"But WHYyy~~yeee?"

The loud whine was uncharacteristic for the taller, but in his defense he was feeling a bit neglected and frustrated. It wasn't fair. 

CEO Byun-Park Baekhyun had just informed his husband of 3 years, Chef Byun-Park Chanyeol, that they would have to be separated for 6 months. Not legally, nor emotionally, just physically. The problem was that Baekhyun's company dealt with a lot of international clients, and a merger in China was proving to be a bit of a challenge. He would have to go and oversee the whole thing in person. And the way things were going, the CEO estimated that would take 6 months.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol Byun-Park had been married for almost as long as their engagement. Their union had originally started as a ually charged encounter in a private upscale gentlemen's club that lead to a one-night stand. This had quickly escalated into neither being able to resist the undeniable attraction. They connected on so many levels and it soon became obvious to both of them that they couldn't live without each other. Almost non-stop texting, daily phone calls, and frequent meet-ups led to the inevitable when only 6 months later behind closed doors Chanyeol popped the question. Baekhyun happily agreed, but added the stipulation that they take their time informing the rest of the world, giving each of their respective social circles a chance to "catch up".

This was no small request. They were both fiercely protective of their private lives so each didn't know what the other did for work when they became enamoured with each other that first night. The small firecracker turned out to be a CEO of a very influential international commodities company. The tall hunk was a chef that owned a chain of upscale restaurants that stretched across the country. Both had their hands full keeping their respective companies in order. Baekhyun had meetings via video conference, telephone conference call, and in person with clients around the world on a daily basis, while Chanyeol constantly kept his eye on his many kitchens, occasionally dropping in to whichever location he was closest to prepare dishes from his broad list of specialities. They were both very good at what they did and irreplaceable as the leaders of their companies.

Because of their obligations, they kept their agreement of marriage a secret from the rest of the world for over 2 years. However, at the 2 year and 4 month mark Baekhyun had reached his breaking point. He presented the taller with a ring and a public request for his hand in front of the chef's friends, coworkers, and guests at one of his famous restaurants. Of course the big softie said yes, but proceeded to bring the smaller to tears by producing a ring from a necklace around his own neck that he had purchased with the intent of giving it to his long-time lover. They were of one mind and the rest of the world would have to figure out how to catch up on it's own. A year of planning the wedding and then they were happily official. They agreed being off-the-market was a wonderful feeling. 

Three years later, and they were used to dealing with business interfering in their happy, loving union, but 6 months was a long period of time. It was going to be hard but they would manage. It was frustrating timing though. They had just gotten back to feeling normal in their relationship again after the big fight just 2 weeks before that. In his mind Chanyeol called it "the big fight" because it had been accumulating from several smaller "heated discussions" over the last 3 months.

In the beginning, almost immediately after the wedding, the couple had started dealing with questions about starting a family. Both agreed it was too soon with their jobs being so demanding, and they publically stated they wanted to enjoy being married with just the two of them for a while. The questioning had slowly dropped off, but two years into the marriage it seemed to take Baekhyun longer and longer to respond with the "usual" answer whenever the subject came up. 

The night of their three year anniversary dinner they had their first "heated discussion" about children of their own.  

"What do you mean 'We're not emotionally ready?' What does that even mean??" Baekhyun was suddenly fuming. "You KNOW I love kids. I have wanted to be a parent since before I even found out I was a carrier! And you- you- Do you even WANT kids?" 

Chanyeol was shocked. He had never seen his husband quite this worked up over something that wasn't work related. "I- I-.." He spluttered, not quite sure what to say to his irate spouse. 

"You DON'T? I thought-" 

"YES!" Chanyeol grabbed his lovers hands before the upset man had a chance to blow up or bolt from the room. They were at home, but he didn't want the smaller to leave without understanding the entirety of the situation. "I DO want kids. AND I want them with you. I just DON'T think I want them right now."

"What do you mean..?" The smaller sniffled, trying to control the tears that had begun sneaking down his face. The taller pulled his now crying husband into his arms and his back. Baekhyun spoke into the broad chest, his words slightly muffled. "You've been saying the same things in public for three years. I deserve the truth, Chanyeol." 

The taller sighed. "Baek, I love you. And I know I will love our children, no matter when we have them. But right now I just don't think the timing is right. Look at us. We're fighting about a child that doesn't even exist yet, when in reality we know it's because we're both so stressed from our jobs. We each had to move major business meetings and schedule special travel back into town just to have an anniversary dinner. If we get all worked up over that, how can we possibly be emotionally ready for a child?"

Baekhyun sniffed again, feeling the taller move his hand up to his head. "I suppose you're right." 

The argument died down as quickly as it started. They sat there hugging each other and not really talking much until Baekhyun got an urgent text message from his work and went into their home-office to hold a conference call with an overseas client. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary that he didn't come out of the room for another hour, and when he did, Baekhyun said he was tired and went to take a shower before climbing straight into bed. The chef took a quick shower and joined his husband in the bedroom, who by that point was curled up hugging Chanyeol's pillow and sound asleep. 

The next morning it was as if the conversation had never happened. Between toast and coffee they enjoyed sharing several hugs and a few heartfelt kisses, and then headed out to their respective jobs. As always, they both sent each other loving messages via text upon arrival at their respective workplaces, and their busy lives went on as normal.

Five nights later Baekhyun surprised his husband by showing up at his workplace and "kidnapping" him much earlier than Chanyeol had originally planned to leave work. The smaller was very affectionate on the ride home, almost more than usual.  As soon as they got in the door of their home, Chanyeol was pleasantly surprised to have Baekhyun on his knees, ping the taller's pants while talking about all the fun he wanted to have with him. It had been over two weeks since they last had time for more than just a quickie or a , so neither was complaining when they finally ended their marathon session over 2 hours later. Chanyeol felt his insatiable husband had wrung him dry but once they caught their breath he happily agreed to the smaller's request of a joint shower. This lead to some more loving touches and another quickie, after which they dried each other off, piled back into bed together, and fell asleep. 

The next morning life went on as usual. Hectic schedules and intermittent time together was peppered with the usual texts and phone calls to each other, keeping them connected, keeping them grounded, keeping them together. Being in love didn't make the rest of the world slow down, but it definitely made life bearable. And being able to physically be together was even better.  Especially with their chemistry being so powerful. Neither had any complaints about that part of their lives. 

Chanyeol had a complaint about 4 weeks later tho, when Baekhyun insisted on going to work after being sick all day the day before. The smaller had woken early in the morning nauseated with an upset stomach that kept him in the bathroom for a long time and then unable to eat hardly anything the rest of the day. The skilled chef made some old-fashioned stew that the CEO was able to eat in small portions and keep down, but he had slept most of the day as well, cuddling with the taller in between naps. When the smaller got up the next morning like always and got dressed, insisting he would be fine for work, the conversation escalated and turned into another "heated discussion". 

"I'll be fine, Chanyeol!, I know my limits and I know I'm fine to work so just drop it! I'm going to work!"

"No you're not! You're still pale and now your hands are shaking! You're still sick -- you need to stay home!" 

"I'm not sick! I'm FINE!" The smaller grabbed his briefcase and stomped towards the front door.

"You can't be serious! You're not thinking clearly, Baek. You NEED to stay home and let me take care of you!" 

"I'm thinking VERY clearly!" Baekhyun yelled as he slipped into his shoes. "You're NOT gonna stay home from work to take care of me, and I don't need that anyway because I'M NOT SICK!" He slung the door open. "Now have a GOOD DAY!" He left and slammed the door behind him, but opened it again quickly. "And CALL ME!" and then he slammed the door again. Chanyeol stood looking at the door with a shocked expression. No sooner did he start shaking his head then the front door slung open again. Baekhyun strode across the room in a fury, grabbed his tall husband around the neck and gave him a heated kiss, and then released him, pushing the taller's shoulders back. As the chef stumbled to catch his breath and his balance, the CEO whirled around and headed back for the door. "LOVE YOU!" he shouted and then slammed the door behind himself again as he left. 

Chanyeol stood in shock for a second as he stared at the door, half expecting the smaller to come bursting back thru again, but when a few more seconds had passed and it was evident his husband wasn't coming back, the chef shook his head and laughed. It was never dull with his firecracker. 

Later that day the chef had been a little anxious when he realized it had been almost 4 hours since he had received any text messages from his usually talkative husband. Right about the time he had started to worry, his phone had alerted him to a simple 'I love you, giant' which brought a smile to his face. He responded with his usual 'Not as much as I love you, midget.' The quick response of 'I sure hope so' made him pause. This wasn't what the CEO usually sent, but the taller still responded with a smiley face and hearts, which brought on the kissy face emoji and a bunch of hearts from his cute husband. Their barrage of hearts and kisses back and forth over the next few texts was nothing out of the ordinary, and Chanyeol had a big grin on his face as he got back to work. 

A week later, however, the chef found himself frowning. The CEO had come home late and was suddenly in an argumentative mood. Chanyeol had tried to distract his obviously overworked husband by talking about how a family with very young twins had been the bright spot among the guests in his restaurant that day, but the smaller suddenly burst into tears. "You talk about wanting to wait to have kids and yet you're fawning over some stranger's children??" Baekhyun squalled. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"  

"Wha- Baby, I was just wanting to tell you about my day! How did we get to this subject already??" 

"BABY? I'm not the baby! And I know you don't want to talk about this SUBJECT, but how can we not?! I'm- - I mean- I- Aaagghhh!!" The smaller burst into a fresh set of tears and ran down the hall into the bathroom. Before Chanyeol could get to the door, it was slammed shut and locked by his clearly hysterical husband. The sound of running water from the shower indicated the end of their "heated discussion" and the chef shook his head in frustration before heading back into the kitchen. He covered the plate of food he had prepared for the smaller and placed it in the refridgerator before going to the bedroom and changing into sleeping clothes.

By the time the smaller finally came out of the bathroom, the chef had already given in to his own exhaustion, curled into a ball on their bed, and was snoring. Baekhyun set his phone alarm, plugged the phone in to charge, and set it on his side table. He looked down as he ran his hands over his own sleep clothes, lingering briefly over his stomach, and then carefully climbed onto the bed behind the sleeping giant. The smaller pulled the corner of their generous duvet cover over the two of them and fell asleep, completely worn out. 

The next morning the chef found himself alone in the house. He hadn't been happy waking up alone, but on the kitchen table he found a container of his favorite muffins obviously delivered that morning from the couple's favorite bakery. The note sitting next to it gave an apology and and explanation. 'I'm sorry about last night. I was exhausted and frustrated about my day, and I took it out on you even though I shouldn't have. And I'm also sorry I had to get back to work early this morning. I hope you slept well, and that these muffins help you forgive me.' 

Chanyeol sent his husband a loving text and set about getting dressed and ready for work. By the time he ran out the door, he had a sweet responding text from Baekhyun, a third muffin in his mouth, and a plan already set in place to have flowers sent to his husband's work before the lunch hour. A productive morning regardless of the strange start. 

That evening the two happily wrapped themselves up in each other's arms, once again exhausted from work as well as a short session of intimacy that the smaller initiated as soon as the lights went off. The chef was soon snoring, but the smaller ended up getting up twice in the night to visit the bathroom. The next morning Chanyeol noticed the bathroom seemed to have a strong smell of air freshener, and his husband was already dressed and ready for work at an early hour.  

"Hey, Baek.." the taller called out to his husband who was sitting at the kitchen table drinking from a mug half full of steaming beverage while putting a couple of file folders into his briefcase. A light pink one caught the chef's eye. "That's a different color than you usually use..."

The smaller looked down and gave a small smile as he put the thin file into his briefcase along with the others. "Oh yeah. Um.. One of the secretaries bought a variety color pack and this was the only one left when I needed one yesterday." He stood up and walked over to the sink, dumping out the final contents of his mug and briefly rinsing it out. "I have to get going now, but I promise I'll try to make it home earlier tonight. Love you!" The CEO walked back over to his husband and stretched up to give the taller a kiss. "Text me!" he smiled and then the smaller quickly left the house.

Chanyeol went over to the sink. He knew his husband usually liked to finish his coffee all the way, so it was strange that he had poured it out. But on the far side of the counter was a used tea bag of decaffinated tea along with a spoon and a squeezed lemon slice. So that meant the smaller wasn't drinking his usual coffee. The chef was so caught up thinking of these things as he left for work that it was much later when he realized that he completely forgot to ask Baekhyun about the air freshener smell in the bathroom. 

That evening the CEO came home at his usual time. When the chef asked him about his promise from earlier that morning about trying to get home early, the smaller bristled. "I can't help it if work takes over, Chanyeol! You know how busy things can get for me! And I'm not overworking myself so don't even start saying that!" 

"I wasn't going to say you were overworking yourself.. What brought THAT on??" 

"So you AREN'T thinking about how much I'm working? How I'm trying so hard to take care of everything regardless of how things are changing? How I- Aggh! Nevermind! I can't- I-"

"Baek what ARE you talking about?!? Changing? What's changing??" 

"UgGH! Never MIND!" The smaller whirled around to stomp out of the room but the taller was faster and caught him by the wrist. 

"Baek! Come on..talk to me.What ARE you talking about??"

"You- I can't just- " Baekhyun looked down as he pulled his other hand up, covering part of his face and rubbing his temple. He sighed, sounding frustrated.

Chanyeol waited, trying to be patient as he stood just looking at his husband. The usually strong firecracker CEO seemed small and weak at that moment. He fidgeted for a bit, slowly turning his wrist which was still caught in the taller's secure hand. Finally he spoke, his words a little tight and unsure, as though he was trying to figure out what to say. "There is.. a Chinese contengency that..is giving us problems..and I've been doing a lot of extra running around..to try to figure out how to make things work... A-and I thought you noticed when I texted and talked to you on the phone lately that I'm almost never in the main office these days. I've..I've actually been in a lot of OTHER offices..and buildings..and places.." 

"I did notice you've been a bit busier these days, but I didn't know it was this much."

"Yeah." The smaller looked up at his husband. "I guess I thought you'd notice more.."

"I'm sorry Baby, I'm-"

"I'm NOT the Baby!" Baekhyun wrenched his hand from the taller's grasp. "Why do you SAY that?! I'm NOT weak and little and in need of care! Stop it Chanyeol!!"

The chef's eyes opened extra wide in shock at his husband's sudden outburst and he couldn't control his own strong reaction. "What the HELL are you going on about?? I'm not calling you weak or little or anything!! I call you that because I love you! It's called a term of endearment!! Besides, you never USED to mind when I called you that before!! If you hate me calling you loving names then you should have TOLD me!! Dammit Baek-"

"Oh so now it's MY fault that you can't read me like you used to??" The smaller began tearing up, his lower lip trembling and crocodile tears threatening to drop out of his tired eyes. "You don't even know who I am any more!! I have to think for two now!!" At this, Baekhyun gasped and brought his hand up to cover his own mouth, almost as though he was in shock from his own words. 

"You don't have to think for both of us Baek!! I was thinking JUST FINE before you started yelling for no reason about God-only-knows-what!! I can't even understand what you're upset about and you're confusing the HELL out of me!" The chef stomped over to a chair at the kitchen table and sat down with a huff, crossing his arms.

Baekhyun stood in the doorway looking at his husband for a moment and then looked down, shaking his head. He used his sleeve to wipe his eyes angrily and then took a deep breath and leaned against the doorframe, looking up at the ceiling as though he was trying to find answers in the air. "I'm already confused enough for both of us, and I'm exhausted." he said shakily. "It's been a difficult day for me, and right now I just want to sleep." He turned and slowly padded down the hallway towards the bathroom.  

Chanyeol uncrossed his arms and stood up, looking down the hallway as his husband walked away, thinking maybe he should follow him. However the chef changed his mind and sat back down with a little huff, shaking his head slowly as he thought back through their argument. The conversation escalated so quickly he couldn't even remember what each of them had said. He certainly couldn't figure out what he had said that had set the CEO off so badly. But he knew he needed to apologize, whatever it was. They never let a day end without at least one genuine "I love you" to each other, and Chanyeol was determined to at least say that to his husband, no matter what else they had said to each other.  He stood back up with purpose, checked to make sure the front door was locked, turned off the lights in the kitchen and living room, and then walked down the short hallway.

When he got to the bathroom door, the chef was surprised to see it swing open and Baekhyun standing there, looking very small and contrite with tears in his eyes and his arms reaching out as though asking for a hug. Chanyeol didn't think twice, quickly stepping into the smaller's space and gathering him into his arms.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The smaller sniffed and began apologising as the taller tried to shush him. "I don't know what came over me. I must be more stressed than I thought. I didn't mean-" 

"Baekhyun." One word from the chef completely stopped the CEO's rambling apology. "I love you."

The smaller gave a small chuckle and sighed, still locked in the loving embrace. "You always know exactly what to say."

Chanyeol smiled and waited. 

"I love you too, giant. "

"Not as much as I love you, midget." 

At this, Baekhyun gave a little sob and quickly reached his arms up around the taller's neck to pull him down so their lips could meet. They kissed slowly, both pouring emotion into it and enjoying the connection. After a bit Chanyeol broke the kiss to reach down and pick up his husband, carrying him into the bedroom. He grunted as he laid the CEO down on the bed. "You may be stressed, but at least I know you're not skipping meals. Damn.." he grinned as the smaller huffed and whacked at him in fake offence. "Chanyeol~!" The taller squirmed as though to get away. "Kidding! I'm kidding!" Their shared laughter rang out in the quiet house. "We're both tired. Let's go to bed."

Baekhyun immediately nodded at his husband's suggestion, getting off the bed to pull night clothes out of their dresser. "I still need to pee. I'll be back in a second." He sprinted to the bathroom, leaving the chef grinning at the doorway. Chanyeol changed clothes and climbed into bed, arranging the covers to allow space for the smaller to join him. By the time the CEO came back to the bed, however, the chef was asleep and snoring, this time with one arm stretched out across Baekhyun's pillow. The smaller switched off the light on the side table. The moonlight streamed brightly thru the blinds, as Baekhyun looked down and ran his hands over his own sleep clothes, lingering once again briefly over his stomach. He then carefully climbed into bed in the space beside his slumbering husband. The tired CEO snuggled up close, and on instinct in his sleep the chef wrapped himself around the smaller man. Both slept soundly the entire night in each others' arms.

The next morning Baekhyun blinked his eyes open and found his husband was already awake, still holding him and looking at him with deep affection showing in his large eyes. "G'morning.." the smaller mumbled with a small smile. "Good morning sleeping Beauty.." The chef's response had the CEO blushing as his husband continued. "Is it OK if I call you that? You ARE beautiful.."

Baekhyun looked ashamed. "I'm so sorry, giant, I-"

"No, none of that. Last night is over and done with, but I can't help it if I want to call you pet names. I was just making sure you were ok with it, that's all." 

"Chanyeollie.."

The taller grinned. "It's been a long time since you called me that."

"Well if you're going to call me lots of pet names I can call you different pet names too." Baekhyun gave a fake pout, trying to cover a grin of his own. 

Chanyeol hugged his cute husband tighter. "I'm not complaining, Love."

"Hmmm.." The smaller snuggled in closer, enjoying the embrace. "What time is it?"

""Before you panic, just know I already texted both our assistants and let them know we would be coming in late today."

"Chanyeol.. What TIME is it?"

"It's almost 10 o'clock."

"WHAT?!" the CEO screeched. "I've got an important appointment- I mean meeting- at 11:00!! I'll never make it on time!" 

"Yes you will. I already ordered a car for you with instructions for the driver to make sure to bring an egg-and-cheese biscuit and a side of fruit for you. I set the coffee maker last night before coming to bed so all you have to do is get dressed while I prepare it in your travel mug with two creams and one sugar just like you like. If you don't want coffee tho, the tea you've taken to drinking lately will take even less time to fix in your mug."

"God I KNEW I married you for a reason!" The smaller laughed as he placed a quick kiss on his husband's nose and then climbed out of bed. "The tea please!" Running to the bathroom, he called out "I LOVE YOU!" and closed the door. 

Chanyeol chuckled, climbing out of bed. He checked his phone and sent another quick text, and then made his way to the kitchen to start the water boiling for his husband's tea. Life was good. They would be alright.

So here they were, two weeks later.

And Baekhyun had just broken the news to his husband that they would have to be separated for 6 months. 6 whole months. It was so unfair.

Both men were visibly upset, tears falling out of frustration and sadness. The chef was more vocal in his protesting, while the CEO was trying to calm his husband down as best he could without totally falling apart emotionally himself.  Baekhyun promised they would make the most of the last day-and-a-half they had together before the smaller had to catch the scheduled mid-morning flight to Beijing. After that they wouldn't be seeing each other except thru video chat and Facetime for another six months. It was heartbreaking for both men. 

Chanyeol was extremely frustrated but he tried to calm down. "I want to make the most of this time with you. Please let's both take all day tomorrow off from work and spend the time together at home. I promise I'll cook and make all your favorite meals, and I'll spend all my time showing you how much I love you. Please tell me you will let me do this." 

The smaller was sobbing by this point, and he clung to his husband and nodded vigorously, agreeing with the taller. "Yes. Yes please. Love me, Chanyeol. Love me." 

"I do love you my Love. I love you so much and I want our next hours to be loving and fun for both of us,  so please stop crying. I can't stop crying til' you stop crying. Come on. We're going to enjoy being with each other like we always do, and not worry about the next 6 months for now. OK?" 

The CEO tried valiantly to stop his tears and he nodded again as he pulled back a little from his husband's embrace. "Y-yes you're r-right." he sniffed. "We need t-to enjoy this time." Baekhyun took in a shakey breath and bravely smiled thru his lingering tears as he looked up at his husband. "I love you, giant." 

Chanyeol grinned thru the last of his tears. "Not as much as I love you, midget. Now why don't you go run us a bath and I'll inform our offices of our plans to skip tomorrow."  The chef turned away, reaching for his phone and not noticing the smaller had visibly stiffened at the taller's words. 

Baekhyun cleared his throat and turned towards the hallway, gripping his phone nervously. "O-ok..." he breathed out, and then began walking quietly down the hall. 

The chef reached to pick up his phone, which he had flung previously onto his husband's briefcase when Baekhyun had first told him the news of the trip. The briefcase was open, and the pale pink folder he had noticed about 3 weeks ago was poking out of the top of the opening. As Chanyeol lifted his phone his eyes gazed over the pink folder, noticing it seemed to be fuller than he remembered and the tab of it had "BYUN-PARK" written on it in messy handwriting.

'Looks messy like a doctor's handwriting' the chef thought to himself. Chanyeol couldn't help his curiosity, and he pulled the folder out of the briefcase the rest of the way. He opened the folder and almost dropped his phone.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom the smaller was talking quietly but firmly to himself behind the closed door. "You can do this. You are the CEO of a very influential international commodities company and there isn't a tight spot you haven't gotten yourself out of yet. This is nothing compared to the challenges you've faced before. Come on. Snap out of it!" He put the stopper in the tub,  the water, and then grabbed the bubble bath, pouring a generous amount under the running tap. "With enough bubbles he won't even notice. It will be fine. He loves me. Even if I've gotten a bit fat. It's OK. He loves me."  The smaller quickly stripped himself and left his clothes in a pile near the doorway. He grabbed two extra washcloths and then climbed into the still-filling tub, deliberately sitting in the middle and gathering the bubbles around himself. He wet both the washcloths and placed one onto his head, letting the dripping water run down his face, neck, and back . He left it there as he used the other wet washcloth to rub his face in a gentle, repetitive motion. 

As Baekhyun washed his face, he didn't notice the bathroom door had opened slowly. Chanyeol entered quietly, running his empty hands through his hair a minute and then carefully sitting down on the closed toilet seat and watching his husband. 

The smaller lowered the washcloth from his face and jumped a little to see his husband sitting there, staring with an unreadable expression on his face. "Yeollie! I didn't hear you come in.." 

The taller continued to look at the CEO, not saying anything. 

"Don't you want to join me..? " Baekhyun grinned cutely up at his husband from the bubbles. 

Chanyeol reached over and turned off the water. "I don't know." He gave the smaller a pointed look. "It's awfully crowded in there already."

"There's room, silly! I can move up and you sit behind me like we always do.."

"I don't know..." the chef leaned forward and put his hands on the side of the tub, looking his husband directly in the eyes. "I think it would be awfully crowded with four of us in there."

"Four..of.. ..I.  Oh." The smaller was suddenly very pale as he looked up at the taller, and he pulled the washcloth off his head. His eyes quickly began to fill with tears. "Please Yeollie! Please let me explain. Please, I-"

"What's there to explain, Baek? You're pregnant and you didn't even try to tell me! Not once. You've known for over 2 months! Why didn't you tell me??"

"Yeollie..! Please!" By now Baekhyun was sobbing hysterically and he was reaching out to his husband in desperation. "PLEASE!"

Chanyeol was alarmed at the smaller's reaction and he got down on his knees on the side of the tub as he let his husband pull his arms down into the water in a half-hug. He kissed the top of the sobbing man's head, shushing him and talking quietly. "Baek. Love.. Calm down. Shhh.. Don't cry. Shhh.." 

After a few minutes of the taller calming him, the CEO sniffed a few times with his head still leaning on the chef's chest, and then started speaking with a hoarse voice. "I know you didn't want kids yet and I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I didn't want to wait. My father was already older when Mom had me, and I didn't want to be the kind of dad that couldn't run and play with his kid. So I thought I could plan this out and try to convince you to adopt our child if I told you I found the perfect baby in an orphanage while I was in China. I thought it would work, but then I found out there are two and-  It's a stupid plan, I know, but I just- I didn't want to wait. I just didn't know how to convince you. I'm sorry, giant. I am so sorry."  At this the smaller began sobbing again, this time a bit quieter but still clutching the now wet sleeves clinging to the taller's strong arms. 

Chanyeol was frozen in shock for a full minute but then his instincts kicked in and he reached his hand up and began petting his husband's wet hair in a soothing motion. He stayed quiet for a few more minutes, thinking carefully about what the CEO had just told him. The bubbles in the tub were slowly popping and settling in the water as the two men hugged each other awkwardly over the edge of the bathtub.

Finally the taller leaned down just a little and put his hand on his husband's chin to lift his face up. He pursed his lips and gently kissed the now silently crying man sitting in the slowly cooling water. As their lips touched the smaller gave a short sob and flung his arms around the chef's neck, pulling him down for a deeper kiss and wetting his shirtsleeves more in the process. The taller let his husband have his way with the kiss for a moment but then pulled back with a smile on his face. 

"So.. Twins, huh?" Chanyeol couldn't help his grin.  

Baekhyun looked down with a soft smile thru his lingering tears to where his belly was covered by the bubbles. "Yeah... I- wait. You're not mad?" he looked back up at his husband.

"Just tell me one thing. Is your company actually having an issue with a Chinese contengency?"

The smaller looked down and bit his lip as he shook his head. His grasp on the taller's shirtsleeves slipped and he weakly tried to bring his hands around his husband's wrists. Baekhyuns's head snapped back up as Chanyeol pulled his hands away and started ing his shirt. The CEO stared at him. The taller smirked and slid the shirt off his shoulders, pulling the wet sleeves off his arms with a little difficulty. He then stood up and rubbed his sore knees before unfastening his pants and pulling them off along with his underwear. 

Baekhyun his lips at the view of his now- husband. " I will NEVER get tired of watching you do that.. .DAMN." 

The chef gave a short laugh, his grin getting bigger, and then leaned down to unplug the tub. He let the water run out for a little and then put the plug back into the drain and turned the water back on to let it fill back up with warmer water. The bubbles also built back up as the water level rose again, and the CEO finally reached over and cut the water off. Chanyeol climbed into the tub behind Baekhyun and settled the smaller against his chest. "I know we have a lot to talk about so get comfortable." the chef said as he grabbed one of the washcloths and began softly washing his husband's shoulders and chest. The CEO nodded and sighed, enjoying the attention but also worrying about the conversation to come. The two sat in the warm water with the bubbles surrounding them, taking turns washing each other as they talked. 

"So you were planning on staying there for the next 6 months to try to hide the pregnancy from me?" The smaller nodded as the chef continued. "I knew something was up already, so how did you plan to hide your weight gain when we chatted on Facetime or video chat?"  

"I don't know! Extreme closeups?" Baekhyun spluttered as Chanyeol burst out laughing. The taller hit the water as he laughed, making the bubbles fly in all directions. The CEO grinned as he wiped his face and half turned towards his husband. "I didn't say it was a GOOD plan, it was just the only thing I could think of after I found out I was pregnant!" 

The chef leaned down and kissed his flustered husband briefly and then leaned back to give him a y smirk. "And about that... If my memory and my guess is correct, we had a lot of fun getting you pregnant too..!" 

The smaller looked down sheepishly. "Actually, I don't know if it was EXACTLY that night that I got pregnant. I forgot to get my prescription refilled before they ran out that month, so when I realized there was a chance we might have already gotten me pregnant with the quickie we had two days before that, I figured ' it' and decided to make SURE I was good and pregnant..!"  

"WHAT?" the taller choked out with a half laugh in disbelief. "Baby you could've just told me! I mean- sorry- BAEK. But yeah. You could've told me. I love you, you know. I would've understood."  

The CEO shook his head, turning the rest of the way and reaching up with his hand to cup his husband's cheek. "No, please call me Baby. I missed it. And I know. I should have told you. I should have trusted your love for me. I know you would have understood. I just wasn't thinking straight. I'm really sorry giant. I love you so much. I'm so sorry." 

"I love you too, Baby" The chef wrapped his arms around his husband and brought him in to his chest, leaning back to make the smaller lay on him as they engaged in another soft, emotion-filled kiss. They broke the kiss a moment later and laid quietly together in the water, the bubbles popping and settling around them. 

After a bit, the CEO shivered a little, and this brought them both out of their reverie. Chanyeol helped Baekhyun stand up and then they both climbed out of the tub. The smaller grabbed two towels off the warmer rack and they took their time helping each other dry off. The taller knelt down and unplugged the tub for the water to drain. He then began drying off the smaller's legs, and his face was even with the CEO's stomach so he wrapped the towel around the smaller's hips and pulled him forward. Chanyeol then softly kissed the slightly protruding stomach, bringing tears once again to Baekhyun's eyes at the loving gesture.

The chef looked up at his husband with a mischevious glint in his eye. "You've either been eating a lot more lately, or there are some awfully big babies in there, Baek." 

The smaller snorted but was quick to protest. "Shut u~up! With you as their daddy of course they're going to be big!  And we have big babies in my family too, so there's another reason. I'm not fat!" 

"I know I know!" the taller laughed. "I'm only joking, Baby." He got up off the floor, ushering the smaller towards their bedroom. "When is your next doctor's appointment? I want to go with you." 

Baekhyun went over to the bed and grabbed his phone off the side table where he had plugged it in to charge before getting in the tub. He flicked thru the calendar. "I had an appointment set up with a obgyn doctor later this week in Beijing, but that's not necessary now. I guess I need to inform my doctor of my change of plans. He'll be delighted that he gets to see this pregnancy thru in person instead of only video chats. So I guess my next appointment will be when he can work me into his schedule sometime in the next few days." He sent a quick text to his doctor and another message to his two assistants, and then put his phone back down. "I just told everybody about the change in plans. Now come cuddle and love me and the babies." He laid down in the bed and put his arms out to beckon the taller for a hug.

Chanyeol grinned and crawled in after his husband, wrapping his arms around the smaller and snuggling in close. "I do love you. ALL of you. And I know that you're still worried about my thoughts of the babies but I want to make something VERY clear. It may have not been the timing I originally thought, but I am NOT mad or dissapointed about this pregnancy. I LOVE YOU. You are my life, and now these babies are my life as well. I cannot live without any of you." 

The smaller found himself crying again at his husband's words. "Damn these hormones!" he sniffed. "You're being loving and sweet and all I can do is CRY!"  

The taller chuckled at his husband, kissing his forehead. "And you said you aren't the baby..." He chuckled again, tightening his embrace as the CEO grumbled good naturedly and pouted. Baekhyun tilted his head up to bring his puckered lips close to the laughing man, who happily took the hint. Their kiss quickly became heated and they soon found themselves enjoying the communication between their bodies as they expressed their love together in the best way possible. 

Three days later the husbands had even more love to celebrate when the visit to Baekhyun's doctor revealed that Chanyeol had not been imagining the smaller's dramatic weight gain. As they held hands and stared at the fuzzy screen, a sonogram image clearly showed a third child that had evidently been hiding behind it's siblings in the previous scans. This was a shock but not an unhappy one, and the chef decided their quickly expanding family would need all the love and support they could get. An announcement was sent to their families and friends informing everyone of their pregnancy, and many tears of happiness were shed for the expecting couple. Baekhyun's parents were especially happy for the couple, his father commenting that it was good they would be younger parents. This cemented the decision in the couple's mind that the timing was actually perfect for them to be pregnant. 

A week later a statement was released to their companies and employees about Baekhyun's pregnancy. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive about the triplets and the CEO found himself wondering how in the world he ever thought he could manage things by himself in another country for 6 months wating for the babies' arrival. Just the thought gave him extreme guilt, and for a while it was difficult for him to forgive himself even tho Chanyeol had made it very clear that he had forgiven him. An impromptu weekend getaway to the beach and several deep conversations between the couple later, and the smaller seemed to finally be at peace with his concience. 

With the support from everyone in the husband's lives the months left in the pregnancy seemed to fly by quickly. Their friends made sure the nursery was finished to Baekhyun's liking, with soft pastel colors of yellow, orange, and green accented by dark brown furniture and soft linens. Their families visited with them and showered them both with affection, giving advice when asked, but more often pitching in to complete housework and everyday chores since the pregnant husband soon became unable to accomplish these things comfortably and wanted to prevent the chef from feeling overwhelmed. 

The triplets made their appearance 6 days early, catching everyone a little off guard. The chef thought he was going to have a heart attack after getting an "SOS" text from one of Baekyun's assistants. It turned out the smaller's water had broken in the middle of a business meeting, but both men made it to the hospital in time with no problems and the birth went smoothly. Jiwon, the boy, was the smallest but was born first. Jiah and Jiyoo, the girls, were close behind. Just before and then immediately after the triplet's birth Chanyeol communicated briefly with both sets of new grandparents, who then sent messages out with the happy news to the rest of their circle of friends and family. Per the couple's request, everyone waited a full day after the births before coming to the hospital to visit the now family of five.

Four days later the entire family went home. Baby monitors, wipes, diapers, and bottles all became almost hourly necessities in the Park-Byun household. 40 minute naps throughout the day took the place of full nights of sleep. Favorite expressions, lullabies, and colors were discovered. The chef took a whole month off work to stay home with his beautiful family, and the CEO waited a full three months before stepping slowly back into the workplace.

Although a definite challenge, multi-tasking to accomodate 3 additions in their lives turned out to be a skill both parents came by naturally. They had both been running successful businesses with countless employees working under them for a long time, and it became very apparent that Chanyeol had been wrong. They WERE emotionally ready to be parents. And with the support of family and friends it was made easier for them, especially when they occasionally needed a few hours to themselves. 

Like today. The husbands had a rare weekday off together with just the two of them and they strolled hand-in-hand along the pathway in a small park leading away from their favorite bakery. 

"Chanyeollie stop worrying..please! You KNOW the interview with the kindergarten went wonderfully this morning! The school principal loved us and the kids are gonna be so happy being in the new school where so many of their friends already attend. And our babies will all be in the same classroom so they'll have each other's backs -- it will work out fine!"

The chef sighed. "You're right. As usual. I just- I can't help worrying, you know. They're still so little."

"Everyone is little compared to you, giant. But they're strong, and independent too." the CEO grinned at his husband reassuringly.

"Just like their Papa." the chef returned his huband's confident grin and lifted their joined hands to kiss the back of the smaller's hand. 

 Baekhyun blushed softly and then changed the subject. "Your mom is picking them up from the daycare this afternoon, right?" 

"Yeah. And the nanny is bringing all the stuff we packed for them for the overnight at your folks place tonight." 

"Good. Jiwon refused to let me zip up his travelcase up unless all 4 of his Ironman figurines were in there so it made his stuff a bit heavier. Mom will need help lifting that!" the smaller gave a half-grin as he swung their joined hands between them cutely.

"I hope Jiah doesn't start trying to tell Dad about her new girlfriend yet. He's not ready to admit they're already in school so I know he'll panic if he thinks about them being interested in dating!" 

"Giant, YOU panic if you think about them dating! It's not just him.." The CEO laughed at his husband's sheepish grin.

"Ok I admit it.. I can't help but think they're growing up so fast. It feels like just yesterday you were pregnant with them and now they're entering kindergarten in two months!" 

Baekhyun stopped walking, pulling slightly on their joined hands to stop them and then crowded close to the tall chef. He looked up affectionately at his husband. "You know, I really love you, giant."

Chanyeol leaned down and let their foreheads touch as he brought his love into an embrace. "Not as much as I love you, midget." 

"..I sure hope so." The smaller's response was quiet but clear in between their bodies.

The taller's head shot up and he had a sense of wonder on his face as he looked his now blushing husband directly in the eyes. "Baek- BABY. Are..are you SURE?"

The CEO nodded with a small smile. "This weekend I was feeling a bit more run down than usual and I thought maybe..., so I confirmed it yesterday at the doctor." He put his hand up with his fingers spread apart in front of his mouth in a shy gesture. "I'm 5 weeks." 

The next thing he knew, the taller had whooped and picked him up bridal style and was spinning in a circle. "WOHOOO! YES!" 

The smaller laughed, and thumped his fist lightly on his husband's chest. "Stop that! You're making me dizzy!"

Chanyeol stopped spinning but didn't put Baekhyun down. "But you're not chubby or heavier yet.. So does that mean there's not as many this time?" 

"Chubby, huh..?" The CEO wanted to act offended but he couldn't bring himself to pout with the delight they were both feeling. "Nevermind. Of course we'll have to keep checking, but the doctor's pretty sure it's only one this time." 

The chef smiled affectionately at his smaller husband. "Don't get mad. You look adorable chubby. And only one is still a blessing. Thank you, Love."  

"Actually.." Baekhyun laughed and leaned in like he was telling a secret in his husband's ear. "I guess I should thank YOU... for having strong swimmers even when all we've had time for in the past weeks is a quickie here and there!" 

The taller burst out laughing and turned slowly in a circle again. He stopped to put the smaller down carefully on his feet, but placed his hand on the CEO's chin to tilt his head upwards. "At least this time we planned it out a bit, instead of planning things in reverse." 

Baekhyun grinned. "Yeah." He pursed his lips. The chef took the hint and bent down to join their lips in a soft kiss. The smaller brought their hands together as they kissed, and when they broke apart he looked up at his husband with a mischevious glint in his eye. "So..." he said, swinging their joined hands between them. "Since the kids are staying over with my parents tonight, I say we order in pizza for dinner and then spend the rest of the night making sure I'm good and pregnant!" 

Chanyeol burst out laughing at his husband's antics as he turned them in the direction of home."That, my love, is a WONDERFUL plan!"