He was sitting on the porch, all six feet four inches of him curled up into one sitting position. He held his phone to his ear and was pouting as he looked down the street. You waved at him and felt your phone buzz. Knowing now that he was calling you and that he was waiting for you, you smiled and Zelo stood up.

            He took the phone away from his ear but it continued to buzz in your hand. You walked a little faster because just seeing him made your day ten times better. You walked straight into his open embrace and he planted kisses on top of your head. You leaned your head on his chest and breathed in, taking in the youth and the freshness of him.

            “Long day, Noona?” he asked you.

            You gave him a strained smile and nodded, not really wanting to think about it. He clucked his tongue and took your hand. Zelo led you into the house and you followed him into the kitchen. He walked to the counter where the coffee machine was already bubbling and poured the coffee into a mug. You leaned on your hand and watched him stir in the sugar and cream, smiling up at you as he did so. You were definitely better.

            He poured himself a cup of orange juice and you smiled. At first, the age difference between the two of you made you really hesitant to delve into the relationship but Zelo was mature for his age and often made you feel like you were taken care of. But, times like this when he preferred juice over coffee, only exemplified his childlike habits and it made you happy.

            He grabbed a container of cookies and placed a free hand on your shoulder. “Let’s go sit down,” he steered you towards the living room and you curled on the couch. He found a comfortable spot in the corner and you leaned against him, sipping on the coffee.

            “Talk to me. Which guy was it this time who tried to hit on you?” There was a smile to his voice but you knew it bothered him that you worked such late hours at a bar.

            “Nobody today but that’s only because I left early.”

            Zelo sighed. “Noona, do you really have to do this job? Why can’t you just do something else, something less dangerous?”

            You laced your fingers together and admired how long his fingers were. You played with his nails and kissed his palm. “So far, nothing’s happened yet. It’s just the annoying leers from drunk men and people who think it’s okay to boss a bartender around.”

            He placed his cup on the table and hugged your waist. “Yeah, but I hate that I can’t be there to protect you from them. Even if you think they’re harmless, you’re obviously always so tired. And I know getting the orders right can be a pain too.”

            You shifted a little so that you could look at him. “Then I can come home to you and everything’s better, right?”

            Zelo smiled but only gently, not really playful. “I still worry though.”

            You craned your neck to reach his lips and kissed him. “I know and that’s why I text you whenever I’m off work to let you know that you’ll be seeing my face soon.”

            He leaned his cheek on your head and his hands held yours tightly in his. You closed your eyes, feeling his warmth. “Oh!” You were confused by his sudden noise and waited. Zelo let go of you and pushed you away a little. You felt him shift behind you and then his hands were on your shoulders.

            He started to knead at the knots in your back and found the magic spot where your shoulder blades and neck connected. You dropped your head forward and sighed. He took his phone from the table and started to play your favorite calming playlist. You closed your eyes and concentrated on the feel of his fingers softly molding your flesh under his touches.

            He squeezed your biceps and you winced. It was sore from all the lifting and twirling of the bottles that you had to do. Zelo gently massaged your neck and you rolled your head back. There was a loud crack and he joked, “Noona, you’re creaking on me. Don’t you dare get old before I’ve hit my prime yet.”

            You wrinkled your nose at him and, still touching you, he bent his head forward to kiss the corner of your lips. “I’m joking. You’re always young and beautiful in my eyes.”

            A brilliant blush flooded your cheeks and he held you closer as he ran his hand down your spine, pressing into it to help you relax. You could feel his heart beat against your arm and breathed in deeply. Nothing was more perfect than coming back home from a long day’s work.

            “Zelo,” you said. He made a noise of acknowledgement. “I love you.”

            He smiled and this time turned you completely around so that he could press his forehead against you. “I love you too, Noona.” Your eyes fluttered shut when he came forward and kissed you again. His hand was firm on your back and you felt then that the stress was worth it and he was worth everything.

 I'm starting to feel like because of busy schedules and timing, people aren't really reading the updates

It's understandable but it's also really tiring for me to wake up two hours earlier before work to write and I'm not sure if I want to keep doing it...

I'm also really on the fence about opening requests. I feel like my writing and it hasn't been good lately. I can''t really take a break now because I just want to finish this batch of requests.

I'm going to probably open requests but not July 23rd. I may or may not just wait until August to give myself time. We'll see how the next month plays out I guess but it's really tiring and I don't really know if I'm doing this for myself anymore.