In His Arms - Wonheon ( Wonho x Jooheon )

Chapter 39 : Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Two days later, Wonho is watching as Jooheon sleeps. Jooheon is hidden beneath his cocoon of blankets but Wonho can see the rise and fall of his breathing. It’s pretty early in the morning, just past six, and although it isn’t necessarily taboo for Wonho to be awake at this time, Jooheon usually doesn’t get up until nine. Which normally isn’t a problem but today it actually is since Hyungwon and his workers said they would arrive at ten.

Wonho has had anxiety about Hyungwon’s arrival since the very second he hung up on their phone call two day ago, after he set his appointment. He’s nervous as hell and practically vibrates with the tension of the possibility of Hyungwon somehow finding Jooheon. It’s been eating him alive for hours on end because the thought of Jooheon leaving… Wonho can’t handle it.  He can't .

It would be so cruel for the brunet to be taken away now, after everything. Who would Wonho wake up to? Who would Wonho take care of? Who would wait for Wonho until he got home? Without Jooheon, Wonho’s life would be so lonely again, so empty and unbearable now that he knows what it’s like to have someone else, to have someone mean absolutely everything for him.

So when Jooheon eventually begins to stir, Wonho is more than ready to see those beautiful eyes open. When they do, the breath stills in Wonho’s lungs as he’s reminded once more on how the young man has somehow taken full control of Wonho’s world and his very soul .

“Goodmorning,” he whispers, a smile sliding onto his face as Jooheon’s head emerges from the blankets and he rubs sleepily at his eyes.

“Mm, what time is it?”

Wonho reaches his arm out and pulls the blanket back slightly so he can see more of Jooheon, exposing his covered torso and arms. “Time to wake up,” Wonho answers back. “You hungry? Thirsty?”

“No,” Jooheon sighs and drops his arms on his chest, turning on his side and curling in on himself. Jooheon’s always like this in the morning, his movements drowsy and always prolonged as if to get every last ounce of sleep that he can. It’s downright adorable. It also makes Wonho want to curl up beside Jooheon, wrap his arms around Jooheon’s waist and just hold on. Forever.

Eventually they’ll get to that point. It may not be today, or tomorrow, or a week from now, but it’ll happen. It will , Wonho promises himself.  

“Can’t just lay in bed forever, Jooheon,” Wonho teases.

Jooheon groans and turns back around onto his back, his eyes closed again. Wonho catches sight of bare skin and realizes that with all of his twisting and turning, Jooheon’s shirt has ridden up past his belly button. Wonho’s throat goes dry at the visual and he has to swallow heavily before his body gets out of control. He would die a very happy man if he could just reach out and skim his fingers along Jooheon’s exposed flesh. Wonho’s eyesight gets fuzzy just thinking about it.

“Yes I can. We should just sleep forever,” Jooheon whispers.

Wonho knows that Jooheon is still half asleep, honestly he does, but still , the brunet included Wonho in his sentence, not saying ‘ I ’ but ‘ we ’ and that means the absolute world to him. It’s just a reminder how much things have changed between them in just a few months, and how much there’s still to come. Jooheon’s words are like promise of their future even if he doesn’t actually know it.

“You need to eat something at least,” Wonho whispers back.

Jooheon opens his eyes again and turns his head to the right, looking at Wonho. The space between them is almost nonexistent, less than a few inches due to Wonho’s need to be close, but surprisingly enough, Jooheon doesn’t pull away. It’s obvious from the way Jooheon’s eyes flitter down to the small empty space between them that the brunet notices it, but then his gaze trickles back up and he nods slightly. “Pancakes,” Jooheon mumbles, watching Wonho closely. “Chocolate Chip Pancakes,” he ads with a shy, barely-there grin.

“That’s what you want?”

Jooheon nods his head again, his gaze still pinned onto Wonho. There’s a look in Jooheon’s eyes that Wonho hasn’t seen before and he can feel the effects of it tingle down his spine, something electric and alive and oh so right .

“Then pancakes, you shall get.” Wonho picks up himself up from the bed and pads across their bedroom. Even as he crosses the threshold, he can feel Jooheon’s gaze on him.

His smile stays stretched across his face as he makes his way down the stairs. Wonho has a strong feeling that pancakes are going to be his new favorite food. Chocolate Chip Pancakes , he has to remind himself.