Work Text:
The place was a mess. But, shortly after arriving home, Han Yoojin slipped into his bed and put away his disgust. The next morning though, with sunlight illuminating every inch of filth and disarray, he took it all in.
Peace had thankfully grown out of sinking his teeth into pillows. It used to be that every few days he would need to redo the upholstery, often opting to replace the entire couch instead. The majority of his other kids had their own space outside of the apartment to fly around and make messes. He didn’t know where this mess came from.
He rolled up his sleeves after eating a homemade breakfast from his stocked fridge and went to work. After all these years of cleaning up the clutter that Yoohyun grew out of making, and the inevitable chaos of his kids, Yoojin was efficient. He was speedy and thorough, sweeping the floor, sneezing dust into bins, and squirting cleaning solutions on every surface. He may have been soaked with sweat after, but the place was clean and he was satisfied. Now, before the rest of his busy day could commence, he too needed a clean.
Refreshed, he came out of the shower and into the living space with a damp towel around his neck. There was a small pile of things he seemed to have forgotten to put away as he cleaned. He approached the kitchen island and picked up a trinket.
Mostly, they were dungeon items. He couldn’t recall ever asking for them or going out of his way to get them. Though, he seemed to remember talking about some of them once. To none other than the gift giver, he realized. There were a few other unrelated things. An expensive watch, a novelty tie. Why would I need this, you old man? Under some envelopes and pieces of paper, he caught a glimpse of pink.
Ah, here it is! He had wondered where the other glove had disappeared to. He didn’t know where to put these gifts he didn’t have a purpose for, but he did know where the glove went. He took it and went to his bedroom, opening the bottommost drawer of his dresser. He crouched down, yanking it open, and out popped a pink hat. He took it and the pink glove and stuffed it back into the drawer and shoved it closed with pride.
He really had too much pink apparel now. He wasn’t sure he had ever owned or worn a single piece of pink clothing since shortly after Sesong guild leader’s birthday. Since then, the largest drawer of his dresser had been filled and he had given yards upon yards of wool and yarn to the guild leader. After breaking a small sweat, Yoojin was reminded of a feeling he occasionally had.
He was the only person who received Sung Hyunjae’s handmade works, but sometimes he wished he gave them to others. He didn’t have space anymore for it, or enough cold days in the year to wear it. Though, he never actually told Hyunjae this. In the end, the thought of someone other than Hyunjae or himself wearing a warm, pink cardigan or wrapped in a rosy scarf was too unsettling. Not when it was Han Yoojin who supplied the yarn, needles, and patterns, and Sung Hyunjae who knitted the pieces into existence.
The ahjussi was surprisingly good at knitting and enjoyed himself. Yoojin found it equally entertaining to continue the joke and send more yarn to him. Again, he had given lots of it in many different thicknesses and materials, though always pink. He seemed to be running out of new yarn to give the man, so, at one point, he risked dyeing his own.
His first and only attempt was splotchy and inconsistent. Still, he figured he should give it given all the time he spent dyeing it despite his deadly embarrassment when he handed it over. Sung Hyunjae had simply responded, “Cute,” which irritated Yoojin. For a man with always so much to say, his short response was demeaning to the already mortified Han Yoojin. Then, he realized just how sincerely happy Hyunjae was with the gift and Yoojin couldn’t be genuinely annoyed. Not when he smiled so softly, yet brightly, or when he turned quiet figuring out what he would make with it for his partner.
Reminded of the pile of gifts on the kitchen counter, he stepped back from the dresser. He caught a glimpse of the flowers on it, though. He remembered some flowers on the counter as well, and by the front door, and some that needed to be tossed that sat on the kitchen table. They were always hand-delivered with that terrible smug smile. When it wasn’t, it was sent to the house with a terrible, sincere, and flirtatious note. In those instances, he quickly pulled them into the house and slammed the door shut in case anyone spotted the redness creeping up his neck and warming the tips of his ears.
At some point, he wondered what he could give him that wasn’t the same as always. He seemed overwhelmingly prone to boredom, so knitting was a nice hobby to take up that time. Though, perhaps Yoojin had worn out that joke enough.
Eventually, he sat across from the man in question lost in thought. He seemed to be in good spirits. It was the same thing as before: Yoojin was left asking what the strongest hunter in the nation, atrociously handsome with infinite resources and connections needed. Or wanted. He seemed the type to read books decoratively, like it would make him seem more appealing. He was already surprisingly proficient in the kitchen and had never expressed any interest in artistic expression.
“Am I boring my partner?” Hyunjae broke through his thoughts.
Yoojin shook his head. “I’m just thinking of something.”
“What’s more interesting?”
He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I could list several.”
“Just one is fine.”
He hesitated. Sung Hyunjae was leaning forward now. Whatever he was saying before was completely forgotten in favor of whatever Yoojin was going to say. He was ready to lie though. Then, he didn’t. “You’re difficult to get gifts for.”
“I don’t remember it being an occasion for a gift.”
“There rarely is when you give me gifts.”
He nodded. “That’s just because I like giving Yoojin-ah gifts. Regardless of the occasion.”
Yoojin bit his tongue. Instead, he said, “There’s no occasion. I just figured the pink yarn was getting to be a boring gift.”
He smiled. “Anything Yoojin gives me is good.”
He frowned. “You pervert ahjussi. I’m serious.”
“As am I. Yoojin-ah is funny that way. Anything he gives me is good. All the yarn is welcome. And the results turn out well.”
It seemed like he was asking, so he nodded. “You’re too easily bored,” he protested. “A new hobby would be good.”
“Yoojin-ah is the most interesting thing. I’ll take up a new hobby if you accept my efforts.”
Ah… He sighed. “You’re difficult. And a charmer.”
“It’s good that Yoojin finds me charming. No new hobby then?”
“No need. You’ll continue accepting my yarn, won’t you?”
“Thin yarn is best.”
Yoojin frowned slightly.
Sung Hyunjae said, “It’ll be warmest for when I knit you a sweater.”
If that’s what you want… “Fine.”
It hadn’t even been a week when Yoojin pulled freshly cleaned clothes from a pile and slipped on a warm pink sweater. He really was needlessly skilled. And, when Hyunjae came by, he was chastised as he ran to his bedroom, leaving him in the doorway. Yoojin forced him to bend down, swinging a pink scarf around his neck and tucking it into the collar of his coat because even S-classes weren’t immune to the cold. He was barely done saying that when he pulled back slightly seeing the grin on his face. He came down from his tippy toes and looked away. He ushered the still-smiling Hyunjae out of the door. At the rouge creeping from his top and staining his neck, his smile exploded into laughter.