‘All my life i’ve been so cold, till you.’

Minhyuk loved mornings, especially when they’re like this. They have been dating for 2 years now and moving in together was inevitable. Ever since they stayed together, Minhyuk got to indulge in rare moments where he had woken up before Eunkwang. Their leader was set like a swiss watch. Usually waking an hour before the sun rose, a result of their hectic lifestyle, body programmed to wake up at the same time every day. By comparison, Lee Minhyuk wasn’t ruled by time. Time moved around him.

Minhyuk stretches under his blanket, cold sheets brushing against even colder legs as he yawns loudly. There was something satisfying about dipping his feet beyond the pool of body warmed covers only to pull them back again, snuggling against the soft pillows, making sure not to wake the sleeping form beside him. Eunkwang had collapsed into their bed only a couple of hours ago. The lyrics and melody would not leave him in peace until he had composed the song, he had said, mumbling the words before sleep claimed him

Minhyuk turned towards Eunkwang, head resting on his folded arms. He could stare at his lover for hours, mapping every curve, freckle and dip of Eunkwang’s face. The angle of his cheek-bones. The arch of his eyebrows. The feather-like dusting of his eyelashes. The subtle pink on his cheeks. The delicate pout on his lips. Minhyuk commits it all to memory.

Cradled in the silence, Minhyuk’s nimble fingers tuck a strand of Eunkwang’s freshly dyed raven hair behind his ear, enjoying the brush of his calloused fingers against Eunkwang’s warm and soft skin—and he finds his heart arrested. These were precious moments where the sun that had filtered through the window shone just right, glancing off Eunkwang’s sleeping form in just the right way. Minhyuk felt his heart clench. There are many eloquent speakers in the world. Plenty of people who were well versed in the art of prose that had already captured this moment in a complicated language of love. Lee Minhyuk, was no poet but sometimes, he got the word right.

Eunkwang was radiant. In all senses of the word.

The leader would vehemently disagree, though. He would push Minhyuk away with a snort. Telling him to save such flattery for someone more deserving. Eunkwang was not perfect. Minhyuk was not perfect. Eunkwang may not think that he is beautiful but Minhyuk does and he would gladly fight the battle each and every day if it made Eunkwang see that broken though he may feel, beaten by existing anxiety, tied down by his burdens as a leader, choked by the ever-present stress of supporting his group, his natural light shone stubbornly though his cracks, illuminating the jagged lines of his imperfections. He, like Minhyuk, was beautiful in their brokenness

And even in the darker days, when Eunkwang’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, that same light shone in the depth of his chocolate brown eyes. In the pale and soft skin that was sprinkled with faint freckles like rare constellations. In the shake of his reluctant laugh. In the glint of his smile. Even during his gray days, Eunkwang was a light. Minhyuk never knew a human being could house so many shades of light and he found comfort in the warmth it provided.

Minhyuk never realize his colourblindness until Eunkwang came along and showed him the radiance of true colour. More than he would like to admit, his life brought him upon journeys where it wasn’t all sunny pastures. Minhyuk has seen what lays in the darkness and bore scars from stumbling through shadows. Sometimes, Minhyuk struggled alone. Sometimes, a light would be there to guide his path. And that light was Eunkwang, and for the first time, the earth stood still, the sun never set, the stars always shone bright and Minhyuk felt a lasting warmth in his heart. He knew, without a doubt that he was home.

“A picture lasts longer, you know?”

The breath that escaped Eunkwang’s parted lips broke the fragile silence. Minhyuk jumped, being the startled party for once, but his shock eased into his usual grin when Eunkwang’s bright eyes looked into Minhyuk’s own.

“Pictures aren’t scratch and sniff.”

And with that, the younger man rolls into his lover, burying his face into the crook of Eunkwang’s neck. The leader’s smell and the warmth of his bed-warmed skin envelopes him. A moan rises into Eunkwang’s throat when Minhyuk begins lightly ling at the juncture between his partner’s neck and shoulders. EUnkwang’s muscles tremble under Minhyuk’s wandering touch. His fingers tangle in Minhyuk’s hair, his breathy exhales sending shivers down the younger man’s body.

Their lovemaking mirrors the morning; slow and warm. By its end, they settle back the way they started, cuddled in each other’s arms. Savouring the afterglow.

“Have I ever told you I love you?” Eunkwang murmurs, the first once to break the silence.

Minhyuk smiles against the top of Eunkwang’s head before dropping a soft kiss on Eunkwang’s forehead. “Why, I am absolutely honored, Leader-Nim! I shall alert the media immediately that you would love a mere commoner like me!”

The leader yelps when Minhyuk suddenly grabs the inside of his thigh just above his knee, the place where Eunkwang was most ticklish.

“I take it back,” He feigns a pout. “Why do I love you again?”

“I mean, I could make a list, but I don’t think our manager would appreciate the office supply bill.”

"Hm?” Eunkwang props himself up on one elbow, eyebrows raised.

"Meaning it would go on forever, my love,” Minhyuk chuckles, kissing the tip of Eunkwang’s nose, and is rewarded when a stripe of pink makes his cheeks glow.

"Your list or mine?” Eunkwang questions aloud, sinking back down atop his partner.

“Both.”

“Good thing we have forever then,” Eunkwang says softly, the thumb of his left hand ghosting across the cheek of his lover. gently.

“Good thing,” Minhyuk agrees with another warm smile, guiding Eunkwang’s face back up to his so their lips can meet again in a slow, gentle kiss that could have well lasted for a lifetime.

Author's Note:

Hey everyone! Once again, thanks for commenting and all the kudos and also for reading! I hope you enjoyed this story of our cute lovey-dovey boys! See you guys soon with a new chapter!