Luhan’s doctor was a saint. That was what Sehun decided when she willingly rolled out of her bed at eleven when their flight finally landed, met them at the hospital, and was still cheery and supportive as she gave Luhan a quick examination.

“What’s this I hear about you deliberately not taking your medication?” she asked as she took Luhan’s blood pressure.

“It’s a long story,” Luhan said, but Sehun thought he should have said it was a terrifying one.

“Is he okay?” Sehun cut in. “Is the baby okay? He was in the hospital just before we got on the plane. I didn’t know if it was okay for him to travel, but we had to go right away.”

She looked a little sleepy as she squeezed the pump on the blood pressure cuff, hair a little out of order from its nearly always severe bun she wore it in. Instead now her hair was falling down all over the place, not making her look any less professional, but maybe making her seem a little more human. And familiar. She still looked so damn familiar.

She said, “His blood pressure looks okay, and the first thing I checked was his blood sugar. I think we dodged a bullet here, but Luhan, no more wild trips between China and Korea, okay?”

Luhan gave a soft nod. “Trust me. I’m never going back to China again.”

Sehun thought that to anyone else, that might have sounded severe. But to him, it sounded like music to his ears.

He’d come so close to losing Luhan. And any number of things could have gone drastically wrong. The fact that he’d been able to bring Luhan home, and keep him safe, was something that made Sehun feel like he was worthy of how Luhan made him feel inside.

“You look tired,” she commented, and it took Sehun a moment to realize she wasn’t speaking to Luhan.

“I am,” he admitted. But also so very thankful.

She gave a friendly pat to Luhan’s shoulder. “Go home and get some rest, the both of you. I’ll see you in about a week for a proper examination. We still have that 3D ultrasound to look forward to.”

Sehun helped Luhan sit up and tried not to think about how close he had come to never having Luhan in his life again. He never would have been able to explain to their daughter what kind of person Luhan was. An explanation would never have done him justice.

They had to make a stop at the pharmacy to refill Luhan’s medication, but the line was thankfully short for the time of night, and it was only for a minute or two that Sehun found the two of them separated.

Then they were heading out towards the taxi idling at the dropoff zone at the front of the hospital.

“Can I go home with you?” Luhan asked, completely catching Sehun off guard. The most adorable flush was setting in across his features as he continued, “I just mean … I don’t want to be alone right now … and I don’t want to wake Xiumin up. I just …”

In the taxi, Sehun gave his home address and told Luhan quietly, “My home is your home for as long as you want it to be.”

The car ride felt all too long, even though they’d recently taken a flight. But the moment Sehun led Luhan into his house, he felt immediately better. Some of the tension in his body loosened and he could breathe easy again.

“I’ll make up a bed for you,” Sehun said, then pointed down the hall. “The bathroom is the second door on the right. If you want to wash up for the night, I’ll see what I can do about finding something clean for you to wear. I think I have a couple of outfits here that Suho bought for you and I’ve kept forgetting to hand over to you.”

“Okay,” Luhan said, looking more and more tired with each passing moment. “I’ll go wash up.”

Sehun bound up the stairs quickly, pausing only for a second in front of the nursery, then continued on. He decided that Luhan would likely be the most comfortable in the room that was first on the right down the hall. It faced to the west, which meant no harsh, first morning light, and Sehun very much thought that Luhan was going to sleep for a long while.

As quick as he could he changed the sheets on the full bed and remade it, and then set off to locate the promised clothes.

“Here,” Sehun said, holding out the clothing when Luhan reappeared from the bathroom. The fringe of his hair was wet from his face washing, but he looked infinitely better. “These should fit. I’ll show you where you’re going to sleep.”

“You’ll be just down the hall?” Luhan asked after Sehun had shown him the room and gotten nearly to the door. “In case I need you for something?”

“Ah …” Sehun wasn’t sure what to say. It was obvious that Luhan’s natural guess had been that he slept in the master bedroom down at the end of the hall, but six months after their romp through those sheets, Sehun had never once been able to spent the night in the room again. “No. I’m going to head downstairs. I have to check in with a couple of people, let them know that I’m back in the country and that you’re all right.”

Luhan frowned. “You’re tried. You should go to bed immediately.”

“I’ll be fine,” Sehun said, smiling at Luhan. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m going to write a few e-mails and then go right to bed. If you need me, check downstairs.”

Sehun was pulling to door closed behind him as he heard Luhan whisper, “Thank you, Sehun.”

If Sehun hadn’t been a lost cause before, he most certainly was one now.

“Goodnight, Luhan.”

Sehun closed the door behind him and then leaned back against it with a sigh. He was exhausted, utterly exhausted. And overwhelmed.

Ambling his way downstairs, Sehun dialed Suho’s number on his phone and sat heavily on the sofa when the call went through, saying, “I’m sorry to call you so late … or early at this point. But Luhan and I are back.”

Suho didn’t seem like he’d been sleeping from how fast he responded, “And are you two okay? Xiumin said he hadn’t heard from you in days, and you stubbornly decided to keep as little contact as possible with everyone else.”

Dragging his fingers through his hair, Sehun said, “I just wanted to focus on what I was doing, and not worry about all the people who were counting on me to bring Luhan home.” Sehun’s eyes flickered up to the ceiling where just one floor above, Luhan was probably already asleep. “And I knew if I gave you any indication of how bad things were for Luhan over there, you’d be on the first flight out to Beijing.”

Suho asked sharply, “How bad were things for him?”

Setting in more comfortably to the sofa, Sehun said, “His parents were trying to force him to get married to some guy. I don’t know why. I just know that they were basically holding Luhan and the baby hostage until he agreed to it. He was cooped up in a house for a week, a virtual prisoner. Luhan had to … he had to force going hypoglycemic to get out and give me a shot at getting to him.”

“Christ,” Suho hissed, “but you said he’s okay?”

Sehun assured, “The first stop we made was to the doctor. We got him and the baby all checked out. They’re both fine, if not completely shaken. Suho, Luhan thought he was going to bury a parent. It ended up his parents tried to bury him.”

“Do you want me to come over there?”

“Nah,” Sehun said, eyes feeling heavy. “Luhan’s asleep already. He’s staying with me.”

Surprised, Suho echoed, “He’s staying with you?”

“Maybe he needs to,” Sehun offered, “or maybe he just wants to. I think it’s about security and comfort, because he looked pretty freaked out earlier. And who would blame him? So he’ll stay with me tonight, and tomorrow if he needs it. He can stay however long he needs. I just can’t believe we actually got him out of China. We actually did it.”

Suho chuckled. “You’re a regular Liam Neeson.”

“Hardy-har.”

After a moment’s pause on the phone, Suho said, “I’m coming over in the morning. The three of us are going to hang out and be normal.”

“You’re hardly normal,” Sehun tease.

“I’m coming over,” Suho said once more, and sounded like he was gritting his teeth, “in the morning so that you and I can give Luhan a feeling of normalcy and safety. And also because I’m going to smack you over the back of the head for charging off foolishly into a country you’re not familiar with, where you don’t speak the language, all so you could bring home someone who’s in trouble.”

Steeling himself, Sehun corrected, “Someone I’m in love with.”

“I know you have feelings for him now,” Suho said. “You guys are having a baby together, and feelings are natural, abut you can’t act so rashly at your age, and be so irresponsible to the job you and the--”

“No,” Sehun said quickly. “I … Suho, I’m in love with him. I’m in love with Luhan.”

It was quite possibly the worst time for a confession, especially to the brother of the man that Sehun had married and planned to have children with. But the feelings were eating him up inside, and the brush with almost losing Luhan to China forever was making him feel as if he couldn’t keep anything bottled up inside anymore. He had to be honest with himself and the people around him.

“Are you sure it’s not just deep affection?”

“It was a month ago,” Sehun eased out, trying to keep his voice low. The house had high ceilings, and sounds echoed in it. When he got the courage up to tell Luhan that he was in love with him, he wanted it to be proper. He didn’t want it coming from Luhan overhearing a late night/early morning conversation. “It’s love now. I know what being in love with someone feels like.”

“Like you’d hop on a plane and fly to Beijing without hesitation?”

“Like I’d lay down on a wire for Luhan just so he could be happy.”

Suho sighed heavily.

“Tell me you don’t … hate me.”

“Hate you?” Suho returned. “Because of Jae?”

Sehun squeezed his eyes shut. “It only took six months for me to fall in love with someone else. Not even a full year. What kind of a person does that make me?”

“A lucky one,” Suho said firmly, and Sehun could detect nothing but certainty from his voice. “Some people only get one shot at love, Sehun. The real kind, I mean. Some people don’t even get that. But you, you’re not someone who loves easily. You’ve never been the type to give your heart away so easily. So for you to have found real love twice? It doesn’t matter how short the time span has been. You’re lucky, Sehun, and you’re also crazy if you don’t think this is exactly what Jae would have wanted for you.”

“I don’t even know if Luhan feels the same way. Maybe he just sees me as a parenting partner.”

“Please,” Suho scoffed. “You’re the only person who hasn’t been able to see the way he looks at you--the way he’s looked at you for a while. You don’t have to worry about him returning your feelings.”

Just once more Sehun looked to the ceiling. Luhan … felt the same way?

“--be there in the morning. I promise,” Suho was saying when Sehun zoned back in. “Get some sleep. You deserve it.”

The only thing Sehun wanted to do was curl up on the sofa and pass out, but he had to write out a few e-mails, one to his boss and the other to Chanyeol, both of them work related. At his desk in his office, he put his head down for just a second.

He loved Luhan.

Until now he’d always known what the building feeling was, he’d just never been able to articulate it. But now it was real. It was out there. And it had all the potential to do more damage to Luhan than his parents had.

It was several long hours later when Sehun was jerking upright. He wiped at the wetness to his mouth and his eyes darted around the room.

He’d fallen asleep in his office. He’d never even made it to the sofa.

Sehun relaxed back in his chair the second he realized what had happened. Sun was filtering through the slanted blinds across the room and the clock on the wall said it was almost half past eight. He’d only slept for a few hours, but Sehun didn’t feel in the least bit like he had any more sleep in him. There was too much on his mind.

Rising from his seat, Sehun padded out into the main area of the house and stopped, listening keenly. Everything was silent. There wasn’t even a hint of movement from upstairs, which meant Luhan was still blissfully sleeping.

Breakfast. Luhan probably hadn’t eaten in quite a while, and his blood sugar had to be carefully monitored. Even if it meant Luhan was only going to go back to sleep a few hours later, he had to have something to eat, and soon.

The only problem was … apparently he didn’t have much food in his house, and what he did have was mostly spoiled. It had been getting old before he’d left for China, and it was headed straight for the trash now.

Sehun climbed the stairs to the second level of the house as quietly as he could, then cracked Luhan’s door open just a fraction of an inch.

It was explosive and uncontrollably, the smile that blossomed on his face when he spied Luhan. The sight left him one step away from laughing. Luhan was stretched out on his side on the huge bed, most of his blankets kicked to the ground, clutching his pillow like a lifeline as he breathed deeply and evenly.

He looked so damn beautiful Sehun had to close the door and turn away.

Focus, he told himself. Focus on the task at hand.

After writing a quick note to Luhan, just incase he woke before Sehun got back, and putting it on the kitchen countertop, Sehun grabbed his keys and headed to nearest grocery store.

He shopped as fast he could, feeling an odd sense of agitation at his separation from Luhan. The urge to get back and make sure he was okay was almost suffocating.

There was, however, very little traffic to actually deal with, and Sehun found himself home before long. The house was still silent as he entered, but for the first time he realized now it didn’t feel lonely. So many months of the house feeling lonely was suddenly replaced by calmness, and all because Sehun knew Luhan was somewhere inside.

Oh, he had it bad.

Dropping off his groceries in the kitchen, Sehun quickly set the rice cooker and then headed off to check on Luhan.

His stomach dropped out of him when he reached the top level of the house and realized he could see the nursery door from where he was standing. He could see it open and the shadow of someone inside.

“Luhan,” he said, moving quickly towards the door.

And there was Luhan, when he was close enough to see inside it, standing in the middle of the destruction, eyes wide and maybe a little afraid.

“Sehun,” Luhan returned. He was still a little too pale for Sehun’s tastes, looking tried and in need of additional sleep.

Sehun took a deep, even breath. “You shouldn’t be in here. The door was closed for a reason.”

“What is this?” Luhan asked, turning a bit. “Why is the room like this?”

“Please leave,” Sehun tried again, because there was anger building in his chest and already warning of an oncoming explosion. This was the one place Luhan couldn’t be, more sacred than the bedroom Sehun had shared with Jae. “Please.”

Luhan’s eyes traced the room’s destroyed contents and Sehun wanted to jerk him away, to force him out and be able to hide away all the evidence once more.

“You did this?” Luhan asked.

“You can’t be here.”

Luhan reached out to touch the edge of the nearby dresser, the contents that had once sat on top, were not scattered around the floor. “I … Sehun.”

Sehun had never been so embarrassed of something, or so protective.

“This was your daughter’s nursery. Seoyoung’s.”

“Luhan.”

There must have been something in his tone of voice. He must have sounded … like a monster. Because Luhan snapped away from him with even more fright, demanding, “Why would you do this?”

Fingers balled into fists, Sehun asked, “Do you remember when we talked in the beginning? About the one subject I would never have to explain myself to you about, and that you agreed next to ask about.”

Luhan gave a shaky nod.

“Then respect that, please.” Sehun’s mouth felt like sandpaper, like he hadn’t had a drop of water in decades. “Please.”

Luhan’s hand fell away from the dresser. “Okay.” And Sehun felt like a villain as Luhan stepped carefully over the wreckage around him, and then out into the hallway. Sehun went right after him, closing the door behind him.

“You should eat,” Sehun said, not making eye contact with him. “If you want to check your blood sugar level, I’ll go get started on breakfast. It’s after nine.”

He was all the way to the top of the stairs by the time he heard Luhan call after him, “I’m sorry for being in there, Sehun.”

“It’s okay,” Sehun said, even if it didn’t feel that way. “Come down for breakfast when you’re ready.”

The rice was almost finished by the time Luhan appeared. He was still dressed in the clothes that he’d slept in, which were rumpled and creased, but his face looked freshly washed and he offered Sehun a small, timid smile. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Sehun replied, and gestured for Luhan to sit at the nearby barstool. “How’s your blood sugar?”

Luhan held up a small pill and requested a glass of water, saying, “It’ll be okay in a second. What’s for breakfast? I didn’t know you could cook.”

“I can’t,” Sehun said, and smiled apologetically. “Well, I can cook a little. Enough to get us through breakfast.” He pointed to the dishes on the stove and nearby, then said, “Rice, doenjang tofu soup, banchan, and some fruit.”

“I’m impressed,” Luhan insisted.

“You should see Chanyeol,” Sehun insisted. “He’s a mild mannered web designer by day, but a master chef in training by night. You wouldn’t think it to look at him, but it’s his passion. It’s far more than a hobby for him. I’m pretty sure that at last healf of the people that Chanyeol has dated over the years have been with him for his cooking.”

“You should get him to cook for us then,” Luhan said, a smiling once more reaching his eyes, as if the incident in the nursery was all but forgotten.

Sehun turned the burner down next to him and asked gingerly, “Are you okay? Last night was … intense. And I’m still having trouble accepting that we got out of there without a hitch.”

“It wasn’t without a hitch,” Luhan said, taking another drink of water. “I didn’t want to say anything at the time, but when I went to the bathroom, Wei cornered me there.”

Sehun stilled. “He what?”

Luhan nodded. “He said my parents put a GPS tracker in my shoe, and that’s how he was able to find me.”

“But he … how did …”

Luhan reached across the countertop and was able to wrestle into his grip one of Sehun’s slack, nearby hands. “He said he was going to take me back, or try at least, which would have caused a huge incident when you and the police got involved. So instead of going down that path, and risking you ending up in a Chinese prison for attempted murder, I did the more logical thing.”

Sehun suddenly regained feeling in his body and squeezed Luhan’s hand back. “I would have tried to kill him if he touched you. Even for a second. Maybe there is no maybe.”

“I believe you,” Luhan sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

“So what did you do? How did you get away?”

Showing no sign of letting go of Sehun’s hand, Luhan offered, “When I was a kid, Wei and I were very close. We both were only children in our respective families, and we both were suffering from an immense kind of pressure to be something we didn’t want to. I wanted to be an artist. Wei wanted to be an author. We bonded over that, and we kept each other’s secrets. I never loved him as anything more than a brother, but I did see him as that. He kept my secrets, Sehun, the kind that my parents would have hurt me with, and I kept his. So when he approached me in the bathroom, and wanted to take me back, I reminded him of who he used to be. He let me go.”

“He just let you go?” Sehun asked incredulously. “Just like that?”

“I guess both our families are having some issues. Financial and otherwise. His family put a lot of pressure on him to make me want to marry him, or to force me to, in order to retain the kind of power they’ve grown accustomed to. But that’s not who he is. I grew up with him. I know that’s not the kind of person he is. I just had to let him know I remembered who he used to be, and I wanted that friend back.”

The rice cooker beeped and Sehun remarked, “You’re kind of amazing, you know.”

“I was kind of desperate,” Luhan clarified. “And lucky. I guess he wants to be that person again, because he did let me go. He didn’t try to stop me.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through all that,” Sehun said, wincing a bit. “You ended up being betrayed by your family. You didn’t deserve that. No one does.”

Softly, Luhan said, “It’s okay. Really, it is. Now I know those people aren’t my family. My family is here with my friends, and with you.”

There was pleasure coiling in Sehun’s stomach as he gave Luhan’s hand a final squeeze. “We’ll always be family. You know that, right? Me and you?”

“I know,” Luhan replied. “And I’m more thankful than you’ll ever know.”

Sehun had to tear himself away from Luhan then, fumbling with the melon he’d picked up earlier at the store. He sliced it expertly and then pushed a plate of it towards Luhan. “So what do you plan on doing with those people you used to call parents? No more chances?”

“Not a single one,” Luhan said. “I’ll do what I did before. I’ll block their number, trash any mail I get from them, and pretend as though they never existed. You know, I had been starting to free regret. I realized I was about to have a baby, and I was taking her away from them. I was making it so they’d never know their granddaughter. No matter what kind of a relationship I had with my parents, there was a chance it could be different for her. I wanted to see if that was the case. At least I wanted to before this.”

“Well,” Sehun said, portioning out rice. “Our daughter still has one set of grandparents.”

“Your parents,” Luhan said, as if he’d only just remembered. “Sehun, I don’t know anything about your parents.”

“I’m going to take you to meet them,” Sehun decided. “They know about you, of course, but I asked them to give us some space while we worked things out. But I think we’re past that, and you deserve to know who they are, because they’re a part of my life and they’ll be a part of our daughter’s.”

After a few more minutes breakfast was done, and then Luhan was helping Sehun carry all of the dishes to the main kitchen table where they sat side by side to have the meal.

“Suho said he’s coming over later,” Sehun said, making sure Luhan had a generous portion of soup. “I think he wants to smother you with affection and friendship. If you try to run, I’ll chase you down. I’m not suffering through that alone.”

Luhan laughed sweetly. “Suho is very nice, but he doesn’t have to do that. I was actually hoping that you and I could spend the day together. Or maybe just a few hours? Do you have to go to work?”

Sehun set down his chopsticks. “I have to go back to work tomorrow.” Then Luhan’s words settled in, and he said, “I’ll tell Suho not to come over. We can make it just you and me.”

He was already rising out of his seat for the phone when Luhan put a firm hand on his arm. “Don’t do that, please. Suho has always been kind and generous to me. If he wants to spend time with us, we shouldn’t make a burden of it.”

Sehun sank slowly into his seat. “You do realize you’re more important to me than hanging out with Suho. I can do that any time. You … you’re special.”

He was absolutely horrified that the words had come out of his mouth so suddenly, and he couldn’t gauge Luhan’s reaction properly as the other man glanced away, the skin at his neck blushing red.

“I mean …”

“When I was with my parents, trapped in that house,” Luhan said, turning back to Sehun with a kind look in his eyes, “all I could think about was that I’d never get to see you again. I was so scared for my baby, too, but being separated from you made me realize how important you are to me. You’re special to me, too, Sehun.”

Here it was, Sehun decided. This had to be it. This was the moment he spilled his guts to Luhan.

“My husband died six months ago,” Sehun said, his voice cracking like a teenage boy’s. “If I had imagined six months ago that I’d be happy again, and … and in love, I would have checked myself in for psychiatric help.”

He could hear Luhan draw in a sharp breath. “In love.”

“I don’t know when it happened,” Sehun said, gripping the edge of the table. “But I know why.”

“Why?” Luhan breathed out.

This part was easy, and the words flew from Sehun. “Because you’re an amazing person. You’re kind and considerate and generous. You’re selfless in a way that most people aren’t. But you’re so damn strong, too. Life throws trash at you and you brush it off. You’re brave and you’re confident and you’re independent. Anyone else, if they had to deal with what you have, would go screaming into the night. But you keep going, and you only get stronger. And you’re a goddamn saint to put up with my bull.”

“Hey.” Luhan pinched Sehun sharply. “You’ve had your moments, but so have I. You’re so quick to point out what you like about me, but you forget, I’m stubborn and set in my ways and compromise can be hard for me. I worry constantly, and you have no idea how angry I get all the time over things. I am not perfect and I have a lot of flaws.”

“You’re perfect to me,” Sehun said.

“You’re in love with me?” Luhan edged out.

Sehun gave a slight nod. “I know this is the last thing you want to deal with now, and I swear to you, I wish I had better timing or wasn’t such an emotional wreck right now. I know this might change things between us, and I may have gone and screwed everything up. But I didn’t think I’d be able to love again, I didn’t think I’d want to, and now I’m feeling all this for you and it’s … incredible. I don’t wish I didn’t feel this way, because I haven’t felt his alive in six months. But I do wish--”

Sehun’s brain seemed to shut down at the moment.

One second he’d known what he was saying, the jumbled up thoughts in his mind finally manifesting themselves, and in the next he was blank.

He was an empty shell because Luhan’s hands were framing his face and their lips were meeting.

They were kissing.

Sehun was … seconds away from a heart attack.

At least until he simply gave in. This was Luhan. Luhan might have started out as a cheap thrill, a way to work through the anger and anguish and the hurt associated with losing his family, but now Luhan was family. And Luhan was considerate and thoughtful and not rash. There was no way Luhan gave pity kisses, not even to someone like Sehun who could be pitiful. So if Luhan wasn’t kissing him for any other reason than something legitimate, it meant …

“Sehun,” Luhan said with a grin, “stop thinking so much. Just feel for once.”

Sehun could feel everything. He could feel his body tingling with excitement and surprise, and his heart pounding against his ribcage for escape. Luhan’s lips were soft but firm as they pressed against Sehun’s, and the pressure that they were exerting, as Luhan deepened their kiss, pulling Sehun closer, reeked of masculinity.

Luhan kissed him in an easy way, with growing ferocity, but no urge to speed up the process, and Sehun could only appreciate his method. They didn’t know their way around each other, not in this way, and didn’t have a clue what the other preferred, but even as Luhan took the initiative, he was giving Sehun as much control as he needed.

It wasn’t control that Sehun wanted, and he pushed the idea to the side completely as he reached back for Luhan, letting his mouth open in response and delivering quite possibly the best first kiss ever.

“I love you too.”

“You … do?” Sehun pulled back, unable to hide his surprise.

“Probably longer than you’ve had feelings for me,” Luhan admitted, his lips all kind of red and his skin flushed. “I was scared of them, because I didn’t think you’d ever be able to, or want to, return them.”

Head tilting, Sehun brushed his lips over Luhan’s once more. “I want to hate myself for being able to love you six months after the person I dedicated my heart to died. I want to be ashamed of moving on so quickly. But I can’t do any of that. What I feel for you is too strong for me to be ashamed or disappointed or to think of anything but how I feel when I’m with you and touch you and now when I kiss you.”

Luhan craned towards Sehun, his fingers trailing intimately over the stubble Sehun wore on his face. “I don’t want to mess this up. I am falling in love with you, Sehun, but I don’t want to wreck our friendship. I don’t want to ruin things for our baby. I’m scared of doing that, and of wanting to be selfish just this once.”

“We are not going to ruin things for our baby,” Sehun vowed, leaning into Luhan’s touch.

“You don’t know that,” Luhan said, but as he spoke, he was kissing the corner of Sehun’s mouth. “How can we forgive ourselves if we try this and then can’t make it work? How will we be able to function together as parents if we can’t get along?”

Reaching out, Sehun drew Luhan against him, enfolding his arms around him and making sure he could feel their baby between them. “Of course I don’t know about the future. I don’t know where we’ll be in another six months, or what the future has in store for us. I only know that my feelings for you are only growing and getting more intense. You are everything I need and want, and I also know you’re the kind of person who will prioritize our baby, regardless of what happens between us.”

Lowly, Luhan asked, “What will your friends think?”

“I don’t care what they think.”

The real ones, the friends that were worth keeping, would be the ones who’d been there for him when he’d lost Jae, but also were willing to support him with Luhan. They’d accept Luhan because Sehun loved him, regardless of the consequences. Maybe that would mean only Chen would be left when this came out. Or no one at all. Or even more hopeful, everyone would be there … even Baekhyun.

No matter what, Sehun wasn’t giving up Luhan and their baby, orthe family that they were now. He wasn’t risking them in any way, not when they were everything to him.

“I didn’t dare hope that we could be this,” Luhan said, his words rumbling to Sehun’s heart. “I was content to just think of you as a friend, one who I cared for very much. But to have you as more? To love you, and be loved in return?”

Sehun palmed a hand to the back of Luhan’s head. “You want to take a chance with me? I’m kind of broken, still trying to get to the place I was before, and I’ve got about half as many redeeming qualities as you do. But if you take a chance on me, I’ll never betray you, I’ll never forsake you, and I won’t walk away from you.”

Luhan replied, “You want to take a chance on me? I’m an artist without a steady income, my parents are probably going to be a threat until I die, when I’m not pregnant I drink enough caffeine to put down an elephant, I’m impulsive and sometimes overly spontaneous, and if you want to be with me, your life will never be quiet again. You want a piece of that?”

“A million times yes,” Sehun breathed out, and it was more than a little scary how impulsive his response had been. Without hesitation he’d answered, and didn’t regret it for a second.

Luhan leaned up, their eyes meeting in a way that Sehun knew he was searching for the truth.

“We’re really going to do this?” Luhan asked.

Sehun leaned down to kiss him. “I’m in love with you. We’re really going to do this.”

When Luhan kissed him back, Sehun knew true happiness for the first time in what felt like an eternity.