jihoon doesn't regret spending thirteen hours in the studio last night, or this morning, he should say, but as he hurries through the pitch-black streets towards his apartment complex, he can't help but feel a small twinge of guilt at leaving soonyoung alone. although he'd promised that he'd be back before three a.m., the manager had called him a few hours prior to midnight and informed him that another song had to be composed pronto, and, well, the rest is history.

jihoon rubs his eyes and tries to yawn as discreetly as possible, as he is well aware that any sane person would be fast asleep. he wraps his jacket around him just a little tighter because despite the sweat radiating off of him from walking so fast, the wind manages to penetrate to his skin anyway. jihoon calculates that about three blocks are left before he can finally go down a street with streetlights and quickens his step.

oh, and see soonyoung.

soonyoung, who was most likely sitting on the bed, wrapped up in blankets and staring in anticipation at the door. soonyoung, with his tired eyes and calm expression as he begins dozing off just as jihoon walks in. soonyoung, who leaps up like an energetic puppy whenever he hears a lock turn, even if it was just mingyu returning home next door to wonwoo. soonyoung, who caresses jihoon's hair and whispers to him how much he loves him every night.

jihoon hasn't said it back yet, but tonight he suspects he won't have to.

the painted fox on the apartment gate begins appearing in the corner of his eye, and jihoon hastily turns onto that street, certain that it's the right one. he sighs, and burrows a little further underneath his jacket. he regrets not bringing a coat. but, he muses, who needed thick winter garments when they had someone like soonyoung at home, waiting for them?

jihoon unlocks the gate and climbs the stairs and after an eternity of tripping over his own feet in the darkened corridor, arrives at the door with gold numbers spelling out '17'. he withdraws his keys from his pocket, the faint jingle echoing throughout the empty hall. inserting the key in the lock, he opens the door, and soonyoung immediately pounces on him.

"jihoonie," he whines, widening his eyes in an attempt to seem more awake than he usually is. however, jihoon can see that despite soonyoung's determination to fall asleep with him, soonyoung is really going to pass out, so he grasps the older's hands and gently removes them from his shoulders. he loops an arm around soonyoung's neck and half-carries, half-drags him to their shared bedroom. jihoon's about to close the door and head to the bathroom to wash up when a hand suddenly tugs on his wrist. "don't go yet, jihoon," soonyoung manages to whisper, eyes half closed. "we need to drink hot chocolate first."

jihoon emits a small noise in exasperation. although he has many times insisted that drinking sugary beverages before sleeping was really not a good idea, soonyoung always persists, and he finds himself giving into the older time and time again. "okay, soonyoung." he intertwines his fingers with soonyoung's. "let's go."

both stumble into the kitchen, because at this point, both of them are falling asleep, but soonyoung manages to squat and pull out two packets of instant hot chocolate mix while jihoon successfully microwaves milk for the two of them without setting something or someone on fire. jihoon stops soonyoung from reaching for the ceramic cups in the cabinet above their heads and instead, takes two mugs from the dishwasher and sets them on the table. he pours milk in both mugs before sitting down and waiting for soonyoung to do the same.

when there's no apparent movement from next to him, jihoon turns around and realizes that soonyoung has disappeared. however, he doesn't have to look far, because at that moment soonyoung shuffles in, burying his face in his pororo plushie and muttering incoherent words into the penguin's blue cap. 

"dork," jihoon mutters as he stands up and guides soonyoung to the table. "it's four in the morning, we shouldn't be up."

"mmm," soonyoung lows into his pillow. "okay."

jihoon resists the urge to give soonyoung a hug and a pinch on the cheek and instead mixes his hot chocolate, wrapping his hands around the mug and soaking in the heat. he sips at the warm, sweet liquid and feels it run down his throat in a stream of warmth and good memories, love and devotion. he imagines snuggles in winter and getting married and sitting on the porch, watching his future children run in the front lawn, with large, toothless smiles adorning their faces. he imagines holding hands with that someone that he wouldn't mind spending the rest of his life with. someone like soonyoung, he thinks. this is the future soonyoung had painted for us. i was too blind and grumpy to see it until now. jihoon feels a tiny bit melancholy and his guilt from earlier returns with a vengeance. he takes a drink from his cup to make himself feel better. at the thought of soonyoung, jihoon leans over to see soonyoung's eyes completely closed, a small snore emanating from his nose. jihoon shakes his head but can't force down the smile lifting at the corners of his mouth and mutters again, "dork." 

he pats soonyoung's cheek gently until the older gives a small start of surprise. "y-yes?" soonyoung asks groggily, head turning slowly from side to side. when he catches sight of jihoon's face next to his, he can't help the smile that begins spreading over his face and the lovestruck expression that fills his eyes. jihoon feels fluttery. he resists the urge to bury his head in soonyoung's chest and for soonyoung to hold him until his manager called again to ask him to review another composition.

soonyoung's eyes veer a little off to the right and catches sight of a mix packet torn open. his eyebrows crease and he asks, "jihoonie, did you drink without me?"

jihoon hesitates slightly before answering, "yes." lifting his hand and running his fingers through soonyoung's unkempt hair, he soothed, "i was afraid you'd spill your mix if you tried to open it."

soonyoung gives a small noise of acknowledgement before his head drops back down and he resumes sleeping. jihoon's heart warms at the sight.

jihoon doesn't know how, but he gets the both of them back to the bedroom. he tucks soonyoung under the mountain of blankets and bends down, brushing his chestnut hair out of his face. he leans down and presses his lips gently to soonyoung's cheek. "good night, my angel," he whispers, before turning off the light and climbing into bed next to him. he feels arms wrap around his frame and a kiss pressed to his cheek as well. "good night, my beautiful fairy," soonyoung whispers before they both fall asleep, enjoying each other's warmth.

maybe all jihoon needs are nights like these, when the air is still and the birds chirp quietly and the faint rustle of leaves can be heard when disturbed by a well-meaning breeze. but jihoon doesn't need to worry about the cold, and he definitely doesn't need to worry about spilled mix, because when he's got soonyoung next to him, all is well.

________________________________________

january 28, 2017 - finally, i've edited it. i added some small details and fixed some grammar. (although i haven't fixed the capitalization. i think that not capitalizing fits the entire mood of the story pretty well, though.)

thanks for reading :)

-exocat15