Luhan is tired.

He’s been stuck in this meeting for nearly four hours, with the investors and his negotiation team going back and forth over minute details in their contract. It’s a delicate balance, trying to please everyone while still maintaining his reputation, and the company’s image – but even Luhan has his limits.

Three percent growth isn’t enough to match up what we’ve put in, someone mutters, and that sets off another round of debate and discussions that has Luhan wondering if he had made the right choice taking up this promotion.

Finally, at the sixth hour mark – they manage to come to an agreement. Good job, he hears, and there are handshakes and pats on the back and relieved smiles all around, once the investors have left.

It takes Luhan and his team several more hours to wrap up on the deal, going over the final details in the documentation. By the time Luhan shuts down his laptop, he’s ready to go home and sleep for about a week.

Baekhyun knocks on his office door lightly, before sticking his head in. “We’re heading out for drinks in a few,” he tells Luhan. “Figured the kids could do with a break, and maybe a treat. I heard they did good today.” Baekhyun’s not in his team, but he’s in charge of the interns in the company, two of which had been part of the negotiations earlier.

“Don’t get them drunk,” Luhan warns, as he shoves his laptop into his bag. His mobile phone vibrates from where he’s left it on top of his desk. “I still need them functioning and on time tomorrow morning.”

“What about you?” Baekhyun asks, as Luhan checks his phone for messages. There are two. One is from his best friend, Yixing, whining about his job and boss and numerous things, and another is from Minseok. “It might be good for the newbies if you’re there. Boost their moral, and all of that.”

Are you coming home for dinner? Minseok asks, in his text.

Luhan ponders for a moment, still thinking of Baekhyun's words. In a way, he's right. Luhan should be spending more time with his team. He ends up typing out a reply to Minseok. Baek wants me to join them for dinner and drinks. Haven’t said yes, though.

“Maybe?” Luhan says slowly, when he realizes that Baekhyun is still at the door, waiting for an answer.

“Married life has you so whipped,” Baekhyun snorts. “Remember when we used to hang out every night and still make it home before sunrise?” Luhan’s about to retort to this, when his mobile phone vibrates again.

Seon says she misses you and won’t eat dinner unless you come home. :(  

Luhan pockets his phone, coming to a decision. He reaches for his bag. “Maybe next time,” he tells Baekhyun, as he steps past Baekhyun, waving.

“Whipped,” he hears Baekhyun mutter, but he doesn’t take the bait, and turns around to throw him a grin instead. “So whipped--” but Luhan's already sending Minseok his reply.

Be home soon.

*

“Daddy!” Seon flings herself at Luhan, the minute he steps through the door. He nearly drops his bag, with his laptop inside, but manages to hold onto it as he lifts up a very happy little girl in his arms. “Daddy look at what I made!” She holds out a piece of squashed up paper.

“She’s been working on it all afternoon,” Minseok says as he steps into the hallway, retrieving Luhan’s bag before it slips from his tentative grasp and onto the floor. “She wouldn’t even let me help her.”

Luhan smoothes out the paper and finds that it’s a drawing of an owl family. Two of them adults, one smaller one. He thinks it’s meant to represent their little family. It’s not too bad. “You made this yourself?” he asks Seon, who nods quickly.

“Daddy, do you like it?” She’s looking at him with her eyes wide open, expectant.

He smiles, the first, real, genuine smile he’s had all day. “Yes,” he tells her, and she beams at him. “In fact, I love it. It’s the best drawing I’ve ever seen!” His smile grows broader. “The best,” he adds, and kisses her on the cheek, because she’s adorable and the apple of his eye and he’s so, so fond of her.

She giggles, and buries her face in his shoulder. Luhan looks over her head and catches sight of Minseok, who’s looking at them with a warm smile on his face. “Come on, Seon, let your daddy get settled and we can have dinner,” Minseok says. He gives Luhan a wink, before adding, “You can help me arrange the dessert jellies we made today.”

Seon wriggles out of Luhan’s grasps and bounces towards the kitchen. “I’ll help, I’ll help!” her excited voice trails behind her, just as Minseok hands the bag back to Luhan.

“How was work?” Minseok asks, tilting his head up to peck Luhan on the lips lightly. “I almost thought you’d be home late.”

Luhan’s lips tingle a little from the touch. “Long and boring,” he answers, sighing. He doesn’t want to talk about work. He wants to grab Minseok, to kiss him, and maybe forget the entire day for a few hours - but there’s still work to be done, emails to be send out tonight. Plus, there’s Seon, who would be very put out indeed if he made her wait any longer to start dinner. 

He gives Minseok a small smile. “I’ll tell you about it later.” Minseok nods, and to Luhan’s surprise, moves close to grab Luhan by the chin, and leans in for a kiss that’s nothing like the earlier one – longer and sweeter and less chaste, and it’s all Luhan can do to not drop his bag and pin Minseok against the wall.

“Pappa, hurry up!” the indignant tone in Seon’s voice breaks them apart. Minseok’s blushing, his cheeks pink and lips swollen, his tongue is the bottom lip. Luhan wants to bite that lip again, but Minseok gives him an apologetic look before turning around and hurrying towards the kitchen.

Luhan slumps against the wall, breathing heavily as he wills his body to calm down. It’s been a while since he and Minseok have done anything pleasurable – what with Luhan working at the office all day, and Minseok running his father’s shop in the mornings, and taking care of Seon in the afternoons. Evenings are filled with Seon, and by the time they tuck her into bed, singing quiet songs or reading from her favorite books to lull her to sleep, it’s their turn to head to bed, or finish up whatever chores that need to be done for the day.

His heart still beating fast, Luhan dumps his bag on the living room couch and heads for the bathroom to freshen up. Now that he’s keyed up by that one single kiss, he’s hoping that perhaps later, he can convince Minseok to follow up on the rest of it.

Dinner is a cheerful affair, and Luhan manages to push aside his thoughts in exchange for listening to Seon tell him excitedly about her day at the family shop. Minseok’s father owns a restaurant – a simple place serving home-cooked country food. Seon’s grandparents dote on her and having her around has improved the relationship Minseok had had with his parents, and perhaps made Luhan seem more favorable in their eyes over the years.

(Luhan knows that he’ll never be the wife they had hoped for Minseok, but he’s tried his best – is still trying, in fact – to be the perfect son-in-law to make up for it.)

Seon insists on picking out the desserts from the serving bowl, and depositing the lime green and bright yellow jellies onto Luhan’s plate. “Oh, no, don’t look at me. She picked out the jelly molds all by herself,” Minseok tells Luhan, who eyes the Bambi-shaped desserts before casting a suspicious glance at his husband. “All I did was supervise our budding chef here.”

Luhan makes a mental note to start making Seon watch anything but deer-themed movies for a month.

After dinner, they settle down for a movie. Seon picks WALL-E, thankfully, and Luhan breathes a sigh of relief because he doesn’t know how many more times he can handle listening to an animated snowman singing about building – what else – a snowman.

By the time EVE is floating through space with WALL-E, Seon has fallen asleep, tucked against Minseok’s side while clinging onto Luhan’s arm. Luhan manages to lift her into his arms without waking her up, and head towards her bedroom. They change her out of her day clothes and into her pajamas, before putting her onto her bed, tucking the covers around her.

Once the door is closed behind them, they make their way towards the living room, where Luhan eyes his workbag. He really should check his mails, but, as he begins to reach for it, Minseok grabs him by the wrist.

“Huh, Minseok—” Whatever Luhan’s about to say is forgotten by the way Minseok has his lips pressed against Luhan’s.

Luhan’s hands automatically reach out to frame Minseok’s face, holding him in place as he parts his own lips to deepen the kiss. He’s gratified to hear the way Minseok hums, letting Luhan take over, letting Luhan walk him back towards the couch, letting Luhan push him back onto the couch as he covers Minseok with his own body.

It’s easy then to fall into a rhythm; it’s what Luhan needs, exactly, and Minseok is beautiful beneath him, pliant and willing and all soft whimpers and desperate moans as they reach their peak together, tipping over the edge, together.

Later, when Luhan finally catches his breath, he leans over to brushing Minseok’s sweat-matted hair aside with his fingers, before pressing a kiss against his forehead. 

“So, what was that for?” he murmurs, feeling warm skin against his lips. He feels relaxed; his thoughts still focused on how Minseok had sounded earlier, broken-off cries as he clung to Luhan.

“You looked like you needed it,” Minseok tells him softly. His voice is sleepy, fond. Luhan feels his heart swell.

“You—” Luhan begins, and then he leans back just to drink in the sight of Minseok who’s all flushed and gorgeous. He’s so incredibly lucky, he thinks. Lucky because he’s in love with the most incredible person in the world, who’s always there for him, who loves him back, just as much, perhaps even more. “You’re so good to me. Thank you.” Minseok blushes even harder at the simple compliment.

His pants feel gross inside, he has a load of emails waiting for his reply and probably another three reports to prepare but Luhan doesn’t really want to move from his spot right now. Instead he pulls Minseok closer, wrapping his arms around him.

Everything else can wait. 

~fin~

♥ have also posted the third story in this series here