Work Text:
Indulgence has never been Minho's strongest suit. He supposed it was a good thing before, seeing as he was ambitious and persevering and he desired to go about his goals without any form of distraction. He'd genuinely thought he'd stay like this forever, a shell of a man who only works and works toward his ever-growing superficial aims—but as it turns out, everyone has an Achilles Heel, and Minho feels his own resolve crumbling all over again as he sees his husband, the man who effectively made the walls of his defenses fall down like domino, standing in front of their door, smiling to himself with that bright smile that always rendered his self-control powerless.
"Minho-yah," his grandmother calls from the living room, "Seungminnie's home!"
Minho had forgotten that he had yet to put her to bed in their guest room on the first floor, and so he shakes his head in an attempt to raise his resolve back up, albeit temporarily. He puts on a steely facade, not wanting to let slip the immense want he feels at that very moment.
"Oh," is what he chooses to say, his tone suggesting light interest as he walks toward Seungmin.
"You're not excited to see me?" Seungmin asked him teasingly, feigning hurt, as Minho took his suitcase from him. He opts to not look at him, frowning to himself as he continually urges his heart to hold it in for a moment.
"Not really," Minho says gruffly, the lie rolling smoothly on his tongue, and the amused smirk on Seungmin's face was enough for him to know he sees past this. He always does. Their front door opened again, with Seungmin's driver bringing the rest of his luggage inside. Seungmin kisses his cheek lightly, letting go of the conversation momentarily as he greets Minho's grandmother with a charming smile and a hug. Minho feels his ears start to burn.
"Is he mad at you?" Grandma Lee asks Seungmin, to which he only answers with a noncommittal shrug. She resumes with a scolding tone, "That's what you get for leaving for three weeks, I guess."
"You should be going to sleep right now, halmeoni," Seungmin redirected smoothly. He then sees Minho, red as a tomato and all, and looks at him knowingly. He turns to Grandma Lee and says, "I'll take you."
He looks right back up at Minho again. "You wait for me in the bedroom, jagi."
Minho wastes no time, climbing up to their private suite on the house's second floor, sitting on the couch next to their door patiently as he opts to clear his head with a book. His longing for his husband was quite unbearable, and a tad embarrassing if he were to be fully honest—especially in front of his grandmother and all their staff—but he'll have all the time to indulge in Kim Seungmin later, and so he waits.
Seungmin knocks softly at the door ten minutes later, and Minho wastes no second—immediately pressing their lips together in a fiery dance before he could even shut the door. What little that remained of his patience has dissipated entirely as he backs Seungmin slowly, laying him on top of their bed, removing his overcoat while stubbornly refusing to stop kissing him. Seungmin's infuriatingly large hands settle on top of his waist, the strength of his grip mirroring the frantic pace Minho had set them up with from the get-go. It doesn't take much longer until the both of them are gasping for air, chests heaving at promptly the same rhythm. Minho recovers much earlier than his husband does, and as he swoops down to resume their passionate ardor, Seungmin halts him with a firm hand on his wrist.
"And you said you didn't miss me," Seungmin teased breathlessly, as Minho was still on top of him, staring intensely. He glares at the sentiment.
"You don't expect me to devour you in front of my grandmother and the driver, correct?" he snaps without much force, the yearning to just be connected with Seungmin still much greater. His eyes focus on his next target.
Seungmin, still oblivious, takes his hand and just laughs. "Of course not," he says easily. "I just wanted to—ah—"
His statement is chopped off momentarily by the feeling of Minho's lips grazing his neck, as he alternates between kissing and biting. "Min," he whines. "Slow down for a minute. I want to ask you something."
"Alright, fine," said Minho, extracting himself off of Seungmin, then grabbing bottled water from their bedside mini fridge. He needed to cool down anyway. "Fire away."
"Have you ever wondered which one of us fell for the other first?" Seungmin asks, shockingly straight to the point as Minho swallows down his water unceremoniously, slightly choking in the process.
He coughs before replying with, "Really?"
Seungmin nods in affirmation, taking the bottled water from Minho and drinking from it too. "It's just been bugging me for a while now, I guess."
"Hmm," Minho pauses to consider his options. "Probably you. I'm so lovable and you're obsessed with me, it only checks out."
"Can't even refute that claim," Seungmin says in defeat. Minho's expression then transforms into a triumphant one. "Come to think of it, I wrote you a letter to confess months before we actually did."
"And I've never seen this because…?"
"I hid it somewhere in the house," replied Seungmin. "I was hoping you would encounter it at some point and read it. You never did. I don't know if I hid it that well or if you're just lazy—"
"Ya, Kim Seungmin!" scolded Minho playfully, though the contents of the letter now started to pique his interest. He files the thought of deliberately seeking it for later. "I'll have you know that I am the CEO of a successful hotel company, and I have no time in my hands for such nonsense."
"You're really not intrigued about it?" Seungmin had asked, softly tugging Minho back into his lap while he's at it. He refuses to fold, seeing as Seungmin had suspended his advances earlier, smirking devilishly as his playful refusal elicits a cute pout-lipped reaction out of Seungmin.
"No," Minho says to emphasize his point, cupping Seungmin's cheek daintily while resisting the urge to kiss the pout in his lips away. "Plus, you probably remember the entire gist of it. You can just tell me if you want to."
"I really don't," Seungmin says, a groan marking the end of his sentence as Minho's hands start roaming his body, lingering in the areas he's been made well aware of over the years, in an attempt to rile Seungmin up to his level.
"That's a shame, then," Minho continues teasingly, going over the wide expanse of his back now, and then notices the slight exhale Seungmin had let out when his fingers grazed over his shoulder blades.
"You could look for it—oh, that's nice," Seungmin's statement abruptly stopped as Minho started massaging his shoulders gently.
"Your back muscles are literally screaming for my help right now," Minho remarked as he continued with his light massage. "Lie down fully for me, baby. How was the work trip?"
The next time Seungmin speaks, his voice is muffled by a pillow."Ugh, you have no idea. It was terrible. Mattress company CEO is putting a hissy fit over the partnership. I'll patch it all over by tomorrow at the office, don't worry."
Minho suddenly recalls a similar situation in the early days of their marriage, though with the roles reversed. Minho had refused any semblance of help from Seungmin, immediately deeming it an insult to his capabilities, when the younger genuinely only wanted to help. He momentarily thinks about how funny things work themselves out sometimes as he asks, "Do you need me there?"
Seungmin rolls over, now lying on his back. "I'll manage. You're already busy enough as it is, with your family's company and halmeoni—"
"How many times do I have to repeat myself before you get it through your thick skull?" Minho says, exasperated but fond as he cradles his body over Seungmin's. "You are my first priority, Seung. You don't have to bend over backward handling everything just so you don't ask me for help."
"I'm not, I just wanted to sort it out on my own so you know I can manage—"
Minho shuts him up with a shallow kiss on his lips. "You don't have to prove your worth to me, or anyone for that matter." Seungmin visibly relaxes underneath him, the heat of their bodies enveloping them in warmth and comfort. "You are one amazingly capable man, Kim Seungmin. But that doesn't mean you'd never need occasional help."
Seungmin props his body up, again closing the distance between him and his lovely husband, who he notes looks even more ridiculously gorgeous than he is on a daily basis, especially utterly ravished like this. Since he succumbed to the embarrassing extent of his feelings for Minho, his heart could only grow in turn, to better accommodate his growing affection, adoration, and love for the older. It is comical how even years later, his heart still finds ways to fall deeper in love with Lee Minho.
"Okay," Seungmin says finally, cutting their chaste kiss short by capping it off with a peck. "I really need your help with that bastard."
Minho laughs as Seungmin yet again attempts to tug him back into his lap, to which he doesn't exercise even the slightest bit of restraint. He feels the atmosphere grow hot and charged with something else entirely, as the eyes that stare back at his own darken with dripping, overwhelming desire—a perfect mirror to Minho's own.
"But that's for tomorrow," Seungmin drops his voice to a sensual whisper, causing Minho to shiver in anticipation as he guides one of Minho's small hands to graze the middle of his slacks. "For now though, could you help me with this instead, bunny?"
"You're ridiculous," Minho says breathlessly, his ears reddening as he pushes Seungmin away while retracting his hand from the spot. "There's a better term for it actually—you're a menace."
Seungmin just smiles that smile that reminds Minho so much of a puppy that he just melts, leaning his back onto Seungmin. Seungmin wraps his arms around his waist, pressing a kiss on each of his ears. "Don't act like you didn't start all this, jagi."
"I'm glad I did, then." Minho faces him as he concedes, uncharacteristically easy. But who could really blame him? He missed Seungmin, and desperately needed to be connected to him in the most intimate way possible. Indulgence was easy like this, in the arms of his loving husband. It may not be easy to put into words always, but days like these make it a tiny bit easier.
So he does.
"I missed you," he added sincerely, looking at Seungmin with a slight tremble in his voice. Seungmin took his hand and pressed a kiss onto it lightly.
"I'm here now," Seungmin says ever-so-sweetly, lacing their hands together, fitting perfectly. He looks at Minho like he hung up all the stars in the sky, with such sheer sincerity that Minho believes it. "You have me. Always."
Minho smiles, saccharine—the playful remark at the tip of his tongue being barely held back. He gives up. "Stop being sappy and kiss me."
And Seungmin, not inclined whatsoever to disobey his husband, does exactly just that, closing the small distance between them with a searing kiss that's equal parts romantic and desperate, both busily indulging in the presence of each other, getting lost in the map of each other all over again.
Minho doesn't think about Seungmin's confession letter for quite some time. Between verbally wrestling their potential business partners into agreement, signing off his parents' company to an acquisition as well as staying on top of his grandmother's preventative medication and care, his days are always packed to the brim with interaction in every aspect of his life, effectively slimming the amount of time he gets to spend with Seungmin. There are even days when he only sees his husband in bed, but the both of them are too tired to do anything beyond cuddling and falling asleep in each other's arms.
A shame, really, seeing as Minho also remembers their wedding anniversary (the second one—both of them consider the arranged wedding a fluke) was coming so soon. For the previous ones, it was always Seungmin who had prepared such lovely surprises, but not because Minho forgets or doesn't give ample care. He attests this to Seungmin being naturally much more unabashedly romantic than he is, with no semblance of hesitation or embarrassment when he says lovely declarations of his undying love and affection. Minho is one to profess his love in subtlety, masked in domestic actions and sharp words that conceal their true meaning to the untrained ear. Seungmin's ear is very far from untrained, sure—and their deep understanding of each other's language is what makes them work so well—but Minho acknowledges that the best surprises are those that come from beyond his comfort zone. One thought led to another, which ultimately led to Minho's present situation: willingly trapped in their rustic, dusty attic, his hair full of cobwebs as he diligently scoured old file boxes and other clutter, adamant in finding the letter, which is the ultimate key to his master plan.
"Damn you, Kim Seungmin," he mutters to himself, annoyed as he searched the last of the boxes to no avail. He did manage to fish out a cute childhood photo album Seungmin's sister had sent over to them in the past, one that Seungmin had quickly hidden from him, embarrassed at the prospect of Minho seeing him in his knobbly-kneed youth. He had been worried for nothing, then, seeing as Minho could only find endearment bubbling in his chest as he sifted through the pages. Seungmin was one adorable child.
Soon, Minho realizes he couldn't afford to slack off by thinking sentimentally about his husband, so he goes back to work. He makes quick work of scanning over a papercase labelled 'Business' before proceeding to the corner filled with old closets that broke either due to old age or through the mischievous involvement of their three cats.
Somewhere from below, he hears his grandmother call. He swiftly climbs down the attic ladder after dusting his head and heads to the living room, where she was eating a garden salad while watching a historical Korean drama.
"Go ahead and have some snacks," She urged. Minho relents and takes an orange wedge. "You've been in the attic for hours already! What are you even looking for in there, anyway?"
Minho suddenly realizes that his grandmother must've served as a confidante to Seungmin during their "tiptoeing the line" phase, so he decides to be honest about his endeavor, in the hopes that she may have insight regarding the letter's location.
"Has Seungmin ever told you about a letter?" Minho asks, grabbing another orange wedge from the tray on the table. "One for me, perhaps?"
"He might have mentioned one in passing, but he didn't tell me where he'd put it," his grandmother responded quickly. "It's probably in a place you don't go through a lot because you would've found it immediately otherwise."
Minho racks his brain for a memory wherein he had mentioned to Seungmin a place he isn't fond of using or searching through, and only one came to mind—the old dresser they had received as a wedding gift from their first wedding. Upon the realization, he bade his grandmother goodbye and shot up to their shared home office, where the dresser now sat.
~
"This thing is so ridiculously hard to open," Minho complained to Seungmin loudly as he struggled to force the bottom drawer to open. "Remind me to get a replacement, will you?"
Seungmin walks over to him, asking him to stand aside as he offers to attempt to open the drawer for him. Minho had scoffed, immediately thinking that his husband's stick-for-arms is no match for the ridiculously stubborn dresser—but Seungmin managed to open it in one go, not a second of struggle in sight. Seungmin smirks at a bewildered Minho.
"It's an antique, you were unlocking it the wrong way," Seungmin says gently as Minho demands him to reveal how he managed to open it so easily. Seungmin takes Minho's hand and perched it on top of one of the drawers' handles, with his hand sitting directly on top of Minho's own. He ignores the preexisting swarm of butterflies wildly flailing in his stomach in favor of listening to Seungmin's patient explanation, but his honey-spooled voice did nothing but make it worse. Minho resolutely tries to stand firm. Ridiculous feelings shouldn't be felt for ridiculously gorgeous fake husbands, he amends—especially not one as caring and attentive as Kim Seungmin.
Once he's done with the tutorial, Seungmin extracts his hand from his and asks him to repeat the trick, which he does with a roll of his eyes (classic Minho) and the drawer easily opens.
"Was that better, hyung?" Seungmin asks kindly then. Minho doesn't respond immediately, his thoughts still raging with the feeling of Seungmin's hand on his, and how ridiculously crestfallen he is internally without its presence.
God, he feels like such a teenager.
"It doesn't matter," Minho replies curtly when he manages to get ahold of himself. "It's still inconvenient. We should get a replacement. Or at least, an alternative."
Seungmin smiles, and Minho finds he looks almost endeared. He does a double-take, as that can't exactly be right—but when he looks back at Seungmin, he was still looking at him fondly, and his voice was like dripping honey as he softly says, "We'll do whatever you want, hyung."
Somewhere inside his chest, a stalk of hope bloomed. That maybe—just maybe—his ridiculous fake husband felt ridiculous feelings of love for him back.
~
Victory smells potent as Minho locates the letter alright, tucked between old clothes stowed away in the bottom drawer of the dresser. He keeps it in his safe (the only thing Seungmin doesn't have access to in their bedroom), aiming to read it later once he finishes preparing dinner. If there was one thing that he finds most frustrating about his husband, it's the fact that he could forget to eat a meal when he's focused and drowning in work. The frequency of it has decreased greatly after a hefty row, to which they both had agreed to eat dinner together every day as much as possible (circumstances considered) as a way to resolve the argument. Being both busy men, they tended to eat out in restaurants or have their chef whip up something they felt like having for the day, though there are rare instances wherein Minho finds (or more accurately, makes) time to create their meal instead.
It's a no-brainer, really. Cooking has always been a hobby of Minho's, and Seungmin deeply enjoyed the food he makes—and Minho would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy witnessing the way Seungmin munches on his food happily while also sweetly complimenting his prowess. Minho translates this love into eagerly helping Seungmin to more servings and mentally filing the notion of looking for new recipes to try and whip up.
Today though, Minho opts for simplicity as he takes out the ingredients necessary for kimchi-jjigae. Seungmin had raved about missing the home-cooked ones he used to have often as a child a few days back, and Minho is nothing but indulgent in this case, so he takes it to himself to prepare it. Seungmin had texted him that he was already on his way home, and taking into account the traffic and last-minute business-related conversations, Minho knows he has more than enough time to prepare the food and set the table.
When Seungmin arrives, he lights up at the sight of Minho already waiting for him at the front of their door. With a brief press of lips as a greeting, Minho wordlessly takes Seungmin's hand and pulls him to their dining table, where two bowls of kimchi-jjigae sat, along with a huge array of side dishes.
"You have no idea how much I'm craving for this right now," Seungmin says, absolutely in awe, as he pulls Minho in his arms into a tight hug. His thank you gets drowned out by the sound of his stomach rumbling, and so Minho giggles.
"Let's eat before the food gets cold, silly," he scolds lightly, causing Seungmin to pull away with a goofy smile on his face. They share conversation over the meal, trading stories about the day, as they always do. It's always been comforting, and a way for them to bond everyday in spite of their equally packed schedules.
Minho is in the middle of retelling a funny instance that happened to Soonie earlier in the day when Seungmin pulls up his phone from his pocket. Normally, Minho would be bothered by the usage of electronics over a meal, but Seungmin seemed excited, so he decided to let it be.
"I've been looking at a bunch of camping sites earlier in the day," Seungmin starts conversationally after Minho had wrapped up the Soonie story. "Currently leaning on three places to book for our anniversary."
"Not a surprise for this year, then?" Minho asks playfully as he adds more of the stew to Seungmin's bowl.
"I have no knowledge about camping, Min," Seungmin explains. "Plus, I wouldn't want to go anywhere you don't want to go anyway, so your input is very important to me."
"Well then," Minho pauses to consider— "I think this one with the lakeside cabin and the whole bunch of activities is nice. There's a nice hiking trail too."
One that'd look absolutely romantic during sunset, Minho thinks. Perfect for his plans, really.
"Consider it booked, then," Seungmin says with a triumphant smile, his happiness nothing short of infectious as Minho just looks at him with a small smile playing on his lips as well. "Make sure your calendar's schedule-free for the weekend."
"Tell that to yourself, Kim Seungmin," Minho rebuts playfully, standing up to gather their used dishes and cutlery while Seungmin cleans the table. "You're the guy balancing executive and board positions in two companies."
Seungmin immediately stops cleaning. "Wouldn't hurt to get on top of a bunch more work before bed, would it?"
Minho smirks, seeing as his devised plan to keep Seungmin off their bedroom for a while is working. He works a little bit of reverse psychology as he responds with a cheeky, "Eh, your call. Though I could've sworn it was ages ago when we last had—"
"Shoot, I was really preoccupied, wasn't I?" Seungmin asks, the realization of his potential neglect as a lover dawning on him as a terrified expression on his face. "In my defense, I was doubling up on the work to help clear everything off before the trip."
"You can keep doing that, seems like a smart plan," Minho affirms as he places their dishes in their dishwasher. "You'd have to make it up to me plenty, though."
Seungmin breaks out into the smile that Minho's heart goes berserk for (ridiculous, really), moving closer to him for a kiss. "I promise, bunny."
When they parted minutes later, Seungmin said, "Thanks for the lovely dinner. I'll be at the office for a while, so don't wait up."
"Sure, Seungmin-ah," he replies as normally as possible. After cleaning up and taking a shower, Minho officially settles in their bed alone, the letter he's spent hours looking for in his hand. He's locked the door beforehand, but not before sneakily checking Seungmin in their home office, still busily engaged with clearing off some emails and monitoring a few worksheets.
For some reason, he feels nervous about the whole ordeal. Not with reading the letter itself—but his prospect and desire to craft a reply was the real gut-churner. He's not particularly good with words, as he's established prior, and yet the fiery stubbornness that washes over him was still stronger than that fear.
Oh well, then.
Minho opens the letter, which reads:
To my insufferable Lee Minho hyung,
While I highly doubt that you will ever find this letter (I did hide it in our quote-unquote "devil's spawn of a dresser" that you refuse to use anymore) it's still particularly cathartic to write about this one odd feeling that's been spawning in my chest the past few months. Just to pass the time, perhaps? But in actuality, writing it helps with clarity—makes it feel more real than it already does to me, at least.
I'll stop beating around the bush. I like you, hyung. Like a lot, really. The type that feels ironically freeing and heart-constricting at the same time, one that crept to me not unexpectedly, but the sheer volume of it outright was terrifying. I already knew after the first week of marriage that you weren't someone that was hard to love, and perhaps I set myself up for trouble when I decided to push into getting to know you better. Do I regret any of it? Not really. No. Not ever. Coming to terms with it was unfairly easy too; it was kind of embarrassing, since I did come into this arrangement thinking I wouldn't succumb to romantic feelings (as I never have before, funnily enough) and this would stay at best a platonic marriage between individuals with the same goals.
That's the thing I'm in crisis with as of late. I don't want us to remain like this, but I can never impose that on you. You're an enigma to me, hyung—someone I can never grasp and understand. Sometimes I like to get my hopes up and think your soft gazes and touches are of meaning, but you're quick to dismiss it after, saying it's for keeping up appearances and staying compliant for the remainder of this arrangement. I do the same just so you think we're on the same page. But no, comically and unintentionally, we are not.
Because I hold such ridiculous amounts of adoration for you. Like was never enough of a word to describe it, but I'm still coming to terms with what to call it. I knew since I accidentally fell ill because of surveying the site for our company building while it was raining. You didn't have to take care of me, especially since it meant that you were postponing meetings and schedules that were of utmost importance, but you still did. I remember you stubbornly saying with your soft voice that part of the business was taking care of me when I told you to just leave me. Then and there, I realized that feelings don't have to be seen in an outright manner to be felt—that, despite your cutting words and outward nonchalance, you cared. You always have. It may not be on the same terms as mine, but it's enough for me to know that I'll stand proudly by your side, selfishly, for as long as you would let me.
While I hope it could be as long as an eternity I don't normally believe in, I still don't have a clear grasp on what you think. Or, more accurately, how you think. But part of me thinks this is one thing I shouldn't overthink until it gets ruined.
I might be getting ahead of myself, at the risk of total heartbreak, but I digress: my heart belongs to you, Lee Minho. No lies or roles to play. No take-backsies too, unfortunately. Shamelessly, endlessly, without remorse, nor a single drop of doubt or hesitation—I love you.
From your eternally annoying husband,
Kim Seungmin
"Sappy ass," Minho whispers to himself silently as he finishes reading, tears flowing slowly down his face like a miniature waterfall. He felt like then and there, his heart swelled further into the territory he left uncharted for as long as he could muster, a place he now was well-acquainted with ever since he gathered the gut to admit he loved Kim Seungmin as well. He'd never once in his entire existence thought he'll have this, a splendid, successful life with a loving husband to boot—he'd sincerely thought the two were mutually exclusive outcomes, at least when it came to him, but alas, he was wrong—and he's never felt happier to be mistaken.
After stowing the letter back into the safe and washing his face to get rid of the traces of tears, Minho silently enters their office, where Seungmin was still in the middle of drafting a hefty letter, spectacles gracing his stunning face, hair fluffy and slightly disheveled.
"Hey, bunny," Seungmin says softly, immediately leaving his desk to give Minho a forehead kiss. "What are you doing here?"
"Couldn't really sleep," Minho says with a small smile as he adjusts Seungmin's glasses to sit better on his nose bridge.
"Have you taken those melatonin gummies I bought a while back?" Seungmin asks, concerned. "I'm pretty sure there's a jar on our bedside fridge, but there must be a few in here—"
"Seung," Minho says as he firmly stops Seungmin from moving, albeit being touched by his husband's immediate concern, "It's okay. I bought my laptop with me. I wanted to help you with a bunch of that stuff since I don't have much to do tomorrow, anyway."
Aside from writing a love letter, Minho takes off from the statement.
"Oh? You don't have to, Min—"
"But I want to," Minho interjects, taking over Seungmin's place on the swiveling chair. "Take a little bit of a screen break by making us coffee. I refuse to fall asleep without you by my side today."
Minho doesn't immediately realize the gravity of the statement he just uttered, not until he sees Seungmin smirk borderline evilly. The lilt in his voice was teasing as he said, "That's what this is, then?"
Minho glares. "Get going. Two espresso shots as usual, please."
"You didn't take back the statement," Seungmin says, doing a small stupid victory dance over the admission that Minho only manages to stop when he threatens to lock Seungmin out of their room once they finish up with the office tasks.
Minho is halfway done proofreading another one of Seungmin's drafted emails to a board member when Seungmin returns, laden with a tray with two steaming mugs of coffee and a few castellas. He murmurs a quick thanks before sliding the swivel chair to the other side of the large desk, freeing a bit of space for Seungmin. They work in relative silence, aside from a few instances of playful snark and banter over email word choices. Time passed by quickly, and by the time they wrapped everything up, it was 3 am and Seungmin was sleeping soundly over his closed laptop, eyes peacefully shut and his facial features relaxed into an expression Minho could only find adorable.
"Could've told me you were sleepy an hour ago," Minho says with a sigh, though his fond gaze was unwavering. He gently shakes him awake while saying, "Seungmin-ah. Just because I can carry you to bed doesn't mean I have to. I can leave you here, you know."
Seungmin's eyes flutter open for a moment. "I know you love me too much for that, hyung." He murmurs sleepily, his eyes fluttering shut the moment his sentence ends.
Seungmin isn't mistaken, Minho knows—and he would normally refuse to back down this soon, but he finds himself to still be very much in his indulgent headspace, so he just lets it be. That seemed to be quite the recurring theme for Minho's feelings as of late, which (now that he thinks about it) is quite comedic.
He threatens Seungmin with revenge just to maintain a minuscule sense of self-preservation before lifting his torso off the chair in one quick fell swoop, leading them to the bedroom where Minho gently lays him down, immediately tucking him into their duvet. Minho does quick work of shutting their lights off and setting the AC temperature before he settles down next to Seungmin, who was still very much sound asleep.
"You're going to be so mad when you wake up and realize you didn't get to brush your teeth after coffee," he said fondly as he gently tousled Seungmin's bangs to reveal his forehead. He presses a light kiss to it, then immediately ducks underneath the covers, the warmth of Seungmin's body against his enough for the tender embrace of sleep to envelop him.
Minho sets out to start and finish penning his letter today, to which he may have unwisely enlisted the help of a certain Han Jisung, who was newly back in town from a semester of teaching political science at a university abroad. He immediately responded to a distress call Minho would admit to being quite dramatic, but effective nevertheless, seeing as Jisung was now seated across from him, contentedly eating the cheesecake slice he had ordered as he ran the younger man up to speed with his plans.
"You're making a what now?" Jisung asks incredulously over coffee, in a quaint little place that felt vaguely familiar to Minho. He sighs deeply before responding.
"A letter," Minho replies firmly. "For Seungmin. Anniversary gift. I need your help because I suck at words."
Jisung looks around the surroundings as if he's considering something. The next time he speaks, there's a teasing tone to it. "You do realize this is the same exact café where you told me you wanted to divorce him, right?"
Minho's jaw dropped at the mention of the info, the utter irony of how things worked out between him and Seungmin hitting him like freshly-pouring hail. "Really? That's ridiculous."
Jisung could only smirk. "Told you he was pretty nice."
Minho couldn't even mask the smitten look on his face—an expression he doesn't let his face contort into quite often—as he thinks fondly about his and Seungmin's journey into the love they both now inexplicably share. The smile on his face is unwavering as he says, with a sweetness so uncharacteristic, "Yes. Yes, he is."
Jisung grimaces, sipping his iced americano before saying, "Gross."
"Hey, just because you've only experienced unrequited love doesn't mean you could be bitter about my love life," Minho remarks teasingly, to which Jisung could only reply with visual outrage in the form of an angry expression and the threat of a cold caffeinated drink dripping down his clothes. "I'm kidding! Sorry, Sungie."
"You better be, because I'm not helping you with your letter otherwise," said Jisung. "Hell, I don't think I'll help you unless you get me an entire cheesecake and more coffee."
Minho groans, digging around his pockets for his credit card. He hands it over to Jisung, who grins triumphantly.
"Thank you for your monetary funds," he says with a flourish, fake bowing to annoy Minho even more. He starts outlining the contents of what he wanted to write as he waited for Jisung to return. When he does, they make quick work of writing and editing and proofreading, which Minho didn't expect to take relatively quickly, seeing an hour and a half had only passed, a mere ten minutes before lunchtime.
"Hyung," Jisung says as he reads over what was meant to be Minho's final draft, "You don't even need my help in the first place. This is extremely good. Swoon-worthy, even."
"Really? You're not bullshitting?" Minho genuinely inquires, his voice slightly nervous as he closes his laptop and stows it away in his bag.
"No," replied Jisung. "It's genuinely really good. Plus, I think that even if you gave Seungmin a poem like that potato one you made as a kid, he'll still like it, because you made it for him. It's a silly side effect of love."
"Now that's just crap," dismissed Minho, though he knows Jisung's right. "But thank you for the help, really. Do you want to grab lunch? I've kept you long enough, it's the least I could do."
"Can I cash in the favor next time?" asked Jisung as he checked his watch hurriedly. "I'm grabbing lunch with Hwang Hyunjin in forty minutes, it's supposed to be a date—"
Minho fake gasps. "You're dating my business rival?"
Jisung doesn't look apologetic as he replies, "Get over yourself. We got played matchmaker—"
"I'm joking," said Minho. "Get out of here, loverboy. Wouldn't want the date waiting."
"Sure," Jisung says, ambling to leave, but not before saying, "Handwritten in fancy Sanrio stationery, got it?"
"Yep, thanks," said Minho, eyeing the store next door that sold exactly what he needed.
He makes his way over to the store after he bids Jisung a final goodbye, grabbing several pens and a Pochacco journal, along with a bunch of stickers, memo pads, and a scented envelope. He gets a bunch of decorative items too, in case he gets creative and feels the need to decorate his letter even more. He also checks his list and grabs a bunch of items that Seungmin regularly uses and is running low in stock, just because he can. Everything was worth it when it came to Seungmin, anyway.
The remaining days before their weekend anniversary getaway pass by in a blur, and soon Minho finds himself driving south of Seoul with Seungmin in tow, who was playing a bunch of instrumentals and singing karaoke loudly. He's normally not a fan of loudness, but Seungmin had a singing voice so gorgeous and was sweeter than honey, and so he just enjoys the pleasant music ringing through his ears. As he exits onto a highway and the current song builds up to its bridge, Seungmin hands him an imaginary mic.
"Come on, Min!" Seungmin says invitingly with the ever-so-charming smile on his face that Minho couldn't muster his usual biting snark, his resolve weak in the face of such a bright sight. He sings the bridge, hitting the high notes easily and all, that Seungmin could only stare at him in awe.
"What?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the road.
"Just realized I've never heard you sing out loud before," Seungmin answers a beat later. "You have such a nice voice, hyung. I would love to hear you sing more."
"It's nothing, especially compared to you," Minho easily dismisses, though his ears burn bright red at the compliment. "But since you asked so nicely, I might just sing more."
"Funny way to say you love indulging me," Seungmin says jokingly as he checks their location. Minho doesn't respond, which he knows Seungmin correctly construes as him affirming the truth of his claim. A few minutes of silence pass before Seungmin mentions they were only a few meters away from the campsite.
They arrived in three minutes alright, on a forest clearing sitting at the foot of a hill where a number of log cabins stood in a semicircle, empty except for a couple of caretakers who approached them with hospitable smiles, ambling to help them with their minimal luggage.
Once they were settled and left alone to their devices, Seungmin sauntered over to Minho's space and kisses him on the lips shallowly. "Thanks for the stationery. I know it was you."
Minho smiles, wrapping his arms around Seungmin's neck, tiptoeing to lessen the prominence of their height difference, "I wasn't trying to hide it. Consider it a pre-anniversary present."
"Reminds me we have quite the itinerary to go through today," said Seungmin, gently taking Minho's hands into his own, caressing his palms softly. "It would be really fun if we got to do all of them."
Minho pouts. "No room for making out on the agenda?"
Seungmin, being the weak man that he is, kisses it away—a press of lips that has Minho smiling unrestrained. "That can be arranged later in the evening, bunny."
They've only managed to tick off three things on their agenda when the rain starts pouring down angrily. Minho knows Seungmin is a bit of a perfectionist, and he hates it when things he planned don't turn out like how he envisioned it in his head—so as they sat by the shack in the archery range waiting for the downpour to stop, it wasn't shocking that Seungmin looked visibly upset.
"I knew I was forgetting something," murmured Seungmin angrily as he glared at the sky, cursing it inwardly for ruining the rest of his surprise. "It was such a basic thing to check first, too."
Minho inches closer to him, smiling consolingly. "Seung, it's okay. I had a blast. I always do when I'm with you."
Seungmin frowns. "We haven't even gotten to the best part yet. If I had checked the weather I could've planned more appropriately and we wouldn't have to cut our celebrations short—"
"Whoa, hold on," Minho stops him. "Who said anything about stopping?"
At that, Minho tugs Seungmin unceremoniously into standing, him wobbling at the suddenness of the action. "Take off your shoes," Minho says as he does the same. Seungmin doesn't oblige immediately, still looking at Minho questioningly as he walks away from the younger.
"Let's embrace the rain, jagi," Minho says happily as he steps out of the roof, letting the cool air and the drops of water hit his face. "We could improvise. When else are we going to do this, anyway?"
"You're basically asking to be sick, hyung," Seungmin says with a roll of his eyes, though Minho could see that he was barefoot now, always easily compliant to his demands.
"Not if we take a bath afterwards," replied Minho matter-of-factly. "Come on. Or I'll track mud into your shoes."
Seungmin acquiesces then, slowly stepping out of the roof, slightly shivering as the cold air hits his face. It was late afternoon, and the evening breeze was starting to set in, but it was yet to be dark enough for them to not see anything. From his peripheral vision, Minho could see the sign pointing to the hiking trail, so he ran to Seungmin, taking his hand as they ran barefoot, mud sticking to their soles.
"This is disgusting," Seungmin says as he hears the mud squelching from underneath them as they braved walking the hiking trail, which fortunately wasn't very high up. "But, it is kind of fun."
The rain had significantly weakened, still pouring steadily but not loudly hammering on the ground, as Minho and Seungmin walked hand-in-hand, uncaring of the fact that their clothes were soaked and their hair wet and mussed. "Suck it up for a little bit more. We're almost there anyway," Minho says, checking his jacket pocket for his letter, which was slightly wet but fortunately still intact. Worst-case scenario, he still has a backup copy stowed away in his luggage back at the cabin, but Minho thinks a setting like this could be quite romantic for what he's planning to do.
They reached the peak in a few more minutes, a clearing with a couple of benches that overlooked a breathtaking view of the mountains. Minho marvels at the sight, totally in awe of the landscape, effectively not noticing that Seungmin only has eyes for him, smiling at the way his husband's eyes light up with excitement.
"This is such a pretty view," Minho says, still not taking his eyes off the landscape, "don't you think so, Seungmin-ah?"
"It's nice enough," Seungmin says neutrally, the follow-up still itching to leave the tip of his tongue. It refused to be inhibited, so he adds, "But nothing could ever look prettier in my eyes when I've already laid them on you."
Minho slaps him, light violence his default way to respond when Seungmin says words of flattery such as these. "Corny, and obsessed with me," he says as his ears are left dusted pink, "I have no idea why I'm with you."
Seungmin kisses his cheek. "You love me for it anyway."
They stay in comfortable silence for a few moments after that, Minho resting his head on Seungmin's shoulder as they let the tranquility of the sound of the rain pouring and the breeze blowing lull them into security. Their hands are still laced together, which leads Seungmin to notice that Minho's hands are uncharacteristically clammy and cold, slightly trembling from it all.
"Min, are you okay? Your hand feels like ice," Seungmin asks, concern etched on his face as he stands up and tries to lead Minho to the veranda that stood nearby.
Minho sighs, thinking it's now or never. "I'm fine. Just nervous, that's all."
"What are you nervous about?" Seungmin asks again kindly, putting his arm on Minho's back consolingly. Minho inhales heavily before speaking, trying to reduce the nerves he felt at that moment.
"Do you remember the time when you told me about your confession letter?" Minho begins after he manages to get ahold of himself, to which Seungmin only responds with a nod. "I got a crick in my neck trying to look for it everywhere, and I managed to find it alright."
Seungmin winces. "I hope it wasn't too bad. And the letter is dreadfully written, now that I think about it."
"Lies," said Minho, and then continued, "it was very sweet, and it made me realize that I've never made much effort to put to words how much I care about you. Granted, you've never made me feel like I had to, because you always understood me—but I thought it'd be a fun surprise and a challenge if I make a letter for you."
Minho pulls the letter out of his pocket and its case, forgetting that it was still raining. "Shit, it's drenched. Still readable, though."
He gives it to Seungmin, who refuses to take it. There's a cheeky smile on his face as he cups Minho's face with one of his palms, his other hand resting idly in the small of the older's back, like a scene ripped out of a romance novel. Minho thinks Seungmin looks so alluring like this, more so as he asks, with a tilt of his head, "Can you read it for me instead, bunny?"
"Asshole, see if I do things like this for you ever again," Minho says grumpily as he pushes Seungmin's hand away from his face, though he still opens the letter and begins reading. "To the bane of my existence, Kim Seungmin.
"As you opened the discussion of first loves and falling in love, I came to terms with the fact that you were my first. It's quite embarrassing to admit, which is why I never have, not until the penning of this letter, but I've never embraced or relished in affection, never really thought it worthy of a place in my life—until you.
"You, who had the diligence to search behind my facade, a perseverance I admit to having found quite annoying at first. Why was this person so adamant to be personable, I thought to myself, seeing as we knew nothing about each other and we had every reason not to even try—ours was an arrangement, a business cooperation, and nothing more. I had expected to call it off as soon as I could, because there was no way I was going to keep you from being tied down with me.
"But you were lovely, debonair, and alluring in the suit you wore to our wedding, and even lovelier as a person. Thoughts that matched mine, a twin flame of ambition, passion, and stubbornness—a worthy rival, in terms. Looking back at it now, that was probably the reason I acted dismissive of you the first few months, as you were everything I feared most, packed into a person so handsome, outwardly charming, and suave, a recipe for a total disaster.
"Disaster, as it turns out, was merely the notion of falling in love I failed to entertain until it gobsmacked me in the face, leaving scars that tingle and shout your name. This was such a foreign feeling—blushing at the smallest of fond glances, heart racing at the feeling of your hands against mine, and the absolutely ridiculous way my heart erratically beats when you unabashedly show me you care. In the face of love, I was a child. It wasn't difficult to tell you loved me back, and yet the fear of succumbing to it was still greater, and it took even more time for me to realize and be comfortable with admitting that I wanted to be by your side the most.
"We've come so far from this over the years, so far already from tiptoeing the lines and showcasing affection behind the curtains. We've both changed plenty, mutual effort into making what we share not burn out like a tiny flame—and yet a few things have still stayed the same. I still have a hard time expressing myself through words, never upfront and disguising everything with complaints and arguments that would've exhausted anyone else to death. But you're you, and you understand.
"As I thought of ways to surprise you for our anniversary, the answer was quite obvious—that I had to pick up pen and paper and try my hardest to spill my heart out in a letter, just like you always do. So, where to even begin? What words would even suffice to describe the great lengths of the love that I ridiculously hold for you? As I search my thoughts and agonized the answer to this question, my conclusion is this: nothing would suffice. No words, ink, or paper, nor a great mind with the vocabulary of a million dictionaries of all languages can say it. I have the talent for none of these, but the universal truth holds—I love you, and I will continue to love you, with all my heart and soul, to the end of the eternity I would love to call our own. From your stunningly breathtaking husband, Lee Minho."
His stunningly breathtaking husband blinks at that, the fond look and the hand he still has on the small of Minho's back still warm and soft. The rain starts pouring harder again, immediately ruining Minho's letter, causing it to disintegrate as it falls to the ground below them. But Minho couldn't pay it any mind, not anymore—not when Seungmin looked at him like he was the greatest thing the world could offer, his gentle features more handsome despite the constant stream of droplets flowing from them. They stay lost in each other's eyes for what feels like an eternity, before Seungmin finally presses his wet lips to Minho's, wrapping him in an embrace so hot that the cool of the air felt like nothing in the face of it all. The kiss was sweet, gentle, and perfectly romantic in the setting of two lovers underneath stormy skies.
Seungmin pulls away after a stretch of time, grinning like an overexcited puppy. "I've never thought I'd be happy over unexpected rain and ruined plans ever in my life."
Minho smiles back, with a softness he decides against hiding, indulgent in the face of Seungmin's eyes quite literally sparkling with happiness. "I told you we could improvise."
Seungmin pauses to gather his thoughts. "Do you know what my favorite part of our first wedding was?" He asks, taking Minho's hands and lacing them with both his larger ones.
"No," replied Minho easily, letting Seungmin do whatever he wanted. "What does that have to do with this?"
Seungmin, in lieu of a reply, leads one of Minho's hands to rest on his broad shoulders, while wrapping one of his on Minho's waist. "I liked the dancing," he replies softly, as he starts leading them in a slow dance to an imaginary song. "Back then, I didn't think much of it, but ever since that day, I think I've barely kept my eyes off of you."
"How fitting, then," Minho says primly, not taking his eyes off Seungmin either as they danced under the rain, uncaring of the fact that the mud has probably climbed higher up their legs, "I distinctly remember the song we danced to that day, and I'm pretty sure you do, too."
"Could've just asked me to sing, Min," Seungmin says, still fond as he shook his head in faux disapproval. "I'm not going to deny you anything."
"Sing for me, then."
And Seungmin does, his voice spooled honey and classic, spewing out the intended emotions of the song so easily, every single word etched in Minho's heart like a mark. It was pure devotion put into words, a familiar song and dance of affection that Minho decides to join, singing along in a duet that rang pleasantly across the clearing as the rain finally came to a halt.
As the song came to a close, Seungmin pulled him closer and kissed him again right before saying, sweeter than anything in the world, "Happy anniversary, love."
Minho softens, kissing him right back. "Happy anniversary to you, too."
Seungmin evidently isn't done, pressing more kisses in every crevice he could reach, from the tip of his nose, to the tips of his ears that were currently on fire, to the soft pads of his cheeks, and again, finally on his mouth. And Minho feels so, so loved—not so much more than he feels daily, because Seungmin was never one to quell expressing his affections toward him—but an amount that has him feeling soft, ample enough for the very last of his resolve to crumble down at the feet of his adoring husband.
"I told you your voice is so lovely," Seungmin says the moment he deems Minho's face peppered with enough kisses in the meantime. "You should really sing more, especially with me."
"Sure," Minho replies, the fight physically leaving his body—at least for now. He just then notices that the weather had cleared up and that their surroundings were starting to go dark. "The rain's gone. We're going to need to shower fast if we don't want to get sick."
Thus starts their journey back to their cabin, which, truthfully, only involved more kisses and one-sided arguments, primarily concerned about who really started liking the other first, to which they came to the verdict that Seungmin was the clear winner, seeing as he admitted to liking Minho five months into their marriage.
"Weak," Minho had teased with his breath hitched, seeing as Seungmin noses into his neck, the feeling of his breath ticklish against warm skin. They were now settled together in the large tub in the cabin's bathroom, previously scrubbing each other free of the grime and mud that stuck to their skin from the hours they spent under the rain. Evidently, that was not what they were doing anymore—Seungmin making good on his promise of making it up to him, in the form of hungry kisses and heated touches. He shows no sign of letting up until Minho forcefully says, "Seungmin. Seungmin. Get off me. The tub is uncomfortable, let's get out of here."
Seungmin pouts at that, but he listens anyway, stepping out of the tub and covering up with a bathrobe. "Bedroom it is, then, bunny. I'm not finished with you, you know."
"You better not be," grumbled Minho as he mirrors Seungmin's previous action. "I meant it when I said you need to make it up to me."
"And I meant it when I said I'm keeping my word," Seungmin says sincerely as they exit the bathroom at the same time. He's all boyish charm and unfairly attractive as he asks, "What am I allowed to do today, though?"
Minho still feels ridiculously indulgent, so much so that he now thinks it just might be his default setting whenever situations that involve Kim Seungmin arise. He pauses for dramatics, laying himself on the bed bare before the man he loves and cherishes the most as he says, "You can do anything to me today, jagi."
And that's exactly what happens next.