Work Text:
Jihoon is stressed.
The crushing weight of finals and his thesis submission is bearing down on his already burdened shoulders, causing him to stumble with every step he takes (but that could also be caused by his severe sleep deprivation). His eyes are glazed over and there’s a pounding in his head that never seems to leave.
The silver glint of moonlight peeks in through the sliver of window that is uncovered by the curtain (because Jihoon isn’t meticulous enough to close the curtains all the way, and it drives Soonyoung crazy ).
3.17 am.
Jihoon groans for what feels like the hundredth time since the clock struck midnight, the creak in his neck popping as he rolls his head around to gain some sort of blood circulation back to his brain. His back is aching from sitting in the desk chair, his ass is numb so the cushion serves no purpose.
He’s tired.
Another groan resonates through the chilly air of the bedroom, one that definitely did not come from Jihoon, so he turns his head towards the bed where his boyfriend should be dreaming about dancing tigers and whatnot.
Soonyoung is sitting up, shoulders hunched and hair mussed in a slightly hilarious way. He’s rubbing his eyes sleepily, blearily mumbling something that Jihoon can’t understand because apparently, his boyfriend’s soul hasn’t joined his body in the world of the living. What Jihoon can understand is the way Soonyoung’s arms open in a clear invitation to join him in bed.
Jihoon is irrevocably, undeniably, whipped.
That being said, it’s no surprise that he saves the (minimal) progress he has made and shuts off his laptop. He gets up from his chair, his joints screaming in protest, and makes his way to the human furnace on the bed, who is waiting for him with barely opened eyes.
Once Jihoon is firmly situated in between Soonyoung’s warm arms, they settle down, heads sharing one pillow because they both need the comfort and closeness on this cold, dreary night. Jihoon observes the flutter of Soonyoung’s pretty eyelashes, trails his finger along the full curve of his cheek, Soonyoung smiling at the ticklish sensation Jihoon’s finger leaves behind.
Soonyoung must be magic, he thinks, for there is no way a human can be this ethereal. What human has the power to craft sunshine with their bare hands, what human has the ability to freeze time whenever they are together, what human could make Jihoon feel as if flowers bloom on his skin whenever he touches him?
Soonyoung’s lips find Jihoon’s in the dark, a silent plea to fall asleep. Jihoon turns obedient, shutting his eyes complacently. The night is cold, the future looms dark, but Soonyoung is nothing but warm and bright. His personal star.
----
The next day finds Jihoon and Soonyoung at the beach. Soonyoung is rummaging about in the back of his beat-up black pickup truck that they drove here in. Jihoon is standing with his toes in the sand and a frown on his face.
Soonyoung had dragged him out of the apartment this afternoon, he didn’t allow him to take his phone or laptop. He only forced him to change into thin clothes appropriate for the heat of summer and a pair of flip-flops before pushing him into the passenger seat of Soonyoung’s truck and they were off.
Now, Jihoon is already sweating through the back of his light cotton shirt and he’s grumpy, stressed, and confused. Soonyoung comes up to him and takes his hand while Jihoon’s busy contemplating how much of his thesis he could’ve gotten done if Soonyoung hadn’t dragged him out here.
Jihoon has no time to protest before Soonyoung is pulling him along, sand slipping into the soles of his flip-flops, Soonyoung’s laugh intertwined with the wind that’s blowing through their shirts and hair. They’re coursing through the sand at a speed that is way too fast for Jihoon’s sleep deprived brain. The grip on Jihoon’s hand tightens then lets go as Soonyoung abruptly turns around, causing Jihoon to careen straight into his chest.
Jihoon splutters, tastes the sea salt infused air in his mouth. They’re standing right by the shore, the waves threatening to graze against their feet with how close they’re standing to the breaking of the tide. Soonyoung has his arms wrapped tightly around Jihoon’s shoulders, forcing Jihoon to entwine his own around Soonyoung’s waist so as not to crush them between their bodies.
As he looks up, Soonyoung’s head blocks the direct sunlight, casting an angelic halo around his face and making his blond strands glow. He’s beautiful, and Jihoon doesn’t know what else to do but stare. Soonyoung smiles fondly down at him, one hand reaching to tuck a stray lock of raven hair behind his ear, his touch light and loving.
“You deserve a break, Jihoonie. Set aside the world for a day, and just be here with me. This getaway will do you good, trust me.” Soonyoung’s whispered words float across his skin, embedding themselves in his very being. Jihoon closes his eyes and allows himself to breathe, just for a second.
He never could deny Soonyoung.
So, he opens his eyes and smiles, a tiny thing. But that’s enough for Soonyoung to blossom into a grinning, giddy mess, squeezing Jihoon into a hug before urging him to take off his flip-flops. Jihoon complies without a question, being the lovesick fool he is. He’d follow Soonyoung to the ends of the world if he asked him to.
For now, he’ll follow Soonyoung into the water.
Summer's heat doesn't make even the tiniest dent in the chill of ocean water, so Jihoon shrieks a little as his feet are submerged in a sudden change of temperature. He can't lie though, the feeling of water enveloping his feet and small waves lapping at his ankles are something that he didn't even know he dearly missed.
Soonyoung is beaming like a ray of sun beside him, looking absolutely delighted as he crouches down to cup some water in his hands. The position drenches him up until his knees, and Jihoon counts his blessings for Soonyoung’s foresight to make them both wear shorts. He does not wish to deal with waterlogged jeans.
Jihoon is distracted by the glint the sun makes on the ocean, the diamonds that arise from the water's sparkling surface. He is so enraptured by the view of the far off horizon, that he doesn’t notice Soonyoung sneaking up behind him with a handful of water and an expression of pure mischief on his already mischievous face.
The freezing shock of water cascading down his nape and into the back of his shirt makes Jihoon’s mouth open in a silent gasp. The coldness, however, does not even hold a candle to the betrayal he feels when he turns around slowly and finds his boyfriend of 3 years, the one who promised to always be on his side, giggling and snorting in pure glee.
"Oh Jihoonie, you should have seen your face! It- I - Ah, my stomach hurts, that was hilarious!" Soonyoung gasps out in between hiccuping laughs. He looks adorable, but Jihoon is now out for blood.
Acting nonchalantly, Jihoon wades closer to Soonyoung who is none the wiser because he's too busy haha and hehe-ing. Bending down slowly so as to seem inconspicuous, he arms himself with as much water as his hands can hold, and waits for the right moment to strike. As soon as Soonyoung takes a deep breath to calm himself down and his body stops thrashing about from the laughing, Jihoon attacks.
He splashes upwards as hard as he can, sending water flying straight up and into Soonyoung’s unsuspecting face. Jihoon cackles in triumph at Soonyoung’s stupefied expression, his entire face wet and bangs dripping. He looks a little like a drenched tiger cub, and Jihoon thinks that he hasn’t laughed this hard in a long time.
Suddenly, there are arms around his waist and he’s being hoisted into the air like a sack of potatoes. Jihoon yelps (in joy or indignation? We’ll never know) as Soonyoung huffs in playful annoyance at Jihoon’s act of retaliation. In response, Soonyoung carries him into the deeper waters and Jihoon knows what’s coming before it even happens. Which is why he has the time to formulate and execute his plan.
Right when Soonyoung lets go of his waist to drop him into the ocean, Jihoon wraps his arms around Soonyoung’s neck to drag him down with him. Everybody loves a good two-for-one deal.
They sink into the frigid water but all Jihoon can feel is the warmth of Soonyoung’s body pressed up against him and the elation that fills him at the childish play. They emerge while gasping, completely soaked from head to toe. There’s no time to waste before they’re pulling at each other, trying to get the upper hand and dunk their significant other back into the water.
Jihoon is laughing without restraint, Soonyoung is roaring with delight, the setting of the sun in the horizon behind them sets the world alight with a honeyed glow. Not that it matters, for Jihoon’s eyes are focused on one person, and one person only.
He doesn’t know how long they spend splashing and yelling at each other, but long enough that exhaustion has crept into and settled within their bones and their fingers and toes are wrinkled like prunes. Their pleasantly weary bodies beg for a truce and they settle it with a sea salt infused kiss.
Jihoon turns away to wring his bangs dry when he feels a light splatter of water on top of his head. He huffs out an amused laugh, “Soonyoung, we called for a truce literally 2 minutes ago, stop splashing me!”
“Um.. I didn’t splash you though?”
Another splatter, a few drops landing on his eyelids.
Jihoon looks up in confusion and is greeted with a raindrop straight into his eye. He blinks hurriedly, and only then does he register the steady pit-pat of raindrops landing on the ocean’s surface. He meets Soonyoung’s bewildered eyes - looks like he isn’t the only one who wasn’t aware of the rain.
They bolt at the same time, trudging sluggishly through the water, held back by the density of the waves and their tired limbs. The light summer rain continues to pelt onto their already cooled skin, creating another layer of moisture. Somewhere along the line, their hands find each other again, like opposite poles of a magnet.
Feet hit the sand running, Jihoon’s only thought is to get inside the truck to shelter from the rain. But a tug on his hand pulls him to an abrupt stop. He looks back, dazed and confused, and through the increasingly pouring rain, he sees Soonyoung.
Soonyoung, with his head tilted back, arms spread wide, and an angelic smile on his face.
The question dies on Jihoon’s lips and Soonyoung lets out a carefree laugh. He tilts his head back up a little, just enough to catch Jihoon’s gaze. Soonyoung grins.
“What’s a little more water, huh?”
A whoop and a holler later, and Soonyoung is raising his arms in the air, raindrops cascading down from his fingertips down to his shoulders. Jihoon’s arm follows along like a string puppet because of their intertwined hands, and Jihoon can only gaze in wonder.
His boyfriend is rain-soaked, his thin shirt clinging to the lines of his toned chest and back, his hair flat on his head and it should look ridiculous, but it’s not, because it’s Soonyoung.
And just for that reason alone, Jihoon lets go of any inhibitions and lets himself stay in the moment.
He allows Soonyoung to twirl him around in the rain like they’re the main characters of a high school 2000s movie. Their feet kick up wet sand as they dance around, arms flailing wildly but matching grins never slipping from either face. There’s water in his ears and he’s definitely choked on more than a few raindrops, but he doesn’t care.
All he knows, all he can feel, is the bubble of warmth provided by two bodies moving in sync, acting as if they’re not standing under a summer shower and are almost certainly going to catch a cold (as fools do).
The rain doesn’t stop pouring, and they don’t stop dancing.
Soonyoung pulls Jihoon in by the hands, their chests touching and their noses a hair’s breadth apart. Jihoon places his hands on Soonoyung’s shoulders, squeezing lightly to show that he’s here, he’s present, he’s with Soonyoung. Soonyoung, with his hands moved down to Jihoon’s waist, squeezes back.
“I’ve missed you.” Soonyoung whispers, and the scene is reminiscent of when they first got to the beach, when Soonyoung convinced him to tune out the rest of the world and their lives for a day. Jihoon couldn’t be more thankful, but the guilt that coils up in his chest is very real.
Jihoon knows, he knows, that when he’s focused on his work, he can’t even tell left from right. He ignores anything and everything until he deems that he’s done enough (and nothing is ever enough for him). But Soonyoung never gets mad, never loses patience. He's always there with a hot cup of coffee and a warm hug.
God, he loves him.
Jihoon stands on his tiptoes to plant a gentle kiss on Soonyoung’s plump lips, hard enough for Soonyoung to feel his sincerity and gratefulness. When they pull away, he murmurs,
"Thank you for making me escape with you."
The smile on Soonyoung’s face makes it worth the trouble of attempting to dry themselves off with only one half-finished roll of toilet paper because Soonyoung somehow managed to forget the towels at home.
(And if they both suffer from runny noses and a light fever for the next few days, and Jihoon’s thesis remains unworked on, they both know that it was worth it. Maybe, disconnecting once in a while isn't too bad.)