Work Text:
“Toben…”
Chanyeol pants for breath as he crouches down on the ground, holding the puppy leash in his hand limply with only a red collar attached and no puppy whatsoever. He rubs his eyes tiredly. This is the third time this month that his little black toy poodle has managed to slip out of his collar and dash off, leaving Chanyeol - who isn’t in shape - to run after him.
Now he has to wander around the biggest park in town to find a tiny dog. Not to mention he’s almost late for his afternoon shift at the bakery. Yoora will be calling him and chewing him out for losing Toben again at this rate. He’s beginning to think she cares more about his own dog than he does.
Getting up, he sets out for pathway, towards the playground. Most of the time that’s where Toben is, gravitating to where the most people are, especially kids who love to pet him. On his way, he asks random passersby if they’ve seen him, and thankfully one kind old lady tells him that she did see Toben heading over to the main fountain, which is just before the playground.
Chanyeol walks at a quick pace across the park, keeping his eyes peeled. He passes the big fountain, but no Toben there. And even when he comes up to the playground, full of kids with their parents on the sidelines, Chanyeol doesn’t spot Toben anywhere. Chanyeol sighs, running his hands through his hair in stress. Now he’s worried that something’s happened to him.
“Daddy, he’s so cute! Can we keep him?” Chanyeol turns around at the sound of a child’s voice, and he’s so relieved to see Toben jumping around a little boy and his dad, the two of them sitting on a bench.
The dad looks up as Chanyeol approaches, and it nearly startles Chanyeol at how handsome the guy is. He has the face of a model with a chiseled jaw and soft yet sharp features, nearly perfect. His hair is a black but greying, tucked into baseball cap, and light stubble dusts his jaw and upper lip. All in all, he’s definitely Chanyeol’s type and probably married with a face like that.
“I’m guessing he’s yours?” The man asks with a smile, his voice a soft mumble. “Sorry, Taeoh here loves dogs. Well, I guess I do too.” He laughs.
“No, it’s my fault.” Chanyeol sighs. “Toben likes to slip out of his collar and run away.”
“Toben?” He raises his brows, amused.
“Oh, yeah, um,” Chanyeol scratches the back of his head sheepishly. “Beethoven - Toben for short.”
Taeoh frowns, cuddling Toben in his lap. “Who’s that?”
“He’s a famous musician. You know how Uncle Baekhyun plays the piano? He was like that,” his father answers with a grin, reaching over to pet Toben’s head. He then looks over to Chanyeol. “I’m guessing you’re a musician too?”
“Just as a hobby,” Chanyeol replies, though he wishes he could say otherwise and impress. “I own a bakery here in town with my sister actually, Park Patisserie .”
“Oh? We should visit sometime then. We just moved here a month ago.” He quirks a smile at Chanyeol before reaching for Toben, taking him from Taeoh, who pouts. “We should give Toben back to his owner now. What do we say to him?”
Taeoh looks up at Chanyeol shyly. “Thank you, Mister.”
“You’re welcome.” Chanyeol takes Toben with a smile of his own, maneuvering the small plaid collar back around the puppy’s neck. “My name’s Chanyeol, by the way. Park Chanyeol.”
“Kim Jongin. It was nice to meet you, Chanyeol.” Jongin reaches for one more pet to Toben’s back. “Oh, and I would suggest getting him a harness instead. He won’t be able to slip out that way.” His grin is so charming that Chanyeol is stunned once again.
“Oh...thanks. It was nice meeting you too. Feel free to stop by the bakery sometime!” Chanyeol bows his head and turns to leave before he can fully embarrass himself in front of this attractive guy - who’s most likely married. Though he hears Jongin reply with a happy “of course,” so maybe he has a chance to at least make a new friend.
When he returns to the bakery, Yoora chews him out for nearly losing Toben, but a part of Chanyeol thinks it was worth it. He hasn’t been that social with anyone outside his usual circle of family and friends in a long time nor has he been interested in someone, and at the tender age of thirty-six, those are rare chances for him.
He eagerly anticipates seeing Jongin again.
Two weeks later, Chanyeol sighs as he leans against one of the bakery’s display cases, watching the time tick away. Jongin still hasn’t shown up to the bakery, even though Chanyeol waits every day until closing. The hope of making a new friend has slowly drained from him, and Chanyeol has started to wonder if maybe Jongin was just being polite. He’s definitely way out of Chanyeol’s league after all.
“He’s never gonna show up,” Chanyeol mumbles to himself.
“Pining over the stranger from the park again?” Yoora says as she walks through the kitchen doors with a new tray of croissants.
Chanyeol moves out of the way and sighs again. “You don’t understand. He was so…”
“Handsome, nice, a dad, liked dogs...I know, Chanyeol.” She rolls her eyes as she bends down to place the pastries in the case. “He’s exactly your type, except out of your league apparently.”
“He looked like a model , Yoora. Like, what dad do you know that looks like that?” Chanyeol whines, taking a seat on the stool in front of the register. He pulls a hair tie from his wrist, tying up his shoulder-length hair into a messy bun as he typically does.
“The rich kind? You sure he wasn’t a celebrity or anything?”
“Not one that I know of. Have you heard of a Kim--” Chanyeol stops abruptly as the bell on the door rings, announcing a customer, and is rightfully shell shocked to see said possibly-celebrity-or-rich-dad Kim Jongin standing there, holding his son’s hand. “Kim...Jongin?”
Jongin raises his brows, and this time Chanyeol can tell he’s wearing minimal makeup to accentuate his looks. “Were you not expecting us to come?” He chuckles.
He’s dressed impeccably in a navy suit with a black and white houndstooth coat resting on his shoulders and his silvery hair styled up. It’s a total 180 on his baseball cap and t-shirt from before. Chanyeol is momentarily stunned before the silence is quickly broken by Taeoh running up to the display case and pointing to the cookies on the bottom shelf.
“Daddy, look! It’s a doggy cookie!” Taeoh grins, pressing up close to the glass in glee. It’s one of the iced shortbread cookies that Chanyeol bakes and Yoora decorates for the kids that come to the bakery. It always brings a smile to their faces when they see a child get excited about one of their treats.
“Is that the one you want?” Jongin crouches down next to his son with a loving smile. Taeoh nods at him happily, and Jongin looks up at Chanyeol. “We’ll take one of those please.”
“Um, yes, of course.” Chanyeol manages to compose himself as Yoora opens the case to take out one of the packaged cookies. “I-Is there anything you would like?”
“Hmm…” Standing up, Jongin purses his lips as he looks over the display of treats. “What’s your favorite, Chanyeol?”
“Well I don’t really…” Chanyeol struggles for an answer, surprised by the question.
Luckily, Yoora saves him. “The mini pumpkin tarts are his favorite. He makes them fresh every day and coos at them like they’re his children when he thinks I’m not looking.” She snorts, and Chanyeol wants to claw his eyes out, hitting her in the arm.
“Yoora!”
Jongin laughs, his eyes curling into half-moons. “I suppose I’ll have to get one of those then.”
Chanyeol huffs as he rings them up, his cheeks warm as he side-eyes his older sister. Taeoh looks so happy when Jongin hands him the cookie, however, that it lightens his mood. He can really see the resemblance between Jongin and his son that it warms his heart.
Jongin pulls out his wallet. “How much?”
With a smile, Chanyeol shakes his head. “Consider it a present and a thank you for helping me find Toben the other day.”
“Oh I hardly--”
“I insist.” Chanyeol pushes the tiny box that holds the pumpkin tart towards Jongin. “I’m glad you two came to our tiny bakery.”
A softer smile spreads on Jongin’s lips, and Chanyeol can see a hint of red in his cheeks as Jongin takes the tart box. “Well, thank you, Chanyeol. I…” He catches a glance of the smart watch on his wrist and gasps. “Ah! We’re going to be late to your dance practice!”
Jongin grabs Taeoh’s hand and makes quick steps towards to door, much to Chanyeol’s dismay. “We have to go, but thank you for the treats!” He seems to be in quite the hurry as he throws a nervous smile over his shoulder with a wave and leaves with the chime of the door’s bell, Taeoh stumbling to keep up with his father.
There’s a silent pause before Chanyeol groans and slumps against the counter with a sob. Yoora bursts into laughter, slapping her poor brother’s shoulder.
“Why didn’t you ask him for his number, idiot?” Yoora shakes her head with a laugh. “He was obviously interested!”
“How was I supposed to ask him when he leaves in two minutes?” Chanyeol glares at his sister. “And I don’t even know if he’s single. I don’t want to be stupid and ask out a married man.”
“I didn’t see a ring.” Yoora shrugged. “I looked when I handed him the cookie.”
Chanyeol only sighs, picking himself up and turning around to head into the kitchen with slumped shoulders. “I’m going to stress bake 500 cupcakes. Just leave me here for the rest of the night.”
“I’m sure he’ll come back, Chanyeol.” Yoora rolls her eyes. “Once he tastes your pumpkin tart, he’ll come back right away.”
As Chanyeol ties on his apron, he hopes she’s right.
Chanyeol hates doing deliveries for the bakery.
He’s not really sure why as he used to be quite the sociable guy in school, but maybe working at the bakery has mellowed him out, and he’s started to become more introverted as time goes on. He’s quite awkward, and doing deliveries and meeting with customers is stressful.
So typically he leaves his cousin Sehun to do the deliveries, but of course today Sehun calls in sick, and Yoora is busy running the front of the bakery. Chanyeol doesn’t trust any of the other employees to handle business, so that leaves himself up to the job.
The order is for some photography studio in the city. It isn’t their typical delivery on a weekday as they mostly just get calls for office parties or other small events, but Chanyeol’s never been asked to cater for a photoshoot of all things. The bakery isn’t particularly fancy, so he wonders why they would choose his bakery out of all of the amazing patisseries in the area.
Kai Photography is a large, sleek black building, and Chanyeol wonders if it’s new since he doesn’t remember ever seeing it driving through this part of downtown. He begins to feel a little nervous as he hops out of the bakery’s van and grabs the two food trays from the back seats. Wearing his oversized Park Patisserie hoodie with his curly hair tied back messily, he’s probably underdressed for this fancy place.
It’s a little difficult getting in the door, but a kind receptionist helps him and then guides him to the elevator to go to the second floor. She lets him know that there is a photoshoot going on and to try and not disturb the crew. Stressed and afraid of embarrassing himself, Chanyeol tightens his grip on the muffins and pastries as the elevator travels up, but he is unprepared for the sight that greets him when the doors open.
The upper floor is one open room and is filled with people mulling about as flashing lights go off every now and then in the center. There’s a photoshoot going on for what seems to be wedding dresses as multiple female models go back and forth from a curtained off area, wearing white dresses and holding bouquets. It’s beautiful with the floral backdrop, and Chanyeol is momentarily mesmerized before he remembers his job.
He finds an empty table, as the receptionist had described, and goes to work on making the display of his baked babies. It only takes a few minutes of him doing this before multiple staff members wander over and begin to scoot past him to take pastries off of the tray as they please. Chanyeol would be a little bothered by this, but the smiles and thumbs up he receives after they take a bite always makes him smile.
“Would you bring one over to Mr. Kim?” One of the staff asks him politely, and when Chanyeol looks confused she points to the photographer in the center of the room. “He gets too focused sometimes.”
Instead of asking why he has to do it, Chanyeol nods and picks up a pumpkin tart with a napkin. He can’t see the photographer’s face from here, but he’s dressed fashionably and seems pretty focused on his job, so Chanyeol feels a little intimidated approaching the boss of basically everyone in this building.
“Um, excuse me…” Chanyeol approaches with a smile.
“I was wondering when you’d show up.” The photographer lifts his head, and Chanyeol nearly stumbles back in surprise as he’s faced with Kim Jongin and his dazzling grin. “I missed your pumpkin tarts.”
Chanyeol is speechless for a moment before he recovers. “I-I didn’t know…” He trails off.
“I know. I asked your sister not to tell you, sorry.” Jongin chuckles, resting his hands on the camera as he straightens up fully. “I like surprises.”
His dimpled smile is addicting, and Chanyeol finds himself grinning. It actually was a nice surprise, so he puts off his slight anger towards Yoora for the moment and offers Jongin the treat in his hand. “Me too.”
Jongin takes it with an excited smile. “I’ve been craving one of these since I visited the other week. I wanted to come, but I’m on a diet, so I can’t have a lot of sweet stuff.” There’s something about the way he takes a bite of the tart and hums that has Chanyeol’s heart fluttering in his chest.
“Diet?” It’s not something Chanyeol’s thought about in a long time, but Jongin is really handsome with a nice frame.
“I like to keep in shape. It’s kinda been a habit since I was younger.” Jongin shrugs, eating the rest of the tart in one bite, his cheeks puffing out. He glances down at his watch and sighs before looking at Chanyeol sheepishly. “So, um, I gotta finish the shoot, but I was wondering if you wanted to go get dinner after?”
Chanyeol blinks. Is...Is Jongin asking him out on a date ? “Uh…”
Jongin frowns. “Was I wrong? Sorry, I thought you were interested.”
“No, I am!” Chanyeol is quick to say, catching everyone’s attention with the boom of his voice. His face reddens with embarrassment. “U-Uh, I mean…”
Jongin chuckles, grinning widely. “Me too. You free?”
Actually, Chanyeol should be getting back so he can finish some cake orders for later, but he’s so afraid of losing Jongin’s interest somehow and missing out, so he immediately says, “Yes. I’m totally free.”
“Okay!” Jongin holds up a thumbs up. Very dad-like but also very adorable. “I should be finishing up soon. Hope you don’t mind waiting for me.”
“I don’t mind.” Chanyeol grins, thrilled at the idea of dinner with his crush - who is actually interested in him. That fact finally dawns on him as Jongin offers him a chair to sit in, a few feet away from the action. He guesses he could be thankful that he didn’t have to embarrass himself in trying to ask Jongin out, but never did he think Jongin would approach him first .
Oh, yeah, he’s not going back to the bakery. Chanyeol sighs worriedly, whipping out his phone to text Yoora the news. She’s probably not going to be happy that he’s ditching work to go on a date.
Jongin finishes up the shoot in about two hours, but it takes a little longer for the staff to clean up and for everyone to take their leave. Chanyeol delights in seeing that his trays of treats have been wiped clean, and a few more members of the staff compliment him as he helps clear the table.
“Sorry for the wait,” Jongin calls to him, switching off the lights to the studio as he walks towards Chanyeol. A bag is slung over his shoulder, and he now wears a black coat and a gray scarf. Chanyeol looks down at himself and wonders if he’s underdressed. “Some of these shoots last forever it seems - well, that’s what my employees say anyways.”
“I didn’t know you were a photographer or the owner of a company,” Chanyeol muses. Jongin’s fancy look at the bakery makes sense now as he seems to be a well-established fashion photographer.
“Surprise?” Jongin smiles. “You never asked.”
“I feel like we’ve hardly talked at all,” Chanyeol mumbles, looking down at his shoes.
To his surprise, Jongin links their arms with a smug grin and starts leading him towards the elevator. “That’s what tonight is for. I want to get to know you more.”
“Where are we going?” Chanyeol asks.
“There’s a sushi bar down the block?” Jongin suggests. “Is that okay?”
“Y-Yeah.” Chanyeol looks down at his hoodie, noting an icing stain on the bottom hem. “Sorry I’m not...dressed nice.”
Jongin smiles happily at him as the elevator dings. “I don’t mind. I think that you’re forgetting that I’ve never seen you dressed up.”
Frowning, Chanyeol follows him out of the building, waiting as Jongin locks up. “I guess so. I don’t know how I feel about that.”
“It means I like you and your face.” Jongin chuckles, stuffing his keys back into his bag. “I don’t really care about clothes, though I know it may seem that way. I only dress like this for work.” He gestures to his fashionable outfit.
“Oh…” Chanyeol smiles, face feeling warm despite the cold. “Thanks.”
It’s a short walk to the sushi bar, and the conversation is filled with Jongin explaining today’s shoot and the changes that he would make after having reviewed the photos. Chanyeol can already tell he’s an ambitious guy, and he could see how the staff saw Jongin as someone who got too invested in their work. As a fellow creative who can spend hours in the kitchen, it’s really attractive.
“So how long have you been a photographer?” Chanyeol asks as they’re seated in a booth.
“Mmm…” Jongin pursues his lips as he thinks, the soft lighting of the bar highlighting the warmth in his skin. “I started a little before Taeoh was born so...six years?”
“Oh.” Chanyeol is surprised but is quick to defend himself as Jongin tilts his head. “I-I was just surprised because you have your own studio and everything...uh…” Well, he’s already dug himself into a hole.
To his surprise, Jongin doesn’t look offended at all and grins, eyes crinkling up as he giggles. “I like you.”
Chanyeol blinks rapidly. “W-Why?”
Jongin shrugs, resting his elbow on the table and his chin in his palm. “You’re different. You’re the first person I’ve been interested in who didn’t know me as photographer or model Kim Jongin. We met because of your dog and my son.”
“Well, I mean, I did think you were handsome…” Chanyeol mumbles, toying with his sleeves and avoiding Jongin’s glimmering eyes. But then his mind catches up to what Jongin was saying. “Wait, model?”
“Ah, yeah, I was a model in my twenties, but I got tired of it and went to the other side of the camera.” Jongin says it as if being a model of all things isn’t that interesting. “But thank you. I think you’re handsome too.”
Chanyeol doesn’t know how Jongin is suddenly making him feel like a shy teenager all over again. He’s at a loss for words, but luckily a waiter wanders over and takes their orders, causing Chanyeol to realize he’s hardly looked at the menu and quickly chooses a beer he usually likes and a couple of sushi rolls.
“A beer guy, huh?” Jongin smirks.
“Yeah, I’m not that much of a drinker though. Only on certain occasions.”
“Me too. Not really my kind of thing.” Jongin leans forward, resting both of his elbows on the table and lacing his fingers together. “Enough about me. I wanna know more about you.”
Chanyeol’s heart skips a beat at the small distance between them and the way Jongin looks at him. “Uh, there’s nothing really interesting about me...I went to culinary school and studied pastry. I worked at a restaurant as a pastry chef for a while and then I opened the bakery with Yoora a few years ago.”
“When did you start baking and making desserts?”
Smiling fondly, he says, “My mom’s been baking ever since I can remember. I guess she kinda instilled the love of sweets in me when I was a kid.”
“That’s so cute. I’m terrible in the kitchen,” Jongin sighs. “Taeoh’s probably going to be sick of takeout and premade stuff soon.”
“Well, if you want some help, I can cook savory stuff too.” Chanyeol offers happily. “I can give you a crash course on cooking.”
“That’d be great actually!” Jongin straightens up as their waiter sets down their drinks. “Taeoh and I lived with my parents until recently, so my mom did all the cooking for us.”
“What about…” Chanyeol hesitates, setting down his beer after taking a sip. Maybe it’s too soon to ask.
“His mother?” Jongin smile, a little forlorn as he toys with the straw to his mixed drink. “She died when he was a year old. Car accident.”
“Oh.” Chanyeol’s heart sinks at the news, wondering if he asked something he probably shouldn’t have. “I’m sorry.”
Jongin shakes his head. “It’s alright. It’s been awhile, and it’s natural that you’d be curious.” He then looks at Chanyeol with a teasing look. “So you aren’t married, are you?”
Chanyeol chuckles, enjoying the lightened mood. “I wouldn’t be here if I was. Besides, I haven’t really dated anyone in a few years. This is my first date in a long time.” He tucks a loose curl behind his ear, embarrassed to finally admit that out loud.
“Me too.” Jongin matches his shy smile with one of his own.
Their sushi arrives and from then on the conversation flows smoothly. Chanyeol gets to see Jongin in full dad-mode as he asks about Taeoh, and Jongin whips out his phone to show Chanyeol videos and pictures from Taeoh’s last dance recital. He’s practicing ballet like Jongin had when he was younger, though Jongin hopes that his son carries on with it unlike he had. And when Chanyeol comments that Taeoh looks a lot like Jongin, that excites him a lot.
In turn, Jongin asks Chanyeol about his music hobby, which Chanyeol can’t believe Jongin remembers. And when he confesses to playing guitar and piano, Chanyeol gets roped into promising to play a song for Jongin some day. He acts shy and embarrassed, but inside Chanyeol’s fingers are itching to start composing something. Or bake something. Either one.
“I guess it’s getting late…” Jongin admits with a sigh after the waiter leaves, having asked them if they need anything for the millionth time, even though they’ve already paid the bill.
Curious, Chanyeol checks his phone and gawks at the time. He can’t remember the last time he was out this late or talked with someone for that long. Thankfully, Yoora offered to check on Toben for him while he was out.
“I guess it is,” Chanyeol murmurs. He doesn’t want to leave though. What if this is where it ends?
He and Jongin both smile a little awkwardly before they climb out of the booth, Chanyeol following Jongin outside of the bar and into the cold air. Jongin does a shivering dance, hopping from foot-to-foot as he ducks his face into his scarf, causing Chanyeol to have the strong urge to hold him to warm him up.
When he stops, he faces Chanyeol and sighs again, smiling sheepishly and scuffing his shoes against the sidewalk. “I had a lot of fun with you tonight, Chanyeol,” he says. “I kinda don’t want to leave, to be honest.”
“Me neither,” Chanyeol says. He means it.
They’re both quiet then, unsure of what to say next. Chanyeol wonders what he should say or do. This is usually the part where they exchange numbers, maybe kiss, and go their separate ways for now, right? That’s what Chanyeol did on the few dates he went on when he was younger - mostly because he heard it was polite to do so.
But when he opens his mouth to say that dreadful goodbye, Jongin speaks up first.
“Do...Do you wanna go back to my place?” Jongin asks, his voice somewhat hopeful.
Oh , Chanyeol thinks, Oh . That’s right. They’re mature adults, not shy teenagers. If they want to stay together longer, they can. If they want to take the relationship further, they can.
“Um, yeah,” Chanyeol clears his throat. “Yes, I do.”
The smile he gets in response from Jongin is soft and sweet, and Chanyeol’s heart skips another beat as Jongin offers his hand for Chanyeol to hold. His hand is warm when Chanyeol takes it, and Chanyeol looks away shyly as he proposes to drive to Jongin’s condo. It’s a bit embarrassing to get in the bakery’s van, but Jongin doesn’t mind at all, commenting that he thinks it’s adorable.
Chanyeol isn’t surprised to find that Jongin lives in a fancy condo further in the city, the place covered in modern flourishes as they step inside. He stands in the dark entryway as Jongin takes off his coat and scarf, hanging them on the wall. Jongin turns to look at him once he’s finished, their eyes meeting and the two of them hesitating.
“Can I kiss you?” Chanyeol finds himself blurting out, but he doesn’t take it back.
“Yes,” Jongin says, but he’s the one who closes the distance and leans up to lock their lips. His lips are plush and soft, and he lets out a quiet sound as Chanyeol presses closer, hands gripping Jongin’s unbelievably small waist.
Chanyeol ends up pressed against the wall behind him minutes later as Jongin escalates the kiss to a hot and heavy place. In the back of Chanyeol’s mind, he finds it reassuring that Jongin wants him this bad. But it feels so easy to melt into Jongin’s touch and kiss as Chanyeol’s hand hikes up the back of Jongin’s sweater, feeling the warm skin beneath.
“Let me know if you wanna stop,” Jongin breathes, pulling away for just a moment for Chanyeol to see his red lips and flushed cheeks.
Nodding, Chanyeol doubts he’ll ever want to.
He wakes up to something warm pressing against his back and something vibrating underneath the pillow by his head. Chanyeol’s mind vaguely registers the quiet tune of his phone ringing and without thinking, he groans and reaches underneath and grabs his phone, cracking his eyes open enough to see it’s Yoora and answers the call.
“Hello?” He answers with a raspy voice.
“Where are you? You were supposed to show up hours ago to help Junmyeon and the others with those two wedding cakes!” Yoora sounds exasperated, and Chanyeol’s groggy mind struggles to keep up.
“Huh?”
“Lord, Chanyeol, I asked Sehun to go by your apartment, and he said you didn’t answer! I thought you were dead, I…” Her words stop, and then she gasps. “Oh my god. Wait. Did your date with Mr. Handsome go that well?”
Chanyeol is then very much aware of the naked chest against his back and the hand resting on his sternum to hold him close. Oh yeah. That happened last night. He’s still at Jongin’s place, in Jongin’s bed, currently spooning with Jongin.
“Um, y-yeah?” Chanyeol mumbles, trying to keep his voice down. “I think so?”
“Well.” Chanyeol can picture her look of disbelief. “I guess we can hold the fort down.”
“I can be there in twenty minutes if you just--”
Yoora cuts him off. “No. Don’t come in today. I’ll have Sehun take care of Toben, so you can finally enjoy a day off.”
“What?” Chanyeol blinks. “But--”
“I’m serious, Chanyeol. You haven’t take a day off in years , and this is the first time I’ve seen you so interested in someone.” Yoora laughs. “Don’t come in. We can handle it.”
Chanyeol hesitates. He really doesn’t like missing work or not having control of the kitchen, but he trusts Yoora, and honestly he doesn’t want to leave this bed at the moment. “O-Okay. Thanks, Yoora.”
“No problem. Just remember that you owe me one!” She singsongs before hanging up on him.
Putting his phone down with a sigh, Chanyeol closes his eyes and snuggles further into the pillow. He feels Jongin shift and stretch next to him, exhaling heavily as he does so and pressing his body fully against Chanyeol’s, intertwining their feet.
“Mr. Handsome, huh,” Jongin mumbles, poking his cold nose to Chanyeol’s neck with a sleepy chuckle.
“I didn’t know you were awake.” Chanyeol’s face heats up in embarrassment. Of course Yoora would find a way to humiliate him over the phone too.
“Just barely.” Jongin sighs and then hums a little happy sound. “I’m glad you stayed. I had fun last night, even after the date.”
“Me too.” Chanyeol grins, his chest feeling warm with genuine happiness.
“If you want to, we can go get lunch when I’m more awake,” Jongin suggests, reaching to pull the covers further up to their shoulders. “Taeoh’s staying with his grandparents this weekend, so I’m free.”
Chanyeol moves to lie on his back, and Jongin infiltrates his space, cuddling up to his side and resting his head on his chest. His dark hair is a little messy, stubble visible on his chin, and there’s a noticeable dark mark beneath his jaw. Reminded of the events from the night before, Chanyeol clears his throat and looks away, feeling blood rush south. “Sure. I’m up for that.”
Jongin smirks, opening his eyes and glancing up at Chanyeol teasingly. “We can do other things too.”
It only takes minutes for Jongin to convince him that there’s no reason they can’t stay in bed for just a little longer.
Jongin only gets more charming the more that Chanyeol gets to know him. Their second date at a café nearby for a late lunch is less awkward than their first, thankfully, and Chanyeol feels himself falling faster and harder than before. He learns that Jongin’s quite the Instagram user, and his feed is very aesthetic forward, much like Chanyeol’s. It’s the first time in a while Chanyeol’s felt so connected to someone else.
They part ways after that but exchange numbers, and Jongin promises to stop by the bakery more often. Chanyeol itches to get in the kitchen and bake, but since he’s banned from the bakery that day, he ends up sitting in his apartment and begins to write a short song for Jongin.
Jongin texts him often throughout the following week, sending him pictures of the shoot he’s working on or pictures of whatever he and Taeoh are doing that day. He likes when Chanyeol sends him selfies or pictures of his pastry babies in return, but Chanyeol lack of work during his text exchanges has Yoora banning his phone from the kitchen, much to his dismay.
It doesn’t stop him from daydreaming though.
“Chanyeol! You’re dripping chocolate ganache everywhere!”
Chanyeol looks down and realizes the neat striped designs on the cheese pastries have become blotchy and sporadic. He yelps and puts down the piping bag, grabbing a knife and trying to correct the mess, blushing as he hasn’t made a mistake like this in years.
Yoora sighs, grabbing a paper towel to wipe up some of the ganache that had dripped onto the metal surface of the decorating table. “Daydreaming about your man again? Just because I took away your phone privileges?”
Throwing a glare in her direction, Chanyeol huffs, getting back to his work with a focused eye. “No.” He practically pouts.
“I heard you tell Junmyeon that he was a model. Is that true?” Yoora raises her brow, impressed.
Chanyeol nods. “He told me that it was how he got into photography, but I found out that he was being pretty modest. I googled him, and he was in some high fashion photoshoots and on runways and stuff.”
That’s not the only thing he found either. Jongin had been an extremely popular model in the mid-2010’s, on the cover of many magazines, and Chanyeol had watched many videos of Jongin in fashion shows, finally understand why Jongin had such a small waist (it was often accentuated). It evidently had come to a surprise to the public when Jongin announced his departure from the modeling world when he married fellow model Jung Soojung.
The top article on the search engine Chanyeol had seen, however, was KIM JONGIN AND JUNG SOOJUNG INVOLVED IN FATAL CAR CRASH . It had Chanyeol’s fingers freezing on his phone screen, but he refused to click on the article, instead focusing on the ones about Jongin’s career.
“Wow. Maybe that’s why his name sounded familiar.” Yoora ponders. “Oh, by the way, I glanced at your phone. He said he was going to stop by after work.” She says nonchalantly, turning back to finish boxing up a few cakes.
“What?” Chanyeol’s jaw drops, and he looks down at his stained apron and old Park Patisserie t-shirt. Evidently, Jongin’s only going to see him wearing bakery items. He looks to his sister in concern. “Do I look okay?”
“Maybe if you actually cut your hair and straightened it.” Yoora scoffs at his mess of a bun and the hairband that pushes Chanyeol’s bangs out of his face.
“I think it makes me look cute,” Chanyeol mumbles, scowling as he turns back to the pastries. Jongin seemed to like his longer hair anyways.
True to his word, Jongin shows up with Taeoh a couple hours before closing. Jongin’s dressed as impeccably as ever, and Taeoh is ogling the cookies on display when Chanyeol walks out of the kitchen to greet them. Chanyeol really wants to kiss his boyfriend, but he doesn’t want to scar Taeoh somehow.
“Hey.” Jongin smiles the moment he sees Chanyeol as he leans against the counter. “I hope we’re not keeping you away from your work.”
“Never.” Chanyeol grins before directing his attention to Taeoh. “See anything you like?”
Taeoh grips the edge of Jongin’s coat, obviously shy again as he mumbles something. Jongin chuckles and kneels down next to his son. “You remember Mr. Chanyeol, right? Why don’t you tell him which cookie you want?”
“Can I have the Santa one, please?” Taeoh asks, looking up at Chanyeol.
“Of course!” December has just begun, and today was one of the first days they had the festive decorated sugar cookies out. They’re always popular with kids and make Chanyeol smile.
The pressure is on to impress his boyfriend’s son, so Chanyeol takes extra care in wrapping it, along with a fruit tart that Jongin asks for. All their boxes and wrappings are now Christmas themed with a little logo of Toben in a plaid sweater as he is the mascot of the bakery.
As Chanyeol hands the treats over the counter, free of charge, Jongin says, “Taeoh and I were actually wondering if you were free tomorrow night.” He smiles charmingly, looking down at his son who is obviously confused.
“Tomorrow?”
“Yeah. You offered cooking lessons, remember? I bet you could help me make something nice for Taeoh.” Jongin suggests, eyes hopeful.
“I-I should be able to,” Chanyeol answers, though he knows he has plenty of work to do tomorrow night. He’ll have to ask Junmyeon to cover for him again for prep work. “I can buy the ingredients. What do you want to eat, Taeoh?”
The idea of being able to have whatever he wanted seems to have excited Taeoh as he exclaims, “Chicken!” He jumps up and down, tugging on Jongin’s coat as he does so.
Chanyeol purses his lips. “Fried chicken? I can do that.”
It’s Jongin’s turn to gasp and go wide-eyed. “You can make that?” His eyes nearly sparkle, and Chanyeol is taken aback by his excitement.
“Yeah, my mom has a recipe.” Chanyeol blinks and chuckles in disbelief. “Is chicken your favorite or something?”
“Yes!” Jongin and Taeoh say in unison. Like father, like son.
“Alright. Chicken it is.” Chanyeol hits the counter with his palm in affirmation. “Your place or mine?”
“Do you mind if we invade your place?” Jongin asks. “I know Taeoh would appreciate seeing Toben again.”
“Yes, I wanna see the doggy again!” Taeoh’s enthused smile has Chanyeol’s mind made up, even though his apartment is currently a mess. He can clean it tonight or in the morning before he leaves for work - probably.
“Sure. I can text you my address later.”
“Great.” Jongin beams. “It’s a date!”
He and Taeoh leave shortly after saying hello to Yoora. It makes Chanyeol a little sad to see his boyfriend leaving so soon, but Jongin leans over the counter and kisses Chanyeol chastely before taking his leave, murmuring a soft goodbye. It seems like he isn’t the only one missing being together.
Their little dinner date the following night goes extremely well to Chanyeol’s surprise. He manages to get his apartment looking decent, and Toben behaves nicely when Jongin and Taeoh are over. The little poodle gets his share of play out of Jongin’s son, who is more interested in having Toben chase him around the small living space then watching Jongin and Chanyeol cook. It allows the two of them to catch up - and sneak a few kisses here and there.
Jongin wasn’t lying when he said he was terrible in the kitchen as Chanyeol teaches him the basics, which he struggles with in itself. They manage to not burn anything, so it turns out a success in the long run. Taeoh and Jongin’s smiles when they dig into the chicken are enough for Chanyeol anyways. He offers to cook for them more often instead of letting Jongin struggle on his own.
After watching some new animated movie, Taeoh falls asleep and Jongin, sadly, has to take his leave to get his son in bed. But he stops at the entryway, holding Taeoh in his arms, and turns to kiss Chanyeol before handing him an envelope.
“It’s a ticket to Taeoh’s dance recital this Friday,” Jongin explains after seeing Chanyeol’s confused look. “Do you want to come and stay the night at my place? Taeoh’s going to stay the night with my mom afterwards.”
His heart jumps at the chance to spend more time with Jongin, and he nods quickly. “I’d love to come. Is it a fancy studio? Should I dress nice?”
Jongin chuckles. “Yes, it is, but you should also try and impress me.” He hits Chanyeol’s chest teasingly.
“Challenge accepted, Mr. Kim.” Chanyeol teases back, leaning in for a second kiss.
He’s not so sure why he was acting confident in that moment as he realizes later on, looking in his closet, that he has next to nothing nice to wear. It’s been a while since he had an occasion to wear something nice. It also dawns on him that he’ll probably be meeting Jongin’s family, and that has him freaking out in the middle of putting croissants in the oven the following day.
“No wonder you dress like a slob,” Sehun comments as he’s packing up another delivery order. “I can help you out if you want. My friend Tao is a stylist for some idols. He could probably pull something out for you.”
“Really?” Chanyeol looks at him with begging eyes. “I don’t want to look like some idol though. Just like...a man who has his shit together.”
“I got you.” Sehun winks at him as he gathers the boxes into his arms. “We can stop by a couple hours before you leave. Tao will work his magic.”
Work his magic, he does. Sehun’s friend fits Chanyeol into red sweater with a plaid button-up beneath with a nice navy velvet jacket over and some nice jeans. Tao also manages to style his hair into a more stylish bun, a few strands hanging loose. Chanyeol looks in the mirror and wonders when the last time he looked this nice was. He finally looks his age for once, and someone worthy of dating Kim Jongin.
Taeoh’s dance recital is in some small theater and when Chanyeol walks in, he finds his seat number and with it Jongin and his family. He enjoys the little once over Jongin gives him as he stands up, his eyes wide.
“Wow,” is all Jongin says.
“Have I impressed you enough?” Chanyeol raises a brow, chuckling as Jongin hugs him, kissing him on the cheek to be conservative in front of his family.
“Yes! Though I’ve told you before that I like your face the most.” Jongin giggles before turning away to gesture to his family. “Chanyeol, these are my sisters, Jungah and Minah, and my mom.”
Chanyeol bows, smiling at the three women politely. “It’s nice to meet you all.”
They return the sentiment, and when Chanyeol sits down they engage in full conversation - mostly about his job, where he’s from, etc. Chanyeol wonders if any of this information is impressing them when the lights suddenly dim, and Jongin hits him on the arm excitedly and whispering that it’s starting.
Taeoh’s class performs in the middle of the recital, and it’s super adorable to see all the girls and the few boys teetering around in their tutus and tights to Tchaikovsky music. Halfway through, Chanyeol glances at Jongin to his right, and his heart feels warm with the pure love and adoration in Jongin’s eyes as he watches and films his son on his phone. He looks like a truly proud father, and Taeoh’s lucky to have him.
At the end, as all the dancers from the studio bow, they all stand to clap in the audience, and Chanyeol sees Jongin tearing up with a big grin on his face.
They have to wait in the lobby of the theater for all the kids to file out from backstage, and the moment Jongin sees Taeoh, he bends down with his arms open as his son runs into his arms with a excited smile.
“You did amazing, baby bear!” Jongin squeezes Taeoh tight, kissing his head. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Did I look cool?” Taeoh asks, squirming in his dad’s hold.
“Of course!” Jongin answers.
“Super cool.” Chanyeol offers a thumbs-up, earning a smile from Taeoh. “Like a real ballerino.”
They part ways afterwards, Jongin declining an invite to barbecue from his mother. He kisses Taeoh goodbye for the night and hugs his family, and while Chanyeol bows and bids them a goodnight, he sees Jongin’s mother whisper something to him, and Jongin blushes.
When Jongin takes his hand and they start walking to Chanyeol’s car, Chanyeol asks about it.
“She told me to bring you home someday,” Jongin replies with a smile.
It begins to snow as they pull into the condominium’s parking lot, and the moment they get into Jongin’s apartment, Jongin moves towards the big windows overseeing some of the city. Seeing his silhouette outlined by the lights outside, Chanyeol gets the strong urge to hold him.
So he does.
“I love the snow,” Jongin murmurs, leaning into Chanyeol’s arms that wrap around him from behind.
“Me too.” Chanyeol rests his head on Jongin’s shoulder. “I think this might be the first snow of the year.”
Jongin pouts. “It isn’t, but...we can pretend it is.” He turns his head a little to smile at Chanyeol.
“So we’ll stay together forever?” Chanyeol can feel Jongin’s heartbeat through their embrace and his warmth from his back. The feeling makes him never want to leave.
Jongin raises a hand to rest it on Chanyeol’s over his heart. “I think so.”