Work Text:
Sequel from Could it be love in us?
(But can be read alone)
Jeonghan looked at his wristwatch. It’s five minutes to 10 pm. He sighed to himself. Hands busily packing his things. It’s Monday and he started his first working day of the week with clocking out late. So so late. The CEO put the back on his shoulder. He’s ready to leave the office.
Jeonghan was checking a message when he heard someone grasp.
“Oh.”
“Seungkwan-si? Are you okay?” He asked the new employee that almost dropped his files on the floor.
“Y- yes, Boss. I’m fine.” Seungkwan nodded quickly. “I just thought no one would be at the office at this hour, so when I saw your shadow I’m—-“
“Thinking I’m a ghost or something?”
Seungkwan widened his eyes. “Please, Boss. Please don’t say that.” He looked scare and Jeonghan felt sorry. Nonetheless, Seungkwan quickly bowed to him and ran away. “Goodbye and Have a great Valentine’s Day, sir.”
The last greeting reminded him that today’s Valentine’s Day. No wonder why Seungkwan thought nobody would be at the office. Most of the employees are around Jeonghan’s age or older. They either have a family or want to love the best out of their single lives. It’s a special occasion and everyone would agree that works can be done later.
The CEO looked at his left hand that holding the phone. The silver wedding band reflected the dim light of the silent office floor. He hoped he can push works to do later like his employees. Only few hours left before this Valentine is gone. And, he didn’t see his husband’s face yet.
Fuck his CEO life.
While waiting for an elevator, Jeonghan called his husband. He didn’t have to wait long. Joshua picked up at the second ring.
‘Hello?’
“Hi. Are you home?”
‘No. Not yet.’ Jeonghan knew that. He checked the message earlier and didn’t see one from Joshua. One that always told him that the latter got home safe. ‘Why?’
“Nothing. Where are you?”
‘At the bar.’ Joshua was silent for few seconds. ‘The one that I went a month ago.’
Jeonghan remembered that day clearly. It was the day where he went out to meet his old friends from school. One of his friends, Mingyu, was getting married and will move to the States to live with his husband there. Mingyu invited everyone in their old group chat for the farewell party well before the date. However, Jeonghan didn’t check that. He found out in the afternoon of that day when Seungcheol called him to confirm the appointment.
He had to call Joshua during the work hours to tell his husband that he will be out that night. It’s sudden and he has no one to blame apart from his lack of attention. He was too busy to pay attention to anything apart from his works and Joshua.
Yes. Joshua was in his attention and was his priority for more than a year now. Their marriage was arranged. Yet, Jeonghan wanted to be a decent— if not great— husband to him. He didn’t want Joshua to feel bad for having him as a partner, an other half.
Nonetheless, he still hurted Joshua. He knew from the way Vernon (Joshua’s close friend from the States) told him worriedly about Joshua sitting alone at the bar. From the way Joshua left the car there and took the taxi home. From the way Joshua was crying that night, alone in his own bedroom without telling Jeonghan anything. From the way his husband rarely talked to him for few days unless it’s necessary. From the way Joshua’s eyes were not twinkled when looked at him anymore.
Jeonghan was bad at feelings. He has never been in a relationship before. His work always gets in the way. He was happy being alone, until he met Joshua and married him. Joshua became parts of his happiness. He wanted to take care of the younger. He wanted to make Joshua smile, wanted to make him feel good and happy. Joshua is kind and nice; and he deserves love and everything good in this world. Jeonghan would be happy if he was something ‘ love and everything good ’ in Joshua’s life.
At first, he thought that this feeling toward his husband was an affection. The affection to someone who was younger, kind, lovely, and too nice to this world. But after that day that he unintentionally broke Joshua’s heart, Jeonghan started to wonder ‘is his feeling purely affection?’
Seungcheol told him that he looked at the phone almost every ten minutes that day. His friend thought he was worried about his works. No one knew better than him that he was worried about Joshua. Will he get home safe? Did he eat dinner before? He wanted to offer to drive them home after Vernon sent a second message to him saying that Joshua was drunk; yet, he had stated drinking and couldn’t drive safely either.
He called Mingyu later on (after his friend landed in LA) to ask about Mingyu’s feeling toward his soon-to-be husband. He was surprised that it almost the same as what he felt and is feeling toward Joshua.
Joshua loves him. Jeonghan knew that. He may bad at his own feeling, but not with the other. He even knew that Joshua always heads to that bar whenever he’s sad or hurt.
The CEO wanted to ask why Joshua was there. Yet, again, he knew why. It’s because of him, of course.
“Are you drunk? How many did you drink?”
‘I’m going to order the second.’ Here came Joshua’s reply. ‘Are you okay, Jeonghan? Do you want me to pick you up?’
Joshua is sweet. So sweet. Even he was hurt, he still cared for him. And that made Jeonghan felt worse. He is kind and gentle and sweet and deserve love.
Joshua might wait long and might be losing hope in getting that from Jeonghan. He won’t have to wait any longer. The CEO smiled to himself when the answer fit perfectly to whatever he’s gonna do.
Jeonghan getting out of the elevator when it reached the floor where he parked his car this morning. “No, Shua. I’m a little tired but fine. Don’t order the second one. I’m going to pick you up.” He unlocked his car. “Hope you haven’t eaten dinner, too.” He added quickly before hanging up.
It’s 10.10 pm. He might pick Joshua up at half past ten. They will have almost two hours to spend Valentine’s Day together.
That would be enough for their little party Jeonghan had planned.
Joshua told him to wait at the carpark, but Jeonghan didn’t want to. He wanted to pick his husband at the bar. One reason was to check the surrounding. Is it safe for his husband to chill alone? Another was that he had something for Joshua.
The CEO smiled when he saw Joshua’s familiar figure. His husband was sitting at the bar, didn’t see that he was here.
“Shua.” He called from behind. His voice was dripped with honey even to his own ears.
“I told you to call me when you’re arri—“ Joshua stunted at the scene in front of him. His beautiful eyes looked at Jeonghan in surprise, twinkle was clear in that pair. “What— what is this about?”
“For my Valentines.”
“Jeonghan…” Joshua was too perplexed to speak anything else. He hugged the big pink roses bouquet that Jeonghan handed with amusement. Even they were married, it’s arrange one. Jeonghan didn’t have to give him roses or presents.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes. I—“ He couldn’t think of anything right now. His heart bloomed with happiness. The sadness and despair he felt earlier when he knew that Jeonghan had a meeting at this evening and they were likely to not have a Valentine’s date disappeared in a flash. Yeah. He was that whipped for Jeonghan. “Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Jeonghan gave him a small smile. “Let’s head home. I have other thing waiting for you.” The CEO gave him hand to hold so he could get down from the high chair easily.
“What? Jeonghan, you don’t have to.” Joshua whispered for only them to hear.
“I want to.” The black hair CEO answered firmly, tightened their intertwined hands. They walked silently to Jeonghan’s car.
They arrived home at 10.45, later from what Jeonghan thought because of the traffic. Joshua was unlocking the door while Jeonghan was checking their mailbox, when their neighbor called them.
“It’s cold. You go in first, Shua.” Jeonghan told him and walked to Mrs. Lee who told them she had something for them.
“Okay.”
Joshua got in and looked for a place where he could place the bouquet without damaging them. It’s not the first present he got from Jeonghan; but it definitely was a special one, second from their wedding band. Receiving gifts on Valentine’s Day made Joshua felt like they are actually a couple. Not just two persons who were married because of business.
He likes flowers but didn’t have time to nurture them so they have no vase in the house. What a shame. He didn’t want to drop the roses on the couch or on the kitchen table.
While Joshua was thinking where should he put the flowers, the door was opened. Jeonghan was back with few take away boxes in his hands.
Only at the first glance, Joshua knew what were they. They were his favourite’s Italian restaurant. They usually went to have a dinner date when Jeonghan was less busy.
“These…”
“Our dinner.” Jeonghan smiled at him apologetically. “The restaurant almost closed when I called in to reserve the table so I ordered take away and let Mrs. Lee picked up for me.”
Joshua looked at his husband with widest eyes. Did Jeonghan plan to have a dinner with him today?
“I’m really sorry, Shua. I promise I will take you to a proper date later.”
“No— no. It’s nothing, Jeonghan.” He reassured. “I’m just… surprised.” Joshua looked at the pink roses to avoid eyes contact. “I didn’t expect to get so many things today.”
“That makes me feel sorry more.” The older man put their dinner on the table. “I’m really sorry to let you wait.”
“I know works are sometimes hard to deal with.” Joshua hugged the bouquet tighter. Jeonghan saw that and couldn’t help but smile wider. It’s so worth that he went off the way to buy one at the nearby flower shop before coming to pick Joshua up. It’s last minute but he promised to himself that it will be better next year. “I can wait.”
Jeonghan smile softened. He wasn’t sure if he heard things or Joshua actually implied to other things.
But whether Joshua implied anything, Jeonghan was certain. He won’t let his husband wait for his love any longer.
“I won’t let you wait any longer, Shua.”
They locked eyes for a split second. Unspoken feeling filled the air. But neither of them said anything.
Joshua lied on his own bed, waiting for Jeonghan to finish taking shower. The dinner went by normally. They ate, had a small talk about works and lives, washed the dishes. Even it was a normal dinner at late night, the spaghetti got soggy because it has been waited for too long, they had to do the dishes, it was the most memorable dinner Joshua had ever had. The brown hair man smiled to himself, pink roses were place nicely on his bedside. The clocked told him it 15 minutes to midnight. Valentine’s Day was going to pass.
It’s their second Valentine. They married in June two years ago. The first Valentine was just a normal day for them. Joshua didn’t have any other feeling to his husband more than that he was a good man who took care of him well. After he realised he was in love with his husband, he didn’t expect to spend the second Valentines with him like this.
This felt so unreal to him.
While they were doing the dishes, Jeonghan talked about that day, a month ago, when Joshua felt the strongest heartbreak. The CEO told him that it wasn’t his friend was more important than Joshua was, but it was because his friend, close friend, was going to live somewhere abroad. No plan for coming back. Jeonghan said sorry for countless time this evening, and it dissipated the sadness and hurt Joshua felt for the past months away. Maybe that’s the magic of love his mother always told him.
Another thing that made Joshua felt unreal was that the sparkle and love in Jeonghan’s brown eyes Joshua saw when they locked eyes before dinner. The older man didn’t say it out loud but the way he looked at him made Joshua felt love .
It’s 10 minutes to midnight when the sound of water dropping to the tiles stopped.
Joshua got up from the bed. They have separate bedrooms (which were for their peace of mind when they first moved in). He opened his closet and brought out the small jewelry box from the drawer. He bought it two days ago, as a Valentine’s gift for his husband. When he was out to the living room, Jeonghan was drying his wet hair with a towel.
“Why are you still up?” Jeonghan asked in worried. Joshua knew that he wanted him to have enough sleep. He even let Joshua shower first. “It’s late.”
“I’m going to.” He smiled. “I need to give you a something first.”
Jeonghan stopped his hand. His brown eyes looked at the jewelry box in Joshua’s hands.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Jeonghan.”
“You don’t have to, Shua.”
“I want to.”
Jeonghan laughed lightly when his husband echoed what he said earlier at the hotel back at him.
They locked eyes again, and this time Joshua still saw love in that beautiful brown eyes.
“Do you want me to put it on?”
“Sure.” Jeonghan threw the towel away to let Joshua accessed to his bare neck. He was a little bit surprise why Jeonghan knew it was a necklace. Maybe they were together for a long time now. Like how Jeonghan knew Joshua prefers roses over jewelry.
Joshua tried his best to focus on the necklace, at the small heart pendant, but Jeonghan’s face that was close to him and the smell of their shared shampoo and bubble bath made everything harder. He felt Jeonghan’s gaze on him, hot and loving.
It took longer than it should for Joshua to successfully lock the necklace together. The silver heart hanging on Jeonghan’s neck.
“It looks good on you.” Joshua whispered, eyes glittered with happiness. And Jeonghan likes that. He likes that he is the source of Joshua’s happiness.
Jeonghan smiled softly.
“Thank you, love .”
Joshua’s breath hitched at the nickname Jeonghan used. He unintentionally looked up and felt that was a bad idea. His heart was beating so fast upon seeing Jeonghan this close, eyes fulled of him. Love for him.
The clock behind Jeonghan said it was 2 minutes to midnight.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Shua.” Jeonghan whispered low. Eyes fixed on his husband’s lips. Joshua felt his face was reddened. He’s shy but he didn’t want to move away. He loved being in Jeonghan’s presence.
A minute passed with them staying like that.
“Can I kiss you?”
“Thought you wouldn’t ask.”
Jeonghan chuckled fondly before leaning in to press his lips on Joshua’s. The CEO pressed tighter, nipping at the soft pink flesh affectionately. One of his hand hugged around Joshua’s waist. The feeling of wedding band on his body sent happiness to Joshua’s heart. The younger tipped on his toes to deepen the kiss. Jeonghan complied willingly, hugging Joshua tighter to support him.
A clock rang when it was midnight. But Joshua was too focus on Jeonghan’s warm breath and lips on his lips to pay attention to anything. Jeonghan, too, let water drop from his damp hair on the carpet floor. Too busy giving Joshua the love he deserves.
Later that night, Joshua fell asleep on Jeonghan’s bed, in Jeonghan’s embrace, where he loves and where he is loved.