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shaving creamHe pushes the trolley at a leisurely pace, eyes wandering around the aisle. In his right hand is a short grocery list, scribbled on with s' handwriting- Hoseok wrote ramen, Hyungwon with biscuits and Minhyuk with gummy packs and candy please! Changkyun already crossed all of them out with satisfactory slashes, only leaving one more item- Jooheon's shaving cream.
There's a lot to choose from, he thinks as he surveys the aisle. Blue-topped Nivea bottles stacked next to black Gillette bottles, rows and rows of shaving creams and after shaves. Usually, s all share the same cream because they don't shave often- not even Hyunwoo, their oldest. However, as he walks down the aisle, he takes out the cap for each bottle and sniffs it. The best-smelling one gets to the basket.
After all, he wants Jooheon to smell nice later on.
Changkyun tosses the bottle at Jooheon. "Hyung, here's your cream."
The elder barely catches it in his hands, bouncing off his pillow. "Oh. Uh, thanks. Been needing to shave for a while now."
"I can see." Changkyun sits next to him, reaching up to touch his face. "It's becoming more visible everyday." He traces the stubble beneath Jooheon's lips, fingers soft and gentle. His boyfriend smiles.
"I'm gonna shave now. Wanna help?" he asks. Changkyun nods.
"I'll be glad to."
The small area of their bathroom makes them feel squeezed. Changkyun leans on the towel rack behind the sink, watching Jooheon splash his face with water. White soap suds roll off the elder's face as he washes it down, clearing his face of any soap. When he's done, he turns around and leans on the sink, hand sticking out. "Towel please."
Changkyun steps forward. "I'll do it." He grabs the small towel beside him, pulling it down the rack. Wrapping it around his hands, he begins patting on Jooheon's face- first the sides, then his cheeks, and then his forehead and chin. Water drips from his lashes and the tip of his nose. Changkyun wipes his jaw, too, careful not to leave anything behind. Jooheon watches him with half-closed eyes; how Changkyun's brows are furrowed, lips set in a tight line as he concentrates. He wipes off water from Jooheon's hairline, the contours of his eyes, and gently pats his cheeks one more time.
Jooheon's cheeks are squishy.
He smirks to himself. With the towel, he squeezes Jooheon's face, bringing together soft cheeks and pouty lips. "Hyung, look at you. You're so cute," he laughs. Jooheon rolls his eyes.
"Hurry and shave me," he urges.
Changkyun laughs more. He pecks his lips for a short, sweet second. "Okay."
Jooheon's heart flutters.
Reaching behind the elder, Changkyun opens the bottle of shaving cream and takes the razor from his place. Turning on the tap, he rinses the razor beneath running water before turning it off again. He tilts Jooheon's head up with his palm and softly applies the cream, down the curve of his face and his jawline. It comes out thick and smooth, like whipped cream. Jooheon catches a whiff of it.
"Mmm, it smells good."
"Of course it does," Changkyun replies. When Jooheon's chin and philtrum is covered in the white cream, he stops. Giggles. "You look like Santa Claus."
"Well, you'll be my Mrs Claus," his boyfriend replies. Even though it's cheesy, it comes off as sweet, borderline flirty. A slight pink flush rises on Changkyun's face.
"Then, that's...good," he finishes lamely. Jooheon's eyes curve up into a smile, because Changkyun is really cute.
A minute passes between them, where Changkyun returns the cream back to its place and Jooheon taps a beat against the edge of the sink. They wait for the cream to settle on Jooheon's face.
"I think it's done now," Jooheon says, breaking the silence.
Changkyun hums. He brings the razor up to the elder's face and drags it down the skin, barely adding pressure. With almost non-existent , he shaves away Jooheon's stubble, down the same curve of his face, the same jawline. The atmosphere is silent and intimate between them, with their faces near each other. Jooheon tries not to feel flustered, but it's hard to when his boyfriend is being so caring, so gentle with his movements, so willing to do this for him. Hard when his boyfriend is Changkyun, with his pretty lips and cute nose and that smile that makes him feel thunder and rain and sunshine all at once.
It's moments like this, rarely present between their hectic schedules, that keep them together.
Slowly, the cream comes off his face. Small, black hairs appear on the razor blade together with the cream. By the end of it all, Changkyun's wiped out all of his stubble and the hair on the corners of his lips. When Jooheon touches his face again, it's smooth and squeaky clean.
As Changkyun bends over the sink to rinse the razor, Jooheon snakes his arms around Changkyun's waist. "You're good at this, you know?"
Chuckles escape his lips. "Thanks, I guess."
The elder digs his chin into Changkyun's shoulder. "I'm so lucky to have you," he mumbles. His warm breath ghosts over Changkyun's ear, mixing with the smell of the cream.
Changkyun smiles at him through the mirror, eyes gracefully curving up. That smile is back again- where Jooheon's stomach plummets into snakes and butterflies, rain and sunshine. "Love you too, hyung."
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