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Junwan shivered as the cool fall breeze tickled his skin.
He and Seok hyeoung had been talking for a while now, their voices filling the empty courtyard with much needed life. It was dark, the hospital quieter at the time of the night, settled with the grief and healing of incoming patients.
It was Junwan’s least favourite time of the day.
The emptiness, while comforting to some, would fill up his veins with icy loneliness, unsettling his heart further. Sometimes his mind would wander, could people see him shivering? Could people see how he grasped at himself, desperate for warmth ? He was infamously known as the ‘Thanos of Yulje’ around the hospital and while Junwan didn’t care enough to try to change or explain himself, he often wondered if his close companions thought the same too.
He liked the way things were. He did.
But he wished that his veins didn’t feel so cold anymore.
As though his thoughts had been broadcasted to the world, something warm and solid was deposited on his shoulders, shielding him from the incoming wind. His head snapped up to meet the eyes of the one person who had been on his mind.
Jaehak stared down at him with a look in his eyes, one which Junwan couldn’t decipher, “Professor, you’ll get cold”
Just as Jaehak had entered his line of sight, he left, sauntering away to his patients, leaving a shocked Junwan and Seokhyeong in his wake. For the first time since entering the courtyard, Junwan was glad for the winds. They were a good excuse for his reddened cheeks
Junwan was back in his office, with Jaehak’s coat still draped over his prone shoulders. He didn’t want to think too much about the gesture, not really. Jaehak did these sort of things all the time, to everyone, Junwan just happened to be there this time.
The coat was still cozy from Jaehak having worn it throughout the day, providing a sort of comfort that Junwan didn’t want to admit to. It evoked an emotion within him, one that was reserved for only those that -
No
It would be futile to hope.
The door of his office creaked, alarming Junwan of the company. He looked up to connect eyes with Jaehak once more, a considerable distance between them.
A beat.
“Aaah, Jaehak, your coat -”, Junwan muttered, in his poor attempt to fill in the silence. Still hearing no response from the other man in the room, Junwan tried to study Jaehak’s face in hopes of understanding what was going on.
Jaehak’s eyes brows were furrowed, his lips pursued with determination.
“Jaehak ?”
It was then, that jaehak moved forward. His scrubs rustled with his steps, till he came to a stop in front of Junwan, only a few paces away.
“Professor”, Jaehak’s eyes glittered, “ I like you”
It was Junwan’s turn to sputter as he struggled to reply back, “ Ahh I’ve already told you this before-”
“ No professor”, Jaehak interrupted, his voice rougher than it had been earlier, “ I’m not joking…I like you”
If this was Jaehak’s way of shutting him up, he was succeeding. Junwan paused, trying to comprehend what Jaehak meant by the statement while simultaneously pushing down the rising hope that was threatening to overtake his system.
“ What do you mean ? You like me ?”, Junwan said, embarrassed at his cheeks, that seemed to be heating up against his wishes. Jaehak must have taken his silence to be a sign, as he took another step towards him.
Junwan could reach out and touch Jaehak with how close he was, but he held himself back, “Jaehak ?”
For a moment, there was no sound in the room, as both of them stared into each other’s eyes, waiting for the other one to make a move.
Then, Jaehak opened his mouth, “Is it okay if I do this ?”, as he brought his hand up to cup Junwan’s cheeks. If Junwan’s cheeks were red before, they were flaming now.
He nodded softly, his mouth still shut in embarrassment.
The tension in the room was palpable, as Jaehak bent towards Junwan. Junwan prepared himself for the contact and shut his eyes, waiting for what he hoped was coming.
Suddenly Jaehak stopped, his lips just a few centimetres away from junwan’s. “I’m going to kiss you professor”
The hand on Junwan’s cheeks burned with the contact starkly contrasting with the cold room.
“Yes”
And then Jaehak’s lips were on Junwan’s, pressing carefully, as though Junwan was someone to be handled with the utmost care. He gasped a little as a tremor racked his body at the contact.
Jaehak must have felt it as he smiled, his own body melting against junwan’s welcoming one. Junwan’s hands flutter from the edge of the table to Jaehak’s neck, hovering a little as though asking for permission.
Jaehak’s other hand touched Junwan’s arm, helping him tangle his fingers through Jaehak’s soft hair and then settled at his waist under his scrubs. Junwan shivered once again at the contact and this time it was hard to tell who had sighed between them.
After a few more minutes of lip locking, they pulled apart, panting from the lack of air.
“Well, that was nice, wasn’t it ?” Junwan’s voice was hoarse as he looked towards Jaehak’s beaming smile.
Junwan felt warm.
Turns out this time of the day wasn’t so bad after all.