Work Text:
Jaehyun returns home for the night.
It’s that time of night where even the busiest cities get a moment of rest. He hops off his motorbike, basking under the comforting streetlight for a moment. After a hectic day, it feels like a makeshift ray of sunshine in the middle of the night time darkness. His shoulders are heavy, as they always are after long hours at work, but his spirit is light.
His phone vibrates in his hand. It takes him a little by surprise, but he quickly answers it, speaking in a hushed voice while staring up at the window of one of the lower level apartments. He stares like he can see the person on the other end of the line through the curtains, giggling into the phone while daydreaming of gentle smiles.
People joke about his perpetual honeymoon phase he has with almost everyone he’s close to, let alone his boyfriend- and he thinks for a bit that they might be right about that. Even after months, he still feels giddy. Goofy grin plastered onto his face instantaneously even if he’s just turning onto this particular street. Some days he wakes up alone back in his bedroom and instantly misses arms wrapped around his waist, or the weight of his boyfriend leaning against him, head snug in the crevice between his chin and shoulder.
Jaehyun hangs up, bouncing up the stairs of the building as if it was his first time staying over. It feels just as exciting as it did back then, too.
With practised efficiency, he stuffs the spare key into the keyhole while managing to shake off both his shoes at the same time. He opens the door, finding only the fishes wagging their little tails in the tank greet him with matching enthusiasm.
Shuffling inside, Jaehyun can feel all his stress from the day leave his system like air escaping a deflating balloon. The entire house is dim, with only an old-looking standing lamp that was gifted from a friend of theirs providing light of an almost orange-ish hue. It hovers over a slumped figure on the sofa like a halo.
He’s hugging a pillow and wearing a hoodie that Jaehyun recognises to be his. Everything else is quiet. Everything about the scene before him is comforting.
“Leehan,” Jaehyun greets, speaking softly in an attempt to not break the tranquillity. The hood falls from the figure's head, revealing a head of unstraightened hair and two sparkling eyes. Leehan sits up, lips pulling into a relieved smile as he faces him. The glow from the lamp seems to grow brighter at that very moment.
Even dressed in a hoodie and pyjama shorts, Leehan looks like he’s posing for a magazine shoot, the picture cut out and glued to the sofa in a collage of what is Jaehyun’s life. Traces of Jaehyun linger in Leehan’s house- his poems and lyrics scribbled onto rough paper neatly kept in a pile under the coffee table, his clothes that he forgets to bring back after staying the night, the spare toothbrush in the bathroom alongside the spare towel- discreetly intertwining their lives together by a string of fate.
Jaehyun’s work bag slips off his shoulders and falls to the floor with a muffled thud. “Sorry I’m late,” He grins sheepishly. Leehan watches him with amused eyes as he shrugs off his jacket, almost mesmerised even when Jaehyun struggles with getting one of his arms out the sleeve. ‘Rough traffic?” He asks.
“Well,” Jaehyun begins, finally freeing himself from his jacket. “Not just that. I stayed back a little bit to work more on my project.”
Leehan’s mouth purses into something of a pout. “Overtime again? Get off work earlier next time,” He says, almost childishly and a little whiny. Leehan will deny this whenever brought up again in future conversations, but Jaehyun is a man of opportunity. His smile transforms from fond to teasing in just a split second, and just to be annoying, he strides over to the sofa to press his face against Leehan’s own. “Aww,” Jaehyun coos in between each squish with Leehan’s cheeks. “Okay, since my baby misses me. I can’t say no to a demand made so cutely like that.”
“I saw you yesterday.” Leehan’s eyebrows are pinched in faux annoyance but his eyes twinkle as he manages to get the words out his mouth. He jabs Jaehyun in the side lightly, laughing when Jaehyun yelps.
Jaehyun flops onto the sofa next to him, and their faces are still close enough to feel each fine hair on the other’s skin. Draping an arm around Leehan’s shoulders, he comfortably sinks back into the sofa, dragging Leehan along with him. Jaehyun is but a moth and Leehan’s heart is incredibly warm and bright that it’s no wonder he’ll always find his way back into his arms. Jaehyun wonders for a split second if to Leehan, he was the light and warmth, and he looks down at him cuddled under his outstretched arm.
“So did I, but I still miss you.” Jaehyun confesses suddenly, feeling the stare of Leehan who readjusted himself, looking up at him to get a better view. Leehan grins. “That’s cheesy”
“Yeah, I even broke several traffic laws for you.”
“I’m dating a criminal now?”
“In court, I’ll pin the blame on you.”
“Ah,” Leehan closes his eyes in satisfaction. “So it turns out, the great criminal Myung Jaehyun was just a loyal puppy following orders instead.”
Jaehyun feels his ears go pink. “Dude,” He wiggles a finger at Leehan’s smirk in warning, removing his arm and scooting away as far as Leehan would let him, but he doesn’t get far. Jaehyun gets his answer then, in the way Leehan allows himself to cling onto Jaehyun. The mutual feeling of comfort and security they find in each other, reinforced by how easily Jaehyun can slither around Leehan and slot himself against him.
For the hundredth and millionth time, Leehan does that cute smile-lip bite combo and Jaehyun has seen enough stars in the night sky to know his favourite ones will always be the twin galaxies reflected in their eyes, especially when they appear in Leehan’s- especially if it’s when Leehan is thinking of him.
Jaehyun senses the teasing he’ll have to endure for the rest of the night.
Jaehyun doesn’t mind it, not really, because he loves him.
And he’s loved back just as much.