#this is just self fulfillment and reiterations of my time studying abroad

[peachenle]

playful delicacies

pairing: lee heeseung x fem!reader, ft. hyung line cameo

genre: domestic boyfriend!au | fluff, just fluff | college!au | established relationship

༄࿔˚✧ synopsis: a collection of moments with heeseung, shared over meals and snacks. a riff off of timestamps.

word count: 4.1k

cherry wine

You were welcomed home by a frustrated looking Heeseung. You watched with amusement as he placed an aggressive kiss on your forehead and shuffled his way back to his desk set up in the living room, glaring at the screen. From your position in the doorway, you stared as his screen went gray again, signaling his character’s death and you couldn’t help but laugh at his expense.

Heeseung sent a glare your way and exclaimed, “Yeah. Yup. I’m done! I’m over this.” And he ALT-F4’d right out of a ranked game.

While you were fond of games yourself, there was a reason Heeseung and you only played simple survival games together, over tactical first person shooters, or god-forbid, League of Legends. Despite his cute pleas to play with him, and his forced “Don’t worry, babe. I’ll carry us!” after your 14th death, you knew better to stay out of his way. You found his frustration cute, and it was far better to witness it as a bystander, than to be its source.

He shuffled to where you stood, as you looked over the ingredients you bought from the grocery. Heeseung stared at you with anticipation, knowing that there was only one person in this household who could cook. He had no idea what you had in mind for dinner with those ingredients. And, neither did you, yet. 

“How are the games going?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” he pouted. You bit your bottom lip to spare him of extra laughter, opting to wrap an arm around his waist and pull him closer to you. He sighed into your temple and squeezed you.

“How was work?” Your part time job at the nearest ramen shop was grueling at times, especially on Fridays. Luckily, you filled the awkward lunch to afternoon shift, so you had time to stop by the market on your way home.

“Wasn’t too bad,” you replied. “Mrs. Sohn stopped by with her daughter. They asked me about you.”

Heeseung was a regular at the shop like Mrs. Sohn, going there long before you stumbled in a year ago, looking for a second job. You pulled away to see Heeseung look at you with a grimace. “They said something weird, didn’t they?”

“Asked if you dumped me yet,” you snickered. “Mrs. Sohn will never relent to get you to date her daughter.”

Heeseung groaned, his ears tinting with red. “Yeah, I think I’d rather talk about my games.” You found his passiveness with Mrs. Sohn too funny. He made sure to make it obvious just how in love he was with you if he stopped by the shop and she was there - amping up the lovely nicknames, and raising his voice when he called you babe. It never bothered you, because you knew how he felt about you and because you found it funny how Heeseung was too nice to the point where he felt bad.

Shifting your attention back to the problem at hand - both of your grumbling tummies - you hummed. You grasped a carrot in your hand and poked him with it. You glanced at Heeseung and caught his eye.

“Wanna get take out?”

“Should we just order delivery?” He said at the same time.

Thirty minutes later Heeseung set up two large pizzas in front of where you sat on the floor by the coffee table, and you prepared him with the latest League of Legends LCK highlight clips on the TV.

“Oh!” You gasped and jumped towards the kitchen. “I bought this on my way home.” You pulled a bottle of cherry wine from the fridge and grabbed two unceremonious mason jars.

Heeseung smiled as you brought them over, taking the bottle so he could open it for you.

You clinked jars with one hand and held pizza in the other, your legs intertwined over his, and you both drunkenly screamed at the TV. Heeseung yelled a mix of “What was that?!” and a couple curses, while you cheered in disbelief at the plays on the screen.

hot chocolate, extra whip

Winter wasn’t always your favorite season. Winter was cold and energy consuming, taking time for layers after layers and for running into buildings to beat the flashing snow. December was for hot packs stuffed in pockets, red runny noses, and staying home to avoid its bitter cold.

That was before you met Heeseung.

Each snowfall with him was treated as the first, him eagerly (and rarely) waking before you to revel in the white rooftops outside your apartment window. However, for the third snowfall of the season, you woke to find a sleepy and disheveled Heeseung making toast in the kitchen in silence.

When he noticed you emerging from the doorway he smiled, “Did I wake you?”

You shook your head, although you were confused why he hadn’t woken you.

Heeseung wiped his sleepy eyes and stretched his arms above his head with a yawn. “Don’t know I woke up so early -  I guess I was excited. It’s snowing!”

Mirroring him, you let out a yawn as well. “Hee, it’s almost 12 o’clock. When did you wake up?”

He stared blankly at you, knowing where you were going with this. “Like, 30 minutes ago.” You stared back. “Okay, like 10, but still! Earlier than you is still early in my book.” He beamed as if it was something to take pride in.

You left him to freshen up in the bathroom and get ready for a day of doing nothing with Heeseung. Maybe you’d go to a café with him and sit by a fire, or go outside and kick snow at each other or whatever he wanted to do.

When you came back, he was sitting on the couch, a random documentary lulling in the background, with a portable heater turned up by his toes. 

He pointed to a mug sitting on the counter, one matching his own on the coffee table. 

You smiled as you brought it along with you to sit next to him. “Hot chocolate?”

He smirked, and pulled out a red canister. Heeseung shook it before adding some whipped cream atop your drink. “I forgot I bought this the other day.”

You gigged as you watched him spray some directly into his mouth. He met your eyes and offered you some, and when you shook your head he opted to add extra on top of the slowly melting cream still in your mug.

Taking a sip and leaning into him further, you snickered. “You forgot I was lactose intolerant again.”

Heeseung’s eyes widened in shock, oh shit, and you laughed at his embarrassed face - whipped cream smeared at the corner of his mouth. You kissed it away and rolled your eyes. 

“Sorry.” Then he added with a sly whisper, “Lactaid’s in the bathroom cabinet.”

You set your hot chocolate down to, lovingly, smother your boyfriend.

Winter was for lengthy mornings in bed under the covers in his embrace. Winter was for snowball fights during Seoul’s first snowfall and for loving shoves into piles of snow. December was for the holidays spent with him, his hands stuffed into your pockets and flowers given to you on Christmas.

Winter was for Heeseung.

miso ramen

A college senior of yours was actually the one to suggest you look for a different job last year. “The clinic pays you dirt and doesn’t offer you a lot of hours, why are you still there?”

You playfully pushed her. “It’s for my resume! You know that.”

“You should quit and work at a restaurant - at least you’d get some free meals on top of pay. When I worked at the sushi place I never had to make my own dinner.” She was looking out for you, typical older sister-like duties.

You nodded in agreement and decided to follow her advice. But rather than quitting the clinic, you stubbornly just took it upon yourself to get a second job.

“Which one would you recommend?” You asked, taking a seat at an empty barstool. You kind of just wandered in here hungry after your study session and meeting with your senior. She had left you to meet with her boyfriend so you were off to have dinner by yourself.

The worker behind the counter hummed in thought, and before he could reply, a boy two seats down shyly answered, “Miso ramen.”

The worker nodded in agreement, “Well said from our number one customer himself.”

You smiled at the boy and placed your order, miso ramen with extra firm noodles and ginger on the side. 

The food was delicious and the atmosphere was better and you couldn’t help but notice a small sticker on their register when you went up to pay. HELP WANTED.

You interviewed on the spot and were asked to start three weeks later.

At the beginning of working there, Heeseung used to like to tease you about how he got you the job, how he had talked with the owner afterwards and complimented your manners. He would hang out a little even after finishing his food to talk to you and the other workers, and conveniently he only ever came at the awkward times after lunch, when there were less customers and less noise. You learned more about Heeseung as you cleaned tables and served food. You learned how at the time, he was in his final year in the architecture undergrad program at your university. He had morning classes most days, and a Thursday studio block that ended around 3 - hence his usual Thursday lunch-dinner at the shop.

But after 3 months of working there, you had learned the truth. That he had actually joked with the owner that if you were hired he would come more often just to see you. When the owner told you this, casually during a lunch rush hour, you chuckled.

��I didn’t order this,” Heeseung tilted his head towards you, the following Thursday. You had placed a single scoop of green tea ice cream onto his now empty table and sat down with him. Nevertheless, he quickly dove in with a spoon.

“Most people would say ‘thank you’ for a free dessert,” you said to him pointedly. 

He gave you a silly smile, giddy with the scoop in his hands. He jested, “Now, what did I do to deserve such a treat?”

“I get off in 20 minutes,” you simply stated and left to tend to a nearby customer.

You returned some dishes to the kitchen sink and glanced towards the front of the house to see Heeseung paying. He had to know what you had meant, right?

When you had waved your goodbyes to your coworkers, shoving your apron into your bag as you left. You frowned when you didn’t see Heeseung waiting for you outside. Your shop had a bit of a queue outside waiting for open seats, but he was nowhere to be found. Sighing with disappointment, oblivious men, you started walking down the street to the subway station.

As you walked, you started second-guessing yourself, cringing at the thought of Maybe he did know and this was his way of rejecting you? But there was no way someone would hang out that often after his meal to talk to you as often as he did? But he was a regular and friends with the owner, not just you…

A running figure towards you pulled you out of your thoughts as you neared the stairs to the station.

“Oh my god! I am so dumb,” Heeseung exclaimed, catching your shoulders in his arms. He noticed your startle and let go quickly, opting to smooth down his hair and attempt to catch his breath.

You frowned in confusion, “Why were you running?”

“Because you said you were off in 20 minutes and it took me the walk to the subway, and the time to reach the next stop before I realized what that meant.”

You poked his forehead, “What else would I have meant when I told you when I was getting off?”

“Honestly, I think I couldn’t believe my ears.”

Heeseung’s face was red, maybe from the running, but definitely from the embarrassment and you laughed, gently tugging his sleeve to pull him away from the subway entrance.

“Wanna grab some drinks?”

Your night had ended with him walking you to the subway station, and finally thanking you for the ice cream you had given him hours before. When you heard the chimes and the rumble of your incoming train, he rapidly tapped a foot.

“Are you free Saturday?” He asked.

“Wow, already wanting to see me that soon?” You joked, making your way to the side of the tracks.

“Hey, don’t tease the guy who got you your job,” he fought back.

You decided to spare him of your knowledge of the truth and waved to him as you stepped inside the train.

Heeseung waved a final time before he turned to the other side of the station to wait for his train. The windows were quickly covered by the passing wall as your train sped away and you pulled out your phone to message him.

yes i’m free

Heeseung responded quickly, perfect, i’ll take care of everything. just show up at sinchon exit 4 looking cute.

He double texted, hope that’s not too difficult ;)

pork fried rice

Heeseung had already graduated and was interning full-time, a hybrid of in office and at home. Working two jobs was tough to manage on top of school. Days at the clinic, coupled with nights at the restaurant, mixed in with sporadic classes every weekday left you with little time outside of your home life with Heeseung. 

The return to school after the winter holiday was something you dreaded since you knew you would see each other less, but something you looked forward to - since you’d get to see your uni friends again.

To celebrate the return after break, read: to cope with the return of assignments, your classmates had chatted about going out for barbecue and drinks on the weekend.

“Hey, if Sunghoon is coming, you should bring Heeseung!” Your friend suggested, and Sunghoon nodded excitedly. 

“If we’re bringing our boyfriends, you should bring Jaeyun~” you teased your other friend.

“We are not dating… yet!”

“Yeah, yeah glad you guys are all DATING and having BOYFRIENDS,” the youngest of your friend group complained.

You all laughed, and it was decided that you’d invite another boy, Jongseong from Anatomy 450, to make the group even, ‘without any ulterior motives’ you all had promised her.

Heeseung was more on the shy side, especially compared to you, which was something he had admired about you. So your mention of a quadruple date was met with a worried smile and a begrudging agreement.

“You’ve met Sunghoon before! Other guys will be there; it will be fun,” you assured him, climbing into his lap as he was reviewing designs on a tablet.

Muffled, he spoke into the top of your hair, “Yeah, yeah. Anyway - look at what the other intern made.” You resisted the urge to groan at him changing the subject, and instead shifted your body to follow where he was directing your attention.

He showed you blueprints and 3D drawings, combined with color swatches and matching foliage - things your pre-med mind didn’t really recognize but you enjoyed watching how his eyes lit up with creativity, and how he rambled about needing balsa and “Have you seen my exacto knife?”

Heeseung was insanely passionate, more than he let other people really know, and you loved that about him. You just wished he would be more vocal and take pride in all his accomplishments. You told him this once and he just shook his head, “I don’t need to show people how good I am. I already know it myself.”

He said it jokingly, but knowing him, you knew he believed everything he said.

Friday night came along and your friends met up earlier - “For some girl time before the, men, came” you had told Heeseung, adding a dramatic frown at the word men. You enjoyed taking photo booth pictures and even secretly stopped at a bar for a shot or two each before making your way to the decided restaurant. Your group giggled at seeing the other boys outside, making awkward small talk amongst themselves to pass the time.

Several soju bottles each later, you rested your head against Heeseung’s shoulder and he clumsily plopped his on top of yours and you suppressed your complaint about his heavy head.

You watched as your friends continued to fry meat and laugh about random things that came up in conversation. Heeseung hopped into the conversation naturally, “Yeah! And I heard that shit was expensive!” You had too much soju in your veins to keep up with what they were saying, but you were fond of how well Heeseung melded into your friend group. Even Jongseong, a classmate you had only hung out with maybe 4 times during study sessions, loosened up and … much to your satisfaction, had a loose arm around your friend. You made a mental note to tease them about it later.

A waiter joined your group for a shot and brought a bowl of rice and other condiments to make fried rice on top of your clean grill.

“Extra seaweed please!” Heeseung requested, knowing it was your favorite.

“I’m so full, man,” Sunghoon slurred. And you all laughed as he still scooped himself a plate of crispy fried rice.

You guys took a final shot before finally heading to the front of the house to pay - the boyfriends, the not-boyfriend-yet, and Jongseong fighting over the bill. You and your friends cheered for them, grateful your wallets had survived a Friday night dinner.

“Wait guys.” Your group opted to continue talking outside the restaurant. It was only 11 pm. You clung onto Heeseung, your hands held inside his jacket pocket, his other hand waving about during some animated conversation with Jongseong. You had to call out to your friends again to get everyone’s attention. “Round two?”

Heeseung smiled down at you as everyone excitedly shouted and started walking down the street to where all the bars were.

You two purposely walked a little slower, watching as the rest of the group argued and laughed and collected some stares from other people.

“I’m glad I came tonight,” Heeseung had mumbled. “Your friends are funny.” You pulled him in for a chaste kiss, tasting the sweet flavored soju on his lips, and you felt him smile against you.

“They can be your friends, too,” you reminded him. “Visit the uni more often and join us when we study!”

He jokingly scoffed, “Like I’d wanna listen to you nerds talk about bones and diseases.” Heeseung continued, “Yeah, I’d like that. Jaeyun told me he plays games too.”

You grinned at him, excited that your boyfriend was making friends with your own, and you tugged him along - your group was already getting their IDs checked by security outside the bar.

After a few more drinks and a couple hours at the bar, playing pool and chatting about everything and nothing, you learned that the guys had exchanged Discords and were planning to queue together at some point.

“Babe, we’ll need a fifth!” Heeseung had poked you, looking at you with pleading eyes. Despite the alcohol, you knew he was serious. 

“Oh god.”

“What have we done?”

The next morning, or rather afternoon, you woke with a pounding headache which was only exacerbated by shrieks from the living room.

“No way,” you stopped in your tracks to witness Heeseung with his headset and mic set up.

“Jongseong! What was that?” Your boyfriend whined. A pause. “No, it was definitely you, not Sunghoon- yeah tell him, Jaeyun!”

You walked to the kitchen to grab a glass of water to go along with your pain meds, trying to ignore the gaming guild you accidentally created last night.

“Babe! Can you join next round? We’re tired of having randoms in our party.”

puffed cereal snacks

As clumsy as he was, Heeseung took care of you endlessly. He would hold your hair or sleeves back as you leaned over your food to eat. Heeseung held the small of your back gently as he guided you through crowds. He made sure you were having fun when going out and quietly passed you snacks as you studied at your desk in your shared room.

Heeseung was the type to massage the knots out of your shoulders; to straighten you out when you were feeling unmotivated; to bring you random trinkets he bought on his way home from the office.

You woke up from a light shake and with a burning sensation on your forehead. Heeseung was curled up next to you, his breaths mixing with the sighs of your own, and he was sweating.

You pulled away to realize Heeseung was burning up with a fever, and he was shivering. Heeseung always got sick during the change of seasons, and the shift from the bitter cold to the brightness of spring was no different.

You tucked him in deeper and brought the heater in your bedroom, before walking into the kitchen to prepare him some soup with the ingredients you found in the fridge.

You took out his favorite puffed cereal snacks, cutting some fruit along with it. Your soup was pretty much done, so you peered into the bedroom to check if he was sleeping. Heeseung’s mess of a head of hair was barely peeking out from under the duvet and you saw the flutter of his lashes as he blinked himself awake. You knocked gently on the door to get his attention, offering him a glass of water.

“I think I’m sick.”

“Yes, I agree.”

“Will you nurse me to health?”

“Of course.”

He smiled weakly, and accepted your cup.

You left to scoop some soup into a bowl and placed it on a tray along with the other snacks you prepared.

Heeseung was sat up with his head in his hands, and you nudged him with your hip before placing the tray on the bed. He whispered a thank you before slowly bringing a puffed snack to his lips.

“I can’t kiss you right now, huh? Can’t get you sick,” he muttered.

You ruffled his hair, “Nope.”

“Being sick is the worst.”

You forced him to stay in bed, giving him his laptop to keep him busy as you prepared him some vitamins, meds, and plenty of puffed snacks.

Heeseung was teasing and playful with you, but when he was sick he was extra gentle, doting, and clingy. He pouted each time you left the room, only staying for a few minutes to check on him, keeping your distance. Heeseung apologized for making you sleep on the couch, whining about how he needs you to go to sleep. When you would leave to go to class, or to the clinic, or to the restaurant, he’d text you - dramatically proclaiming his love for you. On the 7th day of his mini quarantine he texted you hey i think i’m pretty much better but i need to kiss u or else i’ll actually die. 

When you arrived home, carrying some take out miso ramen for him from the restaurant, you found him looking pretty much recovered. A week of not sleeping next to him and only hearing his quips and teases in quick passing made you miss him, so you forgot to be hesitant as you kissed him.

You let him feed you some of his noodles as you two sat on the floor, using the coffee table to dine on as usual, and proudly showed him some of the clean and pretty notes you took. He sighed with content and placed his chin on your shoulder.

Cleaning up after dinner, he pulled you by your hands into the bedroom. He climbed on top of you, placing kisses all over your face, mumbling something about making up for the past week.

The next morning, you pulled Heeseung’s shirt over your body before realizing - your head kind of hurt.

You reached over a sleeping Heeseung to grab the thermometer on his night stand.

38°.

Heeseung got you sick. You couldn’t be mad at him, but you sighed as you leaned on top of him. You swiped your fingers along the contours of his face, brushing his eyelashes and tracing the turns of his lips. Heeseung opened his mouth in response to try to nibble on your fingers, before opening one eye slightly.

You kissed the spot between his eyebrows and whispered, “I’m sick.” You showed him the thermometer and he squinted and rubbed his eyes.

“Oops.”