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"Say cheese," Dunk says gently, holding up his phone.
Joong smiles wide, his eyes sparkling, and Dunk snaps the shot. He takes another. And another. And another.
In hindsight, Dunk knows exactly what he's done. And he's dreading what’s coming.
Okay, so he knows his boyfriend pretty well. And if he's not mistaken, said boyfriend is currently waiting for that perfect moment to unleash his displeasure with Dunk. The scolding is coming. It's just a matter of when.
And so maybe that's why Dunk is taking his sweet time taking pictures in Joong's backyard. He photographs Joong with his cute dogs, then puts his phone down to actually hug them, burying his face in their fur. He kisses their little heads. He lets Joong introduce him to the new kitten, a tiny ball of fluff that fits in the palm of his hand, and Dunk coos over it longer than necessary. He plays around, chasing the dogs across the patio a little bit, letting them lick his fingers.
If he can just play and joke around hard enough and keep the mood light until he makes it to his car and drives away, Dunk figures he would've won a silent war. No confrontation. No lecture. Just a successful escape. In style.
But unsurprisingly, Joong is way ahead of Dunk.
He smiles softly, watching Dunk's obvious avoidance tactics with fond amusement. He kisses Dunk's cheek sweetly. He kisses his temple, then his hair, letting his lips linger there for a moment. He allows them to play and joke around, chasing the dogs alongside Dunk, letting the kitten bat at his shoelaces.
Genuinely, Joong is touched by Dunk's gesture today, beyond what words can explain.
Dunk, while still sick- still supposed to be resting, still fresh out of the hospital- came to Joong's house bearing gifts. He brought a delicious cake he'd baked himself, because of course he did. He brought an expensive designer ring. And most importantly, he brought his presence. He came to be with Joong, to celebrate with him if only for a bit. He knew what it meant to Joong for him to be here, and he actually came, discharge papers and all.
Joong is utterly, completely left in awe of how much this man loves him. He watches Dunk now, laughing as one of the dogs jumps up on him, and he knows he's truly blessed to be loved by such a giving, gentle heart as Dunk's.
Buuuut sweet gentle loving boyfriends can mess up too.
And Dunk messed up today. Big time.
And Joong isn't letting him get away with it. And he knows that Dunk knows that he knows he messed up. It's a silent understanding between them, an unspoken acknowledgment hanging in the air with every selfie Dunk snaps.
So, for a time Joong plays along. He poses. He smiles. He lets Dunk think he's being clever. But by the time Dunk lifts his phone to snap the 87th selfie- a new record truly- Joong gently reaches out and takes the phone out of his hand.
Dunk blinks, looking at his now-empty fingers, then slowly lifts his gaze to Joong. His eyes go slightly wide with panic. Busted.
"Right," Dunk says awkwardly, "Let's go taste your cake.”
“I already took a bite." Joong replies, pocketing Dunk’s phone, then crossing his arms against his chest.
"Oh." Dunk's voice comes out small. "Of course you did. Uhm." He looks around the yard, anywhere but at Joong. "The dogs really liked the-"
"Yeah yeah, right," Joong cuts him off, sarcasm dripping from his voice as if he's playing along with Dunk's deflection. Then his face goes serious. "Get inside."
Dunk straightens immediately. "Yes sir."
He obeys right away, walking into the house without another word. Joong follows close behind, close enough that Dunk can feel him there, a warm presence at his back.
Once they're upstairs in Joong’s bedroom, Joong's hands find Dunk's waist, hovering there like he's not sure whether to hold him or scold him first. He settles on scolding.
“Sit.” He tells Dunk, who does so at the edge of Joong’s bed. Joong remains standing in front of Dunk, hands on his own waist now.
"When you're this sick," Joong begins, tone firm but not angry, "you do not have yourself discharged from the hospital to collect birthday presents. You could've given me the gift later. The cake could've waited. The ring could've waited. I would've understood."
Dunk sits there, listening. Then, almost unconsciously, he throws one leg over the other and crosses his arms over his chest, looking up at Joong with a slightly defiant tilt to his chin.
Joong pauses mid-sentence, narrowing his eyes. "You show up here when you should be in a hospital bed," Joong continues, "and for what? So you could take eighty-seven photos of us with our pets?"
"Eighty-seven is an exaggeration," Dunk mutters.
"Don't interrupt." But there's almost a smile tugging at Joong's lips. He presses on. "You scared me, okay? I got a text from you saying 'surprise, I'm outside' and I thought you meant you sent something. Not that you literally left your hospital room and showed up at my house."
Dunk sighs and his expression softens just slightly as if he’s being patient with Joong right now, "Are you finished?" he asks Joong.
Joong blinks. "What? No. What the hell?" His voice pitches up. "What's that tone? I'm not the unreasonable one here." He gestures at Dunk's now-relaxed, almost smug posture. "Uncross your arms and legs right now."
Dunk obeys immediately, uncrossing the leg he'd forgotten was still crossed. "Sorry," he mutters, but there's the smallest smile on his face now.
Joong takes a breath, recentering himself. "Next time it's my birthday and unfortunately you get sick, what will you do?"
"Stay in the hospital until I'm well," Dunk recites obediently.
"Why?"
"My health comes first."
"Because first and foremost…?" Joong prompts, stepping closer.
A soft smile touches Dunk's lips, the defiance completely melted away now. "You love me and want me well."
The stern expression on Joong’s face turns into something tender. He smiles too. "Exactly."
He leans down just slightly, and puts his hands gently on Dunk's forearms. He kisses him tenderly on the lips, just a soft reverent touch, like he's saying thank you and I forgive you and I love you all at once.
Dunk tilts his chin back and kisses him back, bringing one hand up to loosely curl his fingers into the front of Joong's shirt, holding on like Joong might pull away too soon.
Joong leans back and looks at Dunk solemnly. Then he drops onto his haunches in front of Dunk, settling on the floor. He takes Dunk's hands in his, running his thumbs over Dunk's knuckles.
"I really am thankful for what you did today," Joong confesses, looking up at him. He reaches up with one hand and gently touches Dunk's cheek, his palm warm against the pale skin. "I'm just worried about you."
Dunk leans into the touch, his eyes fluttering half-closed. "I know. I'm not upset that you scolded me. I expect that from you by now." He laughs softly, the sound light and affectionate.
Joong leans back up, rising to his full height, and kisses Dunk's forehead softly. "I love you."
"I love you too."
Joong smiles, almost shyly now, as he lifts his ring finger and wriggles it a bit. The new ring catches the light. "I have no doubt." He admires it on his hand, turning it this way and that.
"That looks good on you," Dunk says, pride evident in his voice.
"Wait till I show it off."
"More than you already have?" Dunk raises an eyebrow. "You've been flexing your hand in every photo and video the last 4 hours."
"I haven't even started." Joong grins, mischievous now. "I'll be insufferable with it."
Dunk laughs at that, in a way that lights up his whole face. Joong looks at him and grins wider, soaking in the sound.
Then Joong's smile fades into something softer, more serious. He cups Dunk's face with both hands, tilting it gently. "You should head home and get some rest. Stay out of sight until you feel better. Okay?"
"Yes sir." Dunk's voice is soft, obedient.
"Take your meds. Drink water. Rest. No phone." Joong ticks each item off on his fingers. "Clear?"
"Yes sir." This time Dunk smiles, playful about it. He leans over and pecks Joong's lips, "I'll be thinking of you."
"I'll miss you too," Joong admits, the words coming easily between them.
"Happy birthday." Dunk reaches up and touches Joong's cheek briefly. "Be happy always."
"How can I not," Joong says, catching Dunk's hand and pressing a kiss to his palm, "When I'm this loved?"
"You better not forget it."
Dunk stands, then Joong pulls him into a long, big hug, wrapping his arms around him and holding tight. Dunk clings to him just as fiercely, burying his face in Joong's shoulder. They sway gently, a small back-and-forth movement, and Dunk whispers against his skin, "This is nice."
Joong turns his head slightly and gently sniffs Dunk's neck, breathing him in. "How do you always smell so nice?" he mutters as if to himself, half-lost in the moment. After a pause, he adds dreamily, almost to himself, "Like home."
They lean away just enough to look at each other. Joong kisses Dunk again, for longer this time, deeper. His lips part against Dunk's, slow and thorough, like they have all the time in the world. Dunk's hand finds its way back to Joong's shirt, fisting lightly in the fabric, while Joong's hand slides up and down Dunk’s back.
When they finally break apart, they rest their foreheads against each other and just... stay there. No words. No movement. Just breath, warm and shared between them. Just nearness and the simple comfort of being close.
Joong is looking at Dunk like he's not just a person, but his favorite story, one he's been rereading since forever and still keeps finding new parts to fall in love with.
His eyes trace over Dunk's features: the paler-than-usual skin, the bloodshot eyes, and the slightly chapped lips from being sick. Every detail is precious. He drags his fingers gently down Dunk's back, slowly, like he's trying to memorize the map of his spine through his shirt.
"Let me know when you get home," Joong finally whispers, as if speaking too loud will break the spell wrapped around them.
Dunk nods his head against Joong's forehead.
"I'll come see you first thing in the morning," Joong promises.
Dunk nods again.
Joong pulls back completely, though his hands linger on Dunk's waist for an extra second before dropping away. He takes Dunk's hand instead, threading their fingers together. "Come on," he says softly. "I'll walk you out."
They walk to the door like that, hands linked, not saying anything. At the door, Joong pulls him close for one last kiss, brief this time. Then he opens the door and stands in the frame, watching as Dunk walks to his car.
"Don’t forget to text me," Joong calls out.
Dunk looks back over his shoulder, smiling. "I will. Go eat more of your cake."
"Already planning to." Joong leans against the door frame, arms crossed, watching until Dunk gets in the car and the engine comes to life. He waves as Dunk pulls away, and Dunk waves back through the window.
Only when the car disappears around the corner does Joong finally close the door. He looks down at the ring on his finger, turning his hand this way and that, watching it catch the light.
Then he walks back to the kitchen, cuts himself another slice of cake, and eats it slowly, smiling the whole time.
-End-