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It had been a long day.
A wave of the flu had gone through most of the theater staff, and while Kyungsoo had his own bout a few weeks back, it was finally making its foul way through most of the supporting cast and even the backstage crew. They were down to the understudies of the understudies and opening night loomed just two nights away.
Being the biggest name, although hardly the most experienced performer, and giving him the top billing in the production, meant that there was a lot of pressure for his reputation and the play’s alike on his shoulders. While he could take charge, set a precedent, he was hardly leader material, despite his stage presence suggesting otherwise.
This wasn’t Hollywood or Broadway, just their little city’s theater group, but he held pride in it nonetheless.
Tension was thick in rehearsals, patience thinner than their numbers, and Kyungsoo felt like human rugburn by the end of it. He’d never been more happy to shoulder on his winter coat and feel the cold air kiss his nose, his cheeks.
But the walk home awakened all the thoughts he’d let sleep through practice: walking the dogs, doing the dishes, making dinner. He wondered if he’d even manage to make it through a movie before bed or if he’d fall asleep on Chanyeol’s shoulder again.
Seeing his boyfriend after such an exhausting day, alongside his puppies, was what allowed him to go against the sharp winter breeze, trudging through the remnants of Monday’s snowfall to their apartment.
By the time he’d finally arrived at the building, he looked at each stair to their apartment as if it was a personal offense, but he’d rather be alone than have to force a smile for anyone on the elevator, so it would have to do.
Once arriving home, he expected a flood of puppy greetings, followed by Chanyeol himself, but was surprised to be able to take his coat off in peace, tuck each shoe properly onto the rack.
He almost said something, but then he heard Chanyeol talking in the kitchen and tilted his head. He’d not seen a pair of extra shoes by the door and he couldn’t think of anyone free to visit. Baekhyun was out of town and Jongdae’s daughter had dance practice. Maybe Joonmyun had left the office at a decent hour for once and stopped by?
Peering around the corner, he saw the puppies asleep on the couch in a mass of fur before turning his attention to the kitchen. Chanyeol had his back to him at the sink, but Kyungsoo could see him continually dunking whatever was in his hand into the water.
“Don’t play dumb with me, Mr. Glass,” he was using the silly, gruff voice he did when he played the bad guy with his little nieces and nephews. “I know good and well that you’re not working alone.”
He replied to himself in the soft, high voice he used for play as well, although this time the one for sock puppets and tea parties. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I-blugrghbuglu.”
Chanyeol interrupted himself by making fake gurgling noises as he shoved the glass presumably back into the murky water. “I’m not playing games, Glass. Answers or it’s back under for you.”
“No, no, not the dishwater again.” The Mr. Glass voice pleaded with him. “I’ll talk, I’ll talk!”
Kyungsoo had a hand over his mouth, all of his efforts put to keeping himself from laughing.
“Good. Who do you work for?” Chanyeol’s lower voice asked once more.
Playing into the part, Chanyeol waffled back and forth, as if Mr. Glass was being indecisive before he spoke. “I...it’s The Cutlery, but they’re not the head honcho, the big cheese...that’s well...we call him The Casserole Dish.”
Caught up in his roleplay, Chanyeol paused and looked slightly down and away, the gruff voice returning. “Son of a Bitch. This is bigger than I thought; all the way to the leftovers.”
At this, Kyungsoo finally broke, laughing so hard he had to grip the entryway for support.
His boyfriend spun around so fast Kyungsoo worried the glass might fall from his hands, but he’d thankfully left it in the dishwater. Eyes wide and looking like one of their puppies caught in the act of destruction, Chanyeol put a hand to his chest after a moment, likely to rest over his racing heart. “Jesus, Soo, you scared the shit out of me. Wait, How’d I not hear you come in?!”
“Honey, I’m home.” Kyungsoo teased, able to stifle his laughter enough to step in closer, rub his boyfriend’s side. “The dogs were asleep, surprisingly.”
“Oh, that’s on me. I went ahead and walked them when I got home.” Chanyeol perked immediately, almost beaming. “Dinner’s on the stove too and...well, as you can see, I’m working on the dishes.”
Kyungsoo chuckled, now noticing the pots on the stove and the light indicating something was in the oven. “More like shaking them down. I didn’t realize we had a dining room conspiracy going on in the apartment.”
“It’s a whole ass mafia, I think.” Chanyeol shook his head, playing along. “You can’t trust anyone these days.”
Feeling more at ease than he had all day, Kyungsoo used a bit of Chanyeol’s t-shirt to tug him down into a kiss, sighing against his mouth. “How’d you know I needed this today?”
“What, the chores done or me being a big kid in the kitchen?” Chanyeol looped his arms around him, tugging him closer.
Kyungsoo kissed him again before responding. “Both.”
“Ah, that’s easy. You may not say a lot, sometimes, but you’re not subtle otherwise. It’s the frowning, the drawing tight of your mouth, or you falling asleep on my shoulder during the after dinner movie three nights in a row.” Chanyeol rubbed his lower back. “Things have been shit at the playhouse and I’m doing my part to step up.”
Kyungsoo reached up to cup his cheek, so grateful that the same attention he paid to Chanyeol and his needs was shown to him in kind. “That’s...so sweet of you. But the studio’s having a rough go of it too, yeah?”
“Well, yeah,” Chanyeol conceded, “but sometimes the scales tip a little more one way than the other. And I saw where I could even them out here at home. My grandmother said once that her marriage lasted so long because of their system. “Today you, tomorrow me,” or something like that.”
Kyungsoo remembered something his own grandmother said. Love isn’t a freefall, it’s diving. It’s going a little deeper every day.
“Thank you, Yeol.” He pressed another kiss to the corner of his mouth. “And today might be me, but I’ll make tomorrow you, okay?”
“Nah, this weekend can be yours. It’s opening weekend! I can’t go slacking and selfish yet. I’ll save that for next week,” he teased, grin back on his face where it belonged.
Kyungsoo tugged his ear, full of affection and love. “Let me change and I’ll finish up the interrogation of our captives in the dishwater.”
“Sounds good. And don’t worry, I’ve already got The Casserole Dish in hot water...and by that I mean soaking by the other side of the sink.” Chanyeol, as always, knew how to accompany any sort of song. “And Soo?”
Chuckling, Kyungsoo didn’t pull away just yet. “Yeah?”
“Love you,” Chanyeol kissed his nose, gaze soft and warmer than the kitchen, the sun.
Kyungsoo kissed him in return. “Love you too, Yeollie.”