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Zhehan knows something is off as soon as he walks in the door. Walking into any space where Gong Jun is always means being immediately bowled over by enthusiastic affection. If there are other people around, sometimes that just means an excited “Zhang-laoshi!” and a hand squeezing his arm. If it’s just them, like today in Gong Jun’s new apartment, then it usually means Zhehan gets pulled in tight by an arm around his waist before he’s kissed breathless, a hand on his jaw tilting his head just so.
Today though, Zhehan has already slipped off his shoes and stepped into slippers before Gong Jun’s even made his way to the entrance.
“You’re here,” Gong Jun says as he pulls him in for a tight hug.
“I’m here,” Zhehan agrees, wrapping his arms around Gong Jun’s shoulders to hug him back.
Gong Jun holds him for a long moment before he finally lets go and steps back. “Come on, let me put your bags in my room and then - have you eaten? I can make you something.”
Zhehan shifts sideways in front of his suitcase when Gong Jun tries to pick it up and takes his face in his hands. Gong Jun looks down at him with a tired smile. “What? It’s been too long since you’ve seen my face?”
Zhehan scans his face hungrily — it has been too long — and brushes his thumbs lightly across the hollows under Gong Jun’s eyes. “This isn’t what someone who’s been on vacation for three days looks like,” he says quietly. “Are you not sleeping well?”
“Ah, no it’s not...I mean not exactly...it’s...” Gong Jun sighs and pulls Zhehan’s hands away before he twists around him to grab the handle of his luggage. “It’ll just be easier to show you.”
He tugs Zhehan’s suitcase behind him as he walks down the small hallway to the living room. “I was trying to get it all done before you got here.”
“Get what done before I got here?” Zhehan asks as he pads down the hallway after him.
“This,” says Gong Jun with a wave of his hand, resigned weariness in his voice.
Zhehan peers around Gong Jun’s shoulder and sees, well. The sofa and coffee table sit in the middle of the room surrounded by a circle of boxes, piled precariously high. Some of the boxes are open and have clearly been rummaged through, stuff spilling ungracefully out of them and onto the floor. Paint cans and other painting paraphernalia sit to the side near the far wall.
“I did get all the kitchen stuff put away but then the second day my assistant showed up with the paint and I forgot I asked her to buy some for me and then I didn’t have any painting supplies so I had to get those and—”
“Junjun,” Zhehan interrupts.
Gong Jun just keeps talking like he didn’t hear anything, “—the bedroom’s all done, I woke up early to finish the last coat today, so you don’t have to worry about that. All the furniture is back in place and everything so we can sleep there tonight—”
“Junjun,” Zhehan tries again.
“—I’m really sorry it’s not all done but if you just wait, it’ll just take a few hours to finish the first coat of the living room and then I can do the second later tonight when you’re asleep—”
“Gong Jun,” Zhehan whirls Gong Jun around to face him. Gong Jun stops talking and just looks at him. In the bright light spilling in from the living room windows, the dark shadows under Gong Jun’s eyes are even more obvious. There are paint splotches on his t-shirt and jeans. He’s slumped over a little, like he doesn’t quite have the energy to stand upright.
Zhehan runs his hands up and down Gong Jun’s arms. “Sweetheart, you’re exhausted.” Gong Jun opens his mouth but Zhehan glares at him and he closes it immediately.
“Do not argue with me,” Zhehan says firmly as he slips his arms around Gong Jun’s waist. “How much planning and rescheduling did your staff have to do to get you a whole week off?”
Gong Jun gives him his best puppy eyes instead of responding. Zhehan pretends he doesn't see it.
“How much planning and rescheduling did my staff have to do to get me 4 days off at the same time?” Zhehan continues. “And you want to—what did you say? Paint your living room tonight while you leave me to sleep alone? Not happening.”
Zhehan lets Gong Jun go and grabs his suitcase handle with one hand, and Gong Jun’s hand with the other. “Come on, lead me to the bedroom. We’re taking a nap.”
“But I have to—”
“What you have to do is come take a nap with me, your boyfriend, who loves you very much and would like it if you didn't collapse from exhaustion today.”
“I’m not about to collapse,” Gong Jun insists, straightening up and widening his eyes. The effect is ruined somewhat when he sways sideways and Zhehan has to pull on his hand to keep him upright.
“Glad to hear it,” Zhehan says with a cheerful smile, “You’re still taking a nap. Come on.”
Gong Jun sighs and pulls Zhehan down the hall to his bedroom, where Zhehan promptly bullies him into changing out of his paint splattered clothes, while Zhehan goes to the bathroom to wash his face and change into his own pair of sweatpants.
When Zhehan comes out of the bathroom, Gong Jun is sitting on the side of the bed, wearing a t-shirt and sweats, blinking slowly as he looks at Zhehan. Zhehan steps close and reaches one hand out to run his fingers through Gong Jun’s hair.
“Why aren’t you in bed yet?”
“Wanted to wait for you,” Gong Jun mumbles sleepily.
Zhehan smiles helplessly and leans down to kiss the top of Gong Jun’s head. “I’m here now,” he murmurs into Gong Jun’s hair before pulling him up so he can turn down the covers. He pushes and pulls Gong Jun gently until they’re both under the covers, Gong Jun’s arm around Zhehan’s waist and his head pillowed on Zhehan’s chest. Despite how tired Zhehan knows he is, Gong Jun’s whole body feels tense against his own.
Zhehan places one hand on Gong Jun’s back and cards his fingers through Gong Jun’s hair with the other. “What’s wrong?” he asks softly.
There’s a long moment of silence and then Gong Jun shifts back so he’s lying on his side. Zhehan turns to face him, and places a hand on his waist, rubbing soft circles with his thumb.
Gong Jun bites his lip and stares down somewhere in the direction of Zhehan’s collarbone, not meeting his eyes. “I…” He flicks his eyes up to meet Zhehan’s and then looks back down. “I’m really sorry everything is such a mess.”
Zhehan looks at the unhappy twist of Gong Jun’s mouth and frowns. He runs his hand up and down Gong Jun’s side as he tries to formulate a response. “You know,” he starts slowly, “when you told me you were taking a vacation so you could move, I figured if I could get time off, we could see each other and I could help you out too.”
He pauses before asking cautiously, “Did you think I wouldn’t want to help?”
Gong Jun makes a distressed little noise. “ No ,” he says, finally meeting Zhehan’s gaze. “I just...we get so little time together. And you haven’t had time off in so long. I wanted you to be able to just relax.”
Gong Jun shifts closer, and hides his face against Zhehan’s neck. “I had a whole plan,” he continues, words brushing against Zhehan’s skin. “I made a list of things you like so I could cook them for you and I bought your favourite beer and I — I know it was silly to think I could somehow unpack and paint a whole apartment in 3 days, but I wanted everything to be ready for you.”
Zhehan feels his heart squeeze a little as he listens. His stupid, lovely, infuriating, thoughtful boy. “Hey,” he says, “look at me.”
Gong Jun shifts back until he can look Zhehan in the eyes, their heads side by side on the pillow. Zhehan kisses the tip of his nose. “I like you. I like spending time with you and I don’t care what we do.”
“I know but —” Zhehan presses a quick kiss to Gong Jun’s lips before he can keep talking.
“I mean it, “ he says softly. “I just want to be together. So let me help you, ok?”
For a long moment, Gong Jun just looks at him and Zhehan looks back. He stretches out his hand to trace a finger over Gong Jun’s eyebrows, down his nose. When he gets to his lips, Gong Jun’s eyes flutter shut. Zhehan kisses him again, slowly this time, giving Gong Jun time to kiss him back, to run a hand down Zhehan’s side and roll him over onto his back, to deepen the kiss until it feels almost desperate.
Zhehan is just starting to wonder if lube was in any of the boxes Gong Jun’s managed to unpack so far when Gong Jun pulls back and yawns widely.
Zhehan laughs helplessly. “Oh babe, you are so so tired.”
Gong Jun drops his head onto Zhehan’s shoulder and groans but Zhehan can feel his mouth curving up into a smile when he turns and buries his face against Zhehan’s neck.
“Let’s sleep, hmm?”
Gong Jun makes a noise that Zhehan interprets as assent and allows himself to be rearranged until they’re back where they started, with Gong Jun’s head on Zhehan’s chest and Zhehan’s fingers combing through his hair.
Zhehan isn’t sleepy, not really, but the rhythmic sound of Gong Jun’s breathing is familiar and soothing. Between one breath and the next, he falls asleep.
***
When Zhehan wakes up, the bedroom is flooded with bright afternoon sunshine. They’ve shifted in their sleep. Zhehan is curled around Gong Jun, his chest pressed to Gong Jun’s back. Like this, with Zhehan’s face tucked into Gong Jun’s nape, he can smell the lingering scent of Gong Jun’s shampoo. He feels lighter, more relaxed than he has at any point during the month they’ve been apart. But then, Gong Jun always makes him feel that way.
Zhehan drops a kiss on Gong Jun’s shoulder, extracts himself from the bed, moving carefully to not wake Gong Jun, and makes his way to the living room. He takes stock of the boxes piled up next to the sofa, and looks over the paint supplies.
He’s just trying to decide whether he can finish painting a first coat while Gong Jun’s asleep when he hears the sound of water running in the bathroom. Zhehan frowns a little and moves to the kitchen. He was hoping Gong Jun would sleep longer, but if he’s already awake then maybe it would be better to keep him that way so he doesn’t have trouble sleeping at night.
Zhehan is locked in a staredown with Gong Jun's espresso machine when he feels arms wrap around his waist, pulling him close. He tips his head back against Gong Jun's shoulder and presses a kiss to his neck.
"Hi, cutie. Show me how to use your espresso machine?”
Gong Jun moves to withdraw his arms from around Zhehan’s waist. “I can-”
“Nope.” Zhehan pulls Gong Jun back and holds on to his arms. “Just tell me. I’ll do it. You can’t go anywhere.”
Gong Jun laughs, low and warm. Zhehan feels the rumble of it against his back. “Do other people know how clingy you are?”
“Shut up.” Zhehan swats at Gong Jun’s hands. “You like it.”
Gong Jun squeezes his waist and laughs again. “I do.”
They make coffee like that, shuffling around the kitchen together as Gong Jun directs Zhehan on how to grind coffee and fill the espresso filter and steam milk.
(“Da-ge,” Gong Jun says exasperatedly when Zhehan overfills the filter. “How can that possibly be the right amount of coffee for two people?”
“Ok well some of us don’t feel the need to have entire espresso machines in our house. Some of us just buy coffee like normal people.”
Gong Jun rolls his eyes fondly. “I know for a fact that even your mom has one of those machines with the cups.”
“So bad for the environment. I’ll have to talk to her about that.”)
When they’re both sipping lattes, Zhehan sitting on the kitchen counter, Gong Jun leaning against it next to him, Zhehan nudges him with one dangling foot. “Feeling better?”
Gong Jun looks a bit sheepish as he nods.
“Good.” Zhehan smiles. “So how should we tackle all that?” He gestures out in the direction of the living room.
“Well I thought —” Gong Jun launches into an explanation of his unpacking plan.
Zhehan leans back against the kitchen cabinet and hooks his ankle around Gong Jun’s leg as he listens. He’s not really sure what’s going to happen next. Maybe they’ll spend the rest of the day painting and unpacking boxes, maybe halfway through he’ll decide Gong Jun’s worked enough and tumble him into bed instead. Maybe they’ll get to see each other a little more often for the next little while, or maybe next week he’ll get a script he loves but that keeps him away from Gong Jun for another four months.
Right here, right now though, in the bright sunshine with Gong Jun beside him, he’s content.