AUTHOR'S NOTE

....hi guys, it's been a while hasn't it? ⌒°(❛ᴗ❛)°⌒ The A/N is up front again to thank you guys for loving this story even throughout my long hiatus (though I hadn't actually planned to take one haha) and also to say welcome to all the new subscribers! ⁽(◍˃̵͈̑ᴗ˂̵͈̑)⁽ Life has been so hectic over the past couple of months (but in between all that I got to watch EXO in concert 6 times ! ! ! ! ! ! sob I feel like such a lucky duck they are the best please give the boys all the love they deserve) so this took such a long time because I could never get in the right writing mood... (.﹒︣︿﹒︣.) I don't feel like this has been one of better chapters but I did put a lot of effort into it so I hope you enjoy it, even just a little bit? And if you did, as always, please feel free to leave me a comment or an upvote! (´▽`ʃƪ)♡ I can't even begin to explain to you just how much it means to not only me, but all the fanfic authors out there~ So whether it's for my fic or any other fic, if you've enjoyed it and want to put a smile on the author's face do make sure you let the author know hehe it doesn't take long and it goes such a long way! (*˘︶˘*).｡.:*♡ Stay happy and healthy always, till the next chapter~ ♡( ૢ⁼̴̤̆ ꇴ ⁼̴̤̆ ૢ)~ෆ♡

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Jongin had been cycling in and out of a wretched mood for the past twelve or so hours. He was just… so… tired. 

He had flown to Berlin for an ad campaign and had been hard at work for the past week, shooting in the day and editing late into the night. Though he had barely gotten any sleep since he arrived in Germany, it had been easy to forget about his fatigue whenever he was behind the camera. Seeing his ideas come to life behind the viewfinder always gave him a kind of rush that would leave him buzzing for hours. 

With a lethal combination of equal measures of talent and passion, Jongin had established quite a good name for himself within a short period of time. His photography was known for being a master class in storytelling, whether told through facial expressions, billowing dresses, calm seas, or simple studio set-ups.  However, irrespective of whatever he was experimenting with, Jongin never failed to reach the core of his subjects in both his commercial and fine art fashion photography endeavours. With his colouring and lighting expertise, Jongin had easily outshone the competition and earned his place in the industry by shooting for the likes of Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire, Vogue and more. 

Indeed, Jongin loved his job. One of his favourite things about it was how it literally took him places, giving him opportunities to fly all over the world for his assignments. However, he was only human. Sometimes—like this time—the travelling got the better of him. The moment the shoot had wrapped up and it was time to board the plane home, his exhaustion had hit him like a sledgehammer. Though he had managed to catch some shuteye on the flight, he still felt like he was on the brink of collapse when he finally made it to his front door. 

After letting himself in, he unceremoniously dropped his bags by the sofa and immediately made a beeline to his bedroom. He felt his fatigue right down to his bones, but even that seems to evaporate away the moment his gazes settles on the mound on his bed that lay beneath his blankets. Jongin can’t help the smile that spreads across his face, whatever hostility he had felt towards the world earlier on seeming to melt away like ice in hot tea, because there he is. His heart, in the flesh—Do Kyungsoo. 

To be honest, Jongin hadn’t been expecting much when he had texted Kyungsoo this morning to ask him spend the night at his place. He knew that he wasn’t going to land back in Seoul till late, and technically he really could have just made plans to meet up with Kyungsoo the first thing tomorrow morning, but he just… couldn’t stand the thought of having to wait that long to see him again. It was hard to think rationally whenever it came to Kyungsoo, not when his overbearing desire to always be near him kept getting in the way. 

As quietly as he can manage, he strides swiftly into his walk-in closet and picks out the first pair of slacks he sees before disappearing into his ensuite bathroom to get ready for bed in record time. He usually wasn’t too particular about such things, but he knew that it would bother Kyungsoo if he slipped into bed without changing into clean clothes and brushing his teeth. He didn’t exactly mind the thought of Kyungsoo nagging at him—nay, he loved it—but he’d much prefer to do things that he knew would not only please the elder, but also make him feel more comfortable. 

When he gets back to his bed, Jongin can’t help the content sigh that escapes him when he looks back down at Kyungsoo. In all his years living on his own, this was the first time that his house had felt like a home. Kyungsoo was his home. He loved the idea of having someone to come back to and he wanted that person to always be Kyungsoo. 

He slips under the covers slowly, doing his best not to jostle Kyungsoo. He was slumbering soundly as he lay on his side, hands tucked adorably under his head for support. Jongin loved how peaceful he looked and thought of Kyungsoo being able to feel this at ease in Jongin’s space. He had fallen asleep on the right side of Jongin’s bed again, not by chance but by design, because Kyungsoo was a creature of habit. Once he established a rhythm he was comfortable with, he stuck to it. 

The first time he slept in Jongin’s bed, he had been on the right and from then onwards, he made it a point to always sleep on the same side. Jongin had no issues with this arrangement, he wasn’t particular about such things. He thought of himself as a free spirit, sleeping on whichever side or even the middle of the bed depending on his mood that night—but he wouldn’t mind permanently sleeping on the left side of the bed if it meant that Kyungsoo would always be on his right. 

It was almost completely dark in the room save for the sliver of light that spilled in from the outside where Kyungsoo had left the curtains deliberately undrawn. Kyungsoo had told Jongin that he preferred not to draw his curtains all the way because without the help of natural sunlight streaming in from the sun, he would have much more difficulty getting up in the mornings. Jongin didn’t buy it though. Kyungsoo got up every day at the same time like clockwork, he was sure that he would still wake up at the same time no matter the circumstances. But instead of questioning it, Jongin had responded instead with an impossibly fond smile and a tender kiss on Kyungsoo’s forehead and drawing him into his embrace. 

Despite the poor lighting, Jongin could still make out Kyungsoo’s face and map out his features, from the handsome arch of his nose to the elegant slant of his jaw. Jongin lay on his side to face Kyungsoo, doing nothing else but staring at him like the lovestruck fool that he was whilst he waited for sleep to take him — except that it never comes. The seemingly bone crippling exhaustion that had plagued him for most of the day seemed to have evaporated and in its place was an ache in his chest that seemed to intensify the longer he spent looking at Kyungsoo. It was an ache that Jongin was becoming increasingly accustomed to, an almost primal need he constantly felt to draw him even closer, to touch him, to bury his nose in his hair and catch a whiff of his scent. 

Never one to ignore his instincts, Jongin gingerly shifts himself closer to Kyungsoo till the latter’s body was flush against his chest. He then reached over to snake an arm around Kyungsoo’s waist so that he could tuck the elder’s head under his chin. There, he thought as he held him tight, much better. He presses his lips on the top of Kyungsoo’s head, silently lauding himself on successfully rearranging Kyungsoo in his arms without waking him. However, without any warning, he suddenly feels a hand sliding up his bare stomach and Jongin quickly realises that he had been mistaken. 

He shivers involuntarily from the unexpected touch, but savours it regardless, glad that he hadn’t pulled on a shirt because it feels so nice to have Kyungsoo’s hands on his skin. Reflexively, his hands fists into the back of Kyungsoo’s shirt and Jongin looks down to find his eyes in dark. Closer like this, it’s easier, and he can make out the smile tugging on Kyungsoo’s lips too. 

“Hi,” he whispers, a hand slips through Kyungsoo’s hair, gently untangling the knots from sleep. “I’m sorry for waking you.” 

Kyungsoo laughs croakily, throat fuzzy with sleep. “Are you really?” He asks knowingly as his wandering hands move from Jongin’s stomach to his back, fingers now tracing little patterns down Jongin’s spine and Kyungsoo can feel the pebbled texture of Jongin’s skin in the wake of his hands. 

“You’re right, I’m really not,” Jongin replies too honestly, shuffling a little closer to Kyungsoo and throwing his leg over his hip to press them together completely. Kyungsoo accommodates for it easily, welcomes him in, repositioning himself so he was blanketed under Jongin’s larger body. Truth be told, Jongin does feel a little guilty, yes, but the joy he feels from the fact that Kyungsoo is here, without question, to keep him company, far outweighs that. “I’m just,” he buries his face in Kyungsoo’s shoulder with a breathy sigh of contentment, “so happy to see you.” 

They both want it, more so on Jongin’s part most likely, but it’s Kyungsoo who kisses him first. He had beamed at Jongin, looking so blissfully in love that it make Jongin’s heart stutter, before tipping his head up to slot their mouths together. It’s soft and languid, the kind of kiss that Jongin feels in every fibre of his body and it’s everything that he could want right now. His hands clutch at Kyungsoo tighter because it’s so good like this, gentle and unhurried, just meeting Jongin’s lips again and again, kiss after kiss. “Me too,” Kyungsoo replies, voice sounding slightly husky when he finally pulls away, fingers reaching up to gently caress Jongin’s jaw. Looking back down at Kyungsoo makes him feel like he’s free falling… falling deeper and deeper for him, to the point where Jongin no longer knows where he ends and where Kyungsoo begins. 

That was probably all that Jongin needed in the end, because he now felt far more content and far more drowsy than he had mere moments ago. Kyungsoo had always been able to tell just what Jongin needed, and be able to give it to him. Here, with Kyungsoo in his arms, he feels so safe and so comfortable, there’s nothing to distract him from how he feels perfectly at home. 

“Go to sleep now baby,” Kyungsoo coos, thumb and index finger soothingly rubbing at his nape and Jongin positively purrs from the term of endearment and the tender treatment. He nestles his face into Kyungsoo’s neck and melts into him with a sigh, feeling his muscles relax as Kyungsoo pats his back. Almost as if he was trying to coax a baby to sleep; Jongin doesn't want him to ever stop. 

His eyel