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Before Taeyang, life hadn’t necessarily been bad.
But back then, Intak hadn’t had Choi Taeyang to come home to.
Life had been a cycle of sleeping fitfully in his bed at night and leaving as early as possible for dance practice to stay out of his apartment where he would be alone with his thoughts. Intak didn’t deal well with loneliness, as much as he put on a brave face around his friends.
Four months ago, Intak had tagged along with Keeho to a music store and felt as if he had experienced the comforting warmth of the sun for the first time.
Taeyang was leaning against a counter, a pretty guitar strapped across his chest, his fingers deftly moving across the strings. The melody was melancholy but sweet, and Intak had watched as his red hair fluttered over his nape every time he bobbed his head.
An ever watchful Keeho had been bemused, to say the least, as Intak seemed to completely forget his own body even existed.
It had taken several minutes before Taeyang noticed there were customers in the store, and he gingerly set down his guitar before catching Intak’s eyes, a glimmer in his own.
Intak knew then that he was done for. How could he not fall in love with a person who looked at him with the brilliance of the sun in his gaze?
The rest was history.
“I’m home!”
Intak drops his pack with a resounding thud at the entrance to his and Taeyang’s apartment and shucks his shoes off haphazardly, the front door clicking closed behind him.
Friday evenings are reserved for Taeyang and Taeyang only, and dance practice has already kept him away from his beautiful boyfriend for far too long today. Even Shota had noticed when Intak’s eyes kept flying to the clock, and Jiung had started asking questions when Intak stumbled one time. He rarely did.
No response.
The overhead lights are off, with the only illumination being the soft yellow glow of a lamp in the far corner of the room.
Taeyang’s head of now medium brown hair peeks from above the back of the couch, black coming in at the roots. He seems to be concentrated on whatever he’s holding, a book maybe or more likely his Switch.
Finally stopping behind the couch, Intak wastes no time in throwing his arms around his boyfriend’s shoulders and planting a relieved sigh into the silky strands of his hair. “Hello, Sunshine.”
“Intak-ah, you’re home?”
Taeyang reaches one of his hands back to grasp at Intak’s and holds it for a moment, “Your hands are cold.”
“I’ll be okay after I hug my personal heater for a little bit.” Intak nuzzles his head into Taeyang’s, his eyes closed and heart content.
He cracks open an eye when Taeyang doesn’t respond and releases his hand.
“Taeyang,” he whines.
His boyfriend pats the spot next to him on the couch, his eyes trained on the Switch in his other hand. “Come here.”
What can Intak do but obey?
He moves around the sofa and sits down, leaning his head on Taeyang’s shoulder and leaving no space between them.
“So what are you playing, then?”
It isn’t Animal Crossing this time, but it does feel similar in design, comforting and quiet.
“Tomodachi Life. I’m making us in the game now.”
Intak can’t take his eyes off the upturned corners of Taeyang’s mouth.
“Intak, look. What do you think? I think something’s off here.” The space between his brows crinkles slightly, and Intak thinks it’s the cutest thing in the world.
It takes great effort for him to turn to the screen, where he is met with a small cartoon version of what he assumes must be him, except- “Taeyang-ie, you gave me puppy ears!”
Taeyang laughs, “And they suit you perfectly, you puppy.” He pats the top of Intak’s head, guiding it down to his lap.
“Here, let me see. ” He looks down to take a good look at Intak’s face, focusing on each feature and tracing the bridge of Intak’s nose, the shape of his brow, the line of his lips with a gentle finger. He contemplates for a few moments, before turning back to the screen as Intak gazes fondly up at his boyfriend and absent-mindedly reaches up to pull his fingers through the bottom-most strands of Taeyang’s hair.
“There, I think you look perfect now.”
It’s true. Even though he looks tiny and a bit silly, there’s no mistaking the Mii as Intak.
Intak’s legs hang awkwardly off the end of the couch, but he can’t find it in himself to move. Taeyang’s lap is one of his top three locations to be in the entire world, topped only by any room his boyfriend is playing his guitar in and his boyfriend’s embrace.
His boyfriend, his boyfriend. Intak could never be tired of it.
“What about you? Show me your character.”
Taeyang makes a face, but presses a few buttons to find himself on his island. There he is, the spitting image of Taeyang.
“Awwww, you’re so cute, babe.”
“I better be. It took me an embarrassingly long time to make me.”
Intak turns his head to press his face into the softness of his boyfriend’s belly, mouthing into his shirt. “My boyfriend, so cute. You’re still cuter in person.”
He feels the vibration of his voice in Taeyang’s subtle shudder.
“Yah!” Taeyang swats lightly at Intak’s ear. He’s not the best at taking compliments, and Intak looks up to see his ears coated in a light dusting of pink. “I told you I spent hours on it.”
Intak laughs and shifts up Taeyang’s lap a little, wrapping his arms around the brunette’s waist, his own head on his boyfriend’s shoulder. He’s extra cute when he’s flustered.
“I stand by what I said, babe.”
It feels so right, basking in Taeyang’s warmth like this, being so close that he swears he can hear his boyfriend’s heart beating at a steady, reassuring place next to his own.
Taeyang suddenly gasps, “Baby, look, look! You fell in love with me at first sight!”
It’s the truth, whether in real life or in the game.
The delight in Taeyang’s eyes is the most beautiful thing ever, even better than the furrow in his brow when he concentrates.
Intak wants to kiss his sunshine so badly right now.
He props himself up and plants a light kiss on Taeyang’s cheek.
The brunette is so absorbed by the game that his only response is a tiny sound that escapes his throat.
Intak knows not to push it. Taeyang will show affection when he’s ready for it. So, he drops his head back down to rest on his boyfriend’s legs, a pout on his face and his arms crossed.
But he watches Taeyang’s game intently, interjecting every once in a while to ask questions and taking silent pride in the fact that Mii Taeyang makes sure to reject Mii Keeho when he asks him out.
Taeyang snorts every time Mii Intak starts breakdancing, “Wow, this is so realistic, Intak-ah.” He might have to add that to his ever-growing list of favorite things ever.
“I named our cat Jongseob, okay?” Intak nods. Their younger friend really is like a cat.
When he starts getting tired, Taeyang takes to carding his fingers through Intak’s hair and leaning down during pauses in the game to press his lips chastely to different parts of Intak’s face, muttering a quiet “baby” every time he does so.
He sets down the Switch on the couch beside him, the game forgotten, putting all his attention onto Intak, who’s been craving it like a man starved.
Their lips finally meet, soft and slow, but stealing the breath from one another.
Intak pushes himself up, arms moving like a magnet to where they belong around Taeyang’s waist.
When they pull apart between their small kisses, Intak can’t help but shiver each time as Taeyang breathlessly murmurs “baby” into his mouth.
Slowly, Intak turns himself over, guiding his boyfriend down into the pillows of the couch and hovering over him.
“Babe, I love you so much. I just thought you should know-”
Taeyang presses his finger to Intak’s lips, shushing him and pulls his head back down with his arms around Intak’s neck, drawing him into a languid kiss and leaving no space between their bodies.
Taeyang isn’t good at saying those three words back, so Intak doesn’t hold it against him, because what he doesn’t say he shows through his actions. Intak has never once doubted that Taeyang loves him as much as he himself loves Taeyang.
“Me too…I-I love you.”
If Intak hadn’t felt the movement of Taeyang’s lips moving on his he thinks he would have chalked the ghostly whisper up to a hallucination.
He stops in his tracks, pulls back, body hovering over Taeyang. His cheeks and ears are dusted a peachy pink, his lips swollen and glossy, but his eyes are focused, trained on Intak’s, with a gaze gentler than the dawn.
Intak doesn’t even realize Taeyang has moved until he feels a sharp sensation on the shell of his ear, his boyfriend biting down enough to sting but not to break skin. Their bodies are flush, and Intak swears he can feel the thundering of Taeyang’s heart beneath his ribs, and he hopes his boyfriend can feel his too.
“Dont’t-”
“I know, sunshine.”
Taeyang seems to want to hide his face and presses kisses into the crook of Intak’s neck, nibbling here and there. Not hard enough to leave marks, but Intak wishes they do anyway.
He doesn’t even notice he’s slipped his hands under his boyfriend’s shirt until he feels Taeyang jolt beneath him.
“Sweetheart, your hands…They’re still cold…” They won’t be for long.
Intak only coils his arms tighter, opposite hands on opposite sides of Taeyang’s waist. He wants them to live here, in the dip of Taeyang’s waist, forever, to bask in the heat of Taeyang’s body, which runs so warm sometimes he wonders if his boyfriend really is the Sun itself, or at least a part of it that had broken away just for him to love and adore.
They’re both tired after long days at work, Intak can tell. He’s content to just fall asleep here like this, entwined in each other.
When Taeyang wakes up, there’s something warm and heavy draped over him, nearly cocconed around his body. Since when did he have a blanket like this?
Oh. It’s the Intak blanket. Sweet, beautiful, lovely Intak. He’s still wrapped around Taeyang, holding on to him as if he’s a lifeline. Which he is. Taeyang is Intak’s sun, after all. And how could one live without the sun?
Intak is still asleep, black hair falling across his eyes, back moving gently up and down with each light breath. He’s somehow managed to move down Taeyang’s body, his ear resting over Taeyang’s heart.
Taeyang brushes the hair off his boyfriend’s forehead and looks at him fondly, traces the look of the dappled sunlight over his face and commits it to memory.
“I love you, Intak-ah, my sunflower,” he whispers.
He has the perfect idea for a song.