Seo Juheon hated how familiar it felt to have Baek Dohu in his arms. He shivered at how cold Dohu’s face was pressed agaisnt his neck like this. He shouldn’t have been here that long. He couldn’t have been here all that time since he left the party, except…
Except everything points to that being the case.
His fingers tigthen around the soft locks. His palm cradling the back of Dohu’s head with a frustration born from the other’s stubbornness.
“You still smell the same,” Dohu softly commented. His nose snuffling at Juheon’s neck, sighing contentedly as he pressed closer. “I’ve missed it.”
He stiffened, heart lurching and face growing warm, at the admission. Dohu drew back, a silly smile stretching on his usually blank face. Juheon breath catches in his throat and it feels like that summer again. The moon glistens against Dohu’s skin and his dark eyes sparkling like the surface of Han River.
Juheon wants to hold that face. Wants to press closer and make him shut up. He stares as Dohu looks at him like he’s the most valuable thing in the world. Like he’s— Like he’s his—
He bites his tongue before he could say anything else. He closes his eyes, tries to shut off this image, but cold palms shock him back into the present.
Dohu looks at him, his face in his usual no-nonsense expression, as if sobriety decided to come back from its holiday. “Don’t make that face.”
“What face?” Juheon asked. He winces as Dohu pinches his cheeks.
“This face,” Dohu reiterates.
Juheon grabbed Dohu’s wrists, and the older male lets go to gently stroke his cheeks with his thumbs instead.
“You’ve got this pained look in your eyes,” he hummed. “Like you can’t decided if you want to hold me or push me away.”
The words scald him and he pulls Dohu’s hands away from his face. Dohu smiles. It’s infuriatingly smug. Juheon wants to wipe it off his face and there’s a spark in those eyes that tells him knew exactly that and how.
“You really are such a bad liar.” Dohu leans forward and Juheon hates that he lets him. Hates that he lets go of his wrists just to catch him. Hates that he hears the fondness coating those words. Hates the sound of Dohu’s giggles. A rare sound that even Juheon hasn’t really learned how to draw out.
He hates that it makes something in him ache. Hates that again and again, Dohu makes him want to go back.
“I hope this part of the dream lasts,” Dohu murmers, fingers tigtening on Juheon’s coat, face burying closer into his neck. “You always—” Dohu yawns. He scoots closer until Juheon finds himself with a lapful of Baek Dohu. “You always disappear at the end.”
“Always?” The question was out before he could stop himself.
Dohu never answered. He just pressed closer. If Juheon felt something hot and wet trail down his neck, he ignores it. He ignores how he ducks his head, lips pressing against cold cheeks. He ignores the salty taste left on his lips. He ignores his shaking hands and his shuddering breath.
He ignores the voice screaming at him to let him go.