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They settled down for a movie night around thirty minutes ago now, and yet Wooyoung and Mingi still cannot seem to agree on which film to watch.
All of Wooyoung’s choices are apparently ‘too scary’, despite one of his options quite literally being Lilo and Stitch, and all of Mingi’s choices are ‘too boring’. Yunho had even quietly suggested they watch one of the many Spider-Man movies, just to get them to stop screaming at each other from opposite sides of the room, but they both just told him to ‘shut up’.
Despite the developing chaos, though, Hongjoong stands in the doorway of the room with a small, fond smile on his face. Yes, those two may be idiots most of the time, but they’re his idiots and he would not change them for the world.
Whilst their respective boyfriends continue to argue, Yunho and San are sat on sofa’s looking less than amused. Yunho looks about five seconds away from joining the argument himself, properly this time, and San looks about ten seconds away from bursting into tears. Hongjoong sends him a comforting smile, and San slowly returns it.
Yeosang and Jongho are cuddled up together, the older in the younger arms and they’re conversing quietly. Seonghwa is— well he’s staring down at his phone, waiting, probably rather impatiently now, for Hongjoong to return to his side. In Hongjoong’s left hand is a glass he had gone to refill with water, but the arguing had stopped him in his tracks and so he hasn’t actually gotten to do that yet.
Seonghwa looks beautiful today, as he does every single day. Hongjoong feels so incredibly lucky to have him. This past year has been filled with so many accomplishments, both personally and within the band, but his greatest one is without a doubt his relationship with Seonghwa.
After seven long years of silent mutual pining, they informed each other of their true feelings back in early October and ever since then, Hongjoong has had the blessing of awakening almost every morning with the taller curled up in his arms.
He has never really been one for physical touch, no matter who it is with, but for Seonghwa he makes exceptions. He stirs the older out of his dreams with kisses most days, or gentle caresses to any part of exposed skin he can reach. He always knows when Seonghwa is awake because, as much as he really tries not to, the older giggles softly upon the actions.
Hongjoong doesn’t realise that he’s staring until Seonghwa looks up and their gazes meet, causing his heart to skip a beat beneath his chest. Seonghwa tilts his head to the side, the action endearing, and his phone turns off.
The younger of the two sends the older a gentle smile, followed by a small nod of acknowledgment, and then he turns and finally makes his way into the kitchen. Wooyoung and Mingi are still arguing, but that’s not his problem right now.
Hongjoong sets his glass beneath the tap and turns the appliance on, watching as cold water quickly fills the cup. The air is suddenly very warm in here, and there’s the quietest of thuds behind him. He stops the tap and a small, content exhale leaves his lips when a pair of arms slot around his hips and a chin comes to rest against his left shoulder.
”They’re driving me insane,” Seonghwa informs him, and Hongjoong chuckles small, “I think we should just kick the both of them out.”
”If we kicked the both of them out every time they argued,” Hongjoong begins, “they never would have made it to debut.”
Seonghwa hums small, taking a second to reflect on the sight of Mingi’s disgusted face when Wooyoung first walked into their dance rehearsal as the official eighth member. “You’re right,” he says, taking a step back.
”Aren’t I always?”
The taller rolls his eyes at the words, albeit fondly. Hongjoong, cold without the feeling of his boyfriend’s chest against his back, removes his glass from the sink and sets it onto one of the kitchen counters. He turns around, and immediately accepts the soft kiss that is placed to his lips.
”You’ve been in your own mind all day,” Seonghwa says, and Hongjoong sighs small because he knows it to be true, “would you like to share with me what it is you’ve been thinking about?”
Hongjoong considers for a moment, and then he tells him, “mostly you.”
”Ah,” and his face immediately burns with blush, “all good things, I hope?”
”Always,” Hongjoong then carefully slots his hands into his boyfriend’s ones. They fit so well together, every inch of their bodies.
Seonghwa entwines their fingers. “More specific than that, hun,” he begins, “what exactly have you been thinking so intensely about that includes me?”
Hongjoong tilts his head to the right side, debating on whether to give a playful or honest answer. He decides the latter. “My favourite day of the year.”
The older’s heart instantly melts.
”We’ve had a busy year, haven’t we?”
Seonghwa nods small. “We have.”
”And yet out of everything single thing I have done, out of everything we have done as a group, telling you of my true feelings has been my most favourite.”
”Oh, honey—”
”You know,” Hongjoong begins, “the day we first met, I knew I wanted to make sure that whenever I entered a new year of my life, you were right there with me. For almost a decade you have been, and now I get to take you into the New Year not as your Captain, or simply just your close friend, but as your boyfriend too. That’s my greatest honour of the past year, my greatest achievement. No award could ever come close to you, Hwa, and I mean that truthfully.”
The older doesn’t realise that tears have fallen from his eyes until his hands are let go and Hongjoong is carefully wiping the saltwater away.
”Don’t cry,” the younger chuckles, “you’ll make me cry if you do that.”
”Sorry,” Seonghwa sniffles softly, his words barely above a whisper, “I didn’t mean to.”
”It’s okay, beautiful,” Hongjoong nods, and then he leans up to place a kiss to his partner’s lips, “I am pretty amazing, after all.”
The taller chuckles, “just ‘amazing’ doesn’t cover it, I think.”
”Oh? What else do you think I am?”
”Talented,” Seonghwa says immediately, “very kind, thoughtful, handsome.”
”Stop,” the younger joins their hands again, acting bashful, “you’ll make me blush.”
”Did I mention that you’re also a bit of an idiot too?”
Hongjoong frowns. “Well that wasn’t very nice.”
Seonghwa smiles gently, and bumps the tips of their noses together. “I love you.”
His heart warms, and his gaze is filled with nothing but pure adoration. ”I love you as well,” Hongjoong says, “if that wasn’t already obvious.”
Seonghwa hums, and he also admits, “that was my favourite day too. The day we got together. Nothing could compare to it, the happiness and relief I felt that night.”
“It really was perfect, wasn’t it?”
”It was,” the older nods.
Hey, Seonghwa, you kind of look like the moon. Nine simple words that led to their confession, nine words spoken during a video shoot and then played over and over again within Seonghwa’s mind. Nine words brought them together.
”You’re so beautiful,” Hongjoong speaks honestly.
”Like the moon?”
”Just like the moon,” Hongjoong nods, “and the millions of stars, and all the galaxies within the sky.”
“Ah, you flatter me.”
”I’m simply telling you the truth.”
Seonghwa settles their foreheads together, “how did I get so lucky?”
”Oh, my love,” Hongjoong whispers, “I ask myself that question every day.”
Their lips soon join in a gentle kiss, a kiss that the both of them melt into straight away. Hongjoong’s right hand settles contently against his lover’s left cheek, and Seonghwa’s own hands rest upon either one of Hongjoong’s hips. The taller guides the taller slightly closer, and Hongjoong goes gladly.
They stay this way for a while, and then an awfully loud crash from the lounge causes them to separate. They both look towards the door, Hongjoong’s hand falling to rest upon the spot in which Seonghwa’s neck and jawline meet instead. They don’t know whether the silence is a good thing or not.
At least there are no tears. Sometimes they really do feel like the exhausted parents of six chaotic but mostly sweet boys.
Hongjoong turns back to Seonghwa, and he carefully guides the taller’s head back to its original position so that their gazes can connect once more.
Seonghwa says, “you know, I think you’ve gotten taller.”
The following words are playful, not cruelly intended at all, and they come alongside a fond roll of the eyes, “shut up.”
An amused smile appears on the face of the older of the two, but it cannot remain there for very long because Hongjoong seals their lips again. Seonghwa sighs contently, Hongjoong capturing the end of the sound within his mouth.
Their bodies melt into each other’s once more, their minds dizzy with the great love they hold for one another. Hongjoong’s right hand moves to sit against the back of Seonghwa’s head, and he encourages him impossibly closer through the action of tugging gently on the strands of his dark hair.
Seonghwa gasps quietly, and Hongjoong smirks because of course he knows what he’s just done.
”Tease,” Seonghwa mumbles, keeping a small distance between their faces.
Hongjoong’s eyebrows furrow a little. “Me? A tease? Never.”
Their gazes are burning into each other, and soon Hongjoong goes in for another kiss but Seonghwa pulls back.
”What—”
”I want to tell you something.”
Instantly, he’s worried. The warmth around them thins out to a lukewarm temperature.
”Oh?”
”It isn’t anything bad, I promise.”
”Okay,” followed by a small nod.
”It just— you gave me a really nice speech earlier, and so I want to make sure that you have one too. You mean more to me than four adjectives and a few words of how that day makes me feel.”
”Hwa,” Hongjoong says, the tension leaving his body, “you don’t have to—”
”I know,” Seonghwa nods, “but I would like to.”
Hongjoong smiles small, and he nods. He knows that whenever Seonghwa has his heart set on doing something, it’s very difficult to convince him to do something else. So he waits, and he listens.
“You have always meant a lot to me,” the taller begins, “because whenever I felt worthless, which was a lot when we first met, you were always there to remind me that I did mean something. When you told me I looked like the moon, well I didn’t really know what to think. I believed that the moon was beautiful, but that didn’t mean you were trying to imply that I was beautiful too, even though you have always told me that I am. But I did some research, you know? Before you sent me that LEGO TikTok and I came to your house. I found so many different explanations as to what that phrase meant, and they all linked back to the same thing. A secret crush, a feeling of romance, a quiet love confession.”
Hongjoong continues to listen.
”I had really hoped that’s what you were trying to tell me, and so that’s why I asked you what you meant by it when we were watching the movie together in your bed. I just— I just really needed to know whether I was being hopeful for no reason or not.”
Hongjoong whispers to him, “and you weren’t.”
”I wasn’t,” Seonghwa confirms, “I think about that moment at least once every day, you know? When you told me that the moon is beautiful. At first, I really didn’t understand what that had to do with our conversation. But then— then you told me that you thought I was beautiful, and then you told me that you loved me in the same way as your two parents love one another.”
Hongjoong remembers how nervous he’d been when saying it, how he could barely even look Seonghwa in the eye.
“It was a relief to know that our feelings were the same. It was a relief to know that someone as kind, thoughtful, patient, loving, understanding, and handsome as you felt the same romantic love as I did… and for the same amount of time too.”
Hongjoong chuckles softly, eyes quickly filling with tears. Seven years they spent pining after each other. Seven years.
”So you mean more to me than any award could as well. Our relationship is my greatest achievement too, and my greatest honour is to be your partner through everything. No matter what happens, it’s always going to be the two of us and for that, I am thankful. A lot happened this year, but the thing I am the most thankful for is us. The moment we met for the first time, I knew that there would never be anyone else who could have my heart in the way you do.”
The younger of the two cannot help the tears that fall, and his shoulders stutter as he steps forward to close the gap between them. His arms loop carefully around his boyfriend’s neck, and Seonghwa holds onto Hongjoong tightly.
”I love you,” Seonghwa tells him again, and he feels Hongjoong place a kiss to his cheek.
Hongjoong settles his forehead against the side of Seonghwa’s head. He whispers into his ear, “I love you too, beautiful, more than words could ever describe.”
Seonghwa brings his head a little to the left and instantly Hongjoong understands what he is being asked. Hongjoong’s forehead leaves Seonghwa’s body, and Seonghwa turns so that they can be face to face. He settles their foreheads together, eyes falling closed as he does so.
Hongjoong smiles small, tears still falling. His right hand settles to the back of Seonghwa’s head like it did earlier, and he detaches their foreheads so that he can kiss Seonghwa’s one.
”Don’t cry,” Seonghwa comforts him, “I did not intend to make you cry.”
”I didn’t intend to make you cry earlier but I still did,” Hongjoong sniffles.
Seonghwa lets his boyfriend go, and Hongjoong pulls back so that they’re stood opposite once more. Seonghwa carefully wipes away his lover’s tears.
”Though I meant everything I have just said,” the older begins, “I’m still very proud of you and us for what we have achieved.”
”Our awards do look very nice on display, don’t they?”
Seonghwa chuckles, and Hongjoong does too. “They do,” he nods, “especially the one that has only your name on it.”
”I really didn’t think—”
”I know,” the older says, because when Hongjoong’s name was called to accept the award, the younger immediately looked towards Seonghwa in order to check whether or not he’d heard correctly. Yunho had done the same thing with Mingi too when receiving his acting award.
Hongjoong exhales, and his eyes are drying. “I can’t wait to live another year with you.”
“I feel the same,” Seonghwa nods, bringing their hands together, “and, um, the others as well.”
Hongjoong had forgotten about them, if he is being completely honest. He realises why, and he doesn’t really know how to feel about it. ”It’s been awfully quiet in there, don’t you think?”
”It’s unsettling, isn’t it?”
”Maybe they finally decided on a movie?”
They both stare at each other, and then they chuckle because there is absolutely no way either Wooyoung or Mingi accepted defeat.
Seonghwa asks, “should we check on them?”
”I give it two minutes before they come to find us.”
There’s another thud from the lounge, followed by a loud gasp, and Hongjoong squeezes his boyfriend’s hands. “I was wrong. It’s two seconds.”
Wooyoung comes wandering in, eyes brimmed with tears, arms folded across his chest. And like a child desperate to get their sibling in trouble, he claims that, “Mingi threw the stupid tv controller at me.”
As if on queue, Mingi comes rushing in too. He looks to be more than ready to defend himself. “Whatever he said I did, he’s lying.”
Seonghwa and Hongjoong both glance down to the television controller in his hand. Their respective sets of eyebrows raise at the same exact time.
Mingi follows their gazes, and he rolls his eyes. “I only threatened to throw it at him. I didn’t actually do it.”
A small sniffle, and then, ”you did…”
”Did not!”
”You did!”
”I did not!”
”You did!”
”I didn’t, Wooyoungie, stop lying!”
Yeosang moves silently into the kitchen, snatches the television remote from Mingi’s hand, and then disappears again.
Wooyoung, flabbergasted and apparently forgetting the accusation he has just made against Mingi, questions, “did he just—”
”He did!”
”What a little shit,” Wooyoung then leaves the room too, and Mingi follows close behind. There is no more arguing. Nobody could argue with Yeosang.
Hongjoong exhales, and Seonghwa kisses his forehead. “They exhaust me.”
”Yeah, but— I mean, we wouldn’t change them for the world, would we?”
”No,” the older immediately shakes his head, “we wouldn’t.”
The two head back into the lounge themselves, and snuggle up together on their chosen sofa. The film, Tangled, starts to play on the television and when the lantern scene arrives, the rest of the band are fast asleep. Hongjoong doesn’t blame them, they’ve all been very busy recently.
Mingi and Yunho are curled up in each others arms, as are Jongho and Yeosang. Wooyoung is sleeping on top of San, both of his arms are looped around the slightly older’s right one in order to hold onto him as they dream. San’s hands are settled at the base of Wooyoung’s back.
“We won’t be at home when it becomes midnight,” Seonghwa says, slowly tilting his head upward and Hongjoong feels the action against his shoulder so he looks down.
”You’re right,” Hongjoong replies, because they leave to perform in a few hours time, “we won’t be.”
Seonghwa hums small, and then leans up to join their lips. “Happy New Year, honey.”
The younger smiles, “Happy New Year, beautiful.”