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"Saeran, my sweet, you're chewing on your nails again."
He looked up above the computer to see the love of his life staring at him. Their eyebrows were furrowed and they had a slight frown. He thought the expression looked adorable on them, but he always hated to see his partner look concerned.
"Ah, sorry." He said sheepishly as he put his hand back on the keyboard. "I do that from time to time when I'm focused on something."
"I know, love. You don't have to apologize. I'm just worried you'll make them bleed again."
They sat down on the couch beside him, watching quietly while Saeran typed furiously on the computer.
"You've been biting them more than usual...is it because you're worried about Saeyoung?"
He froze.
Saeran knew his lover was good at reading him, but sometimes he deeply wished they weren't. He didn't want to upset them with his needless concerns.
He knew his partner wouldn't want him to think like that of course, that they would want him to share his troubles and lighten the load, but they had so much on their plate already. He didn't want to add to that.
They glanced at the computer.
"Don't you think you're working a bit too much, love? I know you're concerned, I am too, but it's not on just you to find him. Saeyoung's got me, you , and everyone else searching for him as well. It's okay to take breaks."
It was true that he had been working, and worrying, more than usual. But the more that time passed the more anxious he got. It had been almost two weeks and there was still no signs of his brother anywhere.
"Saeyoung knows we're gonna find him." His partner said confidently. "We'll bring him back home, and then the three of us will live happily ever after."
Saeran set the computer onto the coffee table in front of him before turning to his beloved. They held their arms out for a hug and he accepted the offer, wrapping himself tightly around them and burying his face in the crook of their neck. He took a deep breath, inhaling the calm and soothing scent of their shampoo. Their presence had a way of comforting him like no other.
There was a peaceful silence for a few minutes before Saeran broke the hug and delicately kissed his lover. He rested his forehead on theirs as he intertwined their fingers.
"Thank you. I love you."
"I love you too."
His partner gently squeezed his hands.
"Do you remember that phone call we had about...habits?"
"Hmm...the one when I was biting my nails while talking and also asked you about your bad habits?"
They smiled softly.
"Yeah that one."
"What about it?"
"Do you still want to stop biting your nails?"
Saeran was surprised. He always tried to memorize their conversations, but he was never quite sure if his partner did the same. Had they really remembered such a small detail from one of your phone calls? The thought made his heart soar. He couldn't help himself from kissing them again and smiling.
"Yes, I do."
"Then would you be willing to try something?"
He had tried many times before to fix his bad habit. Even the savi- even Rika had tried to fix it. She put something on his nails that had a bitter flavor. It was suppose to prevent you from chewing them, but in the end all Saeran would do is flinch and keep biting his nails.
"What do you suggest?"
His lover's eyes twinkled with excitement.
"Do you want to paint your nails?"
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Saeran cleared the kitchen table as his partner set down a little black box and organized their supplies.
"Napkins, q-tips, and a bottle of 100% acetone. I think we've got everything."
As they flipped the lock open Saeran realized he'd seen that box before. He recognized it from the few times he watched his partner paint their nails.
They removed the lid, revealing nail polish in all the colors of the rainbow and then some. There were even holographic shades. He picked up one of them and gently spun it, observing the glitter swirling around in the liquid.
"Is there a particular color you want to try?"
He re-examined all the bottles before shaking his head. Even if you excluded the sparkly ones, there were still so many different colors. How did his lover make this decision every time they painted their nails?
Looking back at them, he could tell they were nervous from they way they were biting their bottom lip, but their eyes were filled with excitement. Saeran knew they really wanted to do this.
"Why don't you choose a color for me?"
Their eyes shone even more. It reminded him of the stars on a clears summer night. He loved how dazzling his lover looked when they were excited.
"This is your first time painting your nails right?" They asked. "Do you want to go for something bold or something more subtle?"
He thought about it for a second. It would probably be really distracting to have super bright and bold colors on your nails.
"Something subtle." You decided.
They nodded and rummaged through the box, looking for specific colors. They picked up a few to compare them before picking out one and handing it to him.
"How about this one? It's a little sparkly but it's not really noticeable."
Saeran looked at the bottle. The color wasn't exactly what he would call subtle, but it wasn't as bold as some of the other colors either. It was a light shade a pink with enough glitter to shimmer in the light, but not enough to be overwhelming.
He felt like he'd seen the same shade somewhere before, and then he realized. It was almost the exact shade of pink he painted his partner's room at Magenta.
"It's my favorite shade of pink." They said, sensing his hesitancy.
They probably didn't even notice the colors were the same, but in a way it felt like his lover was saying they liked the color of the room he prepared for them. He felt his heart grow warm again.
"Whatever you want to do, my sweet."
"Great! I can even use this later so we can match."
"I like that idea." Saeran said with a smile.
"Okay so, I usually file my nails and do the polish in three steps; base coat to protect the natural nail, color coat, and then a top coat to protect the color. Sorry I probably should have explained that all earlier. Is that okay? It takes awhile for each coat to dry."
"Of course."
"Okay. If you want to stop at any point just let me know."
He chuckled lightly and caressed their cheek.
"Don't worry love. I want to do this."
They moved his hand closer to their lips, pressing a tender kiss into his palm before letting go.
"Alright. Thank you for trusting me. I'll start now."
They took a nail file from the box and began filing his nails. The texture and sound made him flinch at first, and his partner stopped immediately, but Saeran explained he just needed to get used to it. They were very careful and gentle as they worked. By the time they finished filing all his nails Saeran could already see an improvement.
They then started the base coat. His lover was very precise, making sure not to get any polish outside of his nails. It was charming how focused they were, going from light chatter to quiet concentration. Saeran didn't think it mattered much since the color was clear, but he loved how hard they tried to make it perfect.
"Base coat is done," they announced while putting the cap back on the bottle. "It shouldn't take too long to dry, but..."
They took one of his hands and brought it close to their lips, gently blowing air on his nails to help them dry faster. The ticklish sensation sent a shiver up his spine. Their face flushed with embarrassment.
"Sorry, I know it's awkward, but I promise it helps the polish dry faster."
"It's fine darling."
They nodded and did the same to his other hand. Not even a minute later they gingerly tapped his nails, checking to see if the polish was still wet.
"It's not tacky, so that means it's dry. We can add the color now."
The process was the same as the clear coat, except this time they had to use two coats since the polish was so thin. This was a bit messier than the clear coat, but they applied the color with ease, and seemed especially proud of that fact that none of the color got outside the nail.
"So...we can add the top coat and be done, but would you mind if I added something? We can paint over it if you don't like it."
"Go ahead."
They grabbed white nail polish and one of the tools from their bag. It had a small rounded end. They poured a little of the white polish onto a napkin, dabbed the tool into it, and added two dots in the corner of one of Saeran's nails. Then they took a toothpick and nimbly added some lines to connect the dots.
It was a heart.
A little white heart in the corner of his nail, right on the spot where he would start absent-mindedly biting them. So this was how they planned to stop his habit.
Saeran felt overwhelming love and gratitude for his partner. They had really thought this through, hadn't they? He would never risk ruining the heart his lover had so carefully made just for him. It was a smart plan.
"So cute," He muttered as he placed a kiss on their cheek. Their eyes lit up and they paused for a moment, careful to avoid messing up their setup, as they quickly kissed his lips. Saeran loved little moments like this.
"So I assume you like it?"
"I love it."
"Then should I put one on the rest?"
He nodded.
They smiled as they added hearts to the rest of nails nails. It was a small smile but it shone brighter than the stars, and Saeran swore he could feel the warmth of the sun coming from it. He wanted to bask in that warmth forever.
Finally the hearts dried and they added the top coat.
"What do you think? It's...not very subtle. Is it too distracting?" They asked as they looked over Saeran's nails.
It was weird feeling. Until today his nails always looked jagged and wrong from how many times he bite them. He used to wear gloves because he hated the way it looked, and didn't want other people to see them. But now all his nails looked even and neat.
The pink was such a sweet color and the white hearts complimented it perfectly. Saeran wasn't used to having color on his nails, much less glitter or decoration, but he couldn't stop staring at it. It wasn't subtle at all, but he loved it.
"No, it's not distracting." Saeran said, smiling wide at his lover. "It looks perfect."
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At the next meeting to discuss finding Saeyoung, Saeran received many compliments from both C&R personnel and the RFA members.
Every time he was complimented he would proudly tell them his partner did your nails, and hold up his partner's hand to show off their matching nails. Then he would kiss the back of their hand before intertwining their fingers again.
His lovee's face flushed every time, but Saeran pretended not to notice. It was cute seeing how embarrassed they were by this small public display of affection, and he loved teasing them. They deserved every compliment, every kiss. He wished there were more ways he could show them how grateful he is.
All his partner did was force him to take a break and paint his nails, but it was about much more than that. It was about helping him relax, and helping him feel more comfortable in his own skin.
"I love you." Saeran said to them, hoping they could feel all of his devotion and gratitude. He would say it again and again, everyday until they did.
But as he looked into your partner's eyes, Saeran could tell they already knew what he was feeling, and that they felt the exact same way.
"I love you too."
They smiled widely before throwing their arms around him and kissing him. He smiled back just as wide, slightly breaking the kiss as he kissed them back. For just a moment, all of their problem disappeared, and they were two average people in love.
Saeran sighed contently as he rested his forehead on his lover's and intertwined their fingers. He glanced at the matching colors and couldn't help smiling at his parnter again.
He knew he wouldn't be biting his nails anytime soon.