Chapter Text
"what's your love language, ahjussi?" shin yoosung asks, her eyes sparkling as she looks at kim dokja curiously. upon hearing her question, lee gilyoung—who is sitting beside her and was arguing with her seconds prior—turns to look at him as well.
kim dokja smiles and pats shin yoosung's head, then lee gilyoung's, before leaning back on his chair and heaving a sigh. "i don't know," he says honestly. "does it matter?"
lee gilyoung frowns at his answer, seemingly bothered by how unaffected his hyung is when it comes to his own love language—though, it's probably because he didn't get to know kim dokja's love language. and it seems that shin yoosung shares the same sentiments, if the pout on her face is any indication.
"how do you not know?" lee gilyoung asks, then he gasps loudly. "wait, don't tell me that sooty bastard ain't doing stuff that makes you happy, hyung!"
shin yoosung looks scandalized at lee gilyoung's proclamation and glances at kim dokja for confirmation. the man only chuckled at the two children, gesturing at them to calm down.
"it's nothing like that," kim dokja shakes his head, a serene smile on his face.
it's nothing like that, indeed. kim dokja just doesn't think that knowing what his primary love language matters, especially with yoo joonghyuk as his lover. after all, why does it matter when yoo joonghyuk is doing it all?
"you're doing great."
yoo joonghyuk stands close to kim dokja, a hand resting on kim dokja's waist and the other hovering on the bowl that kim dokja is currently holding. kim dokja chuckles, watching as droplets of the cake batter fly out of the bowl. he turns to look at yoo joonghyuk, wearing a smile that contrasts yoo joonghyuk's frown directed at the mess that kim dokja had created accidentally.
"am i, really?"
"don't stop stirring yet, fool."
kim dokja sticks out his tongue at yoo joonghyuk before beginning to stir again. after a while (which feels like a millenia to kim dokja), yoo joonghyuk finally tells him that it's enough. immediately, kim dokja slumps against yoo joonghyuk's chest in exhaustion. yoo joonghyuk squeezes kim dokja's waist once and takes the bowl from him.
"you did well; better than before, actually," yoo joonghyuk kisses kim dokja's head as he detaches from his lover to prepare the cake batter for baking. "i'm proud of you, love."
kim dokja flushes at the praise, but he plasters on a mischievous smile to cover up the fact that he got—dare he says—shy from it, "thanks; i have a great teacher, after all."
yoo joonghyuk pauses at that, then returned to whatever he was doing prior. kim dokja snickers quietly as he saw yoo joonghyuk's neck began to be tainted with light red. kim dokja pinches yoo joonghyuk's side then quickly walks to a stool in their kitchen, grinning when yoo joonghyuk glanced back for a second only to glare at him. he watches contently as yoo joonghyuk bustles around in their shared kitchen. he thinks idly that he just can't seem to get used to this.
"here," he got startled out of his thoughts when yoo joonghyuk places a glass of water in front of him and sits beside him. kim dokja looks at him in confusion.
"drink it."
"but why?"
yoo joonghyuk sighs, "you haven't drank water since this morning."
"ah."
kim dokja feels his heart swell from the concern, warmth blooming in his chest and spreading throughout his whole body. he drinks the water in an attempt to cool himself down.
"were you really that thirsty?" yoo joonghyuk watches him with amusement in his eyes. "do you want me to fetch you another one?"
"no!" kim dokja shakes his head. "no, it's fine, hon. thank you."
"alright, whatever you say."
then they devolve into talking about other topics while waiting for their cake to bake, such as kim dokja's webnovels and yoo joonghyuk's plan on grocery shopping the next day. like opposite magnets gravitating towards each other, they sit close, with kim dokja leaning on yoo joonghyuk. their hands intertwined like two puzzle pieces that fit each other. and they stay like that for a while—just two people enjoying each other's presence. just two people loving each other.
"right," yoo joonghyuk suddenly says, as if he just remembered something. "i have something for you."
he stands up and exits the room, leaving kim dokja wondering and waiting all by himself. the wait isn't that long anyway, for yoo joonghyuk returns a little more than thirty seconds later, seeming as if he's hiding something behind his back.
kim dokja raises an eyebrow, "what's up?"
yoo joonghyuk shuffles beside him before presenting a neatly wrapped gift, with a card signed by yoo joonghyuk.
kim dokja looks at him, "what..?"
"it's a gift," yoo joonghyuk states obviously, which made kim dokja roll his eyes. yoo joonghyuk continues, "open it."
"fine," kim dokja grumbles and carefully opens his gift, unravelling parts of a clothing inside it. he takes out the piece of clothing and spreads it out, revealing it to be an apron with a cute squid design in the middle. "apron?"
"because you're getting better in the kitchen, so i thought i'd buy you your own apron." yoo joonghyuk explains, his fingers tapping on his thigh. "do you li–"
"hyuk-ah," kim dokja lunges at yoo joonghyuk, hugging him tightly. "i love you so much."
yoo joonghyuk rests his hands on kim dokja's back and nuzzles his face on kim dokja's neck. "i love you too, dokja-ya."
it is said that there are five existing love languages: words of affirmation; acts of service; receiving gifts; quality time; and physical touch. to kim dokja, knowing what his primary love language isn't all that important—
why does he need to when yoo joonghyuk is doing all of it?