Chapter Text
Chan knows that when Mingyu gets home he will be in a bad mood. Not in an angry mood, those are rare, but a pouty, sad mood.
Mingyu had a presentation at work today. He had been working so hard on his project, and he was so proud of it and excited to share it with his bosses, but when Chan had texted him at lunchtime asking how it went, he had only received a sad face in response.
Chan felt so sad for Mingyu; he knows how hard he had worked on this, how many sleepless nights he went through, how much he had poured his heart into it and how badly he wanted to prove himself on his first project as a new employee.
So, Chan resolved to cheer Mingyu up. He had changed the sheets on their bed and tidied everything up (there’s nothing better than a fresh set of sheets and Mingyu hates mess), had put a ton of pillows and blankets on the couch so they could have a cuddle pile and he had started on cooking Mingyu’s favourite comfort food, kimchi jiggae.
Chan isn’t much of a chef, but he knows how much Mingyu appreciates a home-cooked meal, so he tries to cook for him whenever the opportunity comes up.
He had just finished setting the table when he heard the front door open and Mingyu step into the entryway. Chan rushes over to meet him.
As soon as Mingyu sees Chan, he crumples up onto him. His bag thumps to the ground and Mingyu wraps his arms around him tightly and hooks his chin over his shoulder. Chan squeezes back just as hard, rubbing a hand up and down his back in a comforting motion.
“Oh, sweetheart, are you okay?” he asks.
“No,” he hears Mingyu say quietly.
“That’s okay.” He lets Mingyu hold onto him for a while longer.
After a while, he lets go of Mingyu and pushes him back slightly so that they can look at each other. “Honey, look at me,” Chan says, brushing away the tear on Mingyu’s cheeks with his thumb. “You worked so so hard on that project and no matter what your stupid boss said about it, I’m proud of you. I’m proud of you no matter what.” He leans up to give Mingyu a gentle kiss on the cheek. “Now why don’t you go get changed, I made kimchi jiggae for dinner.”
Mingyu perks up a little at that. “Really?”
“Yes. Now go get into some comfy clothes.” Mingyu nods and Chan gives him a pat on the bum as he walks away.
---
When Mingyu gets back, he’s in a pair of sweatpants and he’s wearing the oversized hoodie that Chan wore to bed last night. His hair got messed up from pulling the clothes over his head and it’s sticking up in funny directions and looks all fluffy. Chan feels his heart squeeze with affection at his husband looking so cute.
“Here, come sit down.”
“Not yet,” Mingyu says, and Chan is about to ask what’s wrong, but Mingyu gets to him first, wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing him softly. Chan puts a gentle hand on the back of Mingyu’s neck. “I’ve been wanting to do that all day,” Mingyu says when they break apart
Chan smiles at him softly and squeezes his hand. “The food’s gonna get cold.”
Mingyu sits down and they eat in relative silence, with their feet tangled beneath the table.
When they finish up, Mingyu goes to start clearing the dishes, but Chan stops him.
“Don’t worry about it tonight. Go sit down.”
Mingyu smiles gratefully and gives him a kiss on the temple.
Chan cleans up quickly and sits next to Mingyu on the couch. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asks.
Mingyu sighs dramatically. Chan wraps his arms around him and coaxes him to lean back against his chest. When Mingyu is tucked under his chin with Chan’s arms around his chest, he starts talking.
“Well, my boss just didn’t say anything! When I finished my presentation, he said my ideas were ‘okay,’ and when I asked for what could be improved, he said he didn’t know. That it was fine. It just sucks because now I know it made barely any impact on him. And I worked so hard, and I thought I had been really creative. But he barely even took notice of it.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” Chan says, rubbing a hand up and down Mingyu’s arm. Mingyu huffs softly.
“It was my first big project there. And he didn’t even care.”
“Well, have you shown the client yet? They’ll love it. And they’ll have to give you feedback on it.”
“Hopefully. I really tried to follow exactly what they wanted.”
“I’m sure they’ll love it.” Chan leans down to give him a kiss on the cheek. “How about we watch Parks and Rec and cuddle.”
Mingyu nods and Chan grins. He rearranges them so he’s leaning back against a cushion and Mingyu’s tucked up against his side with his head resting on his chest. Chan puts an episode on and enjoys the feeling of Mingyu relaxing into him. He begins to run his fingers over Mingyu’s scalp in the way he knows Mingyu likes.
Chan isn’t as physically affectionate as Mingyu is, but he knows how important physical touch is to Mingyu so he tries to indulge him as often as he can. He’s become more comfortable with it over the years, even in front of their friends and family. It’s a big jump from how he was at the beginning of their relationship. And in the same way, Mingyu has become more comfortable with using his words to tell Chan how special he is and how much he loves him, even if it would’ve once made him cringe.
When they had finished two episodes, Mingyu sits up and stretches.
“Do you want some dessert, baby?” Chan asks. Mingyu perks up and nods.
“Okay, be right back.” Mingyu grabs Chan’s hand and gives it a light kiss on the back. Chan immediately goes bright red. Even after six years of being together, Mingyu could still catch him off guard with his displays of affection. Chan abandons his plan of going to the kitchen and turns back around to look at Mingyu.
“What was that for?” he asks.
Mingyu clutches his hand tighter. “You’re so sweet to me.” His face is turned up to look at Chan and he’s smiling shyly and has a slight twinkle in his eyes. He looks so precious, and Chan falls in love all over again. They stare at each other for a while Chan’s heart hammers away in his chest. He’s sure his cheeks are still red, but he doesn’t care. Mingyu knows the effect he has on him.
Eventually, Chan squeezes his hand back, sighs in acceptance and sits back down, straddling Mingyu’s lap this time. Mingyu loves it when they sit like this, almost chest to chest. “You deserve it, Mingyu. You’re so special to me. I want you to be happy all the time.” He brushes the hair out of Mingyu’s face gently and keeps his hands on the side of Mingyu’s face. “The most special man in the world.”
Mingyu grins and sticks his lips out for a kiss. Chan gladly obliges.
“Okay, I’m going to get your dessert now,” Chan says and climbs off of his lap.
In the kitchen, he grabs the box holding two muffins out of the pantry. He’d picked them up earlier that day from a fancy bakery that Mingyu loved but was usually too expensive to justify.
When he passes the plate to Mingyu, Mingyu stares at the muffin and then back up at Chan. “I love you.”
Chan laughs. “I love you too, you sap.”
Chan sits down next to Mingyu, and they eat in silence, only broken by slight moans of pleasure from Mingyu.
“That was amazing,” Mingyu says when he finishes.
“It was,” Chan agrees. He collects their plates and places them on the table. “Do you want to watch another episode?”
Mingyu nods and pulls Chan against his chest, so Chan is lying between his legs. Chan pulls a blanket over them and settles in.
---
When they’re in bed that evening, Mingyu turns over to face Chan.
“Thank you for tonight,” he says quietly.
Chan turns over to face Mingyu too. “You don’t have to thank me,” he says. “That’s what I’m here for.”
“Still, thank you.”
Chan rolls his eyes. He gives Mingyu a final kiss and closes his eyes. “Good night, Mingyu.”
“Good night, Chan.”