... And Other Ships

NamJin: Mandatory Quiet Time

Everything was so loud to Namjoon. 

His job required him to be around loudness all day, and for a person as sound-sensitive as he was, it definitely wasn't good for his mental health. Namjoon loved teaching high school students college-level literature (literature 1102 to be exact), but it took so much energy out of him due to his rambunctious students and gossiping coworkers. 

Despite the seniors' rambunctious attitudes, they all noticed how their teacher would sometimes wince when they were especially loud and how he would try very hard not to snap at them; Namjoon understood that his students were just being teenagers and didn't deserve his anger. Plus, they were usually getting way too into their discussions on theories for the books they were reading or analyzing poetry, so he had no reason to snap at them. 

So, the seniors came together and suggested that they reserved one day a week to be a work day. The work day would be spent in silence; the students could read the book they were working on in his class, do vocabulary that he assigned for the week, work on college stuff or anything from other classes. 

Namjoon discovered that the work days were very productive for all parties involved; Namjoon graded essays and got caught up on everything he had to do for the week, while the students were quiet while they did what they had to do. The teacher also discovered that his sensitivity to sounds wasn't as bad as normal. 

Some days, Namjoon's husband would come and spend time with him while he was working. The students knew that Namjoon was gay and they never judged him for it; in fact, they were always excited to see Seokjin whenever he walked into the classroom. Whenever the couple did anything remotely cute, a chorus of aww, Mr Kim! would sound through the classroom, leaving the two adults blushing like crazy. 

On this particular day, Namjoon was having a relatively bad day, and his seniors certainly noticed. They were having a class discussion about William Faulkner's "A Rose For Emily" today. This story should have thrown the students into a frenzy about how abstractly horrifying it was; there should have been quite a level of noise, but there wasn't. The students only spoke when Namjoon called on them, but kept their voices low. 

When Namjoon stepped out of the room to go pick something up from the office, his boyfriend entered the classroom with a frown on his face. 

"Seokjin-ssi, is Mr Kim okay?" one of the girls, a study-abroad student named Yehao, asked. 

Seokjin frowned at that, gazing at the looks of concern on all the students' faces. "What do you mean? Did he yell at you guys or something?" 

A pair of students shook their heads, both of them named Mark. "No, but we saw him earlier today at lunch, and he did not look very happy," the taller Mark said. 

"It was like he had a severe migraine. He keeps wincing if we get too loud, and he keeps rubbing his eyes like it's too bright in here. We all decided to stay quiet just in case he does snap," the other Mark explained, playing with his mechanical pencil. 

"We thought you'd know what's wrong with him, since he's your husband," another girl chirped. 

Seokjin sighed and took a seat at Namjoon's desk, leaning back in the leather desk chair. "I think something must have happened in his other classes that might have caused some sensory-overload for him. Just keep doing what you're doing, and I'll take care of him when we go home." 

Namjoon walked back into the room with a stack of papers in his hand, the tension in his shoulders releasing just a little as he saw the love of his life smiling at him. "Hi, Jin-hyung." 

The students didn't say anything when their teacher gave his husband a kiss on the forehead, but the couple could basically feel their smiles. "Hey, honey. We need to talk after class, okay? Nothing bad, I promise," Seokjin mumbled, earning a hum of agreement. 

Class resumed as usual, minus all the noise.

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"So, what did we need to talk about?" Namjoon asked once school let out for the day. 

He was packing up everything he needed to take home for the weekend while Seokjin twirled his keys on his finger. "The kids asked if you were okay. Did something happen today?" he said, head tilted in question. 

Namjoon let out a sigh, shaking his head. "I just need the weekend, honestly. We haven't had a relaxing weekend in so long, so I'm having a little sensory-overload to pay for it. I love hanging out with our friends and stuff on the weekends, but they're just so loud and I'm around noisy people all day and...yeah." 

Seokjin grabbed his husband's hand as they walked out to the car, keeping him close to him. "The kids were trying to be quiet for you. They didn't want you to be in any more pain." 

"I know, and I'm so thankful. Can we just go home and have some mandatory quiet time or something? I just can't deal with anything else right now," the younger man asked, giving his husband a pleading look. 

He received a kiss on the cheek and a smile. "Of course. I got us this giant bean-bag to put in our little reading nook so that we could cuddle and read together, and not be in separate chairs." 

Namjoon smiled. "Can't wait to cuddle in it." 

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After some takeout food, Seokjin suggested a hot shower. Of course, Namjoon rolled his eyes when his husband ended up joining him in the shower, but he never complained. Seokjin would always wash his hair for him and give him a massage if he needed it, or allowed him to rest his head on his shoulder for a few minutes. 

All in all, Namjoon loved showers with his husband. 

"Now," Seokjin said, tying his sweatpants, "let's go cuddle in our giant bean bag." 

He led Namjoon through the second level of their house, all the way to the little room in the corner of the hallway. It was the smallest room in the house - it was probably supposed to be an office or nursery - but more memories were shared in that room than the living room. 

The married couple spent the majority of their time in the reading room. Namjoon would sit in the comfortable window seat and grade papers, while Seokjin would read in the leather chair in the corner. Sometimes, they would cozy up together in the window seat or in the chair and have heart-to-hearts, or just enjoy each other's company. 

A large blue beanbag sat in the middle of the room, Jin's stack of books sitting by its side. He smiled widely as he guided Namjoon into the room, excitement clear on his face. "It's memory foam, too! I was sitting in it earlier. Come on!" 

He went ahead and fell into the beanbag, sighing happily. Namjoon made his way into the room while Seokjin got comfortable, picking up one of his books before lifting his eyes to his husband. "Joonie, come lay with me. You don't even have to read; just lay with me," he coaxed, patting the open space between his legs.

Namjoon didn't need to be told twice; sleeping on Seokjin was one of his favorite things to do. He smiled wearily and crawled between the older man's legs, resting his head on his husband's chest. He got comfortable and kissed Seokjin's shoulder, then closed his eyes. "I love you." 

Seokjin smiled to himself and began reading, bending one of his legs so that it didn't fall asleep. His husband was his world; the older man just wanted him to be happy and loved. He kissed the top of his head, resting his lips there for a minute longer. 

"I love you too, Namjoonie. Feel better," he whispered, giving the younger man one more kiss before he let the silence surround them completely.