Knit Two, Purl 100
Title: Knit Two, Purl 100
Pairing: SuHan
Rating: G
Warning: yarn porn, side XiuHun, extreme fluff
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, written just for fun.
Summary: Joonmyun is (*yawn*) exhausted from trying to finish a Really Special Present for his boyfriend for Christmas, and keeping it a secret means he has to sneak off to work on it. It’s a good thing Luhan loves him anyway, despite his flimsy excuses.
A/N: These are some of my favorite gifs of all time, so I /had/ to claim this prompt when I saw it! (Originally posted at the mydeerangel fic fest 2015)
"The first panel is almost done! See? I did another ten rows last night while Lu was grading." Joonmyun holds up his needles and lets the knit cloth unroll from the bundle to dangle in front of Minseok. "Except I had to take out a row because a dropped a stitch, but you can't really tell that I fixed it, right? It looks ok?"
Minseok shrugs and makes a vague I dunno sound in his throat as he swishes a mouthful of his milk tea around his mouth. "It looks fine to me, Myun. But then again I probably couldn't tell if there was a dropped stitch or not."
"I think you could." Joonmyun frowns as he scrutinizes the selvage at the sides. One of the stitches where he turned the row is a little loose and the tiny loop of yarn protrudes a bit farther than the others, disrupting the even line. "A dropped stitch makes a hole, hyung. Like, big enough to stick your fingers through."
"So?" Minseok twists his straw around in the lid of his cup. "Just make a lot of holes and tell him it's lace. That's got to be easier than backtracking and having to redo stuff."
"This is a muffler, though," Joonmyun sighs as he pets the panel of the scarf he's managed to finish. "For winter. So he doesn't catch another cold waiting for the bus. I don't think lace would be very effective."
"I guess not." Minseok is checking his messages when Joonmyun looks up, probably texting his boyfriend. "You could always buy him his Christmas present and just give Lu the handmade one whenever you finish it."
"Eh, I guess."
"That way you wouldn't be stressing so much just trying to finish on time."
"But the whole point is that it's handknit with love, my love, lingering in every stitch," Joonmyun insists, and shoves a napkin at Minseok before his straw dribbles sticky tea all over his yarn basket.
"Oh god! Is that what the packaging on the kit said?" Minseok licks the drops of milky liquid off the lid of his cup and ignores the napkin. "You are so sappy, Joonmyun."
"And you aren't?" Joonmyun wraps the length of blue wool back around his knitting needles, smoothing wrinkles out of the stretchy fabric as he goes.
"At least I'm not moping about a holiday that's still a month away," Minseok says with a pointed look over the rim of his empty cup. "Can you finish your sandwich now? Lunch break is almost over and I still have to print some copies before the meeting."
"Ok," Joonmyun sighs as he stabs the wooden points of his needles into the ball of yarn beside him. "Sorry."
"It's fine," Minseok shrugs again. "And I'm sure you'll finish in time. You still have a few weeks left so don't worry so much, ok?"
"Hey, are you ok?" Luhan murmurs as he slips an arm around Joonmyun's shoulders for support.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Joonmyun switches his drink into his other hand so he can adjust the strap of his leather bag.
"That bag looks really heavy." Luhan bites his lips like he's not quite convinced, shifting his weight on the heels of his leather boots.
"It's fine," Joonmyun says, and makes sure to smile as he edges towards the entrance to the dark hallway. His bag is large, and also kind of lumpy looking from the outside, but it isn't very heavy. Maybe he brought more stuff along than he really needs, but he figured since he already had to take his largest bag to fit his yarn, the scissors and tape measure, the half-knit scarf, his spare needles, and the pattern book, then he might as well take his gauges and the cable needle even though he still hasn't decided if he'll use it on this project. (Probably he won't, because he probably doesn't have time, but Joonmyun doesn't want to think about that fact right now.)
The teenage boy slouching at the entrance to the roped off hall takes their tickets from Luhan with a bow that looks more like a careless shrug. "Room 3," he yawns without bothering to cover his mouth, "on your left." He tears the perforated ends from their tickets, still yawning, and passes the stubs back to Luhan.
"Thanks!" Luhan nods in gratitude and motions to let Joonmyun go in front of him.
Joonmyun tries to sidestep through the narrow opening but his bag gets caught on a length of the velvet roping. He hisses, annoyed when it won't yank free right away. As soon as he steps through he turns towards the wall and unzips the very end of the bag for a peek inside, just to make sure the contents are all in order and nothing got damaged in the struggle.
"Um, excuse me, sir." The boy with bad posture twists his shoulders a tad straighter in his wrinkled black shirt as he taps Joonmyun. "Are you hiding a pet in your bag? No dogs allowed in here!"
"No!" Joonmyun yelps. "No, there's nothing alive in there, I swear!"
"Myun, are you sure you're ok?" Luhan whispers, leaning down to brush Joonmyun's fringe back from his eyes. "Why are you so jumpy?"
"Sir, I think I need to check your bag." The employee's lips are pressed together in a smug grin as he taps the toe of his tattered converse against the dirty carpet. "Are you trying to sneak snacks in? Because that's not allowed either."
"There's nothing prohibited in my bag," Joonmyun snaps, yanking the zipper closed again.
"See?" Luhan holds up the jumbo bucket of popcorn he purchased at the concession counter with Joonmyun's limeade while Joonmyun was picking up their tickets. "I promise we're not trying to bring other food in. We'll just go find our seats now!" Luhan curls forward in a half bow as a nervous laugh slips through his lips.
"Sorry," Joonmyun whispers to him as they head down the hall. He didn't mean to embarrass Luhan, but it's kind of essential that he doesn't find out what Joonmyun is actually smuggling in his bag.
"It's fine," Luhan says, and holds open the door to the theater room for Joonmyun.
They find their seats easily enough, about halfway down the steep leveled rows. Luhan leans back in his seat, his head dipping into the cushion and his legs stretched in front of him as far as they can extend in the narrow walkway between the rows. Joonmyun can't stop squirming though, his jeans creating uncomfortable friction on the slick velvet seat cushion.
"Are you...sure nothing's wrong?"
"I'm fine," Joonmyun huffs. He's just impatient for the previews to start, because he can't take out his project until the lights go down. He hasn't had a free moment to himself for weeks now so he doesn't know what to do with his hands when he has to just sit still. Ever since he started working on Luhan's scarf he’s kept his hands busy with his needles--waiting for the pasta to boil, waiting in the check out line at the market, waiting for Luhan to get out of the shower--Joonmyun is always knitting as fast as his fingers can fly.
"Mmkay," Luhan hums. He lifts a hand to pat Joonmyun's hair with lazy fingers and props the popcorn on the armrest between them. "At least eat while we're waiting. Maybe munching something will calm you down?"
"I'm not upset!" Joonmyun snaps, then instantly regrets it when he sees Luhan's face fall. He knows his boyfriend is just trying to be considerate. Luhan is always finding small ways to take care of him, washing up the dishes if Joonmyun is busy with a work deadline, or sneaking chocolates into his lunchbox just because. That's one of the reasons Joonmyun adores him so much, the constant affection he showers on him without ever making Joonmyun feel smothered.
"Sorry," Joonmyun says again, even more annoyed with himself now that he's apologizing for the second time in ten minutes.
"Never mind." Luhan shifts closer in his seat so he can lean his head on Joonmyun's shoulder. "But you should still help me eat this."
"Oh--no thanks." Joonmyun drops his hands back to his lap, realizing with another huff of frustration that if he gets his fingers covered in butter he'll ruin his work. "I don't think I'm very hungry."
Luhan doesn't get the chance to argue with him because the lights go down, finally, as the previews start to play. Joonmyun glances around on either side of them, trying to gauge how much is visible in the flickering light from the screen. He assesses that he'll have to be careful during extra bright flashes, like if there's an on screen explosion, but as long as he angles his body away from Luhan his secret should still be safe in his lap.
That means he has to ease Luhan's head off his shoulder, though, and that Joonmyun is loath to do. It isn't often they make it to the cinema to watch a movie together, and it's been an especially long while since the last one because they've both been busy at work with end of the year projects. Joonmyun leans forward with a slow arch of his back, pretending to stretch the kinks out of his neck, and Luhan moves over with a sigh.
Joonmyun feels for the handles of his bag where it's propped between his knees, shoved halfway under his seat. He holds his breath when his first yank on the zipper is louder than he expected and then grits his teeth as he eases it open just enough to slip his hand in. The yarn gets caught in the teeth of the zipper when he pulls out the scarf, but it doesn't seem to have left any snags in the wool cloth, Joonmyun is relieved to find after smoothing his palms over and over the affected area in a moment of panic.
He takes a deep breath to steady himself and glances over his shoulder to make sure Luhan's gaze is focused on the screen before he curls into his seat and picks up from the end of a new row. It's slow going in the dark. Joonmyun doesn't need to see to know where to make the next stitch, but it takes longer when he has to feel every loop to the tip of the needle with his fingers.
By the time the credits begin to roll, Joonmyun's shoulders are tense with the stress of worrying he'll be discovered and his back and neck are starting to cramp up from the awkward position he's been trying to maintain. The last three hours have not been the most enjoyable in his life, but he made it work. Joonmyun feels proud of having accomplished another eighteen and a half rows, and despite his fatigue the victory humming in his veins makes him want to keep going.
"What on earth were you doing in there?" Luhan yawns, stretching his arms above his head as they stumble into dimly lit hallway. "You were fidgeting through the whole film."
"Nothing," Joonmyun says in a small voice. He feels vaguely guilty when he remembers the sad pout Luhan had frowned at him when he tried to hold Joonmyun's hand during the sappy romantic kiss scene. Joonmyun had elbowed his hands away, slightly panicked when he felt Luhan's fingers roaming the length of his arm and wrist. He was terrified that Luhan would dip his hand into Joonmyun's lap and grab a handful of scarf instead. That would have been a disaster, and Joonmyun uses that logic to justify shrugging Luhan off to himself.
"I was...stress ball," he says, and pats the roundest looking lump bulking up the side of his bag. "My doctor gave it to me to squeeze...and stuff. I'm supposed to use it any time I feel stressed."
"Did the movie stress you out?" Luhan's eyes widen before blinking at Joonmyun with a guilty twist to his lips. "I'm sorry, Myun. You should have said something. We didn't have to stay for the whole thing."
"No." Joonmyun shakes his head and works his fingers between the loops of his cable knit sweater, where the braided weave joins into the rows of stocking stitch at the hem. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't just...relax. And stuff."
"Aw, c'mere." Luhan throws his arms around Joonmyun gives him a tight squeeze, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead before letting him go. "If you're worried about something you can tell me any time, ok? I won't be mad."
"I know." Joonmyun grabs his hand, lacing their fingers together as they walk out into the parking lot. He reaches up to tug at the top button of Luhan's coat, which he forgot to fasten again.
"You should dress properly when we go out. Winter is cold."
"That it is!" Luhan laughs, and Joonmyun can feel the tension releasing from his facial muscles as he smiles in return. "And you are more important than any movie, ok? So don't be shy to tell me if something's bothering you."
"Ok," Joonmyun says, grateful that Luhan is so understanding even when Joonmyun can't answer all of his questions. "Thank you." This time, though, Joonmyun has to keep his secret to himself for just a little longer.
"What happened to you?'
Joonmyun blinks, squinting when the overhead light spears into his retinas in painful flashes. "Don't poke at my face with that thing, that's dangerous."
"What, this thing?" Jongdae waves his wand again just in front of Joonmyun's nose. The downy pink feathers surrounding the base of the star make him sneeze.
"See, dangerous," Joonmyun moans. He pulls himself off his desk just enough to grab a kleenex from the box on top of his printer.
"Wait, are you really sick?" Jongdae's frown shifts into focus as Joonmyun peels his eyelids back open.
"No." Joonmyun sneezes again, this time catching the spray in the wad of tissue in his hand. "Maybe. I don't know."
"You sure look awful," Yixing grins down at him, coming over with a steaming mug of coffee to ogle at the commotion.
"Good morning to you too," Joonmyun says, but the last half of his sentence comes out all blurry because a big fat yawn decides to rise up in his throat and interrupt him.
"You look more like you're ready for bed."
"Bed. That sounds lovely. I never actually made it to bed last night."
"Hyung, not again." Jongdae sighs and smacks his forehead with the employee-of-the-month magic wand again. "This is the second time this week, and it's only Wednesday. What are you trying to do, kill yourself?"
"If I die, do I get to sleep forever?" Joonmyun snuggles his nose back into the soft sleeve of his favorite sweater, the dark green one Luhan picked out for his birthday this spring.
"Ah, ah, ah." Jongdae prods Joonmyun's chin with the tip of his wand. "You can't drift off to have another stress dream about that stupid scarf. Not until we finish this conversation."
"It isn't a stupid scarf," Joonmyun grumbles. He bats Jongdae's wand away from his face and uses the side of his cubicle as an anchor to hoist himself up until he's sitting again.
"It's stupid if you're letting it make you sick," Yixing counters. "Have you even been spending time with Luhan lately?"
"Yes," Joonmyun says. "We had dinner together last night, and I took a nap with him on the sofa while he watched TV." It had been a really lovely nap while it lasted, Luhan's fingers absently stroking through the locks of Joonmyun's hair at the nape of his neck. "And then when he went to bed I started working on the project again."
"Quality time," Yixing says, draping his arm over Jongdae's shoulder so he can lean in to narrow his eyes at Joonmyun. "I meant quality time. And that means you both have to be fully awake during the interaction."
"You realize I'm not even fully awake right now, Xing. I just--" Joonmyun whimpers as his vision shifts, sliding into two wavering images before he blinks them back into one with a stubborn shake of his head.
"You better promise to get a good night's sleep tonight." Jongdae brandishes the wand at Joonmyun again, waving it in a menacing figure eight.
"Ok," Joonmyun says, "I promise." It's not like he'd be able to stay awake another time in this row of all nighters, even if he tried.
"Don't make your boyfriend worry," Yixing says. He turns on his heel to wander away, probably in search of more coffee.
Joonmyun chews on the inside of his lip and refreshes the page of figures waiting for his attention on his desktop screen. He can sleep when he gets home, but now it's time to focus on work.
"Why are you here?" Changmin asks. "Did you already run out of yarn?" His mouth is full and he's chewing, but Joonmyun just greets him with a polite smile and strides past the front table in search of Kyuhyun.
"Joonmyun?" Kyuhyun looks surprised to see him as well. He hops down from the step ladder though, tossing the rest of the skeins he was restocking into the bin at his feet. "I hope you didn't ruin your yarn or something. I sold you the rest of the batch I had in that color, and you know it looks off when you mix yarn from different dye lots." He frowns at Joonmyun--not like he's mad, just a vague sort of worry--and waves him into a chair.
"No, I still have plenty of yarn." Joonmyun sinks into the seat next to Changmin and slides his elbows onto the edge of the round table. "That's not the problem."
"Well what's wrong then?" Kyuhyun pulls his apron over his head and slides onto the stool across from them.
"Does this look funny?" Joonmyun pulls the scarf from his bag and holds it up to the light for inspection.
Kyuhyun tugs at the end to unroll it from the needles. "It looks pretty normal to me."
"It's starting to look all wrong," Joonmyun sighs, twisting his hands in his lap. "Or maybe it just feels wrong? I don't know!"
"Well, the tension did get a bit tight towards the end here, but it's not too noticeable." Kyuhyun points out a few rows close to the stationary needle, tracing the stitches with the tip of his thumb. "It looks like you figured it out and fixed it on your own, though."
"Then why does it look weird!" At this point Joonmyun kind of wants to bundle it up and wrap the half finished scarf in a pile of old newspapers and stuff it in the back of the coat closet at home, or maybe burn it as kindling. Whatever he has to do to ensure he never has to see the darn thing ever, ever again.
"Maybe you've been staring at it for too long," Changmin suggests, still chewing on his sandwich. "Have you heard of taking breaks? Fascinating concept, that is."
"I don't have time for breaks, hyung! I only have six days left to finish this...this...thing."
"I think the word you're looking for is 'scarf,'" Changmin says, and pats Joonmyun on the back of the hand.
"Six days? I think you can probably manage it." Kyuhyun stretches out the muffler again, draping it over his neck to measure the length. The ends reach almost to his armpits. That means it’s barely long enough to wrap once around Luhan's neck with enough room to knot it in place, Joonmyun realizes with another whimper of despair. He probably needs to double the length to make it look normal and actually scarf-like.
"Six days," Joonmyun repeats in a dead voice, which is kind of how the joints in his fingers feel today after cranking out another eleven rows since breakfast. "Only six more."
"Maybe if you don't sleep? Hey!" Changmin growls when Kyuhyun smacks him on the arm with a niddy-noddy. Joonmyun just glares at him, struggling to hold back his overwhelming urge to cry.
"Joonmyunnie, what if you gave it to him a little late? Like, as a surprise extra gift for New Year's?"
"Then what would be the point of all the work I've been putting in to get it done on time?" Joonmyun pokes at the soft folds of the scarf, the merino-angora blend smooth against his fingertips. Luhan is his really special person, and Joonmyun just wants to surprise him with a really special gift. "I really want to give it to him on Christmas. I just have to hang in there for a few more days."
"That's the spirit," Changmin says, and pats Joonmyun's hand again.
"Yeah, thanks." Joonmyun wraps his project back into its bag and slips the package into the front of his briefcase. "I should go home now, Lu will be home soon for dinner."
"Good luck!" Kyuhyun calls as Joonmyun exits, and the tiny silver bell above the door jingles its Christmas cheer behind him.
"Can you hand me that knife? Thanks!" Luhan leans down to peck Joonmyun on the cheek as Joonmyun passes him the paring knife. They're making omelettes for dinner at Luhan's suggestion, and they pulled all of the leftover bits of vegetables hanging out in the back corners of their fridge to use for the filling.
Luhan's been too exhausted at the end of the day to bother with anything fancy in the kitchen this week, and every night he’s had a pile of papers to grade or progress reports to sign as soon as they finish the dishes. Joonmyun hates seeing him stressed out, especially when he has to carry his work home, but he's lived through enough finals weeks with Luhan to know that his boyfriend prefers to marathon through the stacks alone in their room.
Usually Joonmyun interrupts as often as he can without adding more stress, just bringing Luhan hot cocoa in his favorite mug and lingering to give him a quick shoulder massage while he gulps it down. This week, though, Joonmyun's had his hands full with his own form of stress incarnate.
"You look kind of shaky, Myun." Luhan props both palms on the edge of the sink and leans in to examine the dark circles bruising Joonmyun's under eyes. "Do you need some more painkillers?"
"No, I think I'm ok. Thanks, though." Joonmyun pats his hands dry on the clean tea towel hanging from the oven door handle, too exhausted to make sure he gets all of the damp spots. "I'm sorry we couldn't go out tonight."
"Why do you keep apologizing so much?" Luhan nudges Joonmyun in the ribs with a pointy elbow, but not hard enough to actually hurt. "If you're not feeling good, you wouldn't enjoy it anyway."
"Yeah, but--"
"Hey, no buts either." Luhan presses the tip of his index finger to the seam of Joonmyun's lips. "I wouldn't enjoy it if you were sitting there in the restaurant miserable. We'll just...reschedule for next week, or something."
Joonmyun nods. The fresh garlic staining Luhan's fingertip with a sharp pungency tingles against his lips. He can feel moisture pricking at his eyelids (totally because of the onions he just diced, ok, that's the only reason) and he turns away to wipe his eyes on the sleeve of his sweatshirt. "Why are you so nice to me," Joonmyun mumbles as reaches for a lemon from the fruit bowl to squeeze over their salad. The lemon is getting overripe. The skin is soft, the pith getting caught under his fingernails.
"Hey hey hey, c'mere." Luhan sets down the knife again, making sure the blade is turned towards the wall and balanced so it won't fall before he turns Joonmyun around and captures him in a gentle hug. "It's not your fault you got a migraine. So quit apologizing, ok?"
Joonmyun nods, letting a few of his tears soak into the soft cotton of Luhan's favorite jersey. He’s wearing the one he always sleeps in that smells like a mix of their lavender fabric softener and Luhan's aftershave.
As much as Joonmyun hates getting stress headaches, he was actually relieved to have a reason to stay in tonight so he could work on the scarf. That doesn't stop him from feeling guilty though, since it kind of is his fault. He always gets migraines when he lets his sleep deficit fall into the red. And this week his fatigue feels the crimson shade of those cranberry vodka jello shots that Jongdae will try to shove at him during their office Christmas party this weekend. Joonmyun spent half of his lunch break worrying and trying to come up with an excuse not to attend so he can stay home and knit.
"Hey, is there something stressing you out?" Luhan's fingers find their way into Joonmyun's hair, sifting through the locks with gentle tugs that relieve some of the pressure bearing down on his scalp. "You haven't been sleeping well, have you?"
Joonmyun snorts wetly into Luhan's collar, because that's the understatement of the week. He has an extra alarm set on his phone for 3 AM now, and he's been sneaking into the living room every night while Luhan is sleeping to add a few rows before he hides his yarn in the linen closet and starts on breakfast.
"You've been, I don't know, restless. Like a cat," Luhan says, whispering into Joonmyun's hair, and Joonmyun looks up at him in confusion. "You get up and wander around the house in the middle of the night, and you're like, OCD about washing your hands."
"No, that's not--! Argh!" Joonmyun cuts himself off, frustrated that he can't even explain his unusual behavior to Luhan without arousing suspicion. He doesn't like keeping secrets from his partner, not at all. Even if it is for a good cause.
Luhan smiles down at him, his eyes a little sad as his finger traces around the tip of Joonmyun's nose. "Well, whatever it is that's eating you, I guess we'll both have a chance to get away from stress and work and just relax over the holiday." Luhan releases him with one last squeeze and reaches around his waist to turn on the sink.
"Yeah, I hope so." Joonmyun leans back so Luhan has room to rinse the blade of the knife. He watches the water run off the blade in a clean stream, carrying tiny yellow tomato seeds down the drain. "I sure hope so."
"Do we have to?" Sehun looks like someone just stole a lollipop from between his lips, even though Minseok's in the process of handing him a large mixing bowl of steaming popcorn and a spray bottle of butter sauce. "Seriously?"
"It's just a little light in the corner, Hun, I'm sure you won't even notice. And yes, we need it." Minseok turns his head to give Sehun another look as he crosses the room to pull out extra blankets and pillows from the top of the coat closet.
"Of course I'll notice!" Sehun throws himself onto the sofa, opposite the end where Joonmyun is already curled up with his knitting propped on a cushion in his lap.
"Sorry," Joonmyun says without looking up from his work. Sehun doesn’t answer but throws a piece of popcorn at him. Joonmyun pouts at Sehun as the puffed kernel rolls off the curve of his thigh into the crack between the sofa cushions, but doesn't complain. He's the one who invited himself over for TV night, after all, and he doesn't want to be too much of an inconvenience. (But if Sehun gets any popcorn on the scarf after they add the butter sauce, Joonmyun might actually consider punching him. But only in a not-too-hard, very-polite, hyung's-sorry-but-he-hoped-you-learned-your-lesson sort of way.)
"Ok," Minseok sighs, dropping into the space between them with an armful of folded afghans and the TV remote. "Are we good? Everyone comfy?"
Joonmyun nods, giving his friend a grateful smile. Sehun sighs loudly, but wriggles his way under Minseok's free arm so he can drape himself over his boyfriend's side.
"Ok, here we go then," Minseok says, and hits the lights except for the antique hooded lamp suspended above them in the corner.
The TV turns on to the next episode of Emergency Couple, the nasally chorus of voices already halfway through the intro theme. Joonmyun can feel Sehun wriggling against the smooth leather cushions on the other side of Minseok and bites back another complaint. It's harder to work his needles and keep the tension of the yarn even when he's constantly being jolted, but hopefully they’ll all settle in soon once the action starts.
"Are you hungry or something?" Minseok whispers after fifteen minutes. They’ve all been readjusting positions every thirty seconds in response to Sehun's huffs and elbowing.
"No," Sehun whines, not even bothering to drop his voice to a whisper. "I can't focus with the light on."
"It's better for your eyesight anyway, Hun." Minseok pats his knee and tosses the the edge of the afghan back over their laps where the crocheted squares got twisted on the studs of Sehun's leather belt.
"I'm sorry," Joonmyun says. He lets his feet slide off the cushion to the floor as a fresh wave of guilt slithers through him. "I can just--"
"Joonmyun." Minseok is glaring at him, and his fingers dig into the the muscle of Joonmyun's upper arm, even through the thick knit of his fisherman's cardigan. "You're not going anywhere, since you just got here and the episode's barely started."
"Ok." Joonmyun sinks into the pillows propped behind him and picks up his needles again, but he leaves his ankles crossed over the foot of the sofa. "Thanks, hyung. Sorry."
"If you keep apologizing how are we supposed to hear the dialogue?" Sehun hisses, although he's been about as attentive as Joonmyun has, constantly checking his phone for messages.
"I'm sure Tao is tweeting all the important lines to you right now anyway, so just enjoy the livestream edition and sit still, if possible."
"Fine," Sehun sighs. He digs his chin into Minseok's shoulder as he throws his long legs in an awkward sprawl across his boyfriend's lap. "Are you almost done crocheting that shawl thing anyway, hyung?"
"It's not a shawl, it's a muffler," Joonmyun corrects automatically, "and these are knitting needles, not a crochet hook. You can tell because there are two needles instead of just one." He's had this conversation several times this week, with the ahjumma cashier while he was waiting in line at the supermarket, with Zhou Mi the guy from IT who always comes up to their floor of the office building to steal Yixing's coffee in retaliation, and with two little kids on the bus who asked if Joonmyun was making an invisible cloak.
"Do I look like I care?" Sehun sniffs, but quickly mutters an apology when Minseok pinches his side.
"That's ok, Sehunnie." Joonmyun sighs as he finishes a row of purling and tugs more yarn from the skein in his work bag at his feet. "And yes, I'm almost done. Maybe ten more rows? And then I can bind off."
"That's good," Sehun grunts. His sullen face is lit by the backlight from his phone as another incoming message flashes across the screen.
"It's a relief for sure," Minseok says as he mutes the TV speakers for a commercial break. "You've been obsessing over that thing for days, and it's Christmas Eve tomorrow."
"Yeah." Joonmyun almost drops another stitch when he tries to muffle a yawn with the back of his wrist. "Yeah I know."
"You better not skip out on your date with Lu tomorrow! He's been texting me since last weekend about how much he's looking forward to it."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Joonmyun pets the trail of finished work coiled on the cushion in his lap. "Even if I have to stay up all night to finish this darn thing, I'll spend all day tomorrow with him."
At least until Luhan falls asleep, that is.
"Joonmyun?"
Joonmyun cracks an eye open to find Luhan towering over him, wrapped in Joonmyun's favorite cardigan with the turned up cuffs and the peaked hood. Luhan bought it for him in a small yarn cottage in a village outside Manchester, when they travelled there last summer on vacation. Luhan's arms are too long for it, and his bony wrists peek out from the thick folds at the ends of the sleeves. Cute.
"What--ahem--what time is it?" Joonmyun coughs to clear the dry thickness from his throat as he pushes up to a sitting position with his elbow.
"Just after six." Luhan yawns, dropping his knees on the carpet between Joonmyun and the lowest ring of branches on their imitation fir Christmas tree. "I can go back to bed if you're not ready for breakfast, but I got hungry." He smiles sheepishly and Joonmyun takes note of the red smudges around his lips that look like kimchi stains.
"Mmph," Joonmyun groans. "Bed sounds nice, but I don't think I can move. You'll have to carry me."
"Ok!" Luhan agrees, already tucking the fleecy blanket thrown over Joonmyun's shoulders into a snug bundle around his middle. "But why were you sleeping in here again? Wait, what's this?"
"Nothing!" Joonmyun squeaks, snatching for his needles, but it's too late. Luhan's dangling the scarf by the fringe looped through the last row of stitches at the end, his other hand squishing the soft material into his palm.
"Hey, I didn't know you knew how to knit! Did you really make this? It's for me, right?"
"Of course it's for you." Joonmyun's voice comes out gravelly, half a groan and half a giggle at Luhan's eager expression as he blinks happily at Joonmyun. "And I'm not very good at it yet, but Kyu-hyung's been teaching me. Sorry I've been so busy this month, I was trying to get it done in time for Christmas, but I'm kind of...slow."
"That's ok!" Luhan bobs his head, stretching out the length of the muffler to wind it around his neck. "I already knew you were a slow poke, and it looks professional to me. Ooh! And it smells like you too, mm!"
"Hey, you can't wear it yet! It's not done." Joonmyun tugs on the end of the scarf as Luhan buries his face in the soft blue yarn and breathes in with a contented sigh.
"Nah, it looks pretty much done to me." He pats Joonmyun's hand before prying off his fingers. "It's not even attached to your yarn ball anymore."
"That's because I'm working on the fringe now," Joonmyun says, poking at the tassel-free end. "See? It looks dumb with only one side fringed and one end all...bald."
"Bald!" Luhan laughs out loud, mouth gaping as he slams his fist into Joonmyun's shoulder in amusement. "It's too fuzzy for you to call it bald, Myun. I think you offended it's feelings."
"Don't be ridiculous," Joonmyun protests, though he lets Luhan slip the muffler from his grasp. "It's made of wool, it doesn't have feelings."
"Oh, I beg to differ," Luhan grins as he wraps the scarf around and around and around his neck.
Joonmyun can't help but smile when he sees that the fabric he knit makes it three times around Luhan's throat with just enough room left on the ends to tuck in at his chin. It will look great with his black peacoat, just as soon as Joonmyun has a chance to finish tying on the fringe.
"Oh?" Joonmyun hums. He slides one hand into the soft wool blend and reaches up to finger Luhan's even softer hair as he presses a kiss to his forehead.
"This piece of wool has a lot of love, because you knit it just for me!"
"Oh," Joonmyun blinks, "well that's exactly what I had in mind when I started the project. I just wanted to see you..." He drops his mouth into the curve of Luhan's shoulder to hide a sneak attack yawn. "I just wanted to see you smile when you put on something I made especially for you."
"Well, I think it's your lucky winter." Luhan gives him an exaggerated wink as Joonmyun muffles another yawn with his fist. "'Cause you get to see me smile in my new favorite scarf every morning when you kiss me goodbye!"
"I like kissing you hello much better," Joonmyun whispers. He grabs Luhan by the scarf to pull him in for a long, long kiss. "Merry Christmas, Lu."
"Merry Christmas, my love!" Luhan says before his face crumples with a loud groan as he tries to boost Joonmyun into his arms like a baby. "Agh, I think you got heavier sitting around all month knitting! I should take you and this scarf for a walk before I let you eat your breakfast strudel."
"Be careful or I won't cook you dinner ever again!" Joonmyun punches his fist into Luhan's shoulder but lets Luhan drag him down the hall to their bedroom.
Luhan tucks him under the covers of their bed and slides in beside Joonmyun, arranging the corners of the silk duvet under his chin. "I don't care what we eat, as long as I get to spend the time with you."
"Ok," Joonmyun agrees as he snuggles into Luhan's side. He flexes his toes inside his fuzzy gray socks, the ones Luhan bought him because they reminded them both of rainclouds in the springtime. "Sounds perfect to me!"
Pairing: SuHan
Rating: G
Warning: yarn porn, side XiuHun, extreme fluff
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, written just for fun.
Summary: Joonmyun is (*yawn*) exhausted from trying to finish a Really Special Present for his boyfriend for Christmas, and keeping it a secret means he has to sneak off to work on it. It’s a good thing Luhan loves him anyway, despite his flimsy excuses.
A/N: These are some of my favorite gifs of all time, so I /had/ to claim this prompt when I saw it! (Originally posted at the mydeerangel fic fest 2015)
"The first panel is almost done! See? I did another ten rows last night while Lu was grading." Joonmyun holds up his needles and lets the knit cloth unroll from the bundle to dangle in front of Minseok. "Except I had to take out a row because a dropped a stitch, but you can't really tell that I fixed it, right? It looks ok?"
Minseok shrugs and makes a vague I dunno sound in his throat as he swishes a mouthful of his milk tea around his mouth. "It looks fine to me, Myun. But then again I probably couldn't tell if there was a dropped stitch or not."
"I think you could." Joonmyun frowns as he scrutinizes the selvage at the sides. One of the stitches where he turned the row is a little loose and the tiny loop of yarn protrudes a bit farther than the others, disrupting the even line. "A dropped stitch makes a hole, hyung. Like, big enough to stick your fingers through."
"So?" Minseok twists his straw around in the lid of his cup. "Just make a lot of holes and tell him it's lace. That's got to be easier than backtracking and having to redo stuff."
"This is a muffler, though," Joonmyun sighs as he pets the panel of the scarf he's managed to finish. "For winter. So he doesn't catch another cold waiting for the bus. I don't think lace would be very effective."
"I guess not." Minseok is checking his messages when Joonmyun looks up, probably texting his boyfriend. "You could always buy him his Christmas present and just give Lu the handmade one whenever you finish it."
"Eh, I guess."
"That way you wouldn't be stressing so much just trying to finish on time."
"But the whole point is that it's handknit with love, my love, lingering in every stitch," Joonmyun insists, and shoves a napkin at Minseok before his straw dribbles sticky tea all over his yarn basket.
"Oh god! Is that what the packaging on the kit said?" Minseok licks the drops of milky liquid off the lid of his cup and ignores the napkin. "You are so sappy, Joonmyun."
"And you aren't?" Joonmyun wraps the length of blue wool back around his knitting needles, smoothing wrinkles out of the stretchy fabric as he goes.
"At least I'm not moping about a holiday that's still a month away," Minseok says with a pointed look over the rim of his empty cup. "Can you finish your sandwich now? Lunch break is almost over and I still have to print some copies before the meeting."
"Ok," Joonmyun sighs as he stabs the wooden points of his needles into the ball of yarn beside him. "Sorry."
"It's fine," Minseok shrugs again. "And I'm sure you'll finish in time. You still have a few weeks left so don't worry so much, ok?"
"Hey, are you ok?" Luhan murmurs as he slips an arm around Joonmyun's shoulders for support.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Joonmyun switches his drink into his other hand so he can adjust the strap of his leather bag.
"That bag looks really heavy." Luhan bites his lips like he's not quite convinced, shifting his weight on the heels of his leather boots.
"It's fine," Joonmyun says, and makes sure to smile as he edges towards the entrance to the dark hallway. His bag is large, and also kind of lumpy looking from the outside, but it isn't very heavy. Maybe he brought more stuff along than he really needs, but he figured since he already had to take his largest bag to fit his yarn, the scissors and tape measure, the half-knit scarf, his spare needles, and the pattern book, then he might as well take his gauges and the cable needle even though he still hasn't decided if he'll use it on this project. (Probably he won't, because he probably doesn't have time, but Joonmyun doesn't want to think about that fact right now.)
The teenage boy slouching at the entrance to the roped off hall takes their tickets from Luhan with a bow that looks more like a careless shrug. "Room 3," he yawns without bothering to cover his mouth, "on your left." He tears the perforated ends from their tickets, still yawning, and passes the stubs back to Luhan.
"Thanks!" Luhan nods in gratitude and motions to let Joonmyun go in front of him.
Joonmyun tries to sidestep through the narrow opening but his bag gets caught on a length of the velvet roping. He hisses, annoyed when it won't yank free right away. As soon as he steps through he turns towards the wall and unzips the very end of the bag for a peek inside, just to make sure the contents are all in order and nothing got damaged in the struggle.
"Um, excuse me, sir." The boy with bad posture twists his shoulders a tad straighter in his wrinkled black shirt as he taps Joonmyun. "Are you hiding a pet in your bag? No dogs allowed in here!"
"No!" Joonmyun yelps. "No, there's nothing alive in there, I swear!"
"Myun, are you sure you're ok?" Luhan whispers, leaning down to brush Joonmyun's fringe back from his eyes. "Why are you so jumpy?"
"Sir, I think I need to check your bag." The employee's lips are pressed together in a smug grin as he taps the toe of his tattered converse against the dirty carpet. "Are you trying to sneak snacks in? Because that's not allowed either."
"There's nothing prohibited in my bag," Joonmyun snaps, yanking the zipper closed again.
"See?" Luhan holds up the jumbo bucket of popcorn he purchased at the concession counter with Joonmyun's limeade while Joonmyun was picking up their tickets. "I promise we're not trying to bring other food in. We'll just go find our seats now!" Luhan curls forward in a half bow as a nervous laugh slips through his lips.
"Sorry," Joonmyun whispers to him as they head down the hall. He didn't mean to embarrass Luhan, but it's kind of essential that he doesn't find out what Joonmyun is actually smuggling in his bag.
"It's fine," Luhan says, and holds open the door to the theater room for Joonmyun.
They find their seats easily enough, about halfway down the steep leveled rows. Luhan leans back in his seat, his head dipping into the cushion and his legs stretched in front of him as far as they can extend in the narrow walkway between the rows. Joonmyun can't stop squirming though, his jeans creating uncomfortable friction on the slick velvet seat cushion.
"Are you...sure nothing's wrong?"
"I'm fine," Joonmyun huffs. He's just impatient for the previews to start, because he can't take out his project until the lights go down. He hasn't had a free moment to himself for weeks now so he doesn't know what to do with his hands when he has to just sit still. Ever since he started working on Luhan's scarf he’s kept his hands busy with his needles--waiting for the pasta to boil, waiting in the check out line at the market, waiting for Luhan to get out of the shower--Joonmyun is always knitting as fast as his fingers can fly.
"Mmkay," Luhan hums. He lifts a hand to pat Joonmyun's hair with lazy fingers and props the popcorn on the armrest between them. "At least eat while we're waiting. Maybe munching something will calm you down?"
"I'm not upset!" Joonmyun snaps, then instantly regrets it when he sees Luhan's face fall. He knows his boyfriend is just trying to be considerate. Luhan is always finding small ways to take care of him, washing up the dishes if Joonmyun is busy with a work deadline, or sneaking chocolates into his lunchbox just because. That's one of the reasons Joonmyun adores him so much, the constant affection he showers on him without ever making Joonmyun feel smothered.
"Sorry," Joonmyun says again, even more annoyed with himself now that he's apologizing for the second time in ten minutes.
"Never mind." Luhan shifts closer in his seat so he can lean his head on Joonmyun's shoulder. "But you should still help me eat this."
"Oh--no thanks." Joonmyun drops his hands back to his lap, realizing with another huff of frustration that if he gets his fingers covered in butter he'll ruin his work. "I don't think I'm very hungry."
Luhan doesn't get the chance to argue with him because the lights go down, finally, as the previews start to play. Joonmyun glances around on either side of them, trying to gauge how much is visible in the flickering light from the screen. He assesses that he'll have to be careful during extra bright flashes, like if there's an on screen explosion, but as long as he angles his body away from Luhan his secret should still be safe in his lap.
That means he has to ease Luhan's head off his shoulder, though, and that Joonmyun is loath to do. It isn't often they make it to the cinema to watch a movie together, and it's been an especially long while since the last one because they've both been busy at work with end of the year projects. Joonmyun leans forward with a slow arch of his back, pretending to stretch the kinks out of his neck, and Luhan moves over with a sigh.
Joonmyun feels for the handles of his bag where it's propped between his knees, shoved halfway under his seat. He holds his breath when his first yank on the zipper is louder than he expected and then grits his teeth as he eases it open just enough to slip his hand in. The yarn gets caught in the teeth of the zipper when he pulls out the scarf, but it doesn't seem to have left any snags in the wool cloth, Joonmyun is relieved to find after smoothing his palms over and over the affected area in a moment of panic.
He takes a deep breath to steady himself and glances over his shoulder to make sure Luhan's gaze is focused on the screen before he curls into his seat and picks up from the end of a new row. It's slow going in the dark. Joonmyun doesn't need to see to know where to make the next stitch, but it takes longer when he has to feel every loop to the tip of the needle with his fingers.
By the time the credits begin to roll, Joonmyun's shoulders are tense with the stress of worrying he'll be discovered and his back and neck are starting to cramp up from the awkward position he's been trying to maintain. The last three hours have not been the most enjoyable in his life, but he made it work. Joonmyun feels proud of having accomplished another eighteen and a half rows, and despite his fatigue the victory humming in his veins makes him want to keep going.
"What on earth were you doing in there?" Luhan yawns, stretching his arms above his head as they stumble into dimly lit hallway. "You were fidgeting through the whole film."
"Nothing," Joonmyun says in a small voice. He feels vaguely guilty when he remembers the sad pout Luhan had frowned at him when he tried to hold Joonmyun's hand during the sappy romantic kiss scene. Joonmyun had elbowed his hands away, slightly panicked when he felt Luhan's fingers roaming the length of his arm and wrist. He was terrified that Luhan would dip his hand into Joonmyun's lap and grab a handful of scarf instead. That would have been a disaster, and Joonmyun uses that logic to justify shrugging Luhan off to himself.
"I was...stress ball," he says, and pats the roundest looking lump bulking up the side of his bag. "My doctor gave it to me to squeeze...and stuff. I'm supposed to use it any time I feel stressed."
"Did the movie stress you out?" Luhan's eyes widen before blinking at Joonmyun with a guilty twist to his lips. "I'm sorry, Myun. You should have said something. We didn't have to stay for the whole thing."
"No." Joonmyun shakes his head and works his fingers between the loops of his cable knit sweater, where the braided weave joins into the rows of stocking stitch at the hem. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't just...relax. And stuff."
"Aw, c'mere." Luhan throws his arms around Joonmyun gives him a tight squeeze, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead before letting him go. "If you're worried about something you can tell me any time, ok? I won't be mad."
"I know." Joonmyun grabs his hand, lacing their fingers together as they walk out into the parking lot. He reaches up to tug at the top button of Luhan's coat, which he forgot to fasten again.
"You should dress properly when we go out. Winter is cold."
"That it is!" Luhan laughs, and Joonmyun can feel the tension releasing from his facial muscles as he smiles in return. "And you are more important than any movie, ok? So don't be shy to tell me if something's bothering you."
"Ok," Joonmyun says, grateful that Luhan is so understanding even when Joonmyun can't answer all of his questions. "Thank you." This time, though, Joonmyun has to keep his secret to himself for just a little longer.
"What happened to you?'
Joonmyun blinks, squinting when the overhead light spears into his retinas in painful flashes. "Don't poke at my face with that thing, that's dangerous."
"What, this thing?" Jongdae waves his wand again just in front of Joonmyun's nose. The downy pink feathers surrounding the base of the star make him sneeze.
"See, dangerous," Joonmyun moans. He pulls himself off his desk just enough to grab a kleenex from the box on top of his printer.
"Wait, are you really sick?" Jongdae's frown shifts into focus as Joonmyun peels his eyelids back open.
"No." Joonmyun sneezes again, this time catching the spray in the wad of tissue in his hand. "Maybe. I don't know."
"You sure look awful," Yixing grins down at him, coming over with a steaming mug of coffee to ogle at the commotion.
"Good morning to you too," Joonmyun says, but the last half of his sentence comes out all blurry because a big fat yawn decides to rise up in his throat and interrupt him.
"You look more like you're ready for bed."
"Bed. That sounds lovely. I never actually made it to bed last night."
"Hyung, not again." Jongdae sighs and smacks his forehead with the employee-of-the-month magic wand again. "This is the second time this week, and it's only Wednesday. What are you trying to do, kill yourself?"
"If I die, do I get to sleep forever?" Joonmyun snuggles his nose back into the soft sleeve of his favorite sweater, the dark green one Luhan picked out for his birthday this spring.
"Ah, ah, ah." Jongdae prods Joonmyun's chin with the tip of his wand. "You can't drift off to have another stress dream about that stupid scarf. Not until we finish this conversation."
"It isn't a stupid scarf," Joonmyun grumbles. He bats Jongdae's wand away from his face and uses the side of his cubicle as an anchor to hoist himself up until he's sitting again.
"It's stupid if you're letting it make you sick," Yixing counters. "Have you even been spending time with Luhan lately?"
"Yes," Joonmyun says. "We had dinner together last night, and I took a nap with him on the sofa while he watched TV." It had been a really lovely nap while it lasted, Luhan's fingers absently stroking through the locks of Joonmyun's hair at the nape of his neck. "And then when he went to bed I started working on the project again."
"Quality time," Yixing says, draping his arm over Jongdae's shoulder so he can lean in to narrow his eyes at Joonmyun. "I meant quality time. And that means you both have to be fully awake during the interaction."
"You realize I'm not even fully awake right now, Xing. I just--" Joonmyun whimpers as his vision shifts, sliding into two wavering images before he blinks them back into one with a stubborn shake of his head.
"You better promise to get a good night's sleep tonight." Jongdae brandishes the wand at Joonmyun again, waving it in a menacing figure eight.
"Ok," Joonmyun says, "I promise." It's not like he'd be able to stay awake another time in this row of all nighters, even if he tried.
"Don't make your boyfriend worry," Yixing says. He turns on his heel to wander away, probably in search of more coffee.
Joonmyun chews on the inside of his lip and refreshes the page of figures waiting for his attention on his desktop screen. He can sleep when he gets home, but now it's time to focus on work.
"Why are you here?" Changmin asks. "Did you already run out of yarn?" His mouth is full and he's chewing, but Joonmyun just greets him with a polite smile and strides past the front table in search of Kyuhyun.
"Joonmyun?" Kyuhyun looks surprised to see him as well. He hops down from the step ladder though, tossing the rest of the skeins he was restocking into the bin at his feet. "I hope you didn't ruin your yarn or something. I sold you the rest of the batch I had in that color, and you know it looks off when you mix yarn from different dye lots." He frowns at Joonmyun--not like he's mad, just a vague sort of worry--and waves him into a chair.
"No, I still have plenty of yarn." Joonmyun sinks into the seat next to Changmin and slides his elbows onto the edge of the round table. "That's not the problem."
"Well what's wrong then?" Kyuhyun pulls his apron over his head and slides onto the stool across from them.
"Does this look funny?" Joonmyun pulls the scarf from his bag and holds it up to the light for inspection.
Kyuhyun tugs at the end to unroll it from the needles. "It looks pretty normal to me."
"It's starting to look all wrong," Joonmyun sighs, twisting his hands in his lap. "Or maybe it just feels wrong? I don't know!"
"Well, the tension did get a bit tight towards the end here, but it's not too noticeable." Kyuhyun points out a few rows close to the stationary needle, tracing the stitches with the tip of his thumb. "It looks like you figured it out and fixed it on your own, though."
"Then why does it look weird!" At this point Joonmyun kind of wants to bundle it up and wrap the half finished scarf in a pile of old newspapers and stuff it in the back of the coat closet at home, or maybe burn it as kindling. Whatever he has to do to ensure he never has to see the darn thing ever, ever again.
"Maybe you've been staring at it for too long," Changmin suggests, still chewing on his sandwich. "Have you heard of taking breaks? Fascinating concept, that is."
"I don't have time for breaks, hyung! I only have six days left to finish this...this...thing."
"I think the word you're looking for is 'scarf,'" Changmin says, and pats Joonmyun on the back of the hand.
"Six days? I think you can probably manage it." Kyuhyun stretches out the muffler again, draping it over his neck to measure the length. The ends reach almost to his armpits. That means it’s barely long enough to wrap once around Luhan's neck with enough room to knot it in place, Joonmyun realizes with another whimper of despair. He probably needs to double the length to make it look normal and actually scarf-like.
"Six days," Joonmyun repeats in a dead voice, which is kind of how the joints in his fingers feel today after cranking out another eleven rows since breakfast. "Only six more."
"Maybe if you don't sleep? Hey!" Changmin growls when Kyuhyun smacks him on the arm with a niddy-noddy. Joonmyun just glares at him, struggling to hold back his overwhelming urge to cry.
"Joonmyunnie, what if you gave it to him a little late? Like, as a surprise extra gift for New Year's?"
"Then what would be the point of all the work I've been putting in to get it done on time?" Joonmyun pokes at the soft folds of the scarf, the merino-angora blend smooth against his fingertips. Luhan is his really special person, and Joonmyun just wants to surprise him with a really special gift. "I really want to give it to him on Christmas. I just have to hang in there for a few more days."
"That's the spirit," Changmin says, and pats Joonmyun's hand again.
"Yeah, thanks." Joonmyun wraps his project back into its bag and slips the package into the front of his briefcase. "I should go home now, Lu will be home soon for dinner."
"Good luck!" Kyuhyun calls as Joonmyun exits, and the tiny silver bell above the door jingles its Christmas cheer behind him.
"Can you hand me that knife? Thanks!" Luhan leans down to peck Joonmyun on the cheek as Joonmyun passes him the paring knife. They're making omelettes for dinner at Luhan's suggestion, and they pulled all of the leftover bits of vegetables hanging out in the back corners of their fridge to use for the filling.
Luhan's been too exhausted at the end of the day to bother with anything fancy in the kitchen this week, and every night he’s had a pile of papers to grade or progress reports to sign as soon as they finish the dishes. Joonmyun hates seeing him stressed out, especially when he has to carry his work home, but he's lived through enough finals weeks with Luhan to know that his boyfriend prefers to marathon through the stacks alone in their room.
Usually Joonmyun interrupts as often as he can without adding more stress, just bringing Luhan hot cocoa in his favorite mug and lingering to give him a quick shoulder massage while he gulps it down. This week, though, Joonmyun's had his hands full with his own form of stress incarnate.
"You look kind of shaky, Myun." Luhan props both palms on the edge of the sink and leans in to examine the dark circles bruising Joonmyun's under eyes. "Do you need some more painkillers?"
"No, I think I'm ok. Thanks, though." Joonmyun pats his hands dry on the clean tea towel hanging from the oven door handle, too exhausted to make sure he gets all of the damp spots. "I'm sorry we couldn't go out tonight."
"Why do you keep apologizing so much?" Luhan nudges Joonmyun in the ribs with a pointy elbow, but not hard enough to actually hurt. "If you're not feeling good, you wouldn't enjoy it anyway."
"Yeah, but--"
"Hey, no buts either." Luhan presses the tip of his index finger to the seam of Joonmyun's lips. "I wouldn't enjoy it if you were sitting there in the restaurant miserable. We'll just...reschedule for next week, or something."
Joonmyun nods. The fresh garlic staining Luhan's fingertip with a sharp pungency tingles against his lips. He can feel moisture pricking at his eyelids (totally because of the onions he just diced, ok, that's the only reason) and he turns away to wipe his eyes on the sleeve of his sweatshirt. "Why are you so nice to me," Joonmyun mumbles as reaches for a lemon from the fruit bowl to squeeze over their salad. The lemon is getting overripe. The skin is soft, the pith getting caught under his fingernails.
"Hey hey hey, c'mere." Luhan sets down the knife again, making sure the blade is turned towards the wall and balanced so it won't fall before he turns Joonmyun around and captures him in a gentle hug. "It's not your fault you got a migraine. So quit apologizing, ok?"
Joonmyun nods, letting a few of his tears soak into the soft cotton of Luhan's favorite jersey. He’s wearing the one he always sleeps in that smells like a mix of their lavender fabric softener and Luhan's aftershave.
As much as Joonmyun hates getting stress headaches, he was actually relieved to have a reason to stay in tonight so he could work on the scarf. That doesn't stop him from feeling guilty though, since it kind of is his fault. He always gets migraines when he lets his sleep deficit fall into the red. And this week his fatigue feels the crimson shade of those cranberry vodka jello shots that Jongdae will try to shove at him during their office Christmas party this weekend. Joonmyun spent half of his lunch break worrying and trying to come up with an excuse not to attend so he can stay home and knit.
"Hey, is there something stressing you out?" Luhan's fingers find their way into Joonmyun's hair, sifting through the locks with gentle tugs that relieve some of the pressure bearing down on his scalp. "You haven't been sleeping well, have you?"
Joonmyun snorts wetly into Luhan's collar, because that's the understatement of the week. He has an extra alarm set on his phone for 3 AM now, and he's been sneaking into the living room every night while Luhan is sleeping to add a few rows before he hides his yarn in the linen closet and starts on breakfast.
"You've been, I don't know, restless. Like a cat," Luhan says, whispering into Joonmyun's hair, and Joonmyun looks up at him in confusion. "You get up and wander around the house in the middle of the night, and you're like, OCD about washing your hands."
"No, that's not--! Argh!" Joonmyun cuts himself off, frustrated that he can't even explain his unusual behavior to Luhan without arousing suspicion. He doesn't like keeping secrets from his partner, not at all. Even if it is for a good cause.
Luhan smiles down at him, his eyes a little sad as his finger traces around the tip of Joonmyun's nose. "Well, whatever it is that's eating you, I guess we'll both have a chance to get away from stress and work and just relax over the holiday." Luhan releases him with one last squeeze and reaches around his waist to turn on the sink.
"Yeah, I hope so." Joonmyun leans back so Luhan has room to rinse the blade of the knife. He watches the water run off the blade in a clean stream, carrying tiny yellow tomato seeds down the drain. "I sure hope so."
"Do we have to?" Sehun looks like someone just stole a lollipop from between his lips, even though Minseok's in the process of handing him a large mixing bowl of steaming popcorn and a spray bottle of butter sauce. "Seriously?"
"It's just a little light in the corner, Hun, I'm sure you won't even notice. And yes, we need it." Minseok turns his head to give Sehun another look as he crosses the room to pull out extra blankets and pillows from the top of the coat closet.
"Of course I'll notice!" Sehun throws himself onto the sofa, opposite the end where Joonmyun is already curled up with his knitting propped on a cushion in his lap.
"Sorry," Joonmyun says without looking up from his work. Sehun doesn’t answer but throws a piece of popcorn at him. Joonmyun pouts at Sehun as the puffed kernel rolls off the curve of his thigh into the crack between the sofa cushions, but doesn't complain. He's the one who invited himself over for TV night, after all, and he doesn't want to be too much of an inconvenience. (But if Sehun gets any popcorn on the scarf after they add the butter sauce, Joonmyun might actually consider punching him. But only in a not-too-hard, very-polite, hyung's-sorry-but-he-hoped-you-learned-your-lesson sort of way.)
"Ok," Minseok sighs, dropping into the space between them with an armful of folded afghans and the TV remote. "Are we good? Everyone comfy?"
Joonmyun nods, giving his friend a grateful smile. Sehun sighs loudly, but wriggles his way under Minseok's free arm so he can drape himself over his boyfriend's side.
"Ok, here we go then," Minseok says, and hits the lights except for the antique hooded lamp suspended above them in the corner.
The TV turns on to the next episode of Emergency Couple, the nasally chorus of voices already halfway through the intro theme. Joonmyun can feel Sehun wriggling against the smooth leather cushions on the other side of Minseok and bites back another complaint. It's harder to work his needles and keep the tension of the yarn even when he's constantly being jolted, but hopefully they’ll all settle in soon once the action starts.
"Are you hungry or something?" Minseok whispers after fifteen minutes. They’ve all been readjusting positions every thirty seconds in response to Sehun's huffs and elbowing.
"No," Sehun whines, not even bothering to drop his voice to a whisper. "I can't focus with the light on."
"It's better for your eyesight anyway, Hun." Minseok pats his knee and tosses the the edge of the afghan back over their laps where the crocheted squares got twisted on the studs of Sehun's leather belt.
"I'm sorry," Joonmyun says. He lets his feet slide off the cushion to the floor as a fresh wave of guilt slithers through him. "I can just--"
"Joonmyun." Minseok is glaring at him, and his fingers dig into the the muscle of Joonmyun's upper arm, even through the thick knit of his fisherman's cardigan. "You're not going anywhere, since you just got here and the episode's barely started."
"Ok." Joonmyun sinks into the pillows propped behind him and picks up his needles again, but he leaves his ankles crossed over the foot of the sofa. "Thanks, hyung. Sorry."
"If you keep apologizing how are we supposed to hear the dialogue?" Sehun hisses, although he's been about as attentive as Joonmyun has, constantly checking his phone for messages.
"I'm sure Tao is tweeting all the important lines to you right now anyway, so just enjoy the livestream edition and sit still, if possible."
"Fine," Sehun sighs. He digs his chin into Minseok's shoulder as he throws his long legs in an awkward sprawl across his boyfriend's lap. "Are you almost done crocheting that shawl thing anyway, hyung?"
"It's not a shawl, it's a muffler," Joonmyun corrects automatically, "and these are knitting needles, not a crochet hook. You can tell because there are two needles instead of just one." He's had this conversation several times this week, with the ahjumma cashier while he was waiting in line at the supermarket, with Zhou Mi the guy from IT who always comes up to their floor of the office building to steal Yixing's coffee in retaliation, and with two little kids on the bus who asked if Joonmyun was making an invisible cloak.
"Do I look like I care?" Sehun sniffs, but quickly mutters an apology when Minseok pinches his side.
"That's ok, Sehunnie." Joonmyun sighs as he finishes a row of purling and tugs more yarn from the skein in his work bag at his feet. "And yes, I'm almost done. Maybe ten more rows? And then I can bind off."
"That's good," Sehun grunts. His sullen face is lit by the backlight from his phone as another incoming message flashes across the screen.
"It's a relief for sure," Minseok says as he mutes the TV speakers for a commercial break. "You've been obsessing over that thing for days, and it's Christmas Eve tomorrow."
"Yeah." Joonmyun almost drops another stitch when he tries to muffle a yawn with the back of his wrist. "Yeah I know."
"You better not skip out on your date with Lu tomorrow! He's been texting me since last weekend about how much he's looking forward to it."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Joonmyun pets the trail of finished work coiled on the cushion in his lap. "Even if I have to stay up all night to finish this darn thing, I'll spend all day tomorrow with him."
At least until Luhan falls asleep, that is.
"Joonmyun?"
Joonmyun cracks an eye open to find Luhan towering over him, wrapped in Joonmyun's favorite cardigan with the turned up cuffs and the peaked hood. Luhan bought it for him in a small yarn cottage in a village outside Manchester, when they travelled there last summer on vacation. Luhan's arms are too long for it, and his bony wrists peek out from the thick folds at the ends of the sleeves. Cute.
"What--ahem--what time is it?" Joonmyun coughs to clear the dry thickness from his throat as he pushes up to a sitting position with his elbow.
"Just after six." Luhan yawns, dropping his knees on the carpet between Joonmyun and the lowest ring of branches on their imitation fir Christmas tree. "I can go back to bed if you're not ready for breakfast, but I got hungry." He smiles sheepishly and Joonmyun takes note of the red smudges around his lips that look like kimchi stains.
"Mmph," Joonmyun groans. "Bed sounds nice, but I don't think I can move. You'll have to carry me."
"Ok!" Luhan agrees, already tucking the fleecy blanket thrown over Joonmyun's shoulders into a snug bundle around his middle. "But why were you sleeping in here again? Wait, what's this?"
"Nothing!" Joonmyun squeaks, snatching for his needles, but it's too late. Luhan's dangling the scarf by the fringe looped through the last row of stitches at the end, his other hand squishing the soft material into his palm.
"Hey, I didn't know you knew how to knit! Did you really make this? It's for me, right?"
"Of course it's for you." Joonmyun's voice comes out gravelly, half a groan and half a giggle at Luhan's eager expression as he blinks happily at Joonmyun. "And I'm not very good at it yet, but Kyu-hyung's been teaching me. Sorry I've been so busy this month, I was trying to get it done in time for Christmas, but I'm kind of...slow."
"That's ok!" Luhan bobs his head, stretching out the length of the muffler to wind it around his neck. "I already knew you were a slow poke, and it looks professional to me. Ooh! And it smells like you too, mm!"
"Hey, you can't wear it yet! It's not done." Joonmyun tugs on the end of the scarf as Luhan buries his face in the soft blue yarn and breathes in with a contented sigh.
"Nah, it looks pretty much done to me." He pats Joonmyun's hand before prying off his fingers. "It's not even attached to your yarn ball anymore."
"That's because I'm working on the fringe now," Joonmyun says, poking at the tassel-free end. "See? It looks dumb with only one side fringed and one end all...bald."
"Bald!" Luhan laughs out loud, mouth gaping as he slams his fist into Joonmyun's shoulder in amusement. "It's too fuzzy for you to call it bald, Myun. I think you offended it's feelings."
"Don't be ridiculous," Joonmyun protests, though he lets Luhan slip the muffler from his grasp. "It's made of wool, it doesn't have feelings."
"Oh, I beg to differ," Luhan grins as he wraps the scarf around and around and around his neck.
Joonmyun can't help but smile when he sees that the fabric he knit makes it three times around Luhan's throat with just enough room left on the ends to tuck in at his chin. It will look great with his black peacoat, just as soon as Joonmyun has a chance to finish tying on the fringe.
"Oh?" Joonmyun hums. He slides one hand into the soft wool blend and reaches up to finger Luhan's even softer hair as he presses a kiss to his forehead.
"This piece of wool has a lot of love, because you knit it just for me!"
"Oh," Joonmyun blinks, "well that's exactly what I had in mind when I started the project. I just wanted to see you..." He drops his mouth into the curve of Luhan's shoulder to hide a sneak attack yawn. "I just wanted to see you smile when you put on something I made especially for you."
"Well, I think it's your lucky winter." Luhan gives him an exaggerated wink as Joonmyun muffles another yawn with his fist. "'Cause you get to see me smile in my new favorite scarf every morning when you kiss me goodbye!"
"I like kissing you hello much better," Joonmyun whispers. He grabs Luhan by the scarf to pull him in for a long, long kiss. "Merry Christmas, Lu."
"Merry Christmas, my love!" Luhan says before his face crumples with a loud groan as he tries to boost Joonmyun into his arms like a baby. "Agh, I think you got heavier sitting around all month knitting! I should take you and this scarf for a walk before I let you eat your breakfast strudel."
"Be careful or I won't cook you dinner ever again!" Joonmyun punches his fist into Luhan's shoulder but lets Luhan drag him down the hall to their bedroom.
Luhan tucks him under the covers of their bed and slides in beside Joonmyun, arranging the corners of the silk duvet under his chin. "I don't care what we eat, as long as I get to spend the time with you."
"Ok," Joonmyun agrees as he snuggles into Luhan's side. He flexes his toes inside his fuzzy gray socks, the ones Luhan bought him because they reminded them both of rainclouds in the springtime. "Sounds perfect to me!"