In His Arms - Wonheon ( Wonho x Jooheon )

Chapter 2 : New Start

Jooheon would never consider himself a miracle man, but climbing up three flights of stairs with two boxes shoved under his arms, his phone being held by his teeth, and the keys to his apartment dangling off of his fingers, well , he knows it's a nothing short of a miracle that he even got passed the first step.

It takes him a few tries to get the key into the lock but when he finally manages to unlock the door, he pushes it open with the toe of his Doc Martens and shuffles inside. He wastes no time throwing the keys onto the counter and dropping the boxes next to them. With his hands finally free he gently pulls the phone from his mouth just as it begins to vibrate. He already knows who it is before his finger even slides across the screen to answer it.

"Hi mom," he speaks into the phone, moving the device onto his shoulder so that his hands are free to start pulling things from the boxes. He hears Rosé come in through the door and he nods towards the table so she can put the load down that she brought in. When Jooheon sees that she somehow managed to carry four boxes in, he rolls his eyes in exasperation because of course she outdid him. Leave it to Rosé to have the the personal mission of carrying more than him and making it look effortless in the process.

"You said you were going to call as soon as you arrived," his mom began to say. "It's past noon, Jooheon."

He quickly pulls his phone away to check the time and huh , it's already twelve forty-seven. He hadn't noticed how much time had passed and mentally winces because he knew he should have called earlier. Now he would have to suffer from the wrath of his mother. Even being in separate states didn't ease Jooheon's fears that somehow his mom could reach through the phone and pull his ear.

"I know, I know," he mumbled. "But I literally just got home and it's been so hectic trying to settle in."

"It's still past noon."

Jooheon sighed dramatically. "I know, mom. I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I love you more than anything in the whole, wide world," he finishes with a playful smile because he can practically see her eye roll through the screen. He hears the shout of his sister in the background 'Hey !' and he snorts at that because of course Jisoo is there listening to every word.

"Well, you are my favorite son so I guess that's something, at least." It's been a lifelong joke between them all because Jihyun Lee only has two children; one son, him , and one very meddlesome yet awesome daughter in the form of Jisoo. "Have you already gone furniture shopping?"

Her words bring Jooheon back into reality and he quickly glances at the empty apartment surrounding him. He grimaces, "Uhhhhh, kinda?"

"Define kinda."

"Well, I have a bed," Jooheon pointed out. "And brand new sheets. And I bought a end table to hold my phone while it charges. So a general improvement from it being completely empty yesterday."

"You said you were staying with Rosé and Hyungwon yesterday."

"I did ," he emphasised. Jooheon glances to the side as Rosé holds up a whole box filled with nothing but copies of his last book. There's at least a dozen and she raises a questionable brow in his direction.

"Egotistical much?" Rosé smirks. He rolls his eyes and promptly ignores her snickering.

Jooheon focuses back on the conversation with his mom and continues on, "--But I wanted to start getting the apartment ready. And there's only so much pretending that I can't hear them having sex in the other room that I can do. They're crazy, mom. Absolute animals."

He hears Rosé hiss a string of Australia profanities and he grins at her as she flicks him off.

"Sweetheart," his mother's voice rings in his ear. "Jealousy doesn't suit you."

" Moommmm ," he groans out. "I'm not jealous." There's a long hum of disbelief on the other end of the line and he purses his lips. "Okay, fine, maybe a little. Like a teeny, tiny bit."

"Oh, son," he can hear the sympathetic sigh that his mom does and it's one thing to feel sorry for himself but it's another thing entirely to have his mom feel for him. It's like a stab directly to his heart for fuck's sake. "You're in New York now so I'm sure there will be plenty of fish up for grabs."

He frowns at that. "But I don't like fish."

" Men , Jooheon," his mom clarifies. "Strong, hunky pieces of meat that you can ride for hours. New York is bound to have a wider selection than Shelbyville, Indiana."

"Ain't that the truth," he mumbled. Throughout high school there was only one other guy who was known to go that way and although the thought of having a high school romance was very appealing, the guy just wasn't a person Jooheon found himself attracted to. College had been a bit better and he had his short list of rendezvous adventures but none of them had been something to tie him down in the long run. Because unknown to popular belief, Jooheon wasn't the kind of guy to hit it and run. He wanted... things-- things that not every guy his age of twenty three wanted.

"He's out there, Jooheon. You just gotta find him. Or, maybe he'll find you instead."

Jooheon snorted. If only it were that easy.

____________________________

"We promised your mom that we would fill up your apartment," Rosé reminded him for the fifth time in the last hour. Apart from their shopping trip yesterday that gave Jooheon his bedroom, he had the kitchen, dining room, living room, and office to still shop for. It's like he scratched one thing off his list only for five more items to be added. The job felt like it was never ending. He almost curses himself for selling his past apartment as is instead of spending the couple extra grand just to rent a moving truck. Then again, he had wanted a fresh, brand new start and he had foolishly thought finding new furniture would be fun.

He had even been looking forward to the process but now? Dear fuck it was exhausting. He was almost tempted to hire someone to do it for him instead, but Rosé kept insisting that if he wanted the apartment to be his, then he needed to be the one to bring it to life. She was adamant that it would be worth it in the end.

But looking at five couches that were all the same model just in different colors, made him want to pull out his very well-kept hair. The saleslady was talking about fabric choices and he couldn't grasp what the hell she was talking about. He had told her numerous times that all he wanted was something soft and sturdy but apparently soft and sturdy wasn't specific enough and it felt like they were going in loops of pick and choose. The couch options had started at over fifteen selections and he brought it down to five so at least he was making process. A very slow and agonizing process, but process nonetheless.

"I am trying to fill up the apartment, hence the reason we are at a furniture shop," he retorted, not taking his analyzing gaze off of the couches and fabric samples spread out evenly across the cushions. "I think I like either Midnight Blue or Charcoal," Jooheon bites on his lip. But then his gaze shifts to the third option that he had been eyeing and he groans, "But the Taupe is nice too."

"Taupe can stain easily though," she comments and leans down to snatch the fabric sample away, leaving the two darker ones there above the rest. Jooheon is still biting on his lips when he reaches up to massage his temples. "Just pick between those two," Rosé orders.

"I can't," he huffs out, knowing very much how childish he sounds. Like a toddler throwing a tantrum, but in this case a really, really big toddler and a not so verbal tantrum.

Rosé gives him a look and he barely resists the urge to cover all vulnerable areas that she could inflict damage upon. "And why the hell not?"

He drops his hands by his side and points towards the fabrics. "Because the Slate Gray looks nice too."

Rosé groans as he crosses his arms. The endless cycle continues on and he sinks his teeth into his bottom lip, trying his damn well hardest to picture the couch in his living room. He prays that at this rate, he'll have a furnished apartment in two months top.

"You owe me a coffee after this," Rosé says. And yeah, he could go for some caffeine. Perhaps then his decision-making ability could be put to its full force.

Or at least he hopes it will. He's starting to get a bit desperate, to be honest.