At twenty-four years old, Yeonjun celebrates his second wedding anniversary. Three days later, he meets Soobin.
Original source- published by overflow on ao3
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Soobin arrives on a Tuesday, bags hanging off of one shoulder and both eyes. He smiles at Yeonjun, that same endearing look dashing across his face as his eyes dance around the room.
"Thanks so much for this," he says. "You're a lifesaver, seriously."
Yeonjun nods as he steps aside to let him in. "It's no problem. I'm just by myself here all day, so I'm kind of glad to have the company." Yeonjun winces. His thoughts are cooped up, flapping their wings at any measly chance of liberation. Maybe a diary would help him stop oversharing. "Can I get you something to drink? We have a french press, and we recently bought an espresso machine..."
"Oh, yeah, an americano would be great."
"You can sit at the table, or on the couch, wherever is fine." Yeonjun says before darting off into the kitchen.
He's glad to have a task, especially one he can compete well. His mom had given him brief lessons on entertaining guests, but the skill has mostly gone unused. Once, Juwon had returned home from work with apologetic eyes and his boss in toe.
Yeonjun had whispered frantically to Juwon that he didn't make enough food, and why on Earth hadn't he warned him they'd have guests? Juwon whispered, I couldn't really say no, so Yeonjun put on a happy face and pulled together an extra side dish. At the boss's insistent prodding, all of them drank heavily — especially Juwon. The night ended with Juwon bent over the toilet, heaving and whimpering as Yeonjun rubbed his back. It was the only time Yeonjun had ever seen Juwon cry, and Juwon couldn't remember it in the morning.
He'd like to throw a real dinner party, one day. With his own friends, not just Juwon's coworkers. It's wrong, but he wants to show off a little bit.
Yeonjun makes two americanos. When he returns from the kitchen, Soobin has spread out his textbook, notebook, and laptop across the table. He places the coffee down tenderly.
"Thank you," Soobin says. "Your apartment is really nice. You keep it super clean."
Yeonjun shrugs. "That's what I'm here for," he says, sitting down at the table.
"Are you going to write while I study?" Soobin asks.
Yeonjun shakes his head slowly. He hasn't written in months, not even a journal entry. When he finally sets to work at prying open his mind, he needs to be alone, where no one can watch him birth his terrible first draft.
"I was thinking that I would..." Fuck, what was he planning on doing? Staring at Soobin?
He ends up wiping down the already-clean counters and mopping. He catches Soobin peaking at him every once in a while, a slight frown pulling at his tiny mouth. He keeps on cleaning until he gets worried about looking neurotic, and then he sits down with a book.
After a while, the cat jumps on the table and swats at Soobin's pen. Yeonjun opens his mouth to scold her, but Soobin just giggles and lets her play.
"She's so cute," Soobin mumbles.
"She's perfect," Yeonjun says. "Her name is Narae."
"Narae," Soobin coos, scratching behind her ears.
"It means free and creative. She's a menace, but she's my baby." Yeonjun takes his and Soobin's empty glasses and moves to take them to the sink. "Haven't you been cleaning all day?" Soobin asks. "Let me wash these."
Yeonjun shakes his head. "It's my job."
"Not really. I can clean up after myself."
"But you need to study."
"I'm getting restless. Let me stretch my legs."
"But... You're an alpha."
Soobin tilts his head. "So what?"
The glasses weigh heavy in Yeonjun's hands. It's his responsibility to cook and clean, but on a broader level, his responsibility is to keep alphas happy. And it seems that, to make this alpha feel comfortable, he needs to go along with the pretense that they're equal. Soobin wants to believe that their subgenders don't matter, that people won't be punished for breaking out of their assigned roles. But they will be; they are. Yeonjun's seen it.
Well, fine — Yeonjun can follow these orders just as he follows all the others. He hands over the glasses. Soobin washes them as Yeonjun shifts his weight from foot to foot, everything feeling wrong. Soobin isn't doing him a favor. Yeonjun doesn't want tasks taken off his hands; he wants to be useful. He wants to be good at things, even if those things are as mundane as dishwashing.
Soobin leaves shortly after that, but they quickly settle into a routine. Soobin comes over a few afternoons a week, when the sun glows through the window and paints his skin golden. They chat whenever Soobin takes a break. Yeonjun tells Soobin about his favorite books, and Soobin teaches him about political theory. They listen to music together, recommend movies, play with Narae. Yeonjun proofreads and edits Soobin's essays, too. Soobin's probably just indulging Yeonjun, and maybe he undoes all of Yeonjun's changes after he leaves, but Yeonjun cherishes the only intellectual stimulation he's felt in years.
Each time Soobin comes over, he asks Yeonjun if he's planning on doing any writing, and each time, Yeonjun says no. Soobin must realize that it's embarrassing, but he doesn't stop. Yeonjun's not sure if he likes the way Soobin constantly pushes. He thinks it might actually be a little rude, but he'll take the company. And although his own answers occasionally depress him, he appreciates the opportunity to talk about himself. About a week or so later, Soobin finally prods further.
"When is the last time you've written anything?"
Yeonjun stares at the table. "It's been a year. Maybe more."
"Why?"
"I don't have any ideas. And it feels like the longer I go without writing, the harder it is to start again."
"You studied writing in college, right?"
"That's part of it, too. It was easier to write when I was on a deadline. Whether I felt inspired or not, I had to come up with something. And I'd always get feedback. Now, there's no one who cares whether I write or not."
"Doesn't Juwon care?"
Yeonjun grimaces. "He doesn't ever bring it up. He's not much of a reader, he's more of a math person."
"But he's your husband. And writing is important to you."
"I guess he sees writing as a hobby. Which it is now, basically. Well, it would be, if I did it anymore. Now, it's not really a priority."
"What's your priority?"
"Taking care of Juwon. Then, taking care of my kids."
"That's what you want?"
Yeonjun smiles. "You ask so many questions."
Do you like their chemistry? let's see how they develop feeling for each other. :)
