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Revelation

Summary:

Kim Dokja realizes he's in love with Yoo Jonghyuk a month after he wakes up. Post-Canon

Notes:

*Throws this at you* Here, take my trash.

If you haven't finished ORV, you probably shouldn't read this lol. The beginning is a big spoiler.

I just want Kim Dokja and Company to be happy.

KDJ and YJH aren't great at raw, genuine expressions of love, but they're going to help each other learn :) <3

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Kim Dokja wakes up in a hospital bed surrounded by the people he’d given his freedom up for, and quietly takes in the feeling of loving someone and knowing he’s loved back.  

Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung are sobbing as they cling onto him, still so careful with their strength even through their joy. He lifts his hands up, thinner and smaller than he remembers, and places it on top of his kids’ heads. They’re so much bigger now and Dokja hurts with the knowledge that he wasn’t there to see them grow up again.  

Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon have a hand on each of his ankles, grips gentle yet anchoring, their faces wrought with relief. Yoo Sangah is standing behind them with a gentle smile and shiny eyes, letting Lee Jihye bury her face into her back to hide her tears.  

Han Sooyoung is standing by his head with tired eyes and pretend anger licking at the corners of her mouth. “It was about time you woke up, you bastard.” It’s barely a whisper, with how hard she’s holding back from breaking down as years and years of her waiting have finally been answered.  

Dokja smiles up at her, eyes crinkling in that deviously familiar way (a way she hasn’t seen since they left the train car with just a fragment of him – and oh, how it  ached  when she realized she’d left him behind). “Sorry I’m late.” He replies, voice quiet and hoarse from disuse. A strong hand reaches from behind her with a cup of water, silvery scars littering the skin and calloused from years of battles.  

“Kim Dokja.” Yoo Jonghyuk says, face unreadable. Sooyoung moves out of his way with a small smirk and Jonghyuk steps up, watching Dokja weakly reach for it.  

“Yoo Jonghyuk.” He replies back, staring up at his most beloved protagonist. Time hadn’t changed much about him, he still had that startling attractiveness to him even with the raw vulnerability Dokja could see hidden in the depths of his abyss dark eyes. 

“You are not allowed to leave again.” Jonghyuk threatens him and ignores Dokja’s reaching hand, sliding his free arm behind Dokja’s back and gently lifting him up to tip the rim of the cup against his lips. “Drink.” 

Dokja obediently listens to him. “I wasn’t planning to.” He says afterwards under the baleful stare of his company. And he meant it. He thought he was finally reaching his ‘Eternity’ but after years of being The Most Ancient Dream and staying in that hauntingly silent train car, he realized that the end he really wanted was the ‘Epilogue’ with his family.  

Dokja knew he was only comforting himself when he told the Fourth Wall that letting his Avatar go in his stead would be as if he was still with them.  

“We won’t let you go again, hyung!” Gilyoung declares, eyebrows furrowed and determined. Yoosung nods furiously next to him and he sees Sangah’s hands twitch and a chill runs up his spine.  

…Items won’t work anymore, right? 

Dokja brushes aside that worrying thought and lets out a laugh, infinitely fond.  

“I’m not going anywhere. Not anymore.” That’s a promise he intends to keep.  

“…We bought a house,” Hyunsung says, eyes shy and yearning, “A big one with enough space for all of us. There’s a room we made for you, Dokja-ssi.” 

Jihye finally speaks up, voice muffled and thick. “Gilyoung and Yoosung put all your favorite things in there and Master keeps it clean. We’ve been waiting for you, ahjussi.” 

“Welcome home, Dokja-ssi.” Sangah says, gentle and happy. Her eyes crinkle in welcome and Dokja smiles back at her.  

“I’m back.” 

Dokja finds himself discharged out of the hospital two days later despite the doctors recommending he stay there for another week. None of his family wish to be separated from him anymore now that they finally have him back and they have Lee Seolhwa as the family’s personal doctor.  

Sangah is pushing his wheelchair and his kids are holding his hands beside him, chattering about their daily life in school and the friends they’ve made.  

Dokja is happy. He’s so happy that they’re able to have a semblance of a normal life now that the Star Stream is gone. Gilyoung and Yoosung were so young and went through so much and all he’s ever wanted was for them to be safe. 

If this is what came out of the actions Dokja took, he would regret none of them.  

Yoo Jonghyuk walks next to them in silence, eyes carefully scanning around them as if looking for danger. It seemed as though he took up the role of personal protector, Dokja thinks in amusement.  

“Hyung,” Gilyoung is saying, “you should come as my guardian to Parent Day at school!” Yoosung immediately riots. 

“What are you even saying? Ahjussi should obviously come as  mine !” She’s glaring at Gilyoung and hugging Dokja’s hand even tighter.  

“Hah?! What are  you  saying, Shin Yoosung?!” Gilyoung’s eyes are narrowed and Dokja can see him bristling in outrage. 

Sangah interrupts them before they start physically fighting with Dokja stuck in the middle of them. “Both of you are in the same class.” She reminds the two, muffling a laugh when Dokja turns his head to send her a relieved look. 

“It’s the principle.” Yoosung sniffs. She turns to pout at Dokja. “Ahjussi, you’ll come as mine, right?” Dokja swallows, feeling cold sweat on his back as Gilyoung looks at him with big eyes. He really doesn’t want to have to choose between his two kids. 

“Oh, uh...” Dokja stutters through an incomprehensible sentence before Jonghyuk decides to finally save him. 

“We’re all coming as your guardians.” His tone books no argument and the kids stop arguing, clamping their mouths shut and huffing. Dokja mouths a thanks to Jonghyuk and feels mildly surprised when Jonghyuk actually nods to him, a slight amused twitch to his lips. 

Dokja can feel his brain shutting momentarily. Huh. It appears that in the time Dokja was sleeping, Jonghyuk became more emotionally intelligent?  

...Is it insulting if Dokja feels proud of him...? 

While indulging in his own thoughts and letting the children’s talking wash into his ears, Dokja finds himself inside of a stopped car in the driveway of a massive house. 

“What the...” He trails off in amazement. It’s a gated mansion, basically. Looming and beautiful, the house looks like it has enough room for twice their company with a sprawling garden around the building. Dokja thinks he can see a gazebo and a lake in the distance. “This is where we live?” He can barely wrap his head around it; he has a brief alarmed thought – they got this all legally, right? 

Sangah laughs at his incredulous tone. “We don’t exactly ache for money anymore.” She tells him. "All of us have good jobs and we pool it together in a shared account.” Jonghyuk takes over wheelchair duties and starts pushing him towards the house.  

“Your room is on the first floor next to mine.” He hears the man inform him.  

“Are you going to be taking care of me then, Jonghyuk-ah?” Dokja teases him, tilting his head back to grin at him. 

Jonghyuk scoffs and flicks him on the forehead. “You’re incapable of doing it yourself, Kim Dokja.” 

Dokja will admit he didn’t realize how serious Jonghyuk was about taking care of him. Everyday he’s woken up at 8am sharp by Jonghyuk gently shaking him. For the time where his legs were still too weak to stand on their own, Jonghyuk even carries him into the bathroom – the first time it happened, Dokja flailed so hard Jonghyuk almost dropped him, much to the other man’s annoyance. It’s all Dokja can do to convince Jonghyuk to leave while he takes care of business. 

After, Jonghyuk personally helps him rebuild all his lost muscle, letting him hold onto his arm while practicing walking, massaging his legs when Dokja strains himself, guiding him around their new garden and attentively keeping an eye on him. He makes sure the kids don’t hug him with too much force, reminding them that he’s still too weak to take their weight. Dokja feels bitter knowing that Gilyoung and Yoosung aren’t tiny enough for him to lift them up anymore and uses that as motivation to exercise. 

Dokja finds himself eating three meals every day. Jonghyuk cooks healthy and unfairly delicious food for him and makes sure he finishes it all. He fondly thinks back to when Sooyoung tried to snatch some of his stir-fry pork and Jonghyuk hitting her hand at lightning speed.  

It’s only a month after that Kim Dokja realizes he loves Yoo Jonghyuk as a person and not just as his favorite book character. It’s hard not to, when faced with the level of devotion and attention Jonghyuk pours onto him ever since he woke up. Quite frankly, he can’t remember a time where Jonghyuk  wasn’t  around him. Jonghyuk acts as if his only purpose in life is to make sure Dokja is healthy and happy. 

Dokja’s never had so much genuine care aimed towards at him before, and coming from Yoo Jonghyuk himself? From the man he devoted himself to for most of his life? It’s a flustering and pleasant feeling. 

And Dokja thinks to himself: Why should he hesitate?  

Happy endings don’t come easy for people like them, but by god would Dokja tear down the heavens just to give Jonghyuk a little bit of the love that’s always been ripped away from him. Hell, he already has.  

And if he knows anything about Yoo Jonghyuk – and Dokja does. He knows him as intimately as he knows himself, has spent over a decade of his life steadfastly faithful to this man, shed tears of joy and sorrow round after round, has  lived  for him – he knows Jonghyuk would never push him away even if he didn’t feel the same.  

Jonghyuk was far too attached to let the bond they’d built up through all the scenarios and troubles the Star Stream put them through fall apart just because Dokja confessed.  

So, that night, after Dokja has come to this realization, he stops Jonghyuk from leaving his room after his routine check of making sure Dokja is unharmed. He’s holding Jonghyuk’s arm in a grip loose enough that he could shake it off if he really wanted to. Jonghyuk stays still, dark eyes looking at Dokja. 

“Jonghyuk-ah,” Dokja says, “stay for a bit?” Jonghyuk sits on the bed without hesitation, patiently waiting.  

“Something wrong?” Jonghyuk asks after a moment of silence. His eyebrows are furrowed, and he looks concerned. 

Dokja hums. “No, just trying to decide how to tell you what I realized.” 

“Bad?” 

“I don’t think of it as a bad thing.” Dokja says, smile playing at his lips. He thought he would feel more nervous or nauseated at the thought of confessing, but unexpectedly, he felt completely calm. Even playful, if one could believe it. 

“Our definitions for good and bad seem to be different.” Jonghyuk mutters. His face is dark with remembrance and Dokja coughs in embarrassment. 

“I mean, if you consider me trying to confess to you a bad thing...” Dokja decides to just throw it out. He holds back a laugh when Jonghyuk freezes. He can see his brain trying to process what Dokja just said. 

“What.” Jonghyuk utters, dumbfounded. “You - did you just?” Dokja’s eyes crinkle up as Jonghyuk uncharacteristically flounders his words. How cute. 

“Am I being rejected?” He can’t resist teasing him, covering his mouth to hide his smile. “Ah... I can’t say it’s unexpected, but I was really hoping...” 

“Wait.” Jonghyuk says. “Kim Dokja, what.” Jonghyuk’s ears are turning red and he’s avoiding looking into Dokja’s eyes. Dokja wants to pinch his cheeks and he follows through with the impulse. Unfortunately, Jonghyuk has cheekbones cut like a statue’s and it’s not soft at all. Dokja pouts. 

“Kim Dokja.” Jonghyuk’s voice gets dark. “Are you messing with me?” Dokja looks up to see Jonghyuk holding himself still. His eyes are trained on the bedsheets and he’s stiff. He looks like he’s scared of the answer and that’s when Dokja has another realization.

Ah, Jonghyuk likes him too. 

He smiles and tilts Jonghyuk’s chin up until their gazes meet. Jonghyuk’s face turns red and Dokja’s knows it’s because his smile is the happiest it’s ever been. 

“Yoo Jonghyuk,” Dokja says, voice warm and soft. “I love you.” Jonghyuk’s breath catches and Dokja can see him swallow. 

Jonghyuk tentatively reaches his hand out to tangle their fingers together. His hands are rough and calloused, littered with scars that are proof that they’ve suffered and come out alive. Dokja holds him back, feeling fond. 

“...Me too.” Jonghyuk says, voice quiet. His eyes are gentle and hopeful. “Kim Dokja, I love you.” 

Dokja lets the warm feeling in his chest settle into him and tightens their hands. “Stay?” 

Jonghyuk nods, leaning in to press their foreheads together. Dokja can’t resist placing a light kiss on Jonghyuk’s nose.  

“Okay.” Jonghyuk whispers. 

Notes:

Twitter

(Kind of got messy near the end cause I wasn't sure how to finish it LOL)

Kim Dokja will always have Bastard Energy, even when confessing lol

Also, Sing-Shong how could you not give us an epilogue of happy found family finally all together after all the shit they went through to bring Dokja back and all the heartbreaking sacrificing Dokja did - ESPECIALLY AT THE END?

Please let them be happy for the rest of their lives together.

Enjoy~

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