Chapter Text
The other side of the bed is empty when Taerae wakes up. He reaches out blindly, seeking warmth, but the covers have been tucked up around him and all he finds is the mattress and cold air.
He manages to open his eyes, squinting into the dark bedroom until blurry shapes come into view. Sure enough, Junhyeon is nowhere to be seen.
"Babe?" he calls, voice croaky from disuse.
He retracts his hand back into the comforts of the blanket and waits until he feels the bed dip again.
"Where were you?"
"Bathroom," Junhyeon mumbles, and Taerae lifts the covers to let him in again.
He doesn't notice anything amiss just yet, brain still foggy with sleep.
He brings the blanket up around Junhyeon's shoulder and nestles up to him. Taerae snakes an arm around him, cold fingers slipping under Junhyeon's shirt to trace patterns along warm skin, but he lies there as still as a log.
To morning cuddlebug Taerae, this is absolutely devastating.
In the moment he peers up at Junhyeon's face and sees that Junhyeon isn't smiling, he's fully awake.
"What's wrong?"
"Your manager called," he says vaguely.
“At this time in the morning?” Taerae notices his phone beside Junhyeon's on the night stand.
He doesn't remember putting it there, but then again last night was a blur.
It was the longest they had been apart in a while, with Junhyeon out of the country for a month filming his next movie and Taerae keeping himself occupied with working on music in the meantime.
When Junhyeon had finally returned to their shared apartment last evening, he hadn't even had time to complain about jet lag before Taerae had pulled him in, whining about how much he missed him.
Which was a little embarrassing in hindsight, but they weren't really used to the distance anymore. Seeing Junhyeon was like taking his daily vitamin, and he'd been deprived for too long.
Taerae was expecting to wake up to sunshine and a bit of soreness but Junhyeon just frowns at him.
"Your loving boyfriend was working hard filming in another country and you invite another woman over while he's gone?"
So that's what this was about.
"What do the articles say?"
Junhyeon sits up to hand him his phone and sure enough Taerae's name is trending on Naver, along with one of the artists he's collaborating with for his next album.
Taerae sighs.
"It was the studio, not our place." Taerae clarifies, sitting up as well and skimming over the top article. "And we're not really that close, we've hardly spoken in the two years since the last collab we did."
"But look at you being a gentlemen and holding the door open for her. And making her laugh and looking at her like that." Junhyeon points out, resting his head on Taerae's shoulder with a sullen look.
On any ordinary day his boyfriend will not hesitate to brag about how tall and strong and mature he is, isn’t he lucky, and yet when he gets like this Taerae wants to ruffle his hair and tease him for being so cute.
"They're just exaggerating," Taerae replies, squinting at the grainy photos and not really seeing it. He's got a cap on, mostly obscuring his eyes, and he remembers they were talking about their dogs in the car ride over, laughing at videos of them in the back while his manager drove, so he doesn't really know how they came to those conclusions.
Reporters just have nothing better to do than get into other people’s business, or to create business where there really wasn’t any.
Taerae turns his head to press a kiss into Junhyeon’s cheek.
“It’s honestly nothing, babe. Believe me, most of it was just work talk.”
Junhyeon is quiet, his eyes still fixed on the paparazzi shots on his screen.
"Are you really upset?" Taerae asks, watching Junhyeon carefully.
"Yes," Junhyeon says, but there's a pout to his lips, and a characteristic whine in his voice that tells Taerae he's probably playing it up.
When he's genuinely mad, he turns deadly quiet. He never wants to blow up at Taerae and say something hurtful in the spur of the moment, so he goes silent and needs space to sort out his thoughts. Now he sighs and sulks very audibly, slumping against Taerae like he’s too upset to have any strength left in him.
“It feels like every time I’m away, there’s rumours about who you’re dating, and it’s not like they’re based on nothing. You treat all these people too well, it’s only natural people will start misunderstanding you.”
Taerae scoffs, “So I’m not supposed to be nice to people anymore?”
“Yes,” Junhyeon says again seriously, and now Taerae knows he’s just being ridiculous.
If Junhyeon is going to play this game, Taerae has more than a few complaints of his own.
"And I have to watch you make out with other women on screen and be okay with it? But I'm not allowed to be seen working with someone else?"
“That’s just my job!"
“Well, it’s my job too,” Taerae protests.
“It’s not your job to flirt with the people you record with.”
“Since when-” Taerae laughs in disbelief, leaning away to gape at Junhyeon. “That’s rich coming from you. You flirt with anything that moves.”
Junhyeon flashes his own scandalised look. “I’ll have you know that is false, and my lawyer would consider that defamation of character.”
"Not to mention the couple photoshoots,” Taerae continues. “I still haven’t forgotten that one Elle shoot - why was your shirt only buttoned halfway, and what was she doing touching you like that? No matter how you look at it, I have it so much worse."
“I was just doing what the cameraman said,” Junhyeon defends, crossing his arms. “I have to hear you sing sappy love songs with other people, and everywhere I go people are talking about who you're supposedly dating."
"And you don't think I hear people gush about your dramas and how you have such good chemistry with your leads and how you look so good together?"
“Well what was with those photos on your instagram? I’ve never seen a lower V-neck in my life. And that angle? That expression? Your collarbones?”
“That was for you!”
“Oh,” Junhyeon falters. His lips quiver like he’s trying very hard not to smile. He clears his throat. “Well, then you should have just sent it me directly!”
Taerae rolls his eyes. “But you suck at replying to texts.”
“Not if it’s you,” Junhyeon argues. “Usually.”
“And the fans seemed to really like it, so you’re going to have to learn to share.”
“But I don’t want to.” Junhyeon grumbles, suddenly affectionate. His arms circle around Taerae’s midriff, and he senses their argument is already over. “I’m sorry for doubting you, you know how I am with jealousy.”
“It’s okay. I’m not really mad at you,” Taerae puts his hand over Junhyeon’s, interlacing their fingers. “You know it’s only ever been you for me.”
Junhyeon hums his content, and they sit there in comfortable silence for a while, misunderstandings forgiven and forgotten, before Junhyeon lifts his head to speak again.
"But have you seen those awful edits they make with you and those idols? Sometimes I can't tell whether you actually took those selfies with those girls or these people are just really good at Photoshop."
"Wait, what? No," Taerae says, genuinely curious. "But that sounds terrible,"
"Yeah, you need to see them too. Hold on," Junhyeon reaches out for his own phone. "Although actually you might be better off not seeing them."
He scrolls for a while then pulls a face.
"Okay yeah, maybe not."
"Well now I have to see it," Taerae argues, leaning over to peer at his screen but Junhyeon tilts it away.
"It's really not worth it."
“Come on, just show me,” he says, reaching up for Junhyeon’s phone as he holds it above his head.
“Nope, forget I mentioned it.”
Taerae flops back down in defeat, a hand resting on Junhyeon’s thigh and the other pulling the tousled blankets back up around their waists before the morning cold can get to them.
“I think we can both agree that I have it worse then.”
“I think we can agree to disagree.” Junhyeon sighs, and pulls Taerae along so they’re lying down again.
“I should probably call my manager,” Taerae says, although there’s nothing he’d rather do than lie in bed with Junhyeon all day. “They’re going to want an official statement.”
“I already gave it to them,” Junhyeon mutters, wrapping an arm around Taerae’s waist and sliding his phone under the pillow. “You’re taken. Not by her. And everyone else can mind their own business.”
“Yeah, I definitely need to call them back.” Taerae turns over to get up, but Junhyeon won’t let him go easily.
“Do it here,” Junhyeon mumbles into his hair, “Stay.”
"Alright," Taerae relents, melting into Junhyeon's hold.
They'll release a statement later that day, but Junhyeon won't be mentioned. It's alright even if they have to keep their love secret - Taerae knows what he and Junhyeon have is real, and that’s all that matters.