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Jongwoo had Jay pressed up against the door in the blink of an eye.
They'd bid the others goodnight less than twenty minutes ago with a promise to meet up for lunch tomorrow before they visited Armada's office to let Kangnam know that he could proceed with announcing the group. The energy had been happy and lighthearted as they'd parted ways, relief and happiness having fallen over the five of them like a much needed balm to soothe away the lingering aches of the tumultuous few weeks they'd had recently.
The walk from the park back to his apartment had only been a handful of minutes but it had felt like an eternity with how badly Jongwoo had wanted to have Jay in his arms again. And now that he had him there again, the relief tasted oh so sweet!
Jay didn't resist in the slightest and went pliant in Jongwoo's arms as he slid his hands up to thread through the older's dark hair. Jongwoo felt heat curl in his stomach at the desire written across Jay's face; the younger all flushed and beautiful for Jongwoo and Jongwoo alone. This close to Jay Jongwoo could feel every inch of the younger's lean, hot body against his own and wanted to drown in the rich vanilla-cinnamon scent that filled his senses as he leaned into him.
Shit, did Jay even know how crazy he drove him?
Those big puppy-like eyes so wide and sweet, plush pink lips that were begging to be kissed, the freckles that decorated his cheeks like stars… He was the most gorgeous thing Jongwoo had ever seen in his entire life. He mouthed along the curve of Jay's neck , smirking against it when the younger let out a little whimper in that angelic voice of his.
If Jongwoo had to describe perfection in a single word, that word would be Jay.
Jongwoo let his hands wander up under Jay's shirt to run along his torso, fingers caressing warm skin and lean muscle, and it felt like heaven to be able to touch him like this. He could help but mutter his thoughts aloud against the heated skin of Jay's throat, voice husky and rough, "Beautiful. So fucking gorgeous baby, you have no idea…"
Slender hands tightened in his hair, "J-Jongwoo! Hyung-mn!- m-more, please!"
Jongwoo was more than willing to answer Jay's wish but a loud growl suddenly filled the air, causing them both to jump and Jongwoo pulled back from the younger when Jay let out a startled yelp. Jay's amber eyes were huge and his cheeks were flushed bright pink but instead of heat and arousal in his gaze, there was only shock and mortification.
"Was that… your stomach?"
Jay's cheeks darkened further and Jongwoo had to swallow a laugh at how adorable he looked, as embarrassed as he obviously was. Jay started rambling, slipping in between Korean and English in his flustered state, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I swear I ate… Actually I don't remember when I ate today. But holy shit I just ruined the mood, didn't I? Seriously, hyung I-"
Jongwoo took that moment to silence the younger with a kiss and it was everything he'd ever dreamed of it being. Jay's lips were supple and warm, parting immediately when Jongwoo licked along the seam of them to allow the older to deepen the kiss. Jongwoo could faintly taste caramel and oat milk on the younger's tongue and it made him smile, knowing Jay's aversion to coffee and his love of caramel macchiatos regardless. He hummed gently when Jay let out another moan, smoothing his hands down Jay's waist to soothe the younger tenderly as he slowly pulled back. He watched Jay through hooded eyes, taking in every detail of his lovely face and the flustered expression he was sporting.
"…how about I make us some ramyeon, hm? Sound good to you?"
Jongwoo's favorite smile bloomed across Jay's face- the one that practically split Jay's face in two with how wide it was and it only served to enhance Jay's already insane visuals. It was so sweet and genuine as it pulled up higher on the left side in that charming way of his. The singer's eyes sparkled happily as he nodded.
Jongwoo couldn't resist leaning in to steal another quick kiss from Jay, giddy at the thought that he could just do that now. It was addicting and Jongwoo revelled in the knowledge that this beautiful high was his and his alone. After holding his feelings back for so long and convincing himself that those feelings would never be returned, his dream had finally come true: Jay was his. And he was equally Jay's in return. There were no words to describe how good it felt to love and be loved by the person he held so dear in his heart.
He forced himself to pull back again and gently pushed Jay towards the couch, "Go sit down angel, I'll be right back."
Making the ramyeon was a simple task that he'd done countless times before so in only a few minutes it was ready. He turned off the burner but left the pot on it to keep the food warm as he ducked back into the living room to ask Jay if he wanted something to drink, "Jay, do you- oh."
What greeted him was the single most precious sight Jongwoo had ever seen in his 23 years of life: Jay, curled up on his sofa, fast asleep.
The singer had taken off his jacket and was hugging one of the throw pillows close to his chest with a content look on his sleeping face. His cellphone was clutched haphazardly in his left hand, the screen long gone dark. All of the tension and worry that had been clouding his handsome face over the past couple of weeks had finally cleared and he looked so cute that Jongwoo felt like his heart was going to melt out of his chest just looking at him.
Keeping as quiet as possible he snuck over and crouched down next to the couch, silently admiring the beautiful picture Jay made. Long lashes fanned over freckled cheeks as Jay breathed gently through his nose. Jongwoo couldn't help but reach out to stroke his cheek tenderly and smiled when Jay let out a little sigh, leaning his head into the touch automatically. Even while asleep, Jay's adorable personality came through in the sweetest of ways.
For a moment Jongwoo considered waking him up so that they could eat but when his gaze skimmed over the dark circles under Jay's eyes again he decided to let him sleep a little more. The ramen would go cold but he could just warm it up again once Jay had rested for a bit. Jongwoo gently took the phone out of Jay's limp hand and set it on the coffee table before fetching the spare blanket he kept in his closet to cover Jay so he wouldn't catch a chill. Satisfied, Jongwoo went to do a few things around his apartment that he hadn't done during the day since he'd been out searching for Jay and decided to take a quick shower and change out of his sweaty clothes.
He re-entered the living room almost a full hour later to find that Jay had shifted in his sleep. The blanket had been tossed to the floor, the pillow that Jay had been hugging had joined it and the younger's neck was craned at such an awkward angle against the arm of the couch that it baffled Jongwoo as to how he hadn't woken up on his own yet from how uncomfortable it looked.
Careful not to make any excess noise, Jongwoo moved to sit down on the floor next to the couch. He reached out to brush stray strands of soft brown hair away from Jay's face; he gently skimmed his fingers over Jay's soft cheek, noting that the dark circles that had faded a bit already. It said volumes to how much Jay hadn't been getting any proper rest recently so it was a relief to see those shadows start to fade. But as much as Jongwoo hated the thought of disturbing such a peaceful scene, Jay really needed to eat something.
"Jay… Time to wake up, sweetheart."
Watching Jay wake up was like watching the sun rise: so beautiful that it took Jongwoo's breath away.
He watched in enraptured silence as Jay stretched lazily and rubbed at his eyes cutely in an effort to wake himself up. A strip of Jay's torso was exposed when the younger's t-shirt rode up; Jongwoo couldn't resist running his fingers over the soft, sleep-warm expanse of pale skin and chuckled at the startled yelp Jay let out. Sleepy amber eyes narrowed as Jay pouted and grumbled at him, "Hyuuuunnngg…"
To soothe him, Jongwoo leaned in to kiss him tenderly. It was just a quick kiss but it did wonders to brighten Jay's mood, if the brilliant grin and dark flush that spread across his face said anything. Giddy warmth fizzed in his veins making his blood sing and his heart dance all for one beautiful feeling… For the beautiful person who made him feel this way.
Jongwoo hopped onto the couch and kissed Jay again and again and again until the singer began to bat at his chest half-heartedly, bright giggles bubbling out of the younger man as he squirmed underneath him against the cushions.
"Hy-hyung! hehe" The laughter faded, leaving them to stare at one another in comfortable silence. Jongwoo admired Jay's fluffy hair, all ruffled against the dark fabric of the couch and ran his fingers through it again just because he could.
A familiar mischievous sparkle entered those lovely eyes as Jay smiled up at him, "I love you, my beautiful moon~"
Jongwoo pulled back, biting his lip against a wide smile as he gazed down at Jay. The last of the shadows clouding his face had faded, leaving only the bright and playful Jay that Jongwoo had first fallen in love with all those months ago. Jay had made his choice and it had lit that fire within him that Jongwoo remembered from the very first day they'd met when Jay had stunned him into silence with his brilliance. Not just his vocals but the pure light he'd radiated through the room, drawing everyone's attention without any effort at all. It lightened his own heart to see that spark again; he'd missed it terribly over the last few weeks.
Happiness looked good on Jay.
Jongwoo wanted to keep him that happy. One hundred days, a thousand... Hopefully for the rest of their lives, if Jay would let him. The future- their future- was spread out before them, a story yet to be written. Jay had chosen to continue on with them to follow the path into this unknown future and Jongwoo looked forward to it with his whole heart.
Jongwoo, Jay, Yedam, Seongmin and Taegyun… They would write their story and the whole world would get to see them shine.
The five of them together.
But for now, it was only him and Jay and Jongwoo wanted to be selfish for just a little while longer. He flopped down on top of Jay, smirking when Jay let out a huff and shoved at him with very little force. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a happy little grin on the younger's face and was satisfied. Jongwoo felt Jay shift a little so that they'd both be more comfortable and lifted his head to give the younger another gentle smile.
"I love you too, my precious star."