Utopia | ATEEZ Jongho

Utopia

Hands bound, eyes sealed, not a moment wasted, but for every stroke of wind against your hair you smile in the general direction of its source. Jongho, forever the gentleman, watches over you as you perform exotic new routines, not once refusing your ecstatic smiles and sparkling eyes. He holds his camera in one hand with the other curled into a thumbs up, which happens to be the sight you are met with upon lifting your eyelids.

A smile later and your vision is sealed away again. All you have to go off of is the miniscule thumps of your feet as they glide across the floor, the heavy breathing resulting from your intense workout and the steady exhales of your companion. Together, they shape a symphony of sounds that guide your every move, aid your every shift.

You wouldn't call yourself the lightest on your feet, or indeed the lightest at all. However, something about dancing freely to a calm tune gives you a new feeling of weightlessness you would normally laugh at. Dancing, to you, underneath the soft lights of the studio, soothed your senses in a way that classified the activity as meditation.

Oh, how you love basking in this feeling with him.

Jongho maintains his steady breathing rhythm even as you try a particularly challenging move. He has faith in your abilities, faith that you would kill to gain from others but fail every time. He trusts that you can do it. Whether or not you do end up completing the move successfully, his faith is all that matters.

That thought takes away your embarrassment when you lose your footing in one fateful beat of a heart.

In a flash Jongho is by your side, camera long discarded as he inspects your body for any injuries. You assure him that nothing is wrong, that you didn't hurt yourself too badly, but his worried expression remains a crease in his skin where instead a smile should be. His palm rests against your knee, which absorbed the brunt of your impact on the floor. He seems to contemplate something before steadying himself and planting a small kiss to your temple.

You will the blush away, which earns a small laugh from the brunette before he returns to his original position and picks up his discarded camera. He had whispered a few words of encouragement beforehand, words that stick with you as you return to your previous activity. Well, if you are honest with yourself, it's not the words that spark your mind like fairy lights, it may rather be the soft whisper, the smile in his tone, that is fueling your blush.

Not a word is uttered for the remainder of your hangout session, but what could be said is replaced by a beautiful silence broken only by minimum signs of life. A few steps here, a shuffle there, and the subtle smell of sweat that Jongho doesn't mind. You thanked the heavens for the air conditioner finally being fixed as you twirled to the song in your head. That is another thing you love about this arrangement; while Jongho may play classical music sometimes to help you focus, you tend to go off the music in your mind.

The music that only he can ignite deep inside.

All too soon, said music stops and you open your eyes again to look at him. He knows that look, that when you peer at him while leaning on one side, you want him to join you. Live that moment with you instead of capture it on digital film. And like a moth to a candle, he is hypnotized by your implicit request, drawn to your form without complaint.

The camera is left on the floor again, but the lights overhead flicker as soon as Jongho comes within your personal space bubble. You can make out his natural scent, blending with his fading cologne and freshly-ironed clothing. A pleasing mix, one that brings a smile to your face while you ease his coat off his tall frame. Coffee, a hint of raspberry... did he stop by a café before coming over?

A chuckle snaps you out of your reverie. You love how his voice sounds when he laughs, talks, sings. His voice can simultaneously strike chords within your soul and lull an infant to sleep, you always tease him about it but he responds in a way that leaves you stunned, unable to produce a word. He has been watching you put his coat beside yours on the hanger by the door. Eyes trailing after you as you come back to him and lay your hands on his arms.

You refrain from thinking about his physique most of the time, the very thought of his build often overwhelming you in the sweetest way. You love how flexible he actually is, how his bulk carries into an unusual grace in his movements that commands attention. You love the way he moves, period. Now you're beginning to think you love everything about him, from the way he laughs to the way he subtly reminds you that he's there, and would it be wrong?

As you fall into step with him, allow him to take the lead, you rest your thoughts on the fact that no, it would be so right.

Got a little carried away with this one haha. Stan Choi Jongho or perish,,, happy birthday to this underrated ATEEZ all-rounder!