Lee Hyukjae was never late. His mother once taught him, it’s okay to be the one waiting than be the one who was waited on. So, like the diligent son he is, he grew up with the habit of arriving at venues at least thirty minutes before the scheduled meet up time (seriously though, no matter how many times he has tried to make himself late on purpose, he always arrives before anyone else does). Today, however, was one of the rare times Hyukjae was going to be late for work and he honestly couldn’t care less, and here’s why.

The day before had been so hectic for both Hyukjae and Donghae, Hyukjae has no recollection as to how he even got home last night. It’s like his body and mind didn’t need him to make decisions anymore and moved and decided for themselves. All he knows is that he’s able to finalize the choreography for a famous boy group’s comeback and the setlist as well as the placings for a fan meet slash mini-concert for another group has finally been approved and good to go, his mind was in a haze the moment he stepped out of the room. He only seems to wake from his daze when he arrives at their shared apartment with a plastic bag full of fried chicken take-out and a 6-pack of beer. 

Donghae doesn’t seem to be any better, as he had meetings after meeting then edit after edit of videos and revisions of ideas for youtube channel content for a particular group that the entertainment company he works for is pushing for more exposure to fans as well as the general public. And since Hyukjae has been out of it the whole day, he failed to inform his boyfriend that he was bringing home take-out. So you could only imagine the confusion, surprise, and general disbelief borderline hysterics when Hyukjae arrives home to Donghae setting up their coffee table with a spread of fried chicken from their favorite restaurant accompanied by two glasses of cold beer. 

And when you’ve spent the whole day with your body filled with adrenaline and just being in the zone, at some point your body is expected to crash and you start to question the inhuman strength you’ve exhibited and wonder where ever did you pull that trick from. Needless to say, they ended the night with four cans of beer empty and four remaining chicken s from the twenty-four combined. The couple was so full the moment they laid their heads on the pillows they passed right out.

A familiar set of chimes wake Hyukjae up from his deep slumber, he feels a sticky, wet patch on his cheek that’s resting on his pillow. yeah, that was a good night’s sleep, he thinks to himself while he wipes away the drool and rises slowly from their bed. Donghae is still deep asleep beside him when he pecks his cheek out of habit, and he makes his way to the bathroom to take a quick shower first before preparing a light breakfast for both of them. It’s one of the rare occasions that Donghae gets to leave the apartment for work as well, so Hyukjae is a little giddy.

The moment he steps out of the shower, he’s greeted by a pair of strong arms wrapping around his waist and chest, his boyfriend’s face instantly burying itself into his nape and is attacked with warm pecks on the freshly cleansed skin. “Why didn’t you wake me up sooner? We could have taken a shower together.” Hyukjae doesn’t need to look at his boyfriend’s face to see the smug and suggestive look he has on. Although he tries so hard not to be flustered by the suggestion, his whole face and ears get red anyway. Traitors. “You know that wouldn’t be helpful at all, we’d just take longer and I don’t want to be late for my class.” he tries to reason out, to which Donghae just replies with a lasting kiss on his forehead and both his reddened cheeks before he lets go of his flustered boyfriend and proceeds to use the shower himself. 

Once he hears the shower turn on, Hyukjae takes this as his cue to leave the bathroom and dress for work. There are only twenty minutes left before eight am, which means that if they don’t hurry out both Hyukjae and Donghae would be late for work. It’s a good thing he forced himself last night before he could pass out in bed to prepare the clothes he’ll be wearing this morning.

Donghae gets out of the bathroom the same time Hyukjae finishes drying and styling his hair down. “Hey there, beautiful,” Donghae says, placing a tender kiss on his forehead and then proceeding to the closet to get dressed. His boyfriend never fails to greet him with that every morning ever since they started to live together. It took weeks for Hyukjae to stop feeling shy and blushing like a tomato whenever he hears those words from his boyfriend’s lips, and months to stop doubting them.

He never knew he needed someone like Donghae before he met him, and now that they’ve been together since college, he doesn’t see any future where Donghae isn’t in it.

But now is not the time to get all mushy and emotional, they need to leave in thirty minutes or they’d both be late for work. And there’s nothing Hyukjae hates more than being late. So as much as Hyukjae wants to prepare a simple breakfast for them, he would have to settle with making Donghae coffee-to-go and a small carton of strawberry milk for himself. His boyfriend would probably make them stop by a cafe or a convenience store to grab something quick just so they wouldn’t go to work with an empty stomach. 

Donghae emerges from their bedroom as Hyukjae finishes up pouring the freshly brewed coffee into the thermos. And as much he would like to admire his boyfriend looking extra handsome in pressed black slacks and a crisp white button-up shirt that clings to his arms and chest so nicely, Hyukjae remembers that they both have important meetings wouldn’t—or rather, shouldn’t be missing.

“You sure you haven’t forgotten anything?” Hyukjae stops his fumbling, his head slightly tilting to the side as he lists over the things he knows is already in his bag. Wallet, keys, power bank, notebook, towel, and my water bottle. That should be it, right?

Wait, that can’t be it, right? Hyukjae thinks to himself, his eyes automatically landing on his boyfriend who’s eyes are on him, there’s a small but noticeable pout on his lips like it’s asking him to do something. Oh, what the heck—

Hyukjae does a series of quick deep breaths before he could bravely take hold of the lapels of Donghae’s jacket, pulling him closer and planting a kiss on his boyfriend’s soft lips. He feels his boyfriend’s body tense for a moment but quickly falls lax against his, Donghae’s arms already winding around his thin waist to pull him in closer. He lets out a sigh when he feels his boyfriend playfully nibble on his lower lip, tilting his head to allow Donghae to kiss him a little deeper for a while longer before he, unwillingly, cuts their makeout short.

They don’t pull away from each other’s embrace though, they’re still in close proximity to the other that Hyukjae could feel his boyfriend’s steady heartbeat beneath the many layers of clothing he has on. He’s a little dazed from their quick liplock, blinking his eyes a few times to see if he really is awake and still not off to dreamland. 

“What was that about?” he feels Donghae’s soft caresses on his left cheek, his boyfriend’s eyes are shining with adoration and a tiny bit of mirth.

It takes Hyukjae a few tries to calm both his rapidly beating heart and the warmth that has taken permanent residence on his whole face, and another few seconds to collect his thoughts together. “Well—you said, you asked if I had forgotten anything.” it sounds a little forced from his end, but he’s got to get them both moving if he wants to make it to work on time. 

And it’s as if someone has flipped the switch in his boyfriend’s mind, he could literally see the light bulb at the top of his head illuminating and it’s a little scary that Hyukjae has no idea what it is. “That I did,” Donghae starts off, and then he plants a kiss on Hyukjae’s forehead, at the tip of his nose and one on each cheek. But then when he pulls back, his boyfriend is wearing a smug look on his face, “but what I meant was if you had everything with you like your keys, wallet, and phone. What were you thinking it meant, sweetheart?”

Oh, is the only thing that crosses Hyukjae’s mind, you’d be able to hear a pin drop with how silent they both are standing in the middle of their living room in each other’s arms. Hyukjae looks like a deer caught in headlights as he processes the implication of the events that have transpired just now; Donghae acting and looking all smug now makes sense. 

“You’re a meanie!” he didn’t mean to sound like a spoilt child, but when you’re backed up in a corner and your boyfriend is enjoying your inner turmoil, there’s a justification to the whining. He tries to cover his face as he braces for the endless string of laughter from Donghae’s end, except his boyfriend knows him so well and intertwines both their hands together to stop him from hiding. “Aww, Hyukkie why are you being so cute in the morning?” Donghae peppers his whole face with sweet pecks until they’re both laughing themselves silly from their antics. 

When they’ve both calmed down, Donghae pulls him in for one last kiss on the lips, the type that Hyukjae loves so much that it leaves him breathless and goosebumps erupt along his arms when they pull away. “I love you so much.” his boyfriend’s voice is so soft, almost like a whisper yet loud enough to leave an impact to his heart. He pecks Donghae’s lips once, twice, and two more times in succession, “I love you too, even when you enjoy my misery.” 

The laughter Donghae lets out is a little too loud for their neighbors that might just be waking up just now, however, who was Hyukjae to stop his boyfriend from laughing that way when he’s the happiest in the arms of the other.

They both arrived late for their meetings that morning, and surprisingly, Hyukjae couldn’t find it in himself to wish for that morning to turn out any other way.