Work Text:
Kyoungyoon was pissed. His boss asked him to work another four hours of overtime, unpaid, yet again. He was sick and tired of his boss treating him like a scrub who would do free work just so he could go to the bar and drink all night. It was a lot of paperwork; filling out his activity logs which consisted mostly of stolen vehicle license plates and details of small incidents he was asked to take notes for. It was a fairly small town so most of Kyoungyoon’s cases were things like stolen cars, people driving uninsured vehicles, and the occasional shoplifter. One time there was a drug caseㅡa group of dealers were busted outside of an abandoned block of flatsㅡbut of course he didn’t get a more exciting case like that, his supervisor took that one.
He groaned and ran his hands over his face, staring blankly at his computer screen. The brightness of the screen was making his eyes feel like they were sizzling on a frying pan, and he so badly wanted to just punch a hole through the decrepit piece of technology.
But, then, he saw the band on his finger shine and his expression softened. He turned his hand to watch it glimmer more in the artificial lighting of the office. He chuckled to himself when he remembered how insistent he was on having a tungsten wedding ring, but his husband had begged and pleaded with him to get a golden band, and he couldn’t say no to his Jaechan's adorable pouty face. In the end, Kyoungyoon was grateful he chose his golden ring, as it still hadn’t lost its shine after four years and brought him so much joy whenever he looked at it.
He knew he shouldn’t, but he pulled out his phone from his coat pocket, smiling at the lockscreen of him and Jaechan on their wedding day, and unlocked it to open his messages. Waiting for him was a message from just the person he was thinking of:
From: Princess
good luck at work today handsome<3 i love u so much
He thought of Jaechan’s cute drowsy face typing out a quick message before crashing out on their bed. Jaechan worked a grueling eleven hour workday, but he never forgot to send Kyoungyoon a message after finishing work. It made his heart glow with renewed love for the man, and a sense of pride rushed through him knowing how important that meant he was to Jaechan. He had to hurry up and finish his work so he could get back to him and envelop him in his arms and leave kisses all over his face.
He only had a few reports left, so he put his phone away and decided to buckle down and finally get them done. The clacking of his mechanical keyboard echoed around the empty room, only accompanied by the low hum of the air conditioner. He rolled up his sleeves and scratched at his chin; he could feel his stubble poking out gruffly and he sighed realising how little time he had even to shave these days. He would ask Jaechan to do it tomorrow morning before he went to work if he had enough time.
When Kyoungyoon saved his final document, he extended his arms into the air with his fists clenched in a celebratory pose. He held them there as he relaxed into a stretch, spreading his legs and hearing his joints click harshly. He winced; his bones were aching at the grand old age of twenty-nine and he wasn’t getting any younger. Jaechan always called him an old man at every opportunity he had, and Kyoungyoon felt it was starting to be true when he let out a groan as he stood up from his office chair. He kicked the power button on the computer chassis and switched off the monitor.
He almost bolted straight out of the door, desperate to finally go home to his husband, but he remembered he was the last one at the station and so he had to lock everything up. It took him about half an hour to check all the locks and shut off all the lights, the computers, and the air conditioners.
“Asshole,” he muttered under his breath when he saw the electric fan still turning in his boss’ room. That was going to hike up their electricity bill, which meant even more money out of Kyoungyoon’s already dwindling paycheck. One of these days he was going to make a complaint to the department with his colleagues, but once again today was not that day.
Eventually, he locked the doors of the station and made his way to his car, a lonely little black micra sat in the middle of the parking lot. It took a couple of key turns but it eventually started up and he was on his way home at last. Luckily, it was only a fifteen minute drive from the station to his apartment, and there wasn’t any traffic because it was so late. The sky was clear and he rolled down his window to hear the wind glide past his ears. He forgot how cold it could get in the autumn since he was used to the office being hot from all the servers. But the fresh air was welcomed and he smiled at the feeling of finally being free for a few minutes.
Upon reaching the apartment complex, he let out a sigh of relief. When he and Jaechan first moved in, he used to race up the stairs for exercise while Jaechan would take the elevator, but now Kyoungyoon was so worn down from working that he would take the elevator almost every day. He missed when they used to get off work at the same time, when they used to embrace in the elevator, letting their tension fade as they held each other gently in each other’s arms. Now the complex felt lonely; the lights were always off when Kyoungyoon got home and Jaechan would be fast asleep in their bed, sometimes still in his work clothes. One morning, Kyoungyoon woke up with a post-it note in his underwear about a patient’s medication order. But it was small things like that about living with Jaechan that made him smile.
He took care to not jingle his keys too much when he unlocked the door. He wiped his shoes on their doormat and swapped his balmorals for a pair of slippers before entering the hall. Their apartment was very small. There was just a short, narrow hall that led to the kitchen, with the doors to the bedroom and bathroom along the left wall. The right wall was decorated with various photo frames; photos from their wedding, from birthdays with their friends, and childhood photos of both Jaechan and Kyoungyoon.
He noticed there was a dim light in the kitchen which was odd, usually it was pitch black when Kyoungyoon got home. Maybe Jaechan couldn’t sleep. But when he entered the kitchen, no one was there. There was a mood light plugged into the mains, something Jaechan must have done when he got home from work, and a note on the fridge held up by a kitten fridge magnet―Jaechan’s favourite.
Hope you had a good day at work. I left you some dumplings in the fridge that you can heat up in the microwave. I love you ― Jaechan
Kyoungyoon smiled, his heart felt so warm it could burst into flames at any second. He couldn’t help himself, and made straight for their bedroom.
He opened the door as slowly as he possibly could, letting the dim yellow light from the hall pour into the room until it reached a peaceful sleeping silhouette. Jaechan was fast asleep, lying on his back with his arm folded to shield his face, diamond ring sparkling in the light. Kyoungyoon approached him quietly, the bed dipping slightly when he sat down to get a good look at his husband’s face.
Jaechan was beautiful, completely and utterly beautiful. His face was small and soft, his skin slightly tan and smooth to the touch. Kyoungyoon studied him carefully as he ran his fingers gently over his features. The swell of his eyelids where his round doe eyes were resting; the bump of his small nose; and over his full, plump lips that were glowing in the soft light. He was the most beautiful man in the world to Kyoungyoon. He felt like he could sit and watch him in this peaceful state for hours, the only sound being the thump of his heartbeat. Kyoungyoon wanted to hold him, to kiss him, to whisper sweet nothings into his ear until the sunrise.
But a low gurgle broke him away from his thoughts and he looked down at his stomach. Right. He hadn’t eaten since lunch and he was practically starving when he got home. Luckily it didn’t wake Jaechan up, so he made his way out of the bedroom just as quietly as he entered. He took a second look at the note on the fridge and chuckled at Jaechan’s childish handwriting and the paper decorated with hearts and the unmistakable little doodle of a cat and a tiger at the bottom. Even in his late twenties, Jaechan was just as cute as the day they met, never forgetting the little things that made Kyoungyoon’s heart swell with fondness.
The dumplings only took a couple of minutes in the microwave, but the hum of the machine sounded incredibly loud in the dark silence of the apartment. Kyoungyoon gritted his teeth and prayed that Jaechan wouldn’t wake up; he knew how much of a sensitive sleeper the other was. When the microwave countdown reached one second, he opened the door, not letting it beep in case it woke his sleeping husband. The dumplings smelled really good, and his stomach growled again in excitement as he grabbed a pair of metal chopsticks from the utensil holder.
When he bit into the dough and tasted the filling he couldn’t help but let out a moan at the taste. Goddamn, Jaechan knew how to cook. Kyoungyoon was so used to cooking for them, so Jaechan would always eat healthily, that he forgot Jaechan was a pretty capable chef himself. When Kyoungyoon first started as an officer, Jaechan used to make him lunch, always cutting the crusts off his bread just the way he liked it, and if he knew it was going to be a busy day, he would make cookies the night before for Kyoungyoon to take with him the next day. These days Jaechan was too busy to make him lunch so Kyoungyoon would eat in the cafeteria, but he didn’t mind, he was never too busy to give him a goodbye kiss before he left for work.
He felt like something was missing when he took a second bite, so he made his way to their little alcohol cabinet by the sofa and took out his favourite whiskey and a glass, pouring himself a small helping before returning to his meal. He took a sip and let the alcohol swirl in his mouth and dance on his tongue for a moment before swallowing. He only drank this whiskey sparingly, as it was a birthday gift from his father a few years ago, but today he felt like he really needed it.
Not a moment later, he heard the unmistakable sound of the bedroom door opening, and the soft pitter-patter of footsteps approaching the kitchen. He tried to slow his heartbeat, knowing who he was about to see in a few seconds, but that did nothing to stop the backflip his heart did when he saw Jaechan’s swollen, sleepy face peek around the door.
“Hey, petal,” Kyoungyoon said, voice barely above a whisper as a smile bloomed across his face. “Can’t sleep?”
Jaechan shook his head, approaching Kyoungyoon quietly. He waddled drowsily around to Kyoungyoon’s back and wrapped his slender arms around his body. Kyoungyoon took Jaechan’s hands and began to pepper kisses on each of his fingers.
“I missed you,” Jaechan finally said. His voice was a little gravelly from having just woken up, but his words were still soft to Kyoungyoon’s ears. “Missed your handsome face.”
“Just my face?”
“And everything else.”
Kyoungyoon chuckled. “Come here so I can kiss you, my baby.”
Jaechan obliged and moved to pull out the chair next to Kyoungyoon, but he stopped him and patted his lap, a cheeky smile on his face. Jaechan smiled and plopped down into his husband’s lap, the latter immediately wrapping his hands around Jaechan’s waist and burying his face into his neck. As he left open kisses in the crook of Jaechan’s neck and jaw, Jaechan squirmed a little in his hold and giggled at the ticklish feeling.
“I’m going to kill my boss one of these days,” Kyoungyoon muttered in between kisses.
Jaechan pulled away suddenly, turning so he could be face-to-face with Kyoungyoon. He held his face between his palms and shook his head. “I keep telling you to file a complaint to HR.”
“Yeah, but who is that going to go to? My boss. And he’s going to toss it straight into the shredder.”
Jaechan frowned at Kyoungyoon's exhausted face and began to leave butterfly kisses over the wrinkles on his forehead, trailing down to the frown on his lips, kissing it away. Kyoungyoon sighed into his mouth, bringing his hands to card through Jaechan’s soft black hair, tugging it gently when Jaechan tilted his face to deepen the kiss. Jaechan’s lips were soft and tender, and they tasted like honey. Kyoungyoon sucked his bottom lip into his mouth to taste him more, feeling Jaechan slide his tongue over his cupid’s bow. When they parted, Kyoungyoon gazed at the sheen of saliva on Jaechan’s lips. He brought his thumb up to wipe it away, but Jaechan had other plans, opening his lips and suckling on the tip of Kyoungyoon’s thumb. Kyoungyoon stared at him in awe before pulling him in for another kiss, cradling Jaechan’s petite face in his rough hands.
Like this, it felt like they didn’t have to talk. All of their emotions, all of their worries were communicated between them as they connected like this. Kyoungyoon knew what Jaechan was thinking, how he felt, and Jaechan knew the same about Kyoungyoon.
Finally, Jaechan was the one to break the kiss, and leaned into Kyoungyoon’s shoulder while he stroked his biceps gently. Kyoungyoon gave him one last kiss on the cheek before returning to his food, which had long gone cold but he didn’t care. He didn’t care if it was too hot, too cold, too salty, too sweet; because Jaechan made it.
“Did you have a good day at work?” Kyoungyoon asked, shoveling another dumpling into his mouth.
“It was okay, just another day I guess.” He looked up at Kyoungyoon with his beautiful, round orbs. “I thought I was going to cry when you told me you had to work overtime again today.”
“I’m sorry, petal. I literally couldn’t say no, you know how my supervisor is.”
“When was the last time we ate together?”
Kyoungyoon looked at Jaechan solemnly. “I don’t know.”
Jaechan’s eyes began to water and he quickly buried his face into Kyoungyoon’s chest so the latter didn’t have to see his tears. Kyoungyoon’s heart broke into two seeing his husband like this, and he pulled him in impossibly closer, leaving soft kisses on the top of his head. He heard Jaechan sniffle and let out a small cry, and kept him firmly in his arms. He began to sway from side to side rhythmically, humming quietly into Jaechan’s ear.
“Let’s get you to bed,” he said, pulling Jaechan away only to leave another kiss on his lips, swollen from his salty tears.
Jaechan sniffled again and nodded. “Will you sing to me?”
“Of course, my princess. Anything for you.”
Jaechan smiled and opened his arms wide. Kyoungyoon understood the invitation and hauled Jaechan into his arms, supporting him with his arms held securely under Jaechan’s thighs. Jaechan wrapped his arms around Kyoungyoon’s neck and started to nibble tenderly at his chin, nuzzling against the stubble there.
“You need to shave.”
Kyoungyoon chuckled. “I’ve needed a shave for a while, I’ll do it tomorrow if I have time.”
“I’ll do it for you,” Jaechan offered, tapping at Kyoungyoon’s budding moustache. “I’ll never forget that time you cut yourself right before your job interview,” he laughed softly.
Kyoungyoon laid Jaechan down on their bed like he was precious china, stroking his cheek delicately before going back to shut the door and undressing. Jaechan shuffled up the bed to make room for Kyoungyoon under the blanket, snuggling into his arms when Kyoungyoon opened them up to him with a smile. After a few more kisses, Jaechan finally settled his head on Kyoungyoon’s bare chest, feeling himself relax at the sound of his heartbeat.
Kyoungyoon started humming quietly to set his vocal tone, and he brought his hand up to stroke Jaechan’s hair steadily. Then, when he saw Jaechan’s eyes were shut, he began to sing.
“You are my sunshine
My only sunshine,”
Jaechan let out a long sigh and he reached to take Kyoungyoon’s free hand into his own. Kyoungyoon didn’t miss the small smile on his lips when he traced abstract shapes onto his skin and left a soft kiss on his knuckles.
“You make me happy
When skies are grey,”
Jaechan’s lips began to protrude, a telling sign that he was falling asleep. Kyoungyoon smiled fondly.
“You’ll never know, dear
How much I love you,”
He let out a vulnerable cry, pulling Jaechan even tighter into his arms, finally feeling his emotions go. Jaechan was beautiful, he was his entire world. He wanted to spend the rest of his life looking at him, holding him, kissing him, telling him how much he loved him until the words lost their meaning. He left a final kiss on Jaechan’s forehead.
“Oh, please don’t take my sunshine away.”