Work Text:
Sun held his phone in his shaking hand, thumb hovering over your name. His internal conflict was making him nauseous. He couldn’t imagine canceling on you again. If he did, would you ever give him another chance? This’d be the third time. He wouldn’t have given anyone a chance after the first so why should you give him a fourth?
If he didn’t go tonight that would be it. You’d never talk to him again. You’d hate him. You’d leave and find someone else and marry them and maybe you should. You deserved someone better than him, someone who wasn’t so scared of embarrassing himself that he’d cancel multiple dates.
Sun’s heart hammered in his chest and when he met his eye in the mirror, he almost vomited. He looked a mess. His hair was still wild and untamed, he was pale, sweating through the white shirt he’d picked out, an-
“Mr. Sun!”
The daycare attendant jumped and spun quickly to see the little boy in the doorway.
“You asked me ta tell you when-when moms and dads got here and they’re here so I came to get you like you asked!” The child’s enthusiasm was almost irritating to Sun. Couldn’t this kid see he was having a crisis?! Still, work was work and he’d spent more time than he should have in the bathroom already. Left the kids unattended for too long. His anxiety instantly shifted to all the possible injuries or messes made in his absence.
Sun launched himself out of the bathroom to check on the kids & distribute them back to their parents without any more cause for incident.
As the final parent left, with a snide comment about his chosen date outfit (he knew it was a bad idea, he knew it looked awful. Stupid stupid stupid!), ending pick up after an eternity and simultaneously far too quickly. Sun still hadn’t texted you. He still wasn’t ready to go. He couldn’t stand the thought of losing you.
Sun jumped when his phone buzzed in his pocket. His hands dropped from his mouth – he didn’t notice he’d started biting his fingers, a bad bad habit he needed to work on – and checked the notification. He yelped when your name came up on the caller ID.
A million thoughts swarmed Sun’s mind – you were canceling (a relief followed by panic and deep-seated grief) you were at the restaurant and wanted to know when he was coming (he wasn’t. he couldn’t wait to see you), you’d realized what a waste of time pursuing him was and were ending it before he could disappoint you further (devastating but understandable).
Sun answered and flinched at the shake and pathetic sound of his greeting.
“Hey Sunny, come open the door, my hands are full.” Your voice was like a refreshing glass of cool water after days in the driest desert. His shoulders instantly relaxed and the shaking almost fully subsided.
“Y-yeah! OK yeah coming!” Sun’s legs began carrying him in a random direction before he paused, uncertain where he was supposed to be going.
“Uh…wh-what door?” He was so ready to do anything you asked he hadn’t even considered what your request was referring to.
Your laugh, warm and inviting, flowed through the speaker. “The daycare door, goofus! Come let me in, see you in a sec.” The call ended and Sun remained frozen for a moment to process.
The Daycare doors? Here? You were HERE?!
Sun scrambled, dropping his phone in the process to get to the door as quickly as he could. Why were you here? Did he forget you were supposed to meet here? Did you say you would be picking him up? Did he forget he said he’d drive?
Sun flung open one of the large wooden doors, leaning his body out of the frame with a torrent of questions.
His mouth snapped shut.
All the concerns and confusion dying on his tongue when his eyes found yours. The tension in his shoulders melted away with your warm smile. One he couldn’t help but return.
Sun stood a little straighter to take you in. His face burned as his mind and eyes fully comprehended what was before him. There you stood. Kind, caring, beautiful, wonderful, patient you. You, with a bouquet of yellow daises and scarlet roses in one hand, a picnic basket in the other.
“I hope this isn’t too weird, but I uh…I guess I figured you might be canceling because you’re uncomfortable with going out? So, I thought maybe a date here would take some of the pressure off.” You’d started out confident but felt your own face flushing as you registered the shocked expression of the tall man before you. He was dressed in a white shirt and clean pants. He was going to come see you tonight! That realization soothed some of your own internal anxieties about misreading the situation between you both.
Sun’s eyes lingered over every part of you as his face heated quickly, body going rigid. You were clearly dressed for the date; your outfit was like nothing he’d seen you in before. Your silhouette was breathtaking and the colors seemed to reflect in your eyes in a way Sun had never gotten to experience before. His fingers twitched with a barely contained desire to reach out and feel the fabric that was lucky enough to be draped across your body.
Time seemed to drag by as you awaited Sun’s response. The continued silence had you shuffling awkwardly and the thought that he’d been canceling because he didn’t actually want to go out with you was returning with vengeance. Maybe he’d felt bad saying no? Maybe he thought it was kinder to cancel than outright reject you? Maybe you were really just super wrong about what you thought he felt.
“O-or maybe this was a dumb idea.” You forced a small laugh out. “S-sorry Sun I should have taken the hint the first time yo-“
“Come in!” Sun’s shout cut you off and caused you to jump slightly. There's a heavy tinge of panic in his voice as he stepped back into the daycare to make room for you to enter. “Please, please come in, Sunflower. Sorry, I was just…surprised to see you.” Sun’s arm shook as he held it out in a welcoming gesture.
You looked between his face and arm with a small frown. “Sun really it’s ok I’m sorry I shouldn’t have-“
“No no no! Please! Please stay!” Sun looked almost frantic – fearful. “Please don’t leave.”
It was how quietly he spoke that last part that bolstered some of your confidence back up. You took a breath of your own and entered the brightly lit play area. As you passed Sun his expression relaxed into his usual smile and the tension seemed to evaporate.
“So so so so sweet of you to come! I-I’m sorry I canceled before I…I’m happy you decided to come here.” Sun’s sincerity was palpable, his large hand resting just below your shoulder blades as he walked beside you into the daycare. “And with gifts too! Wow…wowie I’m…thank you, Sunshine.” Sun sounded sheepish as he glanced away from you and bit his lip. Cute.
You suppressed the shiver that threatened to roll through you at the sensation of his warm palm and long fingers – that when spread almost reached passed your mid-back. Unconsciously you leaned in closer to Sun as you walked towards the security desk. You glanced up at Sun who wore a large smile – his face coated in a deep red flush. You grinned at him in turn and moved to face him, holding the bouquet out to him.
“For you, good sir!”
Sun gently took the flowers from your hands and brought them to his face. He closed his eyes as he took a – almost comedically – deep inhale of the blooms, followed by a loud sneeze.
You couldn’t help the laugh that his surprised expression pulled from you and when he lowered the flowers from his face the sheepish grin turned almost dopey when your eyes met.
“I want to marry you.” Sun’s voice was dreamy as he spoke the wish aloud. It only took a moment for him seemingly realize what he’d said. Sun began to sputter out apologies, trying to take it back, but not really, but wow that was inappropriate, and haha oh god.
“Sun, breath.” Your command was kind as you took one of his hands in yours and gave it a squeeze, shutting him up instantly.
You continued, not wanting him to rile himself up again, “I think I’ve known you long enough that you don’t have to apologize for yourself anymore. I know you can get intense, it’s one of the things I like about you. You’ve got a lot of feelings and aren’t afraid to experience them. I don’t want you feeling like you have to explain every little thing you say you’re embarrassed about. I want you to feel safe with me.” You pause for a moment to make sure he’s listening.
“Obviously we are not getting married anytime soon. But I think it’s sweet that you’re so sure of it being something you want. I can’t promise right now that I’ll get there but knowing that you’re actually looking for something long-term is…nice. It means you aren’t just trying to mess around. I appreciate that about you. I might have been weirded out if anyone else said that but…I don’t know…it wasn’t anyone else, it was you.” You chuckle at yourself for the actual absurdity of it all.
That was a big ass red flag and here you were happy to invite Sun in regardless. Because somewhere in your gut, your heart, your soul, you knew he wasn’t trying to play with your feelings. He wanted you in his life and you were finding it hard to keep him out of yours
“But no, we aren’t getting married anytime soon, becauuuse, you have some actual dates you need to take me on before we can have a wedding.” You give him a teasing grin and release his hand, turning to open the basket you’d set on the security desk, pulling out the meal and dessert you’d prepped earlier in the day. “How about we have this first one, yeah?”
Sun could have cried if he wasn’t so busy trying to fully accept this wasn’t a dream, his shoulders relaxed and he felt, for the first time in weeks, the anxiety that had been permeating his being left to make space for the warmth and love he had for you.
“Yes! Yes! Yes! I’d love that, Sunshine!” Sun dipped down to press an excited kiss to your cheek pulling another laugh from you as you playfully swatted at him. You smiled, ready for whatever this new experience was going to bring.