After Eric survived his gruelling days in the hospital, he was finally free. He wasn't exactly the healthiest, but he could finally make decisions to stay with Juyeon forever.
[ alternate ending to " New York " ]
Unknown: > hello, Eric-ssi. I'm Jeon Wonwoo from Donggu Cafe. Juyeon's manager informed me that you were looking for a job, and I'll be glad to take you in. We're currently open for a barista, and we'll teach you extra skills if needed. No one has applied yet, so I'm reaching out to you. Call me back when you see this and if you're interested :)
Eric looked at the message for a bit before looking at Juyeon with a smile. "Did you ask your manager to get me a job at Donggu Cafe?"
Juyeon was quiet for a bit before smiling a bit. "Actually, I asked if there was an opening at our cafe, but he offered to contact Donggu Cafe, which is a sister cafe that we work beside. I guess the manager got to you."
Eric smiled, rolling onto his side to hug Juyeon tightly. "Ah, you're the best, Yeonnie hyung. My big baby."
Juyeon laughed a bit. "You're the baby here. Come, in my arms." Eric snuggled into his side and Juyeon grabbed him tightly. "Ah, I'm so glad you moved here. I'm glad I get to spend the rest of my life with you. Together. Forever."
Eric smiled softly, enjoying the gentle embrace of his boyfriend. He felt content, relaxed, and definitely better than before. Juyeon's scent filled him, replacing his tense body ever so quietly. He wished he could stay in that position forever - and just stay in each other's arms.
"You know," Juyeon muttered, "I never thought that it'd be you. I never thought that I'd end up with the boy that I met at a cafe once. To think that a dumb Band-Aid made us fall in love..."
"It was cute, though," Eric laughed slightly. "I thought it was sweet that you thought of a stranger. To see that you were closer than I thought was a miracle for me. I really wanted to be with you. Two years and a few months later, here we are."
Juyeon smiled softly, running a hand through Eric's hair. "You were a cute stranger."
Eric's eyes fell on the bedroom's interior that they had decorated together. Eric was very peculiar about the location and neatness of the objects around the room, while Juyeon was okay with whatever ideas Eric had running through his head. For him, the room would just be used for sleeping and unmentionable acts that couples did. For Eric, since he'd spend quite a lot of time at home, it was a safe space - a part of his life that he'd want to live comfortably in.
"I'm sad that we can't make things official," Eric muttered softly. "I'd really want to make you mine, like... get married or something serious like that."
Juyeon hummed in agreement. "Well... we could get promise rings. But not now - let's live together a bit longer. Let's get to know each other a bit more."
Eric frowned, lifting his body from the bed. "Don't we know each other well enough?"
"In actuality, we don't," Juyeon replied, sitting up as well to look at the younger in his eyes. "It's okay, we don't need to rush things. We can take it slow. I don't want to rush anything either. We can go at a nice, neutral pace, and we may not know the end result of knowing one another, but that's okay. As long as we took our time, and got there together."
Eric smiled softly. "I'm so glad it's you." He was smiling, but it disappeared after a bit. "What would you do if I... died sooner than expected?"
Juyeon was quiet, moving so that his hand rested on Eric's waist. "This time, I'd be accepting. I was nothing more than to be with you, and I know you're a fighter. However, if I know you're at the end of your fight, and you really can't continue, I'll... accept it. You need to pass peacefully. And when you do pass on... don't worry, okay? I'll be fine."
Juyeon's eyes were teary, and it caused Eric to become emotional as well. "Hyung... I'll keep fighting for you...!"
Juyeon pulled him closer so that they could hug one another. Eric allowed his tears to fall and Juyeon sighed, wiping his eyes quickly. Eric made a soft, whining sound and Juyeon chuckled lowly. "Are you okay, baby?"
"I'm sad now..."
Juyeon tapped the younger's back, drawing away from the hug. "It's okay, baby. Come, let's go get something warm to drink."
Eric pulled away, wiping his eyes. "Hyung, can we... never mind." Juyeon was curious, but Eric stood up already and began making his way to the kitchen. Juyeon sighed, following quickly. "I want hot chocolate."
"Mhm." Juyeon stood behind Eric, putting his hands on either side of the kitchen counter, which trapped Eric between his arms. He put his head on Eric's shoulder, his lips resting gently against his skin. "Ah, my Eric is so cute..."
"I'm never handsome, I'm always cute," Eric complained. He tried to escape Juyeon's grip, but Juyeon pinned him to the counter. "Hyung? What are yo-"
"We can get closer like this too." Juyeon gently kissed Eric's neck, and the younger gasped softly in response. "I want to know you as far as I can. I want to know you even more. You're so pretty, baby, and I really think I'm lucky to have you..."
Eric's red cheeks didn't really give much of him away, except for the obvious slight confusion he was experiencing. "Hyung, what...?"
Juyeon sighed, moving away for a moment. "You've grown up, right? So..."
Eric flushed immediately. "Y-you want to...?! Here?!"
Juyeon hummed before shrugging. "That's not a problem, right?"
Eric looked around before sighing. How would they even do it? Regardless, Juyeon was usually hesitant to go further than cuddling and kissing, so Eric took the opportunity. He turned around and looked up into Juyeon's eyes, and noticed that Juyeon was scarily aroused.
"Hyung..."
Juyeon was silent before simply leaning forward, and stealing Eric's lips swiftly. Eric, of course, kissed back, because the rarity of Juyeon's willingness was a bit of the motivation for that. It had been a bit since he had felt Juyeon's touch so intimately, so he'd take the opportunity while he could.
