Chapter Text
Waking up with the sun is nice until you consider the fact that the sun wakes you up unfairly fucking early.
Minsoo groans, rolling over to mash his face into the sheets, and someone taps against the door, a bell-like laugh ringing through the air.
"You're awake!"
"It's too early," he grumbles, and the person laughs once more, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.
"It's eight in the morning, hyung."
That explains why Jaewon's gone, at least.
Minsoo rolls over, blinking up at the person hovering over him, and his lips curl into a small grin as Daehyun's face comes into focus.
"Morning," he mumbles, and Daehyun grins in return, pressing a soft kiss to his lips before pulling back.
"Jaewon-hyung asked me to wake you up before I left today."
"Hnn... you sure you have to go?"
Daehyun laughs once more, ruffling his hair before pulling back. "Yeah."
Minsoo frowns, and Daehyun grins, pressing one more kiss to the elder's forehead before heading towards the door. "Remember, Dongho-hyung's coming home tonight!"
Oh.
Oh.
"Has it been that long already?"
Daehyun frowns, and Minsoo shrieks as cold water dumps over his head. "Dae!"
"I'm making dinner," Daehyun smiles, as if he didn't just dump water all over his boyfriend. "Have a great day!"
Minsoo stares at him, hair dripping onto the sheets, and he sputters, unsure whether he can be offended or not. "Wh- Dae!"
Jaewon's cleaning the counter when he walks in, his hair pushed back and a few small fires warming the restaurant, and once again, Minsoo's reminded why he loves this man.
It's not just because he's hot - though he is - but because he would risk getting in trouble to make people a little bit warmer.
It's because he cares.
"Min!" he beams, eyes sparkling as he catches Minsoo's eye, and the older man grins, floating over to press a kiss to his lips.
"Hey, jaigya."
"Hi," Jaewon hums, reaching down to grasp Minsoo's hands. "Ah- your hands are so cold!"
He raises Minsoo's hands to his lips, breathing warm air onto his palms, and Minsoo grins, watching as Jaewon's lips jut out into a small pout.
"Did you wear your gloves?"
"Maybe."
"Minnie."
"Jaewonnie," Minsoo teases, and someone groans, a napkin holder soaring through the air and whacking Minsoo in the side of the head. "Wh- Emily!"
"Either buy something or leave," Emily grouses, waving her hand idly. "You're making me feel single."
"You're dating Nick!"
"Did I stutter?"
"Minsoo!" someone cheers, and Minsoo grins as Daehyun hurtles out of the kitchen, hair pushed back with a headband and lips curled into a brilliant smile. "You're here!"
"I come here every day," Minsoo laughs, and Daehyun frowns, pressing his hand to Minsoo's hair.
Water splashes on the floor, and his frown deepens as he raises his hand to flick Minsoo's forehead. "You didn't dry your hair?"
"You woke me up with water!"
"I tried kissing you," Daehyun points out, and Jaewon giggles, reaching out to grab their hands.
"You three are so gay," Emily mutters, taking a sip from her cocoa. "You're making me feel single."
"Again, you have a boyfriend!"
"Semantics."
Daehyun grins, reaching up to press his hand to Minsoo's cheek, and Minsoo shivers, resisting the urge to grab Daehyun's hands and try and breathe some warmth into them.
Daehyun's always cold, now - a reminder of the death he only barely avoided.
(death took less than they expected, in the end, but more than they hoped.)
"Your hair's getting long," Daehyun points out, hand shifting to grasp a few strands of Minsoo's silver hair. "Are you growing it out?"
"I think I'll go for a mullet," Minsoo grins, and Emily squawks, throwing a salt shaker at him.
"A mullet! A mullet! Mister tall, dark, and brooding is corrupting you! A mullet!"
"Dongho's hair looks nice with a ponytail," Daehyun pouts, and Minsoo squawks, offended.
"You're not gonna defend my hair?"
"Well-"
"Yah!"
By the time Minsoo gets home, he's around ninety percent certain he lost at least one limb out on the slopes. Maybe all four.
Colorado is fucking cold, okay?
Still, he can see light streaming out of the windows, so a grin creeps onto his lips as he fumbles with his keys regardless.
"You're back!"
Daehyun pulls open the door and yanks him inside, slamming the door shut behind him and clicking his tongue as he pulls off all of Minsoo's layers. "You're frozen!"
"So are you!" Minsoo protests, and Daehyun grins at him.
"Yeah, but I'm still, like... half dead. You are all alive and very cold."
Minsoo frowns, but lets Daehyun do as he wishes.
By the time he's wrapped up in a blanket and pajamas, Daehyun's back in the kitchen, Jaewon sitting on the counter and occasionally testing out Daehyun's sauces. And next to him, leaning against the doorframe.
"Dongho," Minsoo eloquently states, and Dongho raises his head, a few dark strands falling in his eyes.
He looks good like this, Minsoo notes - his hair pushed back in a ponytail, his fur-lined hood damp with snow and his lips chapped from cold - and Dongho's lips quirk into a tiny smile, one hand withdrawing from his pocket to wave at him.
"I forgot you were coming back today."
"Wow," Dongho quips, though his smile doesn't waver. "I see how much you care. Wow. I can really feel the undying love over here-"
"Fuck you!"
Minsoo blinks, and Dongho's pressing a kiss to his lips, hands wrapped around his waist and damp hair tickling Minsoo's cheeks.
It's nice.
Dongho's nice.
"Hi," Minsoo intelligently states, and Dongho's smirk widens.
"Hi to you too."
"Dinner's gonna be ready soon!" Daehyun calls, and Dongho nods, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.
"I missed you-"
"Are you still wearing your boots?"
Dongho backs up as Daehyun pokes his chest, brow scrunched in irritation. "You are! You're getting mud and stuff all over the floor!"
"Dae-"
"Go shower!" Daehyun exclaims, shoving Dongho towards the bathroom. "You've got dried... something on your cheek! Go shower!"
Dongho nods, and Daehyun whacks his head with the spatula, though he's smiling regardless. "And come back when you're done!"
Dongho does, in fact, come back.
Daehyun's hoodies hang over his hands, and Minsoo stares all the way through dinner - at the bandages wrapping around his torso, at the old scar on his cheek, at the small charms hanging off his necklace - before Jaewon asks what they've all been thinking.
"How'd it go?"
"It went well," Dongho replies, and Minsoo frowns at the sight of the wet spot on the back of Daehyun's sweater.
They are allergic to drying their hair before leaving, aren't they?
"Abusive father," Dongho elaborates, taking another sip of his drink. "Abused his wife and four kids behind closed doors."
"Mm," Minsoo hums, and Dongho nods.
"Yeah. How's your new student doing? Jay or something?"
After dinner, Dongho and Daehyun wash the dishes while Minsoo and Jaewon get movie night set up, and Minsoo watches as Jaewon pops their popcorn by hand, brow scrunched up and lips jutting out in a pout.
He's adorable.
All of his boyfriends - even the murderer for hire - are adorable.
Perhaps Minsoo is a bit too blasé about the whole murder thing.
Still, as long as Dongho comes home at the end of the day and makes the world a bit better, then. Well.
They have their own callings.
Jaewon shrieks as a piece of popcorn flies into the air, and Minsoo guides it into his mouth, lips curling into a grin as flavor bursts over his tongue.
"Toss another one!"
"Save some for us!" Dongho calls, and Minsoo grins, propping his chin on his hand.
"Let's not save any for them."
"Yah, Lee Minsoo!"
Having Dongho home is nice.
Even if there's the whole murder business, and the fact that he spends two thirds of the year off on a mission, having him home is still nice.
Minsoo may be slightly biased.
"You're hot," Emily states as soon as they walk in, and Minsoo squawks, offended.
"Yah!"
"You say that every time," Dongho points out, and Emily nods.
"Yeah, but it's true."
"The double standard," Minsoo laments, draping himself over the counter. "I feel unloved. Jaewonnie, give me love."
"You're gorgeous," Jaewon beams, and Minsoo grins up at him.
"Thank you, Jaewonnie."
"He's growing out a mullet!" Emily protests, throwing her hands in the air. "Nick grew out a mullet in freshman year!"
"It looked great!" Nick exclaims, and Emily shakes her head.
"Nick. Baby. Love of my life. You looked horrible in freshman year."
"I looked fine!"
Emily quirks a brow, and Nick laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. "Nobody looked good in freshman year."
"Remember when I had that weird half-dye job?"
"Yeah!"
"Still feel single?" Minsoo quips, and Emily gestures wildly in Dongho's general direction.
"Have you seen him?"
Dongho, naturally, thinks this is fucking hilarious.
"You'll just inflate his ego," Minsoo grouses, and Dongho presses a kiss to his head before heading back into the kitchen. "See? Look at this slander. Not even an 'I love you' or a 'please marry me, Lee Minsoo, the love of my life'."
"I thought I was the love of your life?" Jaewon innocently asks, and Minsoo shrugs.
"You're all the loves of my life."
"I feel single!" Emily shouts, and Nick kisses her.
They end up having dinner in the living room that night, since Minsoo breaks the stove.
("In my defense, how was I supposed to know turning the dial that far broke it off?"
"You filled the entire kitchen with gas!"
"I could've killed us all..."
"...okay, okay, I'm sorry.")
Minsoo sits next to Daehyun, his head resting on the younger man's shoulder and a blanket spread over their laps. On the other side of the room, Jaewon's head rests in Dongho's lap, his eyes shut and breathing slow.
Minsoo can't blame him. Falling asleep on top of pretty boys is pretty nice.
"I wish you'd stay home more often," Minsoo finally murmurs, and Dongho raises his head, eyes barely visible in the dim light.
"You know I can't do that."
"Really?"
Minsoo's gaze drifts to Daehyun, his head resting on top of Minsoo's and fingers intertwined with the elder's. "Or are you just afraid?"
"Of course I'm afraid."
"...killing people isn't going to bring him back."
"I know."
That's the truth in the end, isn't it?
"...he's remembering, you know."
"Slowly."
"But he is."
Dongho's expression flickers for a moment, and Minsoo sighs, gaze drifting to the man at his side. "He remembers more when you're here."
"I know."
"You promised not to leave us."
"I'm not leaving."
"You leave us every time, Dongho."
"But I come back."
"That's not the point."
Minsoo rubs his thumb over the back of Daehyun's hand, words sticking in his throat.
"...it's not that I don't trust you'll come back. It's that we miss you."
"I know."
"Can't you just... just stop?"
"You know I can't," Dongho murmurs, and Minsoo shakes his head.
"It's not going to bring him back. He has to find his way on his own."
"I know."
"...take a month or two off. Just- just say. Please."
"..."
He can see the war flickering in Dongho's eyes - desperation warring with loneliness - and in the end, Minsoo's not sure what's going to win.
"...they want me to go in tomorrow," Dongho finally states, words coming out slow and measured. "We'll see in the morning."
When Minsoo wakes up, Dongho's side of the bed is empty.
He allows himself a moment of grief - of course Dongho wouldn't stay - before untangling himself from Jaewon and heading for the kitchen.
And oh-
Dongho's standing at the stove, Daehyun's chin hooked over his shoulder and the younger man's arms wrapped around his waist, and when Daehyun turns, Minsoo can see it in his eyes.
They're going to be okay.
Years of fighting, years of grief, years of loneliness and desperation and pain-
it's all turned out alright in the end.
They're going to be okay.