Taekwoon sighed.

Another day, another dollar he guessed.

Today had already been slow, but the thing that bugged him most was that he hasn’t seen his boyfriend in a few weeks due to their jobs; it also didn’t help that Hyukjae had yet to text him back in the last few hours. He understood that the life of an idol was busy—as he’s an idol himself—but he also knows it only takes a few seconds to text a reply.

Was it really that difficult to text him back?

Hakyeon clapped, sending a small jolt through the poor boy’s body. “Okay!” the leader started off with a bright smile, “let’s do this right so we can make our Starlights smile proudly.”

Jaehwan, the vocalist of the group, groaned and slumped over to physically show his exhaustion. “But we’ve been at this routine for hours now! Can’t we just call it quits already so we can go home?”

Hakyeon ‘tsked’ the boy while Hongbin snickered. “We’ll be done when we get it right!”

“But our dancing is just fine,” Taekwoon watched as the boy argued, “my feet are really hurting and I feel like I’m about to pass out. Can’t we just go already? I’m tired.”

The leader sighed and looked away from the boy; Taekwoon agreed that he had a point. They had already been practicing this dance for three hours now and the entire group looked pretty worn out. Poor Sanhyuk was flattened against the ground breathing heavily. Hongbin was leaning against the wall beside Wonsik, who was downing a bottle of water. He could see that Hakyeon himself was physically out of breath. Maybe it was best to end practice tonight, the leader found himself thinking.

Cha Hakyeon pulled a face. “Okay, fine,” he spoke up, gaining the attention of his group. “We’ll throw in the towel for the night and go home,” and with that he turned dramatically on his heel and began walking over to the cooler along the wall.

Taekwoon sighed in content and closed his eyes; he was ready to leave for the night. Going home, taking a shower and burying himself in his bed sounded like pure heaven. Of course, it’d be a lot better if his Hyukjae would also be lying in that same bed when he got there, but he knew that wouldn’t happen. His boyfriend was in China for the month promoting Super Junior-M’s new single while VIXX was currently practicing for their own upcoming single. It was heartbreaking to be away from the one you love for so long, though it’s a sacrifice they both were willing to pay to be together. But text messages and phone calls only do so much; they don’t exactly fill that void sitting inside them.

A vibration in his pockets brought Taekwoon out of his thoughts and a leap in his heart. Could it possibly be that his Hyukjae finally responded? The main vocalist quickly pulled out his phone and unlocked the screen only to see that his eldest sister sent him a text message telling him to be well and take care of himself. He groaned. Not really the person he wanted a message from, but he replied like it didn’t bother him. The only person he really wanted a message or call from right now was his Hyukjae. But apparently that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

He sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck, and this time gaining the attention of his fellow band mate, Hakyeon. The said leader looked over at the lion and frowned, knowing the source of his frustration but not being able to do much about it. Hakyeon knew that VIXX’s Leo was in a bad mood because of this certain someone who wasn’t talking to him. He wanted to cheer him up, but he didn’t really know what to do. Taekwoon just ignored him like he usually would, so it was kind of difficult.

He sat his bottle of water down before stomping over to the brooding male. “Taekwoooonie~!” the leader cried with a whiny tone, kicking his feet; “Stop moping around already!” Hakyeon crossed his arms in his own frustration when Taekwoon ignored his small outburst. Even though this was how it normally went, Taekwoon’s quiet was a different quiet than it normally is. The Cha opened his mouth to complain some more, but before another comment could be made, another group member approached the two with bright eyes and a dimpled smile.

“Manager said we’re about to head out, so anything you need to take care of needs to be done soon,” Hongbin spoke, focusing his eyes on Taekwoon. He, too, noticed that his hyung was in a bad mood. He didn’t exactly know why, but he had a hunch that it was about a certain member of Super Junior. Taekwoon kept checking his phone every second he got during practice, so he could only guess that something was going on between the two. Maybe they were in a fight? He didn’t know and he wasn’t about to ask. Hongbin, unlike the rest of his brothers, tends to respect people’s boundaries as he likes his own to be respected as well. If Taekwoon wanted to talk about it—as if that’ll happen—then Taekwoon will have to approach Hongbin about it, letting him know that he wanted a shoulder to lean on.

“Yeah, yeah, I already know this, Kong,” Hakyeon replied, waving the boy off. Said boy just rolled his eyes and shook his head, giving his sulking hyung one last look before returning to his little Hyukkie, who looked like he was fast asleep on the floor while Jaehwan rubbed the younger boy’s back.

Taekwoon closed his eyes, remembering the times that he’d rub Hyukjae’s back when he was tired, and the same would be done for him. Regardless of who was doing what, it was always soothing and oh-so relaxing to be around one another.

◄✧►

Hyukjae smiled brightly as soon as he felt his favorite person’s hand’s touch his . His touch was so soft yet so firm, making him feel as if his body was melting into the warmest of puddles. After having a long day rehearsing a dance skit with Donghae, poor little Eunhyuk was tired and worn out, and his lovable boyfriend had no problem with rubbing out the stress in his back.

Taekwoon really had no problem with it, honestly. He loved looking at Hyukjae’s back, much less touching it. He felt as if the man had the most gorgeous body and soul. He couldn’t help but get emotional when he thought about Lee Hyukjae and that he was his. Taekwoon never thought throughout his entire life that he would find and connect with someone the way that he connects with him. Sure he has great friends that he shares a connection with, but with this certain man it’s completely different. It’s like he was made just for him, as corny as that sounds.

“Mmmm, Woonie~?” a sweet voice brought him out of his musings. Taekwoon looked into brown eyes that reflected his own, Hyukjae’s being clouded with an emotion that the poor boy couldn’t quite pick out.

He nodded at the blond showing that he heard him, and slowly began rubbing small circles along his spine. Hyukjae groaned softy as Taekwoon’s fingers made his body relax even more. Taekwoon could tell he was enjoying the massage, so when Hyukjae pushed his hand away he was a little bit more than perplexed.

“I know I’ve said this before—“ Hyukjae slowly got up on his knees and flattened himself against Taekwoon’s larger frame, burying his face into the crook of his neck, “—but I can’t express exactly how grateful I am that I found you, and that you’re mine.”

-bah-bump-

Did you hear that? It was the sound of a heart skipping a beat.

Taekwoon felt as if he was being smothered but in the most absolute perfect way, butterflies bouncing around his stomach. He opened his mouth to reply but couldn’t quite find the right words. Of course he was just as grateful, finding the perfect partner that matched him so well. But voicing those feelings? That was easier said than done. So he put his feelings in action rather than in words and grabbed the back of Hyukjae’s neck, pulling him up and attaching his lips to the other’s thinner ones.

The blonde’s breath hitched as soon as he felt those warm, soft lips of Taekwoon’s rub against his own, and he couldn’t help but close his eyes and just melt away. Could you blame him? If you were in his position wouldn’t you? Of course you would.

They pulled apart but stayed close enough to where their lips were barely touching. Hyukjae, with half-lidded eyes, whispered softly against Taekwoon’s lips, “I am so in love with you.”

Taekwoon closed his eyes as he felt his chest tighten, holding onto Hyukjae a little bit tighter. The both of them lying there, heartbeats in sync, bodies sharing warmth, and enjoying each other’s hold.

And once again, Taekwoon didn’t speak a word, but he did show how he felt and the message was very clear that night.

 ◄✧►

“Hyung? We’re home,” someone spoke, bringing Taekwoon out of his reverie. He pulled himself back into reality and noticed that it was Wonsik who had spoke to him, and that the entire group was sitting in their van, parked in their dorm’s parking lot. The elder one looked over at the rapper and slightly inclined his head, showing him that he acknowledges him sitting there. Wonsik returned the favor by nodding his own head back. Hakyeon and Sanhyuk were conversing as they exited the vehicle; Hongbin had already left and was about to enter the building. Jaehwan was doing something in the driver’s seat, most likely sitting on his iPod playing a game or texting god-knows-who.

Taekwoon quickly looked at the screen on his phone and noticed that he still hadn’t had any unread texts or missed calls from his beloved, making his face ever-so-slightly fall.

Wonsik glanced over at his hyung once more before placing a hand lightly on his shoulder, Taekwoon didn’t flinch but he did give the younger boy a look. Although, it didn’t stop said younger boy from speaking his mind; after all, he just wanted his hyung to be in a better mood.

“I think you should just turn the phone off and get some sleep, you really need it,” he began, “we all kind of do. Just don’t stress yourself out too much; it’s not good on your body, hyung.” And with that the group’s rapper got out of the van and began following the rest of the group inside the building.

Taekwoon just sighed again for the hundredth time that night.

It didn’t take the stoic boy long to reach their dorms, and it certainly didn’t take him long to locate the bathroom and take a shower. After drying off and dressing, Taekwoon checked his phone again, and as always, no reply or call from the only person he wanted to talk to.

Taekwoon was beyond confused. Did Hyukjae not realize how much he’s really starting to hurt him? He understands that he’s busy and all, but Taekwoon always takes the time to respond to him or return a call as short as it may be. He threw the phone that the entire group shared onto his bed, not really caring as it bounced and smacked against the wall. He’s not exactly the violent type, but he was damn-near fed up with being ignored.

How about he not respond to Hyukjae’s text and phone calls like he’s doing to him? What if he just flat out ignored Hyukjae all together? Then maybe he’d see how much it’s starting to hurt him.

Just when Taekwoon was about to throw himself onto his bed, the laptop sitting across the room began ringing. He quickly glanced over at it and noticed that it was open and that there was an incoming Skype call. After seeing who it was and ignoring what he was just thinking about, he accepted the call and within seconds he was looking at the very tired, worn out face of Lee Hyukjae.

Hyukjae smiled softly, strain in the man’s eyes. “Hey, baby.”

Taekwoon’s chest tightened, but he still didn’t say a word as he sat down on his bed with the laptop.

“I’m very, very sorry for not talking to you all day,” he began, his lips and looking off the screen, “but we just got back from an interview. It went later than we had expected it to and that made us late to rehearsal and then Hae got sick from the heat, so I’m really sorry for not responding at all. But I was a little caught up.”

Taekwoon’s chest tightened again. All this time he was upset with Hyukjae and here Hyukjae just had a stressful day. Now he’s upset with himself.

He cracked the smallest of smiles, “How’d your day go, jagi?” he spoke sofly.

Hyukjae smiled slightly, loving the sight of Taekwoon’s own smiles. “I should be asking you that, dear.”

Taekwoon rolled his eyes. “You obviously had a more stressful day than I have, so I’d rather hear you speak instead.”

The blond smiled and blushed, letting out a small giggle. “Do you like the sound of my voice?” he teased.

And very softly, Taekwoon replied with: “Of course I do, jagi.”

That kind of sent a shock through Hyukjae’s body seeing as he wasn’t really expecting a soft side of Leo to come out like that. But it was more than welcome to appear anytime that it wanted to.

Hyukjae sighed and rubbed his face. Taekwoon could see just how tired his boyfriend was. He was about to tell him to go to bed when Hyukjae softly called out an: “I really miss you.”

The younger boy’s heart fell just a small bit when he heard those words leave his lips. “Do you miss me, Woonie?” The blond continued with his puppy dog eyes in full act.

What? Of course he missed him, that’s a stupid question. He missed him every second that they weren’t together. Why else would he get so upset over the fact that he’s barely spoken to his boyfriend all day?

“What kind of question is that?” Taekwoon sighed, running his hands through his dark hair.

Hyukjae didn’t answer him, but pressed his own question. “Do you?”

Taekwoon rolled his eyes, trying to avoid eye contact with the older male. He would do absolutely anything to embarrass the poor boy, wouldn’t he? His boyfriend knew he wasn’t a big talker, nor was he good at expressing himself . . . at least verbally. He was just doing this to be an and it was working. But still, Taekwoon wouldn’t leave the question hanging. If he did, it might lead to negative assumptions, but he really wasn’t in the mood to be a mushy-heart-felt-like. But if it weren’t for his heart, he’d probably dismiss the question altogether. “I miss you more than you think,” he spoke out softly, so soft that Hyukjae barely even heard him. He knitted his eyebrows together, running Taekwoon’s words through his head a few times to make sure he heard him correctly.

But as soft was it was it still made the blonde’s heart pick up pace ever-so-slightly. He blinked a few times, staring at his boyfriend on the laptop screen. “D-do you?” he choked out.

“It was a stupid question.”

Hyukjae chuckled quietly, “I know, but I had to ask.”

It was silent for a few moments after that; neither of them not knowing what to say, but both of them perfectly comfortable in the silence that they are creating. It may seem like nothing to some people, but it felt like everything to them and that’s all that mattered, right? Just knowing that the other person was there—even though they’re speaking through a Skype call—it still meant the world for the both of them; being able to see one other, hearing each other’s voice. It was pure perfection.

“Hey, Hyukiiiiee~!” a very loud Sungmin appeared from off the screen, nudging Hyukjae on his shoulder. “Have you seen—oh,” he stopped, noticing the video call. “Hi, there, Taekwoon~!” Said boy cringed inwardly at how loud his senior was being, but he politely inclined his head as an acknowledgement to the elder male despite the volume of his tone.

Hyukjae grimaced. “Hyung, can’t you bug me another time? I’m trying to talk to my jagi here.”

Sungmin just pouted. “But you’ll be seeing him in a few days.”

A sigh. “What do you want, then, hyung?”

The elder rubbed his cheek, trying to remember why he bugged little Eunhyukkie in the first place. “Oh!” he snapped his fingers, a bright look on his child-like face. “Do you know where Donghae is? I can’t find him and I need him to show me how to—“

Taekwoon just zoned out, as well as Hyukjae; neither of them really paying any attention to the adult-child before them rambling. They were just focused on each other; Hyukjae was focused on how Taekwoon’s lashes softly brushed against his cheeks when he’d blink. And Taekwoon focusing on the other’s lips, as he slowly parted them to breathe. Both of them were just lost in one another, and never really noticed Siwon as he dragged away Sungmin.

It was silent once again. The two of them were in their own little world even though they were miles apart. Hyukjae smiled softly and looked down, a light dusting of rose pooling on his cheeks. Taekwoon thought that he couldn’t have looked more adorable than he did now.

But then: “I’m coming home in a few days,” broke the silence. The younger boy froze, processing exactly what he just heard. Did he hear him correctly? Did Hyukjae just say he was coming home soon? Sooner than expected? Even though the blond only spoke seven words, it was just enough to fill Taekwoon’s fluttering heart as he broke out into a rather large grin.

A smile spread across Hyukjae’s face as well, “I love that smile of yours,” he whispered.

“And I just love you.”