Archive of Our Own

Seoho sighed as he leaned against the nursing station, letting his head rolled from side to side and wincing at the loud cracking sound it produced. He brought a hand up to rub at the spot, his feet feeling sore and knees like jell-o.

He was exhausted.

Glancing up at the large clock on the wall, needing to blink a few times for the number to come in focus, he could now say he’d been at the ER for almost 48 hours straight.

The other doctor replacing him had called in sick right as he was about to head home, and with one on maternity leave and the other miles away on vacation, there was no one left to stay and cover the shift but him.

In moments like this, he really reconsidered his life choices and that he should have done like Keonhee, and become a Paediatrician.

He let the thought entertained him for a second before making a face. He was so awkward with children and his internship way back when he was in school in the Pediatrics ward had been proof enough that he would never willingly step a foot there ever again.

No, he loved the Emergency Room.

It was fast paced and never the same. Every day was a different story and he simply excelled under the high pressure of every situation. It was as if his brain jumped in overdrive when a patient came it, and he could assessed the situation calmly and clearly. The doctor who he was interning under at the time had said he was a natural.

The ER wasn’t a place meant for everybody however.

Now as a well established doctor in his area, he’d seen many students just like him once come and go on internships, crying and cracking under the stress of the room.

On any regular day he’d be more than happy to be here, it was his whole life after all. He spent more times in the ER than at his apartment and didn’t have anyone waiting for him except his fishes.

Which was perfectly fine by him, thank you very much.

Tonight- No today now, he was just tired. Bone deep tired that made him feel like if he moved from the desk he was leaning on right now, his knees would give out.

He jumped when something slammed into his chest, bringing him out of his thoughts and almost making him dropped to the floor.

“Here, to keep you alive a few more hours.”

Looking down, he saw a large cup of coffee pressed warmly to his chest. The heat slowly spreading through his rumpled shirt and onto his skin, making him sighed contently. He followed the hand holding the cup, up a bare arm until he finally looked down on the face staring back at him expectantly.

It took a second for his brain to process who was in front of him.

“Woongie.”

“Good to know you still remember me, you might not be as brain dead as you look.”

Seoho looked back down at the cup on his chest, blinking owlishly. The concept was apparently really hard for his brain to grasp at that moment as to what was going on.

“How’d you know?”

“Keonhee told me you were staying when he came home last night. Since I was coming in this morning, I assumed you’d be the doctor on duty. I also got you something to eat because knowing you, you probably had a bag of chips from the vending machine and that’s it. Can you please take your cup now??”

Well, he wasn’t wrong but he definitely wasn’t about to admit it.

Deciding to remaining silent, he took the paper cup with both hands instead, not trusting himself with one and brought it to his lips, taking a tentative sip.

That was definitely what he needed.

He felt himself coming back to life as the warm liquid made its way down his throat.

“Good. Now come and sit down for a second, it’s quiet.”

The smaller man grabbed his elbow and gently, but forcefully, dragged him behind the station to push him down on one of the chairs.

This was definitely not his friend, but Nurse Yeo Hwanwoong taking care of him.

The other had been a rookie nurse when he’d started on the floor permanently. He was told by some other staff members to stay clear of the small blonde who was considered to have a strong personality, but Seoho had found that he really liked working with him.

They functioned really well together, and what was a good professional match quickly moved to their personal life where they became good friends.

One thing had let to the other, and at some point Hwanwoong had met Keonhee who’d come to visit him on his break one day.

Seoho and Keonhee had gone to the same med school and bonded over their mutual suffering and long hours of study. They discovered they shared a lot of classes and a few months later decided to get an apartment together closer to campus.

They even shared an apartment for a while before Hwanwoong and him got serious where they’d spend hours in the living room going over their study notes and eat anything that would deliver at 3 a.m.

Now, they were both working at the same hospital in different departments.

Seoho would rather stab himself with a dull scalpel than to admit that the tall doctor was his best friend, instead calling him a crybaby and a nuisance every chance he got to rile him up.

When the blonde had come to visit him one day at the ER, he’d ran into Hwanwoong and the rest had been history.

They clicked and had been going strong for more than two years now,  double teaming on Seoho most days to nag and fret over him.

He was the oldest of their trio, but could swear he was their child sometimes by the way they treated him.

“Eat.”

Hwanwoong had his hands on his hips, tapping his white runners on the floor as he watched him like a hawk.

Grumbling just for the sake of it, he obliged and pulled the sandwich out of the paper bag in front of him.

Many patients made the mistake of taking the smaller man for granted as a nurse and thought they could get away with most stuff.

They were all unpleasantly surprised when Hwanwoong turned out to run his rooms with a vice-like grip. What Hwanwoong wants, Hwanwoong gets. If that was you taking your pills, you sure were gonna take them.

“When’s the last time you slept?”

“I caught a few minutes in the break room a while back before they called me in for an accident.”

Seoho took a small bite, chewing slowly as he watched the other move away once he was satisfied with him eating, and went to prepare his papers.

He took another bite, a bigger one, as his stomach seemed to remember they haven’t eaten anything in more than a day and was now starving. The nurse had gotten his favourite, the little cheat.

“Whose at the entrance now?”

"Dongju just got here too. I saw him when I was coming in.”

“Oh good, my dream team is on duty.”

Dongju was one of their unit employee, and if the blonde nurse ran his rooms with an iron grip, the young administrative agent was a force to be reckoned with at the front desk.

He meticulously organized all charts, had every schedule running smoothly and took no crap from no one, may it be patients, nurses or doctors. He had a magnificent resting bitch face that discouraged most people from arguing with him, and the few courageous ones who tried soon found out he also had wits behind his look, and could clap you back down with a lightning quick strike you never even saw coming.

Seoho loved working with him, first because he had a lot of fun teasing him and get a response back, but mainly because it meant he didn’t have to worry about family members or patients going off on him or looking for files all over the place when he was in a hurry.

He knew he could rely on the younger man to have everything in his hand in a heartbeat and have no one that wasn’t staff disturb him.

The sudden sound of his buzzer made him jump, dropping his sandwich back on the desk to grab the device. He finished chewing while looking at it before getting up, stretching with his arms above his head.

He wasn’t sure which part of his body popped, but by the face the nurse made it was loud enough to be heard around the room.

“You jinxed it Woongie, look like we got a patient incoming”

He got in the zone after that, his brain kicking out any trace of fatigue as he prepared everything and made sure he had all his instruments on him as he waited for the ambulance to arrive.

“The patient is unconscious after he was pulled out of a burning building, ETA about five minutes.”

Dongju appeared next to him and handed him a paper which he quickly glanced over before nodding and handed back to him.

“Any other patients we should expect?”

The blonde looked at him up and down, pursing his lips.

“From the report I got, only minor injuries that were treated on site by the paramedics. This is the only major case.”

Seoho nodded.

He glanced up at the clock.

Looks like he would be here for a bit longer than expected again. He turned to Hwanwoong.

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road.”

The first thing he noticed when they unloaded the patient was the firefighter uniform and how dirty it looked.

Catching up with the stretcher, he quickly walked alongside it, and made a first assessment, his brain starting to go through all the possible situation that could have happened and forgetting everything else.

Male, probably in his late 20’s to mid 30’s, no external bleeding he could see on the skin outside of small scratches here and there along some quickly darkening bruises. He was missing his helmet and Seoho could see the grime crusting the brown locks on his head. Some darker spot matted his hair and he assumed it might be blood as well.

That could be an issue. He made a mental note of all of that.

“Anything I should know?”

Leaning over, he quickly check the man’s airways, bringing his hand close to his nose to see if any air was hitting him. It was faint but he could feel it. He trailed his hand down to check his pulse, pressing his fingers gently onto his neck and finding it quickly. The pulse strong against his fingertips.

This at least was a small good sign.

He glanced up at one of the paramedics next to him, straightening up and waiting.

“This is Kim Youngjo. He was the team leader on site for the fire we were called at. He was dragged out of the building by one of the other firefighter after he was hit by some debris and fell unconscious. We stabilized his neck and took him here right away.”

Head trauma, possible neck injury and definitely some smoke inhalation problem.

They will definitely need a scan.

Theories were already swirling in Seoho’s mind as they reached one of the available bed, everyone buzzing around to transfer the man without jolting him too much and get all the monitors and equipment ready.

“Alright everybody, smooth like butter please he might already have some scrambled neurones.”

He placed himself to grab one of the transferred handle, seeing Hwanwoong do the same with another nurse, and the paramedics on the other side.

“One, two… three!”

They all lifted at the same time, pulling and sliding the man over onto the bed. Everyone stepped aside as soon as he was stabilized, giving him the room to work.

It was showtime now.

Seoho closed his locker softly and let his forehead fall against the cool surface, closing his eyes for a moment and enjoying the fresh sensation. His head was throbbing from the horrible headache he’d developed about two hours ago and it seemed it wouldn’t go away anytime soon.

If he had any energy left, he would be patting himself on the back for how well that case had gone.

Mr. Kim Youngjo, was now stable and only awaiting his scan results to confirm what he suspected. He’d been proactive and already started the process to get the swelling down after making sure all his vitals were good, and now Hwanwoong would be with him for the rest of the day for check ups and to clean him up a bit while they waited.

He was officially freed to go home by his boss a few minutes ago as they had found him a replacement, but as tired as he was he wanted to see the results first before he could fully let go and sleep the next day away. It nagged him and he needed to know to clear his head.

He was already here might as well.

Pushing himself away, he shuffled his way out of the staff room and back onto the main floor with a yawn. Glancing around to make sure there was no petite nurse to catch him, he made his way quickly toward the drawn curtains.

Seoho glanced inside to make sure there was no one else before fully stepping in, closing back the curtain behind him. He was greeted by the silence and the steady sound of the heart monitor as he walked closer, grabbing the charts at the bottom of the bed to do a triple check.

Better be safe than sorry after all and he was nothing if not meticulous when it came to his job.

He needed to blink a few times to get the letters to stop dancing in front of him, his contacts dried and starting to burn. It was definitely time for him to take them out.

Everything on the chart seemed to be what they expected, no bad surprises.

He liked it like that.

Dropping the chart back on the hook, he stepped closer to the man, finally getting a good look at his face. Hwanwoong at clean him up as best as he could while they had bandaged his head, revealing a handsome man behind all the dirt and dried blood. The thin sheet covering his body was molded to a strong muscular frame that definitely came with the firefighter position.

Seoho mindlessly took note of that as he glanced back up at the slack plumped lips and long lashes fanning out against smooth looking cheeks.

He was a dedicated man to his work, married to the ER Keonhee would say, but that didn’t stop him from looking once in a while. He could admire a good looking man when he saw one.

He just didn’t have time for a relationship, the last one he had was almost a whole year ago and it ended up just as expected with his now ex telling him how little he cared about them and how his job always came first before him.

It wasn’t the first time it ended like this, but that had tired him out completely and he’d stop bothering with relationships all together, throwing himself into work and being useful to others instead.

Keonhee and Hwanwoong hadn’t given up on trying to set him up, but there was just so much his heart could take.

Seoho was so lost in his own thought he didn’t even notice the pair of dark eyes staring at him.

“Are you an Angel…?”

The soft raspy voice took him by surprise, making him jump slightly as he focused on the man lying down on the bed who happened to be staring at him with an indescribable look on his face.

“Because if I’m dead and you’re the one I have to spend eternity with I’m more than ok with it…”

The doctor quickly recovered from his shock, leaning over to inspect the man’s eyes and vital signs, willingly ignoring his comment and the dopey smile the firefighter was giving him as he prodded.

“You’re beautiful…”

“Mr. Kim, I’m doctor Lee and in charge of you here at the ER, do you remember what happened?”

Turned out Kim Youngjo was one hell of a flirt.

And very very persistant.

From the moment he woke up and was fully conscious, now aware that he did not in fact died and went to heaven, he hadn’t let Seoho be in peace one second.

He’d run his mouth constantly as the doctor tried to assess his condition, spitting one cheesy pick up line after the other like it was nothing.

Maybe his condition was worst then he thought after all. No one could be this corny willingly.

“I see you’re in good shape for someone who was unconscious a few hours and got a beam down on their head.”

Hwanwoong, who’d join in a little bit after, helped the man into a more comfortable position, smirking at Seoho who was ignoring them as he finished his notes.

He was greatly enjoying this.

“I might need some more oxygen though, because he’s definitely taking my breath away”

The nurse laughed as he dropped his pencil, quickly bending down to pick it up and clearing his throat.

“Mr. Kim. You might have a fairly severe concussion, and although you’re very lucky to not have any other injury, you should definitely be resting. We’ll keep you in observation here for the next 48 hours to make sure there’s no complications.”

“Are you gonna be watching over me Doctor?”

“No, Doctor Lee you see has been here for the last 48 hours too and we are kicking him home to get some sleep before he keel over. He should already be home, but decided to come and check on you instead.”

Hwanwoong, the little traitor, wiggled his eyebrows at him as he handed a cup of water to the man.

“I’m only doing my job, I hate leaving without knowing the full diagnostic.”

“Well you can check me out anytime you want doctor…”

Seoho quickly closed his pad, looking over at his patient.

“I’ll be going now, get some rest and I’ll see you later.”

With that, he quickly turned on his heels and headed straight for his locker to collect his things.

Seoho stepped back into the ER floor a whole day later and feeling like a regular human being again.

He’d taken a taxi home the day before and crashed on his bed after kicking his shoes off, not even bothering to change. He slept all through the remaining of the day, waking up sometimes during the evening to make some instant noodles, feed his fishes and head straight back to bed.

Taking a shower had chase the last strings of exhaustion from his body and he was back and ready to work again.

He grabbed a coffee from the machine and started his routine, going around and checking what he’d missed. Going from section to section, he finally made it to his problematic patient.

“Good Morning Mr. Kim.”

As he walked in he could see the man wasn’t alone, a visitor was sitting on the chair next to the bed. He had a broad frame and a serious yet young face, making him think he must be a firefighter as well.

“Ah Doctor Lee, I see you’re finally back from my dreams.”

“ Did you just-“

The other man present snorted, shaking his head as he crossed his meaty arms over his chest.

“I see he’s fine.”

The deep voice surprised Seoho as he stepped over to the chart, reading over the new information quickly.

“It seems like it. You were very lucky I hope you know that. Not everyone can walk out of a burning building with only a mild concussion.”

“He’s got the head of a pig, I’m sure that helped.”

“Thank you Geonhak.”

Putting the chart back, Seoho stepped closer for a routine exam, checking his vital signs and motor skills.

“We’ll keep you another day just to make sure everything is fine, but you’re good to go home and rest. I’d suggest at least a two weeks off work and a progressive return to duty. We can discuss the details later on.”

“I knew I was a keeper…”

The doctor sighed, moving away as he put his instruments away.

It wasn’t the first time patients had flirted with him, and it wasn’t uncommon for patients to express feelings for doctors as well after they might have saved their life.

It was the first time however he had someone as persistant.

“Well, you’ll be free into the world soon enough.”

“With your number I hope?”

“Alright, I’m gonna go get some coffee this is making me cringe.”

The other man, Geonhak, got up quickly and headed out the curtained wall, leaving the two of them alone.

“I don’t give my personal number to my patients Mr. Kim.”

“You can call me Youngjo, and in less than a day I technically won’t be your patient anymore though.”

He jumped when he felt fingers gently running over his hand, looking down to see the man’s hand almost swallowing his entirely. The calloused fingers definitely didn’t chase goosebumps up his arm.

“This isn’t professional.”

"You heard my friend, I can be incredibly strong headed when I want to…”

“Funny, people say that about me too."

He pulled his hand away, telling himself he wasn’t missing the warmth at all as he took a step back.

“I don’t have time for this Mr. Kim. I’m busy and I won’t be your fancy toy for a week. I’m sure there’s plenty of people ready to swoon at a firefighter’s feet and entertained you. I’ll see you later for your check up.”

With that said, he turned around and walked out.

“And you said what??”

“ Why are you making such a big deal about it? It wasn’t professional!”

He was sitting at the Cafeteria with Keonhee, the two of them enjoying a moment to catch up over lunch when the taller man had asked him about the mysterious and sexy firefighter.

Hwanwoong had definitely something to do with this as the other doctor seemed to be way too aware of the situation.

“ Hwanwoong is delusional and should worry about his own relationship.”

“ We’re doing great thanks for asking, you on the other hand is in need of someone.”

“ I don’t need anyone.”

“ Seoho it’s been an eternity!”

“ A year."

“An eternity! This very sexy and into you man wants your number, I don’t see the problem??”

“ He’s my patient!”

“ Not in a few hours! What’s the worst that could happen?? It’s a fling and you get some good sex to loosen up? I only see a win win scenario here”

“ Keonhee!”

“ Best case scenario you guys hit it off and you have a handsome boyfriend. Again what is the problem??”

“ Can you keep it down??”

Seoho glanced around the half empty cafeteria, only noticing two nurses a few tables away who seemed interested in their conversation. Everyone else was on their phone or talking with colleagues.

He felt a hand on his arm, squeezing gently.

“ All I’m saying is this could be good for you.”

“ Yeah until he realizes I’m here all the time and on call 24/7 and tells me I’m a horrible person and that I don’t have a heart.”

“ Seoho-“

“ It’s just better this way. He doesn’t have any expectations and I don’t get heart broken again. See, this is what I call a win win situation.”

“ That’s definitely not-“

He quickly glanced at his pager, getting up with his half eaten lunch.

“ I got to go back. I’ll talk to you later, say hi to the kids!”

And with that he made his strategic escape back to his floor, munching on his cold fries as he went.

He was hearing Keonhee’s point, he saw the logic in it, but really he was tired of disappointing people. Tired of finding himself stuck between his job that he loved and someone requesting his undivided attention. He was already stressed, he didn’t need that extra level on top of everything right now.

He was just fine with the way things were.

Turning a corner, he almost ran into someone but managed to avoid them at the last minute, stumbling and dropping a few fries on the way.

“ I’m so sorry I wasn’t looking-“

“ It’s alright, don’t worry about it.”

He looked up to see the man plaguing him himself standing there in the middle of the hallway.

He’d caught him gently around the bicep, maintaining him upright as he stood close enough that Seoho could feel the heat radiating from his body.

“ What are you- I’m pretty sure we didn’t authorize you to get up and walk around.”

“ Are you alright?”

“ I should be the one asking you that.”

“ I’m fine, I was getting fidgety in bed. My legs were getting numb so I thought a little tour around would help.”

“ Let’s take you back to bed”

“Well if you insist, I’ll gladly go to bed with you.”

Truly, Seoho couldn’t even be mad at that one as he walked right into it.

Deciding to be the bigger person for once, he ignored the comment and moved away from the man, walking next to him slowly as they made their way back.

“ How are you feeling? Any dizziness? Nauseous?”

The firefighter seemed to think for a second, running a hand in his hair.

“ Not really… More like a constant headache and I’m exhausted. I feel sore also, as if I’ve been to the gym twelve days in a row.”

“ Well taking a beam will do that to you.”

“ Yeah I guess it would…”

He chuckled softly, looking over at Seoho with soft eyes.

“ I’m pretty lucky am I?”

“ Incredibly lucky. I treated patients like you in the past and it wasn’t as pretty and a walk in the park. You got off easy, consider that a warning.”

“ Well, I’m lucky I also got to meet you…”

Seoho pushed the curtain open, waiting for the man to step in before closing it back.

“ What are you trying to get out of me?”

“ A number? Potentially a date?”

The firefighter sat down on the bed with a sigh, rolling his shoulders around gently before looking back up at him.

“ Why?”

“ Do I really have to tell you you’re absolutely gorgeous? When I woke up I truly thought you were an angel. You’re smart that goes without saying, funny and witty and I just have a good feeling about you…”

He pushed himself further on the bed, stretching his legs out as he rested against the pillow.

“ My instinct is rarely wrong, I’ll have you know.”

“ Oh really.”

“ Really.”

They stared at each other in silence for a moment, the tension filling up the room as neither of them wanted to back down. It was a strange but exciting feeling that run up Seoho’ spine as he felt those eyes burning holes through him.

“ How’s my favourite patient today?”

Hwanwoong walked into the room, stopping himself a few steps in when he noticed the weird situation he had come to, eyes traveling between them.

“ Ok…? Should I leave you two and put a do not disturb sign on the curtain? A sock?”

Seoho cleared his throat, quickly looking away and awkwardly shuffling himself toward the exit.

“ I was leaving. I… I’ll be back later for your check up. And stay in bed please.”

He ran away after that, making his second strategic escape of the day, trying to erase the feeling of those intense brown eyes on him.

No matter what he did for the rest of the day, he couldn’t get the conversations he had out of his mind.

His inner voice annoyingly sounded like Keonhee and kept following him everywhere he went, telling him over and over “ What’s the problem with all this??”

The problem was that he was scared.

Scared of changing his lifestyle again.

Scared of letting someone else in after so long.

Scared of not being good enough.

Scared of being told he didn’t care and was heartless.

Scared of being left alone again.

He had so many reasons to just ignore Kim Youngjo and carry on with his life the way it was.

Every sign pointed to him being a big flirt looking for a conquest and moving on to another target.

He’d heard the stories, and firefighters had a reputation.

Seoho didn’t have the strength to be just a name checked off on a list anymore.

So, it was just best for all part to forget about this whole thing and move on.

Yet…

As he sat in the bathroom, hiding away from everyone for a moment, he couldn’t help but smile as he looked over at the man’s instagram profile.

He’d cave in, and like a creep had stalked the man on social media until he found his page.

He didn’t see what could be wrong with just looking, it didn’t mean he was agreeing to anything, just that he was curious.

What he found was a lot, and he meant A LOT, of selfies along side photos of the cutest dog Seoho had seen in a long time.

Kim Youngjo was a man who seemed assured in his look and to love his dog like a son.

He had truly hoped he would find something to hate the man- was he really singing and playing the piano on that one?? Really??

Something that would be proof enough that giving him a chance was a bad idea.

But instead he found himself endeared by the quirky ways of the man.

He was a narcissist, that was evident, but there was something so honest and warm about each post that was just so genuine that he couldn’t even find it in him to hate the firefighter for it.

Closing the app with a huffed, he finally escaped his hiding place only to come face to face with Hwanwoong who had been waiting for him.

“ Are you done hiding?”

“ I was not? Can a man hit the bathroom in peace?”

“Please, do you know who I am? I’ve known you for too long to know you never use that bathroom unless you want to hide, you find the one on the other side of the hall way better. Also Keonhee came to see me and told me about your lunch”

“ I should have never introduce you to each other. Why are you both ganging up on me, I’m an adult I can make my own decisions!”

“ You’re barely a functioning adult let’s put that out there. And we are pushing because we both think it would be good for you!”

He tried to walk away from the man, but the nurse simply followed him, keeping his rant going.

“ I talked with his friend, you know the buff one that was here earlier on? He said Youngjo is a selfless idiot who would try to save everyone before himself. That’s how he got injured in the first place! To make sure a lady got out safely!”

Seoho slowed down, letting the words wash over him.

“ His friend told me he was single because he’s a hopeless romantic waiting for his big moment. Don’t you think that this is it?? The handsome firefighter risking his life and the cute doctor saving him?? Like come on! I would want that! I wish I had some romantic shit like that!”

“ Drop Keonhee and get him them”

“ Funny. You know what I mean, stop being so difficult!”

Hwanwoong grabbed his arm and shook hims for emphasis.

“ Lee Seoho if you lose that opportunity, I will never forgive you! Now get your man and make me best man at your wedding!”

“ I’ll think about it are you happy?? Will you let me go if I consider it?”

The small nurse pursed his lips, looking at him for a moment as if trying to assess his level of sincerity.

“ I suppose I can accept that. It’s not a no…Pinky swear you’ll think about it.”

Hwanwoong extended his hand, looking at him expectantly as he held his pinky up in the air.

“ Are you serious?”

“Pinky swear!!”

“ Ok ok!”

Seoho had no choice under the insistant glare than to raise his own finger and interlock it with the other man.

“ Now swear.”

“ I swear that I will think about it.”

“ Good! You may go.”

“ Thank you for releasing me master.”

He bowed and turned around to continue on with his duty, his head was swirling with a million thoughts.

A lot of thinking he had to do indeed.

In the end, he didn’t get to see the firefighter or think about it much when they received a call and the ambulance unloaded four heavily injured patients on him.

Time flew by as he got in his zone and when he finally emerged back from it, he saw the bed the man was occupying empty and ready to be cleaned for another patient.

“ Where’s Mr. Kim?”

He asked one of the nurse passing by, frowning as he looked around the busy room.

“ He was just cleared to go home doctor, he left maybe five minutes ago with a friend. He just finished signing up all the papers.”

Without thinking he turned on his heels and ran through the room, trying to reach the exit and the parking lot as quickly as possible.

He almost collided with Hwanwoong who was coming out of another patient’s room in his mad dash to get out.

“Seoho?!”

“ I’m getting my romantic ending!”

“Wha-“

He didn’t stop to see the shorter man’s reaction as he busted through the sliding doors, looking left and right for any sign of the man.

Taking a few hurried steps forward he searched around desperately, wind ruffling his hair as his breath caught in his throat.

Could he have missed it?

That was it?

The train has passed and he didn’t get on it.

“ Fuck…”

“ Looking for someone doctor?”

Spinning around at the sound of that voice, vision blurring for a second, Seoho saw the man he’d been searching for standing right there with a smile on.

“ You’re still here…”

“ My friend went to get his car… Said I shouldn’t walk all the way over there so I waited here..”

He vaguely pointed toward the parking, eyes never leaving Seoho.

He looked good in his regular clothes the doctor thought, gaze travelling up and down quickly before he tried to play it cool.

“ And you were gonna leave just like that after flirting me up?”

“ Ah well…”

For the first time the firefighter seemed embarrassed as he raised a hand and rubbed the back of his neck bashfully.

“ Well I was told you were busy and… I thought you made it clear you weren’t interested…”

“ You were my patient. That’s not ethical and I can lose my license.”

The man’s eyes suddenly turned round and full of hopes at the words finally registered to him, taking a step closer.

“ Does that mean…?”

Seoho licked his lips nervously, taking a deep breath.

What’s the problem with all this??

He extended his hand forward, offering it to him.

“ Hi, I’m Seoho and I’m free on Friday if you want to have dinner?”

His alarm clock went off loudly, bringing him out from the comfort of his dreamland as he raised a hand and blindly tried to snooze it off for a few more minutes.

He groaned as he finally managed to shut it off, letting his arm fall back limply on the bed and snuggling back in his blanket.

A strong arm wrapped around his waist, squeezing him gently as a firm chest glued himself to his back.

He couldn’t help the small smile that stretched on his lips.

“ Morning Love…”

The voice was rough in his ear, low and still covered with sleep as lips pressed themselves to his open neck, peppering the skin with small kisses.

Seoho’s giggle escaped him as he wiggled around, turning until he was facing the other man.

“ Morning…”

Youngjo smiled at him, that smile that would melt anyone’s heart as he leaned closer to peck him on the lips.

“ Happy one year anniversary…”

One year.

They had made it through a whole year together and nothing had fallen apart like Seoho had expected it.

No, instead it just kept on getting better, their relationship going strong and steady.

It had been a challenge at first, figuring out their schedules and when they could see each other, but Youngjo was nothing if not a very patient man and understanding.

He never asked for Seoho to change anything in his routine, and even was the one suggesting to rework his own pattern to fit his better.

The doctor had felt bad at first, but the other insisted it wasn’t an issue at all and he wanted to.

They were making it work.

Some days, Seoho couldn’t believe it and he needed to look at his phone’s screen to remind himself Youngjo was real.

The man insisting he should be his wallpaper as Seoho was his.

He never went a day without telling him good morning and good night, whether it be by phone, text or in person. He would even stopped by the ER on some days to bring the other snacks or coffee if he’d heard it had been a rough day.

He never failed to tell him he loved him on the daily and Seoho really couldn’t believe how lucky he was.

And how dumb he’d been to almost passed on the perfection that was Kim Youngjo.

Lifting their intertwined hands up, Seoho looked at the now two identical rings decorating their fingers.

They both had a day off yesterday and took the opportunity to celebrate their anniversary, going for dinner at a place they’d want to try for a while now and Youngjo almost making him choked on his drink as he’d popped the question. One knee on the ground and red roses in hand.

It was the most Youngjo thing he had ever seen and if he hadn’t been busy keeping all the tears of his body from flooding out, he would have teased the man about it.

They’d properly celebrated as soon as they stepped home, and as Seoho shifted in bed, naked body dragging along the soft sheets as he stretched, he felt the soreness in his muscles that would follow him all day.

He could only imagine what his neck and tight looked like this morning.

Probably painted purple from the bites Youngjo loved leaving on him.

Speaking of the man, he turned his attention back to him when he brought his hand to his lips, kissing the skin gently and lovingly looking at the ring.

“ I love you so much… Thank you for saying yes…”

Seoho who’d never been good with his words only leaned forward and kissed him, hoping he could put everything left unsaid into the gesture.

When they pulled apart, he rested his head on the other’s chest, unable just yet to let go of his hand.

It was big and warm and wrapped itself around his perfectly.

“ I think Keonhee will cry when I’ll tell him we got engaged. Even more so when he’s gonna learn Woongie already shotgunned the best man’s position.”

Youngjo kissed his head, snorting at his comment.

“ Please film it I’d love to see that.”

“ So mean Mr. Kim.”

He slapped his chest without any heat, pushing himself up to look at him.

“Ah doctor, It might be the fever speaking…  Can you take my temperature? I’m feeling pretty hot right now…”

“ Can believe I fell for your horrible pick up lines.”

Youngjo shifted them, leaning over him as he kissed his neck once more, hand trailing over his sensitive skin and raising goosebumps along the way.

“ The end result is all that matters love. I’ll consider it a win since you’re right here in bed with me about to become my very gorgeous and smart husband.”

Turned out,Kim Youngjo was one hell of a flirt.

And very very persistant one at that.

Seoho wouldn’t want it any other way.