pairing: chankai.
word count: 7600.
rating: pg-13.
genre: fluff and fluff and fluff. it's so fluffy everyone's going to puke and get cavities and then puke some more.
summary: chanyeol makes sure jongin has the best valentine's day ever.
 

It's no longer much of a secret that Jongin likes Chanyeol. Admitting that to anyone, most of all to himself, had been quite the struggle at first, but now, after a full year of involuntarily crushing on Chanyeol followed by almost two years of being officially together, Jongin is confident enough to say it out loud and only feel a little bit bashful. Because Jongin really likes Chanyeol. There are just some things about him that are... difficult to appreciate.

Among these things is the way his face distorts when he's laughing really hard (which Jongin totally doesn't find both endearing and adorable), the way he always looks at Jongin as if he's the best thing that has ever happened to him (which totally doesn't turn Jongin's belly into a swarm of fluttering insects) and the way he seems to have this constant need to touch Jongin no matter where they are and who they're with (which totally doesn't fill Jongin with the urge to push Chanyeol up against the nearest wall to make out with him like a teenager).

However, Jongin's least favorite thing of all has to be how loud Chanyeol tends to be sometimes. Like he is right now. It's eight in the morning on Jongin's day off when he's woken up by a loud clatter accompanied by a yelp, and he contemplates getting up to see what kind of trouble Chanyeol has gotten himself into this time... until it hits him that it's eight am.

Grumbling, Jongin flops over so he's on his stomach. He steals Chanyeol's pillow and covers his head with it in hopes of blocking out the noises coming from elsewhere in the apartment. It doesn't work too well, though. See, Chanyeol tends to do this thing where he forgets that he has earbuds in and sings along to the music he's listening to at the top of his lungs, and although Jongin doesn't exactly hate Chanyeol's voice (which he totally did not to on a daily basis before they started dating), it's not something he wants to hear at this ungodly hour of the day when he could be spending his time catching up on the glorious thing that is sleep.

Jongin has half a mind to drag himself out of the room to go tell Chanyeol to shut the hell up, but then things go blissfully quiet. Eerily quiet. It makes Jongin worry, because when it comes to Chanyeol, this kind of silence means something bad about ninety-five percent of the time. The anxiety churning in Jongin's gut becomes too overwhelming, and he sits upright, ready to swing his legs over the side of the bed, when the door suddenly opens.

And in comes Chanyeol. He has his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth in concentration as he carefully balances a tray held in both of his hands, and it's not until he has kicked the door shut behind himself that he looks up and notices that Jongin is staring right at him. “Oh,” he says, surprised. “You're awake.”

“You're noisy,” Jongin retorts, but now he's too curious to stay grumpy. “What's that?”

Chanyeol smiles widely, the smile that makes him look like a crazy person (the smile that Jongin totally doesn't want to kiss right off his stupid, handsome face). “I made breakfast,” he declares proudly, and he crosses the floor to place the tray on Jongin's lap with a flourish.

Jongin looks down and his eyes go wide in horror. It's not the food itself that makes him stare, though. Rather than that, it's the decoration: the shape of a heart crudely drawn with what appears to be ketchup on top of a pile of fried rice. There's even a single long-stemmed rose placed in a fancy vase Jongin wasn't even aware that they owned. He thinks he's going to throw up. “You're ridiculous,” he groans. He's going to melt into a puddle of mush because of all these unwelcome feels, he's sure of it. “Why did you do this, why?”

Chanyeol, undeterred by Jongin's seemingly negative reaction, doesn't stop smiling as he sits down on the edge of the bed and picks up one set of chopsticks. “Today's Valentine's Day.”

Jongin grimaces. “I don't know what kind of dumb ideas Baekhyun has been filling your head with, but I know for a fact that Yixing only goes along with all that crap because he thinks it's sweet that Baekhyun is so into it, and because he's too nice for his own good and can't bear to let him down.”

“It has nothing to do with Baekhyun,” Chanyeol insists, though his slightly sheepish tone and the color flooding his cheeks both belie his honesty. “I just wanted to do something nice for you because I like you so much. That's all.”

Once more Jongin groans, this time with a pained expression. “Don't make me puke.” He gags for emphasis. Chanyeol looks unconvinced, though, and Jongin can't help but think to himself how much it that Chanyeol knows him so well sometimes. Jongin gives up on pretending to retch and lets out a heavy sigh. “Alright, come here.” Chanyeol gladly leans closer so Jongin can grab the front of his shirt and pull him in for a kiss. And Jongin is sure he must tastes like stale morning breath, but that's what Chanyeol gets for waking him up this early. “I like you too, by the way.” Even though Jongin is purposely avoiding looking at Chanyeol's face, he can tell that he's beaming.

Jongin knows full well how good Chanyeol is at cooking so it doesn't come as much of a surprise that the food is delicious. On top of that, Chanyeol looks so content feeding Jongin (only because he insisted on doing it and totally not because Jongin enjoys being taken care of) that Jongin is starting to think that it may not be so bad waking up early after all. Not if this is what he's waking up to. “Good?” Chanyeol asks.

“Amazing,” Jongin says around a mouthful of rice. He has opted to abandon all pretense because it really is great. “But, you know, if you wanted to do something nice for me, you didn't have to go out of your way to get up early to cook. You could've just me off or something.”

There's something about Chanyeol's smile that sends a shiver of anticipation rolling down Jongin's back. “I was saving that for dessert,” he says nonchalantly.

Jongin swallows. “Oh,” he breathes. He's already looking forward to it.

Hours later they're still in bed. They've been intermittently napping in between make out sessions and several rounds of lazy morning , and they're sweaty and happy and sated. It's the first time in weeks that the two of them have a full day together where they don't have to go anywhere. Jongin would be perfectly satisfied spending it just like this, but it seems like Chanyeol has other plans, which becomes evident when he stops running his fingers through Jongin's hair and mutters: “We should get dressed soon.”

Jongin lets out an unhappy whine to express how he feels about that idea and burrows his face further into Chanyeol's neck, tightening his arms around his waist. “Nope,” he says. “I'm going to stay here all day. I'm not getting out of bed for anything.”

He can feel the vibrations of a chuckle in Chanyeol's throat. “Really?”

“Yup,” Jongin mumbles with conviction.

“What if I told you that the pet store a couple of streets down just took in a new litter of puppies?”

Against Jongin's own will, his body tenses up at those words. “Puppies?” he repeats. His voice is loaded with child-like excitement, which is probably kind of embarrassing, but he doesn't even care. He loves puppies.

“Yeah. Some kind of mixed breed, I think. They looked like they're about ten weeks old.”

Jongin pulls away to be able to look at Chanyeol's face, wide-eyed. “You saw them?” Chanyeol nods. “Were they cute?” Chanyeol nods again, now smiling at Jongin's obvious enthusiasm. Jongin chews on his lip in thought. “Like, really cute? Or just moderately cute?” The cuteness of puppies is directly proportional to Jongin's willingness to get out of bed for them.

“Almost as cute as you,” Chanyeol says with a grin and a kiss pressed to the tip of his nose, and Jongin would scowl at him for being so disgusting, but he doesn't because puppies. He really loves puppies. “Are you sure you don't want to go see them?” Judging by Chanyeol's smug expression, he already knows what the answer is going to be, so Jongin doesn't even say anything. All he does is sigh as if this is the single most burdensome thing he has ever had to do in his entire life, and he motions to get out of bed like Chanyeol suggested.

Before Jongin can leave, however, Chanyeol grabs a hold of his arm and yanks. Clearly the move wasn't thought out very well, but when it comes to Chanyeol, that's yet another thing that doesn't come as much of a surprise. Jongin ends up losing his balance, tumbling heavily on top of Chanyeol, who lets out an oof as the air is knocked out of his lungs, and he groans and wheezes. His shortness of breath doesn't stop him from craning his neck to kiss Jongin, though.

When they part, Chanyeol is smiling up at him slightly sheepishly. Jongin rolls his eyes, trying to fight back a smile of his own (he fails). “You're so dumb.”

“But you still like me,” Chanyeol sing-songs. Jongin doesn't want to admit that he's right, so he just kisses him again in lieu of a reply (and he totally doesn't think Chanyeol is cute, not even a little).

They shower together. At this point there's no part of the other they haven't seen so there's nothing awkward about it. Chanyeol was never shy about his body, and Jongin got over his bashfulness the first time they had and Chanyeol stared him right in the eye and told him he was beautiful with so much sincerity it made Jongin flush all over. Now Jongin no longer feels the urge to cover up whenever Chanyeol looks at him like he wants to eat him.

With a bit of coaxing and bribery in the form of kisses, Jongin agrees to let Chanyeol wash his back, and he's surprised by how chaste it is. Usually Chanyeol is all hands around Jongin, even more so when Jongin is undressed, but today he keeps it innocent for the most part. He rubs soap on Jongin's back and shoulders with gentle touches that has Jongin's spine arching and breathing out sighs of content without meaning to, and even though it's not ual in nature, Jongin finds himself wishing that Chanyeol would make it ual.

He never does, though. He just finishes up with a kiss pressed to the slope of Jongin's neck, and that's what does it for Jongin, who snaps and turns around to push a clearly surprised Chanyeol up against the wall. Like this he kisses him, water sliding down heated skin as their hips move in tandem, but the only reason why he's doing it is because the touches have made him again and he wants to get off (and it's totally not because he enjoys the heat of Chanyeol's gaze or the choked noises Chanyeol moans into Jongin's mouth when he spills across his hand).

Afterwards they get dressed to go out, and Jongin is sitting on the bed to put on his jeans when he sees it. For a moment he goes still, pants halted halfway up his legs. Then he gets up, pulls the jeans up the rest of the way and walks over to the window to take a look outside. “It's snowing.”

“Snowing?” Chanyeol comes up behind him, arms wrapping around Jongin's waist, hands folding on his still bare stomach, chin resting on his shoulder. “Oh yeah, looks like it is.” They stand there in silence for a while and watch as flakes of white drizzle from the bleak sky. “Do you want to just stay in, then?” Right away, Jongin shakes his head, and Chanyeol lets out a hum of what sounds like surprise. “Are you sure? I know you don't like being cold.”

Jongin turns around to face his boyfriend, who's wearing one of those stupid, oversized hoodies he always wears (Jongin kind of hates how much he loves those things on him). “We're going to go look at puppies,” he says with great determination. Chanyeol grins and looks like he's going to say something gross again so Jongin quickly stops him by kissing him quiet. It would be a shame for him to lose his breakfast so soon after eating it.

As they put on their jackets and boots, Chanyeol starts rummaging through the hallway closet, and Jongin watches him curiously. He doesn't get to ask any questions before Chanyeol exclaims a triumphant noise, and he resurfaces, now holding a long, red scarf. “You should wear proper clothes when you're going out in the snow,” he says as he proceeds to meticulously wrap the thick cloth around Jongin's neck and most of his lower face.

“I would've been fine without it,” Jongin grumbles. He didn't even consider wearing a scarf.

“I just don't want you to freeze.” Chanyeol grabs one of his own hats – one with faux fur and ear flaps – from the shelf above the closet's coat rack, and he pulls it down over Jongin's head, brushing Jongin's bangs out of his eyes with a careful sweep of his hand. Then he takes a step back to admire his work and he smiles, clearly satisfied with himself. “You look cute.” Jongin glares at him, but he's having a hard time containing his own smile, which he hides behind the cloth covering his face. He's only happy because he feels nice and warm now, though (and totally not because Chanyeol chooses to wear a matching hat nor because the scarf smells like Chanyeol whenever Jongin buries his nose in it and takes a deep breath).

The walk to the pet store is short, and they walk briskly to stay warm in the biting cold. Chanyeol, despite his lecture about not freezing, forgot to bring his gloves, and he keeps pulling his hands into his sleeves and blowing on them for warmth. Jongin eventually takes pity on him. When he's sure no one is looking, he grabs Chanyeol by the elbow and tugs him closer so he can pull one of his hands into the pocket of his jacket and link their fingers together. Out of the corner of his eye, Jongin can see Chanyeol grinning smugly. Jongin frowns. “Don't even say anything,” he warns. “I'm only doing this because I like your fingers too much for you to lose them.”

“Yeah you do,” Chanyeol says with a sly leer and a bump of his shoulder. Bashful, Jongin hides his face behind the scarf again. He's pretty sure his skin is matching it in color by now. Chanyeol doesn't seem to notice as he goes on to say: “By the way, it would be better if you just go along with whatever I say once we're there.”

Jongin shoots him a look. Chanyeol skillfully ignores it. Jongin narrows his eyes further. “What did you do?” he demands, but Chanyeol ignores that as well, and then they're there, and Jongin is unable to ask any more questions. Jongin does take the opportunity to glower at Chanyeol one last time for good measure before they go inside, though.

Jongin has never actually been in the store. He has walked past it numerous times, staring longingly at the puppies bustling about in their display case and pressing their small noses up against the window to wag their tails enthusiastically at passerbys, but he doesn't have any pets so he hasn't had any reason to enter the store until now. It's small and cramped, pet food and toys stacked tall on the shelves, and the sounds of several animals blend together. There are birds chirping and rodents squeaking and fainter barks and mewls coming from the backroom where the cats and dogs are kept.

Despite all the noise, the chime of the bell above the door has caught the attention of the cashier, a tiny, fair-skinned man, who is now throwing them a smile bright enough to rival even Chanyeol's. Chanyeol smiles right back at him. “Just go along with it,” he repeats, whispered through his teeth loud enough for only Jongin to hear. Then he walks up to the counter. “Hi.”

“Hello,” the man greets them in return. The nametag pinned to the front of his barf-colored work shirt tells Jongin that his name is Joonmyun. “What can I help you with today?”

“We're here to see some puppies.” Jongin can't help but smile serenely at the thought once more, and he can feel a budding excitement in his stomach. Puppies.

“Are you looking to buy?” the shopkeeper asks, looking back and forth between them.

“Yes,” Chanyeol replies right away, and Jongin smile fades as he looks at his boyfriend in surprise. As much as he would love to actually buy a puppy, they're not allowed to have pets in their apartment, and he opens his mouth to say just that:

“We're not–”

“We're not entirely sure which breed we're going to get,” Chanyeol cuts him off by smoothly finishing his sentence for him. “But I walked past your store the other day and I saw that you had puppies for sale so I was hoping we could have a look.” Chanyeol smiles at Jongin, most likely encouraging him to join the conversation or say something to back up Chanyeol's claim, but Jongin just scowls at him in return. Even though Chanyeol had asked him to follow his lead, Jongin doesn't like not knowing what's going on, and he's sure his unhappiness shows on his face.

If the shopkeeper suspects that anything is amiss, he's good at hiding it, perpetually smiling. “Ah, well, I'm sure we can figure something out. Follow me.”

There are seven of them. Seven curly-furred puppies, yipping as they stagger and tumble around on the floor of the pen they're kept in. Jongin can feel his heart melting at the sight. The puppies have obviously noticed them entering the room as they abandon their spots one by one to press themselves against the barrier, wiggling and whining excitedly in greeting. Smiling, Jongin pulls off his gloves and crouches down to stick a finger through the grid where he's immediately assaulted by wet tongues and tiny teeth and nipping at his skin. This just makes his smile grow wider. “You're all so cute,” he coos at the puppies.

“They're labradoodles,” the shopkeeper tells them. “They were kind of an accident. The neighbor's mutt got a little too intimate with Mrs. Fluffybottom the Third and this is the result.”

“You're the most adorable accident I've ever seen,” Jongin mutters under his breath. As if in response, one of the puppies barks, and Jongin chuckles. It's been far too long since he's been around dogs. He almost forgot how happy they make him.

“You can go in there if you want. I'm sure they'd love for someone to pet them.” The shopkeeper points to the largest puppy, one with a ridge of hair running down its back like a mohawk. “Watch out for that one, though. He likes to eat shoelaces.” The puppy looks up at him with big, innocent eyes, cocking its head to the side. It's very hard for Jongin to not squeal and flail like an overeager teenage girl (or like his friend Zitao at a fashion sale, which is kind of the same thing).

As soon as Jongin steps over the side of the pen, the puppies crowd around him, butting their heads against his legs and jumping up with their paws placed on his shins, wiggling their bodies as they beg to be picked up. Rather than doing that, however, Jongin finds the nearest clear spot on the floor and plops himself down. As soon as he's sitting, several puppies clamber into his lap to at his face and sniff at his clothes and nose at his hands until he gives in and pets them. Jongin's cheeks are starting to hurt from smiling so much.

In the other room, the bell jingles. With a bow, the shopkeeper excuses himself to go serve the other customers, leaving Chanyeol and Jongin alone, and Chanyeol steps into the pen as well and sits down next to Jongin, pressed against his side. Soon he has a lap full of puppies as they set out to explore the newcomer. The only one that doesn't move is the one that has settled down and fallen asleep in the cradle of Jongin's crossed legs. “What do you think?” Chanyeol says.

“I want to take them all home,” Jongin sighs wistfully. “Can we?”

Chanyeol laughs, flinching away as a curious, wet nose tries to wiggle its way into one of his ears. “I don't really think that's possible. Sorry.”

Jongin's smile fades a little. He drags his eyes away from the puppies to look at Chanyeol even though Chanyeol is too focused on petting and cooing to look back at him. “You know we're not allowed to have pets in the apartment, right?” Chanyeol nods. “So what was all that about before?”

“What was what about?” Chanyeol says with feigned ignorance.

“Saying that we're thinking about buying.”

“Oh. That.” Chanyeol appears a little sheepish, hanging his head. “Well, I know that most of these places only let you play with the puppies if you're a buyer so... I kind of lied a little bit.” He raises his eyes to look at Jongin, and it's funny how much he resembles the puppies that are currently stomping around on his thighs. “Please don't be mad at me, I just wanted to see you smile.”

“Why would I be mad? This is great.” Jongin leans in to give Chanyeol a brief kiss, and when he pulls away, Chanyeol's grin is even brighter than before. Jongin lowers his eyes shyly. “Thank you.”

Chanyeol is practically beaming. “You're welcome.” A particularly persistent puppy is tugging on his sleeve with its teeth to get his attention and affection, and Chanyeol relents and picks it up to hold it in his arms where it promptly proceeds to his jaw. “I'm sorry I can't actually get you one of these guys. I totally would if I could.”

“I know you would,” Jongin says. The puppy in his lap starts kicking in its sleep, and he it to make it calm down. For some reason he's reminded of how easily Chanyeol always relaxes whenever he's allowed to rest his head in Jongin's lap or on his chest so Jongin can play with his hair until he falls asleep. Jongin smiles fondly to himself at the thought. “It's alright. I don't need a puppy when I have you, anyway.” It just kind of slips out without his consent, and it's not until Chanyeol lets out a sound of disbelief that Jongin realizes how gross and lame that was.

“What?” Chanyeol says with a slight chuckle. “I'm sorry, can you repeat that for me? Because for a second there I almost thought I heard you saying something sweet.”

“F-forget it,” Jongin mumbles into his scarf. He refuses to meet Chanyeol's amused gaze.

Chanyeol just laughs, louder this time, and playfully bumps his shoulder against Jongin's. “Hey, look at me.” Jongin peers at Chanyeol, fully prepared to form his features into a scowl in case Chanyeol is going to say something stupid. Chanyeol doesn't say anything at all, though. He just smiles in a way that totally doesn't make Jongin's heart race, and he reaches out to push the scarf away from Jongin's face so he can kiss him on the mouth.

Before Jongin knows it, several hours have passed like this. He's surprised by how fast time has gone by, and he's also surprised that the shopkeeper actually let them stay for so long. He reluctantly says goodbye to all the puppies by kissing each of them on the forehead once. When they leave he does his best not to look at the store window because he knows that seeing the puppies staring sadly through the glass would break his heart and make him want to march back in there to buy them all and take them home.

A hand runs down Jongin's forearm, curling around his wrist, and there's that frown on Chanyeol's face that Jongin doesn't like seeing because it means that he's worried about something. If they weren't surrounded by people he'd kiss it away, but they are so he can't do that. “I'm fine,” Jongin mutters before Chanyeol can even ask. He burrows his face further into the scarf once more so Chanyeol won't see the dejected downturn of his lips.

“You sure?”

Jongin nods. “Yeah. I'm just cold. And hungry.”

Chanyeol knows Jongin well enough to be able to see right through his lies, but he also knows that he shouldn't push it, so he just his thumb discreetly over the back of Jongin's hand in a soothing motion. “What do you say we go get some chicken?” he suggests. Jongin immediately perks up at the mention of his favorite food. Chicken always makes every situation better. Chanyeol smiles knowingly, letting go of Jongin's hand to crook his elbow in the curve of Jongin's arm instead. And like this, he pulls him along.

Coincidentally, Jongin's favorite chicken chain just so happens to have a restaurant less than half a block away from their home (something that may or may not have influenced Jongin's decision-making when they were searching for apartments), and Chanyeol and Jongin come here often enough for most of the staff to recognize them by now. Jongin's love for chicken is pretty much the only thing that keeps him from getting embarrassed by that fact.

Today the cash register is manned by Angry Eyebrows Dude. Chanyeol calls him that for reasons that should be self-explanatory, but he's actually a pretty decent guy, and, unlike Perpetually Terrified Dude, he never seems to judge the amount of fried chicken Chanyeol and Jongin buy on a monthly basis. “The usual?” Angry Eyebrows Dude asks once they approach the counter.

“You can get anything you want,” Chanyeol says to Jongin. “I'm paying.”

Jongin stares at him. “Really?” Chanyeol responds by simply pulling out his wallet, and for some reason that makes Jongin's heart ache with... Something. “You... you don't have to.”

“I want to,” Chanyeol says in a tone that tells Jongin that it's not up for further discussion.

Angry Eyebrows Dude has been staring at them like he's watching one of those ridiculous, Korean dramas Zitao always forces Sehun to sit through. Jongin opts to ignore the dreamy look on his face because combined with the downwards slope of his bushy brows, it makes for a pretty scary expression. Instead he focuses on the ugly hat perched on top of Angry Eyebrows Dude's blonde hair as he places an order to go, rambling off items as if he has their menu memorized (he actually does, but he'd never admit that).

Chanyeol pays for it all with a smile and none of the usual complaining he does when Jongin makes him spend money and that Something tugs at Jongin's heartstrings again. “It's gonna be a couple of minutes,” Angry Eyebrows Dude tells them.

“I'm gonna go use the bathroom, then.” Chanyeol gives Jongin's hand a subtle squeeze. “I'll be right back.” Jongin watches him go, pulling on his bottom lip with his fingers as he thinks. He feels guilty. Chanyeol has been doing so many nice things for him all day, while Jongin hadn't even considered getting him anything. The title of World's Worst Boyfriend could easily belong to him.

A display stand next to the cash register on the counter catches Jongin's eye, a glass jar holding heart-shaped lollipops wrapped in clear plastic, and out of nowhere an idea hits Jongin. He points to the jar. “How much are those?”

“A thousand won each,” Angry Eyebrows Dude replies.

Jongin nods. “I'll take three.”

It's no longer snowing, but the sun has long disappeared behind the city's tall buildings and the temperature has dropped with it, so once Chanyeol and Jongin leave the chicken place, they rush home to the warmth of their apartment as fast as their frost-affected legs can carry them. “Oh man, I thought I was going to freeze my balls off out there,” Chanyeol says while kicking off his shoes and shrugging off his jacket. He throws a glance at Jongin out of the corner of his eyes, looking pensive for a moment before smirking. “You know, maybe you should check to see if they're really okay.” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

“Priorities,” Jongin says as he holds up the bag containing all the fried chicken they just bought. “Sorry not sorry.” Chanyeol pouts until Jongin can't stand the sight of that ridiculous kicked puppy expression anymore and makes it go away by kissing Chanyeol (which is totally not something he has been aching to do all day).

Even though it's Valentine's Day, their dinner is not at all romantic. They eat the chicken with their bare hands directly out of the paper boxes it came in, and Jongin is sure he comes across as someone who's getting their first meal after starving for several weeks with the way he's practically inhaling the meat. He just really likes chicken.

At one point when they're almost done eating, Jongin looks up to find Chanyeol looking at him with an oddly fond look in his eyes that has Jongin raising his eyebrows at him in question. “It's nothing,” Chanyeol brushes him off, shaking his head. “Just... I think you look kind of cute when you eat. I don't know, is that weird?”

Jongin is reminded of the first time he went out to dinner with Baekhyun, and Baekhyun had looked at him with an immense amount of disgust in his expression and told him that if someone saw Jongin eating chicken like that and they'd still be willing to touch his afterwards, Jongin should marry that person right on the spot. He quickly shoves the thought out of his head because that falls under the category Pretty ing Terrifying (especially because the idea actually doesn't sound half bad to him). “It's kinda weird, yeah,” he mumbles around a mouthful of meat, trying to sound like he wasn't just in danger of having a minor panic attack.

“Hmmm.” Chanyeol reaches out to wipe a bit of sauce away from the corner of Jongin's mouth with the pad of his thumb, which is the fluffiest, grossest thing anyone has ever done to Jongin in his entire life (and it totally doesn't make him flail inwardly or anything). “Guess I'll just have to live with being weird, then.” Chanyeol shrugs, then smiles, all wide and bright and perfect as if he doesn't have a care in the world. Jongin casts his eyes down (and he's totally not blushing at the lingering idea of marrying Chanyeol).

“I have something for you, by the way,” Jongin says. He needs a distraction.

“For me?” Chanyeol sounds surprised and looks it even more. Jongin nods as he wipes his fingers on a napkin before getting up to go get the lollipops he stuffed into his coat pocket earlier. Without saying anything, he hands all three of them over to Chanyeol, who accepts them, still gaping like he can't believe what he's seeing. “When did you get these?”

“At the chicken place when you were in the bathroom.” It sounds so unglamorous when Jongin puts it like that. Now he feels stupid. With all the things Chanyeol has done, Jongin really should've gotten him something more than just some cheap candy bought on a whim, or he could've at least wrapped them or something to make them look at little nicer. “It was a spur of the moment idea. I'm sorry. I know it's kinda dumb.”

Chanyeol ignores Jongin's self-deprecation and instead fixes him with a look that makes Jongin's heart flutter for some reason. “Thank you,” Chanyeol says earnestly. Once more, Jongin lowers his gaze, and he shrugs, mumbling something about how it's not a big deal, but his cheeks are coloring as though they're heating up from the warmth Chanyeol's bright smile seems to exude and his heart is racing faster than what's healthy. Making Chanyeol happy is another thing Jongin really likes. “I'll have to eat them later, though. I think I'm going to explode if I eat more right now.” Chanyeol pulls a pained expression, pressing a hand against his stomach for emphasis.

“You should go lay down, then,” Jongin says. “I'll take care of the kitchen.”

Now smiling, Chanyeol takes Jongin's hand and gives it a squeeze. “Thanks, you're the best.”

Because of their lazy attitude towards plates and utensils, cleaning up isn't really that hard. All Jongin needs to do is put away the leftover chicken (maybe he had gone a little overboard when he ordered, considering they have enough left to last them at least one more dinner) and throw away the trash and then he's done and able to go join Chanyeol in the living room.

Jongin finds his boyfriend sprawled out on the couch, feet on the floor, head leaned back against the backrest and long arms lying limp by his sides. He does smile when he sees Jongin, though, and it's the loving look in his eyes that convinces Jongin to walk over to straddle Chanyeol's thighs so he can kiss him. It takes a moment for Chanyeol to get over the surprise of suddenly having a lap full of Jongin, but when he does, he promptly starts kissing back.

For a while they make out like this, languidly. Chanyeol's hands are on Jongin's hips, Jongin's arms are wrapped around Chanyeol's shoulders. The almost possessive grip Chanyeol has on him makes Jongin feel warm inside. He hopes Chanyeol can feel his gratefulness in the way he swipes his tongue along the inside of Chanyeol's mouth and that the way he nibbles on Chanyeol's lips can make up for the words he's too much of a coward to bring himself to say. He never did the whole Expressing Your Feelings thing very well. He hopes that Chanyeol knows.

They part, and Jongin brushes his mouth down Chanyeol's jaw, smiles against his bopping Adam's apple. “What's next?” he asks quietly. “Do you have anything else planned?”

“Well...” Chanyeol's voice is breathy, and Jongin's smile widens. He did that. “I bought ice cream.” Jongin emits a noise of surprise. Chanyeol just said he was going to explode if he had to eat any more, and Jongin is sure he ate nearly his own weight in chicken by himself so he's pretty full too. Getting ice cream doesn't seem like the best idea at the moment. “It's your favorite,” Chanyeol adds. “Green tea.”

Wow. Jongin really likes green tea ice cream. Chewing on his bottom lip, he considers his options. Explosion versus ice cream. Ice cream versus explosion. “Maybe later,” he settles for in the end. Still, he's touched. He didn't even know that Chanyeol knew his favorite, he can't remember ever telling him. There's a very unwelcome lump forming in his throat, and he has to quickly force it away. He's not going to cry because of ice cream. “Wh-what else?”

Chanyeol a hand up Jongin's spine. “Cuddles,” he says with a smile in his voice. “I rented Billy Elliot because I know how much you like it, so we can watch that.” Jongin's favorite movie. “Or we can watch Avatar, there's a marathon on Nickelodeon today.” Jongin's favorite show. It's too much. Jongin's eyes are starting to well up, and he presses his face into Chanyeol's shoulder to try to hide both the oncoming tears. It's a vain attempt, though. Chanyeol has this ability to always pick up on Jongin's moods, and of course this time is no exception. “Jongin?” The smile in his voice has been replaced by concern.

“'m fine,” Jongin mumbles, but his trembling voice gives him away, he knows it does. He can tell by the way Chanyeol's hand, which has been rubbing circles on Jongin's back, stills.

“Are you... are you crying?”

“'m not!”

Despite Jongin's stubborn insistence, he doesn't put up much of a fight when Chanyeol gently pushes him back to be able to look at him properly. Chanyeol's eyes go wide at the sight. “You are crying!” He starts frantically brushing away the tears as they fall from Jongin's wet eyes. “What's the matter? What happened? Did I do something wrong?” He looks so worried and panicked, and it's just making everything worse.

“No,” Jongin sniffles. “No, you're doing everything right!” Chanyeol stops wiping at Jongin's face for a moment to shoot Jongin a puzzled look, and it takes some time for Jongin to gather himself enough to sobbingly elaborate: “Today has probably been, like, the best day in my life. Like, ever. You, you've done... all these nice things for me, and I... I'm...” He pushes Chanyeol's hands away to rub his own cheeks in an angry manner. He's sure he looks like a complete mess. He never had the ability to look pretty while crying. “All I got you was some stupid lollipops, and that's only because I felt bad about not doing anything for you.”

“I think the lollipops were nice,” Chanyeol mutters. “And it was sweet of you, but you really didn't have to. I don't care about that stuff. All I want is for you to be happy.”

“See, that's exactly the problem.” Through his tears, Jongin manages a wry chuckle. “You're so good to me, and I'm... God. I'm, like, the worst boyfriend ever.”

“That's not true,” Chanyeol begins, but Jongin cuts him off right away:

“I am! You do so many things for me and... and I always make it seem like I don't appreciate it, but...” He pauses, both to catch his breath and to find his words. Chanyeol doesn't say anything, waiting patiently and silently for Jongin to continue. Hot tears still trickle down Jongin's face in a steady stream, and Chanyeol keeps wiping them away with the sleeve of his hoodie. “I do,” Jongin eventually goes on once he has gathered himself. “I do, I like it so much, and you-you make me feel so good, I'm just... I'm so scared.”

“What are you scared of?”

“Of getting hurt,” Jongin whispers. “Of showing my weaknesses. I'm scared that you're going to get tired of me or that you don't like me as much as I like you, that I'm putting too much into this.” It's ridiculous, and the worst part is that Jongin knows that it is. If Chanyeol didn't like him he wouldn't be doing all these things or go through all this trouble just to see Jongin smile, but even though Jongin knows he's being foolish, he can't shake his insecurities. “I like all the things you do for me, I'm just bad at expressing my feelings, and I'm too much of a coward to admit it. I don't even have the guts to tell you that I love you.”

“You love me?”

Jongin stares at Chanyeol with a surprise that is quickly overridden by a feeling of horror once he realizes what he just did. “What?” This is the worst thing that could've possibly happened. The worst. Jongin feels stupid, so stupid. He's so stupid for letting that slip out, he shouldn't have.

“That's... that's what you said. That you love me.” With how intently Chanyeol is looking at Jongin, it seems as if he believes he will be able to read Jongin's mind if only he stares hard enough. “Those are big words, Jongin, you... you can't say that unless you really mean it, you can't just...” There's something about Chanyeol's voice that's off. It sounds urgent, almost. At first Jongin struggles to see through the fog of his own panic to figure out what it is, but then it hits him: Chanyeol seems just as terrified as Jongin feels. And, as bad as it sounds, that's comforting.

It's a rash decision, it can probably even be considered reckless, when Jongin looks Chanyeol right in the eye and repeats: “I love you.” His heart is pounding, but he doesn't feel nauseous or anxious or guilty. He just feels... right. It feels right. If Chanyeol really doesn't feel the same way, and Jongin just screwed up everything, then so be it. There's nothing he can do. It's out.

For a long time Chanyeol stares at Jongin like he's trying to make sure he's not messing with him. When it becomes apparent that Jongin is serious about this, Chanyeol swallows something, and then he starts nodding with quick, eager bops of his head. “Good,” he says. “Good. That's good, because me too.” He's holding Jongin so tight it's getting hard to breathe now. Jongin doesn't even care. “I mean, I... I really, really... Jongin. I love you... so much, I... I don't think you understand how much I... just...” He interrupts his own rant by letting out a frustrated groan, and then he surges forward to kiss Jongin like he's unable to hold himself back any longer, like he needs this. And though Jongin is taken aback at first, surprised by Chanyeol's apparent desperation, it doesn't take long before he's returning the kiss just as eagerly, clinging to Chanyeol, hands gripping his shirt.

Making out with Chanyeol is one of Jongin's favorite things in the entire world. Jongin doesn't know if it's experience (he'd rather not consider that option because the thought of Chanyeol kissing someone else makes his stomach roil uncomfortably) or if it's just a talent of his, but his kisses never fall below the standard of Really Awesome. His lips are soft, he uses the right amount of both tongue and teeth at the right times, and he knows just how to at that particular spot behind Jongin's teeth that has Jongin's toes curling with pleasure.

Since kissing Chanyeol is already so overwhelmingly good, Jongin didn't possibly think it could get any better. It turns out he was wrong about that. Because now there's an extra added element, a raw kind of passion that wasn't there before, and it makes every press of Chanyeol's lips against Jongin's seem like a whisper of I love you.

Not until it's absolutely necessary for him to do so, not until his lungs are screaming for air, does Jongin pull away. Chanyeol looks dazed, mouth puffy and pink, and the collar of his shirt sits askew from all of Jongin's pulling on it, revealing a peek of tantalizing collarbone. Jongin wants nothing more than to dip down and a bright red mark where everyone can see it to show the world that Chanyeol belongs to someone, belongs to him.

The sound of Chanyeol's chuckle makes Jongin raise his gaze, frowning. “What?”

Chanyeol shakes his head. “I'm just thinking about how stupid it is that we didn't do this before.” That doesn't make Jongin any less confused. In fact, his frown only deepens until Chanyeol smooths out the lines of his furrowed brow with gentle brushes of his fingers. “I've been wanting to tell you that I love you for a while, you know.”

“Why didn't you?”

“I didn't want to pressure you,” Chanyeol says with a shrug. He's still touching Jongin's face, but in a way that makes it seem like he's not even aware that he's doing it. He's not looking Jongin in the eye. “I know you're not good with feelings and stuff so... I figured you'd be spooked if I came at you like that.” He shrugs again.

“That's strange, you don't usually hold yourself back,” Jongin jokes. It's hard to speak past the lump that has settled in his throat. “Thanks, though.” Chanyeol finally looks up to meet Jongin's gaze again, smiling, and somehow everything seems so much easier and lighter now. Jongin's heart feels so full he's sure it's going to explode into a million glittering stars in his chest.

“You know I'd do anything for you,” Chanyeol mutters, and as if that wasn't bad enough in itself, he also cups Jongin's face with both of his hands and brushes their noses together.

Jongin seriously thinks he's going to throw up. This time it's going to happen for real, he's sure of it. “That is the grossest thing you have ever done to me, what the hell.” He's blushing because he's embarrassed by how gross Chanyeol is (and totally not because Chanyeol's saccharine words and nausea-inducing action made his heart skip several beats).

“I know,” Chanyeol laughs. The smirk dancing on his lips is annoyingly attractive, but Jongin is definitely not going to let him know that. “You love me anyway, though.”

Jongin scowls at him. He only manages to keep it up for a few seconds before sighing. “I do,” he admits. “I really, really do.”

~*~

A/N: happy valentine's day. ♥

man, sometimes it amazes me how I can manage to write several thousand words of people doing absolutely nothing. because that's pretty much what this whole thing is, them doing nothing. nothing at all. it's a mess. I don't really have anything to say for myself, though. I wanted to write a story for valentine's day, chankai were being disgusting all over the place, it seemed like a perfect fit with chanyeol being a gross boyfriend doing All The Things and jongin being all tsuntsun and stuff (until things eventually became too overwhelming for him to handle). also, my feelings for chankai and puppies are never going to end. neverrr.

the main picture is a beautiful piece of fanart created by mia and it's so frickin beautiful and perfect for this story and I love it. ;~~~;

the title is from this song (which was brought to my attention because of this).

/quits everything