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“You know,” Sunoo mumbles against Jongseong’s arm. The older male looks down, meeting his boyfriend’s eyes. “I have had this really weird habit ever since I was a child.” He adds.
Jongseong hums, acknowledging and waiting for Sunoo to continue. The two of them are lazily lounging on the sofa, cuddling together after they had their date earlier that day. Jongseong invited Sunoo to his apartment to watch a movie or play games on his Nintendo Switch which the younger male did not hesitate to accept (because they have an unresolved competition in Mario Kart).
The two of them have recently started dating, just a couple of weeks back after Sunoo confessed to Jongseong in the middle of their university’s field when their university’s baseball team won where Jongseong has been the winning pitcher. They have been friends for two years, and have had harbouring feelings for each other for a while. Their friends knew, of course, but decided not to say anything and let them figure it out themselves. It was Sunoo who got tired, eventually, of their mutual pining and decided to end their lingering gazes and told Jongseong that he likes him in front of hundreds of students watching the game.
They became a couple after that, much to their friends’ delight.
And ever since then, the couple have been sappier and more inseparable than before that their friends are starting to feel sick seeing them doing boyfriends shit in front of them (for legal purposes, it is a joke, started by Sunghoon).
“What habit?” Jongseong asks as he moves a little to press a tender kiss on Sunoo’s hair. He sighs, feeling contented at the warm feeling in his stomach as he holds his boyfriend in his arms like this.
Sunoo hums, “I don’t know when this started exactly but my mom has told me stories about me when I was a kid, that I usually wake up around three in the morning to go to the kitchen and grab an apple and eat it half asleep.” He says, grabbing Jongseong’s fingers and starts to play with it. “I still do it until now actually, that is why there are apples on the kitchen counter every time you come over to our apartment. Me and Jungwon make sure that we have them every time we buy groceries.” He chuckles.
Jongseong could not help but smile, “That’s cute. I could imagine a tiny Sunoo waddling to the kitchen at night and eating an apple on the floor.” The older male says, snorting a little.
Sunoo giggles, “You are right. I eat the apple while sitting on the floor in my duck designed pajamas.” He says.
Jongseong smiles, leaning down to press a firm kiss on Sunoo’s soft cheek. His lips linger for a few seconds there, feeling his boyfriend laugh again. Jongseong decides to tease and annoy the younger male by slightly opening his lips and gently biting Sunoo’s cheek. The action made Sunoo yelp in surprise, flinching away from the now laughing older male.
Sunoo pulls away from Jongseong’s arms and sends his boyfriend a pointed glare. “What the hell Jongseong-ah.” He hisses, his hand massaging his cheek.
The older male laughs apologetically (not really) and reaches out for his boyfriend who dodges his hands and moves back towards the other end of the couch. Jongseong laughs louder at Sunoo’s adorable reaction and stands up to drape himself at his now screeching boyfriend.
“Yah—get off me you leech! ” Sunoo exclaims, pushing the older male away from him. Jongseong could only chuckle in amusement, wrapping his arms around Sunoo’s waist tighter and burying his face in the other male’s neck.
He hears Sunoo curse him again, then continues to mumble gibberish words that Jongseong has no idea what and he does not need to know what because he knows that no matter how annoyed and pissed off Sunoo is at him, he will still give in.
And he was right. Not even five minutes have passed when Jongseong feels Sunoo’s arms circling around his shoulders. He also feels his boyfriend’s nose on his head.
“You’re lucky you’re cute.” Sunoo grumbles against his hair. Jongseong snorts, tilting his head to look at Sunoo. He thinks it’s a little unfair that Sunoo still looks so gorgeous even in that angle. But he wonders, how did he become so lucky to be able to look at this beautiful human everyday?
“Yeah. I’m lucky.” Jongseong smiles and moves a little to cage his boyfriend in his arms, eyes looking at Sunoo’s brown ones. “Lucky to have you.” He grins before leaning down and pressing a kiss on Sunoo’s plump lips.
His lips taste like the chocolates they shared earlier, the bitter and sweet taste welcomes Jongseong like a warm hug. He feels Sunoo sag between his arms, his eyes closing.
Their lips move in a steady pace, slow, tender, and heart fluttering. He hears Sunoo sigh between their lips, his arms wrapping around Jongseong’s neck to pull him down. The older male chuckles a little causing their teeth to clash and earning a gentle slap on the back.
Jongseong places short, firm pecks on Sunoo’s soft lips that have the younger male whining. The older male laughs softly, moving to trace his lips on Sunoo’s face slowly. From the corner of his mouth, to his soft cheeks that are painted red from his adorable blush, to his eyelids, to his forehead and nose. Sunoo’s eyes remain closed as Jongseong peppers his face with tender kisses.
“You’re lovely.” Jongseong says, voice too fond, too endeared, too in love.
Sunoo opens his eyes and meets Jongseong’s gaze. His heart beats faster as he looks at the older male who is looking at him with those eyes. Oh, those eyes. Jongseong looks at him as if he has hung the stars and the moon up the sky, as if he holds the entire world.
He feels Jongseong’s hand on his cheek, his thumb gently caressing the skin below his eye.
“I love you, Sunoo-ya.” Jongseong says, voice soft, so full of adoration, love.
The younger male feels his heart leaping, his stomach fluttering. Sunoo whines, shifting to hide his warming face. Jongseong laughs, moving Sunoo on the sofa to lay beside him and holding his head to his chest.
“Stay the night, Sunoo-ya. It’s getting late.” The older male says after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
Sunoo nods his head, accepting his boyfriend’s offer. And before he knows it, he’s being pulled by Jongseong up to his feet, dragging him towards the older male’s bedroom. His boyfriend shoves a fresh pair of clean clothes to him and tells him to freshen up using the shower.
And when the two of them are lying on Jongseong’s bed, limbs drawn together, legs entwined, Sunoo’s face buried on Jongseong’s neck, his citrus bodywash tickling his nose, the older male presses a kiss on his forehead.
“Good night, love.”
Sunoo sleepily hums in acknowledgment, feeling himself being wrapped up by slumber.
Some time in the night, Sunoo wakes up. He does not know why, though. Maybe because he is not used to this bed, or maybe because of the missing warm body next to him. He sits up, groggily looks at the space Jongseong was once occupying.
Sunoo’s eyes owlishly blinks, and then he goes back to lying down, grabbing the lone pillow beside him and hugging it, thinking that the other male is in the bathroom. He succumbs to the darkness once again after a few minutes.
As per habit, he wakes up again after an hour. He turns around when he notices the arm on his torso, and smiles at his boyfriend’s sleeping face. He looks at the bedside table next to his head where the digital clock is also placed and sees the time. 3:47 AM. A few minutes before his usual waking time at dawn.
He sits up, careful to not wake the sleeping male beside him. He stares at the wall in front of him before whipping his head back again on the bedside table and sees a piece of apple on a plate on the table. And a bottle of water next to it. Not a dream, then. He thinks.
Sunoo grabs the apple and starts eating it silently. He mentally notes to thank the older male for the apple, then. After he finishes the fruit, he drinks the water and goes back to lie down beside the older male. He feels Jongseong stir in his sleep, eyes fluttering open. Sunoo is quick to tap his boyfriend’s back gently and shush him back to sleep.
That morning, Sunoo was the first to wake up. He quietly walks out of the room with the plate and bottle of water from last night to wash it. He contemplates whether to prepare breakfast for the two of them or wait for Jongseong to ask for permission.
While mulling over, he does not notice the male walking towards him. He does notice though when Jongseong wraps his arms around Sunoo’s waist and rests his forehead on the younger male’s shoulder. This made Sunoo yelp in surprise, again.
“Park Jongseong–!”
Jongseong laughs softly, pressing a kiss on the juncture between Sunoo’s shoulder and neck. He quickly pulls away when his boyfriend turns to him, hand raised holding a spatula. The younger male is glaring at him, lips pouted.
“Sorry, sorry.” The older male apologizes with a shit-eating grin on his face. Sunoo huffs in annoyance, rolling his eyes.
Jongseong snakes an arm behind Sunoo to hold him by his back, he presses a kiss on his forehead. “Good morning.”
Sunoo instantly melts in his hold, leaning forward towards his boyfriend. “Good morning.” He murmurs.
“Breakfast? Do you want pancakes?” Jongseong asks, grabbing the spatula from Sunoo’s hand. The younger male hums, “Please.”
Jongseong chuckles, letting his boyfriend go with one last peck on the nose. Sunoo groans in disgust, realizing now that the older male has not brushed his teeth.
“Thank you for the apple last night.” Sunoo says from where he is sitting on the kitchen island. Jongseong looks back at him with a wide smile.
“You’re welcome.” He says, “I had to drive three blocks to the nearest opened grocery store at three in the morning because the 7-11 across the street does not have any apples.” He starts to explain, Sunoo’s eyes widening at every word. “The first grocery store where I usually buy my things was already closed so I had to drive more.” He says, as if what he did was a normal thing to do.
Sunoo’s heart was beating so loudly he could hear it in his ears.
“You…” He starts, swallowing the lump on his throat. Jongseong hums, turning around to look at him with that boyish smile he always wears. “You drove at three in the morning to get me a piece of apple..?“ He asks in a low voice, enough for the other male to hear.
Jongseong nods his head casually, “Yeah. Not just a piece though. I bought like six pieces just in case you wanted more.” He says as he wiggles his eyebrows.
“You...” Sunoo trails off, inhaling deeply.
He bites his lower lip and opens his arms and legs. Jongseong immediately understands, placing the spatula he is holding on the counter and turning off the stove before walking towards his boyfriend. He circles his arms around Sunoo’s waist as the younger male squeezes him in his arms and legs.
“What’s the matter, hm?” Jongseong asks, rubbing Sunoo’s back.
“I love you.” Sunoo blurts out.
Jongseong pulls back a little, looking at Sunoo with wide eyes.
In the weeks they have been together, Sunoo has not once said those words. It was Jongseong who first said it a week after they started dating but never Sunoo. The older male said that it was okay, that he will wait until the younger male is ready to say it back.
And now… He did. And it feels fucking fantastic.
Sunoo laughs at Jongseong’s bewildered face, reaching up to run his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair. He smiles as he plays with the hair at the back of Jongseong’s head. “I love you.” He repeats, stringing the syllables a little longer.
The smile the other male gives him is so bright, so handsome, so pretty, that Sunoo feels his heart drop at the moment, in a good way. Jongseong leans forward, Sunoo closing his eyes in the process. The older male hovers his lips a few centimeters away from Sunoo’s, smiling a little when he sees his boyfriend frown.
“Are you not going to kiss me?” Sunoo whispers.
Jongseong laughs softly, “I will. You’re so cute baby, so eager for my lips.” He teases.
Sunoo opens his eyes, face scrunching in annoyance. He opens his mouth to say something but Jongseong beats him to it when the latter presses his lips to his. Sunoo lets out a small squeak while Jongseong laughs against their mouths.
They continue bantering inside Jongseong’s kitchen, Sunoo then reels back to the fact that his boyfriend went out earlier at midnight to find him some apples. His thoughts about that run in his mind as he looks at the man in front of him who has now resumed making pancakes for their breakfast. How could he be so lucky to have met someone as caring as Jongseong? Sunoo must have saved a whole nation in his past life to be given this opportunity.
As he watches his boyfriend, Sunoo becomes certain of something.
He is certain that this will be the man he will spend sleepless nights with, will be the person he will dance with under the bright light of the moon shining through the kitchen windows, the person he will watch the sunrise with, the person he will drag to his little adventures, the person he will hold on to forever.
“I really love you.” Sunoo utters. Jongseong turns around with the widest smile on his face, his eyes forming to tiny crescents, his dimples showing.
God, he looks so handsome. Sunoo has no idea how someone could be this perfect.
“I really love you too.” The older male replies, skipping towards his boyfriend to press another kiss on his lips.
Their foreheads and noses touch, Sunoo’s hands reaching up to rest on Jongseong’s shoulder. They bask in each other’s presence, letting the silence envelope them in a tiny bubble.
They let the smell of freshly made pancakes, brewed coffee, the soft whirring of the AC in the living room, the soft ticking of the clock on the wall, and the sunlight shining down on the kitchen floor from the windows embrace the two of them in an understood silence.
Sunoo sees forever in his eyes, sees no other person beside him in his life. Sunoo had always believed that love would be burning red but it is golden, like the warm light coming from the sun touching his face, like the warm hands touching his skin right now.
And as Jongseong holds him this close, he knows.
Sunoo knows that Jongseong will stay with him for a long, long time.
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