The bed is empty when Hyukjae wakes up in the morning. He sits up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he tries not to feel disappointed, because he's the one who sent Donghae off in the first place. 

He had thought Donghae would be back by now. He always cuddles in bed with his husband in the morning, so it's strange not to have that.

But then, as if summoned by Hyukjae’s very desire, the door opens and Donghae walks in. Hyukjae straightens—his husband’s entire shirt is splattered with blood, some of it even staining his hair, stark against the whiteness.

"Hi Hyukkie," Donghae says, giving him a sweet, close-eyed smile.

"Hey love," Hyukjae says. "How was it?"

"Fine," Donghae says, rolling his neck to loosen his muscles. He then carefully pulls out his weapons, putting them away in the safe, locking them away. "There were more people than I expected, but that wasn't an issue."

“Of course not,” Hyukjae says. He gets up, heading over to his husband. The man might be filthy, but Hyukjae can’t bring himself to care. He cups Donghae's cheek and pulls him into a deep kiss. “I love you.”

Donghae smiles against his lips.

“I love you too,” he whispers before he pulls free. “I’m going to shower.”

Hyukjae nods.

“I have some work to do and then a meeting in a few hours,” he says. “I’ll get Shindong to send you breakfast?”

Donghae hums.

“Okay Hyukkie,” he says as he heads to the bathroom. Hyukjae watches him, eyes scanning his husband's body until the door shuts before he moves to get ready for the day. He changes into a dress shirt and dress pants only because he has a meeting later, and then goes into the bathroom. His husband is already in the shower and it takes a herculean effort to resist joining him. Instead, he simply brushes his teeth, washes his face, and fixes his hair.

When he’s done he heads straight down to the kitchens, grabbing a piece of toast when he enters..

“Could you tell Shindong to send breakfast up for Donghae, please?” he asks one of the staff working in the kitchen. The woman nods and jogs off. Hyukjae stuffs the rest of the toast into his mouth and is about to go when a bowl of strawberries is placed into his hand.

“A piece of toast isn’t enough,” another one of his kitchen staff, Yuri, scolds. Hyukjae chuckles.

“Okay,” he says. “Thank you, Yuri.”

She nods, and Hyukjae lets himself sit down and enjoy the fruit. He puts the empty bowl into one of the sinks before he leaves, going straight to his office. He has quite a few things to get through: securing shipments for the next month as well as going through all their finances to ensure that everything is in line and nothing is missing.

He sinks into his work, his surroundings disappearing, his attention focused solely on numbers and charts. Hyukjae isn’t sure how much time has passed before he’s snapped out of his work by his office door sliding open. He looks up and is greeted with the wonderful sight of his husband standing at the door, looking adorably sleepy.

Hyukjae smiles.

"Hello, lovely," he says.

"I look like a mess," Donghae mutters, rubbing his eyes with a fist. There are a few strands of white hair sticking up, and when Donghae gets closer, Hyukjae tries to smooth it down.

It goes flying back up and Hyukjae laughs.

"You look gorgeous," he says. 

"Mm, don't lie," Donghae says, planting himself on Hyukjae's lap and straddling him. He rests his head on Hyukjae’s shoulder. 

“Why are you awake?” Hyukjae asks. He checks the time—Donghae had gotten back a few hours ago, and probably only slept for two. 

“I don’t know,” Donghae says. He squishes his face into Hyukjae's neck and he moves to accommodate him, chuckling. 

“Are you going to go back to sleep?” he asks.

“I’m going to sleep here,” Donghae mutters. "You're warm. And comfortable."

“Okay,” Hyukjae says. “You can do that.” He actually has a meeting in a few minutes, but that’s never stopped him from enjoying his husband’s company. 

As Donghae settles, he gently runs his hand up and down Donghae's back. It's honestly more for himself than for Donghae; the repetition of the motion and the feeling of his husband pressed against him does wonders to calm him. 

He can feel Donghae slowly relaxing on top of him as well, his body getting heavier as he falls asleep. He can feel the warm, even puffs of Donghae's breath against his neck as he sleeps. He can also feel Donghae’s nose pressed against his neck. 

Adorable.

He leans down so he can rest his own head on Donghae's shoulder as well. He can smell his husband’s cologne, a subtle citrus, mixing with Donghae's own natural scent. He can't help but inhale deeply, savouring the scent.

He loves this man so much. He’d be happy if they could just stay this way forever. 

He has a few minutes to enjoy the serenity before a knock sounds at the door.

“Hyukjae, I have Hyunseung and Chanwoo here for you?” Jessica asks. Hyukjae sighs, taking a second to put himself in the right mindset.

“Send them in,” he calls and the door slides open. Two men walk in, both dressed far too stereotypically “bad guy.”

“Good afternoon,” Hyukjae greets. “Have a seat.”

He gestures at the chairs in front of his desk. He does not miss the way both men stare at Donghae in his arms and Hyukjae does not acknowledge it, simply giving the men a smile as they sit.

“We’re here to discuss your activity on the eastern side of Seoul,” Hyukjae says, pulling out a spreadsheet he uses to keep track of every bit of activity he controls. “You have two options: cease your activities within my territory, or become a subsection of my organization and work under me.”

He looks up to see the two men exchange nervous glances before looking back at him.

“We want fifty percent,” the man on the left requests immediately and Hyukjae has to hold back a groan. This is going to be a long meeting.

⸺

He’s right. 

It’s a long meeting.

He had originally anticipated half an hour, easy in and out with negotiations of keeping these men’s activity under wraps with the promise of protection and a salary. It’s the best deal they were ever going to get, but the two men seem to think that they’re hot .

He’s not one to rule with fear, but he’s tempted to just string these two up in a visible place as a warning to any other groups who may be getting any ideas. But that’s against his principle, at least when he hasn’t been provoked in any way, so he just suppresses the urge.

“Do we have a deal?” Hyukjae says when he lays down his final offer. Hyunseung and Changwoo exchange glances.

“We’ll think about it,” Hyunseung says, with far too much arrogance for a man with no bargaining power. “We’ll get back to you in a week.”

“Make it two days,” Hyukjae says. He’s not in the mood to wait a week for something this inconsequential.”

“Three,” Chanwoo says and Hyukjae almost loses it right then and there. But Donghae is still asleep and he doesn’t want to wake him, so he nods.

"Fine. Have a good day, gentlemen," Hyukjae says. He gives the two men a tight grin as they exit, and when they do, he sags in relief. Those men should be happy Donghae is still dozing on his shoulder, his deep, even breaths warm against his neck, otherwise they would not be leaving as unscathed as they are currently. 

"Donghae, love?" he says softly. He removes his hand from where it wa