Workaholic
WorkaholicNote: Junsu is the elder one in this work of fiction.
"Junsu-sshi, have you done all the floor plans? Remember that the presentation for this project to the client is tomorrow." Junsu's boss, a short and stubby man clad with navy slacks, a white button-up shirt and a red striped tie, warns with his coffee mug in hand. The teardrop-eyed man named Junsu immediately stands up from his swivel chair upon hearing his boss's deep voice, bowing slightly to the said man.
"The floor plans are nearly done, sir. I will be ready by tomorrow." He replies, taking a nervous glance to his superior. The man nods at Junsu's response but not without a purse of his lips.
"Make sure you do. Tomorrow, Junsu-sshi." He reiterates with a point of his finger as a warning before walking off to pester another of Junsu's co-workers with their deadlines. After watching the man leave until he's out of his vision, Junsu puffs out a breath and plops back down on his seat to turn back to his work.
"I love this job but that old man is such a pain..." Junsu murmurs to himself, scribbling on his work once again in hopes to finish the requirements for the following day.
"How annoying is he?" Changmin says while popping his head into Junsu's cubicle. As his cubicle is right next to the older, the tall but younger man has no trouble poking his nose into his friend's business. Junsu's fellow friend and co-worker, scoffs. "It's like he has nothing better to do than drink ten liters of coffee every day and waddle around like a penguin, giving orders."
"Changmin, you shouldn't be talking about our boss behind his back. What if he hears you?" Junsu scolds in a hushed voice without looking up from his work. The younger watches him shuffle the papers in his hands and once in a while chewing on the end of his pencil out of habit. He makes a face at the mere sight of it.
"That's gross."
Confused, Junsu looks up to Changmin's disgusted look with a muffled, "Huh?"
"That," the taller points to the pencil still stuck between the older's teeth, "is so gross. What if you unknowingly swallow the pencil bits that shed off that thing? Disgusting."
With a shrug of his broad shoulders, Junsu picks the long wood off in-between his teeth as a new idea pops into his mind. He starts to scribble down on his work once again before the thought flies away, his friend who was talking to him moments before long forgotten. Changmin shakes his head as he realizes that Junsu has shut him off and really doesn't give a damn about anything, even his unbreakable habits.
-----
The office is quiet except for a few clicking sounds on a computer keyboard coming from none other than Junsu's fingers tapping away at his desktop computer. The sound of paper being tapped on a wooden table and shelved into a folder sounds and faintly echoes throughout the quiet workspace.
Holding the folder and standing up from his desk, Junsu's friend picks up his backpack and pats him on the shoulder. "Go home, Junsu. We're the only ones left in here." He says, looking over the older's shoulder to the computer screen.
With a few more keyboard taps and mouse clicks, Junsu nods and puts his computer to sleep mode. He swivels around to face the taller man, eerily staring into space for five seconds then standing up from his seat with his bag in hand. He leaves the office with Changmin, who makes sure to lock the front doors, not so much saying anything to his friend other than a "See you tomorrow" before boarding his car and driving home.
Junsu glances at the time once he finally reaches home, the only light visibly from the kitchen-and-dining area and reflecting out the opaque drapes of the window.
7:42PM.
The man turns off his engine and steps out of his black sedan, locking the doors with his bag in tow. After finding his keys from his slacks pocket, he unlocks the front door with ease and walks inside the house. Before he even steps fully inside to close the door behind him, he's enveloped into a tight embrace by none other than his longtime partner, Park Yoochun. Wearing comfortable baggy pajama pants and Junsu's large shirt, the man who's only younger than Junsu by a few years kisses him on the cheek with a bright smile on his lips.
"Welcome home!" He choruses happily with a singsong voice, never letting go of his partner who's awkwardly shuffling to balance himself from the sudden embrace. With a smile of his own, Junsu tries to embrace the younger as much as he can allow himself to without both of them falling onto the hardwood floor.
"How was your day?" Yoochun asks while helping his partner with his things as the older takes off his shoes, closing the front door.
"It was good. I still have a lot of things to do, actually." Junsu replies as he faces him and smiles once he's done changing his footwear to his slippers. "What's for dinner?"
The pair walks through the hallway side-by-side, past the living room and into their dining room and kitchen, the younger replying with, "I cooked spaghetti for tonight. I'll start setting up."
"Mhmm, sounds good." Junsu sends Yoochun a smile before walking off to his study located across the entrance of the living room, the room adorned with paintings and knick-knacks plus stacks and stacks of books of every shape and size; paperbacks and hardcovers, some shelved and some pooling at the feet of the shelves. He puts his bag onto the small couch in the study and sits on his chair, in front of his messy desk. With a heavy sigh, Junsu lies his forehead onto his arms for a second's rest before unpacking a few of his things from his bag to look over the sketches and plans for tomorrow's presentation.
Yoochun, once done preparing their dinner, walks out of the kitchen and into the study area, finding his partner buried to his work. He notices that Junsu didn't even bother to change into more comfortable clothes and just went straight back to his work. With a soft chuckle to himself, he walks over to the older and envelopes him in an embrace from behind while looking over the said man's shoulder. "Busy again tonight? You didn't even change your clothes yet. Is there a presentation tomorrow?"
Junsu only hums in reply while smiling to himself due to the hug. The arms enveloping him pulls him slightly tighter and closer to the younger. He looks up to meet Yoochun's caring soft brown eyes, his smile being mirrored by his partner.
"It's nom nom time. Let's eat." Yoochun grins his childish grin and gently pulls his partner off his chair. He firmly stops Junsu to stand in front of him and starts to loosen up the said man's tie, expertly unweaving it off Junsu's neck to allow him to breathe better (because neckties just choke him sometimes). Once done, Junsu quickly pecks a firm kiss on Yoochun's lips, catching the younger completely off guard by the sudden kiss.
Junsu laughs at his partner's shocked face, complete with wide and round brown orbs looking right back at his dark brown teardrop-shaped eyes. "Why? Did I scare you? I'm sorry." He half-whispers while the younger man's short locks lovingly, a soft smile finding it's way on his face.
Yoochun tries to hide his blush by looking anywhere but his partner, holding the older's necktie in a tighter grip then leading the man to the kitchen and dining area by the hand. Junsu smiles again to himself, stepping up to Yoochun's side and wrapping an arm around his slim waist while planting a soft, innocent kiss on the younger's pink-hued cheek.
With a barely audible chuckle and a kiss back on the older's cheek, Yoochun smiles too while placing the necktie on the corner of the table. Junsu sits down by the table with Yoochun following suit, the pair facing each other.
"So you'll be busy again tonight, huh?" Yoochun asks while serving their dinner.
"My boss is onto me." Junsu replies, sort of not directly answering his partner while watching the said man give him a serving onto his plate.
"What do you mean?" Yoochun frowns as he looks up to the other's eyes. His brows furrow in worry to which Junsu lets out an amused chuckle.
"Nothing serious. I meant that he's just walking around giving orders again." He gives his partner a reassuring smile. Understanding that there's no need to be alarmed, his lover nods.
"I see. With his coffee mug?" Yoochun then smiles in return.
"With his coffee mug." They both laugh.
-----
Junsu huffs a breath while looking over his sketches and papers, pursing his lips to a straight line while his eyes scan over them again for the nth time that day. Aside from his desk light shining light all over his desk, a dim light from a tall shade lamp stands at the far corner of the study. After a final look-over, Junsu sits back on his chair and wipes his face with his palms. Just then, he hears soft padding to the doorway and he turns his head to see Yoochun standing sleepily at the door. Slightly frowning, Junsu stands up off his chair to greet his partner by the door.
"Why are you awake? Go back to sleep, Yoochun-ah." Junsu coos while combing his fingers through the younger man's messy locks. Yoochun yawns a soft mewl and rubs his eyes lightly.
"The better question is why you're still awake." Yoochun smiles warmly despite sleepiness trying to overcome him and his eyes slightly betraying him. "It's really late. Come to bed with me." He adds, tugging on Junsu's sleeve to get the man to follow him to their bedroom. Yoochun barely stifles another yawn while doing so. Junsu's look softens and he plants a loving kiss on Yoochun's forehead.
"Alright. Just give me a minute to pack up and turn off the lights in here." Junsu says, warmly smiling back to his lover before doing the task of packing up his things and switching off the lights. Yoochun only nods in response, a sleepy expression still on his face and his eyelids daring to shut on him. After doing as he said he would, the older latches his arm around his partner's waist and leads the both of them to their shared bedroom to sleep.
-----
Have lunch w/ us, Junsu! We haven't seen you in so long! We'll be at the usual place. Come along, ok? ^___^
Says the text message sent to Junsu by none other than his best friend and diva, Kim Jaejoong. He skeptically reads the text again, wondering if he should quickly go or not as he has a lot of paperwork to do. Jaejoong strangely always seems to invite him to lunch whenever he's caught up with lots of due dates coming so soon. Jaejoong has such bad timing. Or maybe he's just really busy all the time. It's probably the latter.
Glancing at the clock on the wall then thinking once more, Junsu figures that he might as well go. Besides, it really has been a while since he last saw Jaejoong and Yunho, assuming that Yunho is tagging along to which he always does. It will be no surprise if he finds Yunho tagging along; nowadays, it seems as though Jaejoong and Yunho are inseparable. And Jaejoong did say "we".
Before he changes his mind, Junsu grabs his coat hanging off the backrest of his chair on his way out. It's currently his lunch break however, Jae's will be in about 5 minutes. But since the walk to the usual restaurant they go to is about 7 minutes, Junsu will be able to reach the venue just in time to meet Jaejoong, and probably Yunho, too, by the door of the restaurant. Before he even bids an "I'm off to lunch" to his co-workers, Changmin stops him in his tracks by blocking the only exit out with his long limbs.
"You're going out to lunch without me, hyung?" Changmin pouts, his lower lip sticking out like a sore thumb. Junsu rolls his eyes at the younger, wondering why he has made such a friend amongst the many co-workers he has in the building. For such a tall and thin guy, Changmin eats tremendously that treating him out would end you in a huge debt. Although that's just a mere exaggeration, the tall man does have a huge appetite despite being thin.
"Jaejoong hyung invited me for lunch, Minnie." Junsu replies while standing aside to walk past the younger. Changmin, however, steps aside once again blocking Junsu's path. The older raises his eyebrow.
"Can I come along?" The taller man asks with a glint in his eyes. The thought of the possibility of free food in reach makes him drool.
With a nonchalant shrug, Junsu slips on his coat and manages to walk past the younger and out the building with Changmin following close behind him. "I don't think Jae hyung will mind." He says, chuckling at Changmin's victory dance. They both soon arrive at the restaurant but Jaejoong and Yunho are still nowhere in sight so the pair decides to enter the restaurant to reserve a spot inside. However, before Junsu even reaches out to push the door open, a pair of arms suddenly envelop him into a tight hug from behind that pushes the wind out of him for a brief moment.
"You actually came! Junsuuuuuuuu!" Jaejoong's all-too-familiar voice roars loudly, catching lots of unwanted attention among the people surrounding them. Grunting but a smile on his lips nonetheless, Junsu pats one of the arms enveloping him as a form of greeting while saying, "Hey, hyung."
Finally, Jaejoong releases Junsu from his tight hold, grinning from ear-to-ear; obviously elated at the sight of his dear friend, Kim Junsu, right before him. Just behind him, Yunho waves as he finally catches up to the diva, to which Junsu waves back with a quick salute.
"It's been so long, Junsu! What's up? How's everything? Have you been eating properly? How's Yoochun?" Jaejoong fires question after question at his friend, not even sparing a few seconds for the other to register the question. Junsu chuckles again. Typical Jaejoong.
"How about we get a seat inside first, hyung? Food monster's going to complain any minute if we stand around any longer." He points his thumb behind him where Changmin is shifting his weight from his left to his right with an exceptionally wide grin on his face. Seeing that he's also leaving Yunho standing behind him, Jaejoong nods and drags Junsu by the arm inside the restaurant. He doesn't spare even a glance at the waitress and immediately spots an empty table for four, perfect for his little group. Dragging the poor Junsu along by his arm, Jaejoong and his little group of friends sit at the table he has 'carefully' chosen.
After placing their orders while convincing Changmin not to order the whole menu, Jaejoong faces Junsu once again who's sitting across him.
"So Junsu, how are things?" Jaejoong starts and breaks the minute silence among the little group, Changmin habitually tapping the table with his fingernails.
"Everything's good, hyung. How about you?" Junsu replies.
"Hey, hyung. You're paying for the food, right?" Changmin interrupts before Jaejoong can answer. He narrows his eyes at the taller man but knows it doesn't really result with the younger shriveling in fear.
"Of course I am. I just don't remember inviting you." He smirks at Changmin's pout, an attempt to look innocent to get away with things. However, Jaejoong knows him well enough that it's all just a trap.
"I'll pay for his then." Yunho volunteers, smiling warmly at the arguing pair. Jaejoong immediately frowns while Changmin lights up in glee.
"Really, hyung? You'll do that for me?" The taller man almost squeals like a high school girl, his voice seeming to be an octave higher than normal. Before Yunho can respond, Jaejoong interrupts.
"Of course he isn't! I'm paying for yours but you owe me." Jaejoong glares, "I was just joking about not paying for yours." He adds with a dismissive wave to end the topic, averting his attention back to Junsu.
"As I was saying, until I was rudely interrupted, I'm doing good, Su-ie. But this meeting is not about me, dear. It's about you." The ash blond shifts his weight and leans on the table, scooting as close as he can get with the table sitting between him and his interlocutor. "You've been working your off again, haven't you?"
Junsu blinks a few times, wondering how in the world Jaejoong always seems to know whether he's worked himself to exhaustion without he himself even realizing it. Even though he tries to cover up himself and look like he isn't busy towards the older, Jaejoong always knows.
"I knew it." Jaejoong leans back on his chair, victoriously smirking. "Junsu-yah, aren't you tired?"
"I'm not tired, I enjoy my job." The younger interjects, frowning.
"He does. It's scary sometimes." Changmin butts into the conversation, idly playing with his table napkin while impatiently waiting for their food to arrive.
"How do you guys even know I have a lot of deadlines to meet?" Junsu furrows his brows even though he's not really angry at anybody in particular.
"It just shows, hyung. Your eyebags are a huge giveaway." Changmin replies nonchalantly.
"The kid's right, Su. You've got dark trucks as eyebags." Jae agrees with a firm nod of his head whilst ignoring Changmin's protests about not being a kid.
"Why don't you rest, Junsu?" Yunho's sincere voice slightly puts Junsu in ease. He slumps on his chair, his fingers tapping softly on the table.
"I do rest."
"Not enough, you do." Jae argues. "Has Yoochun said anything?" Junsu thinks back to the past few days since he started working even in the wee hours of the night to finish up different floor plans and facades for differing projects. Most nights, Yoochun ends up leading him to bed while the rest of the remaining nights, Junsu finds the said man already sleeping in their bedroom.
"He takes me to bed." Junsu mutters, loud enough for his little group to hear him but not anyone else. "Sometimes I end up coming home too late and find him already asleep. I just have a lot of work that needs to be done. I can't do anything else except do them. There're deadlines to meet."
By this time, their food arrives and the table falls into silence to wait for the waitress to place their food on the table and leave. After a few minutes, she finally leaves, giving the group their privacy once again. Changmin immediately wolfs down his food to fill the hungry void that is his blackhole of a stomach, immediately forgetting that he was called a "kid" moments ago.
"I know you have deadlines but you should relax. Live a little." Jaejoong picks on his food while adding, "Yoochun doesn't say anything, I know. Have you considered his feelings? Like, what he feels with you working even at home?"
Junsu shrugs and doesn't say anything, taking a bite out of his food so as to prolong himself from answering due to his mouth being full.
"Jae, we've had this conversation already." Yunho says, eyeing Junsu with a worried expression. "Give him a rest."
"I know, Yunnie. Alright alright, I won't say anything else. But Junsu?" Junsu lifts his eyes from his plate to Jaejoong upon his name being called. "Think about it."
-----
Junsu hears a soft knock from the door and he looks up from his work on his desk, seeing Yoochun standing at the doorway with a sweet smile on his lips. In his hands is a steaming mug of liquid and a small plate of biscuits.
"I brought you coffee and biscuits." Yoochun's gentle and sweet voice fills Junsu's ears as the aroma of coffee starts to waft to his nose. The younger man places the mug and dish down on the empty space next to Junsu's work on his desk, wrapping his arms around Junsu's neck from behind and planting a soft kiss on the older's temple. "What's that you're making?"
"Models for the house for a client." Junsu smiles, looking up to his Yoochun who's staring into his computer screen in awe.
"Looks cozy." He comments then finally averts his gaze back to Junsu, finding love and warmth in his teardrop eyes. "Hmm?"
"Nothing." Junsu slightly shakes his head in response while looking back at his work on the screen, his mind suddenly remembering the lunch and conversation he had with Jaejoong, Yunho and Changmin. Yoochun massages the older's shoulders, immediately feeling the latter relax under his touch and for a moment, Junsu forgets what his mind was even whirring about. Without letting the man finish the massage, he turns around, swiveling along with his swivel chair, to face Yoochun and pulls him onto his lap. He happily accepts the silent invitation to cuddle even for just a few minutes of Junsu's time.
"Tired?" Yoochun murmurs with closed eyes. Junsu only hums in reply and pulls the younger man closer to him. With a small chuckle in response, Yoochun allows the elder to bury his face to his neck while he his dark hair lovingly.
"Do you get bored of me?" Junsu all of a sudden asks, his lips softly caressing his partner's neck as he spoke.
Confused at the man's strange question, Yoochun furrows his brows and asks, "Now where and when did you get to that odd conclusion?"
"Well, I've just been working a lot recently. Even before, I would work a lot and not get enough rest. Sometimes I get so caught up with work, I don't spend time with you as I would like to." Yoochun's partner explains while playing with the hem of his shirt without any intention to seduce the younger. "Are you tired of me?"
"Of course not! I'm not bored nor am I tired of you." Yoochun frowns, gently pushing his man's head off his neck with his hands to make him look at him. "Junsu, if I were tired of you, I wouldn't make that coffee of yours you love so much."
Junsu smiles and chuckles, holding one of Yoochun's hands with his own. "You have a point."
"Besides," Junsu's eyebrows lift up as his partner speaks again, "I find it hot when you work. Something about you talking in technical terms and just seeing that passion in your eyes and movements makes me smile." Yoochun finishes, his cheeks starting to feel warm as Junsu laughs at such a reason.
"Really now?" He asks with another hearty laugh, the tired feeling in him suddenly gone due to Yoochun.
"Really." They fall into a brief comfortable silence, just absorbing each other's facial features with their eyes as they stare at one another.
"So you don't mind?" Junsu studies Yoochun's expression while asking, to which his partner shakes his head "no" with a sweet smile.
"Your work is difficult; you practically have to pull out ideas and fresh new designs straight from your mind. I'm sure sketching them out is very tedious, too. I understand completely, Junsu." Junsu's partner explains while he his hair again and smiles. "And believe me when I say you look attractive when you work." They both burst into laughter, another shy blush forming on Yoochun's cheeks as they do so.
"I love you, you know that?" Junsu smiles once their laughs slowly die down to soft chuckles. The younger only nods in response, with a bright smile plastered on his face. The elder then gently cups the other man's face with his hands and pulls him in for a loving kiss.
Screw them, Junsu thinks as he passionately kisses his Yoochun on his lips, pulling the said man closer to him by the waist as Yoochun chuckles. He knows Yoochun understands him most and it doesn't matter if he's working to exhaustion. All that matters is him and his partner cherishing the time they have together and this; this is one of the times where Junsu feels like he's the luckiest man in the world.
I hope you enjoyed the one-shot! Thanks for reading! If you have time, check out my other works, too ^^ Fast links on the next chapter!
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