2.

jiwon loves it when he wakes up to kisses littering his face, jinhwan's lips curved into a fond smile, fringe falling down to tickle jiwon's forehead as he hovers above jiwon, leaning down to peck his eyelids, his nose, and the corner of his lips, breath fresh because jinhwan's already been to the bathroom and back. but jiwon loves it even more when, like today, he's the first to awake, opening his eyes blearily only to see jinhwan, eyelashes fluttering and pink lips slightly parted as he breathes in and out softly. jiwon doesn't make any movement, afraid that he might disturb jinhwan, only lying on the bed as he continues gazing at jinhwan's beautiful features. he lets out a puff of air then, chuckling silently when jinhwan wrinkles his nose, face scrunching up, and whether it's from the disturbance or jiwon's morning breath, he doesn't know, it's still cute anyway. he presses closer when he sees jinhwan stirring, planting a long, deep kiss on jinhwan's lips, wondering whether he should be offended or thoroughly endeared when jinhwan scrunches up his face again, mumbling a "smelly..." drowsily as he smacks jiwon's face and turns away from him, pulling the blankets closer to him.

"jinhwannie, wake up."

"hyung."

"jinhwannie-hyung!"

as the last resort, jiwon rolls over to lie beside jinhwan, and the tickle attack begins. jinhwan squirms and twists, grunts and groans escaping his mouth, his eyes is shut though he's obviously not asleep anymore, while jiwon's fingers jabs at jinhwan's waist, and jiwon knows he has won when jinhwan lets out a whine and a resigned "okay, okay. stop!". heaving a sigh, jinhwan sits up and looks down to shoot a mock glare at jiwon, pouting prettily in an attempt to show his displeasure. but of course, jiwon just grins because jinhwan's attractiveness just shot up tenfold, and jiwon can't help the adoration spreading in his heart.

"breakfast outside?"

jinhwan asks once he's freshened up, smelling of baby powder and lavender, flopping himself onto jiwon, who's still lying on the bed using his phone, and jiwon responds with an "omph." and cry of pain mixed together when the impact causes jiwon to drop his phone right onto his face. but jinhwan just smiles as he rests his chin on jiwon's chest, eyes bright as he waits for jiwon's answer. and jiwon pretends to think while rubbing the sore spot where his phone hit him. "let's go to our cafe." was the reply as jiwon pokes jinhwan's nose lightly, before jinhwan slides away from the bed to change his clothes, poking at jiwon to tell him to wash up too.

the cafe they termed as their own, is a bus stop away, it's been awhile since jiwon boarded the bus with jinhwan, and it's makes him ridiculously happy to be doing something so normal like taking the bus with jinhwan, when most days it's jiwon in the bus or train alone, with only his music for company. the bus ride's short, with jiwon and jinhwan giving away their seats to an elderly couple, with jinhwan clutching at jiwon's jacket to keep himself from falling, and jiwon thinks it's funny how such simple things in life makes him so warm inside.

"i'll go order, hyung. the usual?"

"the usual."

jinhwan confirms before heading off to find a seat as jiwon walks towards the counter. once jiwon places their orders, he looks around the cafe to find jinhwan, only to receive a little wave as jinhwan catches his eyes, tucked in the cozy corner of the cafe, jiwon sends back an okay sign before jinhwan settles himself comfortably in his seat and takes out his phone, scrolling away as he waits for jiwon to arrive. their orders come fairly quickly, and when jiwon walks towards jinhwan with their breakfast in his hands, it's safe to say that he's not pleased to see the back of a tall stranger standing over jinhwan.

"excuse me, is this seat taken?"

"sorry-"

"yes."

jiwon cuts off jinhwan's polite reply with a curt one, and though the smile on jiwon's face is seemingly amiable when the stranger turns around to face him, he's quite sure the stranger recognises the warning in his eyes, a strong and clear one that says "back off.". and jiwon's absolutely certain of it when the stranger mutters a flustered apology with a red face, before rushing off to the opposite end of the cafe where empty seats welcome him. and the raised eyebrows from jinhwan is quickly replaced with a delighted expression when jiwon sets down the tray on the table, and jinhwan has already grabbed his sandwich before jiwon even sat down.

"cheers!"

jinhwan's half-eaten sandwich meets jiwon's complete one, before jiwon starts gobbling down his breakfast as well, only pausing when jinhwan reaches out a thumb to wipe away the mayonnaise smeared on jiwon's upper lip, but it's all for naught when the mayonnaise once again appears on jiwon's lip, eliciting a fond laugh from jinhwan. and their breakfast date comes to an end as the two talk and tease, listening to endless stories and made-up dreams, their drinks, iced americano for jiwon and an iced latte for jinhwan, sitting on the table, but it doesn't really matter when they end up sipping the other's drink as well.

1.

jiwon's looking forward to jinhwan's home-cooked dinner, to complain to jinhwan about how his class of brats again, to listen to jinhwan's laughs and see his smiles under the warm glow of their lamp, so a feeling akin to dread fills him when jiwon sees two missed calls and a voicemail left by jinhwan.

"hey jiwon-ah, i won't be able to make dinner today, sorry. one of the puppies is sick and i'm the only one available, so i need to take care of it.
mrs kwon's stuck out of town so she can't make it back by today to take over. i probably won't be coming home early too so you don't have to wait up yea? sorry again, rest well tonight, love you."

hearing jinhwan's voice, though a little frenzied, lifts the weight off jiwon's heart, and he breathes a sigh of relief, the unknown black fear of jinhwan being hurt or in danger dispersing as he replays jinhwan's message, if only to hear jinhwan's "love you" once more.

and that's how jiwon arrives at the apartment, turning the keys and pushing the door open to be greeted with a silent and dark room, without the light from the kitchen fading in, without the low buzz of the radio or television, without a warm body somewhere in the apartment, just like how it was before jinhwan moved in and jiwon can't help but sigh heavily. he trudges towards his room to take a shower, before finally entering the kitchen as he searches through the cupboard, finding the ever-delicious ramyun packets stacked up high. he misses jinhwan terribly. jiwon finishes his dinner in silence, save for the voices coming from the television, but jiwon doesn't really hear what they are saying, he just needs some voice around the house. it takes him back to the time when he first came to korea, when he was alone, tired and lonely, he'd turn on the television then too, trying to imagine himself being back in the warmth of his home, watching the shows with his family, nonetheless, it was all just an imagination.

jiwon just sits on the couch blankly after he washes the cutleries, and he feels a little lost. what was it that he usually do after dinner? besides spending time with jinhwan, what does he do? he could prepare for tomorrow's lesson, but the main focus is to help his students for their performance, so there's nothing really to prepare for. he could play some games, but what's the use of it when there's no one to play with? sighing, jiwon fiddles with his phone, and wonders if jinhwan will be too busy to answer his call. still, the aching in his heart prompts him to press the little call button next to jinhwan's name on his phone. it's ridiculous, how he's holding his breath while waiting for jinhwan to pick up, hope filling his heart, but the happiness he feels soaring in his heart when the call gets through on the fifth ring is indescribable.

"jiwon? is everything alright? why are you calling me?"

"jinhwan-hyung... yes, everything's alright. i just...i miss you."

"oh silly boy. you had me worried for a moment there. have you eaten yet?"

"mmhmm, what about you, hyung?"

"not quite, i've just been eating some snacks here at the shop. i can't really leave the puppy alone. but don't worry about me, jiwon-ah."

"mmkay hyung. take care okay? i'll see you soon."

"yep, go get some rest. i miss you too, jiwon-ah, goodnight."

and jiwon ends the call after whispering a "goodnight, jinhwan-hyung.", before he rushes into his room to change, grabs his wallet, keys and jacket, and heads out of his apartment again, never mind the fact that he has already showered. he drops by a nearby chicken shop, orders a set enough for one, and heads on his way towards jinhwan's pet shop. and a few minutes after, he has reached the pet shop and a message to jinhwan sees him entering the shop through the back door, a bewildered jinhwan following behind him.

"what-"

"i bought you food, hyung!"

jiwon says, his hand lifting up the black plastic bag with the chicken, and a soft loving smile appears on jiwon's face when jinhwan's tired face lights up with a bright smile, a smile that so easily fills the emptiness in his heart. he lets jinhwan guide him to the pantry of the shop, taking care to not let the shop's pet dog, bap, enter the pantry. and jiwon watches as jinhwan eat, his lips as they close around the chopsticks, his puffed out mouth as jinhwan stuffs himself, his look of utter delight as he munches on his food. jiwon catches the little happy sigh escaping from jinhwan's lips, and jiwon feels proud when the chicken's polished off, with a satisfied jinhwan smiling next to him. but, jiwon feels a slight sense of regret, regret that he's not able to cook something for jinhwan when jinhwan has always been the one who cooks even before they got together. and jiwon promises himself that one day, he's going to make a special meal for jinhwan.

it's when jiwon opens his mouth to ask about what's wrong with the puppy that jinhwan says is sick, that both of them hear a heart-wrenching whine. jinhwan's out of the room in the next second, the precious smile on his face erased, giving way to a worried frown. jiwon's just about to follow jinhwan when bap pads into the pantry, before scrambling up the chair jinhwan has vacated, trying to get a bite of the leftover chicken bones. jiwon immediately pulls bap away, crying out "no, no, no, no!" as he struggles with bap's weight, he sure has grown a lot since the first time jiwon saw him. but now bap's giving him his puppy look, and jiwon almost gives in before he makes up his mind, packs up the food and bundles it tightly to throw away, which only led to bap giving him the cold treatment when jiwon does throw out the rubbish. and it's a strange sight which greets jinhwan when he finds them, jiwon desperately trying to get bap's attention with the dog turning away unyieldingly.

"hyung help! bap's ignoring me!"

jiwon pleads, flinging himself onto jinhwan once he catches sight of him, looking utterly devastated and jinhwan can only laugh, shaking his head as he moves to help jiwon by fetching bap's favourite toy. bap's instantly attracted to his toy, now in jiwon's hands, and it seems as though he has forgotten all about jiwon and his betrayal, so to speak, delighting jiwon to no end. he plays with bap for a few more moments, trying to teach bap new tricks when he looks up, only to find jinhwan resting his head on his arms, folded on the table, eyelids shut, his body rising and falling as he breathes in and out. he figures the sick puppy must be in a better condition now, judging by the way jinhwan has let down his guard, as he shushes bap and shoos him back towards his kennel. jiwon watches as bap paces around in circles endearingly, before settling down, all curled up and ready to sleep, then leaves to go back to jinhwan.

he lifts jinhwan up as gently as he can, taking care not to jostle jinhwan in his sleep as he shifts jinhwan onto the couch, and it goes to show how tired jinhwan must have been to only stir once while being moved. jinhwan fits nicely onto the three-seater couch, and jiwon wants to lie down by jinhwan so much, or better yet, take him back home for him to sleep on a proper bed curled up in jiwon's arms. but jiwon knows that jinhwan will probably kill him for that, leaving behind a just recovered puppy at the shop. so he crouches down, his eyes in line with jinhwan's face, and fixes jinhwan's fringe lightly, the black strands of hair contrasting greatly with the pale skin of jinhwan. jiwon presses a loving kiss on jinhwan's forehead then, before making his way out of the shop to get back to his apartment. but a look back at jinhwan causes jiwon to retrace his steps, shrug off his jacket to cover jinhwan's torso, and he's gone through the back door, thanking mrs kwon silently for installing an auto-lock door as he walks back to his apartment, streetlights highlighting his single presence under the dark sky.

his bed feels just a little too big for him that night.

but, jiwon thinks it's okay come next morning, when the next thing he sees after turning off the alarm on his phone is a photo sent by jinhwan, jinhwan with his hair mused, lips puckered, eyes curved, with the caption of "good morning.", and jiwon's just about to reply when he receives another notification. beep. a photo of jinhwan again winking at him, "miss me?". beep. a photo of bap sleeping, "what did you do with him? he won't wake up!". beep. a photo of jinhwan sticking out his tongue while mrs kwon smiles next to him, "mrs kwon sends her love too.". beep. a video of jinhwan waving at him, smiling angelically, saying "have fun at school today, love you!"

record.

"jinhwan-hyung! i love you too!"

send. 

0.

"mr kim! your boyfriend is here."

and jiwon, along with the rest of the class, boys and girls alike, turns his head to look out of the window to find jinhwan standing outside with his eyes wide, before his expression turns to one of embarrassment, waving his hand shyly at the onslaught of at least twenty pairs of eyes now focused on him. a student jumps out of his seat to head towards the door to welcome jinhwan in, but of course jiwon's there by the time he even took a second step.

"hey hyung."

jiwon starts, voice warm, barely containing the surprise and delight he feels swirling in his chest, but a series of loud coos and giggles sounds from his back, and jiwon feels like kicking all of his students out of class that instant. jinhwan beams up at him in greeting, eyes unbearably soft as he laughs lightly at the antics of jiwon's students. he lifts up the plastic bags he's holding, and jiwon's eyes light up as his stomach rumbles in approval.

"hello, i brought lunch, when's your break?"

"break is now!"

"but mr kim! didn't you say it'll be at one-thirty?"

"early break, whatever. shoo, just come back in two hours or so."

"two hours?!"

"yeah! mr kim you rock!"

and his students stream out of the classroom, bubbling and re-energised by the sudden long break jiwon offered, amidst choruses of "hi jinhwan-oppa!", "jinhwan-hyung!", "we'll see you later jinhwan-hyung!", with jinhwan waving sweetly as he stands by the door, watching the students go pass him. the quietness sets in after the students leave for the canteen, leaving jinhwan and jiwon alone in his classroom, and jiwon's arms immediately goes around jinhwan's shoulders, guiding him to a table to set out the food. he'd better make use of the two hours he has with jinhwan before his students swamp around jinhwan after their break, as per previous experiences.

"kimbap, tteokbokki, odaeng, are these okay?"

"anything's okay!"

anything's okay if it's brought, cooked, bought by jinhwan, as long as jiwon gets to spend time with jinhwan, anything's fine, it's not every day he gets to spend lunchtime with jinhwan afterall. and jiwon finds out jinhwan's dismissed early, having been given the day, as well as the rest of the week, off by mrs kwon as insisted by the lady. jinhwan pouts as he says this, and jiwon can practically see jinhwan's mind drifting off to the pets back at the store, so he flicks jinhwan's forehead, reminding him that he should be resting or taking a break from the pet shop. but jinhwan makes a face, not pleased with jiwon's answer, and jiwon wonders how adorable one can look as he pinches jinhwan's nose. and that's when he hears a shutter sound, followed by a muttered curse. marching towards the open window, jiwon glances down to find two of his students, suhyun and hayi, crouching low, hands gripping their cellphones tightly.

"yah! lee suhyun! lee hayi!"

"h-hi mr kim! oh, hayi-ah! the queue at the canteen should be shorter now right? let's go!"

suhyun splutters something out as she grabs a dazed hayi and runs away from the classroom as fast as possible.

"these girls..."

"they're cute."

jinhwan giggles, but he's so obviously flustered with the way his ears are dipped in pink. jiwon pulls a long face, muttering "these brats." under his breath. but he shakes his head fondly, because they're still his students afterall, though slightly rowdy and mischievous, jiwon loves his class still.

but much to the dismay of jiwon, the two hours with jinhwan flies by, with jiwon showing off some of his students works, gesturing animatedly as he talks about their upcoming performance and their wonderful ideas, and all too soon, his students start to file into the classroom, and as much as jiwon wants jinhwan to stay with him, he knows it's class time. but that doesn't mean he can't use this chance to show off jinhwan.

"kids! you're in for a treat today! because jinhwannie-hyung will be singing for you guys!"

and jinhwan whirls around to face jiwon, eyes wide with shock and disbelief, opening his mouth to protest when the class erupts into cheers, with jiwon grinning gleefully at him. jinhwan sends him a glare as he lets himself be pulled to the front of the class, standing small beside jiwon, who is sitting on his desk with his guitar ready. jiwon pleads him through his eyes, "come on, hyung." and starts tapping a beat on his guitar, before his fingers strums the guitar strings to form a melody that jinhwan easily recognises, and two beats into the strumming, jinhwan closes his eyes and starts singing, letting the music and lyrics flow through his mind. and the students watch in awe as jinhwan covers 2ne1's lonely in front of them. it's quiet and simple, with just a guitar for accompaniment, yet so so beautiful.

it's silent when the last strum of the guitar chords lingers in the air, enveloping everyone comfortably. and jiwon thinks jinhwan looks ethereal, even if he's just standing in a dingy classroom, dressed plainly under glaring fluorescent lights, jiwon's so proud of jinhwan, and so in love with him. jinhwan sends a shy peak under his eyelashes, wondering about the silence before the class bursts into applause, breathless, and jinhwan quickly becomes embarrassed again when jiwon's students start to crowd around him, towering over him even if they are just teenages.

"guys, guys! give him some space to breath! guys!"

jiwon pushes past his students to get to jinhwan, a protective arm going around jinhwan as he waves away his students, making sure that jinhwan is tucked safely beside him. and it's only when jiwon raises his voice that his students listen and head back to their seats, muttering disappointedly as jiwon announces that it's time for jinhwan to leave and for them to carry on with their work.

jiwon sends a slightly ruffled jinhwan to the door, straightening his jacket and brushing off imaginary dust from jinhwan's small shoulders, but jiwon's hand lingers on the back of jinhwan's neck, and even though jiwon knows he shouldn't be clinging onto jinhwan, he just can't bear to let jinhwan leave, and it seems like jinhwan's feeling the same too, with the way he's holding jiwon's other hand lightly in his own, fiddling with jiwon's fingers as they just stand by the doorway, neither speaking a word. but the bell rings, and jiwon really has to get back to class, so he opens his mouth to say goodbye, only to be pulled down by jinhwan and he feels soft lips pressed to the side of his cheeks. he's shocked, pleasantly so, for jinhwan isn't one to do public displays of affection, and when jinhwan pulls back with cheeks aflame, biting on his lower lip, jiwon hates the fact that he's having a lesson because all he wants is jinhwan, right now.

"i had fun today, jiwon-ah. see you later at home. i'll leave first."

jinhwan says, voice light and soft, turning away when jiwon nods, his hand staying on jiwon's arm until the very last moment when jinhwan's too far away from jiwon, and jiwon stays by his classroom's door, his gaze following jinhwan until he exits the school, but not without a look back towards jiwon with a smile. jiwon grins back and waves, but he's soon blocked by his students, most leaning out of the window to wave goodbye at jinhwan too. and jiwon's grin turns to a frown because he can't see jinhwan anymore with the number of arms flailing about in front of his face, and by the time he finish shooing them back into the class, jinhwan has already left.

jiwon can't wait for class to end.

-1. 

it's a late afternoon after lessons have ended, when he's on the way to his apartment from the library that jiwon gets the idea of asking jinhwan to stay with him. he has spotted jinhwan resting his head on the table, cushioned only by a large, thick textbook. a phone held inches away from the elder's face shows that jinhwan's not asleep, and so jiwon heads towards jinhwan, not that he'll leave even if jinhwan is asleep. it's the hand that cuts jinhwan's vision of his phone's screen that gets his attention, as he lifts his head slightly to stare up at the figure towering over him, a blank look on his face before his mind registers that it's just jiwon.

"kim jiwon."

and jiwon smiles back toothily in greeting, hearing jinhwan say his korean name. it's not that others do not, hanbin does sometimes, but it's different from jinhwan who uses it constantly. jiwon doesn't think jinhwan uses his english name much, except maybe that time when jinhwan managed access to a closely guarded rehearsal for a school performance, and called "bobby." in a loud voice just as jiwon's getting ready to head backstage after his rehearsal performance. jiwon did well, really well for his performance that day.

"why are still here hyung? your lessons ended like what, 3 hours ago?"

"my shift's in the evening today, and it's such a chore travelling to my apartment and back, so i might as well stay in school to study."

"study?"

a raised eyebrows from jiwon because jinhwan looked like he was doing anything but studying when he saw him, but he only earns a resolute nod from jinhwan as he insisted, "yes, study.". jinhwan's unbelievably adorable, jiwon thinks as he pulls back a chair to sit down, still, he knows how tiring it is for jinhwan to travel to and fro his apartment.

"jinhwan-hyung, why don't you move in with me?"

jiwon has a spare room, one that he doesn't really have much use for, except maybe collect dust, and it's a not too shabby room either, with just a little cleaning and a magic touch from jinhwan if he does decides to move in, jiwon's sure that it'll be amazing. jinhwan knows this too, for he's been to jiwon's apartment enough times to know the existence of the empty room, and jiwon can tell jinhwan's weighing his options in his mind.

"you can save travel time to school, and it's close to where you're working, hyung. besides, you'll have the bonus of kim jiwon!"

jiwon adds the last bit as a joke, puffing up his chest in a proud manner, thinking it'll make jinhwan laugh his tinkling laughter. but instead, jinhwan seems to come to a conclusion then, the cloud in his eyes clearing up as he smiles brightly at jiwon.

"i'll talk about it with my landlord, but i think it should be okay!"

"really? you're thinking of moving in with me?"

"yep! oh, or were you just joking...?"

"what? no! no no of course not. i'll talk to my landlord too, jinhwan-hyung."

the disappointment in jinhwan's voice as he misunderstands sends a chill throughout jiwon's body, but as he rushes to clarify, with jinhwan's face brightening as relief floods his features, jiwon feels his heart speeding up in excitement and a grin spreading across his face at the thought of jinhwan moving in with him.

life's great, jiwon thinks as he waits for jinhwan to pack up his stuff. life's awesome, jiwon thinks as he walks a chatty jinhwan to his job. and as he looks at jinhwan waving bye to him with a beautiful smile on his face, jiwon's voice comes out softly.

"life's wonderful."

thanks for reading!

i'm sorry for not updating recently, life's busy right now with school..

i'll try to write, but i can't guarantee a quick update, thanks for your understanding!

please comment, i'd appreciate them a lot (: