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i repeat, this is the final boarding call for wonjin ham and jungmo koo. thank you.
wonjin dares to glance at his boyfriend, met with an exasperated sigh and frustrated little stomps in place. cute, but jungmo is very visibly distressed by their predicament, the young couple still standing and waiting in an absurdly-long line to clear customs.
“hey,” wonjin says quietly, discreetly grabbing jungmo’s hand tight between them, “this isn’t your fault. it’s gonna be alright. i bet even the best meteorologists can’t predict thunderstorms in new zealand 7 months in advance.”
jungmo’s mouth quirks up at that but it doesn’t last for long, quickly returning to his habit of gnawing on his lips like he always does when he’s frustrated. “july is rainy season, i should’ve anticipated it and gave us more time.”
“stop worrying about it so much, i don’t mind this at all if it means i get to spend more time with you. just you.” wonjin gives his boyfriend’s hand a squeeze and the taller man looks down at him, sparkling eyes meeting in the most unromantic of circumstances. it doesn’t bother wonjin and his clichéd heart, he’s resourceful enough to spin every moment with jungmo as romantic.
“and less time with minhee,” jungmo finishes flatly, shattering the picture-perfect moment like glass and completing the cycle. wonjin secretly loves when jungmo does that, reminds wonjin that he’s still dating the eccentric, one-of-a-kind, downright-odd psychology major he first met.
and it obviously plays out identical to past instances, wonjin raising his eyebrows in a pointed look accompanied by a small smile, reciprocated by jungmo’s signature grin before the pair burst out in free laughter. comic relief much-welcomed at this time, wonjin keeps his eyes on jungmo and watches the tension melt off his shoulders.
“you’re right, this may not be so bad,” jungmo admits.
“is that your way of saying i’m a genius and thank god you’re dating me?”
“i never said that,” the elder says passively, peering at the queue of people remaining between the couple and their flight to seoul. “we’ll just catch the next one,” jungmo says to no one in particular.
realization suddenly striking his mind, wonjin quietly disrupts. “um, babe?” he pays extra attention to the sweet and sugary qualities of his voice. “about that... isn’t this the last flight of the day?”
“huh,” jungmo hums monotonously, still distracted but no longer blinking. wonjin knows what this means, emotional breakdown in jungmo’s body language.
“yeah,” wonjin says quietly, careful to deliver the news lightly. “i think you said you booked the late flights so we could spend another day in new zealand.”
jungmo’s eyes shift up, reviewing the information in his mind before another sigh and a shit escape from his lips. “that is correct. now what?”
assuming the role of the informant as jungmo rolls through the stages of an identity crisis, wonjin has already pulled up the airport’s upcoming flights on his phone. a few one-handed fumbles (jungmo hasn’t let get and wonjin certainly won’t) and backspaces later, he delivers the verdict: there’s a flight tomorrow, sydney to incheon, departing at 5:45.
“overnight layover? god,” jungmo mumbles, forcefully rubbing at his brow in frustration.
“oh, come on, you’ve endured much worse as a college student. we can make this fun!” jungmo stares blankly at his boyfriend until the shorter boy gestures for him to scoot forward once there’s some progress in customs. “yeah, it kinda sucks with how long we’ve been travelling already but we just gotta take the cards we were dealt and make the most of it.”
“okay, that was surprisingly profound.”
“your influence.”
“and crazy-optimistic. how am i even dating someone like you?”
wonjin gives a slight shrug of his shoulders. “opposites attract?”
again, jungmo returns wonjin’s smile in the way he always does when a conversation flows exceptionally easily, in the way that still makes wonjin’s heart stutter in his chest like the child he was when the two first met.
jungmo volunteers himself to the public humiliation of buying tickets for the next flight out as wonjin finds them a comfortable spot to rest and contact their family and friends. the usual check-in, setting the record straight that they were not kidnapped or eloping or whatever bizarre rumour minhee would plant with jungmo’s gossipy aunts.
he texts the mothers first, no signs of code-switching as he became mrs. koo’s adoptive son even before making it official with jungmo. both are politely concerned but don’t overdo it, trusting (whether or not they should) the two very responsible and functional adults. they were just in a foreign country alone together for a week, one more night isn’t exactly the final nail in the coffin.
allowing his phone to dial minhee’s number next, wonjin allows himself to yawn for the first time since they left the first plane of the day, admitting to the fatigue settling in and melting him down into the minimally-padded airport seat.
“thanks, i was sleeping,” minhee mumbles groggily upon picking up.
“that’s it? no oh my god, wonjin, my best friend i can’t live without! why are you not home to brighten my days? ”
minhee snorts and wonjin knows he was mindful to not distance the microphone. “so, what is it? trouble in paradise?”
“delayed flight became a missed flight. we’ll be 6 hours later than planned. we are not dead. we did not get married and run away.”
“you know what? that would’ve been such a good idea, you should’ve –”
“i’m just now realizing how peaceful it was to not speak to you for 6 days. gonna miss it.”
“congratulations on the fuck-up, you get additional minhee-free time.”
“first thing jungmo mentioned.” wonjin begins absentmindedly stretching out his legs, muscles painfully cramped from the previous flight. “anyway, nice talking to you. goodnight and enjoy your comfy bed, asshole.”
hanging up before minhee can argue a response, wonjin exhales a long sigh and slumps in place for a long moment. after some basic contemplation, he elects to walk around a bit to combat the tiredness settling in his bones.
there’s not much to see nearing midnight, most vendors are dark and closed save for the 24-hour convenience stores. he tries to take note of essential locations – washrooms, vending machines, longer-than-usual benches – but he knows it’s ultimately in vain, information that’ll be erased if he so much as blinks before departing australia.
“hey there, handsome,” a familiar voice calls out behind his slowly-moving figure. “lost?”
“found you,” wonjin mumbles idly, arms outstretching instinctually in the direction of his lover’s voice, exhausted and letting himself admit it now that jungmo’s here to care for him. it was never anything wonjin expected from their friendship but jungmo is solid and reliable, always there and always loving.
“you did.” jungmo laughs shortly, accepting wonjin’s subtle proposal for a hug. “i think it’s time for us to go sit down, eh? you must be really tired.”
wonjin doesn’t even speak, that’s how they both know he’s exhausted, arms wrapping around jungmo’s own as the couple return to the gate wonjin found, in an unbusy quarter of the airport with seating rows eight chairs wide.
jungmo pushes out his first breath in hours upon sitting down, positioning wonjin comfortable on his shoulder. “i’m just gonna call my mom now, okay?”
“i already told her.”
wonjin sees jungmo’s hands freeze in a mild shock and feels his eyes peer down at him. “is she good?”
wonjin nods, cheek rubbing against the soft fabric of jungmo’s tee. “she trusts us. and she loves me.”
jungmo laughs shortly at the final admittance. “you are her favourite, after all. now shh,” jungmo quietly shushes him, “i want you to get some rest now.”
wonjin pouts slightly, habitually reaching around to hug jungmo’s waist. “g’night, mogu,” he says in a matched whisper, words blending together at this hour. despite the effects of fatigue on his speech, wonjin knows jungmo hears him loud and clear when an i love you escapes his lips before his stirring comes to a halt.
with his final thoughts of jungmo’s hand running down his back and a returned i love you too , wonjin falls asleep in an australian airport, in the middle of the night after a missed flight, quite literally leaning on his lover. he wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.
wonjin wakes up to a still-dark airport (3:30, he checks on a nearby terminal) and begins compulsively stretching out his arms, cramped from their wanderings during his rest. he launches into a full routine until his elbow meets another object, one that produces a very human ow sound.
“shit, sorry.” wonjin quickly turns to the poor victim of his elbow assault – none other than jungmo – taking his face tenderly in his hands.
jungmo’s eyes open slowly, a serene smile overtaking his face when he sees wonjin. “i’m fine, it was just my shoulder. good morning to you too.”
“good morning,” wonjin replies, leaning in for a chaste kiss that jungmo doesn’t hesitate to reciprocate. dragging a hand across his jawline, wonjin lets his eyes adjust to the faint light of the airport in the context of jungmo’s face. wonjin loves jungmo’s sharp angles, the simple anatomical features that come together so perfectly on him. wonjin is so lucky.
once he figures out what’s going on, jungmo smiles fully and ruffles wonjin’s hair. “since you’re up now,” jungmo maintains eye contact as he reaches in the pocket of his hoodie draped across the couple as a blanket, “i bought you a cereal bar last night. eat.”
still a bit tired, wonjin’s eyes dart from the food to jungmo repeatedly. beyond drowsiness, he registers the small blueberries on the packaging. blueberries are wonjin’s favourite, of course jungmo would know that. “if i’m being honest, i was just gonna go back to sleep.”
jungmo laughs and scratches the younger man’s scalp again in comfort. “we can’t fall back asleep, boarding is too soon and we can’t miss another flight. especially not for a reason that stupid.” jungmo and wonjin share a small smile between them. “start your day off right. even if it is three o’clock.” jungmo places the bar in wonjin’s hand, maintaining eye contact.
wonjin stares back with equal intensity, internally negotiating his own bargain. “sure. but only if you get some sleep now.”
jungmo hums in confusion, eyes widening minutely.
“i know you were restless the entire time i was asleep. rest,” wonjin says firmly, not backing down.
“oh, no, i’m –”
“please?” wonjin switches strategy from intimidating to cute , pulling out the pout, jungmo’s known weakness. it’s immediately replaced with a smirk when jungmo sighs and looks at the ceiling, wonjin’s signal that his charms worked yet again.
“fine. c’mere, at least be my pillow.” jungmo loops an arm around wonjin’s shoulders, pulling him close as he works open the wrapper on the cereal bar. “when i wake up, we can go get coffee. that 24-hour store has a maker.”
“romantic,” wonjin swoons and jungmo lightly punches his arm before resting his head on his shoulder, a comfortable weight wonjin feels incomplete without. “sweet dreams, mogu.”
at five o’clock sharp, wonjin gently shakes jungmo awake for their highly-anticipated airport convenience store date – somehow not even their strangest, jungmo has made multiple questionable choices in the past they would both rather forget.
“you know what? i’m actually glad this happened to us,” wonjin says absentmindedly as he slides into one of the two chairs surrounding the world’s smallest table, pouring the first of six milk packets into his coffee.
“elaborate?” jungmo replies with an equally-casual air, taking his first sip of black coffee. he sighs contentedly and it makes wonjin smile, as unbearable as he finds his caffeine preferences.
“i don’t know, it’s interesting. i like that interesting things always seem to happen to us.” speaking whatever comes to mind at this hour, wonjin continues. “i like seeing the way you react to things, it makes me learn a lot about you as a person. and i know stuff like this frustrates you so thank you for still being so sweet to me.”
“you’re my boyfriend, of course i’m gonna be sweet to you.”
“still, you could’ve been an asshole but you weren’t. you had to worry about buying new plane tickets and yet” – wonjin pulls the breakfast wrapper out of his jacket pocket, balling it up and throwing it into the wastebin shortly across from them (he doesn’t miss, he’s had a lot of practice) – “i feel like you were still thinking of me first. thank you but you don’t have to do that.”
“can’t help it,” jungmo replies, fingernails drumming against his coffee lid. “you know i’m always gonna be looking out for you.”
such a simple, obvious statement hits wonjin hard in the chest. god, he really loves jungmo, doesn’t he? “jungmo?” the shorter boy’s voice suddenly goes quiet.
when jungmo meets his eyes, wonjin’s heart picks up speed – no love lost to time. through every action, with just one look, wonjin understands little by little every way he is adored by koo jungmo.
with that thought in mind, wonjin can confess fearlessly, without any doubt in his mind. with that thought, he can sit in an off-brand convenience store at five in the morning, in australia after some return flights gone wrong and be certain in his conviction, in his words for the boy he’s loved over the past three years. “do you know how much i love you?”
jungmo’s gaze softens immediately, reaching across the crowded table to gently thread wonjin’s fingers with his own. “it’s a lot, isn’t it?” his half-joking tone tugs at the corners of wonjin’s lips. “don’t worry, i know. but do you know how much i love you?”
wonjin’s eyes shift down to their hands intertwined, up to the peaceful face of his boyfriend. jungmo’s oversized tee from the flight before hangs loosely off his torso, his hair is messy from sleep and eyes are slightly puffy. perfect. wonjin admires jungmo most like this.
wonjin regretfully parts their hands, wrapping both around his cup and taking a sip of coffee-flavoured milk, drawing out this moment for the memory before nodding with a smile.
maybe it’s the stress that comes with travel or the ridiculously early hour, but wonjin feels grateful for this inconvenience that came upon them. time and time again, it’s in the strangest of moments where jungmo and wonjin clumsily stumble across the depths of love.