Payback AU: What If

Act 3.5 - Words of Devotion (M)

"You looked preoccupied," Jay kissed the back of Yoohan's head one peaceful evening when he came back early from work. The younger man just hummed in response and Jay took the opportunity to slip behind the pondering man. He played with Yoohan's hair—already black now—and nibbled on the innocent nape. "What are you looking at?"

"Apartment," Yoohan stared at the tablet's screen, hunching his shoulder from the tickling sensation, but made no remark to tell the man off. Instead, he shifted his body to adjust better to the snuggling man.

"So you decided to move after all?"

"Well, there's no point in living in a three-bedroom apartment anyway." Yoohan shrugged. He seemed to hesitate a little, but after a while, he spoke again, slower and quieter. "And Hansoo told me he's basically living alone now."

At that, the older man burst out laughing on Yoohan's shoulder. Yoohan fidgeted a little, and Jay kissed the side of his neck. "Thought you'd never realize it."

Yoohan grumbled. He had to admit that he was quite taken aback when he came home one day to a confused Hansoo, who incredulously asked him "Why are you here, Hyung?" as if it wasn't Yoohan's home.

"Because this is my house too?" Yoohan had retorted with equal confusion, to which Hansoo responded with "I thought you already move in with Jay Hyung?"

And then Hansoo told him, that he already considered Yoohan to move out with Yoon Jay. Heck, he already thought Yoohan had moved out since before their mother's death. Mostly, it's because Yoohan practically lived in Jay's apartment a month before his final exam, and didn't even come home on the weekend. Yoohan was busy putting up his final project, and Jay's apartment was a nice establishment to work on it, not to mention it was closer to his university. He only came home after he submitted his final papers and just waiting for the exam schedule. At that point, his mother and Hansoo seemed to conclude that it was only time until Yoohan really moved out of the house.

After the funeral, Yoohan did spend more time at home, because there was no way he could leave Hansoo alone. And they still need to organize their mother's belonging and took care of the insurance matter. At that time, Jay even came to their house from time to time, often after midnight, and slept there. Hansoo thought that was just Yoohan being considerate of him. This happened until cSAT, and Hansoo's admission into the university. After which, Yoohan seemed to come back to live at Jay's.

When Yoohan didn't seem to want to admit that he was practically living with Jay already, Hansoo even pointed out the scarcity of Yoohan's belonging in his bedroom. The wardrobe was practically only filled with Yoohan's old clothes that he almost never wore anymore—thanks to Jay's persistent shopping. Most of his books already had their permanent place in Jay's library. And then Yoohan came back to Jay's apartment and took time to walk around the house.

There was a section on Jay's walk-in closet reserved for and filled with Yoohan's clothes—or rather, the clothes Jay brought for Yoohan. There were two sets of toiletries in the shower, because Jay said having Yoohan smell like him only made him horny all day, so he bought Yoohan a different set with a different scent to use instead. The fridge and kitchen were filled with ingredients catered to Yoohan's preferences in food. The apartment used to have no study room, but one day Jay decided to turn one room into a study and library, where Yoohan's books were slotted in the bookcase, and Yoohan's laptop was perched on the desk. And there were other little things, scattered goods that belonged to Yoohan, a number of shoes in the foyer, some souvenirs Jay had brought for Yoohan from his various business trips...

Anyone who entered this apartment would say that it was a place lived by two.

It was scary, how Yoohan didn't even realize it, that it happened so casually over the years. The number of days he stayed in Jay's apartment was increasing gradually to the point it become natural for him to stay there instead of his own house. Nowadays, he even called it home in some slipped of the tongue moment. But when he thought about it, this kind of thing was just how it always had with Jay and Yoohan; things that happened naturally with time, just like their relationship. There was never a confession, but they established a relationship nonetheless. Jay did ask casually that one day in the states, about living together, but it had never been mentioned again since. And now, again, it just sort of happened.