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The kitchen was a humid little haven of steam, spices, and soft curses muttered under breaths. Till stood barefoot by the stove, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and his tongue poked out in pure concentration as he tried to cook dinner without burning it, which, in Till’s personal experience, is easier said than done. The microwave beeped annoyingly in the background along with the sound of soft chatter from the living room. His mum, Mizi, Sua, Hyuna, and luka were all gathered there talking about who knows what.
Meanwhile, Till was in the kitchen trying desperately not to fail as a cook and pretend like his stupidly hot husband wasn’t slowly managing to seduce him.
“You’re in my way, Ivan,” Till mumbled as he primarily tried to focus his attention on the food in front of him and strong arms wrapped around his waist from behind.
“I’m not. I’m your sous-chef,” Ivan said matter of factly, his voice smug.
“You haven’t touched a single vegetable here, so no, you aren’t.”
“Touching you is more important.” Ivan replied as he nuzzled into the crook of Till’s neck.
Till laughed, pure and unfiltered. His shoulders shook with the intensity of his laughter as Ivan’s lips travelled down the expanse of his exposed neck and kissed it. Slowly. Lazily. Like there was nothing else he’d rather be doing at that moment.
“Ivan,” Till whined, “you’re literally nuzzling me like a cat when my mum and our friends are here! Stop!”
“Okay, and? They already know I’m obsessed with you.”
Till twisted around in Ivan’s hold, momentarily forgetting about the food. His cheeks were faintly flushed and he wore a delicate smile that made him look oh so beautiful.
Ivan grinned, his snaggletooth poking out, and leaned forward ever-so-slightly so that his lips softly brushed against Tills claiming his lips in a sweet, gentle kiss.
“You’re so annoying,” Till complained even though he kissed him back, because of course he did. How could he not when Ivan looked at him like that? Like he was his whole world. It made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Although, he would never personally admit that aloud. He was too stubborn for that. “God, I hate you.”
“Liar, you know you love me.”
“Okay- fine. Maybe I do. Just a bit though,” Till confessed with a hint of blush on his cheeks.
Their mouths met again in a warm, tender kiss and Till’s hands slowly slid up and around Ivan’s neck trying to both deepen the kiss and pull him impossibly closer at the same time.
In the end though, they both had to reluctantly pull away; their need for oxygen being too strong.
Ivan tightened his hold around Till once more after they parted and buried his face in his hair. “I love you so much, Till..” he mumbled.
“Ivan,” Till spoke softly, “ I love you too but you need to let me go so I can finish cooking dinner.”
Instead of doing what Till asked him to do, he pulled back slightly only to hoist Till up and place him on the kitchen counter. Till spluttered as his blush darkened, “w-what are you doing?! Ivan!”
Ivan only stared up at Till, his eyes soft, and placed his hands on his waist, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles on the skin beneath.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered as he started to leave a trail of small kisses along Till’s neck and collarbone. Till allowed himself to be lost in the sensation and braced his hands on Ivan's shoulders.
Until–
“Oh!”
Till jolted, his body going rigid and his face turning beet red as he heard his mother’s soft gasp from the doorway.
Io stood there, her polite smile faltering into a politely awkward one. “I..i just came to see if you boys needed any help–”
Till stared at her, wide-eyed and choked on air. He nervously laughed, “ahaha! Haha…just…just taste-testing…yeah..definitely..” he stammered feeling embarrassed in front of his mom.
Ivan didn't move.
Didn't even flinch.
Didn't let go.
He just smirked against his neck like the smug bastard he was.
Till shot him a look. The type that screamed “at least pretend to be normal when my mother is standing RIGHT HERE.”
But ivan? Oh no. He only tightened his grip on Till further, resting his chin on his shoulder, still holding him like they were the main leads in a slow-burn romance movie.
Io blinked. “Right…everything smells delicious..carry on.”
And she was gone - like the angel she was - before Till could combust and either hit Ivan or scream his lungs out from how awkward and humiliating that interaction was.
Till shakily exhaled the breath he’d been holding, “you’re impossible, you know that right?”
“You love me though.”
“Unfortunately.”
Ivan kissed his cheek and helped him down from the kitchen counter, “Desperately.”
Till groaned in annoyance, “you’re lucky i’m already half-way through making your favourite.”
“And you’re lucky I'm already yours,” he replied smugly with a smirk.
Till couldn’t help but snort at that and playfully punched Ivan's chest with his fist. “Now hurry up and cut the damn onions like a real sous-chef before i divorce you in front of my mum, your sister, and our friends.”
Ivan kissed him again; short and sweet.
“I’d just marry you again, and again, and again.”
___________________
Neither of them stopped flirting. Not even when Till accidentally managed to overcook the second batch of tteokbokki, which, in all fairness, is purely Ivan’s fault for distracting him with kisses and not-so-subtle touches. Not when Mizi caught them feeding each other like lovesick fools. Not even when Ivan's sister, Sua, grumbled something about “how disgustingly in love they were and public displays of affection” all whilst Io let out a small barely composed chuckle behind her cup of tea.
They were gross. Utterly hopeless. And everyone in that house knew it all too well by now. They knew Ivan and Till were maddeningly, endlessly, stomach-churningly in love with one another.
And honestly? It made the food taste a little better.
____________________
Dinner was a beautiful chaos.
The sound of soft laughter ping-ponged across the table along with the clinking of bowls, chopsticks, and the occasional “pass the soy sauce!” from one end to the other. Ivan held Till’s hand underneath the table, his thumb gently caressing the soft skin on the back of it.
Till on the other hand had thankfully managed to not overcook the tteokbokki that he finally served everyone (no thanks to Ivan’s unhelpful flirting), and by the end of dinner everyone sat there basking in the afterglow of delicious food and the magnitude of love that radiated from every corner of the house.
_____________________
Everyone seemed to settle down pretty quickly after having eaten, all of them resting in the living room talking softly with one another as a movie played mindlessly in the background.
This was, of course, when Hyuna decided it would be the perfect time to strike.
“So,” she started as she eyed the two boys over her cup, “do you two ever, like, not cling to each other?”
Till, who was curled up comfortably besides Ivan on the sofa, raised an eyebrow. “You say that like you aren’t jealous of us.”
“Jealous? Oh please, don’t make me laugh. I chose to be single unlike you.” She replied, her tone smooth and dripping with smugness.
Till grinned, cheeky and bright, and stretched out against Ivan’s shoulder like a pompous cat. “Still the same though, isn’t it? Chosen or not—you’re still single.”
Mizi howled with laughter, tears forming in her eyes. “He got you there, Hyuna.”
Luka just smiled politely at the whole escapade not knowing how to really react. Even as Hyuna threw a pillow at Till, he kept on that same unwavering expression.
Till stuck his tongue out at Hyuna. “You’re just mad you don’t have someone to cook with and kiss whilst making food,” Till added, dramatically throwing his arms around Ivan’s neck. “My husband is hot and helps me in the kitchen. Suffer.”
Ivan didn’t say a word. He didn't need to. He just gave Till a sidewards glance—soft, heavy with the weight of his love, of his devotion to the boy he grew up with and now proudly got to call his husband. It was the kind of look you gave someone who was your whole world. And to Ivan, that someone was Till.
Io noticed. Of course she did. After all, she’s known Ivan since he was a little kid.
She noticed the way Ivan’s gaze lingers on Till, noticed the way he always hovers around him, noticed the way he looks at Till. And to her, that’s all that matters.
_____________________
Mizi caught it too, eyes sparkling as she stared at the pair. “Sua! He has your look!”
Sua stopped her chatter with hyuna and cocked her head to the side as she blinked. “My what?”
“That look,” she said, pointing her finger at her best friend. “The way he’s looking at Till is the same way you look at me!”
Then she added, “you two really are similar. No wonder you guys are siblings.”
Sua chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. “I mean…you aren’t wrong..”
Hyuna leaned in with a cheeky smile. “It really is the same, now that you mention it.”
Luka, who rarely ever joins in on conversations, added, “the resemblance is uncanny.”
Till blinked , then turned to look at Ivan who returned to sipping his water like he hadn’t just been exposed for loving his husband with his whole soul.
“You’re not denying it?” Till questioned, a rosy blush starting to paint his cheeks like usual.
In response, Ivan shrugged. “Why would I when it’s true? Plus, you’re mine so I’m allowed to look.”
Io cooed at the two boys, finding their interaction adorable.
“Gross.” Hyuna muttered under her breath, although everyone could still hear her clearly. She heavily regretted not leaving sooner. This was way too sappy for her liking.
“You’re just bitter,” Till teased again, his face returning back to its normal shade, and practically glowing from all the affection being thrown at him.
“And you’re insufferable,” Hyuna retorted, but she was smiling too.
————————————
Later that night, after everyone had left and all the dishes were done, they lay intertwined with one another in bed.
Ivan pulled Till closer and whispered, his voice low and intimate, “they were right, by the way.”
“Hm? About what?” Till murmured, already half-asleep, his face pressed against Ivan’s chest.
“I do look at you like that. The same way my sister looks at Mizi.”
Till smiled softly, his hands lightly gripping the fabric of Ivan’s shirt. “Yeah, I know. I love it,” he admitted.
“And I love you.”
Till groaned softly. “Stop being so sweet or I’ll cry into your chest and ruin my skin.”
Ivan kissed the top of his head as a low chuckled rumbled through his chest. “Cry all you want. I’ll still look at you like that.”
After that, they settled into a comfortable silence, the soft moonlight peaking through the cracks in their blinds and illuminating their room slightly, the soft glow making Till look ethereal.
Ivan couldn’t help himself as he whispered, “you look beautiful.”
Till hummed softly, barely awake to comprehend what Ivan had said and snuggled further into him before officially falling asleep, a soft smile caressing his lips.
Before following Till into a much awaited sleep, Ivan kissed his forehead and the top of head once again—his arms wrapped tightly around the man he loved, vowing to protect and keep him safe for the rest of their lives.