Work Text:
It was a perfectly ordinary weekday evening. The sun was slowly disappearing under the horizon. In the streets, people were rushing around and slaloming across the pavement to get home as quickly as possible.
Inhyuk was still in his office dealing with the last few files he had left to look at before he could go home too. The day had been particularly long and rough. It wasn't that it had been a stressful and hectic day, but Inhyuk had been accumulating tiredness since his last holiday three months earlier.
Being an awakened wasn’t easy ; and even more so as the right-hand man of Shinhwa. He needed to be available no matter the weather to deal with all types of situations. Since Kayden is on their territory, the security has been even more enhanced. The patrol teams patrolled more frequently and their training more intense - Inhyuk ensured that everything ran smoothly. One thing was sure he was far from being lazy and stayed with his arms crossed.
He loved his job. It was a job which he was pretty proud of. But here we are. Sometimes work was not that great everyday and today was the day which belonged to that category. He was tense all day long, everything - as small as it could be - was pissing him off and visibly everyone decided to act dumb and ask him every two minutes the stupidest questions known to man-kind. It's safe to say he cracked pretty quickly. In the early afternoon, he had sent everyone away and locked himself in his office to catch his breath. Then he started cleaning his work place. At first it was quite effective but time after time he started to find loose-leaf paper a bit everywhere, old and incomplete files, some drafts vaguely crumpled up in a corner then, the calm he had felt just before evaporated as quickly as it had arrived.
In short, he was tired from his day at work.
He sighed, deciding that it was useless to stay later at work with such a bad mood. He still checked out the time : 7 pm. Ah… He did overtime hours again. He put away his phone in his pocket and took his coat which was on his chair before leaving his office.
The walk home was the same as his day : long and exhausting. His metro took strangely more time than the usual to arrive at the station without not to mention the sudden train’s stop in the middle of a tunnel because of a forgotten bag on the next station. May someone wake him up from this nightmare.
When he arrived at the bottom of his building, he couldn’t manage to know if he was relieved or absolutely defeated by this endless day. He biped his badge and got inside the building. He then laboriously climbed the stairs one step at a time – the lift had been out of order for a week. Clearly everything was against him today. When he finally reached his floor he sighed with relief : this was finally the end. He took a few steps toward his front door before stopping in a sudden halt : something was wrong. His door seemed open. His heart dropped in his chest : he was sure to have closed the door before leaving in the morning - he even took a video of himself - and Seongha was not supposed to be here for at least one hour. His heart pounding, he walked towards the door, ready to use his awakened powers if necessary, even if it meant breaking a rule. In his household there were only a few awakened so they had to be as discrete as possible and blend in with the crowd. However, the situation he was in required him to take every possible precaution.
Now close to the door, he noticed that the light in his house was off. It could be normal if the door wasn’t open. He entered on tiptoe expecting to see his flat ransacked, looted or, worst of all, set on fire, but no, none of that had happened. It was strangely quiet. Too quiet: his cat hadn't even come to complain about his absence all day or to complain that he was hungry. A thousand different scenarios flowed into his mind, all more horrible than the last and he started to panic. He could lose everything he wouldn't give a damn but nobody could even lift a finger on his child. Stress, tiredness and anger were mixing into an explosive ball into his body. He continued to progress inside his house with a few careful steps. Then he noticed a small light on the floor. He went closer to it and realised it was candles. Wait what ? Candles? Why would an intruder put some candles on the floor ? He stood up to take a look around him when suddenly he felt two hands wrapping tightly around his hips.
“What the- ??” By reflex he tried to get away from the grip of his intruder. He was not going to get attacked in his own flat ?! As he struggled, he felt the grip around him weaken: it was now or never. He broke free from the grip in one swift movement and turned around. He caught his intruder by the neck and pushed him against the wall. He planned to keep him hostage to take the time to interrogate him about his intentions and how he found his address. At that time he was determined to make him suffer after making his day even worse. In one quick movement he took off the mask the intruder was wearing.
Then came the choc.
“What the ?!” Inhyuk took a few steps back, nearly falling in the process, and immediately let go.
“Welcome home, love.” Seongha, his STUPID boyfriend, was against the wall in front of him with an amused smile on his lips.
Inhyuk, still in shock, cannot manage the information : No it wasn’t a stranger who just intruded his house, no he didn’t lose his whole life today. He got close again to Seongha in a few quick steps then slapped his chest. “Are you stupid ?! You scared me !”
Seongha was still smiling as always when he teased Inhyuk.
“Stop smiling ! I almost got a stroke ! The cat was not here anymore ! My child ! The love of my life ! The flat’s door was open and there was no light at all !” The intense stress he had felt subsided, giving way to a sudden sense of relief that made him cling to Seongha's arms. ‘For a moment, I thought I was going to lose everything...’
Seongha immediately wrapped his arms around him to support him. He had lost his smile when he saw the distress his lover was in. He hadn't expected it to turn out like this.
“I didn’t mean to scare you. Really. It was supposed to be nice and sweet. I’m sorry love.”
Inhyuk rested his head on Seongha's shoulder. ‘I know. This is just... too much. I had a HORRIBLE day and this is the last thing I expected...’ Seongha tenderly stroked his boyfriend's hair. He could feel him relax at his touch. “You weren't even supposed to be here right now.”
“I know but I finished work early today.”
“Stupid you could have warned me !” He slapped his chest again.
“It wouldn't have been a surprise if I had done it.”
They stayed in the hug for a moment. Inhyuk really needed that after being scared to death. Seongha held his shoulders and gently pushed him away. “What if I show you what I initially prepared then ?”
Inhyuk looked up, curious. “What you…prepared ?”
“Yes. Do you think it was the initial plan to scare you like that ?”
“No. Of course not, but I didn’t expect that.”
“It's the principle of a surprise.”
Inhyuk took off his shoes and his coat. With what happened before he was still in the same outfit he wore while he left work earlier. Seongha took his stuff away and walked him toward the candles on the floor. Inhyuk could see this time how pretty the set up was. There were candles all along the hallway that lead toward the bathroom. Inhyuk turned his head towards Seongha.
“Don’t look at me like that and just go.” He was suddenly shy. Cute.
Inhyuk followed the path to the bathroom. Inside, there were a lot more candles everywhere. The vibe was so warm and comfy. It makes Inhyuk’s heart fluffy. He was agreeably surprised. “So pretty !” His eyes go toward the bath. Next to it was a table with two cups of alcohol and some appetizers in a bowl. Also, there were rose petals in the water.
Inhyuk turned fully to his boyfriend. “You did all that by yourself ?”
“Yeah…” Seongha seems unsure about what he did. “Do you like it ?” His facial expression translated his worry and he seemed to hold his breath awaiting a response.
Inhyuk approached Seongha in a few quick steps, gently grabbed his face and kissed him. “I love it. Thank you.” At first surprised by the kiss, the ice man didn’t take long to melt to the kiss and to respond to it. He wrapped his hand around Inhyuk’s hips and hugged him while kissing him. They separated, gasping for air, their faces flushed red, their hearts beating with love for each other.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
They kissed again but this time was more intense. The heat between them was growing and the tension around them became thick. They leave the bathroom still kissing each other. Their walk was unstable due to the intensity of the kiss. They end up in their bedroom. Seongha slid his hands under his thighs and lifted him up without difficulty. They kissed again and then Seongha let them fall on the cushions pile. Inhyuk slid his hand on Seongha’s side before finishing his course on his back. He pushed him toward himself to bring him and felt him closer. Then he felt his boyfriend’s mouth kiss him on his jaw and slowly get down on his neck. He sighed with pleasure and closed his eyes. He loved his man’s touch on him.
Seongha buried his head in the crook of Inhyuk's neck. “I missed you so much today.”
“Oh yeah ?” Inhyuk pushed away him and opened in a seductive way his suit jacket. “Then show me how much you missed me.”
Seongha dove on top of him again, pressing his body against his boyfriend's. He kissed Inhyuk with more passion while sliding his hand on his hips under the few layers of clothes he was wearing. But suddenly a meow was heard in the room. Inhyuk takes Seongha’s hand to stop him. They looked at each other and then realised :
“THE CAT !” Inhyuk quickly sat up and got out of bed. “Where did you put the cat ?”
Seongha stood up too but more slowly and he went to the big closet in the corner of their room. He stood up next to it with a guilty face.
“You did not…” Said Inhyuk in a breath. He didn’t want to believe what he was actually thinking. He went around the bed to the front of the closet. “Open up.” Seongha obeyed and slowly slid the door open. A gray cat came out. He was meowing a lot, probably mad to have been put in the closet for so long. He ran toward Inhyuk and rubbed his body on Inhyuk’s legs.
“Are you kidding me ?? You put MY cat in the closet ?!”
Seongha frowned. “Technically he is OUR cat.”
“OUR cat ? But you put him in the closet ! What cat dad wouldn't even consider this idea ? ”
“I’m sorry but I didn’t know where to put him so he wouldn't run away while the door was open.”
Inhyuk petted his cat and was a bit concerned. Fortunately his cat didn’t seem too traumatised.
“He went in only 10 minutes I promise.”
Inhyuk sighs but cannot smile at how silly the situation is. “I can’t believe what you did. It’s the first time I experienced such a situation.”
“I’m truly sorry…” Seongha seemed really guilty, it makes Inhyuk forgive him a little bit too fast. After all, Seongha was everything but a cat person. He used to fear them. When he came to Inhyuk’s apartment for the first time, the meeting between his boyfriend and his cat was truly something. Thinking about this moment made Inhyuk smile ; it was pretty funny.
“What would I do if you didn't exist ?”
“I don’t know. You would probably be bored.”
“Oh ho ! Don't be too full of yourself.” He pointed a finger toward him. “I still remember what you did to our child.” Seongha gulp. Inhyuk's face went dark immediately. He could be very scary when he comes to his cat.
After a minute of silence, Inhyuk started to undress himself again. They were cut in the middle of a spicy moment and the vibe is not the same anymore. To be honest he’s also hella tired. So he decided to go to the bath - probably cold now - that Seongha took the time to prepare. Speaking of the witch, he was staring at him with so much concentration while he was teasing him by innocently stripping in the middle of the room. “Don’t get it wrong. I’m not in the mood anymore. I’m going for the bath.”
Seongha took a few steps toward him. “I don't have the right anymore to admire my boyfriend's body now ?” He said with a smile.
“Pervert.”
“Admirer not pervert.” He corrected him. “You’re the one who strips in front of me. How could I not look at you ?” Seongha went for a quick kiss. “Once you're done, meet me in the bathroom.” Then he passed next to him - not without taking an exaggerated look - and went to the bathroom. Inhyuk smiled and shook his head. He loved this man so much. He finished undressing himself, took his towel and went to the bathroom.
Inside, Seongha was bending over the bathtub, a hand in the water ; he was probably checking the temperature. Inhyuk smiles. “Oww look at you. So caring.”
Seongha stood up. “Stop teasing me and go in. You’re smelly.”
“I didn’t seem to brother you when you were about to fuck me.”
Seongha’s face turned red quickly. “Goo Inhyuk I swear !”
“You're still blushing over some raw word like that. Cute.” Inhyuk traced his finger along the edge of Seongha's jaw, who shuddered at the touch. Then he stepped over the edge of the bathtub like he did nothing and slid in the water. It was hot and he felt like he was melting. His body relaxed almost immediately. He sighed in pleasure and closed his eyes for a moment. The calm of the room was really great and he felt so much better than the day’s start. It had been so long since he had taken a bath. Seongha really chose the right time to surprise him.
“Put your hair back. I’m gonna wash your hair.” Seongha said. He took out the bottle of shampoo and put some on his hands. Inhyuk obeyed and two hands rested on his head and massaged his scalp. He sighed in pleasure again. He really liked when Seongha was caring like that with him. Even though he looked cold and serious, he almost immediately became soft with him once they started dating. Tonight he proved again why he's right for him. Too bad for the others who will never see this part of him but. Better for him who can keep this aspect of his personality for himself.
A comfortable silence takes place between them. Inhyuk was being pampered by his boyfriend after a long day at work: what more could he ask for ?
Ah yes ! Maybe about ‘his surprise’.
“I was wondering…” started Inhyuk.
“Hmm ?”
“How did you even manage to messed up this bad your surprise ?” Inhyuk straightened up and turned around to face his boyfriend.
Seongha sighed. “You really want to know ?”
“Yes of course ! I almost beat your ass because of that !”
Seongha stopped what he was doing. “First : No you didn’t. I wasn’t fighting back for obvious reasons. Second : Given how tired and stressed you were, I wouldn't have had to do much to beat you.”
“Once again I think you overestimate yourself.” Seongha opened his mouth to answer but Inhyuk put a finger on his mouth, preventing him from answering. “Anyway, you didn’t answer my question.”
“It’s truly a ridiculous story.” Seongha passed a hand on his face while remembering all the hardships he went through before Inhyuk came home.
“I’m here for that. You know it.”
“You’re the worst.”
“But you love me for that too.” Inhyuk lifted his head to ask for a kiss. Seongha bent down and gave him his kiss.
“I will explain it to you later. Now you should get out of the bathtub or you will get a cold.” Seongha accompanied his words with gestures as he went to fetch him his bathrobe.
“Thank you, honey.” Inhyuk stood up and wrapped himself. Then he went outside the bathtub. He quickly dried himself, then he took the pajamas Seongha was holding for him.
“Thanks. Which one did you take ?”
“None. It’s a new one.” Seongha blushed again while Inhyuk unfolded it. A bright smile took over his face when he saw the patterns. It was a deep blue pajama with many cats' faces all over the tissue.
“Where did you find this ??” He exclaimed in excitement.
“While shopping with my mom when I visited her a while ago. I didn’t know when to give it to you. So it stayed for a while in my part of the closet.”
“How can I not see it ??” Inhyuk was genuinely shocked that Seongha managed to foul him that long and even worse : in his own house.
“I hide it between my clothes so you won’t see it.”
“You’re such a secretive little thing.”
Inhyuk unwrapped his bathrobe to put on his new pajamas. Then he looked at himself in the mirror, loving the way he looked. “How do I look ?” He said, then turned around to look at Seongha who was already looking at him with sparkly eyes.
“Pretty.” Seongha gently slid his hand on Inhuyk’s chin and pulled him closer to kiss him. Inhyuk smiled through the kiss because of the compliment and also obviously because he loved kissing his man.
“Hey ! Don’t try to distract me !”
“I’m not. You’re distracting yourself.”
“Yeah yeah. Get off and follow me to the living room.” Inhyuk gently pushed away Seongha and left the bathroom to go to the living room. He wanted to hear all the details so he would have them.
—---
In the living room the cosy and warm lights were on. On the table, a wide variety of food was laid out on the table. They had ordered quickly because they were hungry, but also because they wanted to share a quiet moment without any fuss, just as they had done since the beginning of the evening. After several persistent attempts, Seongha finally gave him all the behind the scenes for his surprise : The open door ? He saw Inhyuk through the door camera so he opened the door in order to not make him search two days for his keys. The apartment being so dark ? He didn’t buy enough candles and not enough battery to light them up. Also the big light would have ruined the effect. He concentrated only to put them in the corridor before the bedroom and bathroom. Inhyuk laughed and mocked him for maybe a whole 10 minutes. Seongha punched his shoulder for that then seeing that it didn’t work pushed him on the sofa to tickle him. He wanted to laugh ? OK then he will give a reason to. They bickered for a moment before the tiredness came back.
“You want to go to sleep ?” Seongha asked. He could see that his boyfriend was starting to nod off : It had been a long day, after all.
“No, I don't wanna go to bed. Let’s watch a movie !”
“Okay, choose one.” Seongha stood up.
“Where are you going ?”
“Nowhere, don't worry. Just put a movie on the tv.”
Seongha disappeared in the corridor. Inhyuk frowned for a minute then he took the remote to choose a movie for the night. He navigated for a little while on the tv. There were too many choices. Even though he got a list of a ton of movies he should watch and suggestions from his friends, he couldn't decide. Meanwhile, Seongha finally returned from where he had left earlier. When Inhyuk turned his head to him, all he saw was a pile of plaid and pillows. He immediately stood up to help him.
“What are you doing with all of that ??”
“I know you don’t want to sleep now but I also know that you will fall asleep as soon as the movie will start. I just take precautions.”
“That’s not true !”
“Yes, it is.”
“But...thank you.”
Seongha smiled and kissed him on the forehead. Then they installed a bunch of plaids and pillows to make the sofa as comfortable as possible. Seongha sat down after changing. Inhyuk jumped on the sofa and half on him and pushed him. He was now on his back and half lying down. His boyfriend came to place himself on his chest. Then he covered them with lots of blankets.
“We will die of heat with all of that !” Exclaimed Seongha.
“Maybe but you will die happily with me.”
Seongha sighed, resigned but happy. Getting together was the best idea they ever had. After all this time turning around each other, they can finally be affectionate, take care of each other without the fear of ruining their friendship. It was the most precious feeling ever. They were exactly where they wanted to be and they hoped it would last long.
In the end, the day wasn't that terrible.