Warm Enough - Kilithedwarf - 징크스 - 밍과 | Jinx (2024)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

"Fancy seeing you here." A familiar smug voice said to him. Jaekyung didn't even bother looking at who was sliding into the stool next to him. "It's been a while, Jaekyung." Heesung grinned.

Jaekyung felt his already lousy mood immediately sour even more. Heesung was the single person he wanted to avoid today. He didn't have the energy to put up with him any other day, let alone today, as he sulked in the corner at the bar in Xy Club.

"I heard about your breakup with our favourite little physical therapist." Heesung practically sang the words as they left his mouth. "My condolences."

He could feel the rage bubbling inside of him. He quickly took a sip of his pop, trying to calm down the anger he naturally felt whenever Heesung was around. It never used to be this bad, but in the past few months, it seemed even just seeing his specific shade of pink hair put him on edge.

"A martini, please!" Heesung ordered, finally focusing on something else that was trying to piss Jaekyung off.

He didn't even feel like being there anymore. Not that he really wanted to be in the first place, but Heesung's words annoyed him, and now all he wanted to do was retreat back to his home, where he'd practically been hiding for weeks since his suspension.

I'll leave after my drink, he thought to himself. And even that felt too long as he lifted the can of pop to his mouth again, noticing the weight on it still indicated it was more than halfway full.

"What did you do this time, hm?" Heesung continued, swivelling his chair to give Jaekyung all of his attention. "Did he run off just like the rest?"

"Are you f*cking done?" Jaekyung finally snapped, breaking his determined silence.

All Heesung did was smile, plucking his olive
From his drink and popping it into his mouth.

"You know, it's such a pity, really." He continued, rocking back and forth on his stool. "That man really was an angel." He grinned, lazily resting on the palm of his hand that kept his head up. His dreamy expression made Jaekyung feel all the more nauseated.

He took a sip of his drink, grinning as if he were keeping a secret.

"He really did seem to care about you, unlike the rest," Heesung said casually as if he meant nothing by it. But Jaekyung knew there was more. There had to be. He was clearly taking great joy in bothering him at this moment.

"When I was in my wooing stage and tried to win over our good Doc, never once did he express a desire for anything. Such a humble man." He reminisced, taking another sip of his martini. Jaekyung rolled his eyes at how dramatic he was being. "Except he did pick out a pair of sunglasses he thought would suit you."

"What exactly are you getting at?" He grunted, finally falling into Heesung's trap. His smile grew so wide it practically went from ear to ear.

"Oh, nothing!" He hummed, feeling satisfied that he had successfully pissed off Jaekyung. Heesung loved nothing more than getting on his bad side. They weren't friends, and he wanted to ensure they never would be. Not that he ever thought for a second Jaekyung would want to be his friend. He didn't think Jaekyung even had any. He just wanted to make it evident that their distaste for one another was mutual and never-ending.

He watched as Jaekyung took two large gulps from his drink.

"Well, anyways, I just hope he's doing better!" Heesung grinned. "It's not like you were ever going to deserve him anyway!"

He winced when he heard the same of a can from beside him. He was a bit shocked to see Jaekyung having a small outburst. Usually, he was on his best behaviour here. He must've hit a particularly sensitive nerve.

"And what, you think you, of all people, would?" Jaekyung practically growled. Heesung's eyes widened in response. "You think buying sh*t for him and f*cking him until you eventually threw him to the curb because you got bored means you deserve him? f*ck this." He huffed, standing up abruptly and throwing a few bills on the counter for the bartender. He didn't even bother finishing his drink, but he was done listening to Heesung run his mouth. "You're no f*cking better than I am." He quickly added before walking away.

And truth be told, that statement shocked him. It was a telling confession that maybe he felt bad about how he treated Dan even though he had refused to admit to himself that he had done anything wrong. And normally he had always held himself higher in regards to Heesung. He felt like he was always the better person because at least the men he slept with knew what kind of person he was. They knew they weren't there to be his boyfriend and to fall in love. They were there for him to f*ck, and that's that.

Whereas Heesung seemed to get off on making men fall for him, only to shatter their hearts out of pure boredom. And while Jaekyung didn't particularly care for people at all, he still knew better than to mess with people's heads like that.

He tried to storm out, wanting nothing more than to run out of that place, but Heesung quickly caught his arm. Jaekyung wanted to throw up when he noticed the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"What do you-"

"Now that I think about it," Heesung said, tapping a slender finger against his chin. "When I asked you all those months ago if you had feelings for him, you never really did deny it." Heesung smiled, his eyes closed in pure delight.

Jaekyung pulled his arm back, brushing by two older-looking men as he rushed out of the building. It was only minutes before he was back in the safety of his car, away from any pink-haired scumbags whose life goal seemed to be to piss him off.

He felt like sh*t.

He felt like sh*t as he drove home in silence.

He felt like sh*t as he practically dragged his body into his building and into the elevator.

And he felt like sh*t as he laid down in Dan's old bed, using the excuse that he didn't want his outside clothes touching his bedding or else he would have to wash it before he could sleep.

He hated feeling like this, and yet every day, he woke up alone in his sterile and cold house, feeling like absolute and undeniable sh*t.

He felt like a teenager again, wanting to scream into his pillow. Every second since he lost his fight with Junmin, he felt like screaming until his lungs hurt.

To make it even worse, he didn't deserve to lose. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad to lose to a respectable fighter. Someone who actually matched his skill and dedication.

But no, instead, he lost to a little rat whose team had to cheat to get him there. Even his stupid antagonizing skit at the hospital was all a ploy to not only take away his title but to also destroy his reputation.

And Jaekyung knew he was partially to blame. He had never had an issue with his temper before. Even though he knew it made people fear and hate him, it got him to where he was in his career. His rage and incessant need to win is why he was so good.

But as he lay down in Dan's old bed, he found himself wishing that maybe it would've been better for once in his life if he had calmed down. If he could've just ignored Junmin and his bullsh*t antics. If he could've thought level-headed for a moment to realize that Dan, who had been nothing but dedicated to him for months, would never intentionally hurt him.

He had every opportunity to take advantage of Jaekyung. To ask for more than Jaekyung had already forced upon him, and yet…the only thing Dan had even remotely wanted from him was to wear condoms when they had sex.

Jaekyung laughed bitterly, reminding himself that he didn't actually care that Dan was gone. He didn't care that he had hurt his feelings. No matter how caring Dan had been to him, it didn't matter. Dan was no more important than any of the other men he had f*cked before. Kim Dan was a tool for his Jinx; eventually, he would forget about him just like the rest.

But deep down, he knew that wasn't true. Locked away in a part of his brain, he knew that there was something different about him the moment he laid eyes on Dan. He had never gone to great lengths to find other guys to sleep with. He usually went to the club and picked a guy he thought was hot, and that was the end of the story. He rarely bothered to remember their names. What their actual jobs were. Half the time, he only f*cked them from behind because he didn't even want to look at them. And if they ever passed out in his bed, he would wait for a bit only to wake them up and tell them they had to go.

Dan was glaringly different from them. Not only did he practically force Dan to live with him, but he also paid a substantial amount of money to ensure that he would always be by his side. He even met his grandmother, the only relative Dan seemingly had. He didn't exactly know why he visited it, but Jaekyung was just glad that Dan accepted his bullsh*t excuse of wanting to make sure Dan hadn't been lying and that he had a very sick grandmother.

He didn't regret it, though. He genuinely enjoyed the few hours he had spent with the elderly woman. It was clear to him that she wasn't going to get better. Her sad smile when she fondly told Jaekyung about how hard Dan worked to pay for her treatments was all he needed to know that Dan was only essentially extending her death sentence. And yet he still found himself inserting his credit card into the machine to pay for a few more months of treatment after she thanked him for being Dan's friend.

He couldn't even bring himself to laugh despite the fact that he and Dan were very much not friends and never would be, but the sincerity in her face and voice did something to him. Maybe he wasn't such a cold-hearted bastard like Namwook Hyung thought.

He threw Dan's fluffy comforter over his body, wanting his brain to just shut up. Typically, his thoughts were filled with his voice screaming at him about how he could be better. How he could be stronger and better.

But now, he found himself thinking about Dan most nights. Sometimes, he thought about how much he hated him. How he hated how meek he was. How much of a crybaby he could be.

But other nights, he thought about what Dan might be up to, where he was, and if he was okay, but he would always cut himself off from thinking about it anymore. Sometimes, his thoughts could border enemy territory, and he wasn't exactly ready to face that can of worms yet.

He didn't know precisely what made Dan so different, so worth the extra effort Jaekyung put in. He didn't understand why he allowed himself to sleep beside Dan on a few different occasions. Or why he practically forced him to live at his house. He refused to think too heavily about it because he did know the answer. He just pretended he didn't.

"I need to f*ck." He groaned, throwing the blanket off his body and reaching for his phone.

He scrolled through his past messages, staring at random phone numbers. He refused to ever save his f*ck buddies' names. Instead, he just used context clues in their conversation to figure out who it was.

He lazily thumbed through his phone until he found the number he was looking for.

He didn't know the guy's name because, of course, he didn't, but he was the last guy he slept with before Dan. He couldn't remember much about him, but he was enough of Jaekyung's type to get the job done.

He quickly sent the text and smirked when he got a reply within minutes.

"b there in 30 minutes." The text said.

Alright, Jaekyung thought to himself. Just the distraction he needed.

He finally left Dan's bed…his guest bed, before heading back to his room. He opened up his bedside drawer to see if he still had any condoms and was relieved to see he had a strip left. He hated using them, but he refused to risk getting any diseases.

He was pleased to hear the buzz on his phone, letting him know someone was trying to get in. He practically jogged to his door, needing to get things started.

The familiar green-haired guy didn't even get a chance to say hi before Jaekyung pulled him into his house and threw him onto his bed.

The guy giggled. "Someone's eager." He winked. Jaekyung ignored him, stripping off his own clothes and the other man's as well.

If he squinted heavily and ignored his awful hair, he would have looked like Dan. Sure, his eyes weren't the same gentle and kind eyes he had dreamed of, and his skin felt inhumanly soft. His ass definitely wasn't as nice, and he smelled sickly sweet instead of warm and spicy, but he could fool himself into believing he was someone else. If Jaekyung closed his eyes fully, maybe he could trick himself into thinking that the person he was f*cking was the actual person he wanted it to be.

But his moans were all wrong, and he talked way too f*cking much for someone who had such an aggravating voice.

And usually, Jaekyung savoured taking his time if he wasn't in a rush. The longer the f*ck, the better he typically slept. Yet he found himself just wanting to come as soon as possible. And despite the loud whimpering from the green-haired guy below him, he wasn't even remotely enjoying it.

Everything about it felt wrong, so he increased his speed, holding onto the guy's hips with a vicious grip.

He let his eyes fall shut, conjuring images of past times with Dan. Thinking of how it felt to f*ck Dan instead. How his ass was softer, practically having moulded to his co*ck. His noises were so delicate that it was like music to Jaekyung's ears.

He even thought about the night of his birthday, a memory he had forbidden himself from ever thinking about.

He thought about how Dan's body tasted heavenly sweet. How his face was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen as he slowly came apart from pleasure- Pleasure that Jaekyung was giving him.

He had never enjoyed sex more in his life, and he was only partially coherent. He didn't remember the whole evening because of drunken haze, but he remembered how it felt biting into Dan's buttery skin and feeling impossibly turned on as he left deep red marks wherever he could. He remembered f*cking Dan slowly, his co*ck hitting him in all the right places, hearing Dan scream his name out.

But as he remembered stroking their co*cks together and having an earth-shattering org*sm that, for the first time in his life, made him pass out, he finally felt the warmth in his lower stomach. He was close, and his own panting was covering up the heinous whines from below.

Jaekyung could feel that what's his name was close. He had been jerking himself off for the past ten minutes when he felt the familiar clench of an ass contracting around his co*ck. He came with a quiet groan, wasting no time in pulling out.

While whatever his name was lying on his bed, catching his breath, Jaekyung had stood up, quickly pulling the filled condom off and tying it up before throwing it in the garbage.

He also got dressed relatively fast, pulling on boxers and the shirt he had grabbed from the floor. Normally, he was comfortable being naked. He had grown up in dressing rooms; changing in front of men was just part of the job. But he found himself feeling oddly vulnerable and maybe a bit ashamed as he threw the hundred-dollar bills at the man who was now thankfully getting dressed.

Jaekyung tried to keep his back to him, hopefully signalling that the already quiet man had no intention of having a conversation. But he was a talker during sex, so it wasn't that surprising when he started to talk.

"I was surprised when you called me." He huffed, still clearly out of breath. "The other guy must've not worked out then." He continued, buttoning up his shirt.

That got Jaekyung's attention.

"What guy?" He asked, sounding more interested than he intended.

A spark lit in the other guy's eyes. "Y'know. The cutie with an angel face and doe eyes." He laughed, zipping up his pants. He seemed to notice the confusion on Jaekyung's face. "When you kicked me out mid-session the last time, he was here. Poor guy."

Jaekyung didn't respond. What would he say anyway?

"I ran into him once after that, though. He delivered food to my place." He said, waiting for Jaekyung to let him out. He hated that he felt the need to send these men off because he had trust issues and didn't want any of them to do any snooping. Jaekyung did, however, want to hear more about his meeting with Dan.

He knew Dan had a side job. He didn't know for how long, but after multiple nights of hearing him sneak off into the night, Jaekyung wasn't stupid enough to think nothing was going on. And at first, he had convinced himself that Dan was sneaking off to be with another man. Or even worse, a woman. But after two weeks, it was clear he was following a routine. Which most likely meant a part-time job.

It annoyed him at first because what could he possibly need money for? Jaekyung paid for all the food and hygiene essentials. He even had his maid let him know if any of Dan's products were running low. And if he needed or wanted something within reason, which Jaekyung knew it would be, Dan was free to ask him, which he thought he had made clear.

"I think it's for the best you got rid of him." The green-haired guy smiled.

Jaekyung humoured him by asking why.

"I mean, I get to reap his old benefits again. But also, I think he was getting slightly too attached." He said flirtatiously. Jaekyung couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes. He hated being flirted with. But he was trying to keep himself from getting too annoyed and just opened the door, urging buddy guy to get out.

However, before Jaekyung could shut the door, he turned back around.
"I guess what I'm saying is I'm glad I set that guy straight." He practically sang, reminding Jaekyung of Heesung earlier that night. He was getting tired of people who meant nothing to him playing coy. "I told him he was a tool just like the rest of us. I just had to make him realize he was nothing special."

That seemed to be the final straw as Jaekyung felt his anger boil over, and when the green-haired guy noticed, his eyebrows went up in shock before a slimy grin appeared on his face. "Oh. Maybe he was something special."

"I swear to god if you don't-"Jaekyung began to shout as no name put his hands up, surrendering.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm f*cking leaving." He grunted, stomping away to the elevator.

Jaekyung slammed his door shut as quickly as he could, but not before he heard the other guy shout out that he didn't realize Jaekyung could care about someone else.

He didn't care about Dan. He didn't care about anyone other than maybe Yosep and Namwook Hyung, and even then, he would never say that out loud.

It just pissed him off even more to think that someone thought Dan meant more to him. Whatever his name was right. Dan was nothing special. He was just a f*cking tool, and that's all he would ever be in Jaekyung's mind. Sure, he had just gotten off thinking about him during sex. But their sex just felt extra good. That didn't mean anything.

He felt so angry that all he wanted to do was hit something. If it weren't for the fact that he respected his house way too much, he would've put a hole straight through the drywall.

"I f*cking feel like sh*t." He practically growled, hating himself for saying that same phrase over and over again. His f*ck session was supposed to take his mind off of things, not make him feel any worse.

He slowly faced his wall, gently banging his forehead against it. He didn't understand what was going on with him. He should be focussing on getting his career back in order, not fussing over some f*cking guy. He needed to stop acting like a kid with a schoolgirl crush.

"Pathetic." He grunted, pressing his head against the wall one last time before heading to his shower.

He went straight to his room before pausing as he looked at the ruffled sheets on his bed, his stomach slightly churning as he remembered what he had just done. Who he just f*cked. And despite his bedroom being the size of some apartments, he suddenly felt suffocated. Wanting to be anywhere else but there.

He picked his pyjamas at first before grabbing a few changes of clothes and heading to Dan's-his guest room. Luckily, he kept the ensuite filled with products he used. He was particular about scents, so it was easier to just buy the same sh*t for Dan, even down to the toothpaste.

So he made his way back to Dan's room, his guest room, and went through his nightly routine there. Showering away the smell of cheap cologne and sex, scrubbing his skin raw because despite being his second shower that day, he felt extra disgusting. He even sat under the hotter-than-normal water, letting the stream cleanse him until he couldn't bear the feeling of his skin shrivelling up.

He reluctantly left the shower, drying himself off before wrapping the fluffy towel tightly around his waist as he went about his nightly routine of skincare and brushing his teeth.

For once in his life, he felt tired, more than ready to be in bed, scrolling through his phone until he fell asleep. But just as he crawled into the guest bed, setting his phone on the side table, his phone buzzed, and a notification appeared on his screen. It was a text from Namwook Hyung reminding him his rehab training started tomorrow.

Jaekyung couldn't help but roll his eyes. As if he needed a reminder. He'd been antsy about getting back into the gym even before he went into surgery. It had already been weeks since he had a proper workout, and he had already begun to notice a change in his body. His muscles were still well-defined, and he was definitely still the largest guy at the gym, but that didn't change the fact that, for the first time in a long time, he was losing progress.

He was ready to get back into things, excited to finally feel normal. So he willed himself to sleep, and if he dreamed of a warm hand wrapped around his arm, he would have forgotten it by the time his alarm went off the following day.

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

Jaekyung found himself in the coach's office after a pathetic excuse of a workout he had just had. He had already been back at Gym Black for a week and a half, but per the doctor's instructions, he wasn't allowed to do any physical activity that involved moving his shoulder too much. Which meant no sparring or punching bags and jump rope needed to be limited. The only things left were the treadmill and core workouts, which were never his first choices.

He had tried lifting a few weights just to see how it felt when neither of the coaches was looking, but there was no way he could handle the pain. He was an idiot, but he knew if he tried to push his shoulder before it was ready, there was no going back in his career.

"Okay, so this might be a sore subject for you, but given our situation, we need to hire a new physical therapist as soon as possible," Namwook said as Yosep handed him a sandwich before quickly leaving. He tried his best to avoid any conversations with Jaekyung about Kim Dan.
"Why?" Jaekyung muttered over this conversation before it even started.
"Because you sh*t, you've scared off every goddamn physical therapist in this city. Including Doc Dan, who lasted the longest by far. So now we have to figure this out to get you back into shape as quickly and safely as possible."

"I don't want anyone else." Jaekyung pouted, surprising Namwook with how much like a child he sounded. It shocked him even more that Jaekyung was willingly admitting that he wanted Dan back.

"I get that, Jaekyung. Doc Dan was the best, and we all loved having him here. He even put up with your bullsh*t with a smile on his face."

"So then get him back." Jaekyung huffed, emphasizing each word by letting them roll slowly off his tongue.

Namwook let out a frustrated sigh. "I already told you, I practically begged him to stay. He was dead set on leaving."

That just annoyed Jaekyung even more. He was already irritable after his sh*t workout.

"You could just ask him." Namwook Hyung suggested as he bit into his large sandwich. They had this conversation before. "He might be willing to come back if you're the one who's asking." Which was the honest truth.

Namwook didn't fully understand the relationship between those two. Whenever he observed them from afar or listened in on their conversations, it just made him all the more confused. On the one hand, Jaekyung was no kinder to Dan than he was to anyone else. In fact, he would go as far as saying that Jaekyung was unusually hard on him, reacting quicker with harsher words and childish outbursts. But on the other hand, something had been off since the moment he found out Dan had resigned from Team Black.

Initially, Namwook had chalked it up to Jaekyung's sudden realization that his career was hanging on by a threat. That the combination of his hurt shoulder and suspension left a nasty stain on his credibility and reputation. But he had worked for the ungrateful punk long enough to know that wasn't just it. That perhaps guilt had somehow crept its way into that brain of his and Namwook felt his theory was only proven further by how insistent Jaekyung was on getting Dan back. It wasn't like Jaekyung to take an interest in anyone other than his opponents, let alone a physical therapist. But he knew there was more going on. He knew that for unknown reasons, Jaekyung seemed to trust Dan above everyone else.

"How?" Jaekyung grunted, folding his arms in front of his body as he crossed his legs.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe try texting or calling him like a normal person, you punk."

Jaekyung just gave him a dirty look, rolling his eyes despite feeling slightly embarrassed that he didn't think to do that.

"You're joking," Namwook said, putting his food down. "Have you seriously not tried to reach out to him at all?"

Jaekyung opened his mouth only to quickly shut it. Their only contact had been Dan sending him money twice since he had left and even then, all that was was Jaekyung receiving a notification that money had been deposited into his account.

Truthfully, he had opened their chat more than once, typing various things, from asking who the hell he thought he was running away to saying that he'd never be able to pay him back.

But he always quickly deleted them, throwing his phone away in frustration. At this point, he just assumed he would've been blocked.

"Where's he living now?" Jaekyung asked, surprising himself with the question.

"Why do you need to know? Just text or call him, I know you have his number."

Jaekyung just stared at him expectantly, knowing that if he let the silence stew long enough, Namwook would give him what he wanted.

"I swear to God you didn't learn basic social skills." Namwook laughed, pulling out his phone and typing something. After a few minutes, Jaekyung's phone buzzed, and he saw a message from Namwook. It was an address.

Jaekyung looked up at him, clearly wanting an explanation. Namwook rolled his eyes, trying his best to mimic Jaekyung's signature expression. "it's his address. We needed it for tax reasons." He muttered, pulling himself in closer to his desk. He was more confused than anything as to why Jaekyung was so shocked he had it. It's not like Dan went into hiding. The guy had just simply quit a job and moved to another city.

Dan had even messaged him a week or two ago, letting him know that he would be more than happy to answer any questions if there was something out of order with Jaekyung's file.

"Now, I'm not going to ask what you plan to do with this information because I feel it's best if I don't. But I will say you need to apologize before anything happens. Alright, you little sh*t?"

Jaekyung just groaned, standing up from the chair to leave the office.

"And I expect you to be here bright and early tomorrow for your training session! No more putting those off, okay?" Namwook shouted as Jaekyung slammed the office door shut. Which Namwook knew wouldn't be happening. Jaekyung had never been the impulsive type, and while he often made quick decisions, they were more rooted in fast thinking and logic than most people would assume. Very rarely did he ever regret his choices and go back on any decisions he made. And he knew Jaekyung was dead set on getting Dan back. So he sat back in his chair, taking a bite of his sandwich and thinking about how getting a few extra days away from the kid might be nice.

Jaekyung frowned as he headed to the front of the gym. He had only been back for a day and was already being nagged.

He nodded back to the guys who were saying goodbye in an attempt to be friendly to the few members he had left.

He recognized a few of them, mainly Potato and Daehyun, but he also knew there were a few new faces, which pleased Namwook.

He wasted no time getting home. Recently, it was the only place he wanted to be, and after changing his clothes, he found himself flopping back onto Dan's bed-his guest bed, he reminded himself. It wasn't Dan's bed anymore.

Jaekyung pulled his phone out, staring at the address in front of him. Without even thinking, he typed the place into the phone's maps app to see how long it would take to drive there.

"Only a few hours." He said out loud to himself. He could make it before midnight if he left soon. Not that he was planning on going. Of course, he would call or text first. That was the reasonable thing to do.

Except then Jaekyung remembered Dan had a history of ignoring him. He frowned when he remembered how hard it was to get a hold of him back in the beginning. Dozens of ignored calls, even more texts. But things were different now. Except Jaekyung realized they really weren't and before he could even make up his mind he was organizing two duffle bags, perfectly packing multiple pairs of regular and work out clothes as if he were planning on staying for longer than a day or two. But he wasn't because he would go there to convince Dan to come back, and hopefully, they would be back in his apartment by tomorrow.

He was in his car, typing Dan's address in his GPS in under an hour. At this time of night, in the middle of the week, traffic would be at its lightest. He told himself he would let Namwook Hyung know he'd be missing tomorrow's training session and with that, he pulled out from his underground parking spot and headed towards the highway.

And the worst part was, he knew it was crazy. He knew it was batsh*t insane showing up at Dan's door in the middle of the night, but he honestly didn't really care. He knew he was acting out of character. He knew he wasn't being himself. But it had been a while since he had been his usual self way before his surgery, before his match with Junmin. Hell, it was before his match overseas. He tried to tell himself he couldn't remember when he had felt normal, but deep down, he knew he hadn't been himself since the moment his eyes had met Dan's. But he ignored that thought as he drove through the night, enjoying the unusual silence in Seoul.

He almost turned around twice on his way there. He had gotten off the highway, only to park at a gas station for a few minutes before getting back on, continuing his journey to Incheon.
He was surprised to see Dan had moved to another city altogether. Incheon was by no means small, being one of the major cities in Korea. It seemed excessive to move to a whole other city just because he quit a job.

It wasn't far, though. They were only a few hours away from their apartment back in Seoul, and luckily for him, the drive was mostly highway. He only had to get off for the last ten minutes of his trip as he navigated his way to what appeared to be an apartment complex.

He already knew not to expect anything special, but as he parked his Urus in the guest parking spot, he knew that compared to Dan's old place, this apartment was luxurious. And despite being incredibly rich, he wasn't a total snob. He knew he lived a life only a handful of other people did, so he wouldn't complain.

Even as he took the stairs in search of Dan's apartment number, the place overall looked clean. The railings were free from rust and chipped paint, and the cement ground had no dirt or litter. The building itself was painted a modern grey, and the apartments looked decent-sized based on the distance of the doors. He couldn't help but feel slightly bitter that Dan's life wasn't a complete disaster without him.

He swallowed his pride, though. Finally, he found Dan's place at the end of the outside hallway. After a few deep breaths, he knocked on the door, waiting a minute or two between each bang.

"Are you looking for the young man who lives there?" A groggy voice asked from behind Jaekyung. He turned around to see an ancient-looking man with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

"Yes," Jaekyung said, reminding himself he needed to be kind and respect his elders. Plus, this guy looked old enough that if Jaekyung raised his blood pressure at all, he was scared he would drop dead.

The old man looked at the time on his watch. "He won't be home for another forty-five minutes."

Jaekyung glared at him, confused as to why this pre-historic man was awake at such an hour and because he knew Dan's schedule well enough to know when he would be home. "Well, where is he?" He still asked, assuming the old bat would know.

Instead, he shocked Jaekyung by shrugging. "How should I know?" he muttered, rolling his eyes. You young people ask too many stupid questions these days," he said as he walked away, fading into the night.

Jaekyung stared at him until his figure completely disappeared, still recovering from the shock he felt after their conversation. He was used to being rude to people, not the other way around.

He pulled out his phone, checking the time to see that Dan wouldn't be home until close to one. So with a defeated sign, he dropped his duffel bags on the ground beside the wall, slumping down on top of them to cushion his ass. He could wait. It wouldn't kill him. And it's not like he had anything better to do, being hours away from his city and home. He just closed his eyes and tried to ignore his brain telling him what an idiotic idea this had been.

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

He had been doing okay since leaving Team Black. He was working more than he had in months, but he still managed to visit his grandmother every single day, which was the most important thing to him.
Her spirits had been lifted slightly since coming here. She had a bit more colour in her cheeks and even had the energy to go on small trips.

He hadn't really been allowed to take her out much back in Seoul in an attempt to keep her safe in a sterile environment. But now that they knew they were just prolonging the inevitable and that she wouldn't get better, they could afford to be less careful.

Every time he wheeled her out of the hospice, it was a bitter reminder of knowing why they could go on these trips, but it was worth seeing the joy on his grandmother's face. It's not like their day trips were anything remarkable. Sometimes, it was just a long stroll in the nearby park or the hospital's garden.

Occasionally, though, Dan would have a rare day away from both of his jobs, allowing him to take her to the beach. He still remembered how her face lit up after seeing the ocean for the first time in decades. If Dan hadn't known better, he would've thought she was witnessing the creation of the earth. Those days were always long and tiring, but he would do anything for her, no matter the cost, even if it was his sanity.

Today was a particularly long day. It started at six in the morning when he headed to his physical therapy job for seven. He had managed to find a job at one of the local gyms that focused on kjwybodybuilders (Author Cat's official first appearance). The pay was good enough to help him pay rent and some of his grandmother's medical bills, but he still needed a bit more to make ends meet. He still wanted money to pay Mr. Joo back slowly and a little bit to save.

So after his eight-hour shift at the gym and an hour-long break he spent at the hospital, Dan was on his way to his second job; a waiter at a co*cktail bar.

He had never really worked in the restaurant industry before, but it was pretty easy waiting on tables, and the tips were incredibly good. It put him in many uncomfortable situations, but nothing he couldn't handle. The bar was typically filled with upper-class people, similar to Jaekyung in status. And because of that, Dan felt more at ease around them than some of the people he worked with. They often talked down to Dan which he usually just brushed off, but on occasion, both men and women liked to be overly handsy with him, touching his chest and ass as if they were just casually touching his shoulder. He hated it more than anything but often let it slide, knowing if he humoured them, he would get more tips. He had put himself in worse situations for money before.

Tonight wasn't that much of an exception. People were loud and annoying, but he grinned and bared it. He passed the time by reminding himself that his life wasn't all that bad.

Of course, he had the constant feeling of sadness looking over him as he knew his time with his grandmother was nearing its end. And sometimes, late at night, when he was lying on his bed, he would think about how he missed his room back at Jaekyung's house. He missed the soft sheets and fluffy blanket. He even missed the smell of the detergent. And sometimes he let himself think about how he missed Jaekyung.

Dan knew he was being stupid and naive. How could he miss a man who barely tolerated him? Who humiliated and used him? But he had accepted long ago that there was no sense in trying to reason. His heart and brain had made a decision and had no desire to go back on it. But that was okay. It was fine. He would most likely never see him again, and his pathetic feelings would eventually evaporate as if they were never there.

So he let himself daydream about what it would be like if Jaekyung liked him and if Heesung was right and their feelings were mutual. He never really had the time as a teenager or young adult to have crushes, to think about falling in love and getting married, so as a well-deserved treat, he imagined those things with Jaekyung, which is how he was getting through this shift.

His boss eventually called him out, pulled him behind the bar, and lectured him about being present. Dan simply nodded his head, pretending he actually cared, before finally ending his daydreaming session and doing his actual job to the best of his ability.

It was insanely busy, though, which helped the time fly by. Before he knew it, the bar lights were dimming, and his boss was giving him the go-ahead to go home. He couldn't wait to be in his bed, so he quickly got changed, staring at himself in his newly purchased shirt and pants.

It wasn't anything special, just a decently fitted black T-shirt and jeans that no longer had any holes. He even managed to buy a new pair of shoes that he knew fashionable people would deem acceptable.

It was something small, but it still made him happy. Other than his Team Black jacket, which he had long since abandoned, he hadn't purchased clothing in years. To him, they symbolized a fresh start. And with one last pat down of his body to make sure he had everything he needed, he headed out the bar doors, making the walk to his apartment.

He mainly chose this place because of how close it was. He appreciated being able to save on public transport, but the walk was always lovely to clear his head after particularly hard shifts. He knew it wouldn't be so nice once the weather finally began to cool, but it was the end of August, and he just told himself it was future Dan's problem. Maybe even by then, he could find an even better job.

He sighed, letting the late summer air clear his head as he made his way home. The next purchase he was saving up for was a pair of decent headphones. He was never much of a music person, but the thought of having some noise to accompany him home seemed sweet. But for now, he let the wind blowing the trees and late-night traffic fill his ears.

He even slowed his pace to enjoy the lovely night, but he started walking faster when he saw the steps leading up to his apartment. Apparently, his brain was more eager to shower and sleep than he had initially anticipated, but as he walked by his complex's parking lot, he saw an unusual car. An expensive car that definitely didn't belong with the rest that were parked by it.

And maybe past Dan wouldn't have noticed it because he never cared about cars. He couldn't afford one, so there wasn't any reason to take interest. And it's not like this car looked overly luxurious from the outside. It was definitely an SUV that was no more special than any other. But he knew that car very well. He had been in one more time than he could count.

He slowed down to look at it, his heart beating fiercely in his chest.

It couldn't be, he thought to himself.

He tried to make out what the license plate said, figuring that he would be able to remember a few numbers from Jaekyung's car. But it was too dark, and he was too tired, so he tried to forget about it and headed home. He knew it wouldn't be Jaekyung anyway.

But as he turned the corner to his door, he saw a large figure sitting beside his apartment. And at first his mind jumped to the worst, panicking that the loan sharks from the past were coming to get him. He knew his debt was paid off, but Jaekyung had humiliated them. And if they couldn't get revenge on Jaekyung, it only made sense to come after him. But as he got closer, slowly inching forward, he could see a clearer silhouette.

Oh.

"Oh," Dan whispered out loud. His jaw was practically on the floor.

"Kim Dan, that better be you," Jaekyung grunted, standing up from the ground.

Dan quickly ran over, scrambling to pull his keys out from his back pocket.

"Mr. Joo…wh-what are…what are you doing here?" He stuttered, shaking as he unlocked his door. He gestured for Jaekyung to walk in before him.

Jaekyung wasted no time walking in with two duffel bags in his hands and ignoring Dan's question.

Dan quickly kicked off his shoes, sliding on his slippers and turning on all the lights. Jaekyung had already found his way onto the couch, his bags neatly piled beside him.

"Where the hell have you been? It's one in the morning." Jaekyung huffed as he rested his head on the back of the couch, closing his eyes.

"O-oh…I was at work." Dan mumbled, putting his keys and shoes away.

Jaekyung peeked one eye open. "You were at work?" He asked.

Dan nodded.

"Where the f*ck do you work so late?"

"At a bar."

Jaekyung stared at him in disbelief, which made Dan feel unreasonably nervous—almost like a child being interrogated by an adult.

"What kind of bar?"

Dan hesitated, feeling slightly embarrassed for a second despite the fact that working at a co*cktail bar was a perfectly normal job. He let out a shaky breath. "A…c-co*cktail bar."

He could see Jaekyung eyeing him suspiciously. "Doing what?"

Dan gave him a confused look as if the answer were obvious. "I'm a waiter?"

At first, he hadn't noticed it, but Jaekyung seemed oddly on edge, only to deflate when Dan answered his question.

The room was suddenly silent, only the clock ticking on the wall, and the leaky faucet from the kitchen filled the place with noise. It was weirdly uncomfortable as Dan stood playing with the hem of his shirt, watching Jaekyung observe his surroundings in the apartment before he finally stopped to stare back at Dan.

His eyes narrowed. "Are those new clothes?"

Dan suddenly felt self-conscious, looking down at his own body as if he didn't know what clothes Jaekyung was talking about.

"Oh…uh, they are," Dan replied sheepishly. He felt like an uncomfortable spotlight was put on him, and it only felt worse when Jaekyung opened his mouth like he was about to say something, only to close it and look away.

"Interesting," Jaekyung mumbled. Dan couldn't understand his expression, but he looked back to the ground as Jaekyung stood up from the couch, clearing his throat. "It was too late to book a hotel, so I gotta crash here for the night. I'm good to borrow your couch?"

Dan quickly looked up, meeting his intense eyes. Eyes that usually intimidated him or made him feel scared. But Dan was shocked to see how weirdly soft they looked, borderline kind.

"Y-you can take my bed," Dan replied without hesitating, sounding impossibly shy, "My couch is too small…for you," he continued to explain. And honestly, the couch wasn't that uncomfortable anyway. He had slept on it for two weeks before getting his bed with his first paycheque.

Jaekyung seemed to finally notice the couch's actual size, realizing it was quite a few inches shorter than he was. He would gladly take the bed without any argument. He didn't expect to sleep much, but at least if he did, he wouldn't wake up feeling stiff and even more sore than he already was.

"Which doors the bathroom?" He asked.

Dan pointed to one of the two only doors in the entire apartment.

"R-right is the bathroom, and left…is the bedroom."

Jaekyung nodded, picking up his bags and heading for the bathroom. Dan had been practically frozen in place until he heard the shower head turn on, which jolted his body out of shock. He immediately ran into his room, grabbing his pyjamas and work clothes for the morning. He even remembered to grab his phone charger, plugging it into the outlet beside his couch.

He sighed as he set an alarm for six in the morning, inwardly groaning as he looked at the time to see it was only a few hours away. His only saving grace was that he had the evening off from the bar. The place was booked for a private event, and the clients had pre-chosen who they wanted to work with. Apparently, it was a regular thing, and at first, Dan was disappointed, hearing he would be missing out on the supposedly really good tips.

But he needed a night off to catch up on his sleep before his body gave out. He also had a few really good days for tips that he could afford to stop constantly working.

He almost fell asleep, though, until he heard the water being turned off. It quickly jolted him awake, reminding him that Joo Jaekyung was currently in his apartment…getting ready for bed. Dan still had so many questions that he knew would be useless to ask right now. So he waited anxiously on the couch until Jaekyung finally came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

Feeling immediately flustered, Dan looked away, avoiding Jaekyung's gaze as best as he possibly could. It's not like Dan had forgotten how hot he was, but it's impossible to get used to when someone's that attractive.

"You using the shower before going to sleep?" Jaekyung said, suddenly appearing before Dan. He slowly looked up, taking in Jaekyung's freshly clean and glistening skin, until his eyes finally caught the long, angry, looking scar on his left shoulder.

Dan unconsciously stood up, invading Jaekyung's personal space to observe the wound closer, slightly grazing over it with his fingertips until he realized what he was doing. His face flushed as he quickly stepped back, bowing his head in an apology. "A-ah… I'm so sorry! I…I just haven't seen you since before your…s-surgery."

Jaekyung shrugged, crossing his arms. "If anyone gets to look and touch, it's you. It was your job up until a month ago."

Dan still stayed a few feet away as he looked back up to his shoulder. He could already tell it was still sore, just by how Jaekyung had been babying it.

"How…is it?" He hesitated, not knowing if it would upset Jaekyung to talk about it.

He didn't show any signs of overly caring.

"It's fine. As good as it could be, I guess." He shrugged again. "The coaches have me on some bullsh*t modified workout plan."

"O-oh…" Dan muttered, once again looking at how the movement in the shoulder was. "Have you found a new suitable physical therapist?" He asked without really thinking.

"Curious about your replacement?" Jaekyung smirked.

Dan didn't understand why, but he felt his face flush when he noticed Jaekyung's expression. He was being playful with him, a side Dan had only seen a handful of times. "N-no…I-i just wanted to make sure you… we're getting the best care." He quickly muttered.

"I'm f*cking with you." Jaekyung laughed. "We haven't found anyone yet."

And for some reason Dan let out a sigh of relief. "You're a hard man to replace, Kim Dan," Jaekyung added suddenly, making the blush on Dan's face burn even brighter.

There was a brief moment between them that Dan felt was noticeably heavy. They both held each other's gaze as if they were equally in disbelief to be in the same room again but didn't want to show it more so from Jaekyung than Dan. He was still trying to contain his blush from Jaekyung's compliment. It was embarrassing to think about, but other than the occasional praise about his body during sex, this was the first time Jaekyung said something genuinely kind to him.

Dan looked away first, suddenly uncomfortable being put under Jaekyung's microscope. The mood immediately switched as Jaekyung cleared his throat and walked to Dan's room, where he shut the door without saying anything else.

For the first time since he moved there, Dan was glad he had spent the extra money to find a place with a separate bedroom.

Chapter 4

Chapter Text

Dan softly groaned as his alarm blared in his ears at six in the morning, tapping the snooze button before sitting up. He stretched and yawned as his body got used to being awake, his eyes adjusting to the sunrise coming through his window.

He winced when he tried to stand up, feeling the familiar ache of being stiff. Normally, a good hot shower would wash away any evidence of the pain, but now that he was nearing twenty-nine, it seemed his body was slower to bounce back. He did a minute stretch when he was finally on his feet, only almost to fall over when his bedroom door slammed open.

"Kim Dan, why the hell do you have an alarm set so early?" Jaekyung shouted, panting heavily as he stared Dan down.

Dan tried to steady himself, holding on to the top of the couch. "Oh! I'm sorry! I have to be at work in an hour." Dan said, already preparing for the worst.

"Work? What kind of f*cking bar opens at seven in the morning?" Jaekyung asked, sounding less angry and more annoyed and confused than anything.

"I have two jobs, Mr. Joo."

Jaekyung continued to look confused. "You have two jobs?"

"I…w-work at another gym." Dan nodded. "A bodybuilding gym!" He quickly added when he noticed how furrowed Jaekyung's brow was becoming, but he was clearly at a loss of what to say and went back to Dan's room, closing the door firmly.

He was glad he had it on the forefront of his mind to bring his work clothes into the living room with him last night.

Dan was showered and out the door in less than 20 minutes. Luckily, his hair dried quickly between his walk to the bus stop and the ride there, so he never really had to bother blow-drying it. He would always be grateful for the things that allowed him extra sleep.

He was at the front doors of his gym in no time, swiftly saying his "hi's" and "hello's" before disappearing into his office to get organized.

Unlike Gym Black, he didn't focus on one person and instead on the overall condition of everyone at the gym. Luckily, there were less than 50 members, so it wasn't that overwhelming, and not everyone required the same amount of effort. Some people he saw once a week, some every other day. And then there were some people he had met once, and that was the end of it.

It was an okay job. It paid the bills, and the people were friendly for the most part. Of course, there were the usual men filled with too much energy who spewed toxic masculine things, but Dan always just ignored them.

His first client of the day was a young woman named Hana. She was a few years older than Dan and had been a bodybuilder since she was a teenager; however, after an unfortunate injury left her with nerve damage in one of her legs, she had taken the route of bikini competitions. Dan saw her once a week to make sure her leg didn't worsen and often helped her stretch it out.

She was in and out in less than 30 minutes when someone else knocked on his door—an older man named Andrew. Dan saw him fairly frequently as he was getting up there in age. He was one of the oldest bodybuilders at the gym, and Dan knew he wasn't in the best condition. His knees definitely needed to be replaced, and he had a shoulder injury that looked uncomfortably close to Jaekyung's. Dan never really enjoyed treating him.

He had lived most of his life in America before returning to Korea, so he insisted everyone call him Andrew. He was stubborn and rude and always had something to say to refute whatever Dan advised. He didn't even understand why he kept returning to Dan because he never trusted a word that came out of his mouth and constantly told Dan he thought he was a quack.

When they first met, Dan couldn't help but see the unmistakable resemblance between him and Jaekyung because of their bad attitudes. Even Jaekyung trusted most of the things Dan said to him and never complained during a massage or stretch. In his head, a person would have to be pretty bad to make Jaekyung look like a grateful and well-behaved patient.

His treatments always took the longest because of his whining that Dan was hurting him or didn't know what he was doing. But somehow, he had gotten through the torture of treating Andrew, and before he knew it, it was already after 12 when he looked at the white clock in his office.

"Thank God," he huffed, slouching back in his chair. He never remembered being this tired working for Gym Black but focusing on one person would always be easier than helping dozens.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, so he quickly took it out. He almost never got texts unless they were spam or the odd person asking to switch shifts from the co*cktail bar. He was surprised to see Jaekyung's name on the screen.

"When are you done?" Jaekyung asked.

"At 4:30, but I'm going to visit my grandma after." Dan messaged back. He couldn't help but note that this was the most normal conversation they'd ever had. He honestly hadn't expected Jaekyung to reply right away, but his phone buzzed the moment he placed it down on his desk.

"You're seeing your grandma? I'll pick you up. Where is the gym?"

Dan hesitated. For some reason, he didn't want Jaekyung to know where he worked. Maybe he was embarrassed that he left Jaekyung's to work at a measly little one, but he told himself that was stupid and messaged him back with the address and the time his shift ended. Of course, he included a message right after saying Jaekyung really didn't need to if it would bother him. And when Dan didn't get a text back, he assumed Jaekyung changed his mind.

That was until he saw a grey Urus waiting for him outside his work. He could see Jaekyung was idly looking at his phone, scrolling at God only knows what as he got closer to the door. Dan felt awkward if he accidentally scared him, so he tapped on the window gently before opening the door.

"Got everything?" he asked, looking up from his phone as Dan put on his seat belt.

"I do," Dan smiled softly. "Thank you for picking me up."

Jaekyung just waved him off, telling him not to worry about it, but he surprised Dan when he handed him his phone.

Dan gave him a confused look.

"The address for the hospital. Put it into my phone's maps." Jaekyung clarified, dangling the device in front of Dan's face. He took it with a hesitant hand before slowly typing in the address. It felt oddly intimate using his phone, but he gently put the phone into the middle console once he finished entering their directions.

The drive to the hospital was a short one. It took less than ten minutes before they pulled up to the parking lot and paid the meter. Dan had tried to insist on paying, but Jaekyung practically ripped his credit card from his hand before taking out his own. Dan blushed as he watched Jaekyung pay for the parking. It was something so small and stupid, but he couldn't help himself.

They walked silently to the reception desk, Jaekyung clearly observing where he was. It was a small hospice like most were. The walls were painted a warm beige, and the furniture all seemed to match. He was surprised to see how luscious the gardens were outside in the back as they passed by one of the windows. Although, he supposed it made sense to have such beautiful scenery. For most here, it would be the last thing they see, and for some reason, the thought that this would be the final view of Dan's grandma at some point caused a pang of sadness in his chest. He tried his best to ignore it.

He didn't say anything as Dan said something to the receptionist, only half paying attention. He didn't even understand why he was being handed a clipboard until he read "Visitor Sign-In Log" at the very top. He could tell the man at the desk was staring at him with wide eyes of recognition, but he placed the clipboard on the counter, ignoring the guy as best as he could.

Dan didn't seem to notice as he ushered the two of them to a room not far down the hall. Jaekyung always admired Dan's ability to almost be lost in his own world. His naivety and innocence used to drive him up the wall. They were two qualities he hated most in a person, but the more he got to know Dan and the more time they spent together, Jaekyung came to understand why he had those qualities. They were a defence mechanism against a world that had treated him with nothing but cruelty and unfairness. They allowed him to still be a good and functioning person when he had the makings and the justifications to be someone far worse.

He watched Dan go through a door, gesturing for Jaekyung to follow him. He was greeted by Kim Dan's grandmother, and he would be lying if he said his heart didn't sink at the sight of her.

She was somehow more frail and thin than she was all those months ago. He knew what it meant when someone was placed in a hospice, but apparently, his brain didn't fully let him process what that meant.

"Oh, my puppy!" She grinned, lighting the room with her smile. "I'm so happy you're here." She practically sang.

"Hi, Grandma!" Dan smiled back, leaning down to pull her into a gentle hug.

Jaekyung stood by the door, watching as the grandmother and grandson caught up momentarily. Dan told him on the ride over that he visited her every day, even if it was only for half an hour or so.

"Jaekyung! Is that you?" Dan's grandmother said, sounding just as happy to see him as she was to see Dan.

"It's nice to see you, granny." Jaekyung smiled, walking towards the bed. He hadn't planned to hug her, scared that he would accidentally crush her because of how frail she looked, but she had held her arms open wide, clearly inviting Jaekyung in. He would never say no as he leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her as carefully as he could. She really did feel as breakable as she looked.

"I didn't know you were coming to visit," she grinned, clearly excited about the extra company.

Jaekyung softly laughed as he pulled two chairs from the corner of the room to beside the bed. "It was a surprise," he said, motioning for Dan to sit beside him.

"Well, I'm still very glad to see you again."

"Likewise," Jaekyung said back.

The three of them caught up for the time being. Apparently, Dan hadn't been able to visit for over a week, so there were plenty of things for them to talk about. Jaekyung couldn't help but think about how nice it was to see them interact. Usually when Dan talked to people, he always seemed slightly on edge. Like he was constantly walking on eggshells, expecting the worst to happen.

He seemed much more relaxed here, more like himself. Jaekyung thought it would be nice if Dan was more like that around him.

"So Jaekyung, how long are you here for?" Dan's grandmother suddenly asked.

Jaekyung found himself feeling slightly flustered. "Ah, I'm not too sure yet. I guess it really depends on my training schedule. Probably more than a few days, though."

Dan gave him a confused look. "You aren't leaving right away?"

Jaekyung turned to Dan, shaking his head. "Nah, if that's okay?"

Dan eagerly nodded his head. "N-no…no, that's fine!" He stuttered, trying his best to hide his enthusiasm.

"I can get a hotel room. It's a pain in the ass to sleep on the couch."

"It's okay, really! It's more comfortable than it looks."

Dan's grandmother watched fondly as Dan and Jaekyung interacted. She would always be grateful that Jaekyung gave her puppy a sense of companionship. It was so lovely seeing them get along.

"Since Jaekyung is here, why don't we go to the beach another day?" Dan's grandmother suggested.

"Oh! I completely forgot." Dan said.

"You guys were going to the beach today?"

Dan blushed. "We go every week or so, but we can skip today!"

Jaekyung shook his head, quickly standing up. "No, we can go to the beach. I honestly haven't been in years."

Dan's eyes widened. "Are you sure? I-I don't want to bother you."

"You won't. It'll be fun." He said, walking towards the door. "I'll bring the car around while you get ready."

Dan watched as he left, turning back to look at his grandmother, who had that excited glint in her eyes that she got when she was about to see the water.

"Always such a lovely young man." She smiled, trying her best to sit up as Dan wheeled over her wheelchair. He helped her put on a sweater and lifted her slightly to seat her gently in the chair. Just as he was about to grab the scarf he had bought her months back, his phone buzzed with a text, letting him know Jaekyung was ready for them outside.

He wheeled his grandmother out quickly, embarrassingly eager to spend time with her and Jaekyung at the beach.

When he got outside, Jaekyung was already waiting outside his car for them, prepared to lift her into the back of the SUV and fold her chair to put it in the trunk. He watched as Dan climbed into the seats beside her, wrapping a protective arm around her body.

"We ready to go?" He asked, looking in his rearview mirror.

"Of course, Dear." Dan's grandmother said, sounding impossibly excited.

The drive there was short, only lasting a couple of minutes. The reason why Dan specifically picked that hospice was because of its view of the ocean from certain rooms.

Jaekyung parked the car, hoping out quickly to get the wheelchair ready to go. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw Dan being the one to pick his grandmother up from the car. Despite it being evident that Dan had lost a fair amount of weight since he left Jaekyung's house, he could still see decently defined muscles on his arms as he placed his grandmother on the chair. He tried his best to keep it a pleasant surprise and not turn it into something that was turning him on. He eventually mentally scolded himself for thinking he needed to find someone to f*ck soon because this wasn't exactly the time or place for having those kinds of thoughts.

Dan stood behind the chair, ready to push, when Jaekyung placed his hands on the handles, the bottom of his palms slightly grazing Dan's delicate fingers. "I'll push her."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

Jaekyung nodded, stepping fully behind the chair as Dan moved out.

"Alright, where are we headed?" Jaekyung asked, leaning down to better hear Dan's grandma.

"O-oh…we have a spot we like to walk to, if thats okay?" Dan mumbled, sounding adorably sheepish.

Dan quietly led them to a spot a few minutes away from the parking lot. Jaekyung hadn't even noticed there was a walkway because the area was covered with trees and bushes, but he could see why Dan and his grandmother liked being there. It almost felt like a private section cut off from the rest of the world. It was close enough to the actual beach that you could still see the sun and plenty of water, but the greenery gave it decent seclusion. He was also glad to see that there was a small bench that they could sit on. He placed Dan's grandma on the left of the bench and sat on the right, wanting Dan to be able to sit next to her.

He was enjoying relaxing on the beach. He hadn't been to one since he was a kid.

"Danny, why don't you go get us some ice cream from the shop?" Dan's grandma asked.

"Sure! Just your regular vanilla?"

"Please and thank you, my puppy. What did you want, Jaekyung?"

Jaekyung waved her off. "I'm good. Training started, so I'm back to my old diet."

Dan's grandmother wasn't having any of it. "Young man, one ice cream won't kill you." She huffed. "When you get to my age, you will have wished you ate more ice cream! Danny, get him vanilla as well." She insisted.

Jaekyung was going to protest, but he figured there was no sense in arguing with a dying woman. If ice cream would appease her and make her day, he would do it for her. He let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. "Sure, vanilla's fine." He said to Dan, who was looking incredibly conflicted but was clearly glad that his grandmother won the argument with ease and giggled at the two of them.

"Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes." He smiled, bowing to the both of them.

They watched as he disappeared beyond the trees, leaving the two of them alone to enjoy the sounds of the waves crashing into each other.

Jaekyung had expected the two of them to sit in comfortable silence, but it wasn't long before he heard the loud creaking of Dan's grandmother turning in her chair. "I know we're practically strangers, Jaekyung, but I must ask something of you." She whispered, leaning close to him as if they weren't the only two people there.

"Of course, anything, granny," Jaekyung replied, sliding across the bench to be closer to her.

She slowly reached over to grab his wrist, patting it a few times with her other hand. She looked up at him with a sad smile on her face. "Please make sure Dan is okay after I…after I'm gone."

Jaekyung sucked in a breath, staying silent as he was at a loss for words. She seemed to notice.

"My Danny boy has always kept to himself." She laughed softly. "He never really made close friends at school. He was never interested in joining a club to socialize. He was always perfectly happy keeping this old woman company." Jaekyung could hear her voice's shakiness, placing his hand on top of hers to offer her some comfort. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and filled with tears. Jaekyung couldn't help but think how familiar this scene felt. How he had seen similar eyes looking up at him before with the same sadness. "I don't want my Dan to be all alone."

Jaekyung opened his mouth to say something but noticed Dan was returning. His grandmother's smile returned to her face when she heard the footsteps.

"Sorry that took so long," Dan said, handing out the ice cream.

The three of them ate together while watching the sunset. Occasionally, his grandmother would make idle chat here and there, talking about any upcoming appointments or things going on at the hospice.

Jaekyung was more than happy to sit there in peaceful silence, though. He had a lot on his mind. He was honoured that Dan's grandmother thought highly enough of him to take care of her most prized possession after she was gone, but truth be told, he knew he wasn't the right person. He wasn't as good to Dan as she thought, and for the first time, he felt guilty for how cruel he had been to Dan. For once, he regretted his past actions towards a person and wished that he could go back and change it all. He wished he could have been the person Dan's grandmother viewed him as and desperately hoped that maybe he could be one day.

Chapter 5

Chapter Text

Jaekyung watched on the couch as Dan finished getting ready for work, eyeing him as he zipped up his new gym-assigned uniform. It was an obnoxious orange and blue pair of scrubs with a matching blue jacket. He hated it.

"I wanna check out your gym."

Dan eyed him skeptically, wanting nothing more than to say no, but was unable to spit it out. Jaekyung could tell, though. He could see the hesitation in Dan's eyes. "Why?" Dan asked, trying to hide his worry.

"I'm not gonna f*cking do anything weird. I just wanna see what it's all about." Jaekyung said, rolling his eyes. "I bet it's not even half as good as mine." He preened.

Dan still wanted to say no, but his brain nodded without his permission. He awkwardly smiled as Jaekyung grinned at him and grabbed his keys.

"Alright, doc. Lead the way."

"Okay." Dan sighed, wholly defeated. He still wasn't used to having such normal interactions with Jaekyung.

Yes, Jaekyung wasn't always at his throat. In fact, most of the time, their conversations were fairly neutral. They normally talked about his physical health, stretches, and whatnot. Occasionally, if Jaekyung had extra time, he would even explain different fighting styles to Dan so he would have a better grasp of the muscle movements and prepare stretches accordingly.

This just somehow felt different. Their conversations felt more personable and friendly as if they were legitimate friends. But even Dan scoffed at that thought, earning a confused glare from Jaekyung, who was currently weaving in and out of traffic. Dan had somehow forgotten how terrifying of a driver he could be.

It didn't take long before they were at the gym, pulling up to a small brick building.

Jaekyung wasn't wrong when he bragged about Gym Black being better. His gym definitely looked like it belonged to a professional athlete, whereas this one was smaller. But Dan always thought that just made it cozier.

They found parking reasonably quickly, getting out and grabbing all of their things.

Dan gasped gently when Jaekyung grabbed his duffel bag out of his hand and threw the long strap around his shoulder.

"Mr. Joo…you don't-"

"Don't worry about it," Jaekyung said, cutting Dan off. He even opened the door, allowing Dan to go in front of him. He was embarrassed at how a basic act of chivalry made him blush.

The moment they stepped into the building, greetings could be heard from everyone. Dan smiled and waved back to them.

Despite being early, Jaekyung noticed that the gym was already relatively full, with men and women occupying most of the machines. He couldn't help but be impressed at some of their physiques as it wasn't often people were able to match his muscle mass. Although he knew unlike him, most of their bodies weren't natural, especially the ones that were bigger than him.

"Doc Dan! It's always good to see you even this bright and earl-holy sh*t are you…"

Jaekyung smiled, extending his hand.

"Joo Jaekyung." He said, shaking what he assumed to be the owner's hand.

The man, who looked to be in his early 60s, laughed loudly, shaking Jaekyung's hand vigorously. "As if you need an introduction! Incredible." He said, grabbing Jaekyung's fist with both hands. "You can call me Coach Kang, I'm the owner of this place! To what do I owe this pleasure, Mr. Joo?"

Dan always forgot how charming Jaekyung could be to people who didn't know him. It shocked him how no matter how many people came up asking for a picture, an autograph, or even just to have a conversation, he almost never turned them away.

"I'm here visiting, was just interested in joining a bit more of a private gym for the time being."

Dan was shocked. It had been two days since Jaekyung arrived. He didn't think this stay would last much longer despite what he said at the hospice yesterday, let alone long enough for him to need to join the gym.

Coach Kang's eyes practically lit up, his smile reaching both of his ears. "Oh, that can definitely be arranged." He laughed, patting Jaekyung on the back. "Why don't we have a quick chat in the office?" He said, gesturing his hand in front of him.

Jaekyung nodded, following his direction before stopping and turning to Dan. "Where's your office?"

Dan looked surprised, completely forgetting that he even had his bag. "I can take my bag! Thank you for carrying it for me." Dan smiled shyly.

Coach Kang's jaw was practically on the ground. "You two know each other?"

Both of them nodded. "He used to be my physical therapist," Jaekyung said.

Kang's eyes went wide. "You worked for this man? Why the hell didn't you tell me!" He shouted. I'm seriously underpaying you if you worked for this guy.

Dan awkwardly laughed. "N-no…no! That's okay, Coach."

Kang tried to say more, but Jaekyung was quick to cut him off. "Your room, Doc?"

Without saying anything, Jaekyung followed Dan to his tiny office. It wasn't anything special, just a windowless room with enough space for a massage table, desk and computer.

"Your old office was better." Jaekyung scoffed, gently placing Dan's work bag on the floor.

Dan softly laughed. "It was." He agreed, unpacking all of his things. He kept most of his supplies at the gym, but some things he felt were better if they stayed with him.

"Is that guy good to you?"

Dan was shocked at the question. Maybe even more shocked how how genuinely concerned Jaekyung seemed to be. "Coach Kang? He's… He's okay." Dan shrugged. "I suppose he's just another man I work for." He smiled. Which was mostly true. He was friendly enough, always greeting Dan whenever he got there, but that was the extent of their non-professional relationship. Their only other conversations were about the athletes and if Dan had any genuine concerns. Besides that, he didn't go out of his way to talk to Dan. Which was okay. It didn't bother him or anything. In fact, it was kind of nice to be able to do his own thing. Not that Coach Yosep and Coach Park didn't let him do his job, but it was just different.

Jaekyung said nothing back, but Dan could tell he watched him as he sanitized the massage chair and some of his oils. He could feel Jaekyung's eyes on him as he looked at his schedule, checking to see what appointments and people he had to see that day and most people would've found it uncomfortable. Even past Dan might have felt anxious or nervous, but to him, it just felt like Jaekyung was curious. It felt like he wanted to know what Dan was up to in his everyday life, and for some reason, that left a pleasant feeling in Dan's stomach. A comfortable warmth that Dan was all too familiar with at this point.

He wouldn't have been upset if Jaekyung stood there watching all day, but Coach Kang knocked on the open door all too soon.

"Is the Doc here showing you around?" He smiled. Jaekyung was familiar with that kind of smile. It was the kind of grin that people only showed him when they wanted to kiss his ass and get on his good side. It was always so phoney and disingenuous to the point where it almost always pissed him off.

Dan never smiled at him like that.

"Shall we go talk in my office?" Coach Kang said after a few moments when Jaekyung made no effort to reply. He gave him a tight smile and a nod before following him out the door, leaving Dan alone in his room.

Dan silently prayed that the Coach wouldn't piss off Jaekyung. He was typically on his best behaviour around people who didn't know him, but that didn't mean he suddenly lost his temper and sharp tongue.

He even tried to watch their conversation through the open door of the Coach's room but was disappointed when he firmly closed it the moment Jaekyung was through the door. He could feel his anxiety levels rising as he rested his head on his desk.

"Doc Dan?" A voice asked, knocking on his door. Dan quickly sat up, swivelling his chair around to see whoever was standing there. It was a young woman, a few years younger than Dan. She was the newest member of the gym, and as horrible as it sounded, he had completely forgotten her name.

"O-oh! Hello! How can I help you?" Dan smiled, trying his best to act normal.

The woman gave him a shy grin in return. "Coach Kang said you had some free time in the morning to see me. Is that okay?" She asked, stepping into the office and standing beside the massage bed.

Dan checked his schedule to make sure he was completely clear before gesturing for her to lie down. Usually, he preferred to keep his door closed whenever he was working on a client, but he couldn't help but keep looking across the gym to see if the Coach's door opened. He felt bad for being so distracted, but it didn't seem like the young woman cared. She closed her eyes and played music anyway, so Dan doubted that she even noticed.

It was quite a while before Dan heard the familiar loud laugh coming from across the gym. He had just finished with this second client of the day and found himself sitting in his chair, staring intently at the door when it finally opened. The moment he saw Jaekyung, he quickly turned around and tried his best to look busy. But when he took a quick peak, looking up from the papers he definitely wasn't looking at, he noticed that the Coach was showing Jaekyung around the gym, introducing him to everyone there.

He wished he could hear what they were saying, but instead, he tried to start focusing on work. It was mostly in vain, but he had gotten a bit done when he heard knocking on his door.

He looked up to see Jaekyung standing there.

"Mr. Joo!" Dan smiled, looking at the clock. He couldn't believe it was already close to one. "I figured you would have left by now."

Jaekyung shook his head, stepping into the office and closing the door behind him.

"Nah, that man can f*cking talk an ear off." Jaekyung pouted, throwing himself onto the chair beside Dan and spreading his legs out in front of him. "What are you up to?" He asked, grabbing the papers suddenly from underneath Dan's hands.

"H-hey!" Dan shouted, trying to grab the papers back. "You can't look at those!"

Jaekyung laughed, pulling the papers just out of Dan's reach, but he was relentless. He would get those papers back at all costs, even if it meant practically straddling Jaekyung. Which he was, and he became hyper-aware of their position when he felt his knee brush the inside of Jaekyung's thigh. "O-oh…I…" Dan flushed, immediately climbing off of him and sitting back on his chair. "I'm s-sorry." Dan stuttered, bowing his head in an apology but also to avoid Jaekyung's gaze.

He had half expected Jaekyung to make a crude comment, but instead he was met with a gentle laugh and a soft thud of papers being tapped against his head.

"Nothing to apologize for. We've been in a lot more compromising positions than that." Jaekyung teased as Dan snatched the papers away from him. He tried his best to look mad or even mildly annoyed, but for some reason, Jaekyung's comment caused a sound that could only be described as a giggle to escape from his lips.

They stared at each other until their laughs died down, the tension in the room shifting to something heavier. The look in Jaekyung's eyes went from something playful and mischievous to dark and hungry, a look Dan had seen many times before. He wasn't dumb enough to not know what Jaekyung was thinking about. They had had sex more times than Dan could count and knew whenever he was in the mood.

And Dan would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't interested. It had been a while since they had sex, and truth be told, the last time they were together, it was pretty anticlimactic. Until the day Dan died, he would always vividly remember the sex they had the night before Jaekyung's birthday and knew how good Jaekyung could make him feel. He missed feeling Jaekyung's lips against his own, on his body and everywhere else. He missed Jaekyung's warmth and how impossibly good he smelled. And he knew if Jaekyung impulsively lunged forward, crushing their mouths together in a kiss, he probably wouldn't have the strength to say no because, deep down, that's all he wanted.

But the tension was cut when they heard a loud bang of metal clanging together outside the gym, followed by someone profusely apologizing.

"If it means anything, I don't understand for sh*t what any of that says," Jaekyung confessed, crossing his legs tightly.

Dan co*cked his head to the side. "Didn't you ever read the file I created for you?"

"Not a f*cking chance." He snorted. "I had other sh*t I needed to do. I just trusted whatever you put in there. You never gave me a reason not to."

Dan was shocked at his honesty. To a certain degree, Dan knew that Jaekyung valued him for his skills as a physical therapist because if he hadn't, he wouldn't have kept him around for that. It was just lovely to hear after how they had ended things. Despite being almost two months ago, Dan still thought about how badly he messed up before Jaekyung's last match. He didn't understand how the spray was fine on his wrist but burned Jaekyung's foot. He went over every scenario in his head about what could have caused that, but truthfully he had no idea. He tried to convince himself that maybe he hadn't actually tested the spray on him, or maybe Jaekyung suddenly developed an allergy to an ingredient. He didn't really care why it happened; he just knew that he would blame himself for the rest of his life.

He looked up at Jaekyung and saw him scrolling through his phone. He always wondered what he was doing. He knew he had a team that handled all of his social media accounts, so he knew it wasn't like he was constantly posting. Part of him was feeling bold enough to ask when he heard a knock on his door.

"Client?" Jaekyung asked, looking up from his phone.

Dan quickly looked at the large calendar beside his computer and nodded his head. He couldn't help but feel disappointed. He didn't know what was happening between him and Jaekyung, but it felt like this relationship had taken a 180-degree turn since the last time they saw each other. Dan blushed when he realized he genuinely enjoyed being around him. He hadn't had many friends before, but he was sure this was what friendship felt like.

"I'll head out then." Jaekyung said, standing up from his chair. "I'll go home and shower, then come pick you up. You done at 4:30 again?"

"Y-yes." Dan stuttered, flustered at Jaekyung using the word "home" to refer to his apartment.

"You work at the bar tonight?"

Dan nodded his head again. "I normally stop by to see my grandma quickly before starting."

"Alright," Jaekyung said before opening the door to see a man half his height but just as wide standing before him.

"Took you f*cking long enough to open the-Holy sh*t! Joo Jaekyung?" The guy shouted, eyes going wide.

Jaekyung glared at him, turning back around to look at Dan. "I'll see you in a bit." He said, before walking away, making sure his shoulder subtly hit the shorter man's.