Work Text:
“Here you are, Mr. Hwang. Your boarding pass and passport. Your flight leaves at 10am.”
“Thank you.” Hyunjin takes his ticket from the attendant and checks his watch. Three hours before boarding begins. He grabs his overnight back and exits the line.
Security doesn’t take long, though it does take him a few extra minutes to find his bin of items, deemed clear of suspicion by the TSA agents, through the mass of people trying to do the same. Hyunjin stuffs his belongings inside his pockets and leaves the empty bin at the end of the line to put his shoes back on.
As he toes on his shoes, Thinking out loud by Ed Sheeran floats to his ears. His phone vibrates on the chair beside him.
Wait.
That ringtone can only mean one thing. His boyfriend is calling. Felix is calling.
Now? Of all the times to call, he chooses now!?
He ignores the call and shoves his phone back into his pocket. Felix will have to forgive him this one time. He’s on his way to see him anyway. What’s one missed call?
Hyunjin steps onto the conveyor belt meant to keep people moving through the airport and his phone rings again. A few people turn to look over their shoulders or lift their heads to glare at him. He shifts, searches left and right for a place to take the call and his phone stops ringing, then starts again.
Why won’t he give up!?
The male bathroom sign catches his eye.
There!
He lifts a foot to step off the belt and his foot catches something. He shoots a hand forward to balance himself with nothing to grab but air. Not a sturdy item at all. With a series of flails and curses, he straightens, saving himself from face-planting the ground.
Fuck. That was close. He continues walking like he hadn’t just acted out a scene from a comedic film. The person behind him snickers and Hyunjin feels like he’s ready for his spotlight at the Apollo.
Thanks for the help, dick.
Felix calls again and he rushes to answer it. At least it’s not FaceTime.
“H-Hey Felix, what’re you doing?” Hyunjin scurries to a corner, hoping to be less of a comedian.
“Finally! What took you so long to answer? Is everything ok?” The concern in Felix’s voice is palpable. Hyunjin grimaces, jerking the phone away for a moment.
“Yeah, yeah it’s all good.”
“Okay…” Felix says slowly. “Then, why didn’t you answer?”
“Nothing, uh, umm…”
A toilet flushes in the background and the sound of running water reminds him that he has the perfect excuse. “Can’t a guy use the restroom? Sorry.”
“Oh, okay. I just wanted to hear your voice but you had me worried for a moment. Thought you’d found someone else. And so close to our anniversary too.” The playfulness in Felix’s tone pulls a giggle from his chest.
“Like anyone could ever compare to you.”
No one could ever compare to his boyfriend. Rosy cheeks, freckles, a slender frame that fits perfectly in his arms and a personality that is sunshine personified. Felix will always be his one and only. Cheesy, but what can he say? Hyunjin fell the moment he saw Felix’s smile.
“You’re right. You’re stuck with me forever.” Felix’s giggles warm his heart and everything feels right again. He missed Felix’s beautiful deep voice even though they talked last night.
“Forever, huh? I think I can handle that.”
“Now boarding flight 143 at gate 6.” Filters through the intercom.
Shit.
He almost forgot why he’s here. The time on his watch reads 8:45am. He better get to his gate before boarding.
“What was that? Where are you?”
“Just some announcement at work. Speaking of, I have to go babe. See, er, talk to you tonight?” Shit. He almost made a mistake. Hopefully Felix didn’t catch his slip up. Keeping everything a surprise is the worst. Excitement threatens to overload him, he can’t see Felix quick enough.
“Yeah, yeah that’s fine. I love you.”
“Loveyoutoobye.” He pushes out in a breath, well aware that Felix will call him out for rushing him off the phone. But there’s a plane he needs to catch first. Felix can scold him when he’s wrapped inside in his arms.
Overnight bag in tow, Hyunjin jogs to his gate and, somehow, makes it in time for boarding. Fourteen hours is a long flight from New York to Seoul, but it’ll be worth every crook in his neck, every baby scream, and every pop of his ears, just to see Felix again.
He’s lucky enough to get an aisle seat. Or unlucky.
His seatmate asks to be let out more times than he can count. At one point, he almost asks to switch seats. The guy seems sweet with his sorrys and thank yous every time but–
Come on. Sit the fuck down.
The man’s constant need to move around drills a hole into his last nerve. Thankfully, eight hours in, his annoying neighbor settles in with a book and the in-flight snacks, giving him a moment of peace. He’s finally able to take a nap.
The descent to land doesn’t take long. Excitement thrums in his veins, buzzing and zipping through each limb. He feels like a child about to open Christmas presents. It’s all he can do not to vibrate through his seat.
“Nervous?”
So, he’s a nosy neighbor now.
“Nah, just ready to see my boyfriend. Haven’t seen him in two years.” Even saying the words feels unreal. How he survived two whole years without Felix is beyond him but, somehow, he did it. “I can’t wait.”
“That’s sweet. I wish you both a happy reunion.”
Okay, so maybe his seatmate isn’t so bad. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for flying Korean Airlines. Welcome to Seoul.” The captain announces the rest of the boring instructions for exiting the plane upon landing and which gate to pick up their luggage.
Hyunjin stands and reaches for his overnight bag in the compartment above him and hands the other bag to his neighbor who nods his thanks. He follows the people in front of him to the luggage carousel.
As he’s waiting for his suitcase to slowly drag its way around the belt, he checks his phone. 10:30pm. Two hours before it’s officially his three-year anniversary with Felix. If he’s going to make it home before midnight, he better hurry.
He swipes away the unimportant notifications, like the fifty new emails he has from work. They can wait. He took a two week vacation to move back to Korea. Spending his vacation moving in with the love of his life takes priority over any stack of papers.
A text mixed into the rest of the notifications catches his eye. He taps the screen and opens it.
My Love:
I’m heading to bed. Call me when you get off work. I miss you, my prince.
Felix should be asleep by now. It’s been two hours since the text was sent. Good. The look on Felix’s face will be even better when he wakes him up.
Hyunjin picks his suitcase out of the other fifty on the turnstile and calls a cab. The drive to Felix’s house takes an hour. Which, for him, is still way too long but it’s not like he can teleport.
Since he’s gotten little sleep on the flight, no thanks to his neighbor, he tries to take a nap. But the closer he gets to home, to Felix, the more he vibrates in his seat. The air in the car is cold but nothing compares to the shivers running down his spine at the thought of finally getting to hold Felix in his arms. To finally breathe in the warm honey vanilla of Felix’s favorite shampoo.
To finally kiss Felix’s soft lips.
Hyunjin shifts in his seat to lean his head against the cool glass. He draws a little heart where his breath fogs on the window. The bright glow of the city lights lull him to sleep like a baby who only sleeps in the car. Considering he wasn’t able to nap on the plane, he’d say he deserves a small one at least. Besides, it’ll pass the time quicker.
The cab slows to a stop and the driver wakes him to say they’ve arrived. He pulls out his wallet and gives the driver his pay, thanking him.
He steps out of the car, bags in hand and a lump in his throat. Holding back tears, he takes in the home before him. It’s a small red brick house nestled into the cul-du-sac of a little neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. The weather worn, brown picket fence surrounds the yard in front and wraps around a slightly larger back yard. Aish. Felix didn’t paint it like he said he was going to. He shakes his head and a giggle escapes his lips. Well, he’ll do it later now that he’s home.
He’s home.
One step turns to two, then three. Until he’s opened the gate, taking long strides to reach the door. At the door, he hesitates. Does Felix still leave the spare key above the door frame? He reaches above and feels around the frame. Smooth metal brushes his fingers when he finds the key.
Nothing's changed with Felix.
He smiles to himself and inserts the key, turning it quietly so as not to wake up Felix. He doesn’t want to spoil his surprise. Hyunjin eases the door open, tiptoeing inside, quietly rolling his luggage over the trim onto the hardwood floor.
The scent of chocolate is the first thing he notices. Mmm, brownies. Abandoning his bags by the door, he sneaks through the living room into the kitchen. It’s dark but his eyes have adjusted enough to see a container sitting on the counter.
Wait. Felix is in the very next room sound asleep.
His plan was to wake Felix at midnight to surprise him for their anniversary. But he’d kill to have one of Felix’s famous brownies right now. Felix is asleep, and should never know whether he had a brownie now, right?
Okay, one brownie then he’ll wake up Felix.
He gingerly opens the container, and despite his efforts the lid still pops. He winces and stills in hopes that it didn’t wake his sleeping beauty. The delicious smell of chocolate becomes stronger making his mouth water. Too weak to resist any longer, he plucks a brownie from the bowl and brings it to his lips. He takes the first bite and—
Oh. My. God. This is heaven.
Tears gather in his eyes. The taste of home, love and happiness fills his mouth. It’s been far too long since he’s been able to have his boyfriends brownies. Felix still refuses to share the recipe but it’s not like he would be able to make them anyway. Last time he tried to bake a cake, flour ended up in places it shouldn’t be and the cake was too hard to eat. It was a disaster, and Felix banned him from the kitchen.
He leans against the counter and a quiet moan slips from his throat as he savors each bite. God, they’re so delicious. It’s hard to stop. One more wont hurt, right?
He picks up another one, lifts it to his mouth. Gooey chocolate fudge hits his tongue, sending his taste buds into ecstasy. He has to stop himself from moaning again or he’ll wake—
A flash of light blinds him before he can plop the last bite into his mouth. He blinks a few times, adjusting to the brightness of the room and glances toward the light switch.
Shit.
Well, so much for a surprise.
Felix leans against the door frame, arms crossed with the cutest sleepy smirk on his face. A sleep mask sits on his forehead and his blonde hair tied into a messy bun. He’s wearing a black tank top and pink shorts that leave little to the imagination with pink matching bunny slippers on his tiny feet.
He missed this sight. More specifically, the sight of a sleepy Felix in booty shorts.
“Couldn’t wait?”
“H-honey, I-I’m home…” Hyunjin glances at his watch as he eats the last bite. 11:59pm turns to midnight. This is not how he’d planned on surprising Felix but being distracted by the brownies was a good detour. No regrets. At least he still made it in time. “Surprise?” Crumbs fall from his lips as he speaks with a mouth full of brownie.
Felix rolls his eyes and steps closer, throwing his arms around Hyunjin’s neck, pressing his chest against him. “You’re not as quiet as you think you are.”
“Gotta give me credit for trying, right?” He chuckles and wraps his arms around Felix’s tiny waist, hands sliding down to cup perfectly round cheeks. He’s missed this so much. He tightens his hold and leans his head forward, connecting their lips in a chaste kiss.
“I knew you were coming anyway. Why do you think I left brownies on the counter?”
“How?! I kept everything a secret!”
“Now boarding Flight 143.” Felix says in his best, and sexiest, announcer voice.
Fuck. He thought he covered it up so well! Well, it doesn’t matter since he’s here now. Ruined surprise or not, he’s finally home with his boyfriend. Just being here isn’t his only surprise anyway.
“Damn, I really thought I had it too.” He gives Felix's ass a light squeeze. “But, too bad you woke up. I was going to wake you in a very different way. I guess you’ll have to wait for that.”
“You just got home and the first thing you want to do is deny your boyfriend? Okay, I see how it is.” Felix giggles and unsuccessfully tries to pull away, but Hyunjin tightens his grip. Teasing or not, he’s not about to let go.
“Well, we have all the time in the world, love. I’m not going anywhere.”
Felix stills in his hold, eyes wide with realization, lips curling into a grin. “Does that mean…”
“Happy Anniversary, baby.”
This is the true surprise. He’s been waiting months to tell Felix that he was able to finish his work early. A weight lifts off his chest and he can finally relax. No more moving around, no more being away from Felix. He’s home for good.
“Really? Hyune, that’s amazing!!” Felix bounces in his arms and raises onto his toes, leaning forward to press soft lips to his.
He lowers his hands under Felix’s thighs and lifts him up, wrapping his legs around his waist. A wet tongue swipes across his bottom lip, and he parts them, allowing him in. Mint fills his taste buds as Felix licks into his mouth.
Working thousands of miles away from home, and not being able to see Felix, to hold him, to not be able to kiss him was almost torture. But knowing that he had someone waiting for him at the end of each day was worth the long years away.
Sure, two years isn’t that long, but it feels like an eternity when all he wants to do is be with Felix.
Felix pulls back when he needs air, though he would be happy to suffocate if he could kiss Felix forever. He leans their foreheads together, heavy breaths mixing between them. He presses a lingering kiss to his boyfriend’s lips then sets him back on the floor.
“I missed you. Rushed to finish everything so I could come home to you. Couldn’t be away any longer.”
“Missed you so much. I’m glad you’re home for longer than a week.” Felix snuggles into his chest, pressing his face into the fabric of his t-shirt. “Now I can finally get my beauty sleep.”
Hyunjin gently lifts Felix away from his chest, finger under his chin. “You’re always beautiful.” He presses his lips to Felix's freckled cheeks, a kiss to the tip of his nose, and the last kiss on his forehead.
“Yeah, yeah.” Felix giggles with each kiss. “You know what?”
“What?”
“This beats my gift for you. I’m actually glad I didn’t mail it to you yet.” Felix takes him by the hand, threading their fingers and leads him to the bedroom, motioning for him to sit on the bed as he walks to the dresser.
Glancing around the room, he notices that not much has changed while he was gone. The pictures on the wall are still in the same place. Fairy lights hang from the ceiling creating a soft atmosphere, and a cozy bookshelf filled with books and knickknacks sits in the corner of the room with a teal bean bag chair sitting on a fluffy navy-blue rug. The reading nook has always been Felix’s favorite place in the house. They’ll definitely have a snuggle session there tomorrow.
“Nah, I doubt that. You always give the best gifts.” He says, wondering what Felix could have gotten him. Hyunjin tries to peek around him to see what he picks up to no avail.
“Patience, patience.” Felix chuckles and walks back to the bed with a small blue box with a tiny bow on top neatly placed in the center. He places the box gently in Hyunjin’s hands.
He opens the box and in the center is a little oval locket. There is a heart etched into the front with a swirling design around the edges. He places the box in his lap and picks up the dainty locket, opening it to see a picture of them. Hyunjin giggles at the memories flooding his mind.
“Our first kiss.”
It’s from their first date. They didn’t do anything special. Just dinner and a movie, some romcom he thought Felix would like. At the end of the night, Felix wanted a picture. They posed side by side, his arm slung over Felix’s shoulder for a selfie. As Felix smiled for the camera, he leaned in to kiss his new boyfriend’s cheek, only Felix caught on in time to turn and kiss him back as the camera snapped.
“I love it. This is perfect. Really.”
“I have one more gift, but it’s, umm, kind of pointless now.” Felix reaches for a paper on his nightstand beside the bed and shows him. “I bought a ticket to go see you. I’m supposed to leave next week but you’re here so…”
Hyunjin lurches forward to pepper kisses over the pretty brown freckles on Felix’s cheeks, tackling him to the bed. Deep toned laughter fills the room as Felix squirms in his grasp. He slides his hands down to Felix’s waist, tickling him to hear more of those beautiful sounds, only letting up when the sounds are replaced by small gasps for air.
He sighs. “You really are perfect. I love you.”
Felix’s lips are soft and inviting. Unable to resist any longer, he lowers his head and presses his lips against them. He hadn’t known how much he missed the citrusy scent of Felix’s shampoo or the feel of his satin sheets until now. He’s truly here, finally home for good.
“I love you, too. I’m happy you’re home.”
He buries his face in the crook of Felix’s neck. This is home. Home is not a place. Home is Felix.