Idol | sunsun

6

Sunghoon could feel his heart beating in his ears. One, two, three; raucous pumps muffling every rational thought in his mind. He could only bore a hole with his stare in the door in front of him, and try his best to control the speed of his breathing. (He wasn't doing a very good job.)

There were snowflakes melting on his hair and the fabric of his woolen scarf. Some on his gloves, too, but they had mostly turned into water. His fingers were freezing, and the tip of his nose was of a furious shade of pink, just like his hair. Sunghoon's left hand was curled around the handle of his suitcase, and the right one was holding a fancy white paper bag tied up with a pretty purple ribbon. Somewhere down the street, a coffee shop was playing American Christmas carols. It was the season.

The door cracked open, startling Sunghoon. From behind it appeared the silhouette of a tall young man dressed in an oversized sweater and fuzzy socks. Light leisurely made its way into the dim entrance of the house, illuminating the man's soft features and round eyes, his mouth shaped like a small 'o.' A mole under his lip.

Sunghoon gave him a radiant smile. "Merry Christmas, Sunoo-ah."

"Hyung," Sunoo breathed, blinking slowly as though he'd just woken up. His hand was around the doorknob still, his body blocking the entrance. "What are you—? I wasn't expecting you here so early."

"Felt like surprising you," Sunghoon said with a shrug. "I couldn't wait two more days."

"You're really here," Sunoo muttered, almost to himself. He ran his eyes down and up Sunghoon's body, taking him in. "Woah. Ah, uh, please come in," he stuttered, flattening his body against the door to let Sunghoon slip inside their house. Sunghoon snickered softly at the sight of his reddened cheeks. "Sorry."

Dragging his suitcase inside with a little effort, Sunghoon finally stepped into the warmth. Sunoo closed the door behind him gently as Sunghoon took off his shoes, and he took the bag from Sunghoon's hand wordlessly, offering him his arm to hold onto while Sunghoon struggled to unlace his boots. Sunghoon tried to ignore the rush of anxiety that ran through his body at the sight of Sunoo's bare fingers. Where a pretty silver ring with Sunghoon's initials should've been, there was only skin.

Once Sunghoon took off the extra five centimeters, he let go of Sunoo's arm, the touch of his fingertips lingering under the cotton. He could recognize the sweater— Sunghoon had gifted it to him after he'd seen it in a shop window in Hongdae. It was vibrant purple, soft to the touch and long enough to give Sunoo the most adorable sweater paws. It was one of Sunghoon's favorite looks on him.

"Hey," he whispered, raising his gaze a bit to look into Sunoo's eyes. He smiled, pulling the corners of the younger's lips upwards, too. "You look so pretty."

Sunoo took a step closer to Sunghoon and he slid his arms around his neck. Some of his hair spilled over his eyes, light brown, long, and fluffy like it'd just been blow-dried. "Hey," he whispered back, leaning in. "Welcome home, Sunghoon-ah. I missed you."

Sunghoon's heart skipped a bit. To be honest, he'd been on the fence about rescheduling his trip. The past few months had left Sunghoon wondering where they were standing when it came to their relationship. Whether they were stranded and ready to sink or just experiencing some turbulence. He'd been scared to face Sunoo again after their numerous fights on the phone and find that same coldness of his voice in his stare, but right then, it was nowhere to be seen.

He was still his Sunoo, starry-eyed and looking at Sunghoon like he was the best thing in his life. A Christmas miracle. Sunghoon had nothing to worry about— love would surely fix everything. They were stronger than a passing storm.