Work Text:
Despite the constant noise of the bar as people sipped on their drinks and chattered amongst themselves, Dunk's laughter still cut through the space in infectious waves.
Even on a normal day, he was quite playful, generous and bright with his laughter, but with alcohol running warm through his veins, every little thing seemed to make him crack up in fits of mirth. The sight of it made Joong's heart swell with unparalleled joy, his lips helpless but to quirk up at the giggles that bubbled out of Dunk's mouth. How could he feel any other way when that was his happiness glowing with happiness, sweet-faced and flushed, and frankly, he was much too far away, having lingered at the bar to pick out a drink that didn't burn too badly on the way down. With a polite nod to the bartender and a flute of something light and sweet in his hand, he made his way to where Dunk stood conversing with P'Jack, feeling the faint buzz of alcohol starting to make itself known underneath his own skin.
The sudden weight of an arm draping over his shoulders had Dunk turning his head in curiosity before his face lit up at the sight of Joong's smiling face, mouth parting slightly at the gentle press of the glass' rim against his lips in a silent question. Carefully, Joong tilted the glass until the pale liquid trickled into Dunk's mouth, pulling it away to replace it with a quick swipe of his thumb to wipe away the excess liquid that lingered on plump lips, and licked the skin clean. It was as sweet as promised, the bartender having rattled off the recommendation with a knowing smile as her eyes darted between Joong and Dunk, its taste lingering on the tongue with a pleasant tingle.
An exasperated groan in the background threatened to shatter the loving atmosphere between them, but Joong studiously ignored it, his focus solely on Dunk's thoughtful face as he swallowed. "Do you like it?"
"I like it," Dunk nodded, licking his lips, his head tilted slightly at the sweetness that remained in his mouth. He blinked, watching as Joong placed his lips over the same spot that Dunk's did to take his own sip, before tilting his head the other way, mischievous. "I like you."
They broke out into teasing noises, giggles filling the space between them as they poked each other playfully. It was only once their laughter petered out that Dunk turned back to their tired looking manager to finish their conversation, leaning his back against Joong's chest with cat-like satisfaction. Joong was content to stand there, Dunk warm and radiant against him, dropping his own cheeky remarks here and there and grinning at the way he could feel how Dunk's laughter reverberated in his chest.
But despite the softness of his heart, eyes reverently tracing the lines of Dunk's face, he stayed close, a steady pressure against Dunk's side, simply because of one worry—
Dunk was a lightweight.
He was careful to take sips, pacing himself with bites of food in-between, but without fail, a soft crimson flush would creep onto his cheeks before Joong would even begin to feel tipsy. It kept Joong guarded, sharp-eyed despite his easygoing jokes, the steady weight of his hand on Dunk naturally settling wherever it gravitated to as Dunk grinned, serene.
The two of them being extra tangled up in each other a couple of drinks in wasn't unusual at all—liquid courage seemed to always make Dunk more impulsive, inhibitions gone and simple want replacing it, and Joong, with what can only be described as absolute delight, indulged those wants without question. Dunk bloomed under Joong's affection easier when they had a quiet corner to themselves, but like this, it was like Dunk couldn't physically contain himself from crowding into Joong's space once his eyes honed in on him, crowd or not, pressing in close as Joong's hand settled on the curve of his waist to pull him even closer. Dunk would watch Joong as he talked, a moth to a flame, eyes warm with unmistakable affection, laughter always escaping his mouth at every joke that Joong dropped.
What was unusual was the way Dunk seemed more tipsy than normal, face flushed and body loose fast enough for Joong to, every so often, gently turn Dunk's face towards him out of worry. Joong was coaxing Dunk's head to turn again when Dunk's half-lidded gaze met Joong's searching one, and with a giggle, he threw his arms around Joong's shoulders, his chin hooking over one and his fingers lacing together behind the broad back to lock Joong in a sudden hug. Joong's arms wound around Dunk's waist and pulled him closer by instinct, barely noticing P'Jack retreating to the bar like a man being chased.
"Joong," Dunk whined in protest when Joong pulled back, just enough to cup Dunk's cheek, his thumb softly brushing the heated, supple skin there. Dunk pouted at him, his fingers still loosely hooked behind Joong's back, his thumbs warm against Joong's skin. They rested just beneath his neck, Dunk having slid his thumbs underneath the collar of Joong's shirt at some point between throwing his arms around his shoulders and gently resting their heads together. It had Joong's heart stuttering in his chest, the heat more than just alcohol induced, but his instinct to take care of the treasure in his arms won over everything else.
"I'll get you some water," Joong murmured, hand drifting up to gently sweep Dunk's bangs out of his bleary eyes before it dropped back down onto the petal pink cheek. With a sigh, Dunk closed his eyes and leaned into Joong's hand, nuzzling it, before opening them to look at Joong through his eyelashes. Dunk didn't want to move—his head felt too heavy and the crowd was too suffocating, squeezing through it undoubtedly sitfling, doubly so when everything except Joong felt slightly off balance in all the wrong ways. But even though he knew Joong was right, his parched throat also demanding attention, the thought of being even a second apart felt worse.
"Take me with you," Dunk demurred, a statement more than a question, eyes desperate with something that skirted the edge of a plea. Joong's eyes softened impossibly more, and not one to shy away from showing his affections, he linked their hands together, two puzzle pieces snapping in place, before pulling Dunk along with him.
Settling into a quieter corner at the end of the bar, Dunk let himself slump against Joong's side, eyes slipping almost completely shut as he let the rumbling of Joong's chest whilst he spoke to the bartender wash over him, soothing. He could feel his head calm down to a dull throb, the steady warmth at his side and the darkness behind his eyelids a cooling balm in his tipsy state, only opening them slowly when Joong tipped his chin up with gentle fingers.
"Here," Joong encouraged softly, nudging the straw of the glass of water closer to Dunk's mouth, "drink this."
Gratefully, Dunk caught the straw between his lips and drank slowly, downing half the glass in one go. Joong watched as Dunk licked his lips, his questions filling the space as he helped Dunk support his glass of water.
"Better?"
"Yeah… Thanks."
"Are you hungry?"
"A little," Dunk admitted, blinking at the grilled meat suddenly being offered to him, lips twitching up and eyes meeting Joong's as he opened his mouth to accept the offering. "Are you?"
"No." He still ate the grilled meat that Dunk offered back, Dunk having pulled the plate closer to sit between the two of them, and fought—but spectacularly failed—to tamp down the smile threatening to break out on his face as he sipped from the straw of the glass that Dunk pointedly put in front of him.
Offering another piece of meat, Joong smiled openly as he watched Dunk take it between his teeth and chewed sluggishly. "Are you having fun?"
"Mhm," Dunk hummed, nodding, and Joong could feel his heart swelling with affection when Dunk smiled at him, soft and unguarded in a way that had Joong reaching over to caress a still flushed cheek, slow and reverent.
As they took turns feeding each other, words traded between languid bites of food, Joong couldn't help but feel like he was being underhanded somehow, asking questions in hopes that the alcohol would loosen the tongue of his normally nonchalant partner. He let the question slip out of his mouth anyways, grinning in the cheeky way that always had Dunk agreeing even easier with whatever he said, the alcohol in his own veins ridding him of any semblance of a filter. "Love me forever?"
That startled a laugh out of Dunk. "You really need to ask?" he teased. His eyes were shiny underneath the lights, the shadows of his eyelashes failing to hide the honey sweet adoration dripping from them as he looked at Joong.
"Dunk…" Joong whined. He wasn't a fool—he could see it, of course he could, but he wanted to hear it from Dunk's own mouth, his words sunglight to Joong's budding being. He wanted Dunk to say it, liquid chocolate words solidifying into a solid slab of the kind of love that people spend decades looking for, a kind of tangibility that couldn't be touched but still felt.
Dunk giggled in response, running a hand down Joong's arm, placating. "Of course," he started, breaking out into more laughter at Joong's pout. His hands came up to gently cup Joong's sullen face, eyes soft with sincerity as he continued, "I love you, always."
Joong beamed. He laughed, suddenly feeling shy, and reached for one of Dunk's hand to tangle their fingers together. "I love you too," he breathed, pressing a kiss to Dunk's knuckles. "More than I can say."
With a firm tug, Joong pulled Dunk into his lap, his arms wound firmly around Dunk's waist, his grin as bright as the sun widening even more when Dunk's surprise dissolved into more laughter. Two grown men occupying the same seat was a constant fight to stay upright, but Joong wanted to stay like this for as long as possible, the warmth in his lap a reminder of the good in his tiring days. He pressed more kisses against any inch of flushed skin he could reach, if only to coax out more displays of Dunk's happiness.
"Joong," Dunk laughed, "isn't that enough?"
Joong grinned even harder, shaking his head. "Never. What, you don't like it?"
"That's impossible," Dunk said without missing a beat, meeting Joong's eyes with unwavering certainty. His hands came up to pet Joong's cheeks, voice sweet and fond. "It's you, of course I like it."
Joong blinked, processing, before he ducked his head down, a silly grin painted across his face. He let Dunk guide his head back up, not even attempting to look anything less than adoring, when Dunk's face suddenly shifted into something more somber, his fingers shifting gently across the skin of the cheeks cradled in his palms.
"You can tell me anything," Dunk murmured, thumbs brushing underneath Joong's dark circles. Concern filled his eyes, worry eating away at him at Joong's apparent lack of rest.
Joong squeezed Dunk even tighter. "I know." He leaned forward, Dunk's hands delicately dislodging from Joong's cheeks from the motion to rest on his shoulders instead. A kiss, pressed sweetly to a cherry red cheek. "Thank you."
Unable to help himself, Joong planted another kiss on Dunk's cheek, soft and lingering, smiling into it when he heard Dunk's shy giggles of delight. His smile became even wider when Dunk returned the favour, stilling Joong's face with gentle hands so that he could clumsily press his lips onto Joong's check with a loud smack. They looked at each other, lips quirking up in mirrored joy, before bursting into soft laughter, heads tapping together and parting like two planets in orbit. It was moments like this that made the both of them wish that time would stop, carrying a wholehearted belief in fate and destiny, perfection in the comfort of one plus one equalling the two of them.
"I'll always be with you," Dunk whispered, eyes searching Joong's face, imploring him to believe him. Dunk could feel his heart beating painfully in his chest, the good kind of pain from loving so fiercely that it fought to burst from the confines of his chest, and hoped and prayed that Joong could see what he didn't know how to say.
It was then, heart overwhelmed with a love that consumed him, that Joong knew that he wouldn't, couldn't, ever let Dunk go. He said as much, thoughts coming out of his mouth in heavy, shaking words, his hold tightening even more around the pliant body in his arms. Dunk blinked before laughing, sweet and bright, one of his hands sliding to the back of Joong's head to run his fingers through the soft strands. When he spoke again, Dunk's voice was impossibly gentle, sincerity lacing every word.
"I never asked you to."