#♔ || true tenderness has your face (patrick grace).

[jeoseungsaja]

And, despite the pain you went through, you still have mellow eyes; you still have helping hands; you still irradiate warmth; you still have a a gentle heart. And, despite it all, you still have the courage to be kind.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PATRICK MYUNGDAE GRACE ❤️📖🧩!!! (@clemencetaught)

[jeoseungsaja]

“Good morning Hyu-“ He’s not looking at Hyuk initially when he hears the footsteps of his friend. It’s only when he’s taking a sip of tea ( that he made from a teabag in Hyuk’s cabinet ) that he notices his dear friend has walked into the kitchen, well…shirtless. Which is more than understandable considering that this is his kitchen. But Patrick can’t help but notice how built Hyuk is, even with the bandage wrapped around his ribs courtesy of Patrick’s handiwork from that other night.

Has he always looked like this?

Only the tea scalding his tongue snaps him back to reality. Face ablaze, Patrick swallows, but even that can’t go right because the tea goes down the wrong pipe and now he’s coughing. “I’m…I’m okay.” He says rather timidly in between, setting his cup on the table. He can hear Hyuk approaching him and he has to squeeze his eyes shut, lest he wants to get caught staring dumbfounded.

No. No- this is not a thought he should be having about his best friend.

( But they've been long past that point by now, haven't they? )

A hand covers the bottom half of his face as he leans on the table for stability. Call it moral support too. His head spins. “Really…I’m fine.” His voice cracks, just a little. He stands up, unable to look Hyuk in the eye. His heart races as do the thoughts, one thousand forming and breaking per second. “I just- do you want tea? Or coffee, or breakfast, I’ll make us some right now-”

Dear god, how is he going to last the rest of this week? ( two words: gay panic. basically patrick realizes hyuk is hot and is now dying JFKLSDJF but also?? if this makes you uncomfortable, feel free to skip alex!! )

@ofgentleresolve ♚ click here to see what I think is the current representation of hyurick’s brain

♔ ———–

   Oddly enough, he managed to fall asleep last night. Just for a few hours, but it’s still something that doesn’t happen quite often. Regardless of wounds latched to his ribs and a few other scrapes here and there, ache wasn’t too overwhelming as to steal slumber away. He could blame this on fatigue finally catching up with his last traces of energy but, truth is, he felt more comfortable knowing Patrick was nearby, just a few meters away instead of continents afar. A semblance of peace, despite the embarrassment he had to go through. God, does he hate to make his best friend feel concerned; does he detest the fact that he saw him like this, weak and with the need of prompt assistance. 

    But Patrick, Patrick’s kindness glows with such intensity that instead of judging him or reprimanding him, he was there to take care of his wounds and overall welfare. Careful hands, soothing voice; gentle eyes that asked to be looked at. And he also...he also placed warmth that made Hyuk dizzy with secret delight. That forehead kiss the detective kept thinking about, even after having the tea Patrick bashfully prepared for him; even after they both hesitatingly said goodnight to each other before going to sleep.     The thought of it still makes him feel warm all over. 

    The detective sits up, rising and stretching with a bit of a groan due to injuries covered by bandages. A hand goes to his forehead as he breathes out, wanting to shake off all the thoughts he had last night; notions that still chase him the day after. There was a part of him that wanted...well, wanted to be nearer. There was a moment where he even impulsively stood up and almost reached the doorknob as to go to Patrick. He already had a silly excuse around his tongue; ready to be aimed at his best friend’s direction if he asked what was he doing there, standing at the guest room’s door-frame so late at night.

    I can’t sleep. Can we talk? 

    But that’d be silly, wouldn’t it? Besides, interrupting Patrick’s sleep would be awful, considering the jet-lag and all that. It’s not easy, to suddenly get accustomed to a different timezone, no matter how many times the same place’s been visited. 

    He takes another deep breath; stands up from his bed and goes to wash his face and brush his teeth. He considers it’s pesky to put on a shirt when he goes out toward the kitchen, thinking unnecessary movements might make injuries worse, or move the bandages about in uncomfortable ways. And so, he strides in his usual sleepwear, which is a pair of loose joggers and no shirt to cover his exposed, toned chest; a hand running through his long hair as he listens his best friend’s greeting.

    Ah. It’s nice to hear it. Nice to know he’s there.      It’s better than waking up to the usual emptiness of his apartment.

    “Good morning.” 

    Voice still sounds groggy; softer than usual. He stands nearby; heart suddenly skipping a beat. If Patrick’s visited him before, why is he suddenly so fond of finding him in his kitchen, serving himself some tea? 

   “How did you sl---” 

    Eyes widen when coughs begin to erupt from Patrick’s lips, Hyuk hurriedly going to him; a palm landing on his best friend’s back, giving it three pats before his palm carefully draws several circles around spine and shoulder blades. 

    “Patrick, you don’t look fine. You almost choked there.” 

    His best friend doesn’t sound fine, either; the detective can pinpoint vocal chords trembling just a little in the end of his statement. He can see how Patrick’s eyes squeeze shut, too. Is something wrong? Did a piece of something (besides the tea) get lodged in his throat? What’s going on? 

   “Yah, slow down.” 

   His voice is firmer; hand landing on Patrick’s shoulder when dear friend stands up. He takes note of the lack of eye contact. Hyuk leans in just a little; concern-filled gaze present. Why won’t he look at him? He’s befuddled and worried, to say the least. Is Patrick embarrassed because of accidental constriction? He shouldn’t be...but Hyuk understands if that’s the case. Let us remember that the detective also felt shamefaced over his wounds.

   Hyuk presses the back of his hand against Patrick’s forehead, slowly letting it slide toward his cheek. 

    “You’re really warm. Are you getting sick?” 

    The poor fool. He doesn’t realize that all he needs to do is to put on a darn shirt; hide all of the lean, defined muscle gathered in abdomen and arms. Hyuk isn’t aware this is part of the problem, because Patrick’s seen him like this before. 

   Everything’s suddenly different this time, isn’t it? 

   His thumb can’t help but fondly caress the skin on Patrick’s cheek. This is different, too. The last time he did something like this, it was when his dear friend was drunk and he was slightly tipsy, when they both sat on the floor after a night of drinking Soju. 

    Now, they’re both sober. 

   “Look at me, Dae-yah. What’s wrong? Breakfast can wait.”

   He blinks, noticing the closeness when concern starts to slowly wash off. It allows his sight to get a better view of Patrick’s face, of every feature; every line. He’s seen it so many times before, he knows, but lately, everything about his best friend has been making him feel something he can’t quite put into words. 

   “You’re---”      Really handsome. So handsome. So beautiful.      God, what is he---

    “Uh...just...take it easy, okay? You’re the guest here. We can...we can go out and have breakfast after you finish your tea. I’ll grab an iced americano from the fridge later.” 

    He blinks again, heart prominent in his throat. Should he? Should he---perhaps, as a response to last night. He shouldn’t think about this one too much, because if he does, he’ll end up not doing anything at all. 

   And so, before his hand slips away from Patrick’s skin, he quickly leans in and kisses his best friend’s cheek. 

  “I didn’t have the chance to tell you, but thank you for helping me last night. I’ll go get changed.” 

   Hyuk says this rather quickly, as if in a race against time; turning about and rapidly heading back to his room with quite a hurried stride. 

   The door closes behind him.    He hisses; pressing the back of his head upon wood.    What the hell did he just do?! 

———– ♔

[jeoseungsaja]

🔥🔥🔥 ( I dunno I guess Patrick has a crush on a certain detective not like he hasn’t been stumbling over himself whenever said person is around for the last few months, pining quietly for the past few years too DJDJDKDJFJ lmao I just wanted to say hi alex, you wonderful person please have a wonderful weekend!! 🥰 )

@ofgentleresolve ♚ from x.

♔ ———–

The gif above is footage of me when Hyurick is mentioned IUWHEIUDH--

HMM, HMM, WHAT A WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE, BECAUSE??? I DUNNO, I GUESS, I’M GUESSING, I THINK a certain detective reciprocates this crush times x9218921893(and beyond); a certain detective who places most (if not all) of his affection upon Patrick, someone who’s left (and continues leaving) a very special and valuable mark in his life---

I ADORE THEM, I ADORE THEIR RELATIONSHIP AND HOW THEY’VE ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR EACH SINCE DAY ONE, SINCE THAT DAY HYUK ASKED FOR A SHARPENER AND PATRICK WAS DISMAYED BY THE GESTURES WHICH COULD MEAN SOMETHING ELSE 😂, I LOVE HOW!!! THEIR DYNAMIC HAS PROGRESSED AND REGARDLESS OF THE SITUATIONS THEY’VE FACED THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES, THEY CONTINUE TO BE THERE FOR ONE ANOTHER, THEY CONTINUE TO KNOW EACH OTHER SO WELL, THEY CONTINUE TO BE SO INCREDIBLY CLOSE AND PROTECTIVE OF EACH OTHER AND JUST!!! MY HEART BURSTS AT HOW WHOLESOME THEY ARE!!! 

Best friends, ride-or-dies, plATONIC SOULMATES INDEED!!! This dynamic has been so?? Preciously organic?? AS IN?? We just allowed them to interact based on an idea and plot we had in mind and they naturally responded in their own way, to the point of REACHING THIS STAGE WHERE THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR FEELINGS, MUTUALLY PINING, HAVING THAT SENSE OF YEARNING, THAT WISH TO REACH OUT AND TOUCH (may I mention that I absolutely love how they...tip-toe around it in their own personal ways; Patrick being so unconsciously smooth and Hyuk being a bit awkward but genuinely soft, both of them knowing when it’s okay to do this and when it’s not; acknowledging that these grazes and motions are sincere and they’d never hurt each other, so they let them happen---WIUEDHEUHD), THOUGHTS THAT THEY?? BOTH THINK THAT MAYBE THEY SHOULDN’T HAVE (BUT THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH THEM BECAUSE THESE EMOTIONS ARE BEING RECIPROCATED, THEY CAN TOTALLY HAVE THIS, YOU TWO!!!!), and this bEAUTIFUL rollercoaster where they’re currently in (Us: Slow-burn *nod* | Them: *start to look at each other like they’re about to kiss* HWIUEDHD BUT IT’S OKAY, FEELINGS BEEN BREWIN’ FOR YEARS---) I SIMPLY!!! LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT HYURICK, LIVING IN MY HEAD RENT-FREE, CANNOT BE HELPED AND I’M GLAD ABOUT IT!!! 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS WONDERFUL DYNAMIC , PLEASE KNOW I FEEL THE SAME --- IT BRINGS ME JOY TO WRITE AND PLOT ABOUT THEM (AND ALL OUR OTHER GREAT DYNAMICS, TOO!!); THANK YOU FOR GIVING HYUK A CHANCE, THANK YOU FOR GIVING HIM SUCH A SIGNIFICANT AND WONDROUS PERSON IN HIS LIFE (I CAN’T EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE HOW MUCH HE FEELS FOR PATRICK, PLS); THANK YOU FOR ALL THE THINGS WE DEVELOP TOGETHER AND ALL THE NICE CHATS ;W;!!!!! CARE YOU HEAPS <3

———– ♔

[jeoseungsaja]

It starts with them, sitting on a bench and eating bungeo-ppang from Hyuk’s favorite stall. “You have a crumb on your mouth.” Patrick points it out to his dear friend. That should have been sufficient; Hyuk is more than capable of getting it himself, but something propels Patrick to do more. “Here, let me get it.“ The center of his forehead crinkled in concentration, he reaches over to wipe it off himself. It’s not sanitary by any means, but he’s not thinking about that as he thumbs away the crumb, finger brushing over the corner of Hyuk’s mouth. This is when it should really be ending, but instead, his finger lingers there along with the rest of his hand cupping Hyuk’s cheek. The skin there is soft and warm, but Patrick’s eyes stay on his lips. How nicely shaped they are, how nice they might feel against his own-

That’s not a thought he’s supposed to be having about his dear friend.

Letting his hand drop, Patrick chuckles nervously. “Sorry, I figured I’d get it myself since we don’t have any napkins-” There’s an unused stack between them. He looks away, flustered. “Tea.” Patrick stands up abruptly. “I saw a cart selling some. I can, I mean, I’ll buy us a cup, help wash down the bungeo-ppang-” ( HELLO it's time for...patrick to deal with a pesky thing known as feelings sjdkflsdj but also feel free to ignore if you think this doesn't fit?? have a wonderful day alex!! )

@ofgentleresolve ♚ catch hyuk having the dokis---

♔ ———–

   Scent of pastries and red bean paste fills the air; the ringing and clanging of metallic molds echoes through, as well as the sound of people asking for fish-shaped cake. Amid the different, street food booths residing in Gangnam District, the Bungeoppang stall is definitely one of Hyuk’s favorites. He actually visits it often, to the point that the sweet, old lady recognizes his face --- and Patrick’s too. Truth be told, the detective’s convinced Mrs. Nam has an awfully good memory, because whenever he appears by himself to ask for one piece of sweetened bread, he always asks for his dear friend. Always.

“Where is he?” “Who?”  “You know who. The tall, handsome gentleman you bring sometimes.”  “Ah, he couldn’t be here today, halmeoni. He lives far away, remember?”  “Tell him to come again, I’ll make sure to fill his bread up to the brim with red bean paste!” “Yes, I will.” 

   And she did keep her promise. As soon as she saw Patrick standing beside Hyuk, with that gentle smile which characterizes the professor; Mrs. Nam’s face lightened up and she hurriedly went ahead to use fresh red bean paste to create a fluffy and chubby bungeoppang. Regardless of his private sphere, Patrick’s way to treat others is always drenched with respect and a set of mannerisms most would consider charming and gentle. It’s no surprise Mrs. Nam took an immediate liking to him. Hyuk doesn’t blame her in the slightest. 

    He can’t help but tease his dear friend, though. Once they receive their pastries and walk over the nearest bench, he tells Patrick about Mrs. Nam’s promise; even proceeds to playfully complain when giving the first bite of his pastry and noticing that no paste oozes out of bread until the second or third chomp. 

    “Yah, how comes she likes you more than me, huh? I visit her more often and this is what I get?!” 

   Hyuk can hear Patrick’s chuckle. It’s melodic, a dulcet tune that sounds much better live than through all those phone calls and video calls. He pretends to huff, yet a smile threatens to spill when a side of his mouth lifts. The detective hides this by taking another bite of pastry; fish now without a head, only the tail is left. 

   “Ah, you said you wanted me to disorganize your Rubik’s cube; give it to me.” 

   Free hand stretches toward his friend. Once the item lands on his palm, he eats the rest of the bread quickly (far too quickly; leaving some crumbles behind that he’ll brush off once he stands up) and tosses the wrapper in the nearest bin. He looks up to see Patrick. 

   “Choose a random number---” 

   Patrick’s sudden observation catches him a little off-guard, enough to make a face riddled with confusion. What? A crumb? Ah, perhaps tiny pieces of bread managed to get lodged on his lips; it’s not the first time it happens. He hums, as if to tell Patrick that he considered his remark, languidly lifting one hand to try to grab a napkin from the spot between them. 

   But then, all attempts to move freeze when his dear friend’s voice resonates again, this time with his hand outstretched and intentions to eliminate the crumbs temporarily invading the corner of detective’s lips. 

    Patrick’s thumb grazes Hyuk’s lips and his mouth unconsciously falls faintly agape.      Hyuk’s fingers twitch; the grip around Rubik’s cube tightens.     Did he just...?      What’s that sudden jolt traversing his body?

    It’s not like them to engage in physical contact of this sort. All these years, it’s been a bit of an unspoken limit that they understood; something that didn’t really occur avidly, save for the occasional shoulder pats and squeezes; the random poking of arms or brief actions considered friendly and welcome. But this...this diverges from the usual. Especially when Patrick’s fingers refuse to leave closeness and become more attached to it; professor’s hand cupping Hyuk’s cheek. 

    The detective’s eyes widen.      Gaze dances up and down; side to side, looking at Patrick’s face.      His dear friend isn’t looking at him. Well, he’s not...looking at his eyes.      Where is...no, Hyuk might...he might be seeing things---     His breath gets lodged in his throat. 

    Hyuk blinks, continuing to feel Patrick’s hand on his skin. He can feel some of the lines born out of hours of using pen to grade notes and write those commentaries on the corners of pages; created out of markers sitting between his fingers when he smoothly explains another topic that he makes so utterly riveting just by the way he speaks. The small bumps are sensed and yet his touch feels so warm (or is it because his cheeks gaining heat?), so gentle, so nice. Heavens, there’s a part of him that wants to lean further onto it; a part of him that wants to press his hand atop Patrick’s knuckles--- 

    Stop it, Lee Hyuk. You shouldn’t have these thoughts. 

     Breath finally gets out of mouth when Patrick’s hand drops, though his skin immediately misses the comfort; the way his palm felt just right by resting there.  The detective looks down and clears his throat; nodding away quite awkwardly as if to tell his dear friend that it’s okay --- even though, well...he’s able to catch that poor excuse of his. Napkins? We had---

     Eyes peek from under lashes, managing to see his lifelong friend hurriedly standing up. Why does this feel so familiar? Like the day they were drinking tea and Hyuk chugged his cup hastily---is this...similar? It can’t be, can it? He can’t even hear his own thoughts; his heart’s beating too fast, drowning the rest. 

   “Dae-yah.” 

    Hyuk’s free hand suddenly reaches out and grabs Patrick’s wrist. Impulsive touch is not aggressive but mellow. He stands up from his seat; crumbs that were sitting on his lap now landing on the ground.

   “I---I’m going with you. What if...you, uh...need me to translate something. Your Korean is probably rusty, you haven’t--you haven’t visited in a long time, you---” 

    Now it’s his time to make poor excuses, for they both know Patrick’s hold of language is more than good enough. He’s fluent. Not only that, but Hyuk tends to speak to his dear friend in Korean from time to time as practice. Instead of letting go from Patrick’s wrist, loose fingers unconsciously slide down; feeling the skin of Patrick’s palm. 

    “Here.” 

     He carefully lifts Patrick’s hand and hushedly places the Rubik’s cube on his palm. Then, he lets go. But he stands there, right in front of him. His fingers twitch again. There’s the wish to hold. Hold Patrick’s hand or his arm or his shoulder or his face------he takes a deep breath instead; jaw tensing before he produces a close-lipped smile. 

    Hyuk swallows all those things. All those wishes.      He’s good at that.      He nods at the cube. 

     “It’s...scrambled.”

    Much like his heart and his mind and oh, God, what is he feeling; what’s going on?

    “Let’s go. We can buy tea and then drink it at Cheongdam Park. It’s nice this time of the year.” 

———– ♔

[jeoseungsaja]

ft. @ofgentleresolve‘s Patrick Grace & Lee Hyuk.

gifs & psd credits: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 

[jeoseungsaja]

♔ ———–

A single yellow rose attached to a couple lilies of the valley. He ordered this online a few days ago, even closed his eyes as he hesitatingly clicked the ‘purchase’ button with bated breath. Perhaps, this is very simple for some, but for Hyuk it’s a significant gesture that doesn’t necessarily come out of him often; not being the type to engage in actions like these just because. Hell, it’s even odd that he remembered to do this days prior so the very small bouquet could arrive on time, at the date it’s supposed to get there, considering that the detective often forgets (due to heavy workload) what day is it or which world is he living in. 

But is it, really odd?  Perhaps not. Not really.  Not when you know who will be getting this arrangement of flowers. 

Something within him was itching to send it. He even called a flower shop located in London, where they told Hyuk that he could easily make his order through their web page --- which he did. He revised his order once, twice; more than five times before finally sending it away, calling the shop once more to make sure they indeed received it. They did. It’ll certainly get there on May 14th, sir, the courteous lady on the other line said, after spelling recipient’s address through the phone. 

He sees the calendar on his cellphone. May 14th.  He sighs. His breath comes out with a little tremble.

It’s done already, what else can he do? It’s not like he can lie and say he ordered them by mistake. Besides, he’s never been one to lie to his best friend. 

Yes, the yellow rose and lilies of the valley (requested to be put inside a slim, green-tinted vase) were sent Patrick’s way.

There’s a part of him that wishes Patrick never mentions the bouquet to him, just so he can get swallowed by Earth silently, just so he can perish of embarrassment by himself in the nearest corner. But there’s another part of him that’s awaiting a response, any response --- to know if he liked them, to know if they were a different addition to his desk that’s usually filled with papers to grade and books...just, a little change of pace, especially during these times where stress is at high due to semester’s near-end. 

He can’t even focus on the case he’s reading.  All he can think of is about what Patrick might think, and the array of reasons why he took the decision to send flowers his way. 

The fact that May 14th is Yellow Day (or Rose Day) in South Korea is a teeny tiny part of these reasons. But there’s also other moments which make Hyuk slowly realize that perhaps he’s not the only one dealing with the flutters. The wiping of crumbs with his fingers, the stuttering and bashfulness, the forehead kiss after battle wounds, the visit at the headquarters to gift handkerchief; the way his hand took his own with the request of helping with buttons. All of these moments, so utterly precious, so utterly engraved in his mind and heart --- an array of reasons to let Patrick know he’s still thinking about them, about him through the colored whispers of flowers. 

Oh, God. Maybe he just should’ve gotten yellow curry for lunch instead (isn’t that what singles tend to eat during Yellow Day? Something like that.). 

“Detective Lee, are you okay?”  “Huh? Uh, yes, I am.”  “Here’s what you requested.” “Thank you, leave it on the desk.”  “Are you sure you’re okay? You’re not scolding me for bringing it after the accorded hour.” “Yah, I said I’m okay. But if you want to get scolded, I can start---”  “No, no, it’s fine. I’m just joking. Are you going somewhere?”  “I’m going out for a little bit. I’ll be back.” 

  Air. He just needs air. Some time to stretch up, since the wound on his ribs still feels uncomfortable when he sits down for far too long (the space is no longer heavily bruised, solely tender at this point --- bruised ribs take about a month or so to properly heal, but he has to admit Patrick’s care made the restore to health easier and better). And...well, just some time to distract himself from the thoughts swirling within. 

  Why is he so...agitated?    Someone would argue they’re just flowers.    Flowers. For a friend.    Right?    Calm down, Lee Hyuk.

   He just hopes Patrick doesn’t feel uncomfortable by it.     He hopes he likes them, with all and the silly note he sent. 

I couldn’t send this by through pigeon post, but I hope this still gets to you.  Just something to thank you for the handkerchief.  Remember to eat something (and no, tea doesn’t count).  Stay healthy.  Guess who? (this is an easy one, isn’t it? I’ll try harder next time)

———– ♔

@ofgentleresolve​ : HAPPY YELLOW DAY 💐, HYUK’S SHAKING WIEUDHWUDH