Stray Kids Comfort Collection

11. Hyunjin: Home

Lost in thought at the stove, stirring the roux patiently as it turns a silky golden color, I'm reminded of the way the evening sun casts shadows through his hair when he is sitting in his chair by the window, immersed in a book. A smile lifts the corner of my mouth. The image takes up space in my mind enough to where I don't hear his footsteps approach from behind. His arms weaving around my sides to clasp his hands together at the base of my ribcage would have startled me had I not known the pressure and pattern of his touch like the rhythm of my own heartbeat.

His chin drops to rest on my shoulder as he peers over into the saucepan to see what magical concoction I am making for him to try tonight.

"Mmmm..." He sniffs and sighs. "Smells good..."

His arms squeeze me a little, just to feel me closer if possible.

He is perfectly content to hold me like this, watching me cook. The simplicity of this moment is fuel for his soul as his heart paints a story across endless canvases in his mind of the life we are living together and the many lives we could have lived and may yet live. The sheer bliss of the imagery stokes a hunger in him that is seated deeper than his stomach.

Pressing a kiss to the curve of my neck, he leans in and whispers into my ear. "If there wasn't food to possibly burn, I'd have you on this countertop..."

"Hyunjin..." I warn playfully.

He giggles against my neck, the light burst of air from his nose teasing my skin. "I'll be a good boy." He grins.

"You don't have to go that far." I smirk, still stirring the roux. "But you can definitely go set the table... please?"

"Oookaaaay." He responds with an animated pout, then cheekily nips at my shoulder, receiving a tiny yelp from me, and removes himself to do as I asked.

After a delightfully relaxed but lively conversational dinner, Hyunjin and I clean up the dishes together and decide to watch something. As he was already in a pair of sweats and a loose t-shirt, I go change into a pair of sleep shorts and shirt for comfort. Upon returning to the sitting room, he's already poised at the corner of the couch, one leg stretched along the back cushions and the other rested in the floor, awaiting me to come recline between them and rest against his torso. I crawl into the space made just for me and melt along the length of his body. His arm that had been slung over the back of the couch wraps around my back like it's the first and millionth time it's been there. His hand caresses me soothingly as I burrow into him.

"What are we watching?" He asks, grabbing the remote with his free hand to open the app of my choice.

"Hmmmm...." I think as I snuggle even higher on his chest under the shelter of his jaw. "It's been a draining day, so how about something we've seen before?"

His hand at my back reaches up to untie my ponytail, letting my hair loose to cascade down my back. His fingers have been itching to get into the tresses, craving the silky soft feel of them. He rhythmically combs through my hair in long, slow strokes.

"Animation or live action?" He asks, opening the Disney Plus app.

"Animation." I nod against him confidently.

"Classic, slightly older, or new?"

I see him scrolling through titles and my eyes light up when he pauses over one. "Why are you asking when you've already decided on one?" I laugh.

He presses the button on Lilo and Stitch, and I squeak in happiness.

^__^

I'm stirred awake from an afternoon nap by featherlight fingertip strokes across my forehead and temple, brushing away stray strands of hair.

"Hmmmm....?" I hum and stretch as I'm pulled from slumber to open my eyes and find Hyunjin's already smiling back at me from inches away.

His fingers continue to trace around the outline of my cheekbone, ear, and jaw before delicately running along the underside of my bottom lip. A smirk plays on the corner of his mouth as his eyes slightly dilate.

"Good afternoon..." His gentle English translates more than the words, raising an involuntary grin to my face and the temperature in my body.

My arms reach out to wrap around him and he pulls me even closer.

"Let's run away together." I suggest with a hint of a whine.

His giggle litters my forehead with tiny breaths as he presses a velvety kiss to the warm skin. "And where would we go?"

I melt into his lips with each tender show of affection, which makes my mind go in the opposite direction.

"Anywhere you can open doors for me in public and pin me against them in private..."

His lips—subsequently his entire body—freeze for a moment as he digests what I just said. With a light growl, he shifts quickly, burying his face into my neck and grazing his teeth along the sensitive flesh there, daring to leave visible marks. His body is magnetized to mine, arching into me with a not-so-subtle meaning.

"Let's start here." He whispers with a softer kiss than I expect under my ear.

I feel a happy giggle bubble up from my chest as I pull him even closer in my embrace. "Deal."