Chapter Text
The urge to scream was caught in Gihun’s throat when he broke out of sleep, his heart hammering against his chest. As his eyes adjusted to the soft morning light streaming through the curtains and he felt Inho’s presence close behind him, he caught his breath and once again realized it had all been another nightmare.
Inho’s leg was hooked over his thigh and his arm was wound around his torso, palm resting over his heart. When Gihun stirred, Inho held him tighter, pressing his nose into the back of Gihun’s neck and inhaling deeply.
The fan was sweeping much needed cold air on them after another hot Los Angeles night, even though the heat and humidity here was nothing compared to summer in Seoul. Sweat clung to their bodies, and Gihun couldn’t believe Inho still wanted to be pressed right up against him, anchoring him, in these conditions.
“Hey, I love you, but it’s too hot for this,” Gihun said teasingly, his morning voice low and a little hoarse. He nudged Inho gently.
“Inho,” he whined softly.
Inho just groaned in protest into Gihun’s skin, but loosened his grip enough for Gihun to flip onto his back.
He barely had a moment to settle before Inho pressed a kiss to his lips, slurring a “Good morning” against them, followed by pecks over his cheeks and forehead until Gihun playfully pushed his face away. Gihun was always baffled by Inho never being bothered by his morning breath; he knew Inho loved the burn of his stubble and the natural taste of his mouth and skin too much to ever care.
“You had a nightmare,” Inho spoke against Gihun’s shoulder before planting a kiss just under Gihun’s collarbone.
Gihun sighed, letting his left arm stretch up and fall over his head, the other coming up to thread through Inho’s soft hair. “They won’t stop, even though I’m far away from where it all happened.”
Inho pulled away from kissing Gihun’s chest for a moment, and Gihun could see him gazing up at him from his peripheral while he stared at the ceiling fan.
“What was it about?” Inho asked.
“I was back in the games. I had gone back to save everyone, but somehow I ended up being the only one left,” Gihun said, still absentmindedly playing with the back of Inho’s hair. It was getting longer, trailing down the nape of his neck. Gihun liked it.
He sighed again and met Inho’s eyes, hesitant about whether to tell him more, but he could tell Inho was intent on hearing it. “You were still the Front Man, and I knew you wanted to help me, but all you could do was watch. I remember seeing you in your mask, looking through a window alongside the VIPs.”
They had been saying goodbye. Gihun shuddered, remembering how high of a platform he had been on, teetering over the edge without much control over his own body. He wondered if he would ever get over his fear of heights after the games; somehow, the games were always exaggerated in his dreams, having to be played towards the sky.
There had been more to the nightmare, but he didn’t want to tell Inho everything. They had agreed to share their bad dreams with each other for the most part, to try and work through their trauma and understand one another better–but some things were best kept to the subconscious.
“You still see the Front Man in me. It’s why you’re having these nightmares. You never really left the games, because you took me with you.” Inho’s voice was leveled, but Gihun could tell by the way he turned his head away that Inho was blaming himself again.
He cupped Inho’s face, angling it back to look him in the eye, giving him a smile. “It’s not because of you–the games will always be with both of us. In the end, they’re what brought us together, right?”
Inho hummed in understanding. “Maybe it’s not the Front Man you’re scared of, but you’re afraid of me becoming him again somehow. Going back to the system.”
That was probably closest to the truth. They had both been extremely clingy for the last three weeks here in LA, always worrying about their actions at the island catching up to them here, wanting to reassure and ground each other with touches and words of comfort.
But as Gihun watched Inho looking up at him for reassurance with his glossy brown eyes as he lowered his head to kiss down his torso, Gihun couldn’t help but stir at the thought of the Front Man doing this. The man who had seemed so menacing, hiding all of this beauty behind a dark disguise, tragedy and guilt woven through his past and used to create a cold and calculating overseer–now in Gihun’s bed, yearning for his acceptance and eternal forgiveness.
The muscles in Gihun’s stomach jumped when Inho kissed just below his belly button, slowly sliding down the sheets. As much as he wanted him right now, Gihun knew they didn’t have a free day ahead of them.
“Relax, we have time,” Inho reassured in a gravelly voice; he always noticed when Gihun was tense or unsettled, it felt like Inho could read his mind sometimes.
He traced Gihun’s bare hips, digging his fingers in a little as he grazed them over the waistband of his boxers. “Imagine I saved you in your dream. I stopped the game, and everyone began to question what I felt for you, but I risked everything to make sure you were safe.”
Gihun let out a huff of laughter to try and hide the fact that the image was really vivid already and turning him on more; he spread his legs to accommodate Inho as he settled in between them.
“You don’t know my identity yet, but I bring you back to my room and lay you on my bed like this and…with my mask…” Inho trailed off, and he nuzzled Gihun’s twitching length through the fabric of his boxes, tracing the outline of his shaft with his sharp nose.
“Yah, stop teasing and suck me off,” Gihun whined, suppressing a laugh. “We don’t have all day.”
Inho peered up at him with heavy lidded eyes, disappointment flickering across his annoyingly pretty face. “Should I stop talking about the Front Man?”
Gihun rolled his eyes, writhing a little under Inho’s touch which only made him press his hips down more firmly. “Yes. I don’t want to fuck the Front Man. I just want Inho’s mouth on me right now, keep going.”
A twitch of amusement quirked on Inho’s lips, bringing out the higher slope on the right side a little more–Gihun let out another whine, trying to lift his hips up toward Inho’s mouth.
He knew Inho was trying to get him to admit to wanting to fuck him while he was in the mask, while he was in that position of power; Gihun refused to accept it, knowing how wrong it was, how much of a betrayal it was to everything he had always stood for and all the people who had been affected. Sometimes when Inho was sucking him off or crying and holding Gihun closer when he got close, sometimes finishing only mere seconds after entering Gihun, the image of Inho as the Front Man would flash in Gihun’s mind and he would be filled with satisfaction. It was almost cathartic to remember who was bound to him now, willing to do anything to please Gihun and make it up to him.
And by the pleased look on Inho’s face, he knew what Gihun was really thinking underneath the fact that he was gasping and whining when Inho mouthed wetly at the head of his cock, still only through the fabric.
A jolt of heat and pleasure surged through Gihun’s groin, his cock throbbing and already tenting against the light blue colour of his boxers; Inho licked and sucked over it, darkening the colour, pleading eyes on Gihun the entire time.
Gihun bit back a moan, not wanting to give Inho the satisfaction of knowing he was unraveling him without actually having his mouth directly on him. A grin tugged at his lips.
“Aren’t you having me for breakfast? Don’t you want to swallow?”
Inho groaned into the fabric, grinding down into the sheets; he was always so easily affected by Gihun’s taunting. Finally, he tugged down Gihun’s boxers and wasted no time letting his cock stretch open his pretty lips, Inho groaning against him as he swallowed him down.
Gihun threw his head back and moaned loudly as he felt the hot, wet slide of Inho’s mouth; he was already getting close–Inho loved sucking him off in the morning, and he had gotten so good at it already. He was a fast learner; Gihun just got to lay back and enjoy it now, knowing Inho had memorized what made him feel the best, what made him whimper and squirm under Inho’s strong grasp.
Plus Gihun was extra lazy in the morning, and he didn’t feel any pressure to last longer, he let Inho do all the work for him and knew he was enjoying it as much as Gihun was. When he first met Inho, or even first heard about Inho before he knew who he really was, he never would have thought he would have this man willingly on his knees for him almost daily.
“Fuck, Inho. Fuck, it feels so good,” Gihun said, his words punctuated by sharp intakes of air.
He dragged his fingers over the crown of Inho’s head, sighing as Inho moaned and purred into him, bobbing his head up and down while pressing his tongue against the underside of his cock. Inho unlatched himself and dragged his lips down his shaft to give attention to Gihun’s balls next, digging his fingers into his thighs to keep him in place as he took them into his mouth one by one.
“I’m close, I’m close,” Gihun hissed. “Inho–”
Gihun squeezed his eyes shut and grit his teeth, making a very undignified noise as Inho let him fuck his mouth as he climaxed, his body seizing up and squeezing Inho’s head with his thighs at the same time.
His breathing became ragged and he winced a little when Inho freed his cock, the younger man letting out a frustrated sigh while Gihun groaned a string of colourful curse words.
Inho crawled back up the bed to check the time on his watch on the bedside table and let out a huff.
“What? Is it late?”
“Yes. And you didn’t cum that much.”
“Oh. Yeah, you know that happens sometimes, sorry,” Gihun said, pulling his boxers back up. “I’m gonna go out for a smoke, you can shower first.”
Inho looked genuinely upset, and Gihun laughed and kissed his shoulder. “It’s fine, that felt really good. You’ve gotten so good at it, Inho-ya. But we need to get going.”
He looked over his shoulder at Gihun, his lips still glistening with spit, like he was holding back from saying something. But instead he just nodded, accepting a kiss on the cheek from Gihun; and there was no more time to talk about things. They had plans with Gayeong today.
The sun was already high in the sky on a beautiful clear day, and Gihun was about to light his cigarette when he remembered how much Gayeong hated when he wreaked of smoke.
Oh well. He needed this after getting sucked off, hopefully the smell would wash out in the shower.
Gihun knew that even after a few weeks and quite a bit of time spent with Gayeong, Inho was still nervous and always worried about what she thought of him, and whether he was encroaching on her time with Gihun or not whenever they all spent time together. Gihun knew Gayeong was a fan of Inho, though, and they had lots in common. Today they were visiting a free indie art festival in the Hollywood area.
There was also the underlying fear that someone related to the games could be watching them, but Inho and Gihun had begun to worry less about that–it really did seem like Inho and the Korean games had been insignificant and replaceable in the grand scheme of things. Gihun fought against spiralling every day, avoiding thinking too much about games like that taking place in America and other countries too. He knew Inho, and the other people he cared about were safe back home, and that was enough. He, Junho and Inho had made a difference.
And Gihun’s reward, besides having the most attentive and understanding partner, was feeling like he had a family again and a purpose. To be a light in people’s life rather than a burden. To have a place in his daughter’s life as she grew up and experienced the world.
When he came back in, Inho was still in the shower taking his sweet time, which was surprising since they were running so late already. Gihun knocked on the door and Inho immediately called out, “Just a moment.”
Gihun resisted the urge to walk in on him, and went to wash his hands in the sink instead and start preparing snacks for the day. Inho came out several minutes later with a towel wrapped around his waist, still putting lotion on his skin.
“All yours.”
He retreated back to the bedroom before Gihun could admire the view, and he headed for his own quick shower.
Once they were dressed and packed for the sunny day, they got settled in their rental car and Gihun turned on the radio, immediately singing along to the Lady Gaga song that was playing. Inho seemed a little rigid in his seat, giving Gihun a flat smile as he backed out of the driveway, double checking that Gihun wouldn’t hit any other cars.
“What’s up with you? Anything you wanna talk about?” Gihun asked once they were on their way.
Inho cleared his throat. “Nothing bad.”
He was gazing at Gihun with those starry eyes of his again. It was a tad distracting.
“I’m going to be daydreaming about your mouth all day,” Gihun said with a mischievous grin. “Seriously, did I tell you how good you are?”
That drew a small smile out of Inho, and he took a deep breath. “If we’re not too tired tonight, I’d like to try something else as well, if that’s okay.”
“Oh?” Gihun’s eyes widened. “Is that what you’ve been so stoic about? You’re just daydreaming?”
Inho hummed, his ears burning red. “I suppose. It’s our one month of officially dating today, Gihun.”
Gihun almost ran a red light. Was this something he should’ve known? Shit, he had always been bad at remembering special occasions, and now it was coming back to haunt him again with Inho.
He laughed sheepishly. “Ah, has it really only been a month?”
Inho nodded, a serious look on his face. “We said we wanted to be official, remember? And I said I love you for the first time?”
“Uh huh.” Gihun nodded along blankly. He cherished every moment with Inho, even looking back on the bad times with a strange fondness now. But he had no idea what he would consider their anniversary. “Well, happy one month. Sorry, I thought celebrating those little milestones was only for young people. I didn’t get you anything. You could’ve told me to plan a different day to spend with Gayeong.”
“No, no. I didn’t want to get in the way of that,” Inho said, and Gihun could already tell he was feeling embarrassed for being so sentimental. “I just wanted you to know, and it was a nice reason to plan something fun.”
Now Gihun had a sinking feeling in his stomach; he hoped Inho wasn’t hurt or anything–he knew Gihun well by now. Though in reality they had only spent a little more than two months with each other in total, Gihun felt that they knew and understood each other on a cosmic level.
He played the morning over in his head, realizing he had been impatient and a bit of a teasing asshole, but Inho never seemed to be bothered by him acting like that–he usually liked it. Maybe he shouldn’t downplay the importance of this stuff to him. He wondered, with a little pinching feeling in his chest, if Inho and Iseul had celebrated their little anniversaries and did special things for each other back in the day.
From now on, Gihun would make sure to remember their little anniversaries, just like he would never forget Gayeong’s birthday. And he would make sure tonight was special for Inho; he would do anything he wanted. Maybe sex was the perfect gift for Inho after all, and in that case Gihun had it pretty easy for someone who didn’t really like buying things.
Now it would really be an interesting day; Gihun glanced over at him, placing a hand on his thigh. He was already looking forward to later, imagining what Inho might be thinking of. Despite being in their late forties, it really felt like they were in their giddy in-love honeymoon phase, rather than acting like an old married couple like one might expect. And they were still exploring and learning everything about each other.
They pulled up to the house in Victor Heights; it sat on a sloped street, unmistakable with its red fence, and Gihun honked the car with a little tune.
Inho rolled down the window to give a small wave to Eunji as she saw Gayeong off, and they watched the young girl hurry down the stairs, wearing a yellow t-shirt, overalls and a pink baseball cap and carrying her backpack at her side.
“Good morning Gayeong-ie,” Gihun chimed, grinning at her over his shoulder. “Seatbelt, seatbelt.”
“I know, I know,” Gayeong said with a small laugh. She met Inho’s eye and gave him a small bow. “Hi Ahjussi.”
“Good to see you again, Gayeong,” Inho said softly. He passed her a gift bag as Gihun started driving. “I heard you’re adopting a kitten soon, so when I saw these I had to get them.”
“You’re already giving her that? Let the girl breathe first,” Gihun teased.
Her face lit up when she opened it to see a cute set of catnip toys shaped like the sun, moon, and a star. She thanked Inho with a big smile that mirrored her dad’s, Gihun watching her fondly in the rear view mirror.
It was funny to him that Gayeong’s stepdad had apparently been strict about not getting pets, and had finally softened up because Gihun encouraged Gayeong to get one anyway. Even though things had been smoothed over between them, Gihun knew they would likely always be in a best dad competition.
Who knew that Inho would also be unknowingly trying to compete with all his damn gifts and charming smile.
They talked about cats and Gayeong’s various extracurricular classes on their way to the festival, and got everything ready in their backpacks once they arrived. A decent crowd had already formed, and there was a busker playing violin near the entrance and already tons of colourful art pieces and crafts in view. This was right up Gayeong’s alley, and something both Gihun and Inho could appreciate too.
Gihun gave Inho a small pat on the ass just as he closed the trunk while they were out of sight of anyone else, and it made Inho raise his eyebrows and smile at him in a way that caused Gihun’s heart to jump.
“Are you going to stand there all day?” Gayeong called, already prepared to cross the street.
Gihun laughed, coming to hold her hand even though she complained about being able to cross the street on her own; Inho lingered just behind them, no doubt admiring the sight and probably already taking pictures he would send to Junho later.
It was already bustling and overwhelming after an hour, with so much amazing music played by indie musicians, and a million things to see and buy from the local artists. Gayeong had found an artist that painted scenes and locations from the Lord of the Rings, her latest obsession, and Inho happily opened his wallet to buy the things she wanted even though Gihun said she should only choose one thing.
“You’re going to lose interest in that in a few months and wonder why you got those,” Gihun said. “Where will you put them anyway?”
“No I’m not, and I can decorate my future apartment with them. When I can move out on my own.”
Gihun scoffed. “You’re going to hold onto those for twenty years?”
“I’ll be 18 in seven years!”
“Okay Gayeong,” Inho chimed in. “How about you choose two of your favourite paintings here, your dad and I will buy one each for you. Now, where in Middle Earth do you want to live the most?”
She contemplated for a long time. “Rivendell.”
“Good choice. You do look like an Elf, so you would fit right in. I’ll buy the Rivendell painting for you,” Inho said. “Now let your dad know which one he should get for you.”
Gihun crossed his arms. He hadn’t agreed to buy anything. Inho always had to be the diplomatic one, all about fairness.
“You should get this one,” Gihun said, gesturing to the painting of the Fellowship crossing the mountains. He pointed at Aragorn. “I dressed up as this guy when I was in my early twenties for a costume party. I almost got arrested for running around drunk with a fake sword.”
Inho immediately laughed a little harder than he probably should’ve, and stifled it with his hand before smoothing down his hair and apologizing softly.
Gihun squinted at him. “Don’t tell me you weren’t an Aragorn fan too, Inho.”
Inho hummed. “Of course I was, but I preferred his character in the books. He was handsome in the movies, though.”
Gayeong sighed loudly, and chose a different painting than what Gihun suggested, handing them both to the artist decidedly.
The artist was just laughing at them all in amusement. “I can’t understand what you’re all saying, but you seem to be a really sweet family.” She smiled fondly at Gayeong. “You’re lucky to have such fun dads.”
Inho just waved his hand with a shy laugh, switching to English as he got out his wallet. “Ah, thank you, but these two are–,”
“They are really fun,” Gayeong said, also in English, smiling up at Inho. “Thanks, Dad.”
Gihun and Inho shared a look, and Gihun admired the way Inho seemed to glow from the inside out from Gayeong’s words.
Once they left the tent, they were on the hunt for a place to sit and eat. Gayeong tapped Inho on the arm.
“I hope it’s okay that I called you ‘Dad’. Even though…”
“Of course it’s okay. You can call me whatever you feel like, Gayeong.”
Gihun felt like his heart was about to burst, like he might even get emotional, but he was quickly distracted by how hungry he was. They finally found a place to sit, and Gihun brought out the kimbap and other snacks he packed, along with bottles of sikhye. Little comforting tastes of home. Gayeong always loved anything Gihun made, because it reminded her of the days when Gihun owned the restaurant named after her, and it tasted almost as good as her late Grandma’s cooking too.
In the middle of the meal that Gihun was happily scarfing down, he noticed Inho only having the small snacks and drinking water. Gihun furrowed his brow and held up a piece of kimbap to his mouth.
“Open up.”
Inho waved his hand. “It’s okay, I had enough already.”
“I feel like I’ve eaten half of this whole thing,” Gihun said with a little whine, and lifted his hand higher toward his mouth. “I shouldn’t have anymore.”
Inho gave in and took the bite, but Gihun couldn’t help but worry that he wasn’t feeling well. Maybe it was just the crowds and his other anxieties–he would keep an eye on him, anyway.
After they finished eating, Gayeong went to get face paint and then convinced them to get a cartoon portrait drawn, where once again the artist was calling Inho and Gihun her dads and saying they were a really cute family. It was always comforting being in a safe space like this.
Once the portrait was finished, the artist gave it to Inho, who avoided looking at it until they had walked further away. Then Gihun noticed Inho looking down at it with a soft, but almost conflicted smile, his eyes getting glassy.
Gihun had to fight the urge to get emotional too, and grazed his fingers against the back of Inho’s free hand, warmth spreading in his chest when Inho immediately intertwined their fingers as they walked down the rest of the lane.
“It’s been a memorable day for our one month so far, after all,” Gihun said, nudging against his shoulder. “But I’m also looking forward to when we get home.”
Inho gave him a knowing smile. When Gihun noticed Gayeong side-eyeing them, he placed his free hand on top of her cap.
“Seen enough? I think us Dads are getting tired.”
Gayeong nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t want to go home yet. Can I come over and watch a movie again?”
“Ummm…well…”
Gayeong’s eyes got wide and she jumped in excitement. “Wait, we can watch Fellowship of the Ring!”
Gihun gave Inho a sidelong glance, and Inho checked his watch.
“That should be okay,” Inho said. “Maybe the theatrical version rather than extended, though. Your Mom will want you home at a decent time.”
If Inho was okay with it, then Gihun supposed he had to be too.
Once they were on the way back to their place, the sun was already getting lower in the sky, and Gayeong had passed out in the backseat.
“Sorry,” Gihun whispered. “You didn’t need to feel like you had to say yes to her.”
“I don’t mind at all. You should spend as much time as possible with her while you’re here. There’s always tomorrow.”
Gihun swallowed dryly; he couldn’t help but feel guilty, regardless. He kept glancing over at Inho’s hands running up and down his thighs, his imagination starting to paint pictures that were much more vivid and enticing than anything he had seen at the festival.
In a rare moment that Inho wasn’t already looking at him, Gihun stole another glance at his side profile, admiring how beautiful he was. He was dressed in subtle clothing as usual, but Gihun could see the outline of his broad chest, the stretch of the fabric over his arms and thighs, and enjoyed the fact that he was the one who got the privilege of unwrapping and unraveling such a stoic man when in private.
Gayeong woke back up once he pulled into the parking lot of their complex, and they quickly put together some simple snacks and got set up on the couch to watch the movie. She had already memorized almost the entire first half hour of it word-for-word, just like Gihun had when he was younger.
Still, before the final hour, Gayeong had passed out while leaning on his shoulder. The heat always made everyone tired. Inho had his arm around Gihun, playing with his hair.
“I forgot these movies always make me cry,” Gihun said, wiping his eyes with the collar of his shirt as the credits rolled.
Inho was suspiciously quiet, and when Gihun had finally stopped crying, Inho leaned over and pressed a kiss to his ear, grazing his teeth over the shell and making Gihun gasp sharply, the feeling going straight to his groin.
“We have to take Gayeong home,” Gihun said, biting back a whimper.
“I know,” Inho spoke low, leaving a trail of kisses on his jaw. “Would you be able to take her? I’ll wait here for you.”
Oh. Excitement surged through Gihun’s body, and he immediately shook Gayeong gently to wake her up.
“Huh?” She jolted awake, rubbing her eyes. “Awe, it’s done? I missed all the good parts…”
“You’ve seen it a hundred times anyway. Come on, I gotta get you home, or else I’ll be back in your mom’s bad books.”
“Fine…”
“Say bye to Inho, and thank him for all the gifts.”
“Yeah, I was going to.” Gayeong, in her sleepy state, outstretched her arms to give Inho a hug for the first time. Inho sat up sharply, his eyes going wide at Gihun as he accepted it, patting her on the back carefully. “Thank you, Inho-ssi.”
Both him and Gihun stifled a laugh at the use of his name.
“It was my pleasure, Miss Gayeong. Don’t forget your paintings.”
They got ready to go and Inho saw them off at the door, looking a bit distant, breathing heavily. Gihun pulled him by the front of his shirt and gave him a chaste kiss.
“See you soon,” he said with a grin. Inho gave him a lopsided smile, his eyes heavy lidded as he blinked slowly, and he closed the door behind them.