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The sunlight toned the room into a soft tint, shining through the curtains and slowly waking the two bodies, cuddled up under a thick warm blanket. Outside, the birds started singing and the weather indicated that spring was slowly but surely coming. While the cherry blossoms started blooming, the faint noise of cars driving around the neighbourhood and the silent laughters of children running around on the playground filled the air, a sudden movement against Keonho’s chest made the boy shift.
He turned his head to the side, readjusting to fall back to sleep only to softly bump against something soft and warm. He finally cracked one eye open, followed by the second one and instantly relaxed back into his pillow when he saw what kept on brushing against him.
Seonghyeon was lying next to him, his head resting on Keonho’s arm, making it impossible for the boy to move without waking him up. His hand was placed on Keonho’s chest, which was rising and sinking in a slow, deliberate rhythm.
The sunlight fell directly onto the boy’s face and hair, highlighting his dark lashes and those rosy tinted cheeks. Seonghyeon’s hair shone golden brown under the subtle sun and Keonho couldn’t help but let out a sleepy chuckle, watching Seonghyeon’s fox ears twitch with every tiny noise coming from the outside world. His ears were sensitive. Sometimes it was hard for him to go out, because the noise overload of crowded places made him feel overwhelmed very quickly.
But right here, in their personal little world, consisting of just the two of them in this room, Seonghyeon felt safe and calm in a way only Keonho could make him feel.
The low noise coming from the boy made Seonghyeon slowly open his eyes. He blinked against the morning sun a few times before his sight became clear.
He groaned against the harsh light and furrowed his eyebrows in an annoyed way that made Keonho chuckle once more, a bit louder this time. His breath caught mid laugh when Seonghyeon shifted in his position, moving closer than he already was. His face buried in Keonho’s shirt and his arm now wrapped around him entirely. The boy dug his head harder against Keonho’s chest, making his hair all messy.
Keonho just straight up started laughing quietly, wrapping one arm around his shoulder. After Seonghyeon stopped with his daily morning “head-digging” session, he looked up to meet the boy's eyes, the fond gaze unmistakably displayed in his iris.
Keonho carefully brushed the boy’s messy hair out of his face and for a moment he just admired his incredibly soft looking boyfriend right after waking up on a Saturday morning.
Keonho’s fingers lingered a little longer around Seonghyeon's fox ears. He adored his foxy features and his absolute favourite must be his pointy, dark orange and brown coloured fur, covering his ears.
Seonghyeon caught Keonho shifting his entire attention on his ears. They twitched, backing off from the contact of his fingers.
“What about looking me in the eyes and wishing me a good morning first before you go straight into playing with my ears?” he complained, Seonghyeon’s voice getting more grumpy with every word he spoke.
Keonho only smiled, lowering his hand to gently brush over Seonghyeon’s cheek.
“Good morning, my one and only fox,” he replied, the mocking tone clearly intentional.
Seonghyeon only rolled his eyes and with a sudden rush of energy he freed himself from Keonho’s grip and stumbled out of bed. Keonho was left in disbelief but he grinned, letting his head fall back down and taking a deep breath before finally swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He stretched his arms out, letting out a loud groan and automatically followed Seonghyeon into the kitchen.
The other was already opening one of the drawers and pulled out a large bowl. Keonho stopped by the doorframe and watched as Seonghyeon was now collecting bananas and flour, placing all of it in the middle of the kitchen table.
“What are you trying to do?” Keonho asked, the sleepiness still clinging to his voice. As he dragged himself across the room, Seonghyeon didn’t seem to turn around to him. When Keonho finally stood next to him and looked over his shoulder he spotted an open book with the title banana pancakes.
“Banana pancakes?” Keonho read out loud, looking at Seonghyeon with confusion written all over his face.
“Hey,” Keonho said, bumping his shoulder against Seonghyeon’s to get his attention, “answer me.”
Seonghyeon finally turned his head to face Keonho directly, smiling brightly.
"Correct! We are making banana pancakes,” he responded, walking past Keonho to search for a large spoon.
“Now?” Keonho asked, spotting the spoon Seonghyeon was looking for and holding it up like a trophy.
"Yup and you’re helping me!” the boy replied, already measuring the needed amount of flour on a scale.
“Seonghyeon, I really would love to but-” he started, but was interrupted when Keonho's phone started ringing, the loud sound echoing all the way from the bedroom to the kitchen. Keonho quickly rushed out of the kitchen and almost let his phone hit the ground trying to see who was calling.
incoming call from james hyung ;p…
That’s what Keonho wanted to tell Seonghyeon since last night but the boy had fallen asleep in his arms earlier than usual and Keonho didn’t want to wake him up just to tell him he was going out with James and Martin. They had discovered this new vintage flea market a while ago and today they finally wanted to check it out.
Keonho picked up.
“Bro, we’re outside. Are you coming down?” James asked through the phone. Keonho could hear Martin in the background talking to someone, whose voice sounded very familiar.
“I’m almost ready. Give me 5 minutes,” Keonho replied, already grabbing the first pair of pants he spotted by the end of the bed, “is Juhoon coming too?”
“Yeah, he decided to come along just ten minutes ago. Maybe Seonghyeon wants to join too?”
Keonho turned around, running back to the kitchen where Seonghyeon was focused on stirring the dough for the pancakes. As soon as Keonho entered the kitchen again, Seonghyeon looked up and immediately saw Keonho’s phone in his hand.
“I’m going to the vintage flea market with James and Martin. Juhoon decided to tag along as well, do you want to come too? It would be fun,” Keonho asked, hope and guilt mixed in his words. He had totally forgotten to tell Seonghyeon about his plans.
Seonghyeon slowly lowered the whisk, looking at his boyfriend with something that Keonho couldn’t quite read.
“Oh.”
“Hurry up,” James echoed through Keonho’s phone before hanging up.
Seonghyeon looked at the boy, still in his pyjama shirt and without socks. Keonho was visibly waiting for a response but Seonghyeon couldn’t quite describe the oddly heavy pressure on his shoulders. It was supposed to be a calm and simple morning. Seonghyeon didn’t know Keonho had plans already.
“Why didn’t you tell me? That you had plans?” Seonghyeon carefully asked, his voice stable but quiet.
“I’m sorry, okay? I completely forgot,” Keonho came closer now, trying to get Seonghyeon to look at him, which didn’t quite work.
When Keonho stood beside him, Seonghyeon focused back on the dough as if it was his duty to bake these pancakes now.
“I’ll be back soon and then we can spend the rest of the day together, alright?”
Seonghyeon didn’t say anything and just forced himself to at least nod. Keonho relaxed a bit and brushed his hand through Seonghyeon’s hair once more before he ran back to the bedroom to get dressed. Seonghyeon could hear the sound of water running in the bathroom and Keonho’s heavy steps while searching for his belongings. Seonghyeon took a glance out of the kitchen to see Keonho with his bag swung across his shoulder while putting on his sneakers.
“You sure you don’t want to come with us?” Keonho suddenly asked, turning to face Seonghyeon leaning against the kitchen door.
Seonghyeon quickly dogged Keonho’s stare by suddenly being very interested in the plants placed by the window. He shook his head silently, still refusing to look at Keonho. Instead he headed back to the kitchen where he had left the dough on the table. He pulled out a suitable pan and turned the stove on. Right when was about to pour some oil into the heated pan, Keonho shouted his goodbye from the hallway.
“Leave me some pancakes! Love you, bye!”
The door closed with a loud dump, sounding way louder in the now empty apartment.
Seonghyeon didn’t even notice the way his ears immediately lowered until they were practically hanging all the way down. He let out a long sigh he had kept in for way too long.
The pressure he had felt ever since Keonho’s phone had struck through the quiet peace of today’s morning turned into something heavier. Longing.
It was somehow a lot more embarrassing than Seonghyeon wanted to admit. Yeah, Keonho did love the boy’s fox ears more than anything else and Seonghyeon would never tell him how much he actually liked the feeling of his hands brushing through Seonghyeon’s hair, his fingers lingering right behind his ear and patting him gently.
He slowly poured a large and thick amount of dough into the pan, the oil sizzling sharply and the heat toning the pancake in a nice looking brown colour.
Seonghyeon’s tail hung low as well, clearly displaying that the boy was feeling down. And all just because Keonho wanted to go out with the others rather than to spend a quiet and cozy morning with him.
He hadn’t even given him his usual “goodbye-pat” before leaving, which he always did. And because Keonho was usually late and rushed out of the apartment almost everyday, he normally didn’t see the faint blush spreading across Seonghyeon’s cheeks. Keonho would probably only tease him about it, but right now he just left Seonghyeon alone with his pancakes.
The boy groaned as he flipped the pancake and realized he had basically burned it. What a great way to start the day.
Seonghyeon finished his breakfast while watching one of his favourite series around 10 a.m. and even after he had completed the most annoying part, doing the dishes, he kept his ears and tail low.
After Seonghyeon had almost hit the one hour mark of being alone in their apartment, he decided to distract himself by cleaning up the whole place. Starting with his wardrobe, which was in urgent need of a clean up.
The distraction seemed to help at first but the longer Seonghyeon spent time organising his clothes, putting dirty socks in the laundry and changing the sheets, his thoughts kept going back to Keonho. The boy grabbed the pillows and neatly adjusted them, when the memory of how Keonho had looked at him when Seonghyeon woke up came to his mind.
That stupid, jolly smile of Keonho that always made butterflies erupt in Seonghyeon’s stomach was making him blush, even now when his boyfriend wasn’t even here. That sudden realization made Seonghyeon’s waggy tail lower itself immediately and his ears, which had temporarily gone up, sunk back and hung low again.
Seonhyeon didn’t stop at the bedroom, but instead continued his clean up program in the bathroom. He did the laundry, threw away empty lotion bottles and folded the dried towels before arranging them into the small shelf.
“Why don’t you come back…” Seonghyeon mumbled into the silence, except for the faint buzzing of the washing machine.
Seonghyeon was so immersed in his clean up project that he forgot to think about eating lunch entirely. But he wasn’t hungry anyway so instead of taking a break he kept on organising only for him to realise he had nothing to clean up anymore.
Seonghyeon grabbed one of the leftover pancakes that still tasted good even after turning cold and sat down on the couch. They weren’t tasteless at all but more like something was missing. The warmth that was usually mixed with the sweetness made Seonghyeon’s chest feel weirdly tight. Why was the pancake reminding him of Keonho?
Where was the boy anyway?
Seonghyeon searched for his phone and unlocked it for the first time today but there was no notification from Keonho or the others. They probably went somewhere to eat together and despite Seonghyeon fully understanding that Keonho was just having a good time, it wouldn’t ease the feeling inside of him, making the boy feel small and unseen.
It was Saturday after all, the week had been tough and yesterday Seonghyeon had felt particularly overwhelmed. The only place he felt safe in after being stressed out over the crowded bus he took on his way home was Keonho’s arms. He had come home later than usual, because of the crowded traffic on the streets and once he was home Seonghyeon had taken off his jacket and shoes with growing impatience.
Keonho knew what the boy needed the most on days like these, personal space. And so Keonho had let Seonghyeon walk past him and watched him go straight into their bedroom. While Keonho had prepared dinner, Seonghyeon had changed from his street clothes into a comfy pair of pants and an oversized black shirt. After a while the boy had slowly stepped into the kitchen, visibly more relaxed and definitely calmer now, approaching the stove where Keonho was standing.
Before Seonghyeon even had the chance to greet him properly, Keonho had already wrapped his arms around the other’s waist and pulled him closer. Seonghyeon let himself be held and buried his face in Keonho’s neck, inhaling the soft scent of freshly washed clothes. Later that night when they were both curled up on the bed, Keonho had given him an extra long session of pats. His fingers had gently scratched behind the boy’s ears, making him fall asleep immediately.
Now Seonghyeon took a deep breath but the familiar scent of Keonho wasn’t there at the moment. He looked at the screen and realized how late it had gotten, it was already past 4 p.m.
As if Keonho had heard him from miles away, the sudden sound of the door cracking open made Seonghyeon freeze. Keonho stepped into the apartment, keys rattling as he locked the door behind him and took off his shoes. After he hung up his jacket, he headed towards the living room where he spotted Seonghyeon sitting on the couch.
Seonghyeon met his eyes but quickly turned away even when Keonho stepped closer.
“Hey, babe,” he greeted, his voice innocently joyful. Too happy in contrast to the boy he had let sit alone and do the laundry.
Seonghyeon still refused to look at him and by now Keonho had figured something was wrong. He sat down next to him, turning his body so he could face Seonghyeon directly. At the sight of Seonghyeon’s pouty face, Keonho simply let out a subtle laugh.
Seonghyeon snapped his head in the boy’s direction, looking at him sharply.
“You seem very happy for someone who let their boyfriend rot at home after running out of the apartment this morning to hang out with some friends,” he stated, crossing his arms in front of his chest. His eyebrows were furrowed and his attempt to look angry only made the grin on Keonho’s face grow wider.
“Rot? ” Keonho repeated, “was it that bad? Did you miss me that much?”
Keonho was teasing Seonghyeon and he adored every small reaction of the other.
“You suck,” Seonghyeon mumbled and all though he was sure it was quiet enough for Keonho to not catch it, the silent sound coming from Keonho made Seonghyeon’s ears go up within seconds.
He looked up now and blinked at the boy sitting in front of him, hiding his laugh behind his hand. Despite Seonghyeon’s stubbornness, he couldn't help but feel relaxed and at peace seeing him all smiley.
“Seriously?” he deadpanned, trying to keep looking mad but failing miserably.
“Sorry,” Keonho finally answered after he had calmed down, “you’re just way too adorable when you want attention and try not to make it obvious.”
Seonghyeon was actually speechless. Before he even felt the embarrassment washing all over him, the tip of his ears had already gone bright pink. The boy quickly wrapped his arms around his knees and tried to hide his face as best as possible. His cheeks bloomed from behind his arms even though he avoided looking at Keonho entirely. He had been shamelessly exposed and he couldn’t help but realize how true it was.
“Well, I’m sorry for leaving you alone this whole time but now I’m here and we can do whatever you want. Just the two of us,” Keonho continued, shifting closer to the curled up fox next to him.
“Who says I’m still up to do anything with you? You left me just like that. It was supposed to be our cozy morning…,” Seonghyeon replied quietly, slowly turning his face to Keonho who seemed like a puppy who was actually feeling guilty and trying to make up for his mistakes.
“Your tail,” Keonho simply said, looking past Seonghyeon who tilted his head in confusion. When he followed Keonho’s eyes he finally realized what he meant and another wave of embarrassment overcame him.
His tail was hanging over the edge of the couch and wagging in excitement. The movement made a scratching sound against the carpet and Keonho let out a low chuckle, enjoying the way he could easily read his boyfriend like an open book.
Foxes would use their body language to communicate how they were feeling and even though Seonghyeon was only half fox, his emotions were still displayed through his ears and his tail.
“I’m sorry, okay? Come here,” Keonho shifted closer to the fox, forcing him to look up. It didn’t take much effort for Keonho to make Seonghyeon rest against his shoulder, even though he did let out a small groan of annoyance.
The familiar position, Seonghyeon leaning against Keonho and Keonho wrapping his arms around the boy’s shoulder, was slowly but surely soothing the tight bundle of whatever had settled in Seonghyeon’s chest.
“Actually,” Keonho mentioned and carefully freed himself from the comfy position, gaining a pouty glance from Seonghyeon, to rush back to the hallway where he had left his bag.
Seonghyeon’s ears had begun to lower themselves again but when he saw Keonho coming back only seconds later with a small bag in his hand, his ears went back up.
“What’s that?” he asked, straightening his back in curiosity.
The boy sat back down next to him and placed the tiny package, not bigger than a fist, in his lap. Seonghyeon stared down at it and blinked confusedly at Keonho.
“For you,” Keonho calmly answered, placing his arm around Seonghyeon’s shoulder, “open it.”
Seonghyeon didn’t hesitate to carefully unwrap the neatly folded paper only to reveal a shiny silver ring with a beautiful pattern engraved on the very top of the metal. His hands froze mid motion and his eyes widened at the sight of the piece of jewelry resting in his lap.
“You like it?” Keonho quietly asked, leaning in to take a closer look at the accessory.
Seonghyeon didn’t respond right away but simply turned the delicate piece of metal in his hands instead. After looking at it from different angles, the boy carefully slid it over his index finger and stretched his hand out to admire the way it fitted perfectly.
The boys were sitting next to each other, shoulders brushing and Keonho’s arm still resting around Seonghyeon’s shoulder. Keonho was still looking at the boy, waiting for him to say something. He was trying to read his emotions based on his ears but they didn’t hang low nor were they pointing upwards. Did he like the gift or did he maybe pick the wrong size?
While Keonho was trying to read Seonghyeon’s emotions, the boy’s facial expression changed into a deepening pout. The way his bottom lip stuck out made something in Keonho’s chest feel oddly tight.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like it?” Keonho quickly intervened, starting to panic slightly, “we can bring it back and you can pick out something different or-”
Keonho was listing various options for Seonghyeon to choose from in case had upset him in any way but the boy didn’t even get to finish because he was interrupted by Seonghyeon’s sudden shift.
Moments before, Seonghyeon was calmly sitting next to him and only a second later he had swung one leg over the boy’s lap and had practically thrown himself at Keonho.
The other didn’t even know how to react at first. The way his boyfriend had just settled in his lap, resting chest to chest against him felt somehow comforting. Like a reminder of how much they trusted each other.
Seonghyeon’s face buried in Keonho’s shoulder, his arms wrapped tightly around Keonho’s neck, and for a while the warm breath against his neck was the only thing Keonho could focus on. The boy reacted by wrapping his arms around Seonghyeon’s waist, holding him like he could slip through his fingers at any time. No sobbing, no laughing, just…peace.
A few minutes passed before Seonghyeon startled Keonho a second time by slowly lifting his head. His eyes met Keonho’s and the subtle fondness in his iris was unmistakable.
“It’s perfect…Thank you,” he quietly mumbled, before digging his face back into the crook of his boyfriend’s neck.
A satisfied laugh escaped Keonho because he spotted Seonghyeon’s tail wagging left and right at a speed that made Keonho feel dizzy after following its movements for too long.
“So, did I pick the right one?” he asked, just to be sure.
Seonghyeon lifted his head immediately, a bright smile spreading across his face. He nodded in excitement and impulsively placed a quick, delicate kiss to the boy’s cheek. He hid his shyness by snuggling his head against Keonho’s shoulder again and hugged him a bit tighter.
By now, Keonho was smiling like an idiot. God, how cute his boyfriend was.
As the cherry on top, Keonho lifted his arm and gently began to brush through Seonghyeon’s hair the way he secretly liked it. At the tip of his fox ears he could feel the fur twitching at the contact at first and the boy started to pat his boyfriend's head with care. After a long session filled with pats and brushes, Seonghyeon’s tail had calmed down and was now slightly waving from left to right.
Keonho’s fingers slowed down and lingered just a moment longer behind Seonghyeon’s fox ears. He gently scratched a certain spot and Keonho couldn’t help but chuckle at the immediate reaction. The fox’s ears twitched and a shiver ran down Seonghyeon’s spine, ending in his tail which started wagging like crazy.
“You like that?” Keonho asked, scratching just enough to see Seongyheon’s tail speed up.
By the third time scratching the same spot, Seonghyeon only protested with a weak slap against his boyfriend’s chest. Nevertheless a laugh escaped his lips because both knew Keonho was right. Seonghyeon absolutely loved it and his non-stop wagging tail was proof enough.
And just like that the two of them kept staying in each other’s arms, enjoying the silence filled with warmth and trust. Keonho finally realized how much Seonghyeon actually adored his daily dose of cuddles. Oftentimes Keonho felt like he enjoyed it a lot more but it turned out that Seonghyeon liked it just as much as he did. Because even though he knew that Seongyheon would never admit it, Keonho had caught him blushing whenever he gave him his goodbye-pat and that alone made something close to pride bloom in his chest.
The realization made Keonho genuinely smile. He loved Seonghyeon with his whole heart and from now on he promised to himself to give his boyfriend the double dose of daily pats if it meant for Seonghyeon to be as joyful as he was right now.
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