Relationships contain many firsts. The first date, the first kiss, the first time, the first fight, the first leaving a toothbrush at the other’s house, the first friend meeting, the first family meeting, the first move in together.

Then there is the first time travelling together, which in and of itself can be a rather daunting venture, but add to that the fact that said destination is an international twelve-hour flight, and Jaehyun can’t help but feel like this is a particularly substantial milestone that none of the romantic movies warn you about.

Particularly when the individual you are sharing this notable milestone with is Kim Doyoung.

A car honks outside, and Jaehyun looks out the window of their townhouse where he’s standing in the main room with all their luggage. A yellow vehicle is parked outside, waiting for them. He glances back into the house. “Babe, the taxi’s here.”

Doyoung swiftly marches from the bedroom to the bathroom before poking his head out to the main room, eyes darting about before he disappears back down the hall. “I feel like we’re forgetting something…”

In the nearly two years they have been together, Jaehyun has learned much about his boyfriend. Among the many details is the fact that Doyoung sees the world up close. He can’t stop himself. He needs to make sure he takes in all of the little details, intent not to overlook anything.

However, when one insists on watching the world up close, it tends to move at an incredibly fast pace, so Doyoung is constantly running in this futile effort to try to keep up with it.

Jaehyun, on the other hand, likes to watch the world from a vantage point. Sometimes the finer details slip past him, but from here, he can see the bigger picture. He can assess everything and pick and choose what needs to be addressed more carefully because from up here, the world moves more slowly.

He wishes that he could bring Doyoung back here with him, but he can’t. Attempts to slow Doyoung down only causes him more stress because the world still moves so quickly in front of him.

It’s taken some time, but Jaehyun has finally learned that the best thing he can do to help slow his fast-paced boyfriend down is make sure all the ducks Doyoung put in a row stay in a row, which is easy for Jaehyun, who can see them all from his generous vantage point.

Doyoung’s meticulousness gets stuff done, and Jaehyun’s broader view allows him to see which details are needed and which aren’t. Balance.

“We went through our bags and checklist three times this morning,” Jaehyun says. “We have everything.”

Doyoung is still frantically pacing. “What if we forgot to put something on the list?”

“We didn’t forget to put anything on the list,” Jaehyun chuckles. “We’ve had it ready for weeks now.”

“I just can’t shake this feeling…”

“Look.” Jaehyun lifts their small carry-on to the back of the couch, opening it and pulling out the documents he had tucked inside. “Passports, credit cards, phone chargers, books. We have everything.”

Doyoung pauses, looking at everything Jaehyun has laid out and nods, but he can’t stop nibbling on the edge of his lip.

“Now let’s go.” Jaehyun neatly tucks everything away and fastens the carry-on back up.

“Are the toiletries secure?” Doyoung asks. “What if they break open during the luggage transport process and ruin all of our belongings?”

Another quick laugh breathes from Jaehyun. “Everything is padded and contained in a thick vinyl bag. Even if by the off-chance it does break open, it’s contained.”

Doyoung nods, gaze lifting, clearly lost in his mental checklist. “And we confirmed the early check-in with the hotel?”

“Yes.” Reaching into his pocket, Jaehyun takes out his phone. He swipes the screen and pulls open the folder he has in his email with copies of all their trip confirmations. “All the arrangements for the hotel and everything else is confirmed and waiting for us. It’s all right here. It’s not going anywhere. Everything is in order, baby, I promise.”

Doyoung turns around where he’s standing, hands on his hips. “Did we tell Taeyong about how you have to pull the laundry room door up before you turn the knob?”

“That’s it,” Jaehyun says in an exaggerated display of realization to sink the point in. “That’s what we forgot to do. I don’t know that he’s going to need to go into the laundry room, but we can text him on the way to the airport just to be safe.”

“Oh, God.” Doyoung turns toward him, a fist tangled up in his black hair. “I didn’t forget any of the plants on the care sheet, did I?”

Jaehyun grabs the luggage in an effort to make a visible point. “Baby, with as many times as you’ve reviewed it, I don’t think it’s a physical possibility that you overlooked something.”

The hint is impenetrable to the wall that is Doyoung’s racing mind. “What if Taeyong loses his key? We should’ve got a backup and hid it somewhere. Oh, Jaehyunnie, what’s going to happen to all my plants—”

“He’s not going to lose his key,” Jaehyun states firmly. Abandoning the luggage, he walks over to Doyoung, gently taking him by the arms so they’re facing each other, eyes meeting. “There’s no one more reliable than Taeyong, you know it! He’ll do fine. Even if something came up, he would figure it out.”

His hands slide down Doyoung’s arms to gently take his fingers into his grasp. “All our bases are covered, baby. They’re been covered for weeks now. We’re packed, the arrangements have been made. Everything is good here.”

Doyoung looks down at their hands then back up at Jaehyun, his voice a little quieter. “If we forget something, that’s 9,000 kilometers in between us, Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun just grins. “Then we’ll buy something there.” He shrugs, thumbs tracing light circles over the back of Doyoung’s hands. “It’s not a big deal, and we have plenty of family and friends that can help out if in the unlikely event something comes up here too.”

Doyoung nods, the tension finally starting to ease from him.

“This is our vacation,” Jaehyun says. “Not just any vacation, but our birthday vacation. Our Valentine’s Day celebration! And what better place than the city of love?”

A grin finds its way to Doyoung’s lips, and Jaehyun feels the relief of victory.

“You work so hard all the time,” Jaehyun says. “You deserve to relax and enjoy yourself!”

The grin on Doyoung’s face widens, and Jaehyun can’t help but lean in and place a kiss against it.

Outside, the taxi honks.

“Alright, let’s go,” Jaehyun says quickly, turning to let go of Doyoung and grab their suitcase.

Doyoung grabs his own luggage, and as they lock up the townhouse, he throws a quick glance Jaehyun’s direction. “The outlet converters!”

“Saw them in the carry-on bag just now,” Jaehyun replies quickly, loading the luggage into the taxi’s trunk.

All things considered, the check-in process at Incheon goes fairly seamlessly. Jaehyun had made sure that he knew exactly where they needed to go, that they had plenty of time to spare in case things got backed up, and in the end, they board the plane with minimal frantic outbursts.

In fact, Doyoung is as relaxed as ever when they’re finally seated, and they’re able to drift off together for the bulk of the twelve hour flight.

When they wake, they turn on a movie, arms and fingers loosely intertwined. While Doyoung’s gaze is set on the screen, Jaehyun can’t help but let his eyes shift over to him. With his aristocratic high features and that plush quirk of his lips, Jaehyun is sure he has never met a human more beautiful.

Catching Jaehyun staring, Doyoung’s head turns, and a small grin spreads on his lips, making Jaehyun’s heart do a little flip now just as it did when he first met him.

It still feels just like yesterday. It had been a rather unassuming Sunday morning when Jaehyun made his round through the local department store’s garden center. He spotted a lone fern that looked like it could use a little TLC but soon realized he wasn’t the only one who had his eye on it.

When those dark, striking eyes met his own, Jaehyun knew he stood no chance. Warmth pulsed through his chest, and to this day, Jaehyun still isn’t sure how long he was standing just dumbly staring at him.

It was when Doyoung grinned and inclined his head that he finally caught himself and shook his head out of it. He made a little proposal then: the other man could have the fern if he could have his number.

And now here they are two years later, and Jaehyun still catches himself staring like a fool.

Near the end of the flight, a golden-orange glow illuminates the window. Doyoung sits up a little taller, turning to look through it.

“Oh, Jaehyunnie,” he says softly, reaching back to tap his shoulder. “You can see the Eiffel Tower. It’s beautiful. Look.”

He sits back so that Jaehyun can lean in and have a look for himself. The skies are clear, allowing the daytime sun to vibrantly display the whole city. The Eiffel Tower is silhouetted against it, and the whole view is so perfect it could be a painting.

Even during the day, the romance of the city is abundant.

“My love,” Doyoung sighs dreamily. He loosely hugs Jaehyun’s arm, leaning against him. “I can’t believe we’re really here. I’m so happy.”

Jaehyun smiles, reaching over to gently touch one of Doyoung’s arm as he turns and presses a kiss to the top of his head. “I am too.”

The last few months of preparations have been stressful to say the least, but in that moment, it all feels worth it.

The plane lands, and they depart, navigating their way through the airport to find baggage claim.

For the past several weeks, Jaehyun and Doyoung have been practicing French phrases together, but Jaehyun is quick to realize from all the overhead announcements that understanding Doyoung speaking French and understanding actual French people speaking French are two very different things.

Luckily, reading and translating signs is considerably easier.

They locate the baggage claim. Jaehyun is already holding their carry-on, but as the conveyor starts moving, he hands it off to Doyoung, spotting his suitcase fairly quickly and taking it from the belt.

Standing back with Doyoung, he frowns when the other’s bag doesn’t immediately appear. He figured with them checked in together they wouldn’t be too far from each other, but he supposes the transport process probably shuffles all the luggage a bit.

More suitcases appear on the rotation belt, all recognized and claimed from their other fellow passengers, but Doyoung’s has yet to appear.

After several minutes, Jaehyun realizes that all the suitcases currently on the belt are ones he’s watched go around the rotation multiple times now and that no new ones are being added.

With the way Doyoung steps forward, he has a strong feeling that he’s not the only one that made that observation.

“Jaehyun…”

He steps forward after Doyoung, curling a hand gently around his elbow, the pad of his thumb lightly back and forth. “It must’ve gotten loaded up on a separate cart that’s just taking a little longer to get here…”

Doyoung nods, and they wait.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Until eventually all of the other bags are claimed, and the conveyor belt stops moving.

Doyoung brings a hand to his mouth. “Oh, God…”

“Baby…” Jaehyun says carefully. Very carefully.

Doyoung turns toward him. “Do you think someone else grabbed it?”

Jaehyun shakes his head. “We watched all of them come out. We would’ve seen yours.”

Doyoung’s eyes dart around as though in search of something that could provide some kind of explanation.

“Okay, don’t panic,” Jaehyun says lowly.

“Jaehyun!” Doyoung’s voice is strained, almost a cry. “All my stuff is in there!”

“I know,” Jaehyun says quickly but still cautiously. “But it couldn’t have gotten far. We’re just going to need someone’s help to look around a little harder.”

However, his attempt at reassurance proves futile as Doyoung swiftly moves away from him in search of the nearest employee, but as Doyoung accosts the first person he sees wearing an airport uniform, it becomes apparent quite quick that his frantic Korean is falling on uncomprehending ears.

“Baby,” Jaehyun says gently, setting his hand on Doyoung’s shoulder as he approaches him, the airport worker seizing that moment to flee. “We don’t know that it’s lost yet. Let’s find the customer service desk. We’ll get this figured out.”

Doyoung looks at him as though he might reply with a defensive quip, but the hard lines of his expression then slump, eyes glassy, his lower lip quivering.

Jaehyun’s heart breaks. “Oh, baby…”

Burying his face into his hands, Doyoung leans against Jaehyun, ducking his face atop his shoulder as he weeps.

“Baby…” Jaehyun says quietly, wrapping his arms around him and rubbing his back. “Please don’t cry. We’ll talk to customer service. I bet we’ll get this figured out quickly, and then you will have gotten yourself all worked up for no reason. Come on.” His embrace eases, hands moving up to the sides of Doyoung’s arms, massaging gently as he smiles at him. “I’ll figure this out, okay? I got it.”

Doyoung wipes his eyes and lowers his hands. His face is still splotchy, but he sniffs and nods.

What few French phrases Jaehyun and Doyoung had learned are not enough to explain the complexity of the situation to customer service, even with the help of translation apps. While there aren’t any Korean-speaking employees nearby, there are English-speaking ones, which means that Jaehyun is the one that has to speak with them while Doyoung frantically asks questions at his side.

“What are they saying?”

“Can they find it?”

“What if it’s back in Korea?”

Jaehyun does his best to try to reassure Doyoung while simultaneously talking to the staff.

After what feels like hours of going back and forth, phone calls being made, Jaehyun and Doyoung are left waiting, still one suitcase short.

Doyoung pulls out his phone and sighs. “Jaehyun, the hotel!” he laments. “We’re supposed to be checked in by now.”

“They can wait awhile,” Jaehyun assures him. “It’s reserved on my credit card. It’s not like they’re just going to give it away because we’re running a little late.”

Doyoung doesn’t look convinced.

“Baby, why don’t you look up some translations so you can call the hotel and explain that we’re running late while I sort this out?” Jaehyun suggests. At this point, he just figures Doyoung could use the distraction.

A representative returns to talk to Jaehyun, but after the exchange, all Jaehyun can do is give the airport all of their contact information before he has to turn back to Doyoung, feeling a little defeated.

“Well?” Doyoung asks, looking at Jaehyun hopefully.

“They can’t locate it,” Jaehyun says. “They have my number and will call me if it turns up.”

Doyoung buries his face in his hands and whimpers.

“Baby, I’m so sorry,” Jaehyun says, unsure of what else he can say.

“What if it doesn’t turn up?” Doyoung asks quietly into his hands.

Jaehyun sighs. “They officially consider it lost after fourteen days and will compensate us.”

“Fourteen days?” Doyoung drops his hands, the urgency returning to his eyes. “We’ll be home by then!”

“I know,” Jaehyun says. “But it’s all we can do.”

Doyoung’s features twist, the tears welling up in his eyes again.

“Baby.” Wrapping his arms around him, Jaehyun hugs him up to his shoulder again, holding him firmly, desperate to keep his boyfriend together. “I know you’re upset, and you have every right to be, but all our important documents are in the carry-on. It’s just stuff. Tomorrow, we can go to all the shopping districts and get you a whole new wardrobe!”

“Your present was in there!” Doyoung cries into his shoulder, gripping Jaehyun’s shirt and burying his face so hard into the curve of his neck that Jaehyun can feel the wetness of heavy tears.

This time, Jaehyun’s heart outright shatters.

“My Doie…” he tries gently. “The best present is being here with you.”

But Doyoung just sobs against him, his whole body shaking.

Jaehyun just holds him and lets him get it out. He frowns, looking out to the airport with a glare, the rare rise of his anger heating his veins.

Damn them. If only they had lost his own luggage instead.

Eventually, Doyoung calms down enough that Jaehyun can call them a cab. By the time it arrives and they’re en route to the hotel, the sun is starting to set.

Jaehyun looks out the window. Being somewhere new, particularly out of the country, has a certain surreal quality about it, like he’s stepped into a dream. Jaehyun marvels not only at the sights and aesthetics surrounding him but also the humble acknowledgment that the world is, in fact, much larger than merely his life, that Paris is an actual place that existed long before he came to visit and will continue to even well after he leaves. There’s people that live here, that go about their daily lives here, and for them, the city of romance is simply their home.

He wishes he could share this sentiment with Doyoung, but his boyfriend just leans against him and gently holds onto his shirt defeated, no longer crying only because he’s run out of energy and tears.

Jaehyun looks down at the ruffle of black hair next to him. He rubs Doyoung’s arm, leaning in to press a kiss to the top of his head, but Doyoung just remains still.

It’s not supposed to be like this. This is their vacation. They have been planning this for months, and right now, they’re supposed to be celebrating, they’re supposed to be happy.

But the love of his life is miserable, and Jaehyun feels completely helpless.

As his attention drifts back out the window, his eyes automatically lock onto the approaching Eiffel Tower, standing tall, both powerful and elegant. A symbol of the city, a symbol of romance.

Jaehyun looks back over at the top of Doyoung’s head, considering a moment, then reaches into his pocket with his free hand to fetch out his phone, pulling open the translation app.

In the best French he can muster, he asks the cab driver to drop them off at the end of the Pont d’Iena bridge. The cab driver gets the message and does so. As the vehicle comes to a stop by the end of the bridge, Jaehyun pays the man with a, “Merci.”

“Jaehyun?” Doyoung blinks as Jaehyun gets out of the backseat. Despite his confusion, he still takes Jaehyun’s offered hand and steps out with him.

Once they have Jaehyun’s luggage and their carry-on, Jaehyun leads them down the sidewalk along the bridge, heading toward the Eiffel Tower.

Doyoung looks around confused. “What are you doing?” he asks, his brow creasing in concern. “We’re not at the hotel yet.”

“I know,” Jaehyun says. “We can call another cab to take us there.”

The questioning on Doyoung’s face remains. “But what are you doing?”

Jaehyun just grins. “You’ll see.”

“Jaehyun…?”

He continues leading the way further up the bridge until they reach the midpoint between the end where they were dropped off and the base of the Eiffel Tower, overlooking the great River Seine running beneath them.

Jaehyun crouches down and opens their carry-on, double checking the items they packed away. “Passports, IDs, credit cards, chargers…” he muses aloud. “Everything we need is in here.” Closing the carry-on back up, he stands and holds it out to Doyoung. “Hold onto this, please.”

Doyoung takes the carry-on, blinking. “Jaehyun, what—?”

Taking his own suitcase, Jaehyun hoists it up onto the ledge. He s it, unfolding it open, then proceeds to grab a handful of the clothing he packed and chucks them into the evening air and watching them fall into the river below.

Doyoung drops the carry-on. “Jaehyun!”

But Jaehyun just keeps tossing everything overboard, making sure to clear the concrete lip running along the opposite side of the ledge.

“Jaehyun, stop that!” Doyoung shouts next to him, grabbing onto Jaehyun’s shoulders. “Are you out of your mind??”

He continues despite the protests, reaching into all the flaps and pockets and making sure it is thoroughly cleaned out. Lifting onto his tip toes, Jaehyun peeks over the edge to make sure there are no boats or anything below them, and once he’s assured the path is clear, he tosses the now empty suitcase overboard as well.

“What—?” Doyoung asks next to him, positively gaping. “What has gotten into you? Why would you do that?”

Jaehyun brushes his hands together then turns to face Doyoung. He smiles. “There’s no going back for it now.”

For several moments, Doyoung just stands there, eyes wide, jaw dropped, clearly at a loss for words, until finally he manages, “Why?”

Slipping his hands into his pockets, Jaehyun just shrugs. “Now we both gotta buy more clothes tomorrow.”

Doyoung’s shocked expression eases up. He gives Jaehyun a measuring look then shakes his head. “You didn’t have to do that…”

“I know I didn’t,” Jaehyun replies simply, still grinning. “But I wanted to. I could use a new wardrobe, and honestly, the present I got you was kind of lame. I wanna pick out something new for you here.”

Doyoung stares at him a long moment. “… Idiot.”

“I love you, Doyoung,” Jaehyun says.

“My Jaehyunnie…” Doyoung curls his hands into the fabric of Jaehyun’s shirt, pulling himself close and hiding his face in his collar. As it so happens, he does have a few more tears left in him, but from the way he affectionately nuzzles into his neck, Jaehyun can tell that they are touched tears rather than devastated ones.

Jaehyun’s arms curl around Doyoung’s slender waist, ducking his face to press a kiss to the top of Doyoung’s head, gently breathing him in. “I just want us to enjoy our vacation.”

“How could I not when I’m here with you?” Doyoung says into collar. His grip relaxes, and he backs up enough to lift his head and look at Jaehyun. His eyes gleam against the bridge’s lamps, palms smoothing out the fabric he had scrunched. “The best boyfriend ever.”

Jaehyun smiles, lifting a hand to cup Doyoung’s cheek, the pad of his thumb swiping away the lingering glisten of tears.

Doyoung’s dark eyes shine, the gentle flush of his cheeks making him look like he’s glowing against the city’s soft light. He’s so beautiful, an elegant prince in the city of love.

“Jaehyunnie, I love you,” Doyoung murmurs, closing in to find Jaehyun’s lips with his.

Jaehyun’s hand curls around to the nape of Doyoung’s neck, eyes drifting shut as his lips slide against the other’s in return, slotting together in that perfect way that they do.

Exhilaration flutters warm through Jaehyun’s chest. Relationships contain many firsts, and this happens to be their first kiss in Paris.

Somewhere off in the distance, a bell chimes the hour, and behind them, the Eiffel Tower glitters to life.

 

The End

 

Author's Notes:

let me know what you think! ♥

twt: monsterbfjohnny