Work Text:
“Juju! Aren’t you ready yet? We’ll be late!”
Euijoo can’t believe how excited Nico is for this. Usually he’s the one waiting on Nico to finish getting ready, but it’s the opposite today. Nico is even overseeing his packing now, trying to speed things up by pulling socks out of his drawer and tossing them into his suitcase.
“Nico, what are you doing? I don’t need that many pairs of socks. We’ll only be gone a few days!” Euijoo laughs as he takes out a handful of socks and puts them back into his drawer. “Calm down, we won’t be late. Look.” Euijoo closes the lid of his suitcase and zips it up. “All done. Happy?” To show that he’s not bothered by Nico’s impatience, he gives him a quick kiss on the tip of his nose. “Let’s go.” The look of embarrassment on Nico’s face is so adorable. Even cuter when he tries to hide his blushing by covering his face with his hand. Euijoo almost wants to risk actually being late to spend some time together in his bed. But he resists.
Nico’s face is still a little red when he gets into the van, taking his seat next to Euijoo. They only have a short ride to their destination, but the staff insisted they drive to avoid being spotted. Euijoo is still a little surprised they even agreed to this. But Nico just wouldn’t let it go. He kept protesting, insisting that they visit a shrine, together, before doing anything else on their schedule. Why? He had no idea.
The van stops in front of the small neighborhood shrine, one that wouldn’t be crowded, especially at this hour. Even so, Euijoo and Nico pulled their masks up to cover their faces. Nico was also wearing a beanie to conceal his hair. But it was still dark outside, and most people had already returned home, or would wait until sunrise to visit the shrine.
Nico gets out of the van first and turns around to offer Euijoo his hand. He is so gentle and attentive when it comes to Euijoo. Almost like he thinks he might break. The only exception is when Euijoo tells Nico to let loose, to be rougher, to give into his desire. Something that Euijoo is still a little surprised he enjoys so much. He wasn’t even aware he wanted it until he was pulling away from a kiss, gasping for air and begging Nico to squeeze his wrists harder, to push him against the wall in his bedroom, to devour him. The look on Nico’s face is etched into his mind: eyes wide with surprise and animalistic desire. Nico clearly wanted to do it as much as Euijoo wanted it. But he still asked if Euijoo was sure. Was still hesitant and too gentle at first. But eventually they found their rhythm and a way of doing what they both wanted without leaving any visible marks. The thought sends a hum of desire through his body. But they’ll have plenty of time for that later.
“Come on, I want to walk through the Torii together.” The excitement in Nico’s voice is so sweet that Euijoo feels like he’s falling in love with him all over again. Nico is pulling him forward by his hand, so Euijoo picks up the pace so that they can walk side-by-side.
“Don’t get me wrong Nico, I love your enthusiasm. But why are you so excited this year? This isn’t even the first time we’ve done this.” They both stop for a moment before passing under the Torii to bow.
“Sure but this is totally different! You know?” Nico says this as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. But Euijoo does not, in fact, know. He wants to ask Nico to explain, but there is another couple at the water basin washing their hands, so he stays silent for now. They join the couple, keeping their heads down as they begin to wash their hands with the water, taking their time so they don’t have to lower their masks until they’re alone again. Finally they’re able to quickly rinse their mouths before pulling their masks back up.
Nico starts to head towards the main shrine, but Euijoo grabs his hand and stops him. “Let’s give them their space. We can wait.” Nico nods with understanding, and Euijoo takes this time to look around more. He sees they’re selling a variety of omamori, as expected. But he’s surprised to notice that most of them are pink and decorated with hearts. His eyes move across the shrine, noticing more heart symbols everywhere he looks. And now that he thinks about it…the only other people here have clearly been couples.
Squeezing Nico’s hand, Euijoo feels tears forming in his eyes. He finally understands. This is different. So different. How did he not notice before? All those other times, they weren’t alone. And they always visited shrines focused on success or health. This is clearly a shrine devoted to love.
“You finally figured it out? Juju, really, sometimes you’re so slow.” Nico is standing in front of him now, gently wiping away the tear that has started to slide down Euijoo’s cheek.
Euijoo nods, squeezing Nico’s hand again. “I just never thought…I mean, it’s just…”
Nico silences him with a hug. Pulling Euijoo close, Nico whispers in his ear, his voice making him a little dizzy, just like it always does. “I know. But this is what I want this year. I want us. More than anything. Is that selfish? Can you forgive me for putting us first?”
Euijoo can’t think of Nico as selfish when he’s been wanting the same thing. When did he become so greedy? Wanting everything. Wanting Nico most of all. “I want us too. Let’s go” Pulling away from the hug, he walks towards the shrine with Nico’s hand in his. He can’t wait to see what this year brings for them. If Nico is by his side, he’s sure it will be the best year yet. And then the year after that, and after that, and after that, for eternity. That’s what he’ll pray for. Eternity.