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Flx knocks on the unfamiliar wooden door that reads 2145, brain already running a million miles a minute.
Tonight was the night and he felt both insanely excited and also just plain insane. He felt jittery, like he couldn’t quite stand still, and his palms were sweating like mad.
For many reasons, Flx had not yet been to Hj’s house. The two discussed very early on that they did not want to involve Flx in Hayoon’s life in that way until he and Hj were sure that they were serious about their relationship. Flx enthusiastically agreed with this sentiment, understanding as best as he could how fragile a situation dating with a young child could be. It did not take long for the two to become quite serious about each other, however, the next thing they discussed was that Flx wanted to wait until the school year was over so that he was no longer Hayoon’s teacher when she met him in the context of dating her dad.
Flx knew that there were barely even grades in kindergarten, however, he really didn’t want this relationship to start conflicting with his job and possibly cause a parent or colleague to complain about his lack of professionalism. Additionally, Flx didn’t want to create any confusion with Hayoon or the other students if lines were blurred in the classroom between “Mr. Lee” and “papa’s boyfriend”.
The two had many talks about these topics leading up to this day, but it didn’t make Flx any less nervous.
Their relationship had been going quite well if you asked either of them. It’s been three months since Hj and Flx officially started dating, during which time they’d been on countless dates. They’d been to the movies, sharing popcorn and pulling up the armrest between their seats so they could invade each other’s personal space like giggly, inexperienced teenages, they’d been on plenty of walks, swinging their hands exaggeratedly as they people watched or ate ice cream they’d gotten from a food truck, they’d gone to an art museum or two, where Flx admits to watching Hj admire the art more than he’d actually looked at the art itself. They oozed romance and fondness for each other wherever they went and it was a lovely sight to see, at least in Flx’s opinion it was.
They’d been on dates to a fancy restaurant or two, Hj’s treat he had to insist on, especially after Flx sent him the ‘I work for a teacher’s salary I can’t afford anything on this menu’ look, which they both laughed about later. However, Flx’s favorite dates had been by far the ones spent at his apartment, cuddled up on the couch or in his bedroom, watching movies or cooking dinner together, or y’know.. other things. He already felt so comfortable and domestic with Hj and something about being in Flx’s apartment together made him feel particularly lovely.
All this to say, Flx knew deep down that once he was able to feel that same level of comfort at Hj’s house that he did with Hj at his own place, he’d feel completely elated. However, that did require getting through tonight where they would be introducing Flx to Hayoon as Hj’s boyfriend for the first time.
Flx is startled from his thoughts by the sound of the door being unlocked and the light slowly engulfing him as Hj opens the door. Hj never ceases to amaze his boyfriend with how beautiful he is no matter how many times or how much of him he’s managed to see.
Hj has his hair pulled up into a messy top knot bun and he appears to have already removed his makeup from work, leaving his beauty mark under his eye on full display.He has on a white shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants on and for some reason he just looks so good it makes Flx feel dizzy.
Flx hugs the pillow in his arms closer to his chest, resisting the anxious need to grab at Hj right when he sees him, seeking comfort in physical touch.
Hj opens the door a crack, then opens it all the way, grinning so wide at Flx it makes his knees feel weak, “Hey babe.”
Flx beams, waving nervously with one hand, the other remaining wrapped around the pillow pulled to his chest, “Hello.”
Hj’s eyes sweep quickly up and down Flx’s body, making him blush. Hj opens the door fully, looking behind himself and into the living room where his daughter is. He sees her playing in front of the coffee table with her dolls, a tired smile on her face as she does so, very clearly lost in her own world. He smiles softly, then steps onto his front porch, closing the door until it’s just barely cracked open, wanting to get some privacy to talk to Flx but also not wanting to lock his 5 year old inside.
Flx watched Hj’s movements closely, like he always does, but tonight he’s on particularly high alert. He looks up at Hj seriously as he stands in front of Flx. Flx is expecting some sort of briefing of an itinerary or maybe some sort of explanation of a script of how they’re going to handle this tonight because meeting Hayoon as anything besides her teacher is a big step. Dating as a co-parent is hard, Flx knows this, he’s read enough books on it since he started dating Hj to know this.
"It’s light reading it’s not a big deal,” Flx blushed when Hj found one of the books he’d been reading on the topic next to Flx’s bed one night.
"Flx, babe, this is like 600 pages,” Hj bit his lip to hold back the proud smile rising on his face, knowing full well there must be undeniable fondness in his eyes.
"The font is big," Flx grumbled weakly, reaching out to try to take the book from Hj’s grasp and failing, ”And-And there’s pictures.. And graphs” Flx successfully grabbed the book with a huff, flushing bright red and looking away from Hj, shoving the book under his own pillow.
Hj had given into the smile that took over his face at this point as he wrapped Flx up in his arms, kissing the top of his head a little more thoroughly than ever before, ”I’m sure there are, Lixi, I’m sure there are.”
Flx could practically feel himself flushing at just the memory of that night and the week or so after when Hj would not let him forget about it, constantly giving him this look whenever they saw each other. Flx was scared to admit it reminded him a little bit of the way he looked when he spoke about Hayoon, but he felt ashamed even comparing himself to her or her level of importance like that (the books also heavily recommended against such comparisons).
Flx is pulled back into the present moment by Hj who looks at Flx and then smiles huge, eyes crinkled from how much his cheeks press against his eyes, “Well don’t you look cozy.”
Flx looks down at himself, over the pillow still hugged to his chest, at his sweatpants, oversized hoodie, that may or may not be Hj’s, and his slides on his sock covered feet.
“What? It’s a sleepover. What else was I supposed to wear?” Flx scrunches his eyebrows with a pout.
Hj laughs softly, tilting his head as he steps closer to Flx, placing his hands on his boyfriend’s biceps, “Nothing, babe. You look perfect.” Hj smiles sweetly, leaning in to peck Flx on the lips.
Flx can’t help but blush when their lips connect, smiling into the kiss as the jittery excitement he feels practically explodes out of him.
Hj pulls back and looks down at the pillow, his face swarming with a combination of amusement and fondness, “Y’know I have plenty of pillows right?”
Flx huffs, pouting, “I just wanted to be safe rather than sorry.”
Hj is practically cooing at the other man, “No of course, of course, I’m sorry, you’re right.” Hj is biting his lip as he smiles wide, clearly amused by how cute Flx is right now.
Hj wraps his long arms around Flx and pulls him forward to embrace him, Flx's face gets shoved into his pillow. Flx sputters after a moment or two, dramatically gasping for air, “I can’t breathe.”
Hj throws his head back and cackles before pulling back, “So dramatic.”
Flx rolls his eyes but the blush on his cheeks makes him look less intimidating, “So what’s the plan?” Flx asks as he remembers what they're supposed to be doing.
“Ah yes-” Hj starts, only for them to be interrupted by a creaking sound.
Both their heads snap towards the sound, towards the door and down, where they see a not even four-foot tall figure standing in the light.
“Papa, what’re you doing out here?” The slightly tired sounding voice of Hj’s daughter is heard as she rubs her fists into her tired eyes.
Flx and Hj freeze for a moment, eyes wide, Hj’s arms still wound around Flx.
“Uhm,” Hj starts, shock very clear in his voice.
“Mr. Lee?” Hayoon’s voice rises a few pitches, a tinge of excitement in her previously tired voice. “What are you doing at papa’s house?” She squints at Flx’s surprised face.
Flx remains frozen for a moment, then glances at Hj. Hj looks back at him after a moment, noticing the look on Flx’s face which he can only assume is his way of saying ‘what the fuck do I do?’.
Flx feels entirely unprepared for the current circumstances, he’s almost positive none of the books he’d read walked him through how to handle a scenario like the one they’re in right now.
Suddenly, Hj seems to remember where his hands are, removing them from around Flx’s frame and shoving them in his pockets as he steps back, “Uhm hey, sweetheart,” Hj pauses to think of how to continue, “M-Mr. Lee was actually coming over for a-a uh sleepover.”
Hj is basically stumbling over every word that comes from his mouth and Flx would coo at his unusually nervous behavior if the gravity of the situation wasn’t weighing so heavily on his mind right now.
Hayoon’s eyes light up, “A sleepover?!” Her voice rises at least an octave as she squeals, all tiredness within her seemingly gone.
Flx’s eyes widen at the sudden excitement, nodding as he speaks, his voice sounding hoarse, “Yes.”
One would’ve thought that Flx had just granted her three wishes or given her a freaking horse or something with the way she beamed at him.
She squeals once again, then grabs Flx’s hand, yanking him towards the inside of the house, “Oh my gosh! C’mon Mr. Lee! I’m gonna show you all the toys daddy got me! They're so pretty!”
Flx frantically looks back at Hj mouthing ‘what do i do?’ with wide eyes.
Hj’s mouth is hanging open, no words coming out as he mouths ‘i don't know’ throwing his hands up. Flx would roll his eyes if he wasn’t feeling so overwhelmed.
The two men follow the 5 year old into the house. Flx follows far less by his own choice, while Hj just trails behind the two, closing and locking the front door before entering the living room where the other two are.
Flx is half taking in his surroundings, how beautiful Hj’s house is, the floral art on his walls that suspiciously resembles that which is inked on his body, while the other half of him is trying to glance back and forth between the babbling 5 year old girl and her dad, his boyfriend, who just stares dumbly back at him.
“I can’t believe Mr. Lee is here to have a sleepover with me? Wait until I tell Dalnim (I once again looked up popular Korean names, this is not anyone specific)!” She sounds so excited, clapping her hands together in a way that reminds Flx so much of her dad.
Hj sees an opening, “Actually sweetheart,” Hj pauses, looking at Flx. “Fl-Mr. Lee is actually here to have a sleepover with daddy.”
Flx’s eyes widen at hearing Hj call himself that. He’d heard him say it before on the phone with Hayoon or when he picked her up from school maybe once or twice but when used in that sentence, it felt different for Flx, making him flush a little bit. He tries to shake those thoughts away though, instead focusing on the importance of the conversation at hand.
“Oh,” Hayoon mumbles, tilting her head to the side in confusion or maybe thought as she stares at her dad. “But why?” She asks, scrunching her nose cutely.
Hj looks nervously at Flx, ringing his hands together. Flx can see the way the other man's knees are bouncing and his face is flushed and so he does his best at such a distance to give Hj a reassuring nod to continue.
“Because, love, Mr. Lee is my friend actually,” Hj pauses, tilting his head unsurely before continuing. “My special friend.”
“Like Uncle Channie?” Hayoon asks, confused.
“Uhhm not quite,” Hj laughs awkwardly. “Like-Like you know Aladdin and Princess Jasmine?”
She nods enthusiastically at the mention of the two, grabbing her princess Jasmine doll and showing it to Flx, waving it close to his face. Flx smiles softly at her and then at Hj, encouraging him to continue.
“Well Mr. Lee is like,” Hj pauses once again, very clearly thinking over his words quite carefully. “My Princess Jasmine.”
Flx has to bite the insides of his cheeks to stop himself from smiling really wide. He’s pretty sure his face is beat red but he doesn’t care. Hj called him his Princess Jasmine. Nothing else matters.
“Oh,” Hj’s daughter says plainly. “Do you think Princess Jasmine wants to look at my toys?” She stage whispers to her dad, glancing behind her at Flx, fully unaware that he is within earshot.
Hj and Flx share a look that clearly means they both know they’re gonna need to have this talk with her again, as it appears she didn’t really understand the comparison. She thinks Flx is princess Jasmine, rather than is dating her father. But Hj’s not too worried about it.
Flx giggles into his hand and Hj shakes his head chuckling, “I’m not sure, why don’t you go ask her yourself?”
Flx glares at Hj playfully for encouraging Hayoon’s misunderstanding and then lets her stumble over to him to ask if he wants to see her toys. Flx nods, with a fond grin on his face, “Of course I do.”
She claps enthusiastically and Flx allows himself to be pulled to the floor where she has a bunch of dolls strewn across the rug.
Hj watches them for a few moments, eyes full of fondness and adoration. He can’t quite place the warmth that fills every part of his chest, but he knows it’s a good thing. He registers that he could watch the two of them for hours like a fly on the wall as his daughter and Flx smile and laugh and play. He wants to take this moment and save it forever, like a movie he could go back and rewatch over and over.
Hj lets out a pleased sigh before he walks up behind Flx, leaning down to whisper in his ear, “I’m gonna start making us some dinner.”
Then he pecks Flx’s cheek softly, letting his lips linger for a half moment longer than he expected, feeling the adoration pour out of him through the soft touch, nearly unable to detach himself from the other boy, but he does.
Flx shivers at the intimacy of it all and nods his head. Hj leans down to his daughter and gives her a sloppy kiss on the cheek, making an exaggerated ‘mwah’ sound when he pulls back, “Be nice to Jasmine, my love. We want her to come back for more sleepovers, right?”
Hj’s daughter giggles, wiping her wet cheek and nodding her head enthusiastically.
Flx can only watch them fondly, unable to remove the wide smile that’s made seemingly permanent residence on his face since the day Hj asked for his number.
Hj trails off to the kitchen, which is attached to the living room, behind his daughter and Flx’s backs. He glances one last time at them tenderly before he reaches for the handle of the refrigerator to begin preparing dinner.
✦✧✦✧
They decide to eat dinner in the living room, wanting to watch a movie while doing so. Hayoon is snuggled right in between Flx and Hj on the couch, a blanket thrown over all three of them. Flx feels warmth deep in his chest as he sits with the two of them, unable to hold back the way his body reacts to the affection he holds for them. Much to Hj’s amusement, Hayoon wants to watch Aladdin.
“Who am I to deny my sweet girl the right to watch Aladdin?” Hj joked at Flx when his daughter had run to the bathroom as Hj was pulling it up on the TV.
Flx rolls his eyes, but the blush on his cheeks and smile on his face say he doesn’t actually care. He’d watch anything, do anything, be anything, if it meant spending time with them.
Hj smiles at Flx softly, reaching out to cup the back of his neck and give him a peck on the lips. They hold the kiss for longer than the initial peck was expected to be, but it’s not passionate or deep, just soft and sweet and lovely.
They pull apart a little bit, resting their foreheads together, staring giddily into each other's eyes. Flx doesn’t know if he’ll ever get over the way Hj looks at him, the way Hj lets him look at him so up close up.
“How am I doing?” Flx whispers jokingly, knowing Hayoon already loved him prior to today, but also a little part of him needs the confirmation.
“I think she loves you,” Hj laughs softly, playing with the hairs at the nape of Flx’s neck where his hand still rests. “Like father, like daughter I guess.” Hj shrugs nonchalantly.
Flx giggles, then freezes. He’s not sure which one of them registered what Hj said first, but they both seem similarly surprised. Neither says anything for a few moments, just staring into each other's eyes. The air feels stiller than before, only for them to jolt apart at the sounds of Hj’s daughter's voice yelling.
“I’m reaadddy! Let’s do this!” Hayoon deepens her voice to say the second sentence, giggling at herself as she hops up onto the couch.
Hj helps her to get back under the blanket and confirms that Hayoon is all settled and ready to start the movie, all while not looking at Flx once. She nods enthusiastically, so Hj presses play, then calls for alexa to turn off the living room lights. They’re engulfed in darkness, the only light coming from the TV.
Flx keeps glancing over at Hj throughout the first 10 minutes of the film, but his boyfriend seems to be specifically trying not to look at him. Flx sighs, facing forward, deciding to give up for now. He knows they’ll just talk about it later, but he hoped to maybe get some reassurance for now so his heart could stop pounding so hard.
Flx can’t even seem to watch the movie as he feels his palms getting clammy and his mouth going a little dry. His head feels a combination of empty and full at the same time, aching yet blissful, fine yet not. He cannot help the way his heart soars at the thought the Hj feels that way towards him, yet the feeling sours at the memory of the shock on Hj’s face after the confession. He similarly despises the way Hj now will not look him in the eye. It feels like a rejection already.
Flx feels a feather light touch on the back of his neck. He flinches at first, looking to the side, only to see Hj’s arm over the top of the couch, looking like he’s reaching to touch Flx.
Flx looks past the arm, only to be met with Hj’s guilty and worried looking face. Hj stares at him, face scrunched up, and teeth gnawing at his bottom lip. Flx sends him a sympathetic look, furrowing his eyebrows, relaxing as he leans back to rest his neck in Hj’s hand. Flx sees the way the corners of Hj’s lips quirk up a little bit. Then Flx sees Hj mouth ‘Later’ to him. Flx immediately knows what he means and smiles softly at him with a nod, mouthing back ‘okay’.
The small interaction alone settles much of Flx’s nerves. He feels lighter already, his hands feeling drier, his head feeling clearer, it’s a wonderful feeling. He allows himself to let go and attempt to be truly present in this moment that he already knows he’ll cherish so much.
The movie is just as Flx remembers, the only exciting parts are when Hayoon cuts in to give her commentary, or sings along to the songs (despite knowing only half the words), and when Hj plays with his hair mainly. Flx is practically purring. It all together makes him feel at ease, complete.
Flx notices movement next to him, Hayoon scrambling up from in between the two of them. She kicks her legs to try to remove the blanket from her waist, constricting her movements, and stands up on the couch, leaning into Hj’s side. Flx sees when Hayoon whispers something to Hj, her hands cupped around her mouth, which Hj raises his hands over to add another layer of a sound barrier. It’s the first time Hayoon successfully whispers without Flx hearing and he’d be proud of her if it wasn’t for the way Hj smirks and glances at Flx with a laugh.
Flx raises an eyebrow at them, confused, then watches Hj wave a hand at him in dismissal before Hj whispers something back to her. Hayoon glances between Flx and the television screen skeptically once more before she moves back into her spot under the blankets. Flx simply decides to roll his eyes and shakes his head at the two of them jokingly, knowing he was the third wheel when it came to them three and it wasn’t his place to push it.
Within 40 minutes of the start of the movie, Hj’s daughter was fast asleep, head leaning into Flx’s chest. Flx cannot help but coo down at her, raising a hand to softly pet at her head a few times. He feels a sense of almost pride at being the one out of himself and her dad that Hayoon fell asleep on, even if he’s fully aware it may have just been a luck of the draw situation.
Flx feels the same swell of warmth and satisfaction that he gets when he connects with one of his students fill his chest but it feels so much stronger. He nearly gets emotional as the feeling is so similar to the one that made him become a teacher in the first place, only it’s so much more intense.
After a few moments, Flx taps Hj’s arm, directing his attention towards Hayoon. Hj’s eyes sparkle in that way Flx loves as he smiles at them, before he slowly lifts the blanket off of them and picks her up into his arms, allowing her to rest her sleeping head on his shoulder. Hj indicates with his finger that he’ll be a minute before disappearing towards what Flx can only assume is Hayoon’s bedroom to put her to sleep.
Flx cannot wipe the smile off his face as he imagines Hj tucking her into her bed, doing the nighttime ritual he recalls Hj telling him about. He yearns to one day be able to see it first hand the way that Hj says he peppers her face in kisses and sings her a lullaby when she’s particularly hyperactive or fussy before bed.
Hj emerges from the top of the staircase he’d gone up, plopping back down on the couch, this time noticeably closer to Flx, sighing loudly when his butt hits the leather material of the seat.
“That girl is giving me grays,” Hj shakes his head, a fond smile saying he doesn’t actually care.
Flc scoots closer, reaching for Hj’s bangs that are hanging out of the bun he has his long hair in. Flx twirls them between his fingers next to his boyfriend’s face, “You’d look good with gray hair.”
Hj raises his eyebrows, leaning closer, “Oh I would?” Hj practically purrs, “Am I still a silver fox if I’m in my mid-twenties?”
Flx giggles, shrugging his shoulders weakly. He lowers his head so he can look up at Hj through his eyelashes, knowing full well the effect such a look had on the other man, “Either way you’re hot.”
Hj’s pupils dilate a little bit, just enough for Flx to notice when he is this close to his face, and he licks his lips, “You’re not much better than her if I’m honest?”
“Huh?” Flx scrunches his face in confusion, being slightly pulled from the moment.
“You’re gonna give me gray hairs too if you keep talking to me like that when my daughter’s in the other room,” Hj shakes his head and tuts his tongue at Flx.
Flx throws his head back in a laugh, quickly covering his mouth with both hands at how loud it was. He blushes bright red, feeling guilty that he may wake the sleeping 5 year old.
Hj’s eyes only crinkle though, not even a hint of annoyance on his features as he smiles wide. “You’re a mess, Lee Flx,” Hj whispers as he leans in to kiss Flx.
Flx cannot help the delight that flutters in his stomach at the gesture, causing him to smile into the kiss. He raises his sweater paw covered hands up to Hj’s cheeks, placing them on either side of his face to pull him closer. He hears Hj sigh into the kiss and it makes Flx’s heart feel like it’s souring, like- the thought dies in Flx head as he then remembers what Hj said earlier and pulls back from the kiss suddenly. Hj whines at the loss in contact, making grabby hands at Flx to join their faces back together.
“It’s later,” Flx eyes Hj carefully.
Hj’s face scrunches up in confusion before his eyes widen, face flushing, “Ah yes, how could I forget?” Hj laughs awkwardly, looking down at his lap.
Flx stares at him, feeling for the first time in a long time like they’re entering truly unknown territory, “D-Did you mean it?”
Hj looks up at Flx quickly, only to blush even harder, looking back down at his lap, fiddling with fingers, “I mean, I think so.”
Flx stays still, watching Hj closely. His heart almost halts in his chest for a moment.
“I know it may be a little bit fast, but I see the way you interact with Hayoon and the way she loves you so much and then when it’s just you and I, I-I feel like I’m floating I don’t know you make me so happy,” Hj pauses, scrunching his eyebrows as he speaks, slowly lifting his head but staring at the coffee table, rather than Flx, “Seeing you and Hayoon together today,” Hj pauses again, smiling softly at where Flx and his daughter had once sat, “I think I just realized you are two of the most important people in my life and seeing you together just I-I can only describe it as love.”
Flx cannot possibly explain the way his heart feels like it’s just expanded to four times the normal size in his chest and his breathing feels almost shallow, like the air has been removed from his body with a vacuum. He manages to coo, with a cracking voice, “Oh Hyunie..”
Hj blushes wildly, waving a dismissive hand, as he looks back down at his lap “Yeah, yeah, I know.” Hj pauses, wiping his nose with his sleeve as he sniffles, letting out a small wet laugh. Flx’s heart clenched at the sound, knowing it meant Hj was getting emotional.
“I never thought I would find someone that would check all my boxes and still be okay with me being a dad, especially not this young… You’re like my little christmas miracle,” Hj raises his head to look up at Flx, his eyes looking slightly red, but nevertheless fond. “...Christmas miracle in May that is,” Hj adds with a gentle laugh, one that sounds so vulnerable and sweet and unsure and it makes Flx wanna scream.
Flx’s heart is practically pounding out of his chest as he takes Hj’s hand and intertwines their fingers, “Well, this is a relief that I didn’t have to say it first.” Flx jokes, with a small laugh, feeling a little emotional himself.
Hj scrunches up his face in confusion, “Huh?”
Flx scoffs, sniffing wetly, trying to force away the tears in his eyes from falling, “I love you too, stupid.”
Hj’s head shoots up, pure shock across his features, “Oh.” He states plainly, a smile beginning to pull on the corners of his lips as he appears to slowly process Flx’s statement, “Oh shit.” The smile has grown to nearly half the size of his face by the time he stumbles out, “Fuck yeah.”
Flx sputters a laugh at that, half surprised by Hj’s response but also half completely not. Hj pulls Flx into a tight embrace, shoving his head into the crook Flx’s neck, breathing him in deeply. Flx whines at the sound of the other man’s deep inhale, “Hey, I’m not sure you wanna be smelling me that hard, I didn’t get to shower yet today.”
Hj pulls away, looking positively drunk on love and warmth and, most of all, Flx, “I don’t care, I love how you smell.” He pauses to throw on a loopy smile, “And I love you.”
Hj leans in, rubbing their noses together as Flx giggles loudly. Flx has a tight grip on the front of Hj’s shirt as he does so, feeling entirely deprived of physical contact despite being basically in Hj’s lap.
Hj pulls back with a giggle of his own, pausing to stare at his boyfriend’s pink cheeks and bright eyes and wide smile before he leans in and pecks Flx’s lips.
Flx melts, his heart swelling once again in his chest, whispering shyly, “Well I love you too.”
Hj squeals, grabbing Flx’s face to pull him in for another kiss.
They remain on the couch for sometime after that, just enjoying exploring each other's mouths and bodies, their hands traveling about the same distance as their tongues. Flx feels like he’s on top of the world, like he has everything he’s ever needed or wanted right there in that house. The way Hj’s lips move over him, the way his eyes twinkle when he looks at him, the way his words send shockwaves through Flx’s mind and body. It’s all too much and not enough at the same time but mostly it’s just right.
After what feels like hours of soft touches and sweet kisses and gentle voices, Hj suggests they should move upstairs because it was getting late. It feels like a reminder of all the important, amazing things in Hj’s life that he has to tend to each day, his daughter, his job, his art, his friends, and yet he chooses to give so much of his time to Flx. It gives Flx this feeling that no words could ever truly describe.
Hj takes Flx’s hand in his, guiding him up the stairs, leading them to the third story, one floor above where Flx assumes he put Hayoon to sleep earlier. Flx feels like he’s in a daze as they enter the final floor of the townhome which appears to be made entirely of the master bedroom. He looks over at Hj’s bed, covered in what looks like a lush comforter and, much to his embarrassed and flustered dismay, plenty of pillows.
They lay down facing each other, the overwhelming love almost so strong one might consider there to be a third presence in the bed with them. They simply stare into eachother eyes for some time and Flx sighs happily, unable to stop himself.
“I’m really happy y’know that?” Flx reaches out to brush some of the hair away from Hj’s face.
Hj beams in a way that makes him appear as the only light source shining in the dark room, “Me too.”
Hj leans into Flx’s touch as he speaks. Flx’s hand trails down Hj’s cheek to his chin, where he leaves it.
Flx was what many would describe as a clusterfuck of all the love languages, and by ‘many’ he means Hj described him like that and Jisung agreed, which is confirmation of fact as far as Flx is aware. He adored physical touch and quality time and no one could deny him that, but he was particularly partial to words of affirmation. Which is why, whenever he’s with Hj, especially in moments like these, he cannot ever stop himself from trying to voice his feelings.
“I’m really glad you started picking Hayoon up from school,” Flx whispers, blinking slowly with tired eyes, trying to maintain eye contact with the other man.
“I’m glad I was late and had you all to myself.” Hj smirked, running his hand up and down Lix’s waist and side, a little bit of joking in his tone.
“I’m glad I met you,” Flx whispers back, unfazed by the lightness in his partner’s tone, too entranced by the love in the air, the gentleness of their voices and the shining of the moon from the skylight above them.
Hj’s face softens as he gently sighs, “I love you.”
Hj leans in for a kiss. It’s soft and slow, like many of their touches that night.
“I have to confess something,” Hj whispers against Flx’s lips, sending vibrations across their joined mouths.
Flx whines, “Don’t ruin this moment, it was such a good moment.”
Hj laughs a little loudly for the moment, “I gotta ruin it, babe. I’m sorry.”
Hj bars his teeth as he smiles, cringing in a way that depicts the sentiment of ‘yikes sorry, babe’.
Flx pouts, used to Hj doing this at this point, too stubborn to admit how much he secretly loves it.
“I was actually late the first time I picked Hayoon up, I promise you that,” Hj speaks slowly and carefully.
Flx already starts to glare at him within the first half of the statement, knowing the other man too well, suspicious of where this was going, “But the other days…”
Just the preface alone is all Flx needs to know what the end of the statement was. Flx gasps, hitting Hj’s chest with his balled up fists, softly of course, and tries to push out of Hj’s embrace, pouting, “You fucker.”
Hj cackles, hugging Flx so he can’t escape his hold, “What? How else was I supposed to get time to talk to you?”
Flx groaned, “I don’t know, ask for my number right away like a normal person instead of making me wait for you every day unnecessarily.”
Hj laughed again, raising his eyebrows skeptically, “Oh and you would’ve just given it to me the first day we met?”
“Yes,” Flx states simply, not even embarrassed by the admission.
Hj’s lips part softly, staring at Flx with a look of wonder and awe, “Wow you’re so…” Hj pauses, as if collecting his thoughts, “Obsessed with me oh my gosh.” Hj finishes with a smirk, his tone changing quickly to a playful teasing one.
Flx yelps, shoving Hj’s chest harder. He moves as if he’s about to sit up to get out of bed, causing Hj to laugh, grabbing Flx’s waist, throwing himself over his body so his head is in Flx’s lap. Flx huffs, crossing his arms over his chest as he looks down at the boy looking up at him from his lap. Hj beams up at him, his eyes dancing with so much delight, Flx can’t even pretend to be mad.
Flx releases his arms from where they’re crossed over his chest, resting a hand in Hj’s lovely long black hair, running his fingers through it. Hj’s eyes flutter shut for a moment as he lets out a pleased sigh. And they continue just like that for the next half hour, switching positions from cuddling to facing one another to spooning and then repeating the cycle. All while they continue to whisper sweet nothings to one another and giggle into each other’s hair.
Their legs end up wrapped around each other as they finally decide to attempt to fall asleep, after twenty or so kisses and i love you’s, of course.
Flx is starting to drift off when Hj speaks one last time, “By the way, Hayoon asked me something during the movie.”
Flx recalls the exchange the two shared and lifts his head from the pillow to look at Hj, waiting for him to continue, “She wanted to know why you looked so different than in the film.”
Flx groans, plopping his head back onto the mound of pillows, covering his face with his hands. Hj just laughs. And that’s that. That’s how the dynamic goes.
They don’t have to audibly address that they’ll try to tell her again tomorrow morning. And if not then, they’ll try again and again. They know they’ve got plenty of time together.