Work Text:
After a long day of work and having to sit and listen to a trial all day with lights and cameras shining in your face, Kim Gaon was ready to go home and fucking sleep. However, as he was packing up his bag to head home to Yohan’s mansion, which was practically his home at this point, he remembered all of his plants back at his apartment and his eyes widened.
“Oh god, my babies” he whispered. He then quickly finished packing his bag before he turned and headed out of his office, only to come face to face with Kang Yohan.
“Oh!” he exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock. Yohan raised an eyebrow before he smirked.
“Let’s go” he instructed. Gaon frowned.
“Go?” he repeated. Yohan nodded.
“Home” he clarified. Gaon blinked before he shook his head.
“I’m actually going to head back to my apartment today” he explained. Yohan frowned.
“Why?” he asked. Gaon laughed embarrassedly.
“You’re going to think it’s stupid, but I need to check on my plants. Since I’ve been staying at your house, I’ve all but completely forgotten them” he explained. Yohan just raised an eyebrow at him and he huffed.
“I know it’s stupid but they’re important to me, okay?” he grumbled. Yohan continued to look at him before he huffed, almost fondly, and nodded.
“Alright, go and check on your little plants” he agreed. Gaon shot him a look.
“I was going to check on them with or without your permission, you know” he reminded. Yohan hummed and raised an eyebrow.
“Were you now?” he asked. Gaon rolled his eyes.
“I’m a grown adult, sir” he reminded. Yohan raised an eyebrow again.
“Are you sure? You can act childish at times” he teased. Gaon’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock as he pointed to him.
“Like you don’t!” he exclaimed. Yohan smiled slightly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about” he stated. Gaon let out a groan and shook his head as he walked past his boss, heading towards the entrance of the supreme court when he paused and turned to look at Yohan.
“Does Elijah like plants?” he asked. Yohan raised an eyebrow.
“What?” he asked. Gaon smiled.
“Does Elijah like plants? If she does, I might bring one back for her” he explained. Yohan stared at him before he huffed.
“You can bring her back one if you like” he stated. Gaon smiled, almost like an excited golden retriever, before he turned and continued out of the supreme court, Yohan watching him walk away with the smallest smile on his face.
~*~*~*~*~*~
After leaving the supreme court, Gaon quickly headed to the subway, taking the train to the poor part of Korea, a place he hadn’t been to in a while since his “move” to Kang Yohan’s mansion. Once he arrived at his destination, he got off the train and took the same familiar path home, soon arriving at his apartment. He quickly walked up the stairs, a small smile breaking out on his face when he saw his plants.
“Sorry, sorry, I know I’ve neglected you” he apologized as he quickly grabbed the portable chemical spray bottle that he used as his watering can and pumped the pump a few times before he pressed the trigger, spraying water over his plants.
“There, I’m sure that probably feels better” he mused, carefully and meticulously misting each and every plant, making sure that their soil was nice and moist after not visiting them and caring for them for almost a week.
“I’m amazed none of you have died” he murmured as he continued to spray his plants, pumping the pump a few more times so that the water would keep coming out. After he spent a good while making sure that his plants were watered, he went on to check their leaves to see which ones needed to have their leaves pruned or their vines clipped. Once all of his plants were taken care of, he hummed, a small smile on his face.
“I should take a few of you back with me…I’m sure Yohan wouldn’t mind. It would definitely brighten up that dark old mansion…and maybe everyone could get a plant. I’m sure Ms. Ji would like one…Elijah would like one if it’s pretty…would Yohan like one? Maybe I should give him a cactus…it’s prickly like him” he mused before he laughed.
“I don’t think Yohan would be too happy to hear me calling him a cactus…but he is prickly like one…” he murmured as he searched through his extensive collection of plants until he found a small pot with a cylindrical cactus covered in fine “hairs” from top to bottom.
“Ah…Old Man of the Andes…perfect” he declared he declared as he placed the pot down and picked up a sharpie, quickly writing Yohan’s name on the plastic pot so that he would know whose plant belonged to who. He then began searching his plants before he came upon a small succulent known as Azulita and smiled.
“Elijah will like you” he murmured, quickly writing Elijah’s name on the pot before he searched his many plants.
“Now, which one would Ms. Ji like…” he murmured before he noticed a succulent forming a wide, pink rosette.
“There you are. That’s definitely something Ms. Ji would like” he declared as he picked up the pot, writing Ms. Ji’s name on it before he hummed and nodded.
“Alright…time to pack you guys up so that I can take you back with me” he declared. He then walked over and picked up a small cardboard box, carefully placing the three plants in the box before he picked up the box and smiled.
“I think they’ll like you…at least I hope they will” he murmured as he turned and headed down the stairs, holding the cardboard box to his chest, careful to not trip or miss any stairs since the cardboard box kind of blocked his vision. But he soon made it safely to the street, the plants still nice and snug in the box, and he smiled as he began his route back towards the subway.
~*~*~*~*~*~
After getting off the subway, Gaon began to walk home, humming softly to himself when he heard shouting coming from a nearby pedestrian underpass. He paused and turned towards the sound, a frown gracing his face as his feet began moving on its own towards the underpass, the cardboard box still clutched protectively in his hands. He then began walking down the underpass, the shouting getting louder as he got closer until he could clearly see what was happening: four men with pieces of wood were beating up another man while a fifth man filmed.
“What the hell” Gaon murmured, his pace quickening as rage began to boil his blood. As he got closer, he noticed that the cameraman and the four men beating up the innocent man were wearing shirts with Kang Yohan’s face on it, making his eyes widen.
“Those motherfuckers” he hissed as he quickly walked over and placed his work bag and the cardboard box with the plants in it on the ground before he ran over to the group of men.
“YAH!” he shouted, causing one of the men to turn, just in time to get sucker punched in the face. The man stumbled back as Gaon rushed forward and shoved the other men beating the innocent man away, standing before the beaten man like a barrier.
“Stop it! You can’t just go around hurting people like this” he shouted, glaring not just at the cameraman but at the other men as well. The man he punched huffed and spat out some blood before he looked at Gaon.
“Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do about it, pretty boy? You gonna stop us?” he sneered. Gaon huffed as he slowly raised his hands to protect his face.
“I’m gonna try” he replied. The man laughed, just as another man swung his piece of wood at Gaon’s back, causing him to cry out in pain and collapse to the ground. The leader of the group laughed at his cry of pain before he walked over to the camera and stood before it.
“Everyone! This is what happens when you try and stand in the way of justice!” he declared before he turned and began beating Gaon with his piece of wood, the other men joining in as the cameraman filmed.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, at the mansion, Yohan was sitting in his study, watching the livestream of his so called “followers” because he had nothing better to do and he wanted to see how unhinged they were today, since he couldn’t deny that the types of fans he had vs the fans that Gaon had were two totally different types of fans. As he was watching the livestream, he heard the shout that came from the side and before he knew what was happening, Gaon appeared on screen, using his body like a shield. Yohan’s eyes widened and he quickly sat up, mouth falling open as he watched his “followers” begin to beat the crap out of Gaon.
“Gaon!” he shouted before he shot out of his seat and rushed to his bedroom, quickly changing back into his suit that he wore earlier that day before rushing out of the house, making sure to keep the livestream on his phone so that he could track the location of where the livestream was taking place. He then ran over to his car and got in, putting the car into reverse, quickly reversing out of the driveway before shifting the car into drive and speeding down the road.
“Hold on Gaon…I’m coming” he murmured.
~*~*~*~*~*~
In the underpass, Yohan’s “fans” continued to wail on Gaon, who was barely conscious at that point, but he refused to pass out or move because damn him and his too big heart, he had to make sure the person behind him wasn’t getting hurt anymore. He would much rather get hurt than have someone else get hurt and suffer. After a while, the leader of the “fans” took a step back and looked at Gaon, huffing.
“Had enough yet, boy?” he sneered. Gaon let out a groan as he slowly lifted his head and began to push himself up, only to have one of the other men step on his back and roughly push him back into the ground. He let out another cry as the leader huffed.
“Obviously not” he mused as he lifted his piece of wood over his head, ready to smash it on Gaon’s head when the sound of metal scraping concrete echoed throughout the underpass. The five men frowned and paused before they turned to see a figured dressed in all black waltzing towards them, holding a long metal pipe that he dragged against the underpass wall.
“I would drop that if I were you” the figure warned, causing the five men to gasp in recognition.
“Kang Yohan!” the leader exclaimed as the figure in all black, Yohan, stopped before them, the metal pipe gripped tightly in his hand.
“You do realize that attacking a judge is against the law, right?” he asked, his voice tight with anger. The men frowned.
“A judge? What do you mean?” one of the men asked. Yohan pointed with his metal pipe to Gaon, who was still being pressed into the ground by one of the men.
“Him. He is my assistant judge. And you’re stepping on him” he snarled. The four men plus cameraman turned to look at Gaon and their eyes widened in horror in the realization at what they had done.
“Oh…shit” the leader murmured, taking a step back from Gaon’s body, only to have Yohan stop him with the metal pipe to the chest.
“Where do you think you’re going? Don’t you think you should pay for your sins?” he asked. The leader gulped and before he could answer, Yohan raised the metal pipe above his head before cracking it against the leader’s head, watching as the man crumpled to the ground. He looked down at him in distain before he turned to look at the other men.
“Don’t you think you all should pay as well?” he asked, pointing the metal pipe at them. The three remaining men and cameraman shook their heads before the cameraman quickly switched off his phone and took off running, the other men taking off running as well. Once they were gone, Yohan huffed and dropped the metal pipe before he ran over to Gaon and quickly bundled him in his arms.
“Gaon. Kim Gaon” he murmured. Gaon let out a pained groan and snuggled into Yohan’s embrace, all but slumping against him.
“Yohan” he murmured. Yohan let out a low growl before he sighed heavily and pulled out his phone, dialing 911. He quickly told the ambulance where they were and how Gaon needed medical attention before he hung up and placed his phone back into his pocket before cradling Gaon close.
“Hang on, Gaon. Hang on” he murmured.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The ambulance soon arrived and the EMTs all but had to pry Gaon from Yohan’s grasp as he was holding the young judge so protectively that it was nearly impossible. However, Yohan soon released Gaon to the EMTs, allowing them to take him as well as the man he was protecting, as he was also unconscious from the beating that he received. While they were being placed on gurneys in the ambulance, Yohan noticed Gaon’s bag as well as the cardboard box full of plants nearby causing him to stand to his feet and walk over to it. He quickly picked up Gaon’s bag and slung it on his shoulder before he picked up the cardboard box and looked at the plants inside, feeling a wave of emotions rise up in him and it took everything in him to keep from sheading a tear, especially in front of all these people.
“Judge Kang?” a voice called out, causing Yohan to turn to see an EMT looking at him.
“Are you going to ride in the ambulance or—” the EMT started when Yohan shook his head.
“I’ll meet you at the hospital” he replied as he turned away, schooling his face into his usual deadpan as he headed back to his car, Gaon’s work bag on his shoulder and the cardboard box with three small plants in it in his hands.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Yohan kept his promise and soon arrived at the hospital, immediately heading over to the nurse’s desk, asking where Gaon’s room was. The nurse told him where the room was and he quickly headed over, entering the room. He then walked over and placed Gaon’s work bag down on one of the nearby couches before placing the carboard box next to it. He then walked over to where Gaon was lying in the hospital bed, looking just like he had when Yohan had taken him to the mansion after the bomb exploded in his office. Yohan looked at the young judge before he sighed heavily and sat down on the edge of the bed, once again acting like a guard dog ready to attack anyone who came too close. The door to the room soon opened, making Yohan look up to see the doctor stepping inside, a gentle smile on his face.
“Judge Kang” he greeted. Yohan dipped his head to the doctor and stood up from the bed as the doctor walked over to him.
“I just need to look him over. If you don’t mind” he explained. Yohan nodded and quietly slipped out of the room, allowing the doctor to look Gaon over, just as the sound of wheelchair wheels rolling down the vinyl floor hallway echoed throughout the hallway making him look up to see Elijah wheeling herself towards him, worry in her big brown eyes. She then quickly stopped before him and looked up at him.
“Uncle…Uncle is he—” she started. Yohan wanted to tease her and say he was surprised that she cared so much about Gaon but he didn’t have it in him at the moment, so he just stepped forward and gently pulled Elijah in for a hug, something they hadn’t done in…forever. Elijah let out a whimper and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his stomach as she let out a soft sob.
“Shh…Gaon’s going to be…he’s going to be fine” Yohan soothed as he gently pet Elijah’s hair, trying to soothe her to the best of his ability. He wasn’t very good at giving comfort but right now, Elijah needed it, so he just continued to pet her hair and soothe her. After a while, Elijah pulled away and quickly wiped her eyes, trying to regain some of her pride. Yohan smiled slightly at her before he frowned.
“How did you get here?” he asked.
“I brought her” a voice called out, making Yohan look up to see Lieutenant Yoon Soo Hyun walking over to him. Yohan raised an eyebrow before he looked at Elijah, who just held up a business card.
“From when Gaon took me to meet her. I still had her card and I saw the livestream, so I gave her a call” she explained. Yohan nodded slowly in understanding as Soo Hyun looked at him.
“How is he? How badly was he hurt?” she asked. Yohan sighed.
“Pretty badly…” he replied. Tears quickly filled Soo Hyun’s eyes before they hardened and she clenched her hands into fists.
“I’ll catch those men…I’ll catch those men and make them pay” she growled. Yohan chuckled darkly, making her look up at him with wide eyes.
“You just focus on catching those men…I’ll deliver the justice” he purred. Soo Hyun looked at him before she nodded.
“Alright” she agreed, just as Gaon’s hospital room door opened and the doctor stepped out, looking at the two adults and one teenager.
“How is he?” Soo Hyun asked. The doctor smiled.
“He’s going to be fine. He’s definitely going to need a lot of rest but thankfully there are no broken ribs or ruptured blood vessels. So, he’ll be alright. Just incredibly sore” he explained. Soo Hyun, Elijah, and Yohan all let out sighs of relief before Soo Hyun looked at Elijah and Yohan.
“I’ll get going now” she stated. Elijah and Yohan nodded, both of them watching as
as Soo Hyun turned and rushed off, heading out to find those men who hurt Gaon. Once she left, Elijah looked at the doctor.
“Can we…can we see him?” she asked. The doctor smiled and nodded.
“Of course you can” he replied as he stepped aside, allowing Yohan and Elijah into the hospital room before he walked away. Yohan and Elijah then walked and wheeled over to Gaon’s bed, Yohan sitting down on the end of it as Elijah wheeled around to the other side, looking at Gaon with tears in her eyes.
“Gaon…you have to wake up. You hear me? You have to wake up” she ordered, her throat tight with tears. Gaon didn’t so much as twitch at her order, causing her to whimper as tears began to stream down her cheeks. As she began to cry, Yohan tried his very best to keep it together and not break down in tears as well and thankfully his back was to Elijah so she couldn’t see the tears welling up in his eyes too.
“Yes, Your Highness” a voice weakly replied, causing both Elijah and Yohan’s eyes to wide before they turned to see Gaon smiling weakly at both of them.
“Gaon!” Elijah exclaimed, her face immediately brightening as Yohan glared at him.
“You are a danger to yourself and a danger to my health” he scolded. Gaon looked over at him with wide eyes as he huffed.
“When we go home, I am putting you on house arrest and you aren’t allowed to leave until you recover” he declared. Gaon’s eyes widened even further.
“What?!” he exclaimed. Yohan snarled.
“You were beaten within an inch of your life. Do you really think I’m letting anyone get near you?” he snapped. Gaon blinked before he huffed.
“You can’t keep me in there forever” he murmured. Yohan raised an eyebrow.
“Can’t I?” he replied. Gaon gave him a kicked puppy dog look.
“Yohan…” he murmured. Yohan looked at him before he sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. He then looked at Gaon and pointed a finger at him.
“Don’t you ever do something like that again” he ordered. Gaon huffed.
“I didn’t think I was going to get my fucking ass beat” he grumbled when Yohan reached out and grasped his face in his hand, forcing him to look at him.
“Never. Again” he growled. Gaon blinked in surprise before he sighed and nodded.
“Okay” he agreed. Yohan nodded and released Gaon’s face as he sat back down on the edge of the bed.
“You and your damn self-sacrificing attitude…you’re seriously going to get yourself killed one of these days” he grumbled. Gaon smiled weakly.
“Sorry…I didn’t mean to make you worry” he apologized. Yohan sighed before he pushed himself to his feet.
“I’m going to see when you can be released. I’ll be back” he murmured as he walked over to the door, opening it before stepping out. Once he left, Gaon looked over at Elijah and smiled slightly.
“Were you worried about me?” he teased. Elijah looked at him before she huffed and looked away.
“No” she murmured. Gaon chuckled and hummed as he shut his eyes, settling down into his hospital bed. Elijah watched his body relax as he drifted off to sleep before she smiled and leaned over, resting her head on her arms before she too shut her eyes, soon drifting off to sleep. When Yohan returned to the room and found Elijah and Gaon asleep, he smiled fondly before he walked over to one of the two sofa chairs and sat down, keeping a watchful eye over Elijah and Gaon as they slept. He could sleep later; right now, he was on guard duty.
~*~*~*~*~*~
A day later, when Gaon was released to go home, he was immediately placed on bed rest, much to his annoyance. However, he knew Yohan was just doing it because he was worried about him (while he didn’t remember a lot from the night he got attacked, he remembered how…scared Yohan had sounded when he bundled him into his arms) so he didn’t complain too much. As he laid in bed, Yohan walked into his room, carrying the cardboard box with the three plants in it, and huffed as he placed it down on the bed.
“So, which one of these plants is mine?” he asked. Gaon blinked before he smiled and picked up the cactus covered in hair, holding it out to him.
“Oreocereus celsianus” he replied. Yohan raised an eyebrow as he reached out and took the plant, twisting and turning it in hand.
“And why am I this plant?” he asked. Gaon chuckled almost mischievously.
“Because it’s you. Its common name is known as the Old Man of the Andes” he teased. Yohan’s eyes widened as he raised a hand to hit, Gaon quickly covering his head to protect himself.
“I am not old” he hissed. Gaon chuckled.
“Who’s not old?” a voice called out, making Yohan and Gaon look over to see Elijah wheeling herself into the room. Gaon smiled and motioned to Yohan.
“He says he’s not old” he replied. Elijah’s eyes widened.
“Him? He’s ancient!” she exclaimed. Yohan’s eyes widened in shock.
“Yah—” he started when Gaon reached out and picked up the Azulita succulent from the box, holding it out to Elijah.
“For you. I wanted to give you something that would brighten up this mansion so what better way than with a plant” he explained. Elijah’s eyes widened and she reached out, carefully taking the plant in her hands.
“It’s pretty!” she exclaimed. Gaon smiled.
“I figured you would like it” he replied. Elijah then looked over at the cactus in Yohan’s hand and raised an eyebrow.
“What’s his?” she asked. Gaon smiled cheekily.
“It’s an Old Man of the Andes cactus” he answered. Elijah’s eyes widened before she let out a delighted laugh.
“That’s perfect!” she exclaimed. Yohan glared at them.
“I hate you both” he grumbled. Gaon chuckled.
“No, you don’t” he replied as Elijah nodded in agreement. Yohan huffed before he sighed and looked at the last succulent.
“Who’s this for?” he asked. Gaon blinked before he smiled.
“Ms. Ji. I thought she might like one” he explained. Yohan hummed as he picked up Ms. Ji’s succulent, looking at it before looking at Gaon.
“I’ll make sure to leave it where she can find it” he declared. Gaon nodded as Elijah looked at him.
“I like this. Thank you” she thanked. Gaon smiled and nodded as Yohan huffed.
“Thank you, I suppose” he murmured before he looked at him.
“Now get some rest” he ordered. Gaon groaned.
“All I’m going to be doing for the next few days is resting” he grumbled.
“Yes, and your body is going to need it, you stupid self-sacrificing idiot” Yohan replied. Gaon chuckled at Yohan’s insult, since he knew there was no real malice behind it, before he sighed and made himself comfortable in his bed, snuggling under his blanket. Yohan and Elijah looked at him before Yohan walked over to Elijah and pushed her out of the room, trying to be as quiet as possible as they left so that Gaon could get some rest. Yohan then pushed Elijah to her room, since she wanted to learn about her succulent and about how to take care of it, and after he dropped her off, he headed to his office, placing his succulent down on his desk. He stared at it for a moment before he huffed.
“I am not old” he grumbled. He then turned and headed out of his office, making sure to place Ms. Ji’s succulent somewhere she could find it, adding a little note to it to let her know that it was Gaon’s idea to give her one. After he had done all that, he headed back to Gaon’s room and sat down on the bench at the foot of the bed, listening to Gaon’s soft breathing as he slept. He didn’t need to be there watching over him, but just hearing the sound of Gaon’s breathing calmed his nerves and he liked being close to Gaon. He liked…being protective of the young man. Now, Gaon didn’t always need protection as he was a grown man, but when he pulled shit like he did with the underpass and his “fans”, it just reinforced Yohan’s secret and selfish desire to protect. So tonight, as Gaon slept, Yohan would indulge his selfish desire a little and stand guard. No one would hurt Gaon while he was around. Not if he could help it.