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Juyeon was beyond excited, holding his package close to his chest with one hand as he typed in the apartment’s code with his other hand. A plastic bag with instant ramyeon and a bottle of soju hang loosely on his wrist as he kneed the door open and left his shoes in the foyer.
Chanhee was on the living room couch, scrolling through Twitter on his phone. Juyeon thought he looked cute and cuddly in a pink plaid pajama top and bottoms, matching with Juyeon’s own blue set that he was also wearing for the night’s special occasion.
“Chan-ah!” Juyeon whispered, announcing his arrival. “I’m back!”
“You took too long.” Chanhee whined, already having set the thermos on the coffee table. “C’mon, Juyeon, I’m hungry~”
Juyeon wasted no time in setting themselves up in the living room. It would have been better to be in a smaller room, say, a bedroom, but they both have roommates and it would be disrespectful of them to kick one of their roommates out just for a date.
He also unboxed his parcel that he just retrieved from the guard downstairs. It was still wrapped heavily in plastic and bubble wrap, so Juyeon let Chanhee prepare their ramyeon while he himself struggled with tearing the packaging open with littlest noise possible.
When he was finally finished, Juyeon looked over to see Chanhee had already opened the soju bottle. Chanhee was taking a shot using the bottlecap as a makeshift shot glass, wincing at the bitter taste and burn the alcohol carried into his system. He offered it to Juyeon with a grin, not yet feeling buzzed but excited to be so.
“Do the honors?” Juyeon asked, holding the parcel after taking two shots. He wasn’t a believer of taking drinking leisurely. Juyeon believed drinking had one purpose: to get drunk, so why waste time in taking the alcohol slow? He licked his lips, chasing the bitter fluid with his tongue. “The plug’s already in. You just need to press—”
“I know what to do.” Chanhee interrupted, pressing the on button on the star-projector.
The dark room burst into a kaleidoscope of red, green, blue, and white. Stars littered the ceiling and the floor, dusting themselves onto Chanhee and Juyeon. There was a small moon on Chanhee’s cheek, and Juyeon moved to touch it, to feel the soft terrain of Chanhee’s cheek.
“It’s pretty.” Chanhee smiled. “How much was this?”
“I can’t remember. It was pretty cheap, though.” Juyeon laughed. He pressed the star projector to rotate, watching the moon leave Chanhee’s cheek and travel down to his neck, then to the valley of his collarbones, then his heart. “It’s very pretty.” Juyeon added, transfixed.
“Hey, eyes up here.” Chanhee scolded while laughing, hands bringing Juyeon;s head up by holding his cheeks. “You have actual stars in your eyes.”
“Stars that shine only for you.” Juyeon murmured. “They burn away when you’re gone and spark back to life when you’re near.”
Chanhee snorted, still holding Juyeon’s face. “That’s not how stars work.”
“That’s how my stars work for you.”
They ate their ramyeon, Chanhee worried that it was getting cold and unappealing. They also drank the soju, with Juyeon hurriedly taking gulps and Chanhee scolding him about manners. They had finished the bottle, and Chanhee laid his head on Juyeon’s shoulder, blinking slowly at the adagio pace of the stars and planets moving about them.
“You brought me the stars.” Chanhee whispered.
“You made them shine as brightly as they do now.” Juyeon replied, lacing their fingers together.
“Jesus, Juyeon, do you ever run out of sweet words to say to me?” Chanhee laughed, kissing his cheek where a six-pointed star had settled on. “Do you know the story of the three wise men in the bible, Juyeon? These wise men followed a star, the brightest star in the sky, and it led them to their savior.”
Chanhee beamed at him, brighter than the lights moving around them. It was blinding and mischievous, much like a twinkling sonata that Juyeon just couldn’t get enough of. They were a midwinter’s bright starry night.
“My star is right here.” Juyeon whispered, closing the gap between them with a gentle, soft kiss. “Where will you lead me?” he asked, lips moving against Chanhee’s as he chased the last traces of soju from Chanhee’s mouth.
“The bathroom, ‘cause I need to pee.” Chanhee pushed him away, giggling. “I’ll be back.”
Juyeon was left in the living room, with all the stars and moons and planets etched onto his skin. It felt empty without Chanhee. He knew it was only a temporary pain, but he still felt like he was thrown into an endless void with stars slowly dimming. It was his life without Choi Chanhee. Juyeon was unquestionably, extremely in love with this man.
“I’m back.” Chanhee announced with a grin. The stars shone brighter suddenly, flocking around Chanhee like a beam of starlight was emanating from him. Juyeon smiled as Chanhee joined him in laying down on the carpeted floor, letting the younger lay on his arm as they stargazed at the red, green, blue, and white planets.
“What took so long? You left me alone to float in the endless chasm of the universe.”
“I washed my hands, Mr. Lee.” Chanhee explained, laughing at Juyeon’s sad whining. “And you know I’ll never leave you alone. We’ll always find a way to bring our stardust trails together. You’ll always find my light, and I’ll find yours, no matter how far we are from each other.”
“I couldn’t see the light in the bathroom.” Juyeon joked, letting Chanhee climb on top of him. Stars tattooed themselves on Chanhee’s skin, his hair, his clothes, his hands on Juyeon’s chest. “You’re so beautiful.” Juyeon whispered, seeing the moon come back and make its home on Chanhee’s neck.
“So are you.” Chanhee breathed out, leaning down to kiss him. “Always days like you, Lee Juyeon.”
“Always days like you, Choi Chanhee.”