Work Text:
Jongin frowns as he turns down the driveway to 'Seeds and Soil' and realizes he forgot to grab a lunch this morning as he'd raced out of his apartment, already five minutes late, from having fallen asleep in the shower. He sighs, pulling into his usual parking space lazily and turning off the ignition, climbing out of the car and swinging his shoulder bag up, slamming the door closed and walking, still feeling half asleep, and regretting not grabbing an extra cereal bar for breakfast.
Punching into the time clock in the break room, Jongin runs a hand through his hand and grabs a radio, slumping from the cooler back room to the shop. He's in perennials, like every day, and Donghae is off, meaning he's on call in case Junmyeon or Sehun need him up front to help load.
"You look tired," Baekhyun comments from the register as he nurses a huge cup of coffee.
“I'm always tired before ten," Jongin replies groggily as he steals Baekhyun's coffee and takes a sip. It's hazelnut. Baekhyun rolls his eyes before dragging out a second cup. Jongin raises an eyebrow.
"You actually got me a cup of coffee?" Jongin asks, looking at the clerk in surprise.
"No," Baekhyun says with a smirk. "Chanyeol dropped that off before heading into nursery. I just thought I'd sample it."
"Asshole," Jongin mutters as he takes his coffee and lumbers from the shop, smile on his face none the less. Walking out into the sunlight of the annuals area he waves briefly to Minseok and Yixing as they set up displays for the day and chat idly. Yixing waves back while Minseok nods before turning back to his precious tomatoes.
"Morning," Junmyeon says from where he's loitering outside the cash shed and outdoors register, waving at Jongin as he puts on sunscreen. He's doing it in the open, which means Kyuhyun probably isn't working today.
Jongin elects to smile and nod around his coffee rather than speak and Sehun, who is leaning against the counter, rolls his eyes obviously.
"Someone overslept," Tao remarks as Jongin wanders up and sets down his coffee by the Verbena, shuffling his flip flops and yawning.
"Fell asleep in the shower," Jongin mumbles to his superior and friend as Tao's eyes crinkle in amusement.
"Long night?" Tao asks with a knowing smirk.
Jongin doesn't answer him, just gives him a cocky grin before wandering off to the fence line to start watering for the day. It's a beautiful June morning, the sun bright and warm on his skin and the easy monotony of watering lulls him into a half awake stupor, smile on his face as he moves from plant to plant and soaks the soil. Around 9:30, the familiar form of Angio comes trotting up to him, bounding over the coils of hose as it stretches on the ground and meowing happily. "Hey baby girl," Jongin says, leaning down and kinking his hose to scratch her gently under the chin. "How you doing this morning?" Angio purrs and butts her head against his hand, mouth curving up in a smile as her eyes close in contentment.
Apparently, Angio is having a great morning. A moment later, she's jumping up to drape herself as per usual over Jongin's shoulders and the soft rumble of her purrs against him has Jongin relaxing. He glances over to the front area of the store and sees Sehun and Junmyeon loitering around still while Luhan apparently lords around the whole pottery section. His eyes drift into the nursery and he finally sees Chanyeol, nestled among the evergreens and arborvitaes, arms bare even at this early in the morning as he pulls and tugs trees here and there and rearranges the saplings. A smile pulls over his face as he watches the other pause to wipe sweat from his brow before turning, apparently having been called, and looking over to the front.
Jongin shifts and moves his hose to another reed plant as he watches Yifan walk up to the head of the nursery and say something. Chanyeol replies with a smile and Yifan nods, saying something that makes Chanyeol laugh. Jongin starts on the barberry shrubs. He wants to get to the climbing vines by lunch. Then he can check with Tao on the shade plants and what they want to do with the order coming in this afternoon.
Jongin turns back to his watering and absently reaches up to scratch at Angio's ears when he shifts to move down the rows, humming slightly as the sun gently warms his skin.
That morning, Jongin helps four customers, answers seven questions on the radio, and pets Angio 158 times on the head when she gets restless. He's just beginning on watering the climbing vines when Chanyeol's voice crackles over the radio. "Kai, can you come meet me in the climbing roses?"
Jongin doesn't even bother unhooking his radio from his belt, instead turning off his hose and dropping it by the vine he'd just been watering to find where Chanyeol is. He can't be that far if he's in the climbing roses. Jongin spots him a moment later, untangling a few plants from each other with a small frown, Lang draped around his neck and looking like a limp noodle.
"Hey," Jongin calls and Chanyeol looks over, smiling easily as he continues to fight with the vines.
"Hey yourself, handsome," Chanyeol says, voice joking as it smooths out of his mouth, deep and pleasant.
Jongin bends his way carefully through the vines, trying not to dislodge Angio from his shoulders. "Thanks for the coffee this morning," Jongin says, pushing away a few roses that are falling down haphazardly.
"I almost thought Baekhyun drank the whole thing," Chanyeol says laughing slightly. "Glad to know it reached you."
"What's up?" Jongin asks, coming to stand with the elder and noticing the smudges of dirt already present on Chanyeol's long arms.
"I didn't know if we are moving these today for the new shipment of Japanese willows or keeping them here," Chanyeol says with a look back to the vines.
Jongin smiles and laughs slightly, reaching up to help untangle a few vines. "Why didn't you ask Tao?" he asks, though he knows the answer.
"Because I knew you would know and I don't want to make out with Tao under climbing vines," Chanyeol says easily, smiling in amusement as Jongin's grin widens.
"Aah," Jongin says, as if this is news to him. "That makes perfect sense." His smile widens as Chanyeol snorts a laugh, leaving the vine be for the moment to shuck his gloves, reaching up to pull Jongin forward slightly by the necklace around his neck. The necklace Chanyeol had given him two months ago to mark their 6th month anniversary and the beginning of their second season together. Jongin doesn't resist, letting himself be pulled forward, eyes slipping shut as Chanyeol leans down and presses a familiar mouth to his own and threads a hand into his hair, slipping through dark strands.
They're at work, supposedly working, but Jongin didn't take his usual break this morning and Chanyeol probably didn't either. So whatever. Jongin presses back into the kiss, tilting his head and running his tongue along the seam of Chanyeol's mouth, his own hands settling on Chanyeol's waist and pulling him close.
Chanyeol grins, opening his mouth easily to Jongin and resting a hand at his hip, rubbing gently before pulling back with a contented smile. Jongin grins up at him and taps his fingers against Chanyeol's sides.
"Lunch at our usual time?" Chanyeol asks. Jongin's smile falters, remembering his own forgotten lunch before catching Chanyeol's smirking face.
"What?"
"I brought extra," Chanyeol says. "I figured you'd oversleep again after last night."
Jongin rolls his eyes before pinching Chanyeol's slightly. Chanyeol laughs. "I feel asleep in the shower," he defends himself.
"Cute," Chanyeol says before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "See you at one," he says, drawing away and leaving a light smack to Jongin's ass that has the smaller letting out a laugh.
Tao is watching Jongin as he shuffles back to where he's dropped his hose with a knowing and slightly exasperated expression on his face.
"You know, Yifan and I don't pay you to suck face with your boyfriend," Tao says as Jongin bends down to pick up his hose.
"But you can make out with Jongdae by the vegetables any time," Jongin jokes back, smirking as Tao has the decency to blush.
"That was one time," Tao defends as Jongin turns on his hose and douses another plant. Tao lets out an irritated though amused huff, walking forward to scratch behind Angio's ears. Angio perks up at the approach of her 'Mama Tao' and practically vibrates in purrs against Jongin's shoulders. Jongin rolls his eyes at the cat with a fond smile.
"One time I will never let you live down," Jongin says easily, flicking his hose at Tao and splashing water over his TEAVA's and earning a frown.
"Save your attempts for a wet tee shirt contest for August," Tao says, patting Jongin's face patronizingly before turning to walk back to his precious shade plants.
"I wont be wearing shirts come August," Jongin calls down to him, grinning widely.
"You will if Yifan has anything to say about it," Tao calls back over his shoulder as Angio squirms from her place and Jongin bends down so she can run after her master in adoring delight. He smiles he watches her bound between plants before practically crawling up Tao, who lets out a laugh and scoops her up to rest on his shoulders, easily settling with her nuzzling his face as he rearranges hibiscus.
Around twelve thirty, Tao waves to Jongin that he's going on lunch and the other waves back lazily, looking back to the front to watch Sehun start attacking Junmyeon with squirt bottles and laughing hysterically as the other seems to have fits of panic.
He can't see Chanyeol but shrugs, turning back to the plants before him and working towards the tree line before he breaks. It's quiet around lunch, most people drifting in and out and a few customers asking him where plants are but for the most part leaving him be to water and muse of nothing.
His radio buzzes and Chanyeol's voice crackles through. "Grabbing Lunch. Calling Kai. Happy Virus calling Kai."
Jongin grins, unhooking his own radio and pressing the call button. "On my way, Red Leader," he says easily into the radio and smirks to himself as he drops his hose and makes his way to the main building.
"Really?" Baekhyun says as Jongin ducks into the shop on the way to the break room and the clerk gives him a suffering look. "You two need to stop with all these nick names. It's gross."
"Go open a hose on Yixing," Jongin shoots back with a grin. "Then you can see just how defined that chest of his is." Baekhyun sputters and turns pink.
Jongin laughs as he takes long strides into the break room and ducks into the smaller area, eyes searching for the larger form of Chanyeol and blinking when it's empty. Well, not really. Kyungsoo is punching in on the time clock and Lang is doing... something in the sink, but it's lacking their second tallest staff member.
"Where's-"
A pair of warm hands clap over his eyes and pull Jongin back into a warm body as a voice says jokingly in his ear "Boo," and Jongin smiles wide.
Pulling out of Chanyeol's grip and turning to his boyfriend, Jongin slips a hand to the small of Chanyeol’s back, settling into the comfortable close press of them together. "What's for lunch?"
Chanyeol hums as Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and punches in quickly, throwing a crisp at Lang who bats at it avidly before he shuffles past them and back to work.
Chanyeol smiles down at Jongin, wrapping his arms around the other and pulling him to his side. "Well, it was chicken salad and some fruit and veggies, but now I think I'd rather just have you instead."
Jongin pokes Chanyeol in the stomach easily, earning a small sound and a false wounded look that doesn't reach Chanyeol's glinting and mischievous eyes. "Did you bring chips?"
"I always bring chips," Chanyeol says, voice low and rumbling in the empty room as he rests his forehead to Jongin's before leaning down, pressing a swift kiss to his lips, and then pulling away and walking over to the fridge. Jongin doesn't protest, instead walking over to the time clock and punching them both out. Chanyeol is waiting for him, typical beat up old turquoise lunch box slung over his shoulder as he waits for Jongin by the door with an easy smile. Jongin shakes his head slightly as he follows the other out of the room and into the parking lot, popping open the back of the flatbed of Chanyeol's truck before hopping up to lounge together on the random assortment of stuff Chanyeol has stored back there. A few bags of soil end up being Chanyeol's cushion as he slumps, eating through lunch slowly, while Jongin uses Chanyeol's stomach as his own personal pillow and occasionally reaches up to pop a cherry tomato into Chanyeol's mouth.
They talk about anything and nothing, cracking jokes and Jongin smiles at the low rumble of Chanyeol's voice as it vibrates in his chest and into his body. He smiles around the chips Chanyeol periodically teases him wirh and giggles in that weird low tone as he pulls back just before Jongin can snatch the chip from his fingers with his mouth. Jongin retaliates eventually by rolling over and forcing a strawberry into Chanyeol's face, sending the two of them into stupid laughter as they wrestle slightly. Jongin ends up getting strawberry juice smeared up his arm as well as down Chanyeol's neck and over his face but is pleased anyway when it provides him the opportunity to lean forward and lick the skin clean, earning him a moan from Chanyeol as the other settles down and pulls him into a languid kiss.
"You sneaky little bastard," Chanyeol says without venom as he grins into Jongin's mouth and pushes his hands under Jongin's shirt, hiking it up over his skin and rubbing callouses over the warming flesh.
"You love it," Jongin purrs into Chanyeol's mouth before kissing him, sliding his tongue into Chanyeol's mouth easily as he settles over him, Chanyeol moaning slightly as he shifts to allow Jongin to press against him and drags his hands up, pushing up fabric and baring Jongin's back to the warm late June sun.
"God, you guys have no shame," says a voice that has Jongin pulling back from Chanyeol, the other giving out a sigh as he looks over the side of the truck.
"You just wish you got as much action as we did," Chanyeol says with a smirk to Minseok as the elder hoists his compost bucket and looks a mix between amused and withering.
"Just keep the free porn shows to a minimum," Minseok says before wandering off to the compost piles and Chanyeol barks out a laugh as Jongin rolls off to settle beside him on top of a bag of mulch before leaning up and grabbing a couple of crackers from Chanyeol's lunch and biting into them.
Chanyeol sits up a moment later, leaning into his side easily and pressing a swift kiss to his shoulder before grabbing some carrot sticks and shoving them into his mouth, chewing easily as his fingers drum out rhythms on Jongin's spine.
"Are you playing tomorrow?" Jongin asks, poking Chanyeol in the face with a cracker as he watches the other seem to zone out in his rhythms and musical tangent.
"I always play Fridays," Chanyeol says easily before lying back and stretching lazily, his tank riding up his stomach and revealing smooth skin and the dark trail of hair leading south. "You're coming right?"
Jongin smirks back at him before leaning forward and grabbing a cola. "I always watch you woo audiences," he replies easily. Chanyeol lets out a long groan as he arches his back, stretching tired muscles and Jongin watches in appreciation as his body flexes. Chanyeol gives him a knowing look. "I have to make sure no one thinks they can take you home."
"Gotta keep your claim on your property," Chanyeol says easily, relaxing back with a sigh and throwing an arm over his eyes as he lets the sun soak into him.
Jongin snorts before taking a long sip of cola, looking out over the car lot before the gentle tugging at the base of his shirt finally has him relenting and he lies back to settle into Chanyeol, closing his eyes to the sunlight and feeling Chanyeol's arm wrap around him, coming up to drift and comb fingers through his hair. The soothing draw of fingers over his scalp has him humming in relaxed ease, breaths evening out as his body settles in a gentle warmth.
"Almost eight months," Chanyeol murmurs, voice quiet and relaxed as Jongin feels himself slip in and out of awareness, warm in the sun and beside his lover.
Jongin hums, shifting into Chanyeol a bit more, splaying his hands over his own stomach. "Yep," he answers, turning his head and biting at Chanyeol's bare shoulder lightly, earning him a chuckle. "I'd say that's a record for us."
"We're clearly good for each other," Chanyeol says, turning his head to crack an eye at Jongin easily with a smile before settling back with a sigh. "How long until Baekhyun finally cracks with Yixing do you think?"
Jongin sighs, settling back. They have probably another fifteen minutes before lunch break is over. "I dunno. Do we still want to 'accidentally' soak Yixing in water when Baekhyun is third wheel in the shop?"
Chanyeol's laugh rings in the air and Jongin smiles, feeling blissfully content. With life. With everything.