*

"I'm... I'm sorry for coming home late," Luhan says in the middle of silence. "I'm perfectly fine so you don't have to worry about me."

Sehun stares at him with confusion, worry, and hurt plastered on his face. Vivi is wildly barking at his feet, but he seems not to hear the dog as he only focuses his attention to his injured boyfriend.

"Sehun," Luhan mutters, teary-eyed, as if he was begging, "I can explain. Please hear me out."

He is about to approach Sehun when he suddenly staggers while walking. Startled, Sehun is ready to come towards him, when Jongin, who is behind Luhan, catches him fast by the arm.

"I told you to be careful."

"I'm okay, really..."

"Look, you can't even walk by yourself."

"It's because of the bandages, they're too tight."

Sehun just stares.

"You seriously need to rest now. Come here, I'll carry you."

"I'm fine, babe. I'm not a woman, you know?"

Kyungsoo walks into the scene, passing beside Sehun quietly. He grabs Luhan's other arm and places it around his shoulder so that Jongin can transfer Luhan's weight to him. Hugging Luhan's waist, Kyungsoo exchanges looks with his husband as they arrive at a silent understanding.

"Don't be stubborn, Luhan. Come on, I'll take you to your room," Kyungsoo says.

"But Kyungsoo, I still need to talk to Sehun..."

"That could wait. You two can just talk in the morning."

Looking like he still has something to say, Luhan helplessly turns his head around and shoots Sehun a yearning look. Kyungsoo is taking him away with utmost care, so even if he wants to stay, he has no choice but to follow Kyungsoo who's helping him walk.

"Kyungsoo, wait. I still have to explain what happened to Vivi..."

"Just do it tomorrow. It's already late and all of us are tired."

"But--"

"No buts."

It is only when Kyungsoo and Luhan are out of sight when Sehun realizes Jongin's presence beside him. Jongin gently holds his hand and tugs him to the living room, so that they can occupy the empty seats on the sofa.

"Let's sit down first and I'll tell you everything."

Vivi is aggressively eating his food in his bowl like the dog was starved for days, and this is the first time Sehun is seeing his son behaving like this. So when Jongin breaks out to him that Vivi got lost and Luhan sprained his ankle finding his dog, his heart completely breaks that he can't help blaming himself.

"That's why we were gone for hours," Jongin explains, "I'm sorry for not telling you right away."

"Did Luhan call you?"

"Yeah... I was already on my way home when he asked me to meet him at the park."

The warm mug Sehun is clasping inside his hands meets his lips as he slowly drinks his milk. While watching Vivi on the floor having his meal, Sehun keeps his eyes on him like the pet would disappear any second if he averts his gaze. Jongin, who's sitting on the couch across him, is having coffee instead, and its nutty aroma wafts in the entire living room, keeping the both of them awake.

Jongin peeks at Sehun's face.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you didn't."

"Then please say something."

"Thanks for helping find Vivi and for looking out for Luhan," Sehun says, "I'm relieved they got home safely." He stands up after finishing his drink. "I'm going to bed now."

"Sehun."

"You should rest. You must be exhausted."

"Sehun, wait."

Jongin grabs Sehun's wrist to stop him from leaving.

"What is it?"

"Are you mad at me?"

"No, I'm not."

"We're fine... Right?"

"Yeah. We are."

Sehun keeps staring, so Jongin ends up looking away, eventually releasing his hold from the other.

"Uh, Kyungsoo left Luhan's room unlocked. You can sleep there if you want."

"Yeah, sure. Good night."

Seeing Sehun's disappearing back, Jongin just sighs, covering his whole face with his hands.

"Fuck. Why do I feel guilty now?"

*

The lights are out on the patio so the moon outside the window does the job to cast brightness on Sehun's way. Sehun doesn't need to knock when he arrives in front of the door to Luhan's bedroom. Luhan must be sleeping by now so he makes sure not to create any unnecessary noise. His hand latches on the metal knob as he pauses briefly, double-thinking whether to enter the room or not.

"Should I come in?"

Sehun tilts his head up and notices the pretty moon tonight. He remembers liking moons and even taking pictures of them as his phone's wallpaper before, but Vivi following him behind instantly wakes him up from his reverie.

"Should I come in, Vivi?" he asks again, as though he will get a response from the white fluffy animal.

Vivi wags his tail and barks softly.

"Woof."

Sehun bends down and pets Vivi's head, smiling.

"Okay, then. Get back to your bed. I'm sleeping here."

Gently closing the door behind him as he enters the dark room, Sehun quietly pads towards the bed where Luhan is dozing off and facing the wall. Now that he thinks about it, he's never sneaked in here like this before, since it's been always Luhan who'd come into his room unannounced. He can tell that Kyungsoo was here because the place is free of mess, unlike those normal days when Luhan would be too busy to clean doing his online job. The air smells like Kyungsoo, and probably, the tiny thought of Luhan and Kyungsoo doing it before he came here, suddenly lingers at the back of his mind.

Sehun shakes his head and suppresses his awakening arousal.

No. Don't think about it. We can just do it next time.

The lower corner of the bed dips due to his weight after Sehun takes off his indoor slippers and puts one knee on the mattress. Lifting the left side of the blanket, he slips himself underneath it so that he can lay down beside Luhan and press himself against the male's body. He wraps his arms around his boyfriend's smaller frame, big-spooning him, and rests his forehead on Luhan's nape, hugging him securely.

Luhan, whose sleep is still in the shallow stage, opens his eyes, surprised by that familiar warmth enclosing him out of the blue. He can feel Sehun breathing on the back of his neck, as well as Sehun's fringe tickling his shoulder blades. His eyes trail down on Sehun's lean arm perched on his waist, as Sehun's Cartier watch worn around his wrist glints in the dark. The man's hand surprisingly feels light, as if he was purposely holding back not to squish him completely.

What's with Sehun tonight? Sehun isn't exactly the clingy type of person, at least on a regular basis, so this gesture might've shocked Luhan but in a cute way. Why did Sehun come here anyway? He thought his boyfriend was already sleeping and that they would just talk tomorrow morning. Maybe Sehun couldn't fall asleep that's why he paid him a late visit.

"Babe, are you still awake?" Sehun whispers.

Ah.

Luhan already knows the reason why.

The words that are supposed to come out of his mouth are replaced by an action instead. He doesn't say anything when he shifts sideways on the bed, sheets rustling, as he faces Sehun anticipating to look at him. Even in the dimness of his room, Luhan can still make out the longing expression the younger shows him, as he feels Sehun's feet twitching here and there under the sheets.

Luhan places his palm on Sehun's cheek. Sehun smiles, and probably, Luhan can sense his heart doing a little backlip.

Just like that, they stare at each other wordlessly, and on the days when they're not arguing over trivial stuff and raising their voices, are the days when they can just freely rest and be at ease. The droopiness of Sehun's eyelids are proof that he must be already sleepy, but it right away proves Luhan wrong when Sehun scoots closer, pressing a soft peck on his lips.

Luhan blinks.

Sehun breaks away fast like nothing happened. He stares again blankly, waiting for Luhan to react as he also gapes back at him in a daze.

Luhan still wants to ask if Jongin had already told Sehun about Vivi getting lost. He still wants to know if Sehun was mad about him lying on his text message or not, but he fails to say anything anymore, the moment Sehun moves closer again, kissing his mouth but longer this time.

It must be the pain reliever Luhan took that made him suddenly mushy and weak. Normally, if Sehun does the first move, he'd just flip the two of them over so that he'd be sitting on top of Sehun's lap to make out with him heatedly. But tonight, he has no energy to do that, especially now that he can only clench his eyes shut as Sehun claims his mouth in a more intimate way than usual. Sehun's lips taste sweet like vanilla and mint, and this results in Luhan circling his arms around Sehun's neck while the man hovers on top of his torso, not bothering to separate away their mouths from kissing.

Hah. What's with Sehun tonight, Luhan mentally asks himself in the process of him carding his fingers through Sehun's silky hair, allowing his boyfriend to openly trail kisses on his neck, jaw, collarbones, and all the way down to his chest and nipples. It's like his skin is becoming more sensitive when Sehun uses his tongue to lick a hot stripe along his throat. That just made him twitch inside his underwear, not to mention Sehun cupping his face to passionately french-kiss him. He waits for his boyfriend to slide in his tongue further, so that he'll taste him better, feel him deeper, and make his heart race faster in every way that he can.

This is crazy. Why is Sehun being so sexy right now? Whenever Sehun doesn't speak as he caresses him all over, Luhan can't deny it's turning him on in so many levels.

"Aaah... Mnngh," he moans accidentally when Sehun's palm nudges the hardening front of his pajamas.

No. There's no way they'll stop after this. How can he get contented with just kissing and cuddling? He wants to do more, but Sehun is now retreating, like he has just realized what he did was too much. Separating from him, it's obvious his boyfriend is now hesitant whether to continue or not.

"I'm sorry. I only planned to cuddle but I went overboard," Sehun apologizes after tucking Luhan under the sheets, "Good night."

Does Sehun really have to seriously say that while clambered on top of him with an obvious tent bulging in his pants?

"Keep going. I'm all right," Luhan assures, "Let's do it."

"Are you sure?" Sehun worriedly asks, "But your foot--"

"Don't worry about it. It's just a sprain. Tonight, I want to have sex with you."

Relief flashes on Sehun's face, hearing Luhan's consent.

"I'll do all the work, then. Just lie down."

Luhan shouldn't be thankful for hurting his ankle, but what else can he do? If Sehun touches him so gently like this, how can he not feel special? The way Sehun is taking his time to tenderly prepare and stretch his entrance is making him eager and desperate, but also kind of frustrated.

Sprawled on the bed half-naked with his right foot relaxed, Luhan pleasurably arches his back when Sehun's lubed fingers reach his sweet spot. If not only for the twisting ache in his ankle, he had already gone on top of Sehun and ridden his cock until dawn.

"Mngh, baby... Please put it in already..."

Watching Sehun ripping a sachet of Durex condom with his teeth while looking directly in his eyes causes Luhan a flustered reaction. His boyfriend's handsome visual is too arousing and it's making him speechless. Since it'll be more difficult for him to clean up his bottom afterwards with a sprained ankle, it's just fitting to use a condom although he kind of prefers not to have it tonight.

Thinking about how they'd normally do it, he was frequently the one to open the protection and wear it on Sehun. So right now, he's having the time of his life seeing his boyfriend actually put the lube and condom on his own, as Sehun strokes his manhood into full hardness right in front of him.

Fuck, this is so hot he might come just from watching.

"Does it hurt?" Sehun asks, entering slowly into Luhan and thrusting all the way deep inside of him. "Babe, are you okay?"

"W-wait," Luhan breathes and relaxes, before nodding, once he deems he has adjusted to the size, "You can move now, and give me a kiss..."

When Luhan asks for him to bend down and join their lips together, Sehun makes sure Luhan's injured foot is protected and out of the way of him moving. While sharing a torrid kiss, he finds Luhan's hand beside the pillow to lace their fingers together as they make love on the bed.

Haah, it feels good, Luhan mutters under his breath which he can't voice out loud for a certain reason. Muffling his mouth with his own hand, he can only moan, clutch the sheets, pant for his breath, and tremble while Sehun deeply pounds into his tightness. The man is so big inside him he feels like tearing apart, but it's also satisfying. Every time his boyfriend thrusts faster, he can feel himself arriving closer to his orgasm.

"Hmph, hyung. You're so tight and hot..."

"Yea--ah, right there...!"

How can this sex feel so amazing? Sehun even looks so breathtakingly gorgeous above him, that Luhan can't help admiring the way Sehun lovingly gazes down at him. Sehun stimulating his cock with his hand as he penetrates his insides sends him to ecstasy. And if his boyfriend lifts his ankle while thrusting in this position, he doesn't know if he can still hold himself back from climaxing.

"Mngh, Luhan hyung... It feels great..."

Luhan widens his eyes when Sehun withdraws his length, only to plunge it back harder. Sehun perches Luhan's bandaged foot on top of his shoulder as he fucks him stronger, making Luhan twitch and moan. Squeezing Luhan's legs together, Sehun then raises the back of his knees to expose his ass for his viewing pleasure. He keeps his pace steady, watching closely how his length disappears and reappears into his lover's hole.

"Hey, what are you--!"

Luhan blushes hard and almost yells out a curse word, when this boyfriend of him, while engaging eye contact, suddenly kisses his sprained ankle. That is all what it takes for him to orgasm, releasing his load on his own stomach hands-free. Why would Sehun do that? It's hot yet embarrassing at the same time; he can't believe he came because of that sudden gesture.

"Ah, Sehunnie..."

"Hm?"

"That's so unfair, seriously... Give me a warning at least..."

Ugh, I'm gonna come, Sehun mutters not long enough, staying inside and spurting his release into the condom abundantly. Withdrawing after he's finished and all spent, he discards the used protection and lies beside Luhan, sweetly kissing him to recover from his post-bliss.

The discomfort Luhan feels due to his own mess is immediately cleaned up by the wet wipes Sehun grabs from the bedside table. Helping Luhan carefully put on new pairs of underwear and pajamas, Sehun changes his shirt as well. He replaces the sheets, cuddling with Luhan afterwards now that they're done making love.

They stay peaceful for several minutes. I love you, Luhan mumbles, and Sehun replies with Me too, as he embraces him, planting a kiss on his forehead. The silence is soon broken by Luhan's voice, telling his boyfriend not to sleep yet.

Sehun opens his eyes.

"Babe," Luhan whispers as he snuggles to Sehun's nice and warm body. He is supposed to fall asleep when he suddenly recalls the issue with Vivi, "Can we talk? I wanna apologize."

"Apologize?"

"Yeah. Jongin already told you what happened to me and Vivi, right?"

Sehun doesn't say anything

"I feel like you wanted to say something about it," Luhan sighs, "Are you angry because I didn't tell you Jongin and I were together?"

"No, it's not like that."

"Then are you mad because I called him and not you?"

Sehun glances at Luhan's face, then he turns his back around and grabs a pillow instead, facing the wall.

Luhan frowns.

"Hey, we just had sex and now you're suddenly turning your back away from me?"

Silence follows.

"Don't tell me you only came to me because you wanted to relieve yourself for tonight?"

"No, of course not!"

"Then say something. Scold me at least. I'm saying sorry now so please accept my apology. Hm?"

Luhan waits for a reply but Sehun keeps being quiet.

"Oh Sehun!"

That seems to alarm Sehun, hearing his full name from the older.

"What?" Sehun blurts out. "You should sleep now so your injury would heal faster. Let's not pick a fight with each other, okay?"

"Look, if we still settle this tomorrow, I know we're just gonna end up arguing again so let's not do that," Luhan says, holding Sehun's arm and forcing him to face him, "You have a lot to say, don't you?"

"I'm still gathering my thoughts so let's just talk tomorrow," Sehun replies shortly and buries his face on the pillow, "Good night."

"Are you still angry?"

"I told you, I'm not. But if you keep bugging me, I'll get angry for real."

"We're okay... Right?"

"Would I make love to you if we weren't?"

Luhan releases another sigh, fixing his blanket on top of his chest. Fine, if Sehun doesn't wanna have a conversation right now then he won't force him anymore.

"Okay, then. Good night..."

Although he's sure Sehun is definitely upset about it.

*

When Luhan wakes up the next morning, Sehun is not in his room anymore. Sehun must've gone to the university since it's a Monday and he has an early class at 8am. So right now, Luhan is alone on the bed, feeling hot and feverish for a certain reason. The sprain in his ankle makes it even worse, as he walks to the bathroom by himself to wash his face.

"Ah... Did I catch a cold..."

His head is throbbing while his throat is running dry. He coughs and sneezes, and yes, he guesses he's really sick today. Staring at his just-woke-up reflection in the mirror, he sees that he really doesn't look so well. Yesterday's events must've taken a toll on his health, that's why he's suddenly suffering from a cold he doesn't expect will affect someone like him.

When was the last time he got a fever anyway? Was it back in high school? He can't really remember. All he knows is that he should take meds right now, drink lots of water, eat, stay in bed, rest, and not bother the people around him. They're already busy with their jobs as it is, and he can't be a burden to them, especially not to Sehun.

Checking his phone for a while, he abandons the thousands of notifications from his social media apps. Right, he should not use the internet for today. It'll just make his headache worse. Opening the medicine cabinet, he searches for the things he needs.

"Medicine.... And cooling gel..."

Popping a pill in his mouth and drinking a glass of water, he makes a beeline to his warm bed after sticking a cooling pad under his fringe. His body hurts, not to mention his butt, and this pulsating headache is also killing him. Why did he even have to get sick today, out of all days? He still has to check orders on his website and post a video on his IG stories.

"Fuck... I'm cold..."

Wrapping himself inside his blanket like a cocoon, Luhan barely hears the door opening and Vivi coming inside his room together with someone. It's like his surroundings are spinning and everything is sounding muffled; he just wants to sleep this off but he realizes he's also hungry.

"Woof! Woof!"

"Babe? Luhan! Are you okay?"

Maybe he'll just... fly to the kitchen later... and look inside the pantry... for something to eat and...

"Woof! Woof!"

"Can you hear me? Hey... Baby, oh my god. You're burning! Come here, let's go to the hospital and..."

Luhan blinks weakly, seeing a blurry face through his lashes who's now looking down worriedly at him. He senses a cool hand touching his cheek, and then his vision becomes clearer again while Vivi's barks get louder.

"Luhan, can you get up? Here, hold on to me."

"No... I don't want... hospital, I'm fine..."

"But you're sick! Stay there. I'm calling Sehun--"

"No, please don't."

Luhan suddenly grabs Kyungsoo's hand to stop him.

"He's busy studying. He can't go home at this hour..."

"Yeah, but he has to be aware of your condition," Kyungsoo argues and removes Luhan's hand off his wrist, "l'll just send your boyfriend a message at least."

"Just give me food now. I'm hungry... I'll just text him later."

"But Sehun needs to know you're sick. He'll only get more worried if he finds out later about this."

"Yeah, I know that... But now's not the right time... Besides, you're already here anyway..."

Kyungsoo only stares.

"Please, babe?" Luhan begs, shooting his boyfriend a pitiful look as if he was begging. Kyungsoo has no other choice but to sigh, giving in to Luhan's request anyway.

"Okay, then... I'll cook for you."

The porridge is still hot when Kyungsoo scoops it with the spoon, so he needs to blow air on it first before feeding it to Luhan. Like he's Luhan's private nurse, he helps him eat and drink so that his boyfriend can finish his meal to replenish his energy. Checking Luhan's body temperature reaching 38.9 degrees, he damps Luhan's neck and arms with a towel to make him feel refreshed even with a scorching fever. Taking care of people is the area he's best at so this isn't new to him. He just wishes Luhan to feel better the soonest.

"Thanks, Kyungsoo..."

"For what?"

"For staying here with me... You're now late for work because of me, right?"

Peeling apples and oranges, Kyungsoo spares Luhan a glance as he sets the knife and fruits aside once done. Sitting on the chair beside him while Luhan is tucked in the bed, he scoots closer and gently holds his hand.

"You can't even look after yourself properly so I'm here to take care of you. You just need to get better fast."

"I'm sorry... I'm being a burden to all of you."

"What are you even sorry about? This isn't like you so cheer up," Kyungsoo tells him, showing a bunch of text messages on his phone from his husband, "Look, Jongin said he's buying you ice cream if you recover immediately."

Luhan chuckles dryly, reading Jongin's hundreds of worried messages; even just laughing hurts his throat. His voice sounds so groggy and hoarse like he's an old dying whale.

"How's your foot? Can you walk it already?"

"Yeah. It seems better now compared to yesterday."

"That's good."

"Babe..."

"Mm?"

"I think Sehun's mad at me..."

"Haven't you two talked this morning yet?" Kyungsoo asks, "Wait, I think Sehun left early today. He even asked Chanyeol and Baekhyun to drive him to the uni because he had an exam on first period."

"Yeah... I figured."

"He must be really busy since he's taking his Master's degree."

Cough, cough. Luhan wheezes, so he tightens his face mask covering mouth just in case.

"Oh, god. I hope it's not that virus or else--" Luhan coughs again, harder this time, and Kyungsoo cuts off his next words while he holds Luhan's shoulders, "Are you... Are you really okay? Let's go to the doctor, I'm worried..."

"No need, I'm all right. I just need to... sleep this off..."

"How about I call Sehun now so he can--"

"No... I can't bother his studies right now. Trust me, I'm perfectly fine. I just have to rest for a bit..."

"You always say that even if you're clearly not feeling well," Kyungsoo releases another heavy sigh, giving Luhan a very concerned look, "I think you should be more honest with yourself since we're all worried about you... You should also let Sehun know what's happening to you because he's your partner. Right?"

Luhan doesn't have the strength to reply. He can only quietly listen to Kyungsoo as the male softly caresses his hair and massages his hand.

"Look, baby. I'm not scolding you or anything but as your boyfriend, I'll say this to you because I love you, and I care about you," Kyungsoo says in the warmest tone of his voice that eventually melts Luhan's resolve, "I'm gonna text Sehun and tell him to come home right now so he could look after you himself. Okay?"

Luhan ends up nodding, finally surrendering and obeying what Kyungsoo is telling him. There's no point in forcing what he thinks is best anymore, because he actually wants Sehun to be with him, especially now that he's sick and he's missing him.

"Okay..."

"Huh? What was that?"

"I... I wanna see him, Kyungsoo... Tell him to come home now..."

"Good, because I wanna get out of here fast and go to work already," Luhan furrows his eyebrows at him and Kyungsoo can tell that his boyfriend is scowling behind his face mask, "Hey. You know I'm just kidding. Wait, I'll get you some water and..."

Still holding on to Kyungsoo's hand, Luhan shakes his head and refuses to let go. It's like there's a lonely feeling of abandonment inside him if Kyungsoo steps out of the room for a bit.

"What, what is it?"

"Don't leave me..."

"Bitch, I'll just go to the kitchen."

"Just stay with me until Sehun comes back... Please?"

"Oh my god. You're such a whiny baby."

"I'm your baby..."

Kyungsoo faces Luhan and leans in, cupping his cheeks and pressing a light kiss on top of his mask. Not yet contented, Luhan pulls his mask down to reveal his pouting mouth, kissing Kyungsoo directly on the lips while embracing his waist. They stay like that for several minutes, hugging and kissing on the bed. Kyungsoo smells like fresh flowers and delicious breakfast, and the scent reminds Luhan of innocence and a comfortable home.

"Shit. It's gonna be your fault if I get sick the next day," Kyungsoo mutters as he releases from the kiss, sticking out his tongue in distaste, "Blaargh, I tasted the medicine."

"Hehe," Luhan chuckles, very satisfied. Kyungsoo is indeed so easy to adore and that's what makes the male super cute. "You look like Vivi when he's pooping."

"Woof! Woof!" Vivi barks from the foot of Luhan's bed, hearing his name. Right now, he's enjoying the luxury of lying on Luhan's bed because his Mom seems not to hate him today. He excitedly jumps on Luhan's tummy and does a puppy dance. "Woof! Woof!"

Luhan tries his best not to push Vivi away as he accepts the wriggling dog inside his arms. He's still feeling a bit feverish because of his cold, but having Kyungsoo here relieves his pain at least. If Sehun comes home quick, then he'll definitely recover in no time.

"Woof, woof, woof, woof!"

Vivi crawls under Luhan's blanket like he was playing hide and seek, so Kyungsoo isn't able to hold himself back from laughing anymore, seeing Luhan's gay panic reaction. Vivi reappears on top of Luhan's chest, showering his Mom a tongue bath on the face.

"K-kyungsoo, can you get Vivi away for a second..."

"What, he seems to be having fun playing with you. Just let him be."

The peace in Luhan's bedroom is interrupted by the loud thudding of footsteps outside, followed by the sudden opening of the door. Startled, Kyungsoo and Luhan both turn to the newcomer as Vivi yelps and woofs, seeing his owner arriving home earlier than usual.

"WOOF! WOOF!"

Sehun isn't able to speak a word while he catches his raging breath after running for god knows how fast as soon as he receives Kyungsoo's text. He was in the middle of class when he read the message, and without thinking twice, he stormed out of the lecture hall and hailed a taxi heading back home in a span of two minutes.

"Ahem. Let's go Vivi," Kyungsoo picks up the dog and leaves the room in less than ten seconds.

"Sehunnie, you're here," Luhan mutters in shock, seeing his boyfriend who's now home surprisingly fast. "Did you rush all the way--"

Sehun cuts his sentence by marching towards him, pulling him close for an embrace.

Luhan gasps, eyes widening.

"...I'm sorry, hyung. It's all my fault."

Sehun hugs him even tighter while Luhan stays surprised.

"If I hadn't forced myself on you, this wouldn't happen."

"Forced...?"

"Last night... When I did you hard--"

"No, that's! Well... I-it's not because of that," Luhan coughs and suppresses the pinking of his cheeks. The fuck is he blushing for anyway? It's not like he's still a virgin doing it for the first time. "And you didn't force yourself on me! It's just, my body gets tired once in a while too, so. Yeah, that's why maybe I got sick..."

"How are you feeling now? Does it hurt anywhere? Are you in pain? How about your foot? Should we go to the hospital?" Sehun asks worriedly, not giving Luhan the time to answer his questions. He touches his boyfriend's forehead, feeling high temperature heating his palm. "Fuck. You're so hot--I mean, you're always hot. But now, you're literally hot..."

"Look, I'm fine now," Luhan answers with a smile, brushing Sehun's sweaty hair through his fingers. "Because you're already here with me. Thank you for coming home. I appreciate it."

Sehun has to clear his throat because he doesn't want to blush like an idiot.

"Uhm, do you want a massage?"

"Sure."

Sehun's hands massaging his calf muscles are gentle, and Luhan couldn't be anymore grateful having his boyfriend being his personal masseur. Staring at Sehun caressing his injured foot on top of his lap, he deems it's now the proper time to talk. If Sehun keeps quiet like this, he can't help guessing whether the other is already thinking of something deep, or Sehun is just concentrating on what he's doing.

"So, about yesterday, when Vivi got lost and I got hurt... Are you bothered by it? I mean, are you mad, upset, annoyed or something like that?" Luhan asks, peeking at Sehun's face, "Was it really because I called Jongin and not you? Come on, tell me..."

Sehun stops massaging and looks at Luhan in the eyes.

"It doesn't matter if you called Jongin and not me. It's the fact that you didn't even let me know what happened to you right away."

"But I was actually about to call you! It's just..."

"I had no idea you were suffering the whole time until I saw you came home with a bandaged foot," Sehun sighs, "While you were out there desperately looking for my dog, I was here sitting comfortably and doing nothing at all."

Luhan slumps his shoulders.

"Because I lost Vivi and it's just right that I should find him..."

"Yeah, but still... Do you know how terrible being clueless made me feel? I'm not your younger brother whom you should look after all the time... I'm your boyfriend but I couldn't even do anything when you needed help. Just like right now," Sehun explains, "Look, you came down with a fever this morning and I wouldn't still know about it if Kyungsoo hadn't told me... Why didn't you call me right away? Am I just a nuisance to you?"

"Sehun, that's not what I... I didn't mean to do that... Why would you be a nuisance to me?"

"Then do you still treat me like a child? You think if I heard Vivi was missing last night, I'd throw a tantrum, blame you for it, get angry at you, then break up with you? If only you had told me, we could've looked for Vivi together. I would've been by your side and you couldn't have been injured like this..."

Surprised, Luhan opens his mouth to say something but oddly enough, no voice comes out. Is this what Sehun has been thinking the whole time?

"I'm sorry... I didn't think of that. I was just so worried for Vivi and I hadn't thought about your feelings..."

"Yeah, I care about Vivi too, but of course, I care about you more. What happened already happened anyway and it's not your fault..." Sehun says as he keeps his eyes down, staring at Luhan's bandaged foot, "Vivi's already here and your ankle's now recovering. Maybe I'm still immature for blurting out things like this. It's just, now that I've thought about it, I've always been honest with you. So I expect you to do the same, at least."

"I... I didn't tell you because I didn't want to bother you..."

Luhan fiddles with his fingers, and for a certain reason, this is making him feel more guilty.

"I'm sorry... I admit I didn't become honest because I really thought you were gonna get mad if you heard Vivi was missing. I got scared of the possibility of you ending things with me if I had actually lost your dog."

He looks at Sehun sadly.

"But more than anything, I didn't let you know what happened because I didn't want you to see me breaking down and sobbing, being a total mess wandering around the park, and losing my shit like a goddamned kid... And now, here I am. I'm fucking sick in bed and I look so pale and ugly... It's... It's embarrassing..."

Sehun flashes a confused reaction.

"Embar--what?"

"My make up was all ruined because I was crying hard that time. My eyes were so puffy that I probably looked super hideous... I even tripped on a rock like a weakling and twisted my ankle because I thought some stray cat was Vivi... Without Jongin and Chanyeol's help, I couldn't even walk and go home by myself last night," Luhan rambles continuously, then he gestures at his gloomy self, "And today, without Kyungsoo, I couldn't even eat and change my clothes... Look how pathetic I had become, this is so not like me..."

"Babe, what are you even saying..."

"I'm always being so annoying and burdensome that maybe you could get sick of me someday... You were only supposed to see my good side... I don't want you to hate me and think it wasn't worth it being in a relationship with me."

Sehun's eyes turn soft.

"Hyung... Why would I... Why would I hate you for something like that? I mean, I've already seen you at your worst and I still love that side of you because it's a part of who you are... It's normal to break down, cry, get sick, and not look pretty sometimes... I'm not gonna break up with you over a petty reason. I'll never do that."

"You won't?"

"Mm. I won't."

"You still think I'm pretty even if I'm sick like this?"

"You're the prettiest in my entire universe."

Luhan's lips tug up into a huge smile.

"Pfft. That's cheesy..."

"So, from now on, good news, bad news, just tell me everything. Even if I get mad or annoyed, and even if you think it'll make you ugly, just tell me everything," Sehun says and reaches for Luhan's hand, kissing it, "We're a couple, right? And couples are supposed to share things with their better half. You're not just with Jongin and Kyungsoo. I'm here, too, and I want to be the person you can lean on the most."

"Sehunnieee," Luhan cries, sniffing his snot dripping on his upper lip, "I'm really sorry, baby... I'm not gonna worry you anymore."

"Good. I'm not mad or anything, you know. I'm just sulking."

"Really?"

"Yeah. So if you leave me out again, I'm definitely gonna get mad, like for real," Sehun threatens, "Like super mad and angry. And bad. And jealous. And you won't like it if I get possessive, I'm warning you."

Luhan stares.

"Is that clear?"

And maybe he forgets how to breathe for a second.

"Yes, Sir..."

*

Few days later.

"Something's weird. Luhan is playing with Vivi and he's not fighting with Sehun. What kind of sorcery is this!?"

Jongin is in the state of absolute confusion the moment he arrives home from his part-time job, finding Luhan, who's all better now, by the way, cuddling sweetly with Vivi on the couch. Sehun is even massaging his foot like he's Luhan's servant.

"The fuck is this? Did I get to the wrong house!?" Jongin screams at Kyungsoo who welcomes him and gets his bag, "What's happening, babe!"

"Shut up. That won't last long," Kyungsoo mutters, bonking his husband on the head.

Thirteen minutes later.

"Sehun, what the fuck!!!? I agreed I'd play with your dog but that doesn't mean he could go around and mess with my dresser! Look at my clothes! They're all crumpled now!"

"Woof! Woof!"

"What, he just wanna play hide and seek with his Mom. Just let him be, okay?"

"Hey! I'm not Vivi's Mom! Fuck it! Get him out of my room and fold my clothes back to normal!"

"Woof, woof!"

"Will you please stop fucking shouting, goddamn it! I have an ongoing zoom class and you're being too loud!"

"Oh? Then tell your Professor I'm sucking your cock! Hello, Sir! I'm this guy's wife--"

"The hell, dude? Shit, go away! Ugh! I-I'm sorry, that was the TV..."

"Dude!? Did you just call me dude!?"

Kyungsoo throws Jongin a smug look.

"See?"

Jongin shrugs.

"Ah. That's more like it."

*

Quote of the day: All relationships have one law; never make the one you love feel alone, especially when you're there.

To be continued.

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Next chapter preview!

"Kyungsoo and I need you, Chanyeol," Luhan mutters while using a sparkly dear eyes technique that works on his boyfriends everytime, "We want something from you. You'll do it, right?"

"I don't know," Chanyeol steps back and scratches his neck anxiously. He shoves Luhan away with minimum force, "I don't know yet until you two tell me about it first, I guess?"

"Gosh, you're so kind!" Luhan exclaims with an unnecessary flirty pat on Chanyeol's bulky chest, "I wonder how it feels like to have a husband like you?"

Chanyeol cringes at that.

"Hey. Don't make him feel awkward," Kyungso pulls Luhan away who's now laughing nonstop, "We're asking him a favor, right?"

"What. I'm just messing with him!" Luhan cackles, "Oh, so you now finally agree with my idea!"

"Just don't tell this to Jongin."

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"Oh, I actually enjoyed writing the smut! >< In the middle of your busy and stressful week, I hope this chapter at least made you smile~"

- ParkBaekkie