Work Text:
Jungwon is panicking. He doesn't really know where to start from and his hands are shaking, his voice is trembling and everyone is sounding too loud for his liking.
He leaves the kitchen after giving it a pitiful glance and reaches for his phone on the counter before walking to the living room.
He's already subconsciously dialing the number on his phone before he even gets to the couch and sits down on it, poised and upright as if he was seated in front of his husband, about to get scolded for making a mess of the kitchen. (Jay would never scold him and Jungwon knows that).
Jungwon just wanted to do something nice for Jay. He wanted the older man to come home to warm food and feel the effort Jungwon pours into their relationship because lately, he's been feeling useless.
Like he can't do anything to show Jay what he brings to the table. He knows Jay has said it multiple times that he doesn't need to do anything for him but Jungwon just wanted to. And it just backfired.
Jungwon bites down on his teeth as the line rings, once, twice and then Jay is picking up the phone.
"Baby," he breathes out, hearing some commotion around Jay from the other side. There's a rustling of papers and then Jay's voice comes through the speaker.
"Hello?" Jay says, like he's trying to get used to the sound of Jungwon's voice through the phone. He must be so busy, Jungwon feels a little bad for calling him like this but he doesn't know what else to do.
"Jay hyung?" His voice trembles with it. It's shaky and he sighs when Jay sounds like he's smiling through the mouthpiece as he replies.
"Hello, Jungwon. How're you?" He says and Jungwon feels a bit safer. He plays with the flesh of his lips as he talks, careful with the way he speaks so it doesn't give off anything to Jay.
"Jay hyung, are you coming home anytime soon?" He asks, shifting on the couch and feeling queasy in his stomach about his husband's reply.
Jay hums for a bit then makes a clicking sound with his tongue. "No, baby I'm still working for about three hours."
The line goes silent. Jungwon doesn't say anything and his shaky breath gives all that Jay needs to know away. He's immediately perking up, his voice picking up on worry.
"Is anything wrong? Are you feeling sick? Do I need to send someone after somebody?" Jungwon would've laughed if only he wasn't in the situation he's in.
There's been more than two times that Jay had to send someone after someone because they managed to upset Jungwon. Jungwon who hardly gets angry at anything, heart so pure that he can't see the wrong in someone so when Jungwon had complained to Jay about a worker that was kind of harassing him — Jungwon tried to soften the blow but it only made Jay more irritated that he'd try to defend someone in the wrong — Jay had dealt with it.
He wasn't feared at work and in his circle for nothing.
"No no no. It's nothing like that," Jungwon is quick to say so Jay doesn't start dialing up someone in his burner phone that Jungwon knows he has stored in a drawer in his office.
He knows because he's visited him there more than once, has done a full checkup on everything in the office like a cat would while Jay attended a meeting online and gave short responses to the people on the screen when they asked who that was as Jungwon settled on his lap and leaned in at the camera.
"He's my husband," he replied, wrapping a hand around Jungwon's waist and continuing to explain why they can't invest in the other company's stocks.
"Then what is it, hm? What's got your voice trembling like this? Come on, talk to me, baby," Jay says when Jungwon gets too quiet. He says it like he's talking to a kid that needs placating and to some extent, Jungwon needs placating.
Jungwon rubs his hand over his face and groans. He doesn't want to have to repeat himself over what he did in the kitchen but it's Jay and he's asked Jungwon so kindly to tell him so who is he to say no.
"I was.. I was trying to make you something," he starts but his voice constricts in his throat and he has to swallow down before he continues. "I was just trying to be nice and you know, pull my own weight around here since everyone says I'm just eye candy for you and never do anything, not even the cleaning or the cooking and I just felt so useless that I had to try even when I knew it was a bad deci—"
"Baby," Jay says but Jungwon is still rambling so he tries again. "Baby? Wonie? Jungwonie?"
Jungwon is on the verge of tears when he hears Jay's voice come in through the speaker and he pauses, rubbing his eyes with his small palms
"Hm?"
"What happened?" Jay asks again, knowing that Jungwon would shorten it all for him when he asks him like that. Jungwon sighs and his body sags into the couch.
"I tried to cook steak for you and I broke the pan and the steak burnt and there's oil everywhere in the kitchen now," Jungwon says.
There's the sound of a laptop closing and Jay grunting as he gets up on his feet.
"I'll be home in five,"
—
Jungwon is jittery in his spot by the door of the kitchen as he waits for Jay to come back even though he knows he'll be nothing short of comforted. He still stands there shakily, his nails almost bitten off raw by his teeth as the door opens and he hears the maid's voice talking to Jay.
"I'm so sorry, mister Park. I really tried to stop him but he was adamant on cooking," she says. It's not her fault, Jungwon really caused her a headache when he said he wanted to cook.
"It's okay, Louise. You can go," Jay says calmly. He dismisses her and Jungwon walks out of the doorframe of the kitchen and towards Jay that's standing by the door, taking off his shoes and his coat.
Jungwon sniffles and Jay looks up to meet his watery eyes. Even through Jungwon's blurry sight, he can see how handsome Jay looks even though he's been at work since seven in the morning and has been in endless meetings and picking calls.
His hair is still slicked back, a single strand making it's way out of the gel but Jay still looks so handsome standing in front of Jungwon, a lopsided smile on his beautiful face, his arms spreading to accommodate Jungwon's body that's walking into his.
"Oh, baby ," he says, hugging Jungwon tight against him. Jungwon throws his hands around Jay's shoulders and buries his nose into Jay's neck where his scent is the most strong. Jay hardly wears any strong perfumes these days because he knows how dizzy it makes Jungwon so he's resorted to using more mellow perfumes that Jungwon loves.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I can't do anything," Jungwon grumbles into his shirt, adamant on that but Jay shushes him.
"Shh. It's okay," he says but Jungwon opens his mouth to say something which Jay does not give room for because he pulls Jungwon's head from his neck and holds his face with both hands, making sure Jungwon is looking at him and him only. He swipes his thumbs under Jungwon's eyes, wiping away the wetness. Jungwon sniffles. "Hey, look at me. How many times have I told you I didn't marry you to cook or clean for me?"
Jungwon pretends he's thinking of something by letting his eyes look up at the ceiling.
"A thousand, probably," he resorts to.
"Exactly," Jay says, his hold on Jungwon's waist tightening. He wraps an arm around his waist and pulls him close so their bodies know nothing but each other.
"I didn't marry you because I needed a cleaner or a chef. I married you because I just wanted you by my side," Jay says, placing a kiss on Jungwon's cheek. He does the same to the side of his mouth and when Jungwon starts to smile, his lips stretching over his face even though he's rolling his eyes, pretending to be annoyed by the way Jay tries to kiss him.
"You were enough for me. Clumsy as you were, not good at cooking or anything, I just wanted you regardless."
Jungwon's hands start to caress the back of Jay's head, fingers toying with his hair. Jay relaxes into his touch, leaning in to kiss the mole on Jungwon's jaw.
He remembers. Remembers their vows and their first night as a married couple when Jay had told him over and over again that he didn't need him to do anything now that they're married since he never needed him to do so when they were dating.
Jungwon had complained about the large house they were in and wondered who would take care of everything. They couldn't say no to Jay's dad offering the house they had at the far end of town which happens to be close to where Jay works, it was too good of an offer to decline and Jungwon rather liked the house regardless of it's large size and the promise of loneliness when Jay wasn't around. (He was wrong, it was never lonely because Jay always made sure to make it feel like home even when he wasn't there in person).
Jay had ensured him that they had workers who would do everything and all Jungwon needed to do was either direct them or hire new ones.
He does so again. "We have maids. We have cleaners, we have chefs, we have people to do things because I didn't want you to feel like you had to do them because you don't."
Jungwon pouts and finally looks into Jay's eyes. "But I wanted to. I just wanted to impress you."
Jay manages to land a kiss on his lips when Jungwon is busy staring at a spot on the floor with a deep pout on his lips.
"You've impressed me enough, love. You do impress me every waking day. With your intelligence. With your diction in speech. How you recite the headlines for me every morning even when you hate reading the papers. And even then I told you you didn't have to."
Jungwon won't even lie, he's developed a liking to reading the morning headlines for Jay even when they were in a time of technology and Jay could easily scroll on his phone to read the headlines but as it is, he married an young, handsome man who was blessed with the soul of an old man and needed to hear the latest news as he has his breakfast.
"But you love the papers," Jungwon says.
"And I love you ," Jay kisses his nose. "Isn't that enough for us?"
Jungwon feels like he might cry but he doesn't because his heart is so full of love. For this man in front of him, for the love they share and for everything that makes them alive.
"It is." He smiles, giving Jay another hug before jumping into his arms and letting Jay pat his back as he walks them to their room.
"Now come on, I'll need to hear what exactly went wrong and I'll have Louise prepare some steak for us if that's what you're craving tonight."
"I'm craving something else actually," Jungwon whispers into Jay's ear, his tongue teasingly licking at his earlobe.
Jay stills, opens the door to their room and gives a smirk to Jungwon's implication. "Oh? Well, what my love wants, he gets."
And the door slams shut behind them.