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It was an ordinary day like any other, which was something Kim Dokja could now value.
Living day-to-day used to feel impossible, something to struggle through constantly. It was being battered by endless waves of hardship. It was picking yourself up after failing again. It was… meaningless.
Until the arrival of the apocalypse, ironically, he had nothing to live for. Now, he has everything.
The effervescent laughter of Yoo Mia, Lee Gilyoung, and Shin Yoosung as they play together.
The steady but gentle relationship between Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung.
The camaraderie between Yoo Sangah and Han Sooyoung.
The way Yoo Joonghyuk still trains Lee Jihye.
Han Sooyoung’s insistence for him to beta-read for her.
Hades and Persephone’s love for him.
The warmth and care they hold for each other.
His family. His real one.
Kim Dokja could go on and on, a sure sign of improvement. His therapist would be proud of him.
He yawns and stretches. The stars twinkle far above him. They seem happy at the sight, or maybe he’s just crazy.
One star in particular seemed to pulse with an almost angry intensity. Weird. It almost feels like ■■—
Yoo Joonghyuk, who is right next to him, shifts into a comfier position on the grass which they are both laying upon.
“Hey,” Yoo Joonghyuk whispers. “Do you want to lean on me?” He offers his arm as a pillow.
Kim Dokja grins, “Thanks, Joonghyuk-ie.” He shifts his head onto Yoo Joonghyuk’s arm.
Yoo Joonghyuk rolls his eyes at him, but doesn’t comment. It seems spending a few years in a coma is all it takes for Yoo Joonghyuk’s prickly temperament to soften, just a bit.
He snuggles into Yoo Joonghyuk’s side, placing his head onto his heart. He can hear the rhythmic pulse of his heartbeat, something that was deeply comforting to him.
Kim Dokja thanks all the stars overhead that everyone is alive together. The night sky seemed alive, ablaze with flickering lights.
The shooting stars streak across the sky, something he was sure he would never forget.
He’d planned this date for the two of them a few weeks earlier. He had wanted to carve out a night that was just for the two of them. When he heard of a shooting star viewing from Yoo Sangah, he knew he wanted to share it with Yoo Joonghyuk.
Kim Dokja wanted to share everything with Yoo Joonghyuk, and was constantly terrified of such an enormous emotion. It was unlike anything he’d ever experienced, but the joy it brought him was immeasurable.
Love, an abstract emotion, not meant for someone like Kim Dokja, but a part of his life nonetheless. It could topple kingdoms, save lives, and break people, all at the same time.
The weight of love was a responsibility that you could not shirk or ignore. You held someone's livelihood in your hands, and could not afford to waste it.
He certainly didn’t want to waste Yoo Joonghyuk’s. Or his own.
He resurfaces to Yoo Joonghyuk nuzzling his face. “Penny for your thoughts?”
Kim Dokja smiles warmly, and responds in like. “I was just thinking about love.”
“What about it?” Yoo Joonghyuk buries his face in his neck, continuing his ministrations.
“The power it holds over people.” Yoo Joonghyuk looks up worriedly at his tone, but relaxes as Kim Dokja glances reassuringly at him.
“Hmm, how philosophical of you.”
“I know, right!”
“I didn’t think you had it in you…”
“How dare you, Joonghyuk-ie?! Insulting my honor like that! I shall never speak to you again!”
He tries in vain to hold onto his poker face, but dissolves into helpless giggles. Yoo Joonghyuk grins at his ecstasy, and they relax together.
The silence stretches, but it’s one born out of comfort. They watch as the stars whiz by, stress unwinding out of their bodies as they melt into each other.
Soon, the shooting stars ceased, but it was something Kim Dokja knew would last long after.
He starts quietly humming a song that was stuck in his head, and Yoo Joonghyuk begins to stroke his head softly. It was a perfect moment, one he wanted to live in forever.
Wait, there was something tickling the back of his mind, oh—
Suddenly, Kim Dokja jumps up, startling Yoo Joonghyuk, who immediately moves into a defensive position.
“What is it?” Yoo Joonghyuk hisses, scanning the darkness around them.
“We forgot the food in the car.” A dumbfounded silence hangs in the air, and then—
“You idiot?! I thought we were in danger!” Yoo Joonghyuk shakes him by the neck, gently.
“We are. In danger of starving, that is.”
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t.”
“... No, I don’t.”
They make the slightly perilous trip to the car in the almost-dark, jumping at every unusual sound. Only when they reach the car do they realize that they had a flashlight.
“HA-HA-HA!” Kim Dokja bends over, shaking with laughter. “It was in your pocket the whole time!”
He takes a couple moments to calm down, but the look on Yoo Joonghyuk’s face keeps cracking him up.
Yoo Joonghyuk’s face is faintly stained with color; luckily, the night offers cover.
“Shut up,” he shoves Kim Dokja over so he can unlock the car. Lo and behold, the picnic basket awaits them in the back seat.
They had packed dinner to accompany the breathtaking sights, but had promptly forgotten all about it.
Yoo Joonghyuk carries the picnic basket back to their spot, this time safely navigating with the flashlight. Kim Dokja still jumps at every sound, something that Yoo Joonghyuk mercilessly teases him about.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, hotshot.”
“... You ran into my arms because a leaf landed on you.”
“It was a scary leaf!”
They settle back down in their spot in the meadow; Yoo Joonghyuk setting the picnic basket down between them.
Kim Dokja reaches in, grabbing his omurice with demi-glace sauce, just how he likes it. When he had told Yoo Joonghyuk about his favorite food, he would then always find the opportunity to insert it into their meals.
It warms Kim Dokja’s heart and soul every way Yoo Joonghyuk expresses his devotion for him. He can only hope he does the same to and for him.
He starts munching on it happily, while Yoo Joonghyuk enjoys his Murim dumpling soup.
They discuss big and little things, whatever comes to mind to talk about that specific day. It was easy to talk about anything under the sun with your favorite person, after all.
Soon, it was pitch-black out, but neither of them wanted to leave. So, they don’t. They grab the picnic blanket they brought but also forgot, and set it out on a comfortable patch of grass.
Laying down together, surrounded by untouched nature, with stars overhead, brings a sense of potent inner peace. This feeling—the sheer bliss Kim Dokja feels—is something he wants to bottle up and indulge in on hard days.
And he knows hard days await them, but he also knows that they can get through it, together.
Kim Dokja’s eyelids start to droop, and he begins to lean heavily against Yoo Joonghyuk’s side, alerting him of his exhaustion. Yoo Joonghyuk drops a kiss atop Kim Dokja’s head, leaning against him in return.
They curl around each other like a pair of cats, awash in sunlight.
“Sweet dreams, Kim Dokja.”
“Good night, Joonghyuk-ie.”
It was the best bout of sleep that the two of them had had in a while, but when they awoke in the morning, they found the entirety of Kim Dokja’s Company simply staring at them.
“It’s too early for this,” was the only thing Yoo Joonghyuk groaned at the sight of them, rolling over and catching Kim Dokja into his arms again. Unluckily, Kim Dokja ducks away.
“Come on, Joonghyuk-ie. Let’s go say hello to our friends.” Kim Dokja drags him to his feet, albeit reluctantly.
“Urgh.”
Han Sooyoung approaches them. “Y’know, when you guys didn’t call or anything, I’d assumed you’d been murdered. Should’ve known you lovebirds just fell asleep.”
“We were worried,” Yoo Sangah adds.
“Yeah!” Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung exclaim at the same time, then look at each other in disgust.
“Oppa, you should have called,” Yoo Mia hugs Yoo Joonghyuk, with a slight desperation. He softens at the sight of his sister, murmuring promises into her hair to never do that again. It mollifies her, for the time being.
Kim Dokja is sure she’s going to cash in a favor later, and can’t wait to see it.
Jung Heewon slings an arm around Kim Dokja, something Yoo Joonghyuk glares at her for, but she ignores. “C’mon, we’ll help you guys clean up.”
“I’ll help, too!” Lee Hyunsung calls. The teddy-bear of a man seemed a bit erratic, so Kim Dokja offers a comforting smile, assuring him that everything is fine. He seems to brighten, thankfully.
With the help of Kim Dokja’s Company, they manage to split themselves into two cars, carrying the stuff that Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja brought for their date.
“So,” Han Sooyoung says, on the way home. “Did you guys fu—”
Yoo Joonghyuk smacks her.