"Stell, let's go?" JPN asked, holding the doorknob.
"Tara," Stell said as he opened his door from his room. He smiled at the man holding the door outside.
God, he's so beautiful. JPN mumbled inside his head. He couldn't help but to smile back at him as the younger clung his arm around his and made their way outside.
Stell blocked his eye with his free hand as his eyes adjusted from the sunlight. It's been a while since the last time he went out. It's been almost a month since he closed his door from the world. It's been almost a month since he died.
But now, he looks happier than ever.
Two days have passed when JPN served him a breakfast in bed. Two days have passed since JPN promised Stell to take care of him, forever. Two days have passed when JPN finally admits he's feeling different towards his patient.
Within those two days, JPN was able to see a lot of progress from Stell. He was able to clean his room and do his laundry.
Yesterday, he almost jumped when he saw him doing a vacuum cleaning around the house.
"Hello! Good morning!" Stell almost shouted so that he could hear him that woke him from his space. He smiled lovingly at him and JPN could feel his cheeks became hot. "Kumain ka na?"
JPN just shook his head but smiled nonetheless. Stell gestured him to go to the kitchen and there he saw a prepared meal already. French toast and tea. Not the usual but surely is delicious.
They had a general cleaning that morning. JPN was hesitant at first, thinking Stell might be overworking himself but the younger insisted.
"Kailangan ko nang umusad," is the only thing he heard from him after the long almost speech he told him. And he smiled at that, feeling proud of him.
Stell's now dusting off the ceiling with a broom, using a ladder to reach it while JPN's rearranging the furnitures.
Stell took a deep breath and exhaled as he feels exhausted at the moment. He lifted his free arm and swiped away the beads of sweat from his forehead trickling down his neck.
On his peripheral view, JPN saw it as if it's in slow motion. His eyes closed, mouth slightly ajar, hand moving to swipe his sweat. Not to mention his loose white sleeveless, making him see his bare puffed chest. His eyes travelled back up to his face and their eyes met. Stell got startled with that and lost his balance, he screamed as he fell. But JPN was quicker.
"H-hey," JPN said, panting. "Careful."
Stell just smiled at him, clinging his arm around his neck tighter. "You caught me."
JPN stared at his eyes and took a deep breath in.
"Always."
Their faces are just a few inches away, and JPN could clearly feel Stell's breath on his cheek, close to his mouth.
There's something inside him, urging him to close the gap of their lips. But Stell just quickly planted a kiss on his cheek and immediately free himself from his lifting, dashing to the kitchen immediately. And JPN, was left stunned.
He thought he's about to be broken that time by the hard feeling from his chest that time that seems want to be freed up.
He also thought that the rest of the day will be uncomfy after that scene, but no. They had a usual— no, they had an even better lunch right after they finished cleaning.
"Grabe tong karekare mo, Pau," Stell said as he finished his second serving. It's been a while since Stell started calling him Pau and he doesn't mind. It's better than the robotic JPN.
