Slight alternative where Jonghyun and Kibum live together with their puppies and Jonghyun didn’t leave Blue Night.

The night sky was covered with dark clouds as the streets were empty, no human figure filling them with life. But Jonghyun wasn’t surprised, since it was so late in this winter night. He was carefully riding his bike on the side of the main road, aware of the potential presence of black ice under his tires. To keep him warm, he was wearing a really thick down jacket with the hood covering his black bangs ; his mouth and nose were covered by what looked like a handmade scarf, and his hands holding the handlebars were protected with gloves.

Despite the cold, he loved winter. It was his favorite season, so much he had wrote a song about it one of his albums. To him, it was a season of cold, of indifference, however it had this hidden meaning of hope. He had once said he wanted to become like winter, with a cold appearance but a clear and free mind, the kind of person that would only be understood by people feeling like him. 

Thus, he appreciated taking his time on his way home, after the ending of his radio show. He thought he had three precious homes in his life as an artist and also a human : the first one was, and would always be his mother’s house, where she lived with his sister and where himself used to live ; until this second home, the two floors apartment he was living in with his group member, friend and boyfriend, for a bit less than a year ; and the third one, the smallest yet filled with meanings, it was the radio studio he would spend all his evenings in.

These were the three places he would always feel at home, whatever the day, whatever the night. He soon arrived to one of them, being his own ; he stopped his bike in front of the flat and got down to take it to the small shelter belonging to the building, tying it well. He then headed back outside to reach the big door, removing one of his gloves to properly type the code despite the bite of cold on his fingers. Once he was inside, he let a sigh out and lowered his scarf to breathe the warm air of the hall.

He checked his phone while waiting for the elevator, answering a message from his sister and even sending her a selfie to assure her he was safe and home. Sodam would always listen to his show, despite her brother asking her to take care of her sleep ; even though he was glad his show aired from midnight to two in the morning, he couldn’t help but feeling worried since it meant his lovely sister would sleep late.

When the elevator finally arrived, he entered it and pushed the button with the number fifteen, and stared at himself in the mirror while he was going up. He looked at his face, the same as always, but with his cheeks chubbier and his dark hair maybe a bit too long by now. He ended up lowering his eyes to find interest in something else, whatever it was, until a robotic woman’s voice informed him he had reached his floor. 

Without making any noise, he walked to his apartment and carefully inserted his key in its hole, opening the door slowly and slipping inside. The entrance was in the dark, but he could make out the light of the kitchen through the ajar door. Jonghyun removed his jacket, scarf and gloves, and store his boots where they belong, before he headed to the living room. There, and before he could make a step towards the kitchen, he saw a short figure move from the couch and jump from it to approach him.

He smiled and crouched to welcome Roo, petting her back and kissing the top of her head. She was always waiting for his return, lying somewhere and desperately staring at the door until her master would finally appear. After some and kisses, she would have enough — Jonghyun could get really loving in no time and it would end up annoying her — and would go back to her sleeping space.

Once his princess started rejecting kisses, the young artist slightly laughed and let her go after a last caress on her ears. He watched her leave to the room where she had her bed and toys, just like the two poodles who were living there too, younger than her but not less adorable. Smiling when he didn’t see her anymore, Jonghyun stood up and pushed the kitchen’s door to discover a very usual scene : turning his back to him, Kibum was wearing his pajamas and kept a close watch on the contents of a pan.

The delicious smell of meat being cooked tickled his nostrils and he smiled even more, approaching his boyfriend from behind and slowly sliding his arms around his waist to press himself against his back. He felt the man with dark brown hair tense for less than a second, then relax as he recognized his unique scent and hold.

“Welcome home.” He softly said as he turned the piece of meat over.

“You still don’t listen to me.” Jonghyun replied, putting his chin on Kibum’s shoulder as he held him tighter. “I told you not to wait for me, it’s late.”

“I know what you told me, but I don’t want to.”

“You’re so stubborn.”

“Yes, just like you.”

Jonghyun laughed and waited for his boyfriend to turn his head towards him, to steal him a soft kiss. This was something he had tried so many times to stop, but Kibum was, indeed, the most stubborn person he had ever known, after himself. He refused to just sleep and see the singer on the morning, he would always stay up late to be sure the love of his life would eat when coming home. Since the black haired man was drowning under tons of tasks related to his several jobs, he would often forget to have a proper dinner, and would replace healthy food with sweets.

Sweets were Jonghyun’s weakness, he always had some packets in his bag or pockets, to eat them during a break. But his boyfriend couldn’t let this pass, thus he was always welcoming him at around three in the morning with a homemade meal he would cook depending of the last time the other man had eaten. That night, he had made him a basic steak but accompanied with rice mixed with scrambled eggs.

“Sit, I just finished.” Kibum said as he poured everything in a single plate, on the kitchen’s bar.

“You’re not hungry ?” Jonghyun asked, obeying and sitting on one of the high stools to receive his food.

“I had dinner, and you know I don’t pick between meals.”

“I don’t either.”

“Yes, sure, say that to the empty package in your pocket.”

“For my defense…”

“No, I won’t accept any excuse. Now eat and tell me.”

The black haired man smiled and started cutting his meat, eating with a certain relief. His boyfriend was standing on the other side of the bar, doing the dishes while listening to him ; it was like a ritual, Jonghyun ate his late dinner and talked to Kibum about what he had thought about the topics he had brought that night during his show. The brunette nodded and smiled as he listened carefully, sometimes giving his own impressions and even proposing some songs to play on the next night.

Within a few minutes, Jonghyun’s plate was empty and he stood up to join his lover before to the sink, cleaning it by himself. Once everything was let to dry on the side, they both headed to the bathroom and had a quick wash before they went to lie in their bed — which Kibum had chosen kind sized and was taking a big space in the room.

They lied facing each other, on their side, and looked at each other without saying a word for a few minutes. It was Jonghyun’s favorite moment when they were going to sleep, this moment of silence and peace, with only their similar breath being heard. It was like they were talking to each other through their eyes, shyness not having its place between them anymore, until one of them would make the first move towards the other.

And that night, as the alarm clock’s red numbers were showing half past three, Kibum moved his arm to caress his boyfriend’s cheek. Almost immediately, the black haired man closed his eyes and moved forwards, leaning closer to the other man to look for his embrace. The rapper smiled and lied on his back to let the singer put his head on his chest, a strong arm being placed around his waist. As an answer, Kibum put his hand on his back and started it, his other hand playing with the black hair under his chin. 

“I will try not to wake you up tomorrow, when I leave.” He whispered before he placed a kiss on Jonghyun’s hair.

“You have a schedule…?” The singer asked, half sleeping.

“Yes, it’s the filming day for my show. I will take Comme Des and Garçons to the kennel so you can rest, I know they can be really playful all day long but I prefer you to be in peace when you have a day off.”

“Hmm… Thank you…”

“Sleep now, sweetheart. You worked hard today, and I love you.”

“I love you too… Don’t sleep too late…”

Kibum slightly laughed and let go of his boyfriend’s hair to turn the light off. Once the room was dark, he went back to his but didn’t close his eyes. He stared at the ceiling and listened to the other man’s breathing ; he smiled when he noticed how it became deep and regular, and allowed himself to join him. As he was slowly falling asleep, he felt happy thinking about how he was asked not to wait for the singer to come home at night.

What Jonghyun didn’t know was that Kibum wasn’t waiting for him. His own schedules would tiring him so much he couldn’t fight sleep for too long ; yet, he would always put his alarm clock on and get up at two in the morning to have a wash and cook dinner for his boyfriend. It was a small kindness he was happy to give his lover, even though the latter didn’t know everything about the way he did.

He didn’t want him to know that he was voluntarily waking up and interrupting his own sleep for him. But he was glad to do it, and he had no intention to stop. Seeing Jonghyun’s honest smile every night when he came home was worth it.

Just an idea that popped up in my mind and I needed to write it. Here it is, hope you liked it.