses into the older’s hair and stroked his back gently.
“I’m sorry I ruined the moment, how can I make it up to you?”
Jinho sat up and looked down at him with a face that showed he was concentrating hard.
“Is the offer for that meal you were going to make me still open?”
“Yes sir!”
“Do you want to stay here tonight? We can eat dinner and then watch movies until we fall asleep,” Jinho asked shyly, brushing a few strands of hair out of the other’s face.
“I...I’d like that.”
Jinho planted a quick kiss on the other’s lips again before he stood up, pulling Hoetaek with him, gently nudging him toward the kitchen.
“Sir, you just sit tight and I shall get everything ready,” Hoetaek said dramatically, making a show of pulling the groceries out of a plastic bag.
“I’ll set up the living room, just you wait, it’ll be the best pillow fort you’ve ever seen,” Jinho said through a fit of giggles.
“My angel!”
♡
After he made dinner, Hoetaek walked out to the living room to see Jinho laying down on the floor just staring at the ceiling, surrounded by a whole bunch of pillows.
“What’s got you in a daze?”
“I’m just thinking about some things...while I...stargaze.”
“Stargaze?”
“Oh! You haven’t looked up yet?”
At Jinho’s instruction, Hoetaek sat down on the floor next to Jinho and gasped as he looked up in amazement. The ceiling was painted a dark, royal blue, but it glowed as string lights were arranged in the shapes of various constellations. He laid down next to the older man who now had a nostalgic smile on his face.
“It’s...ethereal.”
“It’s my reminder to keep my childlike wonder when things get tough.”
“How so?”
“When I was younger I wanted to be an astronaut, which obviously, you can tell, didn’t happen. It’s not a bad thing of course, it’s just that my passion switched from the universe to music. But back then I was so adamant on wanting to chase my dreams, of course I still have a special place in my heart for space, but having this stuff up just reminds me to keep being as driven as I was back then.”
“That’s amazing.”
“You don’t find it weird?”
“Are you kidding? I love it! Now how about we have dinner while you tell me the stories behind each of these constellations?”
“I’d love that, but you would actually want to listen?”
“Why would I not like to listen to my boyfriend talk about something he adores?”
A smile that seemed to hold many unsaid words creeped across Jinho’s face, and he gave Hoetaek’s hand a squeeze, but the younger man chose not to pry more, and just responded with a comforting smile.
After dinner, Jinho and Hoetaek laid back on the floor, where Jinho had laid a blanket, as they were surrounded by pillows. Hoetaek had picked a hoodie out of Jinho’s closet and slipped into it. They were snuggled together, the older resting his head on the other’s chest, a blanket draped over the both of them, the lights were turned off except for the lights on the ceiling.
“What happened to the corner over there?” Hoetaek asked, pointing at a spot that was untouched by paint.
“Originally it was because I just couldn’t reach that corner with my paintbrush, but then I was in a relationship with someone up until last year, who told me that was his favorite section of the ceiling.”
“What, why?”
“Because they thought space was weird, and that I was weird for liking it, and that I should fix the ceiling. I almost listened to them.”
“That’s horrible! How long...can I ask…”
“How long were we together?”
“Mhm.”
“Three years. He thought space was a phase that I would grow out of, but then he was shocked when I told him this phase had already lasted twenty-five years.”
“Oh my sweet angel…” Hoetaek murmured into Jinho’s hair, squeezing him a little tighter.
“I was straight out of a college romance, I thought if I could just push those thoughts aside, maybe the rest of him would be perfect. I know that’s not the healthiest thing to do, but he was all I knew, he was the only image I had for how a relationship should be.”
“You deserve so much better, Ji.”
“Then there’s you. Before I even met you, there you were already, making me feel happy and comfortable, you got me through my darkest days without even knowing.”
“I always learned to think about others, and I guess without realizing that’s how I grew up, and how I learned to treat people.”
“I used to think a lot about other people and how they saw me.”
“What changed?”
“I met people who genuinely cared about what I like, and made an effort to understand. And then I...fell in love with you.”
“Really? How am I like?”
“You’ve always been so warm, so open to listening to everything I have to say. You’re always there whenever I need you, I adore everything about you.”
“I should be thanking you Ji. I would always keep my promises but then be so understanding when it came other people’s unkept promises to me, that so many of them would just blow me off and expect me to be okay. But you were so trustworthy always to me, because you always give me the same amount of care that I give you, maybe even more, and I’m forever grateful for that.”
“I love you.”
“I love you more.”
“Taek?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you for caring about me, and...loving me.”
Hoetaek gave his hand a squeeze and turned to kiss him on the lips.
“There’s no one else I’d rather love.”
They laid like this for awhile, various animated movies playing on the television, but they had stopped paying attention to the screen a long time ago, focused on each other’s voices instead.
“Hey, Taek, let me show you something,” Jinho said with a nudge in the younger’s side.
“Where?”
“In my room…”
“If you end up pulling a reverse card on me and telling me that what you have to show me is yourself, I’m going to freak out, Ji,” Hoetaek teased.
Jinho squealed and pinched his side, to which Hoetaek howled dramatically, both of them laughing as they sat up, the younger taking Jinho’s hand as he was led into the hall.
Jinho stood in front of his closed door for a bit as he hesitated, and Hoetaek saw his hesitation and pressed a kiss to his forehead warmly.
“If you’re not ready to show me whatever this is, it can wait, you don’t have to show me right now.”
Jinho felt reassured at this gesture, so he pushed open the door and led Hoetaek inside, hand gesturing to a wall before he just turned away out of shyness.
“Oh my god...you kept all of my sticky notes?”
Jinho just nodded as Hoetaek pulled him into his arms with a soft smile.
Jinho’s wall had every single one of the sticky notes that Hoetaek had given him, tacked up neatly, from the first one before they even met, to the most recent one being a doodle that the younger man had given him just a week prior.
“Do you think it’s weird?”
“Ji, what do you mean, it’s so sweet, I would’ve made my handwriting neater if I knew they would be displayed like this,” Hoetaek teased lightly, “hey, hand me a pencil?”
Hoetaek let Jinho out of his embrace and wandered over to his desk, where he glanced at the owner for permission before he took a sticky note and a pin, scribbling a note and putting it up on the wall.
♡ I love you, my angel ♡
Jinho felt his bottom lip tremble and buried his face in Hoetaek’s chest, feeling the younger man wrap his arms around him and press a kiss into his hair.
“I love you, Ji.”
“I love you too.”
Jinho pulled away slightly to look up at the taller man, who cupped his face with his hands, smiling at him encouragingly.
“I love you,” Jinho repeated, quieter this time, lacing his hands behind the younger’s neck and standing up a little taller.
Hoetaek’s expression softened, and he leaned forward to touch their foreheads together.
“I love you.”
Hands still cupped around his jaw, Hoetaek leaned even further forward to chase after the older’s lips, and Jinho was there to meet him almost immediately.
They pulled the other even closer as their breathing grew heavier, more “I love you’s” passed in whispers between their kisses. Without realizing, they started walking backwards and Jinho fell onto his bed with Hoetaek on top of him. They parted for a split second in surprise and just giggled at each other before they went back to their previous position.
The kisses grew softer after this, the giggles still lingering as they tugged at each other gently and playfully. They parted slowly, but still stayed effortlessly close as Hoetaek moved to the side of Jinho instead as they just lay side by side, playing with each other’s hair and grazing the other’s face lightly.
“Your cheeks are still warm,” Jinho teased.
“Well your lips are still red,” Hoetaek shot back with a grin.
Jinho pressed another kiss to his lips again, a hand drifting to the back of his nape, as the kiss deepened gently again.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“You want to just spend the rest of the night here?” Jinho asked shyly.
The younger man just hummed and tucked himself into the older’s side, as Jinho pulled the covers over them, the pair fully clad in smiles only meant for the other to see as they conversed in soft voices, lulled into a deep sleep by each other.
♡
Bag of groceries in one hand, Jinho unlocked Hoetaek’s door with the other, walking into an oddly quiet apartment, except for a sudden yelp. Jinho placed the groceries down on the counter as quickly as he could and ran over to the living room, where Hoetaek kneeled, a string of lights around his neck, looking down at a shattered ornament on the floor.
“Oh! You’re here!”
“What in the world are you doing? I got so worried when I heard you yell!”
“Decorating for Christmas!” Hoetaek sheepishly responded.
“Taek!” Jinho scolded.
“Are you mad?” Hoetaek pouted.
“Gosh, Taek you have to be careful,” Jinho mumbled, gently running a hand through the younger’s hair before he went to the kitchen to get a broom, sweeping up the broken pieces.
“It’s the middle of October, aren’t you a little too eager?” Jinho asked gently, while he checked the younger’s hands to make sure he wasn’t injured.
“I thought we could decorate together!” Hoetaek said cheerfully, “I mean...if you want to, of course.”
The older man looked up at Hoetaek, who was smiling shyly at him and tilted his head to the side.
“You want me to decorate your house with you?”
“Why not? You spend so much time here anywhere, why can’t it be our house?”
Hoetaek’s eyes widened at the same time as Jinho’s did, the moment he said “our house”.
“You...you want me to move in with you?”
“I...I mean...you know what I mean...unless you’re okay with it, then it could mean something else, or not, it’s just…I don’t know...is it too soon? You spend so much time here anyway...Maybe...Are you still mad? I...” Hoetaek stumbled on with the rest of his sentences, looking away from Jinho bashfully.
Jinho just giggled and unwrapped the other from the string lights and pecked his lips gently.
“You’re adorable, maybe we can talk about that after we finish decorating, okay?”
Hoetaek beamed, and put on Christmas music as the pair began decorating the apartment, always asking the other if things looked right, and always receiving an affirmative answer in return.
A few slower songs came on and Hoetaek immediately went to pull the older man away from where he was hanging up tinsel on the walls and spun him into a circle.
A smile danced across Jinho’s face and he dipped the younger man, who looked at him with so much adoration that he leaned down and kissed his forehead gently.
“You seem like you’re in a good mood tonight, Ji?”
“The kids surprised me, they got the song that they’ve been learning for the past few days completely right, turns out they were pretending to not know it this past week so that they could catch me by surprise,” Jinho said with a grin, as he twirled the younger man into his arms.
“See, I told you it would work out fine!”
Jinho hummed happily, leaning his head on Hoetaek’s shoulder and looking out the window.
“Do you think there will be a white Christmas?” he asked, echoing the song that was playing in the background.
“I’m dreaming of one,” Hoetaek sang, to the melody of the music, to which they both laughed and continued swaying in each other’s arms for a bit before they went back to decorating.
After they finished, Jinho felt satisfied with the results, but Hoetaek just stood staring at his home for a bit without any words. He glanced at the older man with a twinkle in his eyes as a tiny smirk danced on the corners of his mouth.
“There’s something missing.”
Jinho’s gaze lingered on him curiously, and Hoetaek just smiled lightly, telling Jinho that he’d call him from the kitchen after he put it up.
“Taek, I made us the hot chocolate!” Jinho called ten minutes later. When he got no response he brought the mugs out to the coffee table where he saw the other leaning by the entrance of the hall.
Jinho blinked as he looked at the other who wasn’t moving, and instead just waited for him to walk over.
“What’s the occasion?”
“Don’t you think Christmas just cheers you up? I think my level of happiness just always goes up around this season. Thank you for helping me decorate and put things up.”
“Up…?” Jinho said to himself before he looked up and saw a piece of green hanging above the hallway, letting out a chuckle as the younger man leaned closer to him with big eyes.
“How much longer are you going to make me wait?” the younger man pouted.
Jinho just burst into laughter before he kissed him gently, enjoying how they clung onto each other, like they were each other’s safety net.
“And Ji, I wrote a new song for you...if you want to listen to it over our hot chocolate,” Hoetaek mumbled, arms still wrapped around Jinho’s waist.
“You’re sweet, of course.”
"And about what I suggested earlier...you don't need to take me seriously..."
"I'll think about it, I promise."
"Really?" Hoetaek exclaimed, almost a little too eager, as he clamped his hand over his mouth. Jinho just nodded with a laugh, touching their noses together affectionately.
♡
“Hyung, you’re here! This must be your famous composer boyfriend! Hi, I’m Hyunggu, hyung talks about you often,” Hyunggu greeted the pair who walked into the music academy one afternoon.
“I’m Hoetaek! I’m hoping it’s more good things than bad,” Hoetaek said with a teasing grin as he looked at his boyfriend, who clung onto his arm gently.
“Please! It’s all good things! He’s been gushing about you since he met you! A lot too!”
“Hyunggu shush!” Jinho scolded with a smile on his face.
Jinho’s most frequented student ran up at that moment and held Jinho’s free hand, looking up at him with a toothy grin.
“Mr. Jinho! Who’s that uncle?” he asked, peeking at Hoetaek, who peered at him with a raised eyebrow.
Jinho laughed as Hoetaek retorted that he was younger than Mr. Jinho, picking up the little boy into his arms.
“Taek, this is Linus, Linus, this is the person I’m dating.”
“But I wanted to date you!” the little boy whined.
“I’m dating him! Get in line, little buddy,” Hoetaek said in a playful tone, leaning down to look the boy in the eyes.
“Do you like our Mr. Jinho?” the boy asked, as he tugged on the sleeve of Hoetaek’s hoodie.
“I do, in fact I love him, is that okay with you?”
Jinho blushed at this, which didn’t go unnoticed by Hoetaek.
“Hmm. Then if you love him you can have him, I think Mr. Jinho loves you two too, he said he’s been spending a lot of time with the person he likes, it must be you then uncle! He talks about you a lot a lot!”
“Wow you talk about me a lot a lot, don’t you, Mr. Jinho?”
“If Linus wasn’t here right now, I’d hit you, uncle,” Jinho grumbled into Hoetaek’s ear.
“Linus, you have class with Mr. Yanan today right? Do you want to go to him now?” Jinho asked brightly, turning to the little boy with a completely different attitude.
The younger man took the hint and stifled a laugh as he told the oldest man he would take the boy away.
The little boy gave Jinho a big grin and a peck on the cheek before he held his hands out for Hyunggu to carry him, the pair heading for a music room as Linus waved to the couple.
“You just don’t know when to shut up do you, uncle?” Jinho asked, trying to keep a serious face, an eyebrow raised, but unable to hide the grin he had creeping up on his face.
“You’re quite popular with the boys, aren’t you Mr. Jinho?” Hoetaek responded with a chuckle.
“If you say so, but there’s only one boy I’m after,” Jinho said as his cheeks turned pink.
“And you’ve got him.”
Hoetaek grinned as he pulled Jinho in for a sweet kiss, kissing for a bit before they were interrupted by the giggles of a few kids who were peeking out from behind a wall.
Jinho pulled away shyly, a blush prominently creeping up his cheekbones as he knelt down to glance at the kids, who looked back at him with toothy grins, a few of the girls drawing hearts in the air.
“My class is waiting, I’ll see you later?”
Hoetaek just nodded as Jinho gave him a sweet peck on the cheek, running off to herd the kids to the classroom.
“K-i-s-s-i-n-g!” a few of the kids sang, to which Hoetaek heard the older man scold them playfully, a grin creeping across his face.
“Ji, I love you!” Hoetaek called.
Jinho turned around with a blush on his cheeks but blew a kiss at him dramatically.
“Me too!”
♡
“Delivery!” Jinho called as he walked inside the apartment.
“I brought the groceries you wanted!” he continued, once Hoetaek popped his head out from the living room.
“Thank you my angel.”
“Where do I put these?”
“You know where, you know that kitchen like the back of your hand now.”
Jinho just let out a chuckle as he hung up his coat and took off his shoes, shuffling into a pair of slippers and into the kitchen, where his boyfriend followed him.
“You cleaned your kitchen!”
Hoetaek shot Jinho a glare before he turned the older man around, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on his shoulder.
“Our kitchen.”
Jinho rested his head on Hoetaek’s gently and smiled as a light blush crossed his cheeks.
“Right, our kitchen, I’m sorry, it’s going to take a bit to get used to.”
“It’s alright,” Hoetaek paused, a light kiss on his cheek, “we have all the time in the world.”
“Let go of me Taek, I need to put the groceries away so they don’t go bad,” Jinho said with a slight giggle.
“Okay fine, but I have a surprise for you after you’re done,” Hoetaek said with a grin.
“A surprise?”
“I think you’ll love it.”
Jinho tipped up to press a kiss to the taller’s lips and Hoetaek’s eyes widened but he kissed back quickly.
“I’ll hold you accountable for that if that isn’t the case!”
“Oh don’t worry, you’ll love it so much you’ll want to kiss me even more.”
Jinho giggled again as Hoetaek pecked his lips one more time, and then the two went on their separate chores in the kitchen and the living room.
“Taek, I’m ready! Can I come in?” Jinho called.
When he got an affirmative response, Jinho walked into the living room and almost burst into tears at the sight in front of him.
Hoetaek wore an apron over his clothes, and had another one slung on his arm, obviously meant for Jinho. His other hand held up a can of dark blue paint and two paint brushes.
“I thought we could paint the ceiling blue today,” he said with a grin.
Without any words, Jinho just ran over to him and crashed their lips together, the younger man letting out a muffled squeak before he relaxed into the touch. After they parted, Hoetaek couldn’t hide his rosy cheeks as he looked down at his boyfriend.
“What was that for, I didn’t even do anything!”
“You have no idea how much I love you, Lee Hoetaek,” Jinho said softly, full of love, as the pads of his thumbs glossed over the younger man’s cheeks.
Hoetaek didn’t know how to react at the sudden influx of affection and just smiled shyly, before he looked out the window and gasped.
“Ji, look! It didn’t snow yesterday, but it's snowing today!”
Hoetaek ran over to the window and slid the door open, running outside in just his slippers, sweatpants, and a thin t-shirt.
“Taek! You’re going to get sick!”
“Ji! Come look at the snow!” Hoetaek cheered from the outside, a childlike wonder taking over him. Jinho’s heart grew warm at the sight and he sighed to himself as the corners of his mouth curved upwards.
He followed his love outside, but before crossing the threshold out into the cold, he took a scarf that was slung over a stool in the kitchen.
“Are you really not scared of getting sick again?” Jinho asked, voice heavily weighed down by an infinite amount of care for the man standing in front of him, as he wrapped an end of the scarf around the other’s neck.
“I have you to take care of me if it happens, right?” Hoetaek responded softly, taking the other end of the long scarf and wrapping it around the older man, who was also just wearing thin layers, who had walked outside without thinking of himself, with the intent of keeping him warm.
Jinho just smiled and nodded, raising his head up to look at the sky, as he took Hoetaek’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
“Santa made it snow like you wanted!” Hoetaek said with a twinkle in his eyes as Jinho turned to look at him, “and what more could you ask for?”
Jinho rested his head on the younger’s shoulder after they moved to sit on the damp grass, hands still laced together.
“You’re right, what more could I ask for when the universe already gave me you?”
Hoetaek blushed deeply at this statement and leaned to be face to face with his boyfriend, who sat back up straighter, head tilted to the side.
“You’re my Christmas miracle, Ji.”
“You’re my forever miracle.”
Hoetaek smiled softly, tracing circles on the back of the older’s hand with his thumb.
“You have no idea how much I love you, Jo Jinho.”
Jinho just gazed lovingly at Hoetaek, who looked back at him with just as much affection in his eyes, before leaning in and locking their lips together. Both of their lips were slightly chapped from the cold that surrounded them, but all they felt was the warmth of each other.
“I think I do,” Jinho whispered, as they were only an inch apart.
“You know people say that if you see the first snow with someone you love, you’ll be together for the rest of your lives?”
“Isn’t it forever?”
“It is, but I’d rather find you our next lives and fall in love with you all over again.”
Jinho held up the length of fabric that hung between them from the scarf and held it up to the sky, snowflakes catching on a few strands of yarn.
“You’ll find me, look, it’s our red string of fate.”
The younger man blushed and leaned to kiss the other abruptly, almost tackling him to the ground.
“Taek! The ground is cold! And wet!” Jinho squealed, in between kisses as he giggled, still kissing back every single time.
Hoetaek laughed sheepishly as he pulled the older man back up.
“Let’s go back inside?” Hoetaek asked.
Jinho nodded, the younger man pulling him to his feet, hands still interlaced this entire time.
“Taek, I love you,” Jinho mumbled once they stood up.
Hoetaek just pulled the older man close as the snowflakes from the sky kept falling around them, dusting their hair and shoulders with fairy dust. His arms latching onto his waist as the other snaked his arms around his neck.
“My love for you multiplies with every additional snowflake that falls from the sky.”
“You’re such a cheeseball.”
“But you love it.”
“I really do.”
The two smiled into a kiss one more time under the falling snow, the first snow of the winter, before heading inside their home, not knowing what to expect from the future, but as long as they had each other, everything would be alright.