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the waiting room is way too noisy for taeyong, the hairdryers, and his members chatting loudly, either playing some random funny videos or even singing to warm their voices. taeyong is used to it, the noise became part of his daily life but ever since he went to bed yesterday he has been feeling a little antsy, being awakened by his manager blowing up his phone this morning didn’t help at all, only raising his annoyance. he has his airpods in but no music is playing, he often does this so that the members don’t talk to him, at this point taeyong only wants this day to be over. he yearns for peace and quiet, the soft rumbling of the electric pump of his fish tank, and soft low music playing from a record player he bought not long ago. when taeyong feels a hand on his left shoulder he takes off one of the airpods and the manager warns him they have to perform now. he gets his professional mode on and cheers on his members to do the best as usual. they all follow the directions of the staff and the remainder of the schedule ends up without any worries. they even won this week’s trophy and they all feel relieved about it, their hard work wasn’t in vain. They all spent the next hour on SNS thanking the czennies and posting many photos. mark shows everyone how the hashtag is trending on twitter and cues on the many laughs and chatter like before. taeyong decides this time to not put his airpods in, he loves hearing his members happiness after winning something. he feels so proud of his team as a leader, and proud of the fans as an idol.
when they all leave the building he gets in the first van with jaehyun, mark and haechan. not that the order is important but he and jaehyun get to sit in the two seats at the back of the van. mark and haechan are sitting in the row in front of them. taeyong is actually surprised that for once the manager didn’t separate him and jaehyun. moments where they can be together are so rare recently, and the tour only allowed them less than a few hours to spend only the two of them.
when taeyong learned about the vlog teams he felt sad and jaehyun felt annoyed, both of them don’t understand why they can’t be in a content together, they are each other's favorite person to be around.
their frustration mustn’t reach the fan’s ears and eyes, so whenever they are separated they try their best to hide the disappointment they both feel.
so, now, sitting next to jaehyun in the back seats of the van feels almost like a stolen moment. they sometimes ride in vans together but somehow managers break them off before they can even sit next to each other..
taeyong looks to his right and jaehyun is simply resting his head against the headrest, looking out the window, his bleached blonde hair falling just over his eyes. taeyong hides a smile, and turns his head to look outside like jaehyun is. after a few minutes he feels something touch his pinky, he glances and see jaehyun’s own pinky. taeyong turns his head and can’t help but notice jaehyun’s red ears, his pink cheeks and the stars in his eyes as he looks at his hyung. taeyong decides to link their pinkies and jaehyun relaxes in his seat as taeyong lets out a soft giggle. the tall valentine boy still gets shy and reluctant with pda but somehow taeyong feels that this is okay, and it is okay for both of them. taeyong hears jaehyun take a deep breath before taking the first step and completely holds hands with taeyong. with his other hand jaehyun is typing fast on his phone screen, probably sending a text to johnny to gush about how he’s holding taeyong’s hand even if there is a manager close to them. taeyong feels his phone vibrate in his pocket and he concludes that whatever jaehyun was writing, he was the one he was texting to. he quickly gets his phone out and checks the text.
“ hyung, are you okay? you’ve been looking under the weather since this morning.. ” ha, so he noticed, the valentine boy never fails to notice when taeyong acts differently.
taeyong types back at the best of his ability with only one hand, making a few typos the autocorrect takes care of changing.
“ hmm not the best..maybe post tour depression? ” as soon as he hits the send button jaehyun is already typing an answer.
“ perhaps, but i really don’t think that’s it. i saw you struggle during stretching, is your waist hurting? ” taeyong blinks once, twice, before snapping his head at jaehyun who gives him puppy eyes to let him know he’s waiting for an answer.
taeyong types away, this time slowly, careful of each word he chooses to not worry his jaehyunie too much.
“ i can’t hide anything from you, can i? i must’ve slept in an awkward position, it will be better tomorrow hyunie, don’t worry. ” he can feel jaehyun’s hand squeezing his as soon as the younger one read his text.
“ it’s never better the next day taeyong and you know it. we both know it. everyone knows it. should i warn a manager about it? can i do anything? ”
“ ..don’t tell a manager, it’s nothing a warm bath can’t fix. ” taeyong tries to give his best reassuring smile to jaehyun but it doesn’t seem to convince the younger.
“hyung.” this time jaehyun is no longer texting, taeyong whips his head so fast to his right that it almost gives him whiplash. “a warm bath hm?” jaehyun mumbles, his head stretching to see if mark and haechan are busy on their phones or talking to each other. he smiles when he sees both of them sleeping, haechan resting his head on mark’s shoulder snuggling into the warm jacket of his special friend.
“yes, that’s what i said jaehyun..” taeyong furrows his brows now, not really understanding what the blonde is suggesting.
jaehyun scoots closer, never breaking the hand holding they’ve been keeping for a good thirty minutes.
“isn’t the bathtub at your place bigger than the dorm one?” jaehyun raises an eyebrow and taeyong simply nods, of course it’s bigger, and jaehyun knows it so well..
“what are you suggesting jaehyun..?” taeyong lowers his gaze as the younger simply smiles at him, his deep dimples showing.
“i bought new scented candles, bath bombs and bath salts.. i also got a new vinyl, i was wondering if i could listen to it at hyung’s place?” jaehyun slightly changes the subject as he makes a small movement with his head, taeyong glances and sees that the manager is glancing at them through the rearview mirror. although the subject got diverted to not awaken any suspicion, the invitation is still clearly hinted.
it’s been a long time since jaehyun came to taeyong’s apartment, last time was when he showed taeyong how to install and use the record player, two months ago right after christmas. they both agreed to see each other at the dorm more often than at taeyong’s apartment, just to not raise any questions in the managers’ heads. it’s less suspicious to see taeyong going back to the dorm than see jaehyun leaving the dorm too often to visit taeyong in his apartment.
taeyong thinks before deciding to text the manager in the car with them, asking him if the driver could drop them off at taeyong’s apartment after reaching the dorm, pretending to want to work on a song or something along these lines. the manager simply agrees but still warns him about tomorrow’s pre-recording and taeyong shows jaehyun the discussion with the manager on his phone. the younger winks at taeyong before texting him.
“ i’m glad he said yes, i will grab my candles and everything i will need. want anything special from the dorm? ” the question lingers in taeyong’s head for a few seconds before he remembers one thing he needs.
“ my gallery dept. cap, you know, the one you always steal from me.. ” taeyong can hear jaehyun’s deep laugh next to him and he can’t help but smirk when the other types fast on his screen.
“ should i make a list of all the things you’ve stolen from me and that i will never get back huh..? at this point we have a shared wardrobe taeyong. ” he knows it’s the truth, taeyong can’t argue back so he answers jaehyun's question more seriously.
“ bring your cigarettes after sex vinyl please. we could play it, and obviously the new vinyl you bought. or was that a lie? ” taeyong loves to tease the younger one and jaehyun can’t help but sigh softly.
“ i didn’t lie, i bought a stevie wonder vinyl, i will take it with me. i’ll bring snacks too. ”
“ i already have snacks at home..and you’re taking way too much with you! your bag will be too small hyunie!! ” jaehyun is now stroking taeyong’s knuckles with his thumb, a habit he has had since their rookie days. a soft habit he strangely only has towards taeyong, not that the leader is complaining.
“ next time i’ll bring a suitcase and move in with you hyung.. ” the promise lingers in the air as they both know it’s something they deeply desire but it’s still unobtainable yet.
they’re trying their best to be closer, jaehyun even visited an apartment in the same building complex as taeyong’s own apartment. even if they will have two apartments on paper they will mostly live in one and finally get some deserved time off with only the two of them. it takes effort, and both of them are willing to do it, for the other, to keep what they have.
“it’s my most precious wish for this year..to have you for myself only.” this time taeyong doesn’t type and just whispers it to jaehyun’s ear and the younger immediately hides his face in his right hand pretending to yawn but his ears are a dead giveaway of his true feelings.
“oh, my shoelace is undone..” jaehyun randomly says and taeyong looks down, it isn’t undone, what is jaehyun even saying? jaehyun ducks down to do his imaginary shoelace.
taeyong suddenly feels a soft pair of lips on the back of his hand and sees jaehyun smiling at him after kissing the back of his hand like a prince does to his princess. mouthing an “i love you” before flashing him his smile and wonderful dimples. if taeyong’s heart could scream right now all the tinted windows of the car and the cars nearby would explode, even haechan’s glasses would explode. how can a man be so romantic in the back of a black van they see everyday. jaehyun straightens up in his seat with a content smile adorning his face and taeyong pinches his thigh because he’s not letting jaehyun go away with whatever he just pulled off that easily.
the younger gently slaps taeyong’s thigh back before placing his hand on top of it, taeyong’s hand now resting on jaehyun’s forearm, stroking his skin under his long sleeve shirt.
taeyong mentally thanks the deity that made the manager place him and jaehyun in the far back of the van. they can get a little bit more handsy now that the manager has his earphones in, the driver is concentrating on the road as usual, at this hour seoul’s streets are filled with busy roads and at least hundreds of school buses. thanks to the experiences of all those drives around town, taeyong guesses they have thirty more minutes to spend in the van before reaching the dorm. so he relaxes in the physical touch he finally gets from his lover, not that it is rare but, whenever they’re surrounded by the other members and staff it’s quite hard for jaehyun to let himself go. thankfully they get their alone time and jaehyun gives as much as possible to taeyong. enough to fill up his batteries for days, but when taeyong gets antsy, like today, sometimes touch isn’t enough. jaehyun understands it and always complies to taeyong’s needs perfectly. from cooking for him, to singing some frank sinatra even as far as cleaning taeyong’s fish tank for him. jaehyun never complains, especially if taeyong repays him subtly with head scratches, massages, or with just a few minutes of his precious time. jaehyun isn’t a hard-to-please person, taeyong is very thankful for that, because tending to his own needs is already hard, he definitely didn’t need a dependant boyfriend. they complete each other so perfectly that they agree to say they’ve both found their soulmate in the other.
jaehyun fell asleep when taeyong got lost in his thoughts, the older one can tell from the light snoring but also because jaehyun stopped stroking his thigh a few minutes prior. taeyong notices that haechan woke up not long ago but is still laying comfortably on mark. he’s glad they both can lay on the other, that they both have each other. the leader smiles to himself realizing his members might find one day the same type of deep bond he shares with jaehyun. he sees haechan opening kart rider so taeyong decides to play some game on his phone too for the rest of the drive to the dorm.
when taeyong recognizes the neighborhood he shakes jaehyun softly to wake him up, he stirs in his sleep before opening his eyes to look at taeyong. jaehyun gives him a soft smile before stretching a bit and giving taeyong a last stroke on his thigh.
taeyong stays in his seat as jaehyun is inside the dorm, getting his bag ready for a sleepover. when he sees the younger one coming with two huge bags the leader can’t help but laugh. thankfully the manager isn’t here to say anything since he already got inside his room as jaehyun let taeyong know via text. the ride to taeyong’s apartment is silent and when they arrive jaehyun makes sure to give a good tip to the nice old men that drove them around town for so long today.
finally inside taeyong’s apartment they easily fall back into their routine, taeyong feeding his fishies, checking and greeting each one, jaehyun emptying his bags in taeyong’s bedroom, well, more like their bedroom to be quite honest. from the living room taeyong hears the familiar sound of jaehyun pacing around his bedroom, his heart fills with such a huge wave of happiness and relief. they’re together, alone, in his apartment, it’s been so long it almost feels foreign but nothing will ever take away the feeling of familiarity when he hears jaehyun and smells his cologne in his apartment. jaehyun’s presence always eases things for taeyong.
they both agreed on ordering fried chicken for dinner, and now the fried food and cola glasses are long forgotten as they watch a rom-com movie on taeyong’s tv. for dessert, jaehyun thought of stealing some pastries from the dorm, hoping yuta won’t tell a soul even if he saw him grab the bag.
taeyong enjoys the pastries to the fullest, powdered sugar falling on his fingers and he proceeds to lick them. jaehyun gets lost in his thoughts after staring at taeyong too intently and gets brought back to earth by taeyong’s laughs echoing through the living room.
once the movie is over taeyong obviously decides to clean everything up and doesn’t let jaehyun do it, he’s the guest. so jaehyun leaves to taeyong’s bathroom where he gets his surprise ready, he turns on the water to fill the bathtub with hot water. he places down the scented candle on the little shelf next to the mirror before placing small odorless ones along the rim of the tub. he decides to take the lavender bath bomb and pairs it with a handful of lavender scented bath salts as he sprinkles them in the hot water. once the water has reached a good level he turns it off before putting on his cigarettes after sex vinyl on taeyong’s new turntable. putting the volume a little loud so that the music could be heard from the bathroom as a nice background noise and not loud enough to bother their conversations. once jaehyun hears taeyong’s walking towards him he lights all the candles and waits silently for taeyong to join him in the bathroom. taeyong eyes widen at the wonderful surprise and he hugs jaehyun immediately, placing a soft kiss on his lips. thanking him multiple times taeyong puts his hand in the water, the temperature is perfect as usual, jaehyun really has mastered the art of baths. for them to take relaxing baths together isn’t a rare instance but it’s been so long since the last one, it almost feels like it’s the first time they do this. taeyong definitely feels just as emotional as the first time and jaehyun notices right away, enveloping taeyong in his arms again, planting a kiss on his forehead before handing him the lavender bath bomb. taeyong drops it and as it bubbles and disintegrates in the water, the lovers get undressed before stepping in the tub, sitting face to face first as they usually do.
their conversation reaches different topics from the pastries they ate to the future fishies taeyong would love to have in his fish tank. at one point taeyong slides forward and takes his place between jaehyun’s legs, his back pressed to his blonde lover’s chest. taeyong’s nape heat up when plush lips draw a map on the expense of his neck and shoulders. jaehyun’s hands are resting on taeyong stomach, hugging him tightly like the small boy could float away any second.
“hyung..how is your waist now? do you feel better?” jaehyun is still worried, of course he is, how can he not worry when taeyong’s well-being is at stake.
“a bit better, if we stay longer it will definitely be better..i took a painkiller before eating so it should be effective for the night. i know i will sleep wonderful you’re here with me. trust me.” taeyong can’t hide his calm giggle as jaehyun softly pinches his left side twice.
“i trust you hyung, you know i do. but i’m still worried, would you like a massage after this?”
“no hyunie, it will be fine, it’s not hurting anymore, it’s just a bit sore, the bath and a good sleep will definitely be enough..” taeyong rests his head on jaehyun’s strong chest and he lets out a huge sigh he didn’t know he was holding inside for so long.
“okay, just don’t fall asleep on me, i’ve known you
long enough to recognize those deep sighs of yours.” strong hands are holding his waist softly as thumbs still massage the flesh of taeyong’s hips.
“i know i tend to fall asleep easily in your arms but we’re completely soaked, you know i wouldn’t go to bed before washing properly and getting into my pajamas.” soft giggles escapes from both of them.
taeyong has always been very very precise about his bedtime routine, and never did he fell asleep without being entirely dry after a bath. well that was before he took baths with jaehyun because now, when they share a bathtub, taeyong either falls asleep in jaehyun’s arms or they manage to get more than half of the water out of the bathtub with their interesting activities..not that those are possible in the dorm, especially not in the dorm’s bathtub, too small to even fit johnny so how would both of them fit inside? usually totally impossible? well they made it once, but that’s because taeyong was sitting on jaehyun’s lap.
“i know, i’m just teasing you. i hope you’ll pick the matching pajamas with the one i chose for tonight.”
“jaehyun, your pajamas are made of a black shirt and plaid pants..”
“yeah but you have the shirt that always matches the pants i have, so you’ll have to wear the blue and white top today.”
“okay okay, consider it done!”
taeyong kisses jaehyun’s right bicep before pinching one of his soft cheeks and jaehyun raises an eyebrow. “hyung? what was that for?”
“just thanking you, that's all. you do so much for me, i’m very thankful. i hope i can make you happy this year too hyunie..as much as you make me happy.” jaehyun lets out a small laugh as he holds taeyong even tighter.
“you make me happier than you could ever imagine. i love you and i only wish for you to stay healthy.” taeyong softens as he hears these words and finally after two months of not being able to share more than 10 minutes alone just the two of them, they have all the night to enjoy.
“i was thinking, how’s the dorm? like is auntie still doing all the chores?” jaehyung knows it’s a tricky question because if taeyong asks it’s because he probably heard something from the auntie herself or the managers.
“not really, i always clean my room and vacuum the dorm when i have time, jungwoo found a liking in dusting the place and yuta helps her mainly with the dishes. you don’t have to worry about her, last time taeil, doyoung and mark invited her for dinner. why do you ask?”
“i just wanted to know if i raised my babies well, it’s not very nice to let only one person do the chores everyday, even if she’s paid for it, you guys are so messy!! but i’m glad you help her now that i’m gone.” taeyong feels relieved, the dorm auntie always listened when he ranted for hours about his worries as a leader, he promised her one day he would repay her as much as possible and he’s still thinking about it.
jaehyun senses taeyong starting to drift away in his thoughts so he hums the song playing faintly in the background, taeyong joins him swiftly, to be honest taeyong only started to enjoy cigarettes after sex’s music after spending too much time with jaehyun. the water starts to feel cold when they move so they both agree to empty the bath and to take a shower. once they’re done they put on their pajamas, obviously matching, like jaehyun wants. taeyong really doesn't mind matching with him, they both love wearing matching clothes or jewelry, sometimes even buying the exact same item. or even sometimes sharing one article of clothing through the month, almost feels like a shared custody. but taeyong loves it when he steals one of jaehyun’s shirts, the other’s scent always bringing comfort and making him feel safe. like right now, the pajama buttoned shirt is a bit big on him but it smells like jaehyun so he never complains. and he has to admit that whenever he sees their reflection in the mirror of his dessing he finds them cute.
jaehyun is shuffling in one of his bags as taeyong walks to the turntable to change the vinyl. with all the times jaehyun did it in his own bedroom taeyong knows exactly what to do so it doesn’t damage the vinyl. he puts on the new vinyl jaehyun brought, stevie wonder, the soft music fills the room easily. jaehyun starts making back and forth trips to taeyong’s wardrobe, putting some of his clothes inside, not even caring to make a separate pile.
“what are you doing?” taeyong steps closer and jaehyun’s ear a dead giveaway again of his ministrations.
“putting my clothes here, now that we got back from tour i’ll stay here often, it’s better if some of my clothes are already here. and i know you like stealing some of my clothes.” jaehyun pats the sweater he just placed in taeyong’s wardrobe.
“next time you can bring your piano you know, or should i buy you one?” taeyong blushes but he always wanted jaehyun to bring his piano here.
“if i move it from the dorm i think everyone will think i’m depressed or something, i’ll buy one myself, so don't worry. also, i wanted to tell you something..” jaehyun grabs taeyong’s hands and guides him to the bed where they sit.
taeyong doesn’t say anything, he just waits, his big eyes expecting something completely random from the younger, which is what taeyong is used to. jaehyun can be the most random person ever at times.
“i made an offer for the apartment i visited, the estate agent is supposed to call me next week to let me know if i got it or not. i don’t want to raise your expectations but i wanted to tell you either way. i really hope they accept my offer.”
“oh, well, i’m crossing my fingers then jaehyunie!! you worried me i really thought something was wrong! they would be stupid not to sell it to you.” on that point jaehyun has to agree, it’s a great offer, the apartment is definitely worth less than what jaehyun offered but living closer to taeyong’s is priceless, having the luck to sneak out of his apartment to his lover’s is worth every single amount of money he puts on the table.
“i’m just worried that dispatch will learn about it or something, if they do i guess it’s not that big of a deal but i’m worried about what the fans will think, i know some would be okay and some would be mad.”
“you can’t control what they think jaehyun, the most important thing is that you are happy, their opinions shouldn’t matter. i know i don’t always apply this advice to myself but i really do believe it’s better to live your life the way you want. anyways, i know you’ll let me know if they accept your offer. so for now let’s go to bed, we have an early pre-recording tomorrow. let’s not be late like last time hm..?” taeyong knows exactly how to soothe jaehyun, it might be one of the reasons why he fell for his hyung, along many other things obviously.
“well last time you were all over me so it’s your fault we were late hyung..” he teases and it works because taeyong slaps his arms and blushes so hard.
“liar!!! you were the one who wasn’t satisfied with only three rounds or whatever! anyways, let’s just go to bed jaehyunie..” taeyong slides under the sheets as jaehyun turns off the lights, easily joining taeyong right after.
“how can i be satisfied when i need you every second of each day huh?” the blonde wiggles his eyebrows and taeyong hits him in the stomach this time. but when jaehyun wraps his arm around him to cuddle he feels soothed, not slightly annoyed anymore.
“no funny business jeong, my waist hurts..” jaehyun is spooning taeyong, the older can’t help but giggle when jaehyun’s arms tickle his waist gently.
“i know, just sleep.” jaehyun plants a kiss on taeyong’s nape and buries his head in the other’s mop of hair. the familiar scent of his shampoo still gives jaehyun butterflies, even after years of loving every part of taeyong.
“i love you yuno. thank you for always taking care of me.” taeyong says softly as he brings one of jaehyun’s hands to his lips, he kisses one knuckle of his ring finger and snuggles back into jaehyun’s embrace.
“i love you too yong.” jaehyun kisses the top of taeyong’s head this time, feeling at peace for once. ever since the tour and now the ay-yo promotion their alone time got cut short so much, to jaehyun, it almost feels surreal to be cuddling with taeyong right now. especially in his apartment.
the stevie wonder music is still playing, not loud, just casting an ambiance to the now dark room, only a few rays of the moonlight hit taeyong’s bedroom walls. taeyong falls asleep first, jaehyun can feel his lover calm and regular breathing against his arm taeyong is using as a pillow. he knows he will wake up with a numb arm but if it’s the price to pay so that taeyong has a good sleep, he’ll willingly do it more often. tomorrow is another day, jaehyun will worry about his arm when he wakes up tomorrow. he makes a small wish before falling asleep, hoping the stars are hearing him when he asks for taeyong’s waist not to hurt anymore. jaehyun could’ve asked to get the appartement offer approved but somehow his first thought is taeyong’s waist, not wanting to see his hyung suffer anymore. his lover’s wellbeing will always be his priority no matter what.
jaehyun is glad he noticed that his hyung was not feeling that good this morning at rehearsal. well, kind of easy to notice when all he does is keep an eye on his hyung and his health. jaehyun falls asleep not long after taeyong, feeling way too comfortable in this bed. when the stevie wonder vinyl stops playing, only the sound of jaehyun’s light snoring remains the only source of noise in taeyong’s bedroom. and even if the older one is asleep, the sound soothes his heart and deep in his mind he knows he will wake up differently than this morning. all of that thanks to jaehyun’s presence.