does a sick backflip

[salvageable]

imagine if i made things look nice 🥴

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[salvageable]

[ Fridays always crawl and by the time Dokja makes it back home, he's completely checked out both mentally and physically. It's been a long week of surviving the grind, and with the weekend upon him, he's ready to sleep like the dead until Monday forces him back on his feet.

On top of the exhaustion, he's got a persistent headache that won't quit. It had started out as a minor enough thing, something to get annoyed at, but over the course of days it's become harder and harder to ignore. It stays with him, a dull ache at times and a sharp pain during others, like there's something in his head that keeps banging on the inside of his skull as if trying to get out.

He'd thought it would go away on its own, but... well. Maybe it'll still go away on its own??

As he punches in the code on the keypad of his front door, he can hear the familiar click clack of nails on the floor and it brings a smile to his worn face. Swinging open the door, he's greeted by a very excited fluffy white dog, and he reaches down to pick her up to immediately bury his face in her fur. ]

Hey, Biyoo.

[ His number two favorite living thing in this world. ]

[malewife]

[ When Dokja opens the door, there’s a wafting aroma… Food must be waiting for him, alongside homemade side dishes because store bought will never suffice for Yoo Joonghyuk and maybe some alcohol because it’s Friday.

And in view Joonghyuk is here, wearing an apron, ignored by his partner for their co-parented dog. He should be used to this, seeing that this happens almost every day, but he continues to haunt this space in the foyer with a dark aura and brooding expression. While Biyoo emits the most innocent and blissful rays of elation, Joonghyuk is sending waves of indignation.

Greet him, too. Or else. ]

[salvageable]

[ A-and of course, his number one favorite living thing in the world is also right here!

Dokja sheepishly places Biyoo back down on the ground (very gently because she's a precious princess) so he can properly greet Joonghyuk with a quick peck on the cheek. It's clumsy and awkward, but he's bad at physical affection... And just affection in general so this is him trying, okay. ]

It smells great in here.

[ Like it always does. Always does. Always? Hm. That thought doesn't feel right, but whatever. Dokja kicks off his shoes and haphazardly shoves them to the side with his foot before dumping his bag on the ground, too. ]

[malewife]

[ He thinks a kiss would solve it all? One so awkward like an elementary schooler giving their baby crush a little peck? Well, it does work because Joonghyuk understands that Dokja isn’t the most affectionate. He deflates some, but his frown is perpetual and everlasting. ]

Dokja—[ There’s a short pause as he notices how strange that rolls off his tongue. Familiar yet unfamiliar. Odd…

But then he hears the sound of a bag dropping onto the wooden floor. Instantly, his gaze darts to it, left eyebrow twitching, then back to the offender. Annoyed… ]

There is a place for your bag. [ But he isn’t so overbearing and coddling that he’ll take the bag and store it. ] Dinner is ready.

[ Follow him to the kitchen joint living room. Biyoo is already doing that. ]

[salvageable]

[ Don't expect Dokja to notice anything, he's blind. Also if he stops by the couch to stare at it longingly like he wants to fall face first into it and knock out, then think nothing of it. Shit, his head really hurts.

And he doesn't have much of an appetite... ]

I'll hang it up later.

[ He sounds distracted as he follows Joonghyuk and Biyoo into the kitchen slash living room, one hand coming up to lightly rub at his temple. It's like the more he moves around, the worse his headache gets. He'll have to WebMD this later... ]

[malewife]

[ Joonghyuk knows... Dokja in every single instance is some degree of idiot, especially when it comes to human relationships. There's a huff at the reassurance. ]

Biyoo ate already.

[ A warning that he doesn't want to see him giving her table scraps. It isn't proper and it would be bad if she were to become too round. On the table is a simple dinner... Rice, a large grilled fish, the side dishes around it, two small bowls of soup (it is prob anchovy base), and glasses of water. Joonghyuk takes a seat, but doesn't start eating until Dokja joins him.

... First though: ]

You look horrible.

[salvageable]

[ it's okay that's not going to stop him biyoo..... ]

I'm just tired.

[ Dokja brushes off the mean brand of concern(?), dropping his hand from his head as he hurriedly slides into his seat. He most certainly does look horrible with how especially pale he is, and the dark circles under his eyes are darker than ever.

It's fine? He's fine. Let's focus on the food. ]

This looks good, [ he says, not at all hungry. ] Did it take you long to make everything?

[malewife]

[ Hello? He is watching? ]

No. I prepared most of the sides a couple of days ago.

[ Less cooking today, but... Still frowning. It has always been genuine concern, but Joonghyuk is more... I suppose open about it now, despite how he feels like every fiber of his being fighting against it. He goes silent, staring at Dokja, then abruptly leaves the dinner table without another word.

Not too long after, he returns and places a container on Dokja's side of the table, hovering over him. ]

A tablet every day. [ They're iron supplements. ] You haven't been sleeping well?

[salvageable]

[ He can't be watching all the time. Exhibit A: When he suddenly leaves the table (which Dokja does not question because he's used to Joonghyuk coming and going as he pleases), allowing a small piece of fish to quickly be fed to one (1) begging Biyoo.

And then he immediately straightens himself out back in his seat and it's like it never happened. ]

I guess I just have a lot on my mind.

[ Dokja takes the container to peer at its label, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. It's just like Joonghyuk to take care of him, the way he has been for...

—Ugh, his head. ]

Joonghyuk-ah, if I ask you a strange question, do you promise not to get mad?

[malewife]

[ Roll a dice to see how loudly Biyoo eats that piece. Joonghyuk's worries rise, wondering if he should drive Dokja to the hospital, but then the other man poses a strange question. Is this related to the headache? If it isn't, then what could be more important?? Than pain and/or dinner?

... He's suspicious and one eyebrow arches to cement that, but when is he ever not thinking Dokja is sus. ]

What is it?

[ It isn't a promise, no. ]

[salvageable]

[ rolls an 18

Ummmm, he's fairly certain he asked for something else and not a question to his question. ]

You have to promise.

[ This is quite possibly his life on the line. ]

[malewife]

[ i got a 20 but he talk about that right now. Dokja receives a flat look... He's displeased that he's being difficult about whatever this is. ]

You're really not going to tell me, if I don't?

[ are they twelve

Joonghyuk doesn't really... Know what constitutes this attitude. He can't even consider Dokja cheating on him. That's impossible. ]

[salvageable]

[ Why is it impossible?? It's not impossible??? Dokja has...... fingers shake and refuse to type "game"......... ]

That's right. I won't tell you and then you'll have to think about what it is I'm not telling you until you promise.

[ Think about it. A quick promise is so easy. Who is actually being the difficult one here?

It's still Dokja. ]

[malewife]

[ It's simply impossible? Hides all of the other men and women who are attached to him. His leer becomes more intense, but then he sighs and runs fingers through his own hair. ]

Fine.

[ THERE. ]

[regression]

[ Resurfaces.

It is a fine morning in the Yoo Joonghyuk-Kim Dokja Industrial Complex, renamed when Dokja disappeared again at the end of the 73rd Demon King Selection. Joonghyuk is quiet when entering Dokja's room, doesn't even knock (this right revoked for a number of reasons), and makes his way to the curtains. There's a pause in his footsteps to look over Dokja being a lump in his bed, but only a short moment.

The drapes are parted wide in one smooth and swift movement to let the sunlight in. There's no greeting, just the sound of the curtain's metal rings sliding across the rail. Joonghyuk thinks that's "hello" enough and goes about assessing the state of the room, arms crossed and expression neutral. Maybe a little judgmental, or that's just his usual. ]

[salvageable]

[ He'd been sleeping so peacefully!!

... Mostly because he'd managed to fall asleep just a couple of hours prior, exhaustion finally knocking him unconscious. The return to his world has been an especially rough one, the nights particularly hard to get used to after adjusting to a place that had only ever seen sunlight. He's learned that sleeping comes easier when day breaks, but not everyone seems to agree with his unusual schedule.

As soon as the light bursts into his room, Dokja yanks the covers over his head, a grunt of protest the only noise that he makes. He doesn't even open his eyes, just squeezes them closed even tighter as he chases after the dreamless state he'd been in moments ago.

And then there's his room, which Joonghyuk is right to judge. It's the beginnings of dire, with clothing strewn across the floor and draped over miscellaneous furniture, as well as a few notebooks and papers with scribbled notes about his time in Kenos scattered about. Not enough for real concern just yet, but Dokja hasn't been back long enough to really get started on his depression hole. ]

[regression]

[ Well, Dokja gets a break as Joonghyuk scrapes through the room, picking up all of the clothes and dropping them into the laundry basket nearby. If any of them were newly washed or barely worn, he isn't going to double check. He will have to rely on his eyes since sniffing it is out of the question. It's also weird.

The strewn tomes and papers are also collected into his arms with each one being browsed page by page. The notes aren't at all surprising to him—Dokja is an obsessive type. He has heard from his mother, so there's enough concern for Joonghyuk to tuck away. It will nurture his growing suspicion and paranoia. For now, it stays dormant as he slides the notebooks onto the shelf. ]

You're going to miss breakfast.

[ He says from across the room while stowing the papers into the desk drawer. ]

[salvageable]

[ For a moment, Dokja thinks he can drift back asleep under the covers like this, his breaths slowing and evening back out as the sounds of someone shuffling around the room melt into background noise. But before he can tip over the edge and return to sleep, a familiar voice disturbs him back to consciousness.

It's not at all surprising that it's Yoo Joonghyuk moving about the room, and just from that alone, Dokja knows to give up all attempts at falling back asleep. He knows that Joonghyuk is going to be relentless about this, so to save both the time and energy (which he doesn't even have in the first place), Dokja pushes the covers off from over his head so he can squint up at the ceiling instead, taking a moment to adjust his eyes to the light. He looks as tired as he feels. ]

Is there coffee...?

[ His voice comes out mumbled and sleep-laden. He's never really been much of a coffee drinker, but he's going to need something to keep him awake. ]

[regression]

[ As Dokja leers at the ceiling with his crusty eyes, Joonghyuk comes into view. He doesn't hover just yet, simply casting his gaze down to look at the bundle of weariness. Quiet at first, he thinks about how long it has been since he has seen Dokja's face. While the rest of the company had visited his comatose body every single day, but he chose his grave elsewhere. Perhaps, he thought it would have made him closer to Dokja in spirit... If he were to die in some galaxy, spreading the story they created about him, for him.

But those days are behind him. The days ahead seem brighter... Aside from job hunting for both of them. Arms crossed, he does hover just a little bit to see him better. ]

There is, but you will need to customize it yourself.

[ Granted, Joonghyuk thinks that Dokja would at most put some kind of milk in it... The guys might be a boring drink person, not that he can judge when Joonghyuk is a black coffee drinker. ]

You look awful.

[ By the way. ]

[salvageable]

[ As if the sunlight blasting into his room isn't enough, now he has to stare up at Joonghyuk's perfect face. Dokja's expression quickly grows cross, eyebrows scrunching together in dismay at his appearance being judged first thing in the morning. ]

I don't want to hear that from you.

[ You will never know a normal man's struggle, Yoo Joonghyuk.

With a loud groan to demonstrate how much he hates the idea of getting out of bed, Dokja turns over until he's face down on his pillow, mildly suffocating himself in the process. He may not be falling back asleep, but that doesn't mean he's going to make the rest of this easy. ]

Five more minutes.

[ Except it comes out sounding a lot more like garbled nonsense considering he's got his face smashed into his pillow. ]

[regression]

[ He has some wrinkles now? And some grey hair that Dokja can parse some of them in his pitch black hair.

As Dokja tries to snuggle back into the comforts of his pillow and sheets, Joonghyuk stays hovered, watching him try to escape the morning and the day. Usually, he would hassle him out because a day spent sleeping is a day wasted, especially during the scenarios... But that's over. There are also no plans for them to get to, either.

It seems that Dokja is spared five minutes and he may hear footfalls leaving the room. He could even have ten whole minutes. Fifteen, maybe, before the aroma of food wafts in. IS HE GOING TO KEEP TRYING TO SNOOZE. ]

[salvageable]

[ NO HE'S AWAKE NOW but on his phone.

When Joonghyuk walks back in, Dokja at least manages to look up from the screen at the smell of food. He's reminded of how little he's eaten in the last 24 hours, thoughts occupied by anything and everything but food up until this very moment. As always, it smells delicious, and it actually manages to get him to put his phone down as Dokja struggles to sit up in bed.

Resting his back against the headboard, he tries for an expression that doesn't look completely depressed, but it doesn't have the intended effect. With his mussed up hair, gaunt face, and dark circles under his eyes, there's really little to save him appearance-wise. Even so, he tries, one corner of his lip straining to lift as he looks up at Joonghyuk. ]

I would've gotten up.

[regression]

[ Fortunately for Dokja is that Joonghyuk didn't return to his room with salad and boiled chicken breast. Instead, the wafting aroma is pollock soup. He can see it and a number of side dishes on the tray Joonghyuk ferries to the nightstand beside the bed, hot enough for steam to trail up. The same can be said about the coffee cup, which is accompanied by a cup of mineral water and a small tray of sugar cubes.

Once Joonghyuk pulls over the overbed desk, breakfast is officially offered and presented upon it. It makes it easier to realize that these portions are... Large. Dokja should be able to tell that these aren't the usual servings from the cafeteria. ]

You took too long.

[ For the moment Joonghyuk lingers, he catches Dokja's glance. In comparison, he's doing well... But his handsome face can persevere any sign of stress or mental illness. Han Sooyoung wrote him that way. There is an otherworldly weariness in his dark gaze, one that Dokja does not know, and they narrow as he studies his pallid face.

... The unfamiliarity goes both ways. Joonghyuk sees a different Dokja, but he knew this would happen since the start of his intergalactic journey.

It's still Joonghyuk, so perhaps Dokja can—not read—see him. He can see how his gaze softens now, how it narrowed earlier out of concern. Or he can deny it if it's too much to accept. ]

You didn't sleep well?

[ Don't mind if he takes a seat nearby. Nothing in his hands, no phone or book, his attention is on the other man and their conversation. Joonghyuk, no longer in his usual attire, looks like a simple man. How weird is that? ]

[salvageable]

[ Not all that weird. To Dokja, Yoo Joonghyuk will always be Yoo Joonghyuk, and despite the plain clothes and the quieter gaze, he still elicits a warm familiarity that cuts across otherwise foreign surroundings. It's hard to believe that after everything, they've still found a way to each other, but maybe that had just been Dokja who had convinced himself it was impossible.

He drops his gaze down on the tray in front of him, smile disappearing as his gut does a strange twist at how much care was taken with each item. He doesn't understand the mounting guilt that rises from his chest and creates a hard lump in his throat, doesn't understand why he feels both present in this room yet somewhere else. Somewhere far away. Dokja had been made whole again, the gaps in his memory filled, new memories nudging each other aside for space, and he feels overwhelmed by it all.

This is where he belongs, he tells himself. But for a year and a half, he'd belonged elsewhere.

Quietly, he reaches for the sugar cubes, deliberately delaying his response to Joonghyuk's question as he drops the cubes into the cup of coffee one by one. It's probably too much, but better that it be too sweet than too bitter. ]

... Still getting used to the differences in days, I guess.

[ As he stirs his coffee, he finally looks up to meet Joonghyuk's gaze with a distant one of his own. ]

You remember Springstar, don't you? We didn't have nights back there.

[regression]

[ Only one person here is uncomfortable. Joonghyuk himself is content and placated—scowl less intense, frown less disapproving, it may be the closest thing to happiness he has felt in a long while. Dokja is where he belongs. After so many years, another regression against the scenarios, and another era without him, the man who held the answer to what it means to survive and live breathes before him.

They can set out all they wanted to do in a world without scenarios, whether it be picnics by the Han river, visits to PC bangs, attending graduation ceremonies... They can lead normal lives. Joonghyuk's chest swells with warmth as these vivid daydreams wind in his mind. This is the conclusion they deserve and it feels right.

... At least, it should. ]

I do, but for Han Sooyoung and I that was years ago.

[ His memory is a curse and the amnesia granted to him before might have been a blessing. Leaning back into his seat, he crosses his legs, but his expression stays neutral as his emotions still like water. Perhaps snuffed is a better word with every purpose to obscure and hide. ]

You're still thinking about that place.

[ Even though you're finally home. ]