Work Text:
Seonghwa blinks a few times, stretching his arms as he rolls to the other side to hug Hongjoong closer, kissing his nape before hiding his face in the space between the younger one’s neck and shoulder. He smiles when Hongjoong takes a deep breath.
“Too sleepy?” Seonghwa whispers, the smile still on his lips.
“Hm-hm,” Hongjoong murmurs.
“Let’s stay in bed a little more.”
Hongjoong doesn’t answer, so Seonghwa only kisses his shoulder and snuggles even closer.
They have a full day planned ahead of them—it’s their anniversary, of course, they’d plan something—and the forecast is for sunny skies, so the universe is working with them today.
Seonghwa wakes up again when Hongjoong grunts while stretching his arms in front of him, quickly going back to their nice snuggle position as he hums to show that he’s satisfied with that.
“Are you waking up?” Seonghwa whispers, seeing Hongjoong moving his head in a nod.
“Are you this anxious for our date?” Hongjoong teases, also in a whisper.
Seonghwa scoffs, playfully pushing Hongjoong away while getting up. In just a second, he’s back in bed again, with Hongjoong holding him close by putting one of his legs over Seonghwa’s legs so he can’t escape his embrace.
“I’m also anxious about our amazing day today,” Hongjoong murmurs, placing a kiss on Seonghwa’s cheeks. “Six years… Who would’ve thought?”
Seonghwa smiles. A teasing smile. Hongjoong knows this kind of smile well. “If you didn’t take my favorite shirt and disappear with it for two weeks, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
“I’d find you again. I tied our red string with my hands,” Hongjoong answers.
Seonghwa’s smile gets bigger. “Of course you did. But let’s get up, we have to get ready and go to our café, then pick up strawberries, then our picnic date, and maybe bake a strawberry shortcake.”
“We should bake it before our picnic date.”
“No? What if it goes wrong?”
“I trust you can bake a good cake,” Hongjoong murmurs while getting ready to leave the bed.
“You’re the one with a nice ca—”
“Let’s get up,” he interrupts, making Seonghwa laugh as he playfully hits Hongjoong’s butt over his pajama shorts. “Park Seonghwa!”
“Yeah, yeah,” he answers.
They liked their usual mornings together—brushing their teeth as they stared at each other through the mirror, sometimes making funny faces, waiting for the other to finish his bath before also taking one, picking matching clothes. It made them feel loved even without kisses or words, something so intimate about going through simple things together with the person you love.
The way to the café is quiet. Hongjoong is so familiar with it that he could drive there with his eyes closed. It’s where they met, after all, and it’s where they kept going for dates while meeting each other as friends before turning into lovers.
Seonghwa will never not smile while walking towards that familiar glass door, always remembering when a light brown haired guy with a mullet was leaving in a hurry (he was late for his morning classes) and crashed into him, dropping his loved iced americano on Seonghwa’s white shirt. His classes were completely forgotten, and he immediately dropped his bag to the floor as he murmured, ‘I’m sorry’ to a very shocked Park Seonghwa.
He walked inside the café again, taking a few napkins from an empty table so he could help Seonghwa dry his shirt. Seonghwa remembers holding that soft hand, so he stopped with his frantic cleaning and opening a smile as he said, “It’s alright, I can change my shirt.”
The guy finally looked into his eyes—and, God, why is he so beautiful?
“I—I have a shirt in my bag. You can change it in the bathroom, and I will wash yours,” the guy offered. “I’ll give it back to you soon. We can meet in this café again.”
Seonghwa loved that shirt. It had a nice texture. What if this guy completely messes it up while washing it incorrectly?
He doesn’t know why he accepted it. Maybe the guy looked genuine enough to bring back his shirt. So he changed it and visited that café every day for over two weeks, waiting for his favorite white shirt. He was starting to believe that he had lost the shirt when he entered the café and saw the guy sitting at one of the tables, two slices of strawberry cake in front of him.
“Hi!” He said with a smile. “Sorry for taking so long, I got completely busy with college, and I couldn’t bring it to you. I promise I washed it on the day we met, because I knew it’d stain if I waited longer.”
That day, Seonghwa discovered the guy’s name (Hongjoong, a really nice name) and that he was studying to be a fashion designer. They exchanged numbers. Seonghwa never really understood why, because he had his shirt back, so they didn’t need to keep in touch. A few days later, the guy texted him asking if Seonghwa could be the model for a few clothes he designed, just for pictures; he could hide his face if he wanted, and Seonghwa accepted.
That was the start of a nice friendship, because neither of them told each other that they could skip this step and go straight to going on dates, so they could be a couple. They danced around each other for a few months, always going to that café to meet and talk about their life, sometimes ending in one of their apartment as they studied for their classes together, even if their careers were different, but fitting—Seonghwa was studying to be a marketing director, and, now, he helps Hongjoong’s small clothing brand with their seasonal campaigns.
As they walked the path to be together, they started to feel a nice connection, understanding the other just by a change in their voice tone or a furrowed eyebrow. When they shared their first kiss, they knew that it’d be from that day until the end of their lives, so having their sixth anniversary is just as amazing as thinking about all the other anniversaries they’re going to have.
“I ordered a tiramisu cake, an espresso, and an iced tea. I also got two scoops of ice cream. Just because,” Hongjoong says when he arrives at the table. “Were you remembering our first encounter?”
“Yes. I believe Cupid must’ve shot us that day,” Seonghwa answers with a smile.
“Probably,” he smiles back, one of his hands reaching for Seonghwa’s above the table. “Have you been taking care of your hands?”
“Yes,” he shows his palm. “Just callouses from holding a pen.”
“Good,” Hongjoong smiles.
Hongjoong keeps caressing the older one’s hands. Seonghwa only watches; he always liked the way Hongjoong did his not-so-subtle shows of care, especially in public.
“Would you change something in our relationship?” Hongjoong asks after a few minutes.
“Yes, I’d choose you to stay twenty-one forever so you wouldn’t get grumpy,” Seonghwa answers in a teasing smile, laughing when the other pouts. “No, I wouldn’t change anything. Our relationship is like this right now because we had to take the wrong steps in the past.”
“Yes, makes sense.”
“Would you change something?” He asks with a curious tone. Hongjoong wouldn’t want to change something, right?
“I’d kiss you when I invited you to my apartment for that collection I made,” Hongjoong answers and smiles.
Seonghwa laughs. “Okay, makes sense. I’d have chosen to flirt more with you.”
Hongjoong smiles, spinning Seonghwa’s ring around his finger. He remembers how Seonghwa was so happy with it that he couldn’t stop smiling, no matter how hard he tried. And Hongjoong also didn’t hide his smile—seeing his lover so happy was enough for him to be happy too.
He lets go of Seonghwa’s hand when their order arrives, but they still hold so much warmth in their eyes for each other that it’s like they never got away. They go over their favorite memories together, sometimes having to hold their laughter as they remember something funny.
“How many pounds will you get?” Hongjoong asks as soon as they enter the car.
“Two? Maybe a little bit more… The cake will need around two pounds, because I’ll make a syrup. I know you won’t eat a lot of strawberries if it isn’t in a smoothie or a cake, but I want some to eat.”
“Makes sense,” Hongjoong smiles, holding Seonghwa’s hand. “Where are we going to have lunch?”
“I don’t know. I was thinking about staying at home for it, so we’ll not get you so tired,” he answers with a careful voice.
Hongjoong liked how Seonghwa always made sure to include his two-hour outside time limit on his plans, even if he’s always willing to sacrifice his energy to see Seonghwa so happy walking around, knowing that they’ll have a day full of naps and staying inside curled up on their couch following it.
“Okay, makes sense. We’ll need to organize everything for our picnic anyway,” he answers and places a kiss on the older one’s hand. “Let’s go.”
The drive to the farm is silent, Seonghwa caressing Hongjoong’s hand with his thumb unconsciously as he pays attention to the places they’re passing through. Hongjoong knows how Seonghwa understands his limits with affection since he wasn’t used to it while growing up, so it’s hard for him to keep doing something for so long.
“Take your hat,” Seonghwa warns as he leaves the car. Hongjoong groans. “It’s sunny and hot, your blood pressure will drop.”
Hongjoong hums, taking his bucket hat. Seonghwa only wears his baseball cap because he likes these more than hats. They get welcomed by one of the farmers, agreeing when she asks if they want her to follow them to make sure they’ll get good strawberries.
Seonghwa ends up engaging in a conversation with the woman as they pick the strawberries, something about a list of things they can make with strawberries. Hongjoong sometimes takes a few pictures of Seonghwa and their date, as he always does. Seonghwa doesn’t even know how many pictures Hongjoong has taken of him.
“Will it be enough?” Seonghwa asks out loud while looking at the basket. They’re a little alone as the woman pays attention to another group of people.
“It’s heavy,” Hongjoong answers.
Seonghwa giggles. “Of course it is. I’ll take just a few more. Are you alright?”
“Yes. I do think we’ll have to wait a little after going back to the car. I didn’t think today would be so hot.”
“Yeah… You can go ahead if you think you feel sick.”
“It’s fine,” he smiles and points to a strawberry. “This one is pretty.”
Seonghwa nods, taking the strawberry. After taking what was more than enough and paying for it, they stayed quiet inside the car until Hongjoong felt a little better.
“I can drive,” Seonghwa offers. “I should do something.”
“It’s fine.”
“Come on! You’ve been paying for everything and, even if I planned what we’d do today, I want to do something during our dates,” he complains.
Hongjoong stares at him. “Okay. You can drive.”
Seonghwa nods, and they change their seats. “Tell me if I’m going too fast or if you’re feeling carsick.”
“Yes.”
This time, their drive is filled with ‘are you okay?’ or ‘am i too fast?’ followed by ‘you’re fine, it’s way under the speed limit’, but Hongjoong can’t complain that he enjoys seeing Seonghwa driving, because he can see the older one’s side profile and his nose, his beautiful and charming nose, and he likes the way Seonghwa is just trying to make sure their day doesn’t end up being bad for Hongjoong because he felt sick.
“Can you wash the strawberries? I’ll start organizing our lunch,” Seonghwa says as they take off their shoes. “Or I can order something, and you wash the strawberries.”
Hongjoong smiles, taking his wallet from his pocket. “Order something.”
Seonghwa nods, following Hongjoong to the kitchen while reading through the menu; the younger one only hums to show that he’s paying attention. After a few minutes discussing it, Seonghwa finally orders something, and it’ll take a few minutes to arrive, so he organizes their table in the meantime.
This time, Hongjoong talks more while they’re eating, his eyes shining as he explains his ideas for a winter collection. Seonghwa keeps nodding as they’re talking, sometimes giving him a few tips.
Usually, Hongjoong doesn’t plan a lot of new clothes, since he only works with two other colleagues, so it’s just a small brand for people who want to buy something more unique or from a small business. Hongjoong doesn’t plan on making it bigger, because his love for fashion is just something more (and that he works with), alongside all other things he likes doing.
“Also, I started a drawing for a specific shirt I want to give you,” Hongjoong adds, making Seonghwa stare at him. The latter is sure that, if he had animal ears, they’d have perked up. Hongjoong smiles. “I’ll keep the rest a secret, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while.”
“Give me more details. Just one more.”
Hongjoong moves his head in denial. “I don’t know.”
“I’ll take this secret out of you,” he playfully threatens.
“I’m sure you will.”
After washing their dishes, they decided to bake their cake—it’s still early, so they’re sure they’ll make it in time to enjoy the sunset at the park while eating a bunch of food. Seonghwa is in charge of making it while Hongjoong gets what he needs. He tries not to smile when he notices Hongjoong watching him with his eyes shining.
“I think I’ll marry you,” Hongjoong says. It feels like a thought that left his mouth before he could hold it, but Seonghwa only smiles.
“You haven’t thought about it before?” He teases, making Hongjoong groan.
“Of course I did. I just didn’t voice it out loud. I’m sure I want it.”
“You said ‘think,’” he answers in a teasing smile.
The next movement from Hongjoong is too fast; one second, he’s putting whipped cream on his hand, and the next, he’s holding the back of Seonghwa’s head so he can push the taller man’s head against his palm. Seonghwa immediately gasps, and Hongjoong sees the thought of cleaning his face on his shirt pop into his lover’s head, but he immediately backs up because he knows how much Hongjoong cares for clothes.
His better option was to take it out of his eyes and throw it towards Hongjoong, and he knew it was successful just by the way Hongjoong’s laugh got interrupted by a gasp. He barely opens his eyes to see that he hit Hongjoong’s hair before having to close them again, since he feels like they’re burning.
“Wait!” He exclaims when he hears Hongjoong shaking the whipped cream bottle again. “It’s unfair if you’re seeing what you’re doing while I can barely open my eyes.”
“I doubt you’re really caring about it right now.”
“I didn’t do anything!” He puts his tongue out to express displeasure after eating a little of the whipped cream. “Let’s clean it and, I don’t know, throw water at each other. It’s cleaner, and we won’t be using something I need to bake the cake.”
Hongjoong puts the bottle down, and Seonghwa stays a few minutes in silence before he feels a hand on the back of his head again.
“Please, tell me you double checked before holding my head again,” he says, and hears Hongjoong chuckling.
“I washed my hands.”
Hongjoong starts cleaning his face slowly, then walks with him to the bathroom to properly wash his face. Both of them walk carefully back to the kitchen, not knowing what the other one will do—all Seonghwa knows is that he is innocent.
“Why did you attack me?” Seonghwa asks after making sure he can go back to his task.
“I felt like it,” Hongjoong answers and giggles. “They make it sound fun in books and movies.”
“Yeah, with flour! Not whipped cream!” He adds in a laugh.
“We do have flour…” Hongjoong trails out, drawing random circles on the sink like a child who’s already thinking about something.
Seonghwa turns to him, taking a few steps back after he notices that Hongjoong is hiding his other hand behind his back.
“Hongjoo—” He is fast enough to turn his head to the side before Hongjoong throws flour towards him.
Seonghwa gasps, taking a handful of flour inside the package and throwing it at Hongjoong, who already had something to throw back at him. In just a few minutes, Hongjoong’s brown hair has a lot of flour in it, especially after Seonghwa walks towards him and shakes his head.
“Okay, okay!” Hongjoong says and holds his hand in the air. “I admit, you won.”
Seonghwa laughs. “Did I? Or you just can’t fight? I think love has blinded you.”
“Do not challenge me,” Hongjoong warns.
Seonghwa’s teasing smile only gets bigger. “Or what?”
“Or we’ll be late to our picnic date.”
Seonghwa stares at him, perking his eyebrows up. “Is that so?”
Hongjoong takes a step closer, having to tilt his head up a little bit so he can look at Seonghwa’s eyes. Seonghwa keeps smiling because his boyfriend is covered in flour, but he’s still so handsome and pretty.
“I’m going to kiss you,” Hongjoong says after a few seconds in silence.
“Yes.”
“And after one kiss, I’ll let you finish the cake.”
“Hm-hm.”
“And then I’m going to give you a lot of kisses until you’re breathless.”
Seonghwa smiles. “Deal.”
Hongjoong immediately holds Seonghwa’s cheeks, pulling him closer with a kiss that’s so intense that Seonghwa asks himself if they haven’t kissed for days—the answer is no, they kissed this morning after brushing their teeth. Still, he gives back the same as he receives.
Seonghwa’s back hits the wall, making him sigh against the kiss. Hongjoong breaks it to ask if everything is alright, but Seonghwa starts nodding before the words leave the youngest’s mouth, pulling him by his collar to go back to the kiss.
Hongjoong’s hands get back on Seonghwa’s body, one of them at his waist, and the other at his nape, Hongjoong’s thumb dangerously close to his Adam’s apple, making him feel his stomach bubbling. Hongjoong breaks the kiss so Seonghwa can catch his breath, staring at the taller man’s flushed lips.
There’s a familiar glint in Hongjoong’s eyes, and Seonghwa feels his thumb pressing down his Adam’s apple for half a second, something he always does when their love gets more physical.
“Oh, God,” Seonghwa exhales, making Hongjoong smile.
“Finish that cake, alright?” He asks. “I promise we can get it deeper after our picnic date. It isn’t a simple anniversary if we don’t love each other to the fullest, right?”
“Yes.”
Hongjoong smiles again, kissing his cheek before letting him finish the cake—they only had the ingredients and the strawberries they cut, so it took a good time for everything to be ready. Seonghwa placed it on the kitchen counter, and finally, they took a bath to get ready for their picnic date. They had to organize everything and cut a few slices of the cake before finally being able to leave.
The park wasn’t packed, but they still chose a quieter space, because they wanted to be in their own world while taking pictures, talking, and sharing touches. This day is about them, not the rest.
Seonghwa laughs as Hongjoong talks about a few things that happened during his high school days. No matter how long it has passed, Hongjoong always has something else to share about his teenage years. It’s hard for them to have something from their twenties to share, because they met each other when they were twenty-one and they barely left each other’s side since.
“You know,” Seonghwa starts, smiling after seeing how beautiful Hongjoong is under the golden light from the sunset. “I also have a surprise for today.”
Hongjoong stares at him. “You managed to do something in silence?”
He lets out a blown laugh, opening the bag they brought with their things and taking out a small package. Hongjoong sees that Seonghwa is recording a video, but the older one does this to make sure he gets more natural-looking shots, so he doesn’t pay too much attention to it.
“Please, don’t tease me,” Seonghwa adds.
“That’s kinda hard, love, but I’ll do my best.”
Seonghwa smiles, nodding. “I, uhm… I don’t have a lot of skills to draw something, but I made it with good intentions and my love for you, so I think it’s special.
He takes out a small box, opening it and showing a necklace with a hand-drawn star and Hongjoong’s initials on the back of it.
“Since you wear more piercings than necklaces…” Seonghwa says as he shows the same star as a piercing and the letter ‘S’ engraved on the back. “I tried to make a more perfect star, but…”
“It’s beautiful,” Hongjoong smiles. “I can tell you did it with care. And I’d have loved it if this star was all wrong.”
Seonghwa chuckles. “I’ve realized how we only had the rings matching—they are amazing, I love them—but I see how many couples have some other things matching, and I was thinking about what I could do for us…”
“I loved it,” he answers, accepting the small box and picking the earring.
Seonghwa watches as Hongjoong takes one of his piercings and replaces it with this earring, looking at the phone recording them to see if it’s right. Both of them smile, Hongjoong pulling Seonghwa for a quick peck.
“I love you,” he murmurs, making Seonghwa’s smile grow bigger.
“I love you too.”
Hongjoong picks the necklace, signaling for Seonghwa to turn around so he can help him put it on. Seonghwa smiles, feeling the warmth of Hongjoong’s hands on his nape, followed by a kiss there.
“It’s so pretty,” Hongjoong adds, touching the star on Seonghwa’s chest. “Maybe you truly are my first and only love.”
“Maybe?”
Hongjoong groans and pulls Seonghwa closer, tickling his waist and stomach as he makes it impossible for the older one to escape. Seonghwa only laughs against Hongjoong’s shoulder, trying to make him stop by holding his wrists.
“I hope we stop teasing each other like that when we get older,” Seonghwa says, breathless from laughing too much.
“Why?”
“I don’t think my sixty-year-old body will be able to stand your tickle attack like I do now,” he smiles. “Although I feel like you’ll never stop teasing me.”
“As if you don’t tease me too. It always starts with you,” he complains, but Seonghwa knows it’s not real.
“Oh, poor guy,” Seonghwa pouts, immediately getting up after Hongjoong moves his hands to tickle him again. “I think we should get going. It’s getting dark.”
“Are you trying to escape?”
“No.”
“Just wait until we arrive home,” he playfully warns.
Seonghwa only smiles, starting to organize their things. The quiet car is comfortable, and Seonghwa remembers how staying so close to Hongjoong would make a million thoughts pop in his mind—the insecurity of having a crush and not knowing if it was reciprocated. Now, a million thoughts still pop into his mind, but it’s all about how he loves Hongjoong and their relationship, and how their future will be; every single thought has a face and a name. Hongjoong, Hongjoong, Hongjoong.
As the night deepens, Seonghwa notices how Hongjoong gets more tired, especially while they’re cuddled on the couch watching a random movie they picked. He’s paying attention to it when he hears a low snoring, something that happens when Hongjoong has used all of his energy for the day. He opens a tiny smile, turning the TV off and slightly shaking Hongjoong’s arm.
“Let’s go to bed,” he whispers.
“I was watching it,” Hongjoong murmurs, his voice hoarse from someone who was clearly sleeping.
Seonghwa smiles. “Yes, of course. You can barely keep your eyes open.”
Hongjoong looks around, picking up his pillow and following Seonghwa to their room with slow steps. And if they spend the next morning cuddling in bed with a very sleepy and whiny Hongjoong and a smiley and happy Seonghwa, that’s on them.