Work Text:
911, what's your emergency?
Renjun was in for another day as a dispatcher and so far the night hasn't been too busy. There have been a few calls to request an ambulance but that was it. Compared to other nights, this one was quieter, a comfortable silence surrounding him in his room. In front of him was a window that looked down on Seoul's skyline, a pretty view laid forth before him. The twilight sky moments ago has now changed into a nightly shade of blue, illuminated by the full moon that looked down on the city.
It was August twelfth.
He was expecting to spend his shift comfortably sat on his desk chair and boringly answering the dozens of calls he got every night but a Thursday night was typically a very quiet day. No crime (or at the very least he didn't receive those calls), no fire, just a few calls that asked for medical assistance.
The night was going great, or at least he wished it was.
As silent and as idle the night was, that usually meant he had to deal with dumb calls from very dumb callers. He has just received the sixth pizza delivery order prank of the night from some college teen party looking to mess around with the dispatcher (and no, this was not one of those efficiently disguised 911 calls made when there were instances of kidnapping or abuse, no. It was really just dumb kids trying to make a joke). He was going to deal with them later when he had the time.
And he was really thinking of a way to uplift the rather dull and repetitive night but to no avail. He's been spending away his time by playing minesweeper while on the job, and he knows he's reached a new level of boredom when he's finding joy and excitement by the bombs and numbers flashed on his screen. His supervisor Sicheng didn't mind either. He even joined Renjun at one point to solve one of the hard levels before going back to his office.
So he was a bit dazed when a new call rang and showed a notification blocking his game.
Sighing, he minimizes the game tab and opens the software and application designed for his job while subsequently also wearing his headphones. He sits up straight, regaining his composure, and clears his throat before he clicks the "accept call" button flashed before his screen.
"911, what's your emergency?" He says in the most pleasant voice he could vocalize at that time.
There's a silence that follows suit that renders Renjun uneasy. Why was the other person on the line not answering? Was a crime ensuing as the other person remained silent? Should he inform Sicheng of this bothering silence? All these thoughts went and processed through his head until he heard calm breathing noises that broke the silence.
"Hello dear operator, I'm currently suffering from heart disease because I think my heart stopped when I heard your voice." The other person on the line said, a flirty hint evident through his voice.
Another prank call.
Renjun was done for the night. At this point, this was his seventh prank call of the night, a new record! He just wanted to go home and sleep in the comfort of his bed if the rest of the night was going to be spent in dumb repetitions of college and high school kids with nothing better to do in their life.
And this particular caller was flirty too. He already had a boyfriend for god's sake!
He was already ready to close the app and go back to his minesweeper game when he registered the voice. Now thinking about it, it did sound familiar. Way too familiar, in fact.
And then it hit him.
"Jaemin?!" Renjun whisper-shouted.
The other man on the other end of the line chuckled. "Surprise?" He said.
"What are you doing Jaemin?" The older of the two asked.
"I wanted to ask how you were doing. I'm assuming that you're doing great?" The younger responds in return.
"Far from that. Anyway, why are you calling from the emergency hotline? That's like, illegal!" Renjun raised.
"Then arrest me, officer," Jaemin says flirtatiously.
"Jaemin!" Renjun rolls his eyes and mentally slaps himself in the head. His boyfriend was very dumb sometimes. Or if not dumb, was just very impulsive (Renjun didn't like to admit it but that was one of Jaemin's charms that made him fall for the younger in the first place).
"I'm joking! Jesus, Renjun. Chill!" Jaemin laughs through the call. Renjun now laid back comfortably at his seat and laughed along with the stupidity of the whole situation. How random it was that Jaemin would call him this late in the night and how lucky it was that Jaemin got to be dispatched to him.
"You're lucky that I was the one who answered your call, if it was any other person they would have been pissed!" Renjun tells the other, a smile now painted on his face.
"Well what if this isn't my first call of the night?"
"What?!" Renjun shouts, his other colleagues in the room giving him a weird stare, specifically Mark who looked startled at his sudden outburst. Sicheng, who was in the office, laughed at Renjun. He was probably aware of the situation unfolding before him. Besides, only Jaemin would be bold enough among them to actually ask how Renjun was doing through a 911 call.
"I was joking!" Jaemin cackles. Renjun follows along and after a few moments, they're now both finally quiet, a comfortable silence resonating through the phone call.
"You know, you could have called me using your phone," Renjun says to the other.
Jaemin lightly argues back. "I am using my phone," He says.
Renjun rolls his eyes. "You obviously know what I mean, Jaemin."
"Well, I wanted to be creative" The other states.
Right, creative. Another asset of Jaemin that Renjun absolutely adored.
Jaemin was creative in every single sense. Their past anniversaries have been anything but normal and their dates were usually more than extravagant. He remembers this one time when Jaemin surprised him with a ticket to Japan as an anniversary gift for their third anniversary. He was working his part-time job back then at a small bakery owned by this sweet, old grandma that liked Renjun's work ethic.
He was expecting a random customer when the bell rang, only to be faced by his boyfriend he stood in front of him with flowers.
"Happy anniversary!" His boyfriend sweetly chimed.
And he remembers how in the middle of the bouquet of flowers was a hidden plane ticket to Japan, one of Renjun's dream destinations.
It's these kinds of surprises that make their relationship exciting, he thinks. He knows he's more of a reserved person compared to his boyfriend, but he appreciated how Jaemin spices up their relationship in different ways. Who knows what Jaemin would do next? He, for sure, didn't.
He puts his attention back to the man on the other end of the call.
"Was your day fine?" He asks his boyfriend.
Jaemin hums a yes, narrating his day and ultimately saying how he can't wait for the two of them to get home. Jaemin was a doctor and was especially good at talking to other people, which was why he typically didn't have a hard time socializing with other people. If it wasn't for his welcoming nature, he would have never met Renjun in the first place.
After a few more minutes, they finally hang up the call. Renjun promised he'd be home before midnight, just in time to celebrate Jaemin's birthday. His shift was over soon anyways so after hanging up and giving Jaemin a short farewell, he finishes the minesweeper game that was idle on his screen before he starts packing up his things and heads to Sicheng's office, saying that he'll leave the office now. Sicheng just acknowledges and bids Renjun farewell and a safe trip home.
On his way home, he passes by the bakery owned by the old grandma and buys a mocha-flavored cake knowing his boyfriend would love the hint of coffee that comes with a mocha cake. After waiting a few minutes for the baker to finish garnishing and lettering the cake, he's given the pastry enclosed in a box with a pack of birthday candles. He finally commutes his way back home to their shared apartment in the middle of Seoul's busy downtown area.
The bus halts to a stop just outside his condominium and it isn't long until he finally reaches their shared unit. Unlocking the door, he enters the room and lays the cake down on the dining table and as he places the cake, he is greeted by his boyfriend with a warm, back hug accompanied by a kiss to the Renjun's nape.
Renjun chuckles at this. "Hi, Jaemin."
"I missed you," The younger says. Renjun giggles before turning around and giving a quick peck to Jaemin's pouted lips, begging for contact. They break apart soon after, but Jaemin goes back in for a deeper, more passionate kiss shortly after. They stay like this for a while, under each other's embrace and love, the cake on the dining table now ignored.
After the both of them clean up (mostly Renjun, who was showered with kisses and fatigued from sitting at work), they go back to the dining room, a romantic vibe resonating through the small living space with the lighted candles and rose petals scattered around the table. Even on his birthday, Jaemin found a way to be disgustingly romantic with him, which he absolutely cherished.
They eat dinner, some pasta that Jaemin cooked while waiting for the older to come home, and talk about their day in more detail while they feasted on Jaemin's cooking. When they're both done, they both look at the clock and realize that it's now past midnight. Renjun stands up and unwraps the cake that was laid inside the box, lighting up the candles and singing Jaemin a birthday song.
Jaemin's heart-shaped eyes never leave Renjun's face. Everything about the shorter he adored and loved. And although Renjun was more reserved and typically not as outlandish as him, he appreciated that. He liked to think that there was this balance that existed between the two of them, complementing each other's opposing energies.
Renjun finishes singing and the younger blows the cake on the candle after making a wish. We smile at Renjun and lays the cake to the side once again before the both of them share another kiss.
"Happy birthday, Jaemin," Renjun says with adoration.
Jaemin chuckles at Renjun's cute greeting. "I love you," he says to the younger.
And then just when Renjun thought his day couldn't get any more romantic, he finds himself standing in front of Jaemin, who was now kneeling before him. A box wrapped nicely around the taller's hand presenting two rings that complimented each other.
Tears build up in Renjun's eyes, Jaemin looking up at him endearingly as he waited for the other's response.
At that moment, nobody needed to talk because they both understood each other. Just a short nod from Renjun was enough for Jaemin to stand up, slide the ring on Renjun's finger, and seal the gap that separated them with a kiss, a kiss that represented a new beginning as they now stood in the room as an engaged couple.
It wasn't magical but it felt like it.
Renjun loved it.
He loved Jaemin.
A few months have passed and Jaemin is obviously stressed, overwhelmed with many patient records that were scattered around his desk waiting to be analyzed by his brain. He needed a breather. It wasn't every day that he was overwhelmed by this many papers, but today, he assumed, was just an unlucky day.
He was just about to ask his best friend Jeno, who was sitting by the other room, to take over his job and look over the papers and analyze them when the phone by his office rings. Sighing, he picks up the telephone and clears his throat, standing up straight and regaining his posture.
"Good afternoon, this is Doctor Na. May I know who is this speaking?" He asks.
The man on the other line speaks not long after. "Doctor Na, please help me. It's just that my heart can't stop beating fast when I think of you!"
Jaemin smiles.