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It was the end of January.
Winter had covered the country in a blanket of snow and silence.
Taeui had always liked nights like these.
The kind where the stars shimmered brighter than usual, the world felt slow and quiet, and every breath disappeared into the air like a small cloud.
There was something comforting about it.
Maybe because nights like these reminded him of the time he went to watch a meteor shower with his family as a child.
It truly seemed like the perfect night for stargazing.
He and Ilay had been planning this little trip for a while now, and Taeui had been looking forward to it more than he wanted to admit.
But lately, he had been feeling strangely nostalgic, perhaps a little homesick.
The pain in his knee only made those feelings stronger.
“ugh…”
Taeui pressed his palm against his knee with a quiet sigh.
His body felt sluggish and heavy, and the persistent ache had drained whatever excitement he’d been carrying over the past few days.
” I want to drink something warm…”
He mumbled quietly to himself.
He turned around, intending to lie back down on the bed when suddenly the bedroom door opened.
“It’s almost time, Taei.”
Ilay entered with a subtle smile on his face.
He was already dressed against the cold.
“Ilay, I’m not sure I feel like going anymore. Could we just watch the stars from the window?”
Ilay stayed quiet for a moment.
He looked at Taeui, then glanced toward the window.
Instead of answering, he quietly walked toward the wardrobe and began taking out Taeui’s winter clothes.
“Hey… Ilay-“
“Agh, seriously… This stubborn man…”
Taeui murmured to himself as he rubbed his head.
Before he could argue any further, Ilay walked over and lifted him into his arms, carrying him over to the chair beside the wardrobe.
”Hey-?”
“Sit still.”
Taeui couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
Ilay helped Taeui out of his comfortable clothes before wrapping a heating pad around his aching knee, checking twice that it wasn’t too tight.
“….”
“We’ll be outside for a while. I don’t want your knee hurting any more than it already does.”
When Ilay finished with the bandaging, he helped Taeui change into the warm clothes he picked from the wardrobe.
One warm piece of clothing after another until Taeui was bundled up from head to toe.
By the time Ilay was finished, Taeui looked like a properly wrapped birthday present.
“Do I even have a say in this?”
“Not tonight, Taei.”
Ilay smiled softly before pressing a gentle kiss on Taeui’s cheek.
Taeui couldn’t help but also smile a little.
Satisfied with his masterpiece, Ilay lifted Taeui back into his arms as though he weighed nothing at all.
And on the way out he picked up the packed bag he had previously placed by the door over one shoulder before heading out of the room.
Being carried like this made Taeui feel like a sack of potatoes, but he had long since grown used to it.
He could feel Ilay smiling as he held him, with one hand gently wrapped around his knee.
The heat from the heating pad eased the ache, but being held by Ilay seemed to ease something much harder to name.
Taeui’s cheeks and neck flushed as he buried his face into Ilay’s chest.
.
.
.
Snow crunched softly beneath Ilay’s boots with every step.
Taeui rested quietly against him, his breath drifting into the cold night air.
The stars above them shimmered, and the constellations looked brighter than usual.
”Today really seems like a good day to watch the stars.”
”mmh.”
Ilay nodded with a small smile on his face.
They reached the car.
“Oh…”
Warm air greeted them the moment the door opened.
Ilay carefully placed Taeui into his seat before putting the bag of supplies in the back.
He must’ve turned the heater on before coming inside to “kidnap” him.
“This guy….”
Taeui smiled as he buried his face into his scarf.
.
.
.
Before leaving the warmth of the car, Ilay opened the bag and replaced the heating pad around Taeui’s knee with a fresh warm one.
Taeui sat quietly as Ilay crouched down to replace it.
His long eyelashes fluttered slightly,
his eyes lowered as he carefully wrapped the bandage around Taeui’s knee.
.
.
.
Once they got out of the car, they spread the thick blanket from the bag over the untouched snow before lying down together.
The snow beneath them felt surprisingly nice, almost like lying on a soft giant mattress.
Along with the blanket, Ilay had packed snacks, a kettle, water, tea, a lighter, extra heating pads, some coal and a book about astronomy.
"You really brought all of this?"
"You wanted to see the stars after all."
llay said as he shrugged.
Taeui ignored him, lying down on his side murmuring something as he munched on the snacks Ilay had packed.
Ilay chuckled as he crouched beside the small fire pit and started preparing the fire.
The longer Taeui looked up, the less empty the sky felt.
Faint stars appeared one after another, each sparkling brightly.
Without the city lights, they seemed endless.
The two men lay side by side quietly, watching the sky while they slowly drank the tea llay had prepared for them to enjoy.
The fire crackled quietly beside them while steam rose from their cups.
The occasional breeze through the trees and the gentle clink of porcelain made the silence feel strangely cozy.
As they finished their tea, Taeui reached for the astronomy book.
“Let’s see if we can recognise anything.”
He said with a smirk on his face.
He slowly flipped through the pages while Ilay lay down on his side, his head resting on his palm, watching Taeui be so immersed by what he was doing.
Taeui pointed toward the sky.
“Oh, isn’t that Orion?”
“Seems like it.”
“And that’s… Then where’s the rest of Ursa Major?”
“Hmmm, I don’t know.”
Ilay wasn’t really paying much attention to the world above. Just watching Taeui slowly brighten was enough. Every time Taeui spotted another constellation, the excitement in his voice made the cold night feel warmer.
Every now and then, Taeui continued searching through the pages, matching constellations with the stars above, while time passed by quickly.
.
.
.
Eventually Taeui sighed and closed the astronomy book, placing it beside him.
The two men lay on their backs next to each other, relaxing beneath the winter sky.
Ilay was still facing Taeui, his head resting on his hands while Taeui was on his back.
After a while, Taeui quietly spoke.
“You know…”
“mmh?”
Ilay silently looked towards Taeui, softly stroking the hair near his ear.
“When I was little, I once went to see a meteor shower with my family.
But I was the only one who didn’t get to see it in the end because I fell asleep….”
A quiet laugh escaped him as he talked.
“…But I ended up seeing one when I was in the military.”
A small smile lingered on Taeui’s face as he remembered.
“…”
Taeui blinked, a small smile remaining on his face as he glanced at Ilay.
“What I mean is… The meteor shower was beautiful, but the starry sky I saw as a child was even more beautiful…”
Taeui’s smile spread.
“Today’s sky is just as beautiful.”
“…”
Ilay looked at him in silence, kissing his forehead as he held him closer.
"You seem tired..."
Taeui whispered as they both shared some tender kisses. Both of them cupping each other’s faces.
"Mmh, I am a little. …I think I'll rest my eyes for a few minutes."
“Okay.”
Taeui said as he gently stroked his face.
Ilay really had woken up much earlier than usual today.
.
.
.
.
The warmth of the fire mixed with the crisp winter air was surprisingly relaxing.
It made Taeui feel a bit drowsy as well.
*Yawn*
“Ummm…. I don’t know if we should actually sleep out here…”
Taeui thought to himself as his eyelids grew heavier.
He glanced at Ilay one last time before deciding to close his eyes.
.
.
.
.
.
Taeui’s dark eyelashes fluttered.
The soft crackling of the fire was the first thing he heard.
When he opened his eyes, he found Ilay sleeping beside him.
“Oh right, we’re outside…”
Taeui groaned, rubbing his face before glancing at Ilay.
Even in sleep, he slept as still as a statue.
Taeui quietly looked at his face.
His pale eyelashes rested against his cheeks, almost translucent in the firelight.
“You really were tired…”
Taeui murmured to himself as he pulled the blanket a little higher over Ilay’s shoulder before continuing to stare at him.
Taeui’s fingertips traced gently across Ilay’s reddened cheeks, down to his sharp chin and across his jaw.
Lastly, he slid his finger down the bridge of his nose.
“…His nose is really high and straight.”
Taeui murmured to himself.
He brushed a few loose strands of white hair away from Ilay’s forehead to continue studying his face.
“…He really is handsome, but…”
His gaze slowly drifted to the hands Ilay was resting on.
“But not as beautiful as these hands.”
Taeui chuckled.
Taeui gently lifted Ilay’s right hand, pulling his glove off, and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it.
They were warm despite the cold around them.
At that moment, Ilay smiled without opening his eyes.
“Mmh… come here.”
He nuzzled closer until his forehead rested against Taeui’s chest, pulling him even closer.
He pressed a sleepy soft kiss on Taeui's cheek. Then another at the tip of his nose, and another against his forehead before finally opening his eyes.
”…Taei.”
”mmh?”
"…I’m sleepy, should we head home?”
He said with a hoarse voice.
"Sure.”
Taeui said as he held the man in his arms, pulling him closer for another quiet moment before the two of them shared a few more tender kisses.
They packed everything away before they started walking back toward the car.
“…”
Taeui looked up at the stars one last time, smiling.
His homesickness hadn’t disappeared.
But somehow it no longer felt as heavy, at least for tonight.
Without realizing when it happened, Ilay had quietly become the place Taeui called home.