"What's keeping him?" Baekhyun sighed for what felt like the hundredth time as he paced back and forth in front of the shop door.

"For heaven's sake, will you please stop? You're making me dizzy." Jongdae snapped. "He's only 5 minutes late."

"Ooooh who got out of bed on the wrong side this morning?"

"It's your fault. If you hadn't insisted on doing tequila slammers last night I wouldn't be feeling such a wreck right now." Jongdae scowled at his so called best friend.

"Well, you didn't have to drink..."

Baekhyun was cut off by his very out of breath and dishevelled boss appearing in front of them, leaning forward, hands on knees, huffing and puffing, trying to catch his breath.

"I'm....sorry, I'm...ah...late." Luhan panting out as he straightened up and moved forward to open the door, leading the way inside and switching on the lights. "We'd better get set up fast, we're meant to open at nine."

"And whose fault is it that we're late and now need to rush?" Jongdae scowled, muttering as he headed to the back room to hang up his bag and jacket.

Looking a little guilty, Luhan glanced over to where Baekhyun was quickly emptying bags of coins into the till drawer.  "Why's he so cranky?"

Seeing Jongdae move over to the comfy seating area and start straightening up cushions and tidying up bits of rubbish they'd missed the previous day, Baekhyun moved closer to his boss and good friend before answering. "Went out last night." He made a gesture as if knocking back a drink. "Fed him some tequila slammers."

"That's no way to treat your boyfriend, Baek." Luhan smirked as Baekhyun tried to keep his indignant squawk as quiet as possible.

"He is not my boyfriend. How many times hyung?"

"Not yet, he isn't." With a gentle pat to his friend cheek, Luhan left a dumbfounded Baekhyun to finish setting up the till and headed towards the coffee bar to get everything switched on, ready for their regular customers popping in for their first cup of the morning.

Baobei's Books was a bit more than a book store, a little less than a coffee shop. Whilst the front of the cosy little store was dedicated to selling books, journals and writing supplies, nestled towards the back was a small coffee bar with a cosy seating area made up of an odd assortment of old armchairs and the odd loveseat. Baekhyun handled the book and stationery side of things whilst Jongdae took charge of making the coffee.  Luhan admitted once to Minseok that he'd be lost without them, but you'd never catch him admitting it to their faces.

Jongdae had been fed up working for the local Starbuck's, tired of the fake persona he was forced to inflict upon each customer during his long daily shifts, when he'd spotted Luhan's advert for someone with an interest in coffee and some experience.  Luhan had lucked out when Jongdae contacted him and it turned out that not only was he very interested in making good quality coffee but he was well trained, a Master Barista no less, and looking for a change. He'd fitted in immediately, engaging each customer with friendly chatter and a genuine smile from enjoying his work for a change, allowing Luhan to concentrate on the book selling side of his business, and not having to flit between the two.

Baekhyun had come along a couple of months later; a college student desperately seeking a part time job to fit around his studies and pay enough to keep a roof over his head during his final year of study. His bubbly and chirpy personality brought smiles to their customers and Baekhyun had an impressive memory for remembering their names and greeting them personally when they came in to browse or buy. When he finished his final year of college, Baekhyun had stayed, saying he didn't want to work anywhere else when he already felt at home where he was. Luhan would try to deny it but both Baekhyun and Jongdae saw him tear up at Baekhyun's words before hurriedly excusing himself to the back room, coming back much later with red rimmed eyes.

Both of them had become like family to Luhan and Minseok as well during the year that they had been working together. When Minseok took a break from his work at home, he would pop in and share a coffee with Jongdae or chat with Baekhyun if he wasn't too busy, and sometimes he even helped Luhan with the accounts in the back office. Baekhyun and Jongdae regularly joked that the accounts must be in pretty good shape since Luhan and Minseok spent so much time 'going over them', enjoying how Minseok's cheeks would flush a pretty pink and Luhan's mouth would tug up into a smirk briefly before Minseok would inevitably smack his arm, grumbling about ' husbands' before heading back home.

At nine o'clock on the dot, Luhan turned over the sign in the door window declaring them open before standing ready to welcome his first customers of the day.  Jongdae had his apron on and was doing a final check through that he had everything ready, whilst Baekhyun stood ready behind the till. It was going to be a good day, Luhan could feel it, and nothing could bring him down.

The morning flew by and before he knew it Luhan was closing the store for their hour's lunch break they took from twelve to one, all three of them heading at a steady walk to Luhan's home. Ten minutes later they were piling in through the front door and kicking off their shoes, amidst much laughter, before heading in to the kitchen and finding a plate full of sandwiches and a jug of juice waiting for them. Not holding on ceremony, Baekhyun and Jongdae dived forward, taking plates and loading them with sandwiches and pouring drinks for themselves before settling themselves at the kitchen table.

"Are you not joining us hyung?" Jongdae mumbled around bites of sandwich.

Luhan the note he'd found next to the jug of juice before smiling over at them. "Ah, Minseok wants me to pop in and see him for a minute. You guys eat up, I'll be back in a bit."

Muttered agreements followed him along with the happy noises of chewing food as he left the kitchen and heading up the stairs. Stopping in front of the second door on the right, which Minseok used as his work room, Luhan knocked twice before poking his head around the door. "Hey!" He called out before entering and closing the door behind him. "You needed me?"

Minseok looked up from the small two seater settee he was perched on, and gave a shaky smile before patting the seat next to him. Worried at his husband's sad look, Luhan sat next to him, taking his small hands into his own.

"What's wrong?"

"I may have done something silly." Minseok looked down at where his hands were held gently within Luhan's.

"What do you mean?"

"Promise you won't be angry?" Minseok bit his lip, a nervous habit he'd never been able to shake.

Reaching up and brushing Minseok's fringe off his face, Luhan leaned down so he could see the others face. "I could never be angry with you."

"Hmm, we'll see."

"Come on then, tell me what's troubling you."

"Amber called earlier." Minseok looked up, trying to gauge his husband's reaction.

"Oh, it's been a while since she last called." Almost three months, Luhan thought absently.  "Did she want to check up on Sehun?"

"Yes and no."

"Yes and no?"

Minseok sighed before he continued, leaning against Luhan, head on his shoulder. "She started off by asking how Sehun was getting on now, if he was making friends and settling in school. Then she, well, this is the bit I may have been a bit hasty about."

"What is it?" Luhan leaned his head against Minseok's. "You can tell me.  I promise not to get angry."

"She needs a home for an emergency case that came up last night."

"Oh." Luhan has an idea of where this heading.

"Yeah, a bad case of parental abuse and..." Here Minseok pauses, his voice shaking as he continues. "And ual abuse." 

"That's awful." Luhan wraps his arms around his husband's shoulders as he hears him start to sniffle. "How old is he?"

"Seventeen.  His names Tao.  He’s Chinese but has been living over here with his family for a couple of years now."

"When is Amber bringing him over?"

"Tonight at eight.... Wait, I haven't told you that I agreed to taking him in yet." Minseok peered up at Luhan, a puzzled expression on his face, eyes rimmed red and puffy.

"You don't need to." Leaning down, Luhan pecked a kiss on the others forehead. "You and your big heart wouldn't possibly have been able to say no."

"But I decided without you.  We always agreed to make decisions together."

"Indeed we did, but I understand Min, its ok. I'll head home early from work tonight so we can prepare. I'm sure I can trust those two to lock up without me."

"Are you sure?  Last time you trusted them to lock up, they nearly burnt the place down."

Minseok's giggles brings a smile to Luhan's face. Wiping away the remnants of tears from his face with his thumbs, he looks his love in the eyes as he speaks. "Everyone deserves a second chance.  Besides, we're going to need to sit down with Sehun and tell him before Amber arrives with Tao."

"Oh no, how are we going to tell Sehun?" The worried look is back on Minseok's face. "He won't hate us will he?"

"I hope not Min. He's only just got comfortable enough to trust us in the last couple of months. We'll have to hope for the best and that he can be mature about it and welcome Tao for the time that he is with us." Luhan can't help the concerned look he shows.

"I hope so, Han, I really hope so.  This isn't going to be easy."

"Well, I'd better round up the boys and head back to the store, lunch is nearly over. I'll see you a bit earlier tonight then so we can make some sort of plan before talking to Sehun, okay?" Luhan presses his lips to Minseok's in a quick kiss before he stands and heads for the door.  "Try not to worry too much."

"I'll do my best."  Minseok picks up the manuscript he had been checking over before Luhan interrupted him.  "Now go and drag those two back to work before they eat us out of house and home!" He laughs shooing Luhan out of the room.

"Okay, I'm going. See you later!" With a quick wave, he shuts the door and bounds down the stairs, rounding the kitchen entry way just as he sees Baekhyun and Jongdae heading for the fridge. "Oh no you don't." He slams the fridge door shut. "You've had your fill.  Come on, back to work."

Grabbing a sandwich bag, Luhan puts the two sandwiches they've deigned to leave him in it, he ushers them into the hallway, into their shoes and out the door.  He would have to eat on the walk back to the store.  Whilst Baekhyun and Jongdae walked ahead of him laughing and joking, Luhan chewed on his sandwiches, mulling over his thoughts on how to tell Sehun there was going to be a new member to their family after tonight.  He tried to run through several scenarios of how he thought Sehun could react and what his and Minseok's reaction to each one should be, but he had to stop before he gave himself a headache.  In the end, he decided to worry about it when he got home.  It was going to be a long afternoon.