“At some point all I could think about was getting home.” || Seong-hwa ATZ
Oh pls give me ideas etc! I'm trying to get better!
Reader x Seong-hwa (ATEEZ)
Domestic Fluff, Comfort, Sleepy, Established Relationship
APARTMENT
~3K Words
It's pretty late, at least for Seong-hwa’s standards. Normally he’d be home around 7pm.
Normally he also texts you when he’s going to be late, but today is different. Around six you got his last message:
‘Shooting starts now, planning on at least two hours! Don't wait up!! ❤️’
You two had talked about this shoot before, you talked about how nervous he was.
He doesn't drink too often, especially not to a degree where he gets more than tipsy - that wouldn't be fun for this shoot though.
You reassured him repeatedly that there’s many people to take care of him, you told him how his members will be there and that no one will force him to overdo it.
This whole thing would've been vetoed ages ago if there was anything serious that could happen.
You take another look at your phone, 8:30pm. The clock on the lockscreen blurs out as your phone recognises your face and you're left staring at his message again.
‘Don't wait up!!❤️’
Soo, does this mean he’s staying here or at the dorms?
The wording makes you think for a bit.
Even if he doesn’t sleep here, it’s not going to do any harm to cozy up the place a tad.
If he’s truly coming home so late, he must be super tired, you decide and get up.
The Bathroom counter is a little messy, skin care and makeup you both share is scattered around from hurriedly getting ready in the morning.
You take a moment to carefully sort everything in their respective places and water the small potted plants. Then you wipe down the counter and mirror, additionally you change out the two small towels you both only use to dry your faces.
You pick out soft silk PJs from the bedroom and take a fresh towel out of the storage in the hallway to prepare a shower in case Seong-hwa does come home.
After neatly folding the PJs on the little bench next to the shower and draping the towels over the heater you step back and look at your work.
The bathroom is cozy as is, with candles, hanging plants and a fuzzy mat on the floor which all give the small room a loving and homey feel.
The bathroom was the room that first showed signs of Seong-hwa slowly moving in with you.
The second toothbrush and his skincare stopped disappearing every time he left and soon after there were two matching cups that never left the counter.
You check your phone again to see the time, 8.55pm.
Worry isn't a thing on your mind at all, he's never been late without telling you a good reason and he's never missed a chance to make you feel special. Random flowers sent to you when he's overseas, good night messages always on time for whatever timezone you're in and so much more.
Well - maybe you're worried about how he's doing, but if it was really bad he would be in your messages complaining about it already.
You wander towards the kitchen tidying small things up here and there on the way.
You enter the kitchen and prepare a glass of water for your nightstand, the glowing numbers on the microwave tell you it's 9.00pm.
You're lost in thoughts about going to sleep soon while swiping some last crumbs off the counter when you catch chatter at the door of your apartment.
You can hear someone clumsily punching in the numbers to your door code and a few men chatting outside. One of them is unmistakably your boyfriend, so you hurry to the door and open it before he's finished putting in the numbers.
The scene that greets you after opening the door is a testament of the brotherhood formed between the ATEEZ members in their years of working together:
Seong-hwa stands in front of you, he's swaying slightly but obviously incredibly happy to see you.
Behind him Jongho and a manager are holding onto San who seems torn between a nice nap on the rather dirty floor of the hallway and convincing either of the two men on his side to carry him back to the dorms princess style.
Safe to say that he could succeed with enough convincing and puppy eyes.
Before you are able to see which option San goes for you are engulfed in a hug.
A hug that smells like expensive perfume, your shampoo and Soju. Seong-hwa pulls you in close, he rests his head on your shoulder and wraps his arms around your back tightly. His face and hands feel cool even through your clothes.
You get the feeling that contrary to his message, maybe he had hoped you'd stay up waiting for him.
“I wanted to see you” he whispers before taking a deep breath, his body relaxes as you close your arms around him.
Warmth begins spreading inside you as soon as his soft perfume fills your nose, as soon as his arms are around you - honestly it started the second you saw him at the door.
You hold onto him gently as he settles into the hug, which allows you to look over his shoulder.
You catch the manager's gaze and mouth a “Thank you”.
He responds with a nod and a smile before his attention is consumed by San, who has chosen option one and is trying to sit down on the floor for some rest.
Jongho smiles at you, evidently the most composed out of the three drunk people in the hallway and grabs San’s arm, forcing him to stay standing. “We're off!” He says, maybe a tad bit too loud, which would be the only evidence that he even had any of the alcohol the other two men have clearly had.
The two manage to turn San around and usher him towards the elevator as he tries his best to become an Owl and turn his head 180 degrees to say goodbye to you.
When he can't hear them anymore Seong-hwa loosens the hug and you help him inside.
You take off his coat and hang it up while he takes off his shoes.
“How did it go?” you ask, analysing his features to maybe guess an answer before he replies. He looks a little sleepy yet happy, his eyes sparkling as he looks up to reply.
“It was fun!” he answers while already going in for a second hug.
“I really wanted to see you,” he whispers into your shoulder and you run your fingers through his long black hair.
“What do you say we get you out of these clothes and into something more comfortable?” as a response he nods, head still semi resting on your shoulder.
You pick his head up and hold his face in your hands, his ears are flushed pink and his cheeks are rosy.
His gaze seems tired but adoring while looking at you.
“Do you want me to make tea for you?” you offer while picking a strand of hair out of his face.
He closes his eyes because of the near movement, instead of words you get a “mhm~” his eyes stay closed so you push more of his hair back.
“So sleepy already my dear?” you ask almost a little teasing.
The corners of his mouth turn upward into a coy smile but his eyes don’t open
“Sooo sleepy~” he replies, half mumbling the words.
You put on your best customer service voice, “alright Mr. Seong-hwa please come with me!”
“Yes Mam,” this little play is something you two do from time to time. It started to help you learn Korean, but now it's become a habit.
You gently take his hand and lead him to the bathroom. His fingers rest chilly in your palm.
“Please rest here sir,” you say while tapping on the bathroom counter with your hand and he leans his backside against it.
You open the drawer to his left and pull out a hairband. Seong-hwa turns his head downwards so you can easily slide it on his hair and catch any stray strands.
Suddenly you feel cool fingers on your cheek, being so caught up with the hairband you hadn’t realised how close your faces have come.
He holds onto your chin gently, slides his other hand around the small of your back and pulls you in for a tender kiss.
His lips are soft but cold from the harsh air outside. Though his hands are freezing, his touch on your face and back is deliberately soft. You taste the Soju and smell his expensive perfume that still carries hints of vanilla. Despite the cool feeling of his touch you feel warmth spreading throughout your body again.
It's like there's an aura of comfort, affection and adoration radiating off him, that's how palpable his feelings towards you are.
After a moment he let's go off your chin.
“Apologies for disturbing your work madam,” he murmurs while getting his fingers lost playing in your hair.
“You know,” you reply while moving slightly, picking up a cotton pad and applying some makeup remover, “for some reason I am not upset at all. Strange isn't it?” he lets out a small chuckle in response.
“Alright baby, close your eyes please,” you say while stepping back in front of him.
Before he closes his eyes he pulls you so close that your bodies touch, his hands stay resting on your back while he slowly turns his head downwards to you and shuts his eyes.
You spend the next moments carefully removing his makeup, his eyes stay closed the entire time while you angle his head with gentle touches and nudges and his hands stay resting on the small of your back, they slowly warm up while you tend to him.
As the last step you take a damp, warm cloth and clean the makeup remover residue off his face.
His skin is a bit more tan than the makeup made it seem and his eyebrows seem more prominent now. His features seem so much sharper without anything applied. Even his cupid's bow seems more defined without a lipliner. Usually they're a beautiful nude colour when he's not wearing makeup, but today they're pink, almost the same shade of pink that still tints the tip of his nose and ears right now, though admittedly, the colour is slowly fading from his nose the longer he's in the warmth of your apartment.
You rest your arms on his chest and lean in, his lips part when you close in. Just to tease him you try to hold out for a moment but he moves closer, your noses touch first.
“Thank you darling,” he whispers before closing the distance between his lips and yours.
You can practically taste the sleepiness on his lips, he still smiles into the kiss regardless. After a short moment he moves his head up, to give you a small peck on the forehead and then rests his head on your shoulder.
“You should go shower,” you say while massaging the roots of his hair with your fingertips. He groans and hesitantly loosens his arms around you.
After placing a small kiss on his cheek you close the bathroom door behind you and move to the kitchen.
The sound of running water in the shower is like calming white noise while you turn on the electric kettle for some hot water.
Every movement is a routine to you, the only time you pause is before selecting a tea. Your final pick is a vanilla rooibos tea. This specific one you get from your home country, you have never been able to find a version in Korea that's quite right.
Memories of Seong-hwa's first time in your hometown flood your mind and you spend the time the tea takes recalling cherished moments.
The water in the shower turns off shortly before you pick the tea bags out of the two cups.
You can hear Seong-hwa walking into the bedroom and then exiting it again, undoubtedly to put his dirty clothes in the hamper immediately.
As you carry the two mugs to the living room sofa Seong-hwa appears in the doorframe to the hallway.
He holds a towel in his hands, his hair is still wet and his eyes emit the same energy as a wet puppy's would.
You put down the cups, walk up to him, fix up the collar of his silk pyjamas, which are the same silver ones you laid out before, then you take the towel out of his hands.
He wants you to dry his hair for him, every time he's tired he asks for that.
“Sit down, love. Your tea is on the side table,” your voice is warm, taking care of him like this never feels like a chore. On the contrary, his presence in your life has improved everything so much that this sort of care feels natural.
As he sits down you walk to the side of the couch and start patting down his wet hair.
He turns on some show on the TV, it's a lighthearted romance both of you have seen multiple times.
Every now and again Seong-hwa hands you your cup, making sure you get to enjoy your tea too.
At the point where his hair has gone from wet to slightly damp you pick up a comb with loosely spaced prongs and begin raking it through his hair gently.
After a few minutes of this his hair is mostly dry and incredibly soft to the touch. He leans his head back and looks straight up at you “Thank you darling.”
He really used all energy during the shoot.
You cup his cheeks with your hands and squeeze them a little, then you walk around and sit down next to him.
“You know,” he pulls you closer and holds onto your hand “at some point all I could think about was getting home.” He smiles, and shakes his head.
“You did have fun though, I hope,” you look up at him, eager to hear how the shoot really went.
He waves his hand “Of course!” Then he starts playing with your hair.
“But right now I really want to be right here,” about a second after saying that he freezes. As if snapping out of a trance he turns his head towards you “I behaved like a child today-” his eyes are wide in shock.
You laugh in response to his expression.
Like a deer in headlights.
“Everyone does when they're drunk!” Now you're the one waving your hand, he seems seriously worried he made a bad impression. Moments like this make you think about the psychic that said it's his soul's first time on earth.
“Nono you don’t get it, I called HongJoong a dummy and I didn't control my volume at all in that one drinking game and I kept going on and on and-” you interrupt his nervous rambling with a kiss.
The way he responds into it is almost desperate, his hands move through your hair and hold onto your back as he moves closer to you. After a moment he's moved close, enough to push you over on your back.
You run your fingers through his hair as he hovers over you, strands fall over his face and cover his eyes slightly. He uses one of his arms to hold his position as he reaches into his hair with the other one and grabs one of your hands. Your fingers intertwine and his gaze is fixed on your expression as he takes a moment to place a gentle kiss on your knuckles.
You move your free hand from his hair along his jawline to his chin and pull him closer slightly. The small nudge is enough for him to understand, he immediately lowers himself. His hand now rests on the pillow above your head, effectively trapping you. He's not quite close enough to kiss you when you move your finger from his chin, down along his neck.
In response his breath hitches ever so slightly and he closes his eyes to feel immersed in the gentleness of your touch.
He swallows as your fingers trace a line down his neck near his Adams apple.
You move your hand back up to where your fingers gently touch the side of his face and give him a slight nudge towards you. His eyes snap open and his gaze fixes onto your face yet again as an almost mischievous smile creeps its way onto his lips before they're pressed to yours once more.
You can feel his jaw move rhythmically and the muscles above tense and relax under your fingers.
The taste of the tea mixes with the lingering notes of soju and longing for you.
After a few moments he comes up for air, he blinks slowly then exhales “Im sooo sleepy~” you stroke his cheek with your thumb and reply “Lets go to bed then.”
He hums and leans into the warmth of your palm before replying “can we lay here for a moment please?” He doesn't want the moment to end. “If there's any more distance between us, I'll go insane!” His dark eyes are fixed on your face still, it seems he really wasn't lying earlier.
“Till the episode is over,” you reply and he frees your hand from his grip.
He nestles his head into the crook of your neck. The hand that previously held yours is now in your hair. Before he puts all his weight on top of you, you place your hands on his back.
He begins humming a deep tone when you start stroking his back. He retaliates your gesture by printing a few small, soft kisses on your neck.
After a moment his breathing steadies and deepens. His hand stops moving shortly after and you're sure he's fallen asleep.
Glad he's finally calmed down, you turn your head and watch the episode, the scent of his shampoo filling your nose and his breathing calming you subconsciously.