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jay stirs from his slumber when the sheets ruffle and the heat source next to him pulls away. he whines in discomfort, blindly reaching out for warmth but he’s just met with low, breathy chuckles.
he manages to peel his eyes open to glare at his boyfriend but he’s still sleep-disoriented so all jongwoo sees are puppy eyes and pouty lips. they’re more effective anyways, jongwoo’s eyes soften and he moves back to wrap jay up in his arms.
the younger sighs in content which prompts jongwoo to squeeze him a bit tighter because jay is just so cute. “baby,” he murmurs, voice deep and scratchy from just waking up. “it’s time to get up now.”
a whine is all he gets in response and he laughs again as jay presses even closer so as to prevent him from trying to get out of bed. jongwoo allows himself to be weighed down and the two settle into comfortable silence once more.
as jay dozes off, lulled back to sleep by the quiet and cozy atmosphere, jongwoo can’t help but admire him unabashedly. his eyelashes are so long that they cast a shadow and his puppy-like features, which usually make some of the funniest expressions, are relaxed.
however, upon further inspection, he sees the dark circles under his eyes and sighs at the reminder of how rare it’s become for them to spend time together like this. the younger has been working tirelessly on his solo debut, coming home late at night and leaving early the next morning. jongwoo is also busy sorting things out for the group that they’re going to debut in.
he rubs his thumb gently under jay’s eyes, wishing he could just make the exhaustion go away. they’re running themselves haggard but hopefully it’ll pay off in the future. for now, jongwoo is going to cuddle the boy that he’s fallen in love with completely and irrevocably.
— ☆ —
the second time jay awakens, jongwoo is nowhere to be found. he rolls over to his boyfriend’s side of the bed and the sheets are already cold, meaning that the other got up a while ago. his sleepy expression is replaced with a frown as he pulls himself out of bed.
he shivers slightly without the warmth of a blanket so he scans around the room for the hoodie jongwoo took off while they were getting ready for bed last night, and finds it draped on a chair. a small smile tugs the corners of his mouth up as he pulls on the gray hoodie.
jay makes his way out of their room and down the hallway of the dorm. he passes the two other rooms, currently empty and ready for whoever joins the group. it still blows his mind a little that he and jongwoo get to debut together despite not making the final lineup, and how the company is even allowing the older to pick their own group mates.
pushing those thoughts aside, he continues walking til he arrives at the kitchen. his eyes immediately hone in on the view in front of him and he takes a second to appreciate it. jongwoo’s standing in front of the stove making breakfast, wearing a muscle tank which stretches over his broad back and shows off his arms.
he moves towards his boyfriend, who has yet to notice him, so he tries to be as silent as possible. waking up alone is definitely not what he wanted to do on a rare day that they don’t have any schedules so scaring him is a minor payback. just as he’s about to bring his hands down onto jongwoo’s shoulders, the other turns around with a knowing smile and rolls his eyes fondly.
“jay,” he admonishes, bringing his hands up to cup jay’s face before squeezing softly. “you shouldn’t try to play around when we’re near a stove, baby.”
the realization about how he could’ve put them in a dangerous situation causes his playful demeanor to droop. “sorry, hyung,” jay mumbles. “i just wanted to get you back for leaving me alone this morning.”
jongwoo sighs, hopelessly endeared, and swipes his thumb across his boyfriend’s pouty lips. “it’s alright, i just don’t want you to get hurt.”
he lets go of jay’s cheeks and maneuvers them so that the younger is in front of the stove and he’s standing behind him, firm arms wrapping around a small waist. in this position, jay can see the stack of pancakes jongwoo was working on while he has sleeping and his stomach growls loudly. he flushes in embarrassment which only darkens as the other chuckles.
“i didn’t expect you to wake up before i finished making breakfast,” jongwoo murmurs. “i wanted to surprise you since we haven’t spent that much time together lately.”
his boyfriend’s sweet gesture paired with being held in his arms has jay melting. he can’t believe that he gets to call jongwoo his and vice versa. with a wide smile and pink cheeks, he turns around to look the older in the eye while he speaks.
“thank you, hyung,” he says as earnestly as possible. “i missed you so much these past weeks, i’m glad that we get to spend time together today.”
he ends his statement with a kiss on the cheek and when he pulls back, jongwoo’s eyes are filled with so much love and affection that he has to look away. a hand gently coaxes him back and then they're kissing. it’s languid and slow with both of them smiling into it. they break apart, still smiling. jongwoo rests his forehead against jay’s and they take the time to bask in each other’s presence.
unfortunately, their peace and quiet gets interrupted by the smoke alarm beeping. jongwoo is the first to react, tugging jay away from the stove to reveal that it was on low instead of off like he intended to do when he sensed the younger’s presence earlier. he finally shuts it off and then runs to open the kitchen window, cursing loudly.
when jay finally gets his bearings, jongwoo has disappeared down the hallway to silence the alarm. the younger can’t help but burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation, he’s going to be teasing his boyfriend about this for a long time. his laughter quiets into giggles as he follows the way jongwoo went.