Work Text:
Chanyeol stares at Junmyeon from the other side of the couch, watches his husband pop strawberries in his mouth one after the other, like he’ll die if he doesn’t eat them. It’s amusing at best, and Chanyeol is not the one to turn down entertainment.
“Why are you staring at me?” Junmyeon says and spares him a glance, pretending to be nonchalant. Chanyeol doesn’t mention his pink cheeks.
“I’m not staring,” Chanyeol chuckles. Junmyeon stops staring and typing at the screen to glare at him, but his eyes soften quickly, and he’s looking away just as quickly as he looked. “You’re acting weird.”
“I’m not,” Junmyeon grunts. “Why would I act weird?”
Chanyeol doesn’t have an answer for that. But in the past three years of being married, and five months of dating, this is the first time he’s noticed Junmyeon avoid eye contact with him. He’s a sucker for eye contacts, romantic ones or threatening/intimidating others kind.
Maybe it’s the work. This year has been hectic for them, the company’s funds were running low, and every part of the company was falling apart because they got sued for someone’s negligence. They’ve lost almost 20% of the company’s money, which doesn’t sound too much, but Chanyeol and Junmyeon are the ones having to work extra weeks and mend things over the broken pieces of the company. It’s only beginning to get better.
Junmyeon is reading and correcting the legal documents tonight, the laptop on his lap, but his legs on Chanyeol’s lap, and eating strawberries in the bowl like a madman.
Chanyeol grabs the bowl and keeps it away from his reach, smiling at him. “Enough strawberries for you tonight.”
“Nooo,” Junmyeon stretches his hand out. He pouts, eyes watering instantly. “Give them back, they’re the only reason I’m getting through this shitty document right now.”
“Not me?” Chanyeol teases, stretching his arm to hold the bowl farther from his husband. “That’s sad. I thought your lovely husband’s presence alone would help you get through this.”
Despite his teasing, Junmyeon’s sad puppy face affects him more than he’d like to admit. Sure, they’ve been married for three whole years, but it was an arranged one before — which was their only option to save both of their companies in private, before the market got to know anything about it. Their companies needed each other, and it only made sense. Chanyeol agreed to it only because he was told he’s allowed to file a divorce after their companies got good enough to stand on their own again. Every profit was to be shared, too.
The first year of their marriage was weird (but the company was fine). Junmyeon was polite but didn’t hesitate to bite when his mood wasn’t good, and Chanyeol knew the first moment they met their wavelengths didn’t match. He’s done his fair share of being short tempered.
Eighteen months into the combined forces of the companies, they realized it’s really best if they continue to work together. They were offered divorce papers on one condition: to not let the divorce get in the way of the work, but Chanyeol was kind of smitten and Junmyeon said he didn’t mind either way.
“How about a trade,” Junmyeon says, once he realizes Chanyeol doesn’t plan on giving the bowl back. He still isn’t maintaining eye contact, though, so Chanyeol decides he doesn’t need to feel bad until he can coax Junmyeon out of this weird thing he’s doing. “We can share the rest of those.”
“How is that a trade, Mr. Kim?” Chanyeol tosses a strawberry in his mouth. They’re sweet and juicy, no wonder his husband was stuffing them in his mouth. “I’m in only for a fair deal.”
“I’ll get melted chocolate and dip some of them for you.”
Chanyeol hums, keeps another strawberry between his lips to make sure Junmyeon watches him bite into it. “I’d like something more too.”
“Chanyeol,” Junmyeon’s pout is bigger somehow, now he looks more like a kicked puppy. Chanyeol’s stomach flips. “I’m too tired to do this.”
Chanyeol frowns. Junmyeon is usually up for this kind of teasing/joking around. He puts the bowl on the table in front of them, pats the space next to him. “Come here.”
Junmyeon doesn’t grumble as he moves next to Chanyeol. Junmyeon crosses his legs on the couch, their shoulders touching, and he goes back to doing his work. Chanyeol takes the bowl, brings one near Junmyeon’s mouth. “You’ve been weird.”
“I’m just tired.” Junmyeon mutters before biting into the strawberry. He eats only half of it, though.
“Hey, eat the whole thing,” Chanyeol nudges the bitten strawberry against Junmyeon’s lips. “I’m not going to hold it for you and wait.”
“But you would,” Junmyeon grins. “If I asked nicely, right?”
Chanyeol sometimes hates the fact that Junmyeon knows that he likes him, or letting his husband know the secret that he’s easy to manipulate when it comes to doing things for people he likes. He decides not to argue about it at all this time. That road usually ends up making him flustered more often than not, anyway. “But you didn’t ask.”
He puts the rest into his mouth without thinking.
Junmyeon looks at him and fakes a gasp. “Chanyeol! My strawberry!”
“You didn’t ask,” Chanyeol shrugs, then puts another one in his mouth. “Your actions have consequences, hyung.”
Junmyeon giggles and goes back to looking at the screen once again, but he turns to Chanyeol, with a smirk on his face.
“What?” Chanyeol asks.
He doesn’t get a response, though. Junmyeon just leans towards him, licking his lips before he presses a kiss on Chanyeol’s neck. “Will you please hold the strawberry for me, baby?”
Chanyeol makes a disgusted face. It’s disgusting how his chest flutters, his face becomes hot as he stares at Junmyeon like he’s offended. He’s getting better at suppressing a delighted smile in favour of teasing his husband. “Stop with the affection.”
“I happen to know that you like it,” Junmyeon coos, presses another kiss right above the one before.
As a retaliation, Chanyeol gently holds Junmyeon’s chin, closes his eyes (for his own sanity) and presses a kiss on his lips. Purely to retaliate.
The retaliation flusters Junmyeon just as he expected. When Chanyeol opens his eyes, Junmyeon’s whole face ispink, and he looks away when they make eye contact.
Chanyeol takes another strawberry from the bowl but only brings it near Junmyeon’s mouth when he pauses histyping. Junmyeon looks at him, then the strawberry, then back at him again.
“I love you.” Junmyeon looks away and eats the whole strawberry.
There’s silence as Junmyeon continues his work, eating the strawberry, and Chanyeol sits next to him trying to understand if he heard correctly.
When Junmyeon seems to have finished his strawberry, Chanyeol puts the bowl on the table. “What?”
“What?” Junmyeon doesn’t look at him, but there’s a moment of hesitation before he continues typing.
“You said something.”
Junmyeon continues typing, but he nods.
“Can you say it again?” Chanyeol feels like he could combust, or like something will pop his bubble. He’s kind of scared, for some reason, like he did hear it wrong. His throat is drying rapidly as Junmyeon takes his time to finish typing and moving on to a different page. “A little faster, please?”
Junmyeon’s fingers hesitate again, hovering over the keys. He sighs after a beat, and puts the laptop on the table too. “I said I love you.”
“O-oh,” Chanyeol’s voice cracks a little. “Okay.”
“You don’t have to say it back,” Junmyeon says, his voice dropping. He isn’t sad though. “If you don’t feel the same way, or if you need more time to say it or something.”
Chanyeol stays quiet for a moment. “I… need more time. But not because I don’t feel the same way.”
“That’s okay,” Junmyeon pulls the laptop back on his lap again. “It took me, like, a whole month to say it. I don’t blame you, or expect you to say it soon.”
“A whole month?” Chanyeol leans his head against Junmyeon’s and watches Junmyeon correct things on the document for a moment. “It took you a whole month to love your husband, Mr. Kim?”
“I’m sorry I’m not perfect like you, Mr. Park,” Junmyeon chuckles. “But I’m surprised you didn’t notice.”
“I noticed,” Chanyeol lies. “But I couldn’t tell if it was the normal you or weird you right away.”
“ Please, you’re telling me you saw the opportunity to tease me, and let it go?” Junmyeon scoffs. “You’re a bad liar, sweetheart.”
“I like to be considerate of people,” Chanyeol slowly nudges Junmyeon’s arms a little, and wraps his arms around Junmyeon’s waist, rests his head against the couch, forehead on Junmyeon’s shoulder. “And I didn’t do it because your fragile ego might try to strangle me.”
“Sure,” Junmyeon pats his cheek. “Whatever keeps your ego from hurting, I guess.”
“You didn’t act weird in front of me, though.”
“Sehunnie noticed it,” Junmyeon chuckles. “So maybe you aren’t as observant as you say.”
Or, Chanyeol thinks stupidly, I was too busy feeling the same things.