Work Text:
As yet another row of lights went out with a click, Ren blinked to adjust to the change.
Almost as quickly as he’d paused, he resumed the rhythmic tapping of the keys on his keyboard. His eyes were glued to the computer screen, meticulously scanning every letter that appeared.
Whenever he made a typo, he’d aggressively tap the backspace button before continuing where he left off.
Kafka couldn’t help but hum thoughtfully as she witnessed her colleague’s furious attempts at completing his work. She picked up her belongings and stepped out of the darkness that had just enveloped her section of the office.
The sound of her heels echoed throughout the empty office as she walked to Ren’s desk. He didn’t look up even as she approached.
Kafka leaned over the partition dividing Ren’s desk from the rest of the tables.
“Nearly done?” she asked.
When her gaze landed on the monitor, she cocked an eyebrow in amusement, briefly taken aback by the sheer speed of which words and numbers were appearing on the screen.
“Almost,” Ren responded in a flat tone, not even looking up at her.
“Mhm…” Kafka hummed.
A few hours ago, she’d asked the same question, and it had yielded the same answer as it did now.
‘A few more minutes’, ‘this is the last one’, and ‘I’m almost done’ were all common phrases uttered by her co-worker. And yet they were usually, if not always, empty statements.
‘A few more minutes’ could mean more than sixty.
‘This is the last one’ could mean it was the first document in the last set.
And ‘almost’… would most likely mean that there was still much to do.
Kafka straightened up and shot Ren a small encouraging smile. “Don’t force yourself, it’s getting late. Goodnight, A-Ren.”
Ren quietly mumbled a parting in response.
With that, the sound of Kafka’s heels echoed throughout the room again, and then she was gone.
Now, Ren was the last one in the office.
And he had no intention of leaving anytime soon, even though he’d much rather be holed up in bed with his partner right now…
But one glance at the circled date on his calendar, and he continued his work immediately. Ren was well aware that what felt like hours barely amounted to minutes, so he just kept going.
And he wasn’t going to stop until he knew he could complete everything days before the deadline he’d set for himself.
Not until he knew he could complete everything before his boyfriend’s birthday.
That was the reason he was still in the office far past his working hours — which was highly unusual for him.
Dan Heng’s birthday was just around the corner, and Ren didn’t want the day that should be dedicated solely to his lover to be spent picking up calls from colleagues or clients. He would much rather work for what felt like decades than have Dan Heng’s special day be interrupted.
Ren’s struggle was accompanied by the constant hum of the air conditioners. He barely even realized that the bustling streets below were gradually emptying.
Soon enough, another hour ticked by, but Ren wasn’t nearly satisfied with his progress.
Feeling a growing soreness in his hands, he stopped typing and let his arms drop to his sides. He slumped back against the chair, letting out a heavy sigh.
Why did he have to love Dan Heng so damn much?
Of course, Dan Heng wouldn’t mind it at all if Ren had to handle work for a little while, but Ren cared.
He already had the whole day outlined in his head.
He’d make the best breakfast his skills would allow in the morning. Then, he’d surprise his lover with a lunch at his favorite place that Ren had planned with Dan Heng’s friends in advance. And finally, they’d end the day with a quiet, private, and romantic dinner — just the way Dan Heng liked it.
As for everything in between… that was up to the birthday star.
Ren only had one thing he wanted to do, and that was to shower Dan Heng with love and affection until he suffocated.
No work, no distractions, just them.
Ren’s eyelids began to droop, but he quickly forced them open again.
He was not gonna fall asleep in the office again.
Taking a swig of cooled coffee, he looked over the progress he’d made so far. He then checked the time on his phone.
His eyes lit up.
There was a missed call and a few texts from his lover.
Dan Heng
Today 7:23
I’m back
Are you coming home soon?
Today 8:29
Missed Call
Overtime again?
Have you eaten dinner yet?
On the surface, you might think he was reading something work-related with how bored he looked.
But inside, Ren was melting.
He’d kill to be with the love of his life right now.
Today 10:13
Yes.
The response was immediate.
Liar, I’m not falling for that
But you fell for me?
…
When are you coming back
Not soon enough. Lonely?
Without you? I’m elated.
How nice.
Tell me when you leave the office
No need to wait for me.
Don’t tell me what to do
Also please get something to eat
Ren chuckled, feeling his energy surge with just a few words from his lover. He put the phone down and opened his drawer to grab a small pack of biscuits, one of many that Dan Heng had bought for him.
His boyfriend was always complaining about how he was constantly skipping meals. And when Ren told him he’d be just fine living off a slice of bread every morning, Dan Heng decided to take matters into his own hands.
That was how Ren ended up with a drawer dedicated for snacks.
They were enough to keep him satiated until he could get something proper to eat.
Switching the biscuits out of his dominant hand, Ren took a bite and continued his work. Now, he was more determined to complete it than ever.
If it was for his Dan Heng, then it was worth every hour.
❤︎
❤︎
❤︎
Dan Heng
Today 11:59
Security kicked me out.
❤︎
❤︎
❤︎
The elevator dinged as it arrived at the fifth floor.
Ren stepped out and headed past a few neighboring units until he reached the one that belonged to him and his partner.
Fishing out the keys from his pocket, he unlocked the apartment door and stepped onto cozy, familiar, laminate grounds. Not to his surprise, the lights were still on, meaning that Dan Heng had indeed been waiting for him.
However, there was nobody to greet him at the door.
After putting his coat up on the hanger, Ren went over to the living room. He placed his work bag on the coffee table and turned to the sleeping beauty on the couch, who was hugging a cushion in his arms.
“Long day?” he asked quietly, brushing a strand of hair away from Dan Heng’s face. With no response, he leaned down and kissed his partner gently on the forehead.
Although he knew Dan Heng wasn’t exactly a deep sleeper, Ren couldn’t just leave him on the couch. So, as any good boyfriend would, he carefully scooped his lover into his arms.
Despite his efforts, Dan Heng stirred awake in his arms.
“Mh… you’re back…” he mumbled, his voice husky with sleep.
“Miss me?” Ren teased, still carrying out his plan of bringing Dan Heng to their bedroom.
“…You wish. Put me down,” Dan Heng mumbled, wrapping his arms around Ren’s neck as he tried to get down without falling to the floor. Ren begrudgingly complied.
As soon as Dan Heng’s feet touched the ground, he reached up to give Ren a quick kiss on the lips before walking in the opposite direction of the bedroom.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Ren questioned, following Dan Heng into the kitchen.
Dan Heng rolled his eyes as he took out two containers from the fridge — they were leftovers from the dinner Ren didn’t make it home in time to eat.
“To feed someone who’d starve to death without me,” he said as he grabbed a pan and placed it on the stove.
Ren frowned.
“I’ll make some instant noodles for myself; you go get some rest,” he said, lightly hugging his partner from behind.
Dan Heng half-heartedly pushed him away. “No, you go get some rest,” he said, tossing the food into the pan. “Besides, that’s unhealthy.”
Ren grumbled in acknowledgment, burying his face in Dan Heng’s shoulder.
Well of course he knew that, but was it really that important when his darling boyfriend was sacrificing his own sleep and making food for him?
“Instead of grumbling, why don’t you go take a shower so I don’t kick you out of bed later?” said Dan Heng.
“You’re just trying to get rid of me,” Ren mumbled, hugging him tighter.
“Ren.”
“I’m going.”
Ren cupped Dan Heng’s chin and turned his head to give him a kiss. He quickly grabbed his sleepwear and went to the bathroom, eager to rejoin his lover.
After a nice, hot shower, he returned to the kitchen to find two fragrant dishes and a steaming bowl of rice waiting for him. But the food wasn’t what caught his eye first.
Dang Heng sat at the dining table with his eyes closed, hair tousled from his nap, and lips faintly pouted as he rested his chin on his hand. He looked like he’d just about reached dreamland. The golden lights overlooking their dining room caressed his skin, and Ren thought he looked like an angel.
His mouth moved before his mind.
“…I don’t deserve you.”
Dan Heng stirred awake.
“…Mh?”
He looked up to see Ren approaching, hair still wet with a towel draped over his shoulders.
“I don’t deserve you,” he repeated.
Dan Heng sighed.
“…Just eat,” he huffed, nudging the bowl towards Ren with a small smile.
His ears were pink.
Mission accomplished.
“Your day?” asked Ren as he picked up the chopsticks Dan Heng had laid out on the table.
“Nothing special,” he said, resting his head on his hands.
“With those co-workers? I doubt that.”
Dan Heng paused for a moment.
“March got trapped in the washroom. Caelus accidentally brought a real lance to work. Stelle dropped her phone in Himeko’s coffee. Himeko chased her with the lance. Mr. Yang lost his glasses and walked into four walls consecutively.”
Ren smirked. “The usual then?”
“…Right,” Dan Heng said, deliberately leaving out the fact that he’d been caught talking to the office bunny.
As for the topic of their conversation… Ren was the last person he’d tell!
“By the way, why’ve you been coming home so late recently?” Dan Heng asked, brow furrowed in concern.
He knew that Ren was way more than capable of standing his own ground in the workplace… but what if… just what if… they were overworking his boyfriend?!
In that case, Dan Heng and the new lance they had at the studio would be happy to have a nice, civil chat with the people in charge.
“It’s voluntary,” Ren mumbled, taking another bite of the delectable dishes his lover had prepared.
Dammit how was he going to beat this on Dan Heng’s birthday dinner?!
“You’re… voluntarily working overtime?” Dan Heng blinked.
Ren nodded.
“…Why?”
“I suddenly enjoy my job.”
Dan Heng scoffed.
“Fine, don’t tell me then.”
“As you wish,” Ren said simply.
While they sat mostly in comfortable silence, Ren occasionally fed Dan Heng a few bites just to watch his sleepy reactions. When he finished, Dan Heng headed to their bedroom first to prepare for bed while Ren washed the dishes.
Once he was done with that, he quickly dried his hair with the towel around his neck. That would’ve been the end of it, and he would’ve just gone to bed with cold, damp hair, but Dan Heng wasn’t having any of it.
The moment he stepped into their cozy little haven, Dan Heng grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him to bathroom.
“You’ll get a headache like that,” he said, reaching for the hair dryer.
“I’ll be fine. You go to bed.”
Dan Heng glared at him.
“Do you want to hug me to sleep or not?”
Ren grumbled and wrapped his arms around Dan Heng, resting his forehead against his lover’s.
“Do not threaten me like that,” he mumbled, holding Dan Heng tighter as if he’d actually have the best part of his day taken away from him if he let go.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” said Dan Heng as he turned on the hair dryer.
Ren absolutely refused to let go of Dan Heng as the latter insistently dried his hair, but Dan Heng made it work.
With how long Ren’s hair actually was, it took a couple minutes before Dan Heng was satisfied enough to put the dryer down. As soon as he did, Ren took it as his cue to scoop Dan Heng into his arms — this time, he didn’t try to escape.
“…When are you going to stop doing this?”Dan Heng muttered, leaning his head against Ren’s shoulder as he rested his eyes.
“Never.”
Ren princess-carried Dan Heng past the threshold into their bedroom and gently set him down on the bed. He turned off the lights, shrouding the room in darkness before getting into bed next to Dan Heng.
Dan Heng yawned as he rolled onto his side, allowing Ren to move closer and wrap his arms around him. Ren could only make out Dan Heng’s silhouette from the moonlight peeking through their window, but he knew from the rise and fall of his chest that he was already dozing off.
“Anything you want to say?”
Dan Heng grumbled drowsily, “…Sleep.”
“I love you too.”
Dan Heng mumbled what one could only assume was a “Good night” or an “I know” before he was out cold.
Ren, however, wasn’t as quick to enter the dreamscape. He took his time, feeling the warmth of Dan Heng’s body against him. For someone who woke at seven in the morning, it couldn’t have been easy staying up past ten, much less twelve.
And yet, Dan Heng had done just that, all so he could ensure that Ren arrived home safe and was properly fed.
That… was still something Ren was trying to get used to, despite their time together. He never cared much for his own wellbeing until Dan Heng descended into his life with his witty remarks and excellent cooking skills.
Three whole years together, with nearly a decade of knowing each other, and he still couldn’t believe they were where they were.
When he first met Dan Heng… he wasn’t nearly as fond of him as he was now — not even close. They couldn’t stand each other, really. Maybe it had been denial, or the sheer obstinacy engraved in his mind, but when he’d realized how far he’d fallen, he knew there was no way back up.
Just before the exhaustion from the day began catching up to him, Ren carefully intertwined their fingers. He softly caressing one slender ring finger.
There was nothing there.
Not yet anyway.
And if all went well, in a few days time, there would be.