Chapter Text
There are a few things Jeongin realizes he likes after dating Hyunjin. One of them is sleepy, clingy Hyunjin.
In the morning, when Jeongin wakes up in their shared bed, wrapped inside his boyfriend’s embrace, it takes him a good few minutes to gently untangle himself from Hyunjin's persistent arms, making sure he isn't disturbed in his sleep, and leave the bed to make breakfast in the kitchen. Still, Hyunjin will some time later wake up on his own despite the younger man's consideration, despite himself being a heavy sleeper, and follow Jeongin. Like he is doing right now after Jeongin has been out of bed for less than fifteen minutes.
With sleep still in his eyes, Hyunjin navigates the apartment's furniture using muscle memory, and Jeongin is a little impressed by how he doesn't bump into anything. With his hand, Hyunjin feels the row of chairs pulled close to the dining table, lets his hand fall off the last wooden backrest once he has passed them, before guiding it to feel the kitchen counter.
The cold marble stone surface isn't exactly pleasant to the touch for the drowsy young man, and a grimace forms on his face for a split second. He continues following that cold marble, to the sound of kitchen utensils being used, until his hands find something softer. A clothed arm, moving briskly while preparing food. If Hyunjin could open his eyes, he would have caught the soft, amused smile forming on Jeongin's face. One day, when Hyunjin catches his boyfriend making that fond expression, Jeongin knows he will be so annoying about it, snapping twenty photos and ruffling the younger man’s hair until it becomes a bird nest.
Hyunjin takes a step around where he thinks Jeongin is, patting the latter's sides to make sure he's in the perfect position for a back hug, before circling his arms around Jeongin's waist, leaning over from behind, and nestling his head on the younger man's shoulder.
"Good morning, Hyunjin." Jeongin whispers, knowing it's audible for Hyunjin since there's no distance between them, and because the latter would find his normal volume a little too loud amidst his drowsiness.
"G'mornin'..." Hyunjin mutters into Jeongin's sweatshirt, which further muffles his heavily sleep-laced voice.
"Why didn't you sleep some more?" Jeongin asks as he finishes whisking the eggs to use as coating for French toast.
"It's cold when you're not there..." Hyunjin replied, almost whining about it.
At that, Jeongin rolls his eyes and chuckles. For the two and a half decades that Hyunjin has been walking this earth, he has only shared a bed with Jeongin for a year. It makes him wonder how the older man survived a "cold" bed all those years if he can't even handle sleeping without Jeongin for half an hour.
Jeongin appreciates the fact that this childishness would soon disappear once Hyunjin has gotten some breakfast, or he would have been persuaded back to bed and to stay there all day, cuddling with his boyfriend.
As if to make his point clearer, Hyunjin nuzzles his nose into Jeongin's hair, taking a pleasant sniff, then starts to rub his face in the crook of the latter's neck, trying to bask in as much of Jeongin's warmth as he possibly can. Hyunjin's hair tickles Jeongin and makes him raise his shoulders out of reflex. He giggles and tells Hyunjin to stop, which the older man complies, and goes back to resting his chin quietly on Jeongin's shoulder.
Most of the time, Hyunjin's enthusiastic display of affection that borders on aggressive isn't that much of a bother to Jeongin, but Jeongin has to finish breakfast first, and his boyfriend will get plenty of chances to annoy him throughout the day. Jeongin would be lying though, if he said he didn't at all like being interrupted by Hyunjin in the middle of something.
Hyunjin is like an affectionate cat that walks in front of his owner's computer monitor, getting Jeongin to smile and raising his spirit, despite him having to stop what he is doing to pet the cat. Jeongin is aware that he himself is like a cat, but a shy one who isn't used to initiating physical contact, and is grateful that Hyunjin always approaches him first. What cats do to their peers with grooming behaviors, Hyunjin does to Jeongin with light touches, secure embraces, some whispered "I love you", and an overall fondness that makes Jeongin so indescribably smitten, he feels he might melt inside the older man's arms sometimes.
Hyunjin is warm, safe, he makes Jeongin feel more loved and protected than any other person he has met. Hyunjin often tells him that he feels most at ease around him, and Jeongin wonders if the older man knows he feels the same. He has never said it aloud, articulating his affection is not something he's used to doing, but Jeongin thinks he can start learning to do it for Hyunjin. So, one day, Jeongin will verbalize all that Hyunjin means to him and how he makes him feel.
Until then, he settles with short, quickly said "I love you" that still makes him blush when they're alone together. He says it today, too, replying to Hyunjin's love statements. And the latter smiles at him, happiness shines in his eyes that seem to reflect only Jeongin's image, the rest of the world cast aside, forgotten in the background.
Jeongin knows he too, has the same look in his eyes. Not only when Hyunjin says he loves him, but also when they hold hands and Hyunjin lovingly runs his thumb on the back of Jeongin's hand, over the bumps of his knuckles and tendons. When they pass by each other in the living room and Hyunjin pulls him back by the shoulders to steal a kiss on his cheek, making Jeongin blush and fake a huff to disguise his embarrassment. And when Hyunjin closes his lips on Jeongin's, gently but firmly, like a vow, every day before they leave for work and every night before they fall asleep.
When night falls, Jeongin would sleep soundly, knowing Hyunjin is there next to him. And when morning comes, he would wake up to his lover again. Wake up to love and be loved again.