Present Day

It's a perfect Friday night, and though Baekhyun could be at a nightclub dancing the night away or at a bar drinking to his heart's content, he isn't. Instead, he's standing in front of his door, wondering when all this started happening. When did he become so eager to come home? Is this an unfortunate side effect of growing old?

Baekhyun quickly shakes his head. There's no way he's old. The idea is absolutely absurd.

With a steady breath, Baekhyun opens the door and steps inside, expecting to be crushed by Chanyeol, who should be extremely thrilled that he's home and safe. He expects to be smothered by desperate and sloppy kisses from a very worried Chanyeol. His husband should interrogate him as to why he's coming home so late. There should also be some pain in Chanyeol's voice as he tells Baekhyun how it felt to be home alone without him.

Surprisingly, none of that happens. The living room is empty, and there's no sign of Chanyeol anywhere.

“I swear if he's asleep,” Baekhyun mutters under his breath as he makes his way upstairs. He checks their bedroom and finds no one there. Not a single goofy giant with big, adorable ears.

Baekhyun is usually not one to panic, but the fact that he has yet to see Chanyeol is starting to worry him. Just a bit.

“Yeol?” he calls, voice pitchy as he checks the closet. He only does it because ever since they got married, once a month Chanyeol likes to jump out of the closet in an effort to scare him. Chanyeol finds it extremely amusing because even though Baekhyun expects it, he still screams in fright whenever Chanyeol pops out.

After searching through the coats, Baekhyun concludes that Chanyeol isn't hiding in his usual spot. He takes another look around the bedroom. He's pretty sure that Chanyeol is home since his car is parked outside. Is he hiding somewhere new?

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun crosses the room and pulls open the door to their master bathroom. “Chan–”

“SURPRISE!” Chanyeol yells from where he sits – inside the bathtub filled to the brim with pink bubbles.

Speechless, Baekhyun stands there and gawks at the sight before him. He honestly doesn't mind coming home to a Chanyeol, but seeing him in a bubble bath....well, that's new.

Baekhyun's eyes flicker over to the candles lining the counter and then he spots the two glasses of wine in Chanyeol's hands. “Why –”

“Would you care to join me?” Chanyeol cuts him off, a wide smile plastered on his face as he holds up the glasses in an attempt to persuade Baekhyun.

Baekhyun quirks one of his eyebrows. “I can't tell if you're doing this to surprise me or if you're really into taking bubble baths by yourself on a quiet night and it just happens that I caught you in the act.”

Chanyeol chuckles. “When do I ever willingly take a bubble bath? And why would I have two glasses with me?”

Baekhyun nods. “You have a point.”

“So...are you coming in?” Chanyeol asks, face hopeful.

Since Baekhyun doesn't have the heart to disappoint that chiseled face (or turn down free alcohol), he sighs and mutters, “Fine. Close your eyes.”

“Why?”

“Just do it,” Baekhyun orders before turning his back to Chanyeol. He starts undressing, and once he gets down to just his underwear, he pauses. Fully aware that Chanyeol's secretly watching him, Baekhyun decides to put on a little show as he shimmies out of his briefs. He hears water sloshing behind him and he grins. Too easy.

To finish the show, Baekhyun thought it was appropriate to bend over to pick up his clothes, giving Chanyeol the ultimate view of his flawless backside.

Chanyeol splutters behind him, letting Baekhyun know that his short strip show was a hit.

“You peeked,” Baekhyun accuses when he turns around, hands on his hips.

“Well, I didn't think it mattered because I've seen you almost every day for the past decade.”

“Don't say decade!” Baekhyun hisses while tossing his clothes in the sink. “It makes us sound old!”

Chanyeol laughs. “Okay okay. For the past ten years.”

“Ugh. That doesn't sound any better,” Baekhyun says with a pout.

Sensing Baekhyun's distress, Chanyeol puts the glasses down and offers Baekhyun his left hand. “I heard bubble baths can help you look younger.”

Baekhyun takes Chanyeol's hand and dips his left foot into the tub, testing the water temperature. “Really?”

Chanyeol grins. “No. Just get in,” he says, pulling Baekhyun in.

Although being dragged into the tub isn't how he envisioned getting in, Baekhyun is just thankful he didn't slip and fall. That would have been embarrassing and unacceptable.

With a calm smile, Baekhyun settles for the spot across from Chanyeol. The water is a bit warmer than he would have liked, but it isn't intolerable. The sweet, rosy aroma from the bubble bath is definitely pleasant, so he can't complain. After making himself comfortable, Baekhyun looks across the tub and finds Chanyeol smiling at him. He could feel Chanyeol's feet next to his hips, his toes playfully touching Baekhyun's hip bone, and for a brief moment, Baekhyun wishes his legs were longer so he could also poke Chanyeol from across the tub. Being long had its advantages.

“So what is this all about?” Baekhyun questions, eyes narrowed suspiciously at Chanyeol. Normally, he's not treated to such surprises from Chanyeol unless it's a special occasion (or whenever Chanyeol's hoping to make up for his mistakes).

“Since you came home later than usual, I thought it would be a nice surprise if I did something unexpected.” Chanyeol picks up a wine glass and hands it to Baekhyun. “Consider this my way of helping you relax after a long day at work.”

“How long have you been in here?” Baekhyun asks after he notices the wrinkles in Chanyeol's hands.

“For a while,” Chanyeol answers, looking at his own hands and frowning. “I may have miscalculated how long it would take you to get home.”

At that, Baekhyun laughs. “So that's why you look like a prune.”

Unamused, Chanyeol pinches Baekhyun's side with his toes. “And whose fault is it that I'm a prune?”

Baekhyun lightly smacks Chanyeol's foot. “Yours.”

Shaking his head, Chanyeol picks up his own glass and starts drinking. “Every part of me is as wrinkled as my grandfather's skin and yet, this is the thanks I get.”

“Every part of you?” Baekhyun asks, his hand sliding up Chanyeol's thigh to his crotch.

Chanyeol yelps in surprise when he feels Baekhyun him. “Yah! I would appreciate a warning next time!”

Baekhyun lets go of Chanyeol and throws his head back in laughter. “This has been happening for a decade, Yeol. You don't need a warning. You should just know.”

“Still...” Chanyeol mumbles, his ears now an adorable shade of red.

And Baekhyun's heart is fluttering like it always does when Chanyeol makes him feel like a teenager with the biggest crush on the clueless person in front of him.

Sometimes Baekhyun gets the feeling that Chanyeol would never understand just how much he affects him – how much his actions can easily result in Baekhyun's stomach doing countless somersaults.

“Is something wrong?” Chanyeol asks, warm eyes gazing into his.

Another somersault.

“Baek?”

Baekhyun snaps out of his thoughts. “Nothing's wrong,” he answers truthfully. He brings the wine glass to his lips and takes a sip. However, instead of wine, Baekhyun tastes something else. “What –” Baekhyun takes another sip, and his eyes widen when he realized what was in the glass.

He looks at Chanyeol, expression incredulous. “Grape juice?! Why are we drinking grape juice?”

“Because you have work tomorrow,” Chanyeol says simply, as if that was a good enough reason not to drink.

“Yeol, there's nothing romantic about drinking grape juice while taking a bubble bath. We just look silly now.”

“As long as we look silly together,” Chanyeol says calmly while taking a sip of his grape juice. “Besides, grape juice is good for you. Lots of antioxidants.”

Baekhyun sighs. “I'm so lucky,” he murmurs while swirling his glass. Maybe he can pretend it's wine.

“If you really mean that, then I'll consider today a success,” Chanyeol states as he intertwines their fingers.

“What do you mean?”

In a move that was surprisingly smooth, Chanyeol draws Baekhyun closer to him, their fingers still entwined. “Promise you won't laugh if I tell you?”

Baekhyun immediately shakes his head. “No. If it's funny, I'm going to laugh.”

Chanyeol groans. “Fine. I'll just tell you anyway....”

“Go on,” Baekhyun insists, completely intrigued.

Chanyeol takes a deep breath. “For the past few years, I've made it a personal goal to make sure you're happy that you married me. It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but whenever I can, I like to find ways to improve as your husband.”

“Like?”

“Like learning about wine so I can help you pick different ones for the restaurant or like taking finance lessons from Suho in order to take off some of the burdens you have in managing our finances.”

“Yeol...”

“I know. It looks like I'm trying to impress you, and it's silly because you love me regardless of what I can do. I just – I want you to think 'Ah, marrying Park Chanyeol may not have been a bad idea after all.' If you woke up every day and felt lucky to be with me, then I consider that a success on my part.”

With his other hand, Chanyeol reaches out to caress Baekhyun's cheek, his gaze soft and full of love. “I strive to be a better man for you, Baek, because you deserve it.”

“Stupid,” Baekhyun mumbles, his eyes becoming watery the more he looks into Chanyeol's eyes. “You can be a garbage man with no college education and barely anything in your bank account, and I would still consider myself lucky to be married to you.”

“Even if I come home smelling like trash?” Chanyeol teases, his thumb wiping away the single tear that Baekhyun let escape.

Baekhyun nods. “Yes, even if you smell like trash, I would still love you,” he confesses, a tiny smile making its way across his lips. “And that's saying a lot because you know how much I hate smelly things.”

Chanyeol smiles. “I know.” He leans in and gives Baekhyun a gentle kiss on the lips.

More somersaults.

“You look cute when you cry,” Chanyeol admits with a slight smirk. He pinches Baekhyun's nose and coos, “So cute.”

“Shut up,” Baekhyun sniffs. “I do not look cute.”

“Do too.”

“I'm pretty sure I look like a hot mess,” Baekhyun argues.

“Never,” Chanyeol states firmly as he kisses the corner of Baekhyun's lips.

“You're so blinded by your love for me,” Baekhyun jokes.

Chanyeol suddenly cups Baekhyun's face. “And if that's true, I don't think I mind one bit.”

“Being in the water for too long turned you into a mushy prune,” declares Baekhyun, a small smile dancing across his lips as Chanyeol flashes his signature toothy grin.

“An attractive, mushy prune,” Chanyeol corrects, and Baekhyun has no retort for that.

Instead, he presses their foreheads together and closes his eyes for a second to let everything that just happened soak in. Everything Chanyeol told him, he wants to store in his memory bank so that he'll always remember.

When he opens his eyes again, he sees Chanyeol with his eyes closed.

“Yeol, can I ask you something?”

Chanyeol opens his eyes and nods. “Anything.”

This time it was Baekhyun's turn to take a deep breath.

What comes out of his mouth next is a classic characteristic of Park Baekhyun.

“Are we going to have here or on the bed?”

Taken off guard by Baekhyun's question (and his naughty hands), Chanyeol stutters while blinking rapidly, “Uh – I – we c-can –”

Unwilling to wait for a proper answer, Baekhyun swoops in and kisses Chanyeol.

Everything feels warm and familiar the moment Chanyeol's lips touches his. It's electric and soothing at the same time.

His stomach is doing somersaults again, and quite honestly, Baekhyun likes the effect Chanyeol has on him.

A decade later and he still wants more.

*******

Suho likes order.

He enjoys having everything organized and in its proper place. Some can say he's a bit of a neat freak, but there's honestly nothing wrong with being tidy. Knowing where things are in case you need to find it is a good thing. Having a system and following that system teaches discipline. Nothing bad can come from having a strict sense of order. Suho firmly believes that maintaining order is essential to living a productive life, and for as long as he could remember, he's been that way.

And it's one of the reasons why he likes to come home before Yixing.

Without Suho there, Yixing tends to be Yixing, and when that happens, Suho is stuck with clean up duty.

As soon as he opens the front door, Suho knows that tonight is going to be one of those nights.

Slowly, Suho makes his way to the kitchen, where his nightmare could potentially be waiting for him.

“Xing, I'm home –”

Suho doesn't even gasp when he finally sees the state of the kitchen. He's too shocked, so he just stands there and takes everything in. All of the drawers and cabinets are opened, and every single item that was in those drawers were scattered across the counters. There is a stack of dirty dishes in the sink, and for some reason, most of the fridge's contents are out on the island countertop. Suho could almost feel his blood pressure steadily rising as he thinks about the amount of time needed to put everything back.

And right in the middle of this disastrously messy kitchen is Yixing in a stained apron holding a pot, which Suho is assuming contains their dinner.

“Welcome home! Since I don't often get home first, I thought it would be nice if I made dinner!” Yixing exclaims. “Kimchi stew – your favorite!”

“I see.”

“Don't worry about the kitchen,” Yixing says nonchalantly. “I'll clean up when we're done.”

As much as he wants to, Suho can't ignore the chaos surrounding him. “Yixing, why does it look like our kitchen has been ransacked?”

“Well, I thought it would be easier for me to cook if I had everything laid out before me. It would save time, and since I was in a hurry to finish before you got home, I thought it was a good idea.”

For reasons only his heart would know, Suho couldn't find it in him to tell Yixing that it was a horrible idea.

“Should we just eat dinner then?” Suho asks, sounding resigned to his fate.

With a mysterious smile on his face and the pot in his hands, Yixing walks into the dining room, where everything is already set up. He tells Suho to sit down before handing him a bowl of stew. Suho thanks him, and dinner starts like it normally does. Yixing talks about his day at the hospital and Suho listens – occasionally saying a few things when Yixing looks at him expectantly.

However, tonight Suho is a tad bit distracted. His mind is stuck on the mess in the kitchen, and no matter how hard he tries to block it out, he can't un-see the disarray.

Too busy with his thoughts, Suho doesn't catch the tiny smiles Yixing flashes in his direction.

“I think I tell you this often, but....” Yixing gifts Suho with another peculiar smile. “But the fact remains – you've always held my curiosity even though you can be quite predictable.”

Suho puts down his spoon. “What do you mean?”

Yixing tilts his head slightly to the side and observes Suho for a second longer before answering, “I can easily tell what you're going to do and say next, and other people might think that it would become boring after some time, but I have to disagree because even though I know you, I haven't figured out why you react the way you do.”

“I don't know what you –”

“The mess in the kitchen,” Yixing interjects. “I know you have a big problem with things being disorganized and cluttered, and when you entered the kitchen and saw everything scattered, your face gave you away. You didn't like what you saw. That's completely understandable. What I don't understand though is why you didn't voice your disapproval. Why didn't you say something to me? Why didn't you raise your voice and tell me how annoyed you are that I've made such a mess?”

“I wouldn't raise my voice at you over something like that,” Suho answers simply.

“Aren't you slightly annoyed though?”

“Annoyed wouldn't be the right word to describe how I'm currently feeling. Sure, I'm slightly bothered by how everything is out of its proper place, but I wouldn't go as far as yelling at you for it.” Suho looks at Yixing. “I don't think I have the heart for that.”

Yixing leans forward on the table. “So if it was someone else who created the mess, your reaction would have been different?” he asks.

“Definitely.” Suho glances toward the kitchen and adds, “If it was someone like Baekhyun who caused the mess, I'm pretty sure I would have been more vocal.”

Yixing smiles. “Well, Baekhyun is a special case for everyone.”

Suho turns his attention back to Yixing. “All the more reason to admire Chanyeol for his resilience.”

“Love allows us to overlook minor flaws,” Yixing states dreamily.

“It's the reason why I'm willing to look past the dirty kitchen caused by a special someone,” exclaims Suho, dazzling smile attached.

Yixing's eyes immediately light up, and Suho likes to think that it's because of him.

“And I'm willing to do all the cleaning since it was my wrongdoing,” remarks Yixing as he stands.

“We can both clean,” Suho suggests.

“You don't think I would do a good job.”

“Is it that obvious?” Suho teases, earning a chuckle from Yixing.

“Yes!”

Once in their kitchen, Yixing offers to wash the dishes, thus leaving Suho with the rest. “Before you start organizing the drawers, I think you should put the vegetables back in the fridge,” Yixing suggests, taking the bowls from Suho.

Picking up the cabbages Yixing had left on the counter, Suho makes his way to their refrigerator – unaware that Yixing had stopped to watch him.

He opens the door and finds the fridge empty with the exception of a pink box on the lowest shelf. “What's this?” Suho asks, replacing the box with the cabbages.

Yixing gives him the same mysterious smile from earlier. “Why don't you open it and see?”

Suho opens the box immediately and when he sees what's inside, he looks back up at Yixing, eyebrows knitted in confusion. “A cake that says Thank You?”

Yixing nods. “Do you know how often I tell you those two simple words?”

“No?”

“Well, the answer is 'Not enough',” Yixing replies. He steps forward and takes the box away from Suho. “I know you're going to say that I don't need to thank you for everything that you do around the house, but it's never bad to show my appreciation every now and then, right?”

Yixing hands the box back to Suho, who's watching him intently, lips curved into a sweet smile. “So here. I, Yixing, present to you, Suho, this delicious cake as a token of my love and gratitude. Thank you for being with me, and thank y