Woohyun breathes out a sigh of relief as he closes the door behind him, and lets the warmth of their apartment envelop him. The meeting had ran longer than planned, and it had been the first really cold day of the winter. His fancy dress shoes weren’t really made for walking through snow, even if it was only a light layer, and his feet ache as they came back to life after he toes his shoes off.

Running his fingers through his hair, wincing as they get stuck in products, he goes to the kitchen and pours himself a glass of water, to clear away the last traces of alcohol in his body (he’d made sure to drink slowly and keep his soju glass full, so no one would offer to get him more). Tiptoeing into the bedroom he undresses slowly, carefully folding his suit and putting on a worn-out t-shirt. The t-shirt has a picture of an idol boy band, given to him as a joke, and it still made him smile as he put it on.

After a quick detour to the bathroom to wash his face he finally crawls under the covers, sneaking his arm around the sleeping form already there.

“You’re cold.” He hears Howon mumble, whine present in his voice the way it only is when he’s tired.

“I’m sorry,” he replies, placing a kiss on Howon’s shoulder. He knows he should feel bad for waking him up but the warmth that spreads through his chest, melting away the anxiety and tension he’s felt all evening, is too good to resist.

“No, you’re not,” Howon grumbles. Woohyun can hear the fondness in his voice though, and as Howon turns around to face him he just sees warmth in his eyes.

“Not really,” he says, kissing Howon on the lips this time around.

He guesses there’s still some tension left in him because he feels Howon’s hand come up and gently massage his neck. There’s a concerned frown on his face as his thumb lightly presses on a knot.

“You okay?”

“I am now,” Woohyun says, a genuine smile on his face for the first time since he left home this afternoon. It calms Howon down, slowly erasing his frown. The thrum of affection that seems to radiate from Woohyun’s heart is nothing new and he burrows his face in the crook of Howon’s neck, breathing him in deeply. Howon kisses his hair and the last of the tension dissipates beneath Howon’s gentle .

“I love you”, he mumbles into Howon’s shoulder, not expecting Howon to hear but he can’t stop the words from spilling out.

“Love you too,” he hears back, filling him from top to toe.

There’s the soft beat of Howon’s heart in his ears, the even rhythm of his breathing and the seeping warmth from his body. Woohyun can’t think of anything else he could need.