Archive of Our Own ^beta

“This wine is lovely, Hana, what year was it again?” The dark, plum-red wine swirled in his glass, lightly painting the sides before dissipating. 

The woman before him swirled her wine similarly, aerating it and examining its color and viscosity, “It’s a 2020 Argentino Malbec, Jorjao Reserva to be specific.” She smiled slyly, chuckling in the same way most rich people do.

Matthew sipped his wine slowly, savoring the intense flavor of the beverage. He wasn’t quite used to drinking wine compared to the beers and mixed drinks at local bars, but he was enjoying the decadence of it all.

He smiled back at her, “It may be my new favorite, you know.”

“May I know why that may be?”

“The flavor is so strong, yet velvety and soft at the same time. It reminds me of a certain someone.”

The two sat in one of Beverly Hills, California"s most expensive, Michelin-star restaurants, enjoying high-quality Argentinian cuisine together. 

The woman before him, Hana Park, was dressed in an elegant, wine-red evening gown with her hair cascading down her right shoulder in black waves, light makeup enhancing her cheekbones. Her red lipstick matched perfectly to her dress, bringing out her eyes and the beauty mark beneath one of them. Her teeth were a blinding white, her smile bringing out the apples of her cheeks and her subtle crow’s feet.

For a 45-year-old single mother, she didn’t look a day over 30. 

Which for Matthew Seok, a man who had just turned 34 mere months ago, helped him get used to the age gap between them. 

Matthew was used to having one-night stands and flings with people younger than him, typically in their late college years, who wanted nothing more than to fuck and call him ‘daddy’ without remembering his name at all. Party, fuck, and leave. 

Occasionally, he’d mingle with people his age, but they never seemed to click. They were too ahead in life and focused on long-term relationships, goals, and careers. Matthew just wanted to enjoy life outside of work whenever he could.

When he met Hana, however, her desire to spoil him was incredibly tempting. 

He wasn’t struggling financially whatsoever, if anything he was pretty well-off himself. It ran in his family, spilling in from his cousins on both sides. Both the Zhang and Shen families ran multi-million companies and brought the Seoks in for high, well-paying positions for any legal work. Eventually, the Seoks became one of the leading names in law, owning one of the top firms in the entire country. He was set for life at 5 years old.

It wasn’t the money that was tempting. 

It was the emotional investment, the feeling of being spoiled and having someone care for you so much simply for existing. 

And Hana wanted to do just that.

Hana Park, head of Park Law Offices (a multi-million-dollar law company), met Matthew Seok at a meeting a few months ago. The two hit it off immediately, their personalities meshing together　harmoniously. They just seemed to get one another, like a single glance was all they needed to understand what the other was thinking when the same businessman kept interrupting others" speeches. 

She’d tell him on their first date days later that she saw his face and simply needed to spoil him. 

Now here they sat on their sixth date, clinking their glasses as they finished their two plates of medium rare bife de chorizo. 

Hana giggled, “It’s nights like these that remind me why we started seeing each other in the first place,” she sighed longingly, “there’s nothing quite like being in your company, Matthew.”

“Is that so?” 

She hummed in response, “I’d love to spend more time with you, but I’m afraid I’d have to introduce you to my son first. I’m not sure if you’re ready for that.”

He tilted his head, a blinding smile playing on his lips, “I’ll always be ready for whatever you throw at me, dear.”

“‘Dear’, huh? That’s a new one.”

“Wanted to test it out, take it for a little spin, if you will.” 

Hana leaned back in her chair, “Well, that’s not as casual as I expected from you.”

They had kept their dates to be strictly casual, almost platonic with hints of romance and sexual tension squeezed in. Nights of fun, relaxation, stress relief, and playful banter. Maybe a kiss or two. But they had yet to go beyond that. 

These dates, however, were slowly getting more romantic and serious. They were only getting closer and closer as the days went by. 

She exhaled slowly, “Matthew, I really do enjoy your company…”

Matthew caught on to her hesitation, “but…”

“But I am a businesswoman and a mother first and foremost.”

He nodded, “Understandable, I’m aware of where I would be on your list of priorities.” 

He never would expect her to put him above her son or her career, he knew that going into all this. There were things in her life that were simply more important than him, just as there were things in his life that were more important to him than her. It was normal.

“And I commend you for noticing that. Many before you didn’t.” She took a swig of her wine then set the glass down on the table, crossing her arms, “If we are to go any further it might be time we start discussing certain things a bit more thoroughly.”

Her tone of voice shifted to the one she typically used in meetings, a more professional manner coming across as if there were a contract to be signed sitting in between them.

“I assume you’re looking to engage for our companies?”

With two of the biggest law companies in the United States, it would only make sense for them to combine their companies into one mega-firm. Their lawyers would surely complement one another, just as the CEOs did. 

“Eventually. I have more pressing concerns at the moment.”

Their server came by, quickly gathering their plates. Hana raised her hand to stop her, quizzing her quickly, “What was your name again, love?”

She stuttered a bit, “My name’s Victoria, ma’am.”

“Well, Victoria,” Hana pointed to her glass of wine, “What do you say would be a good dessert pairing for our malbec?”

“You can’t go wrong with a malbec and chocolate cake, Miss Park.”

Hana smiled back, “I’ll take your word for it then, Victoria. One for here and one in a box to take home, if you will.”

“Yes ma’am.” 

The server scurried off, clearing their table of anything they didn’t need in one fell swoop. 

“One in a box? Planning to get rid of me so soon?” Matthew smirked, teasing the elegant woman in front of him.

“We’ll actually be sharing here, Matthew dear. The boxed one will be for my son. The boy loves chocolate.” She crossed her legs under the table, leaning far back in her chair as she spoke, “Speaking of my son…”

Matthew hummed, waiting for her to continue.

“With the business and him focusing on his studies, we’ve had less and less time to spend with one another. The last thing I want is for this relationship of ours to get in the way of my son and I, especially considering the years I wasn’t as present in his life as I wish I was.” 

“I wouldn’t dream of doing that, Hana,” Matthew responded, “I went through similar growing up.”

Hana leaned forward, “Then surely you’d understand that as a single mother, I worry for my son’s lack of a male figure in his life to confide in. His friends, bless their hearts, just aren’t mature enough to really fill that hole.” 

Matthew raised his brows in surprise, “Male figure?”

“I’m not asking you to be his stepfather, nor am I asking for a full commitment in our relationship. Even if we were to be wed.”

Commitment was the one thing about their relationship that was different from the rest. Neither committed to only being with the other. Both understood they could go to others for sexual or romantic fulfillment while still maintaining their connection. They were open, free to explore.

“I’m simply asking you allow me to introduce the two of you in hopes he may finally find a man he could look to for advice, especially a man I trust wouldn’t teach my son the wrong lessons in this day and age. I can’t trust just any man off the street, I’m sure you understand.”

Matthew understood well. From what Hana had told him in the past, she had a 19-year-old son who grew up without a father. It had only been him, Hana, and the live-in nanny who helped raise him. 

Growing up, Matthew’s mom and dad focused intensely on work so they could give him and his sister a better life when they were older. And while, yes, they were both financially stable and had no monetary issues, they spent the majority of their childhoods with only each other and their own nanny. 

He knew what the boy had probably gone through and knew how important a father figure would be to him. The few moments Matthew had gotten with his father in his spare time were important to him, especially as he grew older and found himself in situations he couldn’t bring himself to talk to the nanny about. 

If Matthew could be there for him, even slightly fill that role and help him become an upstanding man, he’d gladly do it in a heartbeat.

“…About not being his step-father.”

Hana chuckled, a shocked look on her face, “Would that be something you’re interested in?”

Matthew looked to the ceiling, smirking as he spoke, “If he needs a fatherly figure, I think I’d be a great one for him. Not to brag, but I’ll probably be one of the best he’s ever had.”

She couldn’t help but laugh aloud at the declaration, throwing her head back as her laughter echoed in the room. Thank god she rented a private dining area for just the two of them. “We’ll have to see about that. His friends will certainly have a field day with that.”

Victoria quietly walked up, chocolate cake in hand with a slice in a to-go container. The couple picked up their wine glasses as she set down the cakes, setting down two spoons off to the side on a napkin.

Matthew raised his glass, “Cheers?”

Hana rolled her eyes, grabbing her glass and clinking it against his, “Cheers.”

-

The door shut behind them loudly, their conversation echoing into the large living space of Hana’s mansion. Hana’s giggles filled the air as they stumbled their way to the kitchen, leaning on the first surface they could find.

Matthew’s hands rested on the cold, marble countertop before him while she poured two new glasses of wine for them, a fancy sauvignon blanc from what he could tell. 

She sighed, “Ah, I’ve ruined the proper order of white to red wine, but…” she handed the second glass to Matthew, raising her own to meet his again, “who truly cares?”

“Simple order and rules are just suggestions, after all.” He smirked, alluding to their special relationship that defied societal norms.

“Well, aren’t you trouble tonight.” 

“And proud of it.”

They sipped their second glasses of wine that night, the previous taste of red in their mouth overshadowing and tainting the purity of the white. Their hands overlapped at the corner of the marble countertop, resting as they leaned into one another and lazily kissed.

There was no real effort put into their kissing, just calm pecks and light presses of lips with very little energy involved. It was a way to savor one another and the relaxing atmosphere they created together.

They both pulled away at the same time, taking time to gaze into each other"s eyes.

“Um… who’s this?”

The couple were interrupted by a deep voice echoing back to them, the presence coming from the door to the patio. Matthew wishes for a moment he wore his glasses rather than left them at his penthouse, the decision leaving him squinting and struggling to see what the person looked like from afar. 

Hana whipped her head in his direction, a smile inching across her face and a fond look glazing over her eyes, “My love!” She lifted herself off the counter, straightening her back, “Come here darling, I have someone I want you to meet.”

The young man walked to the kitchen countertop, awkwardly standing across from Matthew with a skeptical look in his eyes. His bushy eyebrows were furrowed, his nose scrunching just a bit.

As Matthew stared back at him, he couldn’t help but notice just how breathtaking the man before him was.

Broad, strong shoulders. Back muscles peeking through his black tank top. A strong jawline sharp enough to cut the tip of his tongue should he run it over the line. Plush, pouty lips that looked as soft as a pillow. A couple of extra inches in height, leaving him towering over Matthew. 

Matthew silently thanked the universe for giving him his relationship with Hana, especially his open and non-committal relationship with her. The man was just his type.

He could almost imagine the two of them using the counter before them for things it hadn’t been intended for.

Huge hands that probably dwarfed Matthew’s own. Sweat dripped down his face from his scalp, his jet-black hair nearly soaked from it all. Heavy breathing, probably from whatever activity he had been doing outside. 

He wasn’t subtle as he checked him out, eyes falling to his chest before meeting his eyes. 

His eyes with a mole right underneath one of them.

“Gunwook, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Matthew.”

Gunwook, who Matthew thought he saw checking him out in a similar fashion, looked at Hana quickly. He attempted to hide a shocked expression from taking over his face but ultimately failed to do so.

“Your boyfriend?”

A feeling of dread began to creep up on him, goosebumps rising on his arms underneath the Prada suit he felt was getting too stuffy all of a sudden.

“Matthew, this is Gunwook,” Hana walked toward the young man, her height matching his in the tall heels she was still wearing. Her arm rested on the shoulder opposite where she stood, bringing him into a half hug, “My son.”

Fuck.

Matthew hid his surprise, playing it off with a chuckle and smile, “Ah, your son!”

FUCK.

Her 19-year-old son. Gunwook Park. The boy Matthew had said he could be a great father figure to an hour ago. The college-aged son of his girlfriend. 

The young man he had just checked out in front of his mother, the woman Matthew might end up marrying one day.

Hana smiled, looking at her son proudly, “Gunwook, darling, Matthew here was just telling me about how he’d like to spend some time with you and bond.”

Gunwook squinted his eyes skeptically, “Bond?”

Matthew had to stop himself from pulling at his tie, which only seemed to get tighter and tighter around his neck.

“We’ve gotten quite close recently and I figured he’d be a good male presence in your life.”

He scoffed, “A good male presence?” 

“Maybe even a father figure, if you’ll let him.”

Right. Gunwook needed a solid father figure in his life. And Matthew was still determined to be that for him. 

Matthew clears his throat, bringing the mother and son"s attention to him, “No pressure at all, of course,” He waved his hand in the air, “I just know what it’s like. Growing up without that presence in your life, or with very little of it.” He made eye contact with Gunwook, the piercing gaze suddenly being nervous.

“You don’t know me. We just met 5 minutes ago.” Gunwook deadpanned.

He swallowed, “I know, but I’ve uh…” He awkwardly trailed off, Gunwook’s head tilting to see what he comes up with, “I’ve gotten pretty close with your mom” Matthew emphasized ‘mom’ as he spoke, more so for himself than Gunwook, “and she’s talked about being worried for you-“

“She’s my mom, of course she’d be worried.” His voice raised slightly, a sort of impatience filling the room, “Where are you even going with this, dude?”

“I just want to be there for you if you ever need a father figure or someone to talk to.” Matthew finished his statement quickly, hoping not to be interrupted in his nervous state.

Gunwook huffed, running his tongue against his cheek with a fake smile on his face that came across as more protective than it did open, “Frankly, if I needed a father figure to talk to, the last person I’d go to is some blond sugar baby.”

“Gunwook Park, watch your tone.” Hana turned to her son, clearly frustrated.

“I didn’t say anything wrong.” The two were in a stare-off, both displeased with the other. 

Matthew was getting annoyed at his nerve. He knew this probably wasn’t going to go well as soon as he first realized he was her son, but the sugar baby comment? He was a part of one of the highest-regarded families in the country. He was no sugar baby; he was the sugar itself. 

“I don’t necessarily appreciate that comment, but I’ll let it slide.” He tried to keep to polite speech, his usual default in any formal or new situation.

“Let it slide?” Gunwook’s jaw dropped, loudly chuckling at his audacity. 

Hana sighed angrily, “That is enough from you both. Gunwook, go back to whatever you were doing, we’ll discuss this later.”

Gunwook didn’t leave just yet, waiting to see what Matthew would get told.

She turned to Matthew, “Matthew, dear, did you need a ride home?”

He laughed, taking the statement as a sort of confirmation of Matthew’s sugar baby status in his mind. 

Matthew took a deep breath.

Within one conversation, it felt as if the two suddenly became rivals for Hana’s attention. Gunwook was obviously displeased with him, especially the insistence of him becoming more prominent in his life. And Matthew was just as peeved, despising the way Gunwook didn’t even try to give him the time of day.

It didn’t even matter that Matthew found him incredibly attractive, the gall he had ruined it. Along with the revelation he was Hana’s son, but that didn’t feel as important to him anymore. 

He was determined to not let the boy get his way. Dead set on irritating him back, matching the energy he’s been given. 

He wasn’t going to lose whatever rivalry the two now had. He would win it, and get his way in the end. He was Matthew Seok, at the end of the day. He always got his way.

Matthew looked directly at Gunwook, making eye contact as he responded, “Don’t worry about it, baby,” he enjoyed the expression on the boy"s face, “I’ll just call Taerae to get me. It would be a waste to not let my personal chauffeur do his job.”

Gunwook scowled back at him, scoffing as he turned away and walked out back onto the patio, slamming the door behind him.

He didn’t care. Now he was more determined than ever. Matthew Seok had a new mission; to become a significant figure in Gunwook Park"s life. Whether he ended up liking it or not.

-

“I’m sorry, you said what?”

“I said I could be a good father figure for him.”

Taerae raised his eyebrow at the statement, looking at Matthew through the rearview mirror, “You?”

“That’s what I just said.”

His chauffeur, Taerae Kim, had been a family friend for years now. His whole family worked closely with the Seoks, some members working as chefs, maids, and even lawyers under them. Taerae, while he worked mostly as one of the Seok firm"s best lawyers, chose to be Matthew’s chauffeur in his free time to spend more time with him.

They had grown to be best friends over time, confiding in one another at even the slightest of inconveniences. 

At the moment, Taerae was driving Matthew back to his penthouse after quite a painful introduction to Hana’s son. 

Taerae sighed, “How old was this kid again, like 19?”

“19, yeah, I think he’ll be 20 in a month or something.”

“You were 14 when he was born and you want to be his father? What kind of teen pregnancy type of shit is that, Matthew?”

Matthew avoided his gaze, turning his own to the window beside him as he groaned, “Fatherly figure, not father. They’re very different.”

“Oh, are they now?” His tone was incredulous, the man in complete disbelief.

“I can be a good figure for him to look up to. I don’t want to be his dad.”

“I would fucking hope not with how you described him earlier.”

Maybe telling Taerae the full story was a mistake. He should’ve left out the part where he thirsted over the young man, and should’ve never shared with his best friend how handsome Gunwook was.

“That was probably just ‘cause he’s Hana’s son, maybe I just thought like that ‘cause he reminded me of her,” Matthew sighed, running his hand through his hair, "I don"t know, man.”

Red illuminated Taerae’s face as they slowed down, the man turning to look at Matthew at the red light, “You never talked about Hana like that, not even once.”

Matthew scoffed, “Of course I did, what are you talking about?”

“You’ve told me about every single one-night stand you’ve ever had, not once have you talked about your nights with Hana.”

“We haven’t had any nights to talk about. We haven’t slept together.”

Taerae’s jaw dropped, “You haven’t slept together?!”

“No? Why is that so shocking? You act like I’m a slut, bro.”

The light turned green, and Taerae turned to face forward as he lifted his foot off the brake, “Because you kinda are.”

“Hey!”

“Don’t ‘hey!’ me! You’re the one considering engagement with a woman you’ve never slept with, whose son you want to fuck. That’s slutty, Matthew.”

Matthew groaned, getting closer to the center console blocking him from the duck-like man, “I don’t want to fuck him anymore!”

“That doesn’t make it any better!” Taerae hit the steering wheel with his right hand, venting his frustration in a way Matthew would see.

“Whatever!” He huffed, falling back into his Italian leather seat with crossed arms, “That brat had the nerve to call me a sugar baby, I need to be in his life so much he has no choice but to take it back.”

“I mean it makes sense why he’d think that, considering to him you’re just some random middle-aged man who came in saying you wanna be his dad.”

“I am not middle-aged, don’t say that ever again.”

Taerae chuckled mockingly, “You’re not middle-aged yet, but you seem to be going through your mid-life crisis right now.” 

“I am not-“ He let out a sigh of frustration, “Fucking whatever, man.” Taerae was always so good at pushing his buttons, it could be annoying at times. He loved the guy, of course, but fuck it was irritating. “When’s the Park Christmas party again?”

“Should be next week, Ricky and Hao are going too.”

“Perfect.”

A silence filled the car.

“Just what do you mean by ‘perfect’?”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out on the ride home. I can’t spoil our conversation now, that’s boring.”

The car came to a halt, Taerae parking it neatly in front of the elevator up to Matthew’s penthouse. He turned toward the back seat, making eye contact with him as he responded. He looked utterly done with the conversation, exhausted after the exchange.

“I’ll look forward to your villain monologue. Now get out, I have lawsuits to handle.”

-

The notorious Park Christmas party. If there’s one thing Hana didn’t fuck around with, aside from her family and business, it was the holiday season. 

Matthew had only gone to the party once in the past, never bumping into any of the Parks the entire time. But with all the festivities and entertainment, it was nearly impossible anyway.

Ever seen a huge mall Christmas tree and thought ‘Well that’s just too much’?

Imagine nine of them in one house, each with designated rooms and themes to complement them. Rows upon rows of buffet tables, Tupperware containers at the end of each one begging you to take home a whole Christmas feast to enjoy. Multiple bartenders throughout the house, dance floors, karaoke, the whole shebang. 

The Park Family Christmas Party™ (yes, it’s actually trademarked) was no joke. 

And Matthew was an hour ahead of schedule just to be there.

The party would officially start at 7 pm and go on for as long as the lights remained on, but before that, there were plenty of last-minute details that needed to be fine-tuned. 

Hana had requested Matthew come at 6 pm so she could personally dress him, wanting both of her boys to match well with her outfit. ‘Presentation is of the utmost importance.’ She had said, using a fake British accent as she spoke for fun. 

So now here he was, standing on a raised, spinning platform like he was a cake on a lazy susan, sewing needles pricking at his skin every once in a while. Multiple tailors stood around him, altering the expensive white suit to fit him perfectly.

Hana sat off to the side, her makeup artist skillfully covering any minor blemish on her beautiful face. The artist seemed to be getting a little frustrated at every movement of her face, but Hana was preoccupied with talking over the phone.

“…I don’t care if you want to get ready with Gyuvin and Junhyeon, you are my son. You will be getting ready up here, is that understood?”

The prospect of Gunwook coming up soon made Matthew’s hands feel clammy, his heart racing in anticipation.

Matthew knew what his plan was going into this. Get closer to Gunwook, meet his friends, and prove him wrong. Prove to him he was more than he assumed, prove that he was worth it. 

Worth what, exactly? He wasn’t too sure. Perhaps that he was worth being in his life.

“I can practically hear you thinking over there, dear. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

Hana broke his train of thought, looking at him after she hung up the phone.

“Just a bit antsy, I guess.”

She sighed, “I know the last time you and Gunwook met it didn’t…” Hana paused, trying to find soft words to use, “necessarily go well.”

Matthew mumbled under his breath, “That’s a bit of an understatement.”

“But I can see how determined you are to be there for him. And that alone means the world to me.” 

With a final mist of setting spray, Hana stood and walked toward Matthew. She was absolutely stunning, her hair tied away in an intricate updo with a floor-length mermaid gown patterned like a candy cane and a white fur shrug to match. Elegant, as per usual, but festive and bright. 

The tailors finished their work, gathering their supplies and leaving quickly with the makeup artist behind them. 

He stepped down from the pedestal, looking up to maintain eye contact with her. She placed her hands on his shoulders, “Just keep trying, he’ll warm up to you once he realizes you’re serious.”

Matthew smiled, her soothing words calming him. He just had to keep pushing and keep working for it. He’d come out victorious eventually. 

Hana reached into the pocket of his blazer suddenly, fishing out something that had been weighing it down a little. The action caught Matthew off guard, his eyes flitting between her face and her hand. 

After a moment of fidgeting with the object, she carefully pulled it out and displayed it for him to see. Pinched between her fingers was a Swarovski crystal candy cane brooch, perfectly festive and tiny. 

He kept staring as her hands worked deftly, quickly attaching the brooch to one of the lapels of his suit. Once attached, she brushed off his suit and straightened out any wrinkles.

The halls filled with loud laughter and rambunctious teasing, three voices echoing. Hana groaned, rolling her eyes as she turned to the door. She grumbled under her breath, “I should’ve known he’d bring them with him.”

Standing at the doorway to Hana’s walk-in closet were three college-aged boys. To the left was a tall, lanky boy with hair dyed a dark red and limbs longer than should be humanly possible. To the right, a slightly shorter boy with a dog-like aura to him, light brown hair falling over strong eyebrows. 

And in between them; Gunwook Park. 

The two were already dressed for the party, both in simple black suits with red accents, but Gunwook was still in nothing but sweatpants. Not even a shirt in sight.

His hands were stuffed into the pockets, the waistband of his Calvin Kleins peeking out from under his pants. His bare torso was displayed for all to see, broad shoulders tapering into a holdable waist.

Matthew averted his eyes once he realized he was looking a bit too long, moving his gaze upward to see Gunwook’s irritated expression.

“Matthew.” It was a statement, but clearly one of annoyance.

Two could play at that game.

He brought a sickening, tooth-rotting sweet smile to his face, “Gunwook! It’s great seeing you!”

The boy scowled back.

The lanky boy next to him gasped, looking to Gunwook, “Wait, this is him?”

“So, you’ve talked about me?” Matthew was smug as could be, grinning at the thought of bothering Gunwook so much he lived in his mind. 

The other boy burst into laughter, “Gyuvin, that’s Gunwook’s new daddy!”

Gyuvin and the other boy started cackling like hyenas, laughing so hard they could barely breathe. As if they were in on some joke the rest of the room wasn’t in on. Gunwook grinned as he saw Matthew’s expression, an embarrassed flush rushing to his cheeks.

All of his confidence leaked out of him, his soul being sucked out of the room.

Matthew normally didn’t care. Why would he? He’s heard that nickname used over and over again, seen it fall from people’s lips as he brought them to their climax. 

But the connotation was very different here. 

“That’s enough.” Hana put her foot down, “Junhyeon, Gyuvin, go back to Gunwook’s room.”

Junhyeon and Gyuvin turned and exited the room, whispering to one another and snickering quietly as they did. This left Gunwook alone, faced with Hana’s wrath.

“And you,” She looked to her only son, “I expect to hear from Matthew that he was given a proper apology when I next see him.”

Matthew raised his eyebrow, “When you next see me?” 

He didn’t like what this was implying.

Gunwook crossed his arms over his very broad, still very naked chest, “Shouldn’t Junhyeon apologize? I’m not the one who called him my daddy.”

Matthew wasn’t enjoying how the two connotations collided. The connotation of a daddy vs the connotation of a daddy. It was sick in a way he couldn’t describe.

Yet sick in a way that made him question if it really was sick or not. 

His eyes drifted down to the young man"s crossed arms, which brought his pecs closer together and defined them.

Matthew was fucked. 

“I don’t care. You’re apologizing. And the two of you will be in here till the party starts.” Hana walked to him, using her arms to turn him around and push him further into the closet. 

Till the party starts?

Matthew lifted his wrist to check the time on the expensive, diamond-encrusted watch Hana had said went well with his suit.

6:35 pm.

Gunwook spluttered, struggling to find words in his shock. “What?! But-“ He waved his arms around, gesturing to Matthew, himself, and the closet in disbelief. “But mom!” His voice cracked, “You can’t just leave us in here! That’s almost half an hour with him!”

Hana frowned, “Watch me.”

The closet door slammed shut, the sound of the fingerprint lock mechanism locking them in tightly.

The tension was palpable. Gunwook slowly turned to the man locked in the room with him, his eye nearly twitching. 

A blank expression came to Matthew’s face, unsure of how to handle being locked in a room with him.

The college boy sighed, frustration evident in his voice, “You’re going to tell her I apologized later.” 

“I’m sorry?”

“I said,” Gunwook walked closer to him, standing mere inches away from him as he looked down to meet his eyes, “You’re going to say I apologized.”

Matthew scoffed, “And are you actually going to apologize?”

“Fuck no.”

The audacity this boy had.

Irritation crept up Matthew’s body, his hands clenching to hold it. Now that Hana wasn’t here anymore, he didn’t feel the need to behave as much around the boy. He finally felt like he could genuinely talk to him without worry, no formal speech necessary.

“Then I’m not telling her you did. Maybe work on your attitude and I’ll think about it.”

“My attitude?” Gunwook did that tongue thing again, rolling his eyes and sticking his tongue in his cheek with a frustrated smile and huffing, “You’re acting like Junhyeon calling you my ‘daddy’ is some big fucking deal.”

Matthew glared, standing his ground. 

“What? Can’t take a little teasing? You wanna be in this family so badly but can’t take a little nickname?” He leaned toward him, adopting a sort of baby voice and faking a pout to mock him. 

“I can take it perfectly fine.” Matthew spat back, “But I’d prefer if you leave your little friends out of this shit.”

Gunwook laughed, leaning back at the sheer force of his laughter, “Oh! The little baby fox actually has claws!” 

“I’m not a fucking baby, I’m a man.” The statement did not come across as convincing as Matthew wished it had.

“Why do you even care, dude? It’s not like you want to be my dad or something,” Gunwook crossed his arms again, pecs announcing themselves, “It’s obvious why you’re here.”

He kept moving closer and closer to Matthew, challenging him with every word. 

Matthew pushed him slightly, trying to get space, “I don’t just say shit, I mean every word I say.”

“Oh really?” Gunwook just moved back into position, his breaths lightly landing on Matthew’s face, “You actually want me to call you daddy, then?”

The eye contact, the height difference, and the close proximity. He could feel a blush crawling into his cheeks, the tips of his ears burning hot. 

Matthew was SO fucked.

He had to physically keep his jaw from dropping at the statement, trying to find anything, anything to say back. He spluttered, stumbling over words he couldn’t even find. Gunwook stared back at him, a challenging eyebrow raising. The young man was too close, right in his face with eyes glaring into Matthew’s soul. He couldn’t think properly with how close he was.

“Can you get the fuck off of me?” He pushed him hard, putting his strength to use. “I’m not covering your ass "cause you’re too much of a chicken shit to apologize to me.”

He changed the topic. He had to. If they kept going with the topic they were on, Matthew would’ve ended up pathetically popping a boner in front of him. He didn’t want to imagine how that conversation would go.

“I’m a chicken shit now?” Gunwook’s voice raised, speaking loudly in disbelief.

“Look,” Matthew leveled with him, standing up on the tailoring platform that was left behind to give him height over Gunwook, “I don’t get what your problem is with me, but I’m not so desperate to get your approval that I’d lie to your mom. That shit might’ve worked on other people, but not me.” 

Gunwook glared at him, “You’re dating my mom, of course I have a problem with you.” He seemed to ignore the rest of Matthew’s statement, focusing on the former part of it.

“I haven’t done anything to her or you, we’re just dating. You’re not in charge of who your mom dates, kid.” The nerve this boy had. 

“Yet. You haven’t done anything yet.”

Matthew scoffed, “What are you even talking about?”

“I know your type.” Gunwook grabbed his wrist, pulling him down from the pedestal and back to the floor where he could tower over him again, “You’re here to get close to us, gain our trust, maybe even gain a place in this house.” 

Gunwook gripped his wrist tightly, like a parent scolding a child, “But one day, when you know you’ve finally gotten what you want, you’re just going to abandon us and leave her heartbroken with hundreds of thousands in your bank account.”

“You don’t give a shit about either of us, and you especially don’t care to be a father figure to me or even know me beyond being ‘Hana Park’s son.’”

Matthew stared at him in surprise, Gunwook getting more emotional as he went on. He half expected the boy to start crying in front of him.

“I’m not letting you break my mom"s heart. So get used to it, nothing you do is gonna make me like you.” He let go of Matthew’s wrist, nearly throwing it out of his grip. 

The room went silent after that, Gunwook stomping over to where his suit was hung up and grabbing it. 

Within the ginormous closet, multiple small sections were connected, each with large archways leading into them. Gunwook took his suit and walked into the shoe section to change, moving a rolling cart of clothes in front of it to feign slamming a door in Matthew’s face.

Matthew sighed, sitting down in the chair Hana had gotten her makeup done in.

How the hell was he going to break through this wall Gunwook put between them? 

He and Hana weren’t serious at all, their dating was coming across more as a business move on her part. He couldn’t possibly break her heart, nor did he have any reason to steal money from her when his bank account already had a black card on file. 

But Gunwook didn’t know any of that. He didn’t know Matthew was more of a business partner than a sugar baby. He didn’t know his mother wasn’t genuinely in love with him. 

He didn’t know Matthew at all.

And Matthew needed to fix that. 

“How can I prove it to you?”

The sound of moving fabric and zippers ceased, Gunwook processing the statement.

“How can you prove what?”

Matthew stood up, standing by the archway, “How can I prove to you that I’m not going to break your mom"s heart or abandon you guys?”

Gunwook laughed bitterly, “Good one.”

He furrowed his brows, “I’m serious.”

The boy moved the rack of clothes from the archway, peeking out from behind it to make eye contact with him, squinting his eyes in suspicion, “You’re serious?”

“I am.” Matthew gently placed his hands on his shoulders, pulling him out of the closet to see the outfit. The blazer was still unbuttoned, bits of lint stuck on the lapels. 

He began buttoning the blazer for him, carefully joining the two sides of the dark red piece. Gunwook stared at his hands, small but precise. 

He found himself zoning out in the moment, slowly going from one button to the other. Matthew was taking more time than he should, considering there were only two buttons to put to use.

Matthew’s statement lingered in the air, Gunwook seeming more apprehensive than skeptical now. 

He brought his attention to the lapels, brushing bits of lint off. “I’ll prove myself to you. Prove that I genuinely want to be here and that I don’t have any ulterior motives.” He readjusted the crystal candy cane pin on one of the lapels, lining it up perfectly to match the one on his suit. 

Finally, he looked at Gunwook"s face. Any irritation had been completely swept off his face, his mouth slightly agape. 

A few strands of hair fell onto Gunwook’s forehead, falling out of place from the rest that had been hastily raked back. Matthew swept it up, running his hand through his hair to bring it all back in place.

The action was domestic in nature, Gunwook’s ears slowly turning red. Matthew smiled, stepping back a little to look at the full look. 

“There we go.” 

Their eyes met again, Matthew’s flicking to the boy"s lips quickly. He didn’t mean to look at them at the moment, but meeting Gunwook’s eyes afterward, he could see he had done the same thing. 

The air between them was different, resentment and awkwardness becoming background notes in comparison to the admiration suddenly sparking in his eyes. Whether Gunwook believed he would actually try or not, his eyes told the story of a boy who admired the words spoken to him earlier. 

Would he ever share that admiration in the future? The answer was most likely no, but Matthew didn’t need it to be shared with him anyway. It was there, plain as day. He could read his eyes and instantly understand what was going on in his mind like he could with the boy"s mother. 

The sound of the locking mechanism interrupted them, the two jumping a little at the sound. They both looked away from one another, Gunwook exhaling loudly and looking anywhere but Matthew.

Matthew fished out his phone from his pocket, looking at his home screen to see two key details.

7:01 pm

New Message from: Hana Park 6:37 pm

The door will automatically unlock at 7. Let me know if you need help before then.

“I guess it’s time for the party.” Matthew showed Gunwook his phone, the text still visible.

Gunwook scrunched his eyebrows, “Why do you have her full name as the contact?”

His skepticism came back, clearly shown on his face. 

Matthew shrugged, “She has my full name for my contact, I’m just in her phone as ‘Matthew Seok’.”

He took his phone back, pocketed it, and walked to the now unlocked door. He pushed it open and then immediately walked out, hoping to find his cousins as soon as possible after being stuck in the closet for so long. Matthew waited outside the door for Gunwook, expecting him to have instantly followed him out. 

The college student stood still for another moment or so, however, trapped in his thoughts. 

“Are you coming?”

Gunwook looked up to see Matthew holding the door open for him, waiting patiently. 

After buffering for just a second, he nodded, speed walking to the door to join the party downstairs.

-

The two went their separate ways, Gunwook going to find his friends and Matthew branching off to look for Ricky and Hao. 

The Shens, Zhangs, and Parks have collaborated before on different projects for their companies, meaning for every gathering each of them had, the others were invited as well. And with the Seok’s involvement with the Shens and Zhangs, Matthew was always close behind. 

After turning a corner and finding himself next to a completely pink and blue bubbly Christmas tree, Matthew spotted three familiar faces.

Ricky and Hao stood side by side, accompanied by Hao’s husband, Hanbin. All three had flutes of champagne in hand, lightly sipping as they spoke to one another.

One of the caterers walked past Matthew, a tray of champagne flutes in hand, “Champagne?”

Matthew grabbed two flutes, nodding at the caterer, “Thank you.” 

He quickly gulped down one of them, setting the glass off to the side when he was done. He wanted some alcohol in his system for the night, he was going to need it.

He made his way over to the three in just a few big strides, instantly getting pulled into a side hug from Hanbin. “Matthew!”

“Hey guys! How’s it been?”

It was rare they got to be around each other in a non-business sense anymore. Ricky was constantly busy as the youngest CEO Shen Industries had ever seen and Hao and Hanbin were focusing on expanding Hanbin’s family cafe brand. 

Ludia was slowly becoming a household brand name in the coffee industry, rivaling Dunkin’ and Starbucks. Hao, as the more business-savvy in their relationship, was determined to help his lover"s business expand. 

This sadly left Matthew to only see them when any legality needed to be discussed. As the head of the Shen and Zhang’s go-to law offices, he saw them often. But never beyond business. 

“It’s been good,” Hanbin replied first, “Busy, but good! How’s it been for you?”

“Been going pretty good, just won that copyright suit for you guys yesterday.” With the flute in his hand, he pointed toward Hao and Hanbin.

Hao sighed in relief, “Thank fuck,” He took a quick sip of his champagne, “Hanbinnie and Yujinnie worked too hard to have these big ass companies steal their ideas, the greedy bastards.”

“Gege.” Hanbin frowned, not a hint of seriousness in his voice.

“They are!” The redhead turned to his pouty husband, “They can get their own ideas and pay their own creatives instead of blatantly ripping you guys off.”

Matthew nodded, “That was one of the exact points Taerae and I made. They didn’t even try to hide that they copied you guys, it was so obvious even the jury was unanimous.”

“You worked personally on it?” Ricky questioned.

“Even as a CEO, I’m still a lawyer.” Matthew turned to him, “What can I say? Sometimes I miss the courtroom.”

“Thank you again, Matthew. I swear our companies would fall apart without you.” 

“It’s no problem, Hyung.” Matthew smiled at Hao, appreciating the kind words. “So what else has been going on?”

“Ricky was just telling us about his new little boyfriend.” Hao smirked, poking his cousin teasingly.

Matthew smirked, a little chuckle escaping his lips, “Boyfriend?” He brought his gaze over to Ricky, who in his usual cat-like manner, slowly shook his head with a soft smile and slow blink.

“Isn’t he one of the Kim brothers?” Hanbin raised his eyebrow.

“He is, yeah.” Ricky scratched his neck.

The Parks were like the Kim"s version of the Seoks (not to be confused with Taerae’s family, which was a different set of Kim"s.) Meaning the Parks helped the Kims with their lawsuits and any legalities they needed assistance with. Matthew only knew of one of the Kim brothers, Jiwoong Kim. Jiwoong was the current head of the company while his little brother was still studying business and interning part-time. 

He highly doubted Ricky and Jiwoong were dating, considering Jiwoong had been dating an older man last he had heard. So whoever the younger brother was was most likely Ricky’s lover.

“Jiwoong’s little brother, right? I don’t think I’ve met him.” 

Ricky nodded, “You’ll meet him later, he’s actually here tonight.”

“Is Jiwoong here, too? I haven’t seen him in forever.” 

Ricky shook his head, “Couldn’t make it, Gyuvin came in his stead.” That was definitely a familiar name, but Matthew couldn’t care to place it at the moment. “Enough about that, you’ll see him later. I wanna know about what you and Hana have going on to make you a whole hour early.”

Hao and Hanbin’s necks snapped in his direction, slight shock on their faces. Hanbin gasped, “You and Hana?”

“Kinda?”

Hao raised his eyebrow, “What do you mean ‘kinda’?”

“Well,” Matthew started, “We’ve been casually dating for a few months now,” The whole group"s brows raised in unison, “but it’s very casual! We’re in an open relationship.”

“You’re still in a relationship, though. I definitely didn’t expect it.” Hao remarked, alluding to Matthew’s tendencies. It had been years since he had been in an actual relationship beyond the occasional friends with benefits, he couldn’t remember the last time he was someone’s boyfriend. 

“Yeah,” Hanbin agreed, “I thought you were gonna have one-night stands for the rest of your life. This is a nice change of pace for you.” Hanbin threw his arm over his shoulder, resting it there and pulling him in a little closer. 

“I’m guessing she dressed you today?” Ricky leaned back, taking in the suit Matthew was dressed in, “It’s not your usual style.”

“She did. Wanted to get me a suit to compliment her and her son.”

Their outfits were custom-made just for the party, Matthew’s a pure white with fur accents and Gunwook’s a dark red mirroring him. All one had to do was see them side by side to see the woman had practically dressed them like they were twins, which was… an odd choice for their current dynamic. 

“Her son?” Hao, who had been in the middle of sipping more champagne, nearly choked on his drink, “Shit, this sounds serious.”

“I would hope so.”

Speak of the devil, and he doth appear.

The four of them turned at the voice, Gunwook standing with one of his friends by his side. His hands were shoved into his pockets, hair fallen out of place again.

The friend by his side smiled, quickly moving past Matthew and finding a spot right by Ricky’s side. He grabbed the CEO’s wrist and slotted his fingers between his, letting their now connected hands fall between them. 

That’s why Gyuvin sounded so familiar.

Gyuvin wasn’t only Ricky’s boyfriend, he was also one of Gunwook’s best friends. Perfect.

“Rwik! Rwik! Rwik!” Gyuvin swung their arms together, Ricky rolling his eyes with a smile on his face.

Hao grinned, laughing, “You must be Gyuvin Kim?”

He smiled back, “I prefer Shim Gyuvin, but yes.”

“Qubing.” Ricky pouted.

“You’re right, it’s Shen Qubing.”

Gunwook walked closer to join the conversation, parking himself next to his best friend. He grabbed his own flute of champagne from a nearby server"s tray, which he probably shouldn’t even have at his age. Matthew supposed it was an ‘I’d rather you do it in the house’ sort of situation. 

The boy couldn’t take his eyes off Matthew. He was studying him, looking at him like he was an animal to dissect. If he studied him any harder, a hole would begin forming between the CEO’s eyes. 

“Hey, why’s Gunwook’s daddy here?” Gyuvin tilted his head, questioning Matthew’s presence.

The mentioned young man seemed to want an answer himself, flitting his eyes between every person in the group before landing on him again. In his eyes, Matthew didn’t look like he belonged where he was at the moment, with Hanbin’s arm thrown over his shoulder and happy smiles from Ricky and Hao. He seemed out of place, sticking out like a sore thumb.

Ricky tilted his head, mirroring his lover, “Do you mean Matthew?” Gyuvin nodded back. “He’s my cousin.”

Gunwook surprisingly didn’t seem shocked. He only nodded at the revelation, sighing at the news. It was as if he just needed simple confirmation. 

What was that confirmation for? Matthew had no idea. 

“Oh shit!” Gyuvin laughed, pointing at Matthew with his free hand, “You’re Matthew Seok, aren’t you?”

He smirked back, staring right at Gunwook as he responded, “The one and only.”

It was cringy, sure, but it irritated the Park in front of him. And that’s what mattered most. The boy huffed at the statement, rolling his eyes at how corny the older man sounded. 

Gyuvin raised a brow, “Is Miss Park looking to have some sort of merger with the Seok Firm or something?”

“It’s part of the plan, yeah,” He broke eye contact with him, directing his attention to the deer-eyed boy hanging off of Ricky, “but right now we’re just focusing on us.”

The tension between Matthew and Gunwook was obvious, once again. Hao and Hanbin exchanged glances, seemingly uncomfortable in the conversation. 

Talking about Matthew’s relationship with Hana in front of her son was bound to be awkward, it only made sense that it was. But Gunwook’s disapproval of him made it worse. It felt like talking about a party you snuck out to in front of your parents. It was something he shouldn’t be talking about in front of him.

Gunwook clearly didn’t want to hear it, either. His jaw was clenched and set, clicking his tongue when he took a swig of his champagne. His eyes didn’t leave Matthew.

Hao coughed, trying to change the topic, “Gunwook, did your mom ever mention the catering to you?”

Finally, finally, he ripped his gaze off Matthew and moved it to Hao. “Yeah a little, something about a grilling station, teppanyaki style or something.”

Gyuvin’s jaw dropped, “No fucking way!”

“Binnie, we have to go see it.” Hao gasped, nudging his husband.

“Why don’t we all go together? It’ll be nice.”

“You guys can go ahead,” Gunwook spoke up, responding to Hanbin, “We need a moment.”

Matthew cocked his brow, the smug look suddenly on the young man’s face confusing him.

The group cleared out, heading toward the large array of food and festivities. The two stayed put for a few moments, staring at one another.

He was having a hard time understanding Gunwook. One moment, he hated Matthew’s guts. He despised being near him, wanting nothing more than to tear him away from his mother and protect her from anyone who could possibly hurt her. The next, he was reconsidering everything he knew about him, wondering if he was truly the right person for her. 

At least, that’s what Matthew wanted to believe he was doing. He certainly wasn’t angry at him right now. 

Gunwook moved, planting himself next to Matthew. He looked down, meeting his eyes, “So. Matthew Seok.”

Matthew scoffed, crossing his arms, “That’s Seok Firms CEO to you,” a smirk played on his lips, gloating, “I told you I wasn’t some sugar baby.” 

“Forgive me for not believing you when you look like one.”

He glared at him, locking the two in another staring competition.

“Don’t get all pouty on me,” Gunwook feigned a pout, pretending to pout as Matthew had in his eyes, “Think of it as a compliment, little fox.” He used his pointer finger to lightly push Matthew’s forehead, watching as his head swayed backward and then returned back in place. 

“Was that some fucked up way of saying I’m attractive?”

Matthew spoke before he realized what he was saying. He just asked his possible future stepson if he thought he was attractive. God, he needed to be sent to hell after that. 

He couldn’t back down, however. That would show a sign of weakness.

Gunwook hummed, leaning in closer with a smirk plastered on his lips. Matthew could feel his breathing against his ear, even hear the sound of a swallow and exhale. He instinctively backed up, attempting to put some distance between them, but only ended up with his back against the wall and Gunwook growing ever closer. 

With one arm above him, forearm planted on the wall, and hand in a loose fist, Gunwook effectively trapped him. The young man was still getting closer, pressing half of his chest against Matthew’s. Their matching candy cane brooches clinked together, the faint noise too loud for his comfort. Matthew gulped, staring at the other guests at the party over the man’s broad shoulders. 

Not one was paying attention. 

“That’s for me to know and you to never find out.” 

Before Matthew knew it, Gunwook was completely off of him. He chugged down the rest of his champagne flute, setting it on a nearby table. Then he left the room, walking in the same direction the rest of the group had, and left Matthew on his own, his back still imprinted on the wall.

-

On New Year’s Eve, the Parks had a much tamer, smaller celebration with only Hana, Matthew, Gunwook, Gyuvin, and Ricky on the guest list. 

The smaller gathering, while it led to more time with Hana and some relaxing conversations with Ricky, also brought forth more time trapped in the webs of tension between him and Gunwook. 

The stare-down he was currently getting at the front door told him this wasn’t going to be an easy night. Gunwook looked down at him with one hand stuffed in his hoodie pocket and the other frozen on the handle. He didn’t seem to notice Ricky next to him, strawberry cake in hand, nor the small tray of mini chocolate cupcakes in Matthew’s hand. He simply nodded, then moved out of the way so they could enter. 

They walked to the living room in silence, Hana and Gyuvin’s conversation about his final exams carrying through the echoes of the room.

With a mansion as large as this one, there were multiple living rooms to choose from. For convenience, Hana decided to remain in the living space by the kitchen, with different dishes laid out on the counter space like a miniature buffet. 

“Rwik!” Gyuvin noticed his boyfriend in the room, instantly running to him ready for a big hug.

“Qubing, wait, I need to put the cake down-“ Gyuvin ripped the cake out of his hands and set it down on the counter, turning to hug him as tightly as he possibly could.

“I missed you, Rwik.” He pouted in his arms, burying his face in Ricky’s chest.

Ricky chuckled, throwing his arms around Gyuvin and hugging him tightly, “I missed you more.”

Hana made her way to Matthew, smiling brightly, “Matthew, dear! You made it!”

He smiled back, “Of course, I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Matthew appreciated the invite more than anyone would ever know. He loved spending time with Hana, and getting to spend time with her and Ricky at such a busy time of the year was wonderful. 

Secretly, he hoped tonight would be a good time to get closer to Gunwook. The closet was a start, a good base to play off of. He didn’t necessarily know how to be a good father for him, but he was going to try his hardest. 

He had mentioned something about teasing being important to fitting into the family back then. With how he had been mocking and teasing Matthew all the time, he could only assume that was the usual in the household. Teasing, snide comments, and mockery that all meant ultimately nothing in the end. 

Perhaps it was similar to a sibling dynamic. His older sister would always tease him similarly and he’d push right back, but they both knew at the end of the day there was no heat behind either of their words. Perhaps that was what it was like in the Park household. 

Either way, he needed to match the energy Gunwook gave him without crossing the line. He couldn’t come across as rude in front of Hana, but he couldn’t let the man win. It was an awful balancing game he had to play, but Matthew was anything but a coward. 

Gunwook rolled his eyes from the side, planting himself between the two, “Why’d you bring those?”

Matthew blinked, “I’m sorry?”

It was common courtesy to bring something to a gathering as a token of appreciation, at least that’s what his nanny taught him growing up.

“The cupcakes. Ricky already brought a cake, why’d you bring the cupcakes?”

Hana backed away slowly, not wanting to get between the two. She’d been slowly trying to stop meddling with their relationship, hoping they would find a way to resolve their tension themselves. 

The approach, in her eyes, was working. But behind the scenes, it really wasn’t.

Matthew sighed, “I didn’t really know if you’d like the strawberry cake, I still don’t know you too well.” He walked over to the counter, set the tray down, and opened it, “So I picked up some chocolate cupcakes for you.”

Besides not knowing whether he liked strawberry cake or not, Matthew would catch more bees with honey than he’d ever catch with vinegar. He could try to fit into the family dynamic as best as he could, but little sweet moments and details like this were perfect for getting Gunwook’s guard down. 

He picked up one of the cupcakes, holding it out for Gunwook. The younger one blinked back, processing what he said. “You-“ He stuttered, “You got those for me?” He stared at the cupcake in his hand, furrowing his eyebrows.

Matthew nodded, bringing the cupcake closer to him, “You love chocolate.”

Gunwook lifted his head, gazing into Matthew’s eyes, “How did you-“

“Hana mentioned it on one of our dates,” With his free hand, Matthew scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, “She brought home a chocolate cake for you ‘cause you love chocolate.” 

“You remembered that?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

The young man looked guiltily at him, slowly taking the cupcake from his hand. He muttered a quick “Thanks.” before walking over to the couch and letting himself sink into the cushions.

Matthew 3: Gunwook 2. But who was really keeping score?

From the other side of the room, Hana caught Matthew’s eye. She smiled, giving him a thumbs up. 

The festivities continued after that, the group snacking on the food while Gunwook avoided Matthew, as per usual. 

It wasn’t till after the countdown that their tension came to an all-time high.

Gunwook stood awkwardly at the counter, cupcake in hand, when the ball dropped. 

Gyuvin pulled Ricky in for a barrage of kisses, pecking his lips and peppering little kisses all over his face. The older giggled, trying his best to return a few to his lover. They held each other closely, whispering and speaking as if they were the only people in the world.

Hana had gently placed a hand on Matthew’s jaw and placed another on his waist, tilting his head up so he could look at her. Then she leaned in, placing a soft kiss on his lips and lingering there for a few seconds before pulling back.

She gazed into his eyes, swiping her thumb over his cheek when she spoke, “Thank you for tonight.”

“Thank you for everything, Hana.”

She smiled back, moving away and excusing herself. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom really quickly if that’s alright. I just…” Her smile had a bittersweet tinge to it now, “need a moment.”

“Of course, dear. Take all the time you need.” 

As she walked away, the sound of her heels a decrescendo, a new music played in the room. 

Heavy stomps echoed, getting louder as they approached Matthew from behind. A hand grabbed his wrist, holding it in a tight grasp.

Before he knew it, he was being dragged to the nearest small room by Gunwook, the college boy"s back muscles tensed. He couldn’t see his face, but he could only imagine he wasn’t happy.

Matthew was thrown into the walk-in pantry, the door closing behind him with a slam. The pantry was dark, Gunwook not even bothering to turn the light on.

“Do not ever,” His voice was close to Matthew, the darkness disorienting, “and I mean ever,” He breathed in, trying to calm down a little, “kiss my mom in front of me again. Ever.”

And while he could’ve pointed out that Hana kissed him and not the other way around, he retorted before he could even process the statement fully. 

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

Matthew pushed him, trying to get space from the young man. The dark pantry situation and the heavy breathing on his neck weren’t good for Matthew.

Gunwook groaned, pleading, “Please just do this one fucking thing for me, I’m not asking for much.” 

“Why does it matter so much to you?” Matthew had an inkling of why it might, but didn’t say it, “I know you hate me and shit but I can’t just push your mom off when she kisses me.”

“I don’t-“ He huffed, “I don’t hate you, okay?” 

Matthew paused, processing the statement.

“Please, when I’m in the same room, don’t kiss her.”

The pantry went silent, words lingering in the air. Only the sound of light breathing could be heard. Gunwook was dead serious. He wasn’t saying this out of a hatred for Matthew, he was begging him. 

But Matthew could only focus on one thing.

“You don’t hate me?” His voice cracked as he spoke, making him cringe at the vulnerability of his question.

Gunwook shook his head gently, “No. No, I don’t.”

“But in the closet…”

“That was me being protective. I still don’t trust you, I still don’t think you’re good enough for her or this family.” He sighed heavily, closing his eyes, “But I don’t hate you. Not even a little.”

The statement sent shivers down his spine. 

As much as Matthew wanted to fully believe him, he simply couldn’t. His actions and words contradict what he’s saying right now. There was malice in almost everything the young man had said to him. He was looking for more and more reasons to dislike him.

This moment in the pantry was starting to confuse him. Was how he behaved outside of the pantry all an act? Or was it his behavior in it that was forgery? What did the man in front of him really think?

Matthew sighed, “Fine.”

Gunwook let go of his breath, he hadn’t even realized the man had been holding it, “Thank you.”

“But I can’t guarantee she won’t kiss me. And I can’t just push her off me, I’m not going to disrespect Hana no matter what.” 

A hand landed on his shoulder, heavy and large. His thumb traced patterns on his collarbone through layers of fabric, sending shivers through Matthew’s entire body. “That’s all I ask.” 

In less than ten seconds, Gunwook removed his hand from Matthew and opened the closet door, the light shining on the two’s red faces. He walked out without looking back, leaving Matthew standing on his own.

If Matthew stood there for just a bit longer, a hurricane brewing in his mind as he stared off into nothing, no one mentioned it. Nor cared. His crisis remained between him and the box of dry butterfly pasta that seemed to mock him.

He couldn’t let Gunwook get the best of him again. This had happened far too often, he couldn’t keep losing just because the pretty college boy kept distracting him. He was coming across as weak.  

The end of the Christmas party was already too much, but this was the icing on the cake. The cherry on top. 

The butterflies in his stomach were frequent visitors when they shouldn’t be. He needed to fix this before it went too far, he needed to get back to his original mission. He was supposed to be letting Gunwook’s guard down, not the other way around. He needed to stop letting Gunwook make him flustered like this, he was losing. 

And Matthew Seok never loses. He always gets what he wants. He always wins in the end. 

This needed to come to an end. Now.

-

“Mom, why are we in an Olive Garden when we could fly to Italy whenever we want?”

Over two months later, Matthew Seok was sat awkwardly right next to Gunwook in a stuffy booth seat at some random Los Angeles Olive Garden, Hana sat on her own across from them.

Hana picked up another breadstick, her third since they had sat down, and dipped it in the alfredo sauce in front of her. She remained quiet, biting into the garlicky, salty bread.

Matthew and Gunwook were slumped in the booth, desperately waiting for her to respond.

She insisted they sit next to each other when they were sat, not even letting either sit by her. She pointedly sat in the aisle seat, her expensive Berkin bag taking up the spot next to her. 

With some bread still in her mouth and a complete lack of care for table manners, Hana replied, “I figured this was the best place to break some news to you both.”

Gunwook cocked an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his white silk dress shirt that complemented his figure and layered necklaces that brought attention to his chest peeking through. 

The two of them were particularly over-dressed for the establishment they were at, Matthew clad in a leather jacket and black turtleneck. She only told the two to get dressed for a dinner out, never to get ready for an Olive Garden feast. Matthew would’ve dressed down if he knew.

“Both of you have been getting on my nerves recently.” 

“What did we do?” Matthew questioned as if he didn’t already know the answer. Gunwook kicked him from underneath the table, looking away when he turned to glare at him.

“The constant bickering and arguing has gone far enough,” Hana sighed, dropping her breadstick onto her plate, “We haven’t had a single dinner or event that didn’t end in you both fighting for no reason.”

Matthew kicked him back, keeping his eyes on Hana while listening to her intently. He didn’t seem to be getting her message.

“Just last week we got kicked out of my favorite sushi place because you two couldn’t stay quiet and eat without bothering each other.”

Hana had left the two on their own so she could take a quick bathroom break, a few sushi rolls on the table for them to enjoy. 

Matthew had pointedly ignored one of the rolls, focusing on the others instead, which made Gunwook laugh.“There’s no way you’re that picky.”

“I’m not picky!”

“It’s a simple Philadelphia roll, it’s literally just smoked salmon, avocado, and cream cheese. How the hell can you not enjoy that?”

“I don’t like cream cheese, I told you that the last time we were here.”

“Why would I remember anything you say?”

“Whatever, you don’t even have room to talk. You can’t eat a simple shrimp tempura roll?”

“I don’t like shrimp. As my future stepdad, you should remember more about your stepson.”

“And why would I remember anything you say?”

“You motherfucker-“

“Guilty.”

That comment had seemed to sting a bit more than Matthew had anticipated it to, Gunwook standing from his seat and glaring down at him with pure anger and hurt.

By the time Hana came back from her small bathroom break, their server was requesting they leave the establishment.

“I don’t even know if I can ever go back there with how embarrassing that was.”

Gunwook kicked Matthew again, harder than before. Neither dared to look at the other, nodding along with what Hana had to say.

“And don’t even get me started on the scene you both caused at the Gucci store on Gunwook’s birthday shopping trip.”

“To be fair,” The mentioned young man started, “It was my birthday and he was being annoying.”

“He asked you what size belt you wore.”

“If he was a good father figure, he would’ve already known.” Matthew glared at him for the remark, Gunwook laughing at the look on his face, “What? Can’t take a little criticism?”

Matthew kicked him in response, Gunwook taking the chance to wrap his leg around the elders and trap it under the table. Matthew thrashed his leg, trying to escape his grip, but ultimately failed to do so.

Gunwook pulled him closer by his calf, Matthew pushing against him to get further away. It was becoming obvious the two were having a battle under the table, and guests from the booth across from them began to stare.

“You’re doing it right now!” Hana scolded them, “I swear if you two get us kicked out of Olive Garden, I’ll never forgive you.”

The college man pushed Matthew off him suddenly, directing his gaze to him as if he hadn’t started it. 

“Look,” Her tone became serious, “you two are too stubborn to get over whatever it is you have going on. The most you’ve ever gotten along was when I locked you both in the closet and forced you to.”

They exchanged glances, remembering the moment well. It was the first time they had truly been civil with one another, even if it was only for a moment. They had gotten to a certain level of understanding in that closet, the two of them alone to only focus on one another.

The same had happened in the pantry before Matthew got serious, the two shrouded in a comfortable darkness. Being alone and stuck together always seemed to be the best thing for their relationship. 

“I’ve told both of you about my business trip tomorrow, correct?”

Matthew nodded, “Yeah, you’ll be gone for a whole month.”

Did Matthew ever fully hear what the business trip was for? Sadly, no. Gunwook was too busy snatching food off his plate and flipping him off at every chance he could without Hana catching him, distracting Matthew entirely. 

“While I’m gone, you’ll both be staying in the house together. Alone.”

His jaw dropped. His eyes flitted between Gunwook, whose face remained blank and expressionless, and his mother, who dove right back into her breadsticks after making the statement. 

He nervously chuckled, “Hana, dear, you can’t possibly be serious, right?”

She double-dipped her breadstick in the alfredo sauce, savoring the pillowy dough with a hot, cheesy sauce. Hana chewed slowly, looking away from the two and refusing to answer any questions.

Hana raised her hand, beckoning their server over. The young woman stood uneasily at the table"s side, sensing the current tension. That or she could clearly see the expression on Matthew’s face.

“We’re ready to order, love.” She sweetly smiled at the waitress. She moved her gaze to the two of them, “Aren’t we, boys?”

Clearly, this wasn’t up for discussion.

-

Matthew’s hair flowed in the cold wind outside of the busy Los Angeles Olive Garden. He glared Gunwook’s way as the two stood awkwardly in the parking lot of the establishment awaiting Taerae’s arrival. 

Hana thought it would be a great start to the month to have Matthew take him back home, leaving the two stranded in the parking lot. She knew it would take Taerae at least half an hour to get to them, so she waited till the last minute to tell Matthew in hopes of giving the two as much time together as possible. Hana had been hoping the time would bring them closer. 

Hana had been wrong. 

“This shit is so embarrassing.”

Gunwook scoffed, “You think you’re embarrassed? I have to stand out here freezing my ass off and hope no one I know sees me with you.” The boy had been shivering in his silk shirt, having expected he would be able to avoid the cold. 

Matthew shrugged the heavy leather jacket off of him, shoving it toward Gunwook for the boy to put on. 

Once he had it on, it was obvious it was a bit tight on him. But Gunwook was too cold to care, letting his shoulders stretch the fabric.

“Please, you should be honored I’m even here right now.” Matthew could’ve called two separate taxis for the two of them and been on his way home by now if he didn’t choose to placate Hana.

The young man laughed, rolling his eyes at the ridiculous statement, “ Honored? ” 

Matthew sighed, as if his usage of the word was obvious, “Yeah, honored. I could’ve left your ass here waiting for a taxi, be thankful I’m keeping you company.”

“Oh, yes! Thank you, Mr. Seok, for honoring me with your presence!” Gunwook sneered sarcastically, “I truly cherish your kindness!” 

“Don’t be such a smart ass.” 

“Staying with me is the bare fucking minimum,” Gunwook scowled, “it’s what a good father figure would do.”

Matthew was starting to hate hearing the phrase ‘ father figure ’. It felt like he doomed himself the moment he said he could be a good father figure for Gunwook. He was trying with the very little knowledge he had about fatherly duties to be the best father figure he could. 

He was working to fit into the family dynamic and he was keeping track of Gunwook’s likes and dislikes. Yet it felt like all of that was constantly going to waste the moment the boy opened his mouth. 

“Could you fucking stop holding that over my head?” Matthew snapped, his voice gaining volume.

“What? That you’re an awful father figure? Why would I?” Gunwook chuckled, as if the statement wasn’t serious. 

But it was serious. 

He didn’t appreciate the way Gunwook was speaking to him. If Matthew had talked to his dad like that, he didn’t even want to imagine what would’ve happened. 

Matthew had been putting in effort since the start. The boy had even said he saw his efforts in the past, only to undermine them now. He’d brought him the chocolate cupcakes, made sure to order food he’d like, and kept track of his sizes and preferences. He even gave him his jacket to wear, knowing his build would ruin the leather and stretch it out. 

It pissed him off. Gunwook had no idea how good he had it. 

“I’m trying my hardest and you know that. It’s not easy to be a good father figure to such a god-awful son.” 

A hush fell over them. 

The young man before him wore the darkest expression Matthew had ever seen. The playful smirk on his face during their argument had been wiped clean off, replaced with pure anger. 

“What the fuck did you just call me?” His voice was laced with poison.

“You heard exactly what I said. And I meant what I said.” Matthew glared at him, sick of the audacity this boy had. 

Gunwook scoffed, laughing hysterically with an open-mouthed smile as if he simply couldn’t believe what Matthew had just said to him. “I’m sorry, I’m a god-awful son?”

“Well no, you’re not just that,” Matthew spat, “you’re also an ungrateful brat who can’t take anything seriously.”

“I’m an ungrateful brat?! Are you even trying to describe me right now or are you talking about yourself?!” Gunwook shouted with an incredulous expression, “You’ve known me for three months now and that’s what you think I’m like?”

Every sentence of Gunwook’s ended in disbelief and bouts of laughter getting ripped out of his chest. He didn’t understand what Matthew was talking about at all.

“I am not an ungrateful brat!” Matthew snarled, growling at the boy who towered above him, “I treated my dad with respect! I did everything he told me to!”

“And look where that got you!” Gunwook let out a sinister laugh, mocking the man below him. “Your dad was barely in your fucking life! You treated him with respect ‘cause he wouldn’t give you his!” 

Matthew stepped back in shock, processing what the boy said to him. 

Gunwook seemed to realize what had just come out of his mouth, his jaw dropping. He quickly brought his hand to his lips, as if to shut himself up, then looked at Matthew with a guilty expression. 

“Shit, I didn’t mean to-“

He stayed silent, staring at him in dismay.

“Matthew, I swear I didn’t mean it.” Gunwook pleaded, moving closer to him, “I’m so sorry I said that, I promise I didn’t mean a single word.” 

Matthew stepped backward.

The statement had really hurt Matthew. Especially because it was true. He wanted nothing more than his father’s respect and approval, he still seeks them to this day. And he still wasn’t good enough for the man, probably because he never would be good enough for him. 

They both stayed quiet for a few minutes, the air suddenly a lot colder than before. 

“Look, we both said some really hurtful things tonight that I think we both regret.” Gunwook sighed, “How about we just… agree to put it all behind us and try to get along from now on?” He started playing with his hands awkwardly as he spoke, “We’re gonna be in the same house together for a month so… why don’t we actually try and get to know eachother better?”

Gunwook reached his hand out toward Matthew for a handshake, “Truce?”

Matthew stared at the hand in front of him blankly. 

He had the nerve to say the shit he did and ask for forgiveness? The audacity to ask to shake hands with him after telling him his father had no respect for him? In what world did Gunwook deserve his respect after that comment?

Matthew could handle the teasing, handle the pushing and embarrassment. But he wasn’t going to take this lying down. Gunwook had gone too far. It didn’t matter if Matthew had as well or if the boy regretted what he said. It was too late to take it back. 

A familiar car drove into the parking lot and made its way toward the two of them, indicating Taerae was here. 

Gunwook tilted his hand a bit so his palm would be facing upward, begging Matthew to take his hand and accept the truce.

The CEO looked into Gunwook’s guilt-ridden eyes and swatted the hand in front of him away with a scowl. 

He walked up to the car and opened the door, Gunwook following suit behind him after standing there frozen for a few seconds. 

Matthew climbed into the car and shut his door quickly, buckling his seatbelt and directing his gaze to the window beside him. 

“Hi, Gunwook, right?” Taerae looked to the backseat where the two sat side by side now, arms crossed and facing opposite directions. “I’m Taerae, it’s really nice to meet-“

“Just fucking drive, Taerae.” Matthew spat, commanding his friend.

Taerae froze, suddenly aware of the tension in the car. He gulped, turning back to the steering wheel.

Under his breath, Matthew mumbled. It was quiet, but loud enough for Gunwook to hear.

“No wonder your dad didn’t stay.”

-

New Messages from: Hana Park 4:35 pm

I want you to remember something this month.

I know it seems like he hates you,

Like all you can do to prove yourself to him is to fight back.

But Matthew, please just remember this:

You are not in the courtroom pleading your case. Gunwook isn’t the judge or plaintiff, he’s not your rival.

Life is not a competition to win. 

-

When Hana told him he was going to be staying with Gunwook, alone, for a month, he thought she was joking at first. 

That was until Matthew was sitting at the dining room table, awkwardly poking at his food while Gunwook stared at him from across the table. 

The young man’s face was blank, utterly expressionless. He didn’t even touch a crumb on his plate. He was too busy burning a hole in Matthew’s head with his mind.

Not a single other soul was in the mansion. And not another soul would enter the mansion till the full month was up. No maids, chefs, friends, or family. Only the two of them.

The majority of the rooms were locked off to avoid them running off and away from one another. The only few available rooms, aside from one large shared bathroom, were Gunwook’s room, the guest bedroom that just so happened to be directly connected to it, and his office.

Hana wanted to make sure they had no choice but to interact, going as far as checking the security cameras every once in a while to ensure they were actually having dinner together and not taking their meals elsewhere.

Why was she putting in all this effort? Frankly, Matthew didn’t know. She wasn’t going to take even a second to consider the two might never get along, she simply kept working the two closer and closer. 

Gunwook had to have complained about him by now, right? If he didn’t like Matthew, like it was obvious he didn’t, it only made sense he’d go right to his mother and work as hard as possible to convince her to give him up.

Maybe he had and Matthew would just never know about it.

But her determination to still make this work, even when Matthew’s own determination had been dwindling at every event with Gunwook involved, was evident. Neither of their protests mattered much anyway, at the end of the day both were there for Hana. 

While at first Matthew didn’t know what to expect being stuck in the mansion with only Gunwook, he’s not surprised at how it’s seemed to be so far. 

Side eyes in the hall at the crack of dawn when Matthew was getting ready to leave for work, bickering while making dinner, banging on the bathroom door when Gunwook was taking too long (he could’ve sworn he took longer specifically to piss him off more), it was all par for the course. 

Still, he could never get used to the way Gunwook looked at him.

It was getting irritating really quickly.

“Can you stop staring at me like that?” Matthew snipped, “Eat your dinner.”

Gunwook scoffed, “You can’t seriously call ‘Shake n’ Pour’ pancakes dinner.”

“Did you have a meal to cook in mind?” The question was rhetorical, only a second of time given for him to respond, “That’s what I thought.”

Silence filled the room again, Matthew sticking his fork in the pancake stack and cutting out a bite for himself with his butter knife. The sound of his chewing was all that could be heard, even with the low volume it was.

Gunwook begrudgingly followed suit, digging into the cheap pancakes Matthew made. 

“See? Dinner.”

The youngest snapped, letting his fork clatter onto the table, “What’s your fucking problem with me?”

Matthew paused, jumping back a bit. 

Didn’t they both have problems with each other? Why was Gunwook acting like he wasn’t part of the problem? They had constantly bickered and fought, and both never gave the other a moment to breathe before teasing them again. Those were just equal exchanges, matching of energies.

Sure, their argument in the parking lot ended in a bad way, but Matthew couldn’t just forgive the boy for what he said. He probably never would.

Matthew scorned, “What’s my problem with you? What’s your problem with me?” 

“Right now, my problem with you is how you always act like you"re better than me.” 

“I- what?” 

That had thrown him for a loop.

“Don’t play dumb!” Gunwook nearly shouted, irritation clear. “You always have to be right, you always have to get the last word, you always have to be better than me. Every fucking time!

“We argue all the damn time, yeah, but you always push it further and further for no reason. It’s like you always have to win no matter what, it’s so infuriating!”

They needed to de-escalate this. Immediately. This was getting too personal again. Fuck, they needed to go back to ignoring each other the best they could. 

“And some of the shit you say is just plain mean. Why are you so mean to me half the time? It’s like the second I try to actually be the bigger person, you just have to say something rude to ruin it.” He threw his hands in the air, tears pricking at his eyes.

“But then you do all these nice, little things and I have no idea what to think of it. The Philadelphia roll you ordered because you knew I hated shrimp even when you lied about it,”

Matthew slid the sushi ordering sheet to the server as she walked by, marking multiple rolls with no shrimp specifically for Gunwook to enjoy. Hana tended to like the shrimp rolls, so he ensured Gunwook got ones he would like too.

Gunwook noticed, especially when the man slid them his way when they arrived, but failed to comment on it.

“The note in your notes app with all my clothing sizes and preferences for gifts,”

Gunwook peeked over his shoulder as they walked throughout the mall, trying to see what he had been typing on his phone.

There, displayed on the screen was a note specifically titled ‘Gunwook Preferences’, Matthew inputting his newly learned belt size in a list of information about him. 

He failed to comment again. 

“Fuck, the chocolate chips in my pancakes right now!”

He gestured to the pancakes on the plate before him, chocolate chips added specifically to Gunwook’s stack with a bottle of chocolate syrup off to the side. 

Gunwook put his face in his hands, slightly muffling his speech, “There’s so many mixed signals I can’t tell if you hate me or not!”

“I’m trying over here, trying to understand. But I just don’t get it, Matthew.” His voice cracked as he spoke, trying his best not to cry in front of the mentioned man. He threw his hands on the table with confusion and frustration at said confusion.

“So, what is your problem with me?”

Matthew sat shocked, at a loss for words as he looked Gunwook in the eyes. The poor boy was sniffling now, eyes nearly red shot as tears slowly started spilling down his cheeks. He looked an absolute wreck as if all his emotions had finally spilled out after weeks of holding them back. 

Shit.

He stood up, walking around the table to get to Gunwook. The boy didn’t watch as he did so, bringing his gaze down to his chocolate chip pancakes to try and calm down. He was breathing heavily, panting in panic.

Matthew squatted next to his chair, holding his hands out for him to grab. Gunwook instantly turned, grabbing his hands tightly. 

“Breathe with me, Gunwook. Okay?” He spoke softly, adopting the softest tone he possibly could to calm him down. The boy nodded back, sniffling again when his nose began to run.

He guided his breathing, instructing him to inhale, hold, exhale, then hold again. He repeated this till his breathing pattern was proper again.

Gunwook took one deep breath, shutting his eyes to ground himself. With his eyes squinted shut and his hands loosening, he begged, “Please.” Another deep breath, “Please just talk to me. Be honest with me, please.”

Matthew took a shallow breath, sighing, “Alright, let’s talk.” He sat up from the floor, parking himself in the chair next to him. He never dropped his hands, nor looked away from him. He set their hands in his lap, scooting the chair in closer. 

“I don’t hate you. Not even a little bit.” He rubbed the back of his hands with his thumbs in a soothing motion, “I’m so sorry I made you think that way, I promise you that wasn’t my intention.”

“Then what was your intention?” Gunwook sniffled, his nose running again. Matthew reached for the paper napkins on the table, handing them to him. He blew his nose awkwardly, still holding onto one of the older’s hands.

“I-“ He sighed, “I don’t know. I wanted to prove myself to you. Prove that I could be a good father figure to you, but I really didn’t know how.”

“My dad wasn’t too-“ Matthew waved his free hand in the air, trying to find the proper wording, “involved in my life growing up. But you already knew that.” Gunwook frowned at the reminder of the parking lot, deeply regretting his words from then, “Mom and him were so busy with the firm I rarely got to see them, and when I did he’d just say a few words and then leave for work.”

Gunwook nodded along, looking down at their hands as he began playing with Matthew’s fingers. He needed something to do with his hands, something to help him focus on the conversation and hear him out. 

“And when Hana told me about your situation, I couldn’t help but see myself in you for a bit.” The young man paused his hands for a moment before resuming, bringing his other hand down to keep fiddling with Matthew’s fingers, “I knew what it was like, basically growing up without that presence in your life.”

“I wanted to be that presence for you, be there to help you even if I was years late at that point. But I didn’t know you well enough,” He gulped, directing his gaze down to Gunwook’s moving hands. “And I still don’t.”

Matthew’s hands started shaking, unfamiliar with showing vulnerability like this. It had been years since he had been this vulnerable in front of someone, and it had been even longer since he had cried. The feeling of water collecting on his lashes was terrifying.

He had no idea why he was telling Gunwook all of this, the words had just spilled out of his mouth. He felt comfortable being vulnerable in front of him, a comfort he never found in any therapist he employed. 

Gunwook held on tightly to his hand, compressing it between his two larger ones. He looked up, meeting Gunwook’s matching teary eyes. The young man nodded, urging him to continue while showing he was there for him.

He let out a shaky breath, “I had no experience to really know what a good father figure would be like, no idea how to be there for you the way I thought I needed to be. All I could do was bicker back.”

Swallowing, his mind flashed back to the night in the closet. The phrase that stuck with him the most, that haunted his mind. 

“What? Can’t take a little teasing? You wanna be in this family so badly but can’t take a little nickname?”

Every moment Gunwook pushed, every second he teased and mocked him, Matthew heard him say the words in his head. He could take the teasing, he could take the nicknames, he could handle it. He could fit in the family, be one of them. Be the father figure Gunwook always needed. 

Except he couldn’t. 

“But I felt like I needed to always be right in the end. Like if I couldn’t just ‘take a little teasing’ I couldn’t possibly fit in the family at all. I needed to win every argument, every kitten fight, no matter how underhanded I got.”

He didn’t need to be right. He didn’t need to win. But after years of being taught he could never lose or be vulnerable, years of needing to be better than everyone else so that he could be good enough for once, Matthew failed to heed Hana’s warning.

The phrasing made Gunwook breathe in shallowly, remembering his own words that night. The two had ultimately been hurting each other over and over again in hopes of defending themselves from or one-upping the other, dancing around their true feelings.

Matthew was scolding himself now, choking on his words, “I failed to realize that wouldn’t work at all. I was so focused on proving that I was strong and untouchable that I never stopped to think that that was never what you needed.”

“I never properly talked to you about caring for you, I never proved to you the thing most important to you. That I wanted to be there for you when you felt like no one else was.”

Any effort he made toward kind gestures became overshadowed by his hurtful words, confusing the poor boy in front of him. He never stopped to think for a second how small gestures wouldn’t be enough in this case.

His tears threatened to spill over, but he wouldn’t let them. He couldn’t. 

“You can cry,” Gunwook spoke up, voice hoarse with emotion, “it’s okay.”

Gunwook had allowed his tears to fall, his face painted with tear stains and streaks reaching to the base of his neck. He seemed to feel comfortable crying, comfortable being vulnerable in front of him.

Matthew envied him. 

Years in the law industry had made him cold, afraid of showing his own weaknesses since his first college mock trial. And yet here he was, over 14 years later, realizing just how unhealthy that was.

“I can’t.” 

He reached for the boy"s face, wiping his tear-stained cheeks with his thumb. Gunwook leaned into the touch, more tears streaming down his face. 

“Why don’t we go watch a movie together?” Matthew suggested, swallowing back his emotions and shoving them back into his chest. “Just spend some time together. No teasing, no snide comments. Just us.

“Would that be okay? Or is that too much right now?”

Gunwook hesitated, looking away for a moment before responding, “I think I’d like that.”

Matthew nodded, standing from the chair he was in. He didn’t dare let go of his hands. “We can watch whatever you want, your choice.”

“Addams Family Values?” He sniffled, pouting from where he still sat.

From this angle, looking down at him, Matthew almost cooed aloud. He was downright adorable, his big, plush lips making a perfect pout. 

A smile crossed his face, “If that’s what you want, we’ll watch it.”

The smile seemed to calm Gunwook down more, who now stared unabashedly at the older man. As if he was entranced by the sight of a happy Matthew.

“Hug..?” Matthew awkwardly asked.

Gunwook held his arms out instantly, pout still on his face as he looked up into Matthew’s eyes.

Matthew pulled him into a tight hug, holding him closely for the first time. The two took in a sharp inhale in unison, tightening their hold on each other. 

He felt swallowed in the hug, warmth enveloping him. It was like hugging one of those giant teddy bears from a carnival booth prize selection, except it hugged you back. It was healing.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, reveling in the contact and savoring the moment. Neither wanted to let go, wishing they could simply remain connected forever. The tsunami of emotions hit all at once, Matthew’s desire making itself known again. 

Gunwook made the first move to separate, moving back so he could look into the man’s eyes. A smile slowly spread on his face, cheeks becoming more pronounced. It was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

Matthew smiled back, “Was there anything you wanted for the movie? Snacks? Blankets?”

Gunwook nodded. He moved back a bit more, taking in Matthew’s full appearance. He gave him a quick once over, smile falling slightly. “Also…” He hesitated.

“Yeah?”

“Can you…” He hesitated again, contemplating if he should say what he was thinking or not. “Nevermind, nevermind.”

“What is it?” Matthew asked, “I’ll do it. Anything for you.”

“Can you change what you’re wearing?” 

Matthew looked down at his outfit, still dressed in partial formal attire for work. A white button-up and his dress pants, a black tie loose around his neck. “Change?”

“It’s,” Gunwook paused, “I don’t know. Something about you being so dressed up while I’m just in a hoodie and shorts.” He finally stood up, towering over Matthew once again, “It makes me feel lesser than you sometimes.”

“Oh.”

The fact he understood exactly what he meant and how it felt scared him for a moment. His dad had made him feel the exact same way. There was nothing more intimidating to him growing up than his dad berating him in his business suit.

“Yeah, yeah of course I’ll change.” 

Then he remembered the state of his wardrobe here.

He only brought work attire. He didn’t dress casually, not even in his sleep. He just slept in nothing but boxers at night, he had no casual lounging clothes.

“Gunwook?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I borrow a hoodie and shorts?”

-

“Now one of you will be the drowning victim and the other one gets to be our lifesaver!”

“I’ll be the victim!”

“All your life.”

Matthew was having a hard time focusing on the movie in front of him given his current situation. 

Curled up next to him, cheek resting on his knee and glasses slowly falling from the bridge of his nose, was Gunwook, watching the film before them with rapt attention. The pillowy soft cheek was warm on his knee, nearly burning his skin. 

The hoodie he had given him made Matthew feel tiny in comparison, with sleeves so long it gave the man sweater paws if he didn’t roll them up. With the size of it on him, he was practically drowning in fabric and the scents of grapefruit, apple, and pear. 

He was still tentative, unsure of what would be okay to do and what would be crossing boundaries. But he wanted nothing more than to run his hand through his hair again, as he had in the closet, and leave it buried in the younger’s silky locks till he had to remove it. 

The underlying lust he had for Gunwook didn’t help this situation. At all.

In all their past arguments, bickering, and teasing, there had always been a little voice in the back of Matthew’s head. One that had yet to move past his very first impression of Gunwook before he found out he was Hana’s son. The voices certainly hadn’t helped him feel good enough for him or Hana when they appeared, worsening their arguments. 

Every moment his thoughts wandered to how attractive the young man was, how hot he looked when he was annoyed, how nice his voice was, Matthew had to try his hardest not to interrupt whatever conversation was ongoing to go bang his head against a wall till he could think straight again. Pun unintended.

He could always hide it, always deflect and change whatever topic had caught him off guard. 

But now, when he needed to prove he cared for him and get closer to him, he also had to make sure to hide how close his deepest, darkest desires truly wanted them to be. 

He felt disgusting.

“You don’t need to be distant anymore.”

Matthew blinked, interrupted in his own overthinking. He looked down at the boy on his knee, cheek moving against it as he spoke.

“I can practically hear you thinking over there,” Gunwook took in a deep breath, held it for a bit, then breathed out, “but we have to stop shutting each other out. You can talk to me.”

“Can I touch you?” 

That came out the wrong way, especially with the sigh Matthew unintentionally let out as he spoke.

He shut his eyes tight, cringing at himself, “I mean, can I touch your hair, your back, or…” 

It still didn’t sound right, like he was letting his inner inhibitions go at the wrong time. This was wrong, all of it was. He should’ve kept his mouth shut because now he sounded plain needy. And the last person who deserved to be needy in this room was the 34-year-old man with emotional constipation.

“Never mind,” Matthew sighed, “Ignore me. Please.” Please pretend I never said that. I feel gross for the person I am.

“You can touch me,” Gunwook responded quietly, nearly whispering, “I don’t mind. I’d like it.”

Matthew shivered, turning his gaze back to him and opening his eyes. The man was looking at him now, eyes sparkly behind his thick-rimmed glasses. He was gorgeous like this, black hair falling awkwardly on his forehead from the angle. 

The back of his head was on his lap now, heavy and warm. He was practically using his thighs as pillows. Gunwook raised his hand and brought it under Matthew’s jaw, swiping his thumb on it in a soothing manner. Matthew’s breath got caught in his throat.

With a hesitant hand, Matthew lightly began raking his fingers through Gunwook’s hair. He was transported back to the closet, smooth soft hair being played with in a domestic manner. 

Gunwook hummed at the feeling of his nails dancing on his scalp, a smile playing on his plush lips. Closing his eyes, he let out the tiniest, softest, barely audible moan. 

Matthew paused, his hand movements halting. The sound had sent goosebumps up his arms, hairs standing on his forearms. Butterflies woke up from their sleep in his stomach, taking the air out of his lungs. 

Perhaps he had paused for too long, mulling over his dark thoughts, because a low whine filled the room, followed by, “Please don’t stop, it feels nice.”

Against his better judgment, he started massaging his scalp. Gunwook hummed, relishing the feeling. The movie was long forgotten by now, acting as background noise for the two.

The stress in Matthew’s shoulders began to dissipate, melting into the space between the hoodie he was in and his body. Trapped just a little, but mostly gone.

“Hey, Matthew?”

He hummed, “Yeah, Gunwookie?”

The nickname felt natural, as if he was always meant to say it. Like it was a word his lips were made to say.

Gunwook giggled below him, opening his eyes to meet Matthew’s, “Gunwookie?” The most handsome smile was on his face, teasing him a little. But this was nothing like their past teasing, it had different intentions behind it. There was a fondness this time.

“Can I…” Matthew breathed in, “Can I call you that? If that’s okay. Is it too much?”

“It’s not too much,” he responded, “It’s just enough. I like it.”

Matthew nodded, his bright smile blinding, “Then you’re Gunwookie from now on.” 

“Matthew…”

He hummed back, urging him to continue.

“What’s your relationship like with her?”

He buffered, scrunching his brows together with confusion. “I’m sorry?”

“My mom.” Gunwook gulped, his voice suddenly hoarse, “What’s your relationship like with my mom?”

Tension filled the room, and the movie suddenly sounded much louder than before. They gazed into each other"s eyes, reality slowly sinking in for the both of them. They both knew. They were both well aware how they were acting had certain motivations to it. 

“We’re in a casual and open relationship.” Matthew responded, “We’re not committed to one another, she wanted that to be clear when we started dating.”

Gunwook sat up, looking at Matthew incredulously, “My mom did?”

He nodded, “Yeah, we mostly just go on little dates and kiss from time to time.”

“So you’re not like… dating dating?” 

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not in love with each other, right?”

Matthew took in a sharp breath, letting it out shallowly. 

Hana and him had never slept together. They had never said they loved each other, never even said they liked one another in a non-platonic way. They were doing all of this for the sake of their companies, even for the sake of Gunwook. To give him a perfect company to inherit when they both retired. To give him a father figure, another person to be there for him.

They both fulfilled their needs and desires elsewhere. Their whole relationship felt fabricated.

In comparison to what he felt now, side by side with Gunwook, caring touches and soft whispers, he felt nothing serious for Hana. He can’t remember if he ever had to begin with.

“No, we’re not.” 

Gunwook nodded.

Matthew sighed again.

“Gunwookie..”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t want to be your father figure anymore.”

His eyes widened, shock filling his face. Matthew stared back at him, looking him in the eyes as he spoke. “My perspective on what a father figure is is too skewed. I can never be a good father figure or male presence in your life.” 

“Really?”

The man looked at the younger man in front of him. His heart swelled at his reaction, a strange mix of joy and anxiety in Gunwook’s expression. He didn’t know what to think.

“Can we just be… equals? Rely on each other, be there for the other?” He didn’t want to feel like he was supposed to be better than him anymore. Like if he wasn’t, he wasn’t good enough. He wanted them to be on a level playing field. 

Without answering, Gunwook pulled him in for a hug. He placed his hand on the back of Matthew’s head, cradling him closely. He had never felt so comforted in his life. 

“Of course.”

-

“Stop moving, the dye’s getting all over your neck!” A giggle erupted in their shared bathroom, a smile plastered on Gunwook’s face.

“I can’t help it, it tickles!” Matthew pouted back, the feeling of the dye brush ticklish on his scalp.

The two were in their shared Jack and Jill bathroom, a towel wrapped around Matthew’s neck and a bowl of black hair dye on the counter in front of him. Matthew couldn’t stop moving as Gunwook applied the hair dye, the light movement on his sensitive scalp making him jumpy. 

Nearly an hour ago, Matthew had walked into the house from the garage door with a bag from the beauty supply store in hand, filled with everything he’d need for his hair transformation. 

He desperately wanted a change, his blond hair becoming too tiresome to keep up with for him. And while his natural hair color was more of a deep brown, he thought black would be a nice change, the polar opposite of how he looked now.

Gunwook was eager to assist him, grabbing the bag out of his hand the moment he knocked on his bedroom door. He grabbed the CEO’s wrist and dragged him into the bathroom instantly, guiding him to sit in a chair in front of the mirror while he dug through the bag. 

He followed every instruction the box gave him, pouring the dye into the bowl and applying it to Matthew’s hair with generous amounts of the product. 

“Isn’t box dye bad for your hair?” Gunwook questioned, moving the hair with his gloved hands to get every spot he could. He stood behind Matthew, applying the dye to the back of his head first, focusing on his roots.

“Yeah, but that’s a problem for future Matthew.” 

He usually went to get his hair professionally done, but the idea of Gunwook dying his hair was too tempting. Was his stylist going to be absolutely pissed at him for using black box dye? Yes. Did he care? Not when Gunwook was the one applying it.

It was a chance for a nice bonding moment, something nice they could do together to get closer. Matthew wasn’t going to pass that up.

The two had grown a lot closer recently, spending more time together than ever before. Matthew would cook for the two while Gunwook sat on one of the bar stools, chit-chatting with the older about random, unimportant things. They’d watch TV shows and movies together comfortably, commenting on what they watched like some sort of YouTube reactor duo.

They found comfort in one another.

Gunwook giggled at the answer. He saturated every strand of hair he could, finishing the back of his head quickly. He moved to Matthew’s side and raked a hand through his blond hair, applying the dye thoroughly. 

Matthew stared at him in the mirror, admiring the concentration on his face. Gunwook always put his 100% in everything he did, he always did the best he could and no less. He was focused on the task given to him, making sure he did it perfectly and left no strand undyed. He was gorgeous like this.

“How was work today?” Gunwook asked, hoping to initiate some sort of small talk.

“It was okay, nothing crazy.” Matthew sighed, “Just work.”

He hummed in response, continuing his work. The brush wasn’t making Matthew feel ticklish anymore, the soft strokes against his scalp relaxing and therapeutic. He could feel the tension in his neck loosening as he let himself relax in Gunwook’s hands, his head easily moveable for him to work with. 

Matthew sighed, closing his eyes and breathing deeply before exhaling. 

“Do you like what you do?”

“Hmm?” His eyes opened, not expecting Gunwook to ask him a question. 

“Do you like your job? Do you like being a lawyer and CEO?”

The room was silent for a moment, Matthew mulling over his response. He wanted to lie and say he did enjoy it, but he couldn’t find the courage to do so. The two were supposed to be more honest with each other from now on, he couldn’t lie to him. 

“I don’t.” 

The hand in his hair stopped moving, the dye brush in Gunwook’s other hand lifting off his head. Gunwook looked at him in the mirror, taking in the regretful expression on Matthew’s face. He frowned seeing it.

“Why do you do it then?” Gunwook’s tone was soft, curious, and sad. 

Matthew exhaled, “My dad wanted my sister to inherit the company, but she wanted to open a dance studio instead.” He made eye contact with his own reflection, “Live her dream.”

Gunwook frowned, moving closer to him and gazing down at his face. “What was your dream?”

His dream. He hadn’t thought of his dream in years. He had decided to give it up so she could live hers, given somebody had to take over the business. He could remember her face when he told her the news, Yaeby sobbing at the chance of being able to live her dream, and him losing his. 

He still visited her from time to time at the studio, smiling sadly at the way life had played out. It was the brotherly thing to do. Matthew never regretted giving her the opportunity to live life how she wanted to.

But he regretted never letting himself do the same.

“I wanted to open it with her, dance all day, and help others find happiness in dance like we both did.” He sighed, looking up to meet Gunwook’s sad gaze, “But someone had to take over. I thought it’d be better if she got to be happy instead of me.”

The rest of the dyeing process remained quiet after that, a gloomy air taking over the bathroom. Gunwook finished quickly, taking the bowl and dye brush to the sink and cleaning them. 

Matthew stood up, setting a timer on his phone for the processing time. Now he stood awkwardly, unsure of what else to say. 

“You’re allowed to be happy, Matthew.”

His brows furrowed, moving his gaze to Gunwook at the sink. He scrubbed the bowl with vigor, a blank expression on his face. 

“You both deserved to be happy, neither of you should’ve felt like you had to give that up for the company.” 

Logically, he knew he was right. But it was far too late to do anything about it now. 

“It’s fine,” Matthew responded, “I’m a bit too old to dance now anyway.”

Gunwook’s eyebrow raised at that. He turned off the sink and walked toward him. Matthew had to move his gaze up to meet his eyes, clear conflict displayed in them. 

With his slightly damp hands, Gunwook held onto the bottom of his face and swiped his thumbs against his jaw soothingly. “Why don’t we go dance together one of these days? We can even go to your sister"s dance studio and take a class together.” 

“You dance?”

“I was on the dance team in high school with Gyuvin,” Gunwook replied, “Haven’t really danced since I started college classes but I love dancing.” He had a gorgeous, tender smile on his face, hoping to cheer Matthew up, “We can go together, we’re probably both a bit rusty by now.”

“That’d be... really nice, actually.”

He smiled, “Then we’ll do that.”

“But the studio’s all the way up in Vancouver, Gunwookie.” Matthew frowned a little, “It’ll be hard trying to match our schedules up for it.” It felt like the idea was too good to be true, a dream that would be difficult to make happen.

Gunwook simply giggled at the concern, “We can do it whenever you’re free, don’t worry about my schedule.”

The tender hold on his jaw along with the kind words made Matthew swoon, the boy above him gazing at him like he hung up the stars. 

Suddenly, Gunwook leaned down and pressed his lips to Matthew’s forehead gently, moving back so quickly it almost gave him whiplash. He could feel his cheeks heating up at the action, a blush spreading over them.

“I have all the time in the world to spend with you.”

-

Hot, bubbling water tickled Matthew’s skin, a sigh escaping his lips once he had fully lowered himself into the hot tub. He slumped back, letting the water rise all the way up to his shoulders.

The day had been rough for Matthew Seok.

After years of being in retirement, out of his sight and out of his mind, his father decided today was the perfect day to visit the offices and judge every little thing Matthew had done with the company. The perfect day to tear him apart.

The snide little comments, backhanded compliments, disapproving hums, and outright insults had been chipping away at him all day. 

“When are you getting married? You need an heir.”

“Why is everything you do right on the edge of being perfect?”

“I guess that’s… good enough.”

“Seok Firms can’t afford all of these mistakes, Matthew.”

“God, I wish your sister never refused me. She would’ve run this place right.”

“Why can’t you be more like your sister?”

The constant reminder that the company had merely been a hand-me-down out of obligation and not that his father truly believed he could be a good CEO always burned. Like rubbing salt in his 14-year-old wound. 

But now, sitting in the hot tub, he could only hope the heat would melt his stress and tension away. 

He found himself zoning out, losing himself in the warmth. It hugged him closely, but not nearly enough. Not good enough, why was everything today just not good enough?

The sound of a door opening interrupted his daze, moving his gaze to see where it came from.

Stood at the door connecting the patio to the house was none other than Gunwook, concern evident on his face. His brows were scrunched under his glasses, jaw stiff. He wore simple basketball shorts and a hoodie, his usual house attire, with a heavy criminal law textbook in hand. 

“You’re home early.” It was barely a statement. It was more meant to pose the question of why he was home so early.

Matthew sighed, “I am.” He lowered himself more in the water, letting it linger between his nose and upper lip. 

“Is everything okay?” Gunwook set the book down on a nearby chair, walking toward the hot tub and to Matthew.

“Yeah, it’s-“ His eyes closed tightly, cringing at the reminder of his day, “it’s fine now, Gunwookie.”

“It doesn’t seem fine, Matthew.”

Gunwook was at the side of the hot tub now, near the small set of stairs to hop in. His crossed arms rested at the edge, the young man leaning his entire body against the wall of it. He was directly across from Matthew, who sat in the corner opposite him.

“It’s not. It’s really not but I don’t want to think about it anymore.” He wanted nothing more than to drown out his emotions and stuff them right back into the little bottle he kept them in, leaving it to float aimlessly in the dark, abandoned ocean that was his psyche. He wanted to throw it all far away from him, out of sight and out of mind. 

“Did you want a distraction?” 

Matthew furrowed his brows, “Distraction?” It was exactly what he wanted right now. Anything to get his mind off the day he had. But he had no idea what Gunwook had in mind. 

“You trust me, right?” Gunwook had a teasing lilt to his voice, leaving the question with no real weight.

“Of course I do.”

“Then would you like a distraction?”

“Yes, please.”

Before he could blink, Gunwook grabbed at the bottom of his hoodie and threw it over his head, balling it up and tossing it to the chaise lounge chair his abandoned textbook sat on. His chest was now completely bare, leaving him in only his basketball shorts and sandals.

He slid his sandals off his feet and then nearly ran up the mini staircase, quickly hopping into the hot tub right next to Matthew. He got in so quickly, in fact, Matthew was instantly splashed with water and now had his entire head soaked. 

Matthew sat up, the water level going from his nose down to his nipples, and stared at Gunwook with fully doused hair. Gunwook raised his eyebrow, acting like he had nothing to do with the splash, and barely contained his laughter.

It took roughly three seconds of staring at one another before they both started laughing in cacophony. Their laughter could probably be heard two doors down, even in a neighborhood of mansions, but neither cared. 

As their laughter slowed, Gunwook rested his arms behind him on the edge of the tub. With how little distance they had from each other, this meant his hand was now resting right next to Matthew’s shoulder, brushing it every once in a while as the laughter died out. 

Gunwook smiled, “See? Perfect distraction.”

“You really are a genius, huh?”

“Well, I am set to be Yale’s valedictorian this year,” He rolled his eyes playfully, “One would only hope I was.”

Matthew cocked a brow, “Yale?” The future valedictorian nodded back, “I graduated from Yale.”

He smirked back, “I know, Wikipedia told me all about it.”

“How do you handle your classes?” Matthew asked, “You go to school in New Haven and live in Beverly Hills?”

Gunwook shrugged, “I mostly do online and fly in for important projects and exams. Sometimes if I’m confused about something I’ll catch a flight over and go to the next in-person lecture.”

He could do that? Do all of his courses work online and far away from the school? And still be in the running for valedictorian?! 

“You can do that now?” Matthew leaned in, curious.

“Been able to for years, especially since covid.”

What a way to show his age. Matthew was 30 when the covid pandemic broke out. Which meant Gunwook had been in high school. Fuck.

He chuckled nervously, “Oh yeah, I remember now.” He didn’t. 

Gunwook looked at him with a raised brow, a look of amusement on his face. He let out a huff of air, coming across as the ghost of a giggle.

A hush came over them, but the silence was anything but awkward. It was comforting simply being in each other"s presence.

As he sat in the bubbling water, Matthew could only stare at Gunwook and be incredibly grateful the man was in his life.

“You look really tense right now.” Gunwook broke the silence.

“I’m sorry?”

If anything, he felt like all his tension was gone now. Just being with Gunwook made the tension dissolve. Why did he think he was still tense?

“I mean like your shoulders and back,” Gunwook scratched his neck, “They just look really tense. When was the last time you’ve gotten a massage?”

Matthew can’t even remember. But now that the idea was in his mind, he was thinking about how much a good massage would benefit him right now. Perhaps he should get a spa appointment soon.

“It’s been a while. But you’re right, a massage would be nice.” Matthew sighed, leaning back into the corner of the tub, “I gotta find time to go to a spa soon.”

“Can I…” Gunwook hesitated, possibly regretting his thought process. Matthew nodded at him, urging him to continue. “Can I give you a massage?”

“You… want to give me a massage?” 

“Yeah.” 

“…Why?” Matthew was just a tad confused. What made him want to give him a massage?

“You’re always doing things for me,” Gunwook moved a bit closer, letting his hands fall into the tub as he turned fully to him, “I want to repay you a little.”

Matthew shook his head instantly, “You don’t have to repay me for anything, spending time with you is more than enough for me.” 

He hated the idea of Gunwook feeling like he was indebted to him, like he needed to do something back. Just being with Gunwook made him feel ten times happier, his presence was all Matthew ever needed in return. 

“No, I mean-“ Gunwook sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. When they opened back up, his eyes had a hint of panic in them, “It’s not just that-“ He stuttered over his words, “Please don’t get me wrong, Matthew.”

There was something more to this. With how he was stumbling on his words and struggling to convey his own thoughts, there had to be something more to this. 

“I’m not asking "cause I feel like I have to or something, okay? Please don’t get me wrong.” Gunwook moved even closer, his knee bumping into Matthew’s, “I just want to do this for you. That’s all.”

Matthew mulled over his options. He wanted to let him do it, wanted to see the smile on Gunwook’s face when he got to do something for him. But he knew if he did, he’d never forget it. And whether that was for better or for worse, Matthew wasn’t sure.

He took in the younger’s appearance, chest glimmering with water droplets slowly dripping down and back into the water. He had seen him shirtless before, but it felt different this time. They were on good terms now, with no arguing or resentment between them. And as Matthew kept looking at his bare torso, he couldn’t help but think things would change for the worse in his mind. How would he ever be able to forget a shirtless Gunwook massaging him? 

He already knew the way he thought of him was wrong. Every butterfly in his stomach, every degree of heat that pooled in his core, every rush of blood to his face, and every pound of his heart were followed by intense waves of guilt. Matthew would spend the rest of the day after whatever made him feel those things kicking himself for how he felt. It was wrong. He needed to bury these feelings of want alive, kicking and screaming, till they died of suffocation. He was going to hell for this.

And Matthew would certainly go to hell for what he did next. 

“You can. You can give me a massage if you want to.”

Gunwook’s eyes widened in surprise, “I can?” He could barely hide excitement from his tone.

Matthew sighed, breathing in, “As long as you want to do it and don’t feel like it’s some sort of obligation, then yeah.” He gulped, a tension growing in the air that Gunwook seemed to be oblivious of, “You can.”

His eyes lit up, a big smile spreading across his lips. The boy nearly giggled, wading through the water so he could be right in front of the CEO. He placed his hands on the seat Matthew sat in, caging him in as he adjusted himself. He propped himself up on his knees underwater, hovering over him by merely an inch.

With arms still caging him in, Gunwook looked into his eyes with a mischievous glint in his own. He leaned back a little and brought his hands to Matthew’s shoulders, instantly resting his thumbs in the divets of his collarbones. 

“You’re okay with this, right?”

Matthew’s breathing was getting shallow, his anticipation building, “Yes.”

After one more confirmation, Gunwook started moving his hands. He worked with gentle, but slightly rough, pressure to break some of the tension in his shoulders. He was focusing mostly on warming him up first before he truly started his work.

The feeling of his large hands on Matthew’s naked skin was already a lot for him, causing him to suck in a sharp breath. The pressure made his skin feel hot to the touch, the skin on his collarbones slowly growing red as Gunwook played with it.

They had only just started and Matthew was already finding it hard to hide how affected he already was. 

Gunwook moved his focus from his hands and looked to see Matthew’s reaction. He frowned at the sight of him holding his breath, tensing even more. 

“Hey, don’t hold back.” His voice was a little whiny, a pout on his lips again. “If you hold your breath, it’s only gonna make you more tense.” He pulled away, giving Matthew some space so he could have a moment to breathe. 

“I’m sorry I uh… get a little vocal when I get massages?” 

A little was an understatement. He had to find a specific masseuse years ago who would be fine with his loud noises because of how vocal he would get. He would need to start his search all over again– now that they had moved out of state– or travel all the way to New York for a simple massage. 

Matthew didn’t want to make Gunwook uncomfortable with his… noises. He wanted to let the boy give him a massage, yes, but he didn’t want to let the experience be bad for him.

“That’s okay, I don’t mind.” Gunwook smiled brightly, “This is a massage for you, Mattchu. Just enjoy it!” 

“You’re sure?”

“Of course!” Gunwook placed one hand back on his shoulder encouragingly, “Could you turn around for me? The angle’s a bit awkward right now.”

He nodded back, “Yeah, yeah, of course.” Lagging just a little in hesitation, Matthew slowly turned around in his seat. 

He struggled to find a comfortable way to situate himself, his knees awkwardly coming up to the seat. They kept bumping into the walls of the tub, sometimes so hard it was bound to leave bruises later. 

When he thought he finally found a good position, he turned his head and looked up at Gunwook. Only to realize he now had to look down.

“Uh, Gunwookie? I don’t think this is gonna work.”

“Hold on a second.”

Gunwook rose slightly out of the water, bringing his hands to Matthew’s waist to stabilize him. His hands wrapped around his waist perfectly, as if they were meant to be resting there. The ghost of his fingers sent shivers through Matthew, a flash of heat in his core. 

Gunwook then gripped his waist as he began to move, lifting him out of the seat. He moved slowly, rotating the two of them to change their positions. He set Matthew on the hot tub floor, sitting himself in the seat he had just been in. His legs were spread wide, Matthew caged between them like he had been in his arms moments ago. 

Matthew’s mind went blank at the manhandling, only a constant repeat of the word ‘fuck ’ playing. 

“Are you comfortable?” Gunwook leaned down a bit, nearly whispering the words in his ear.

“Yeah.” He sighed, a bit too comfortable, actually.

“Alright, breathe with me, okay?” He leaned back into his seat, hands coming back to his shoulders. Gunwook behind him like this was indescribable, he couldn’t find any words to describe just how insane he was feeling.

He nodded back, sighing out an “Okay.” to him. 

“Breathe in.” The two breathed in unison, inhaling slowly. Gunwook started moving his hands again, rubbing Matthew’s shoulders with a bit more pressure than earlier. “Breathe out.” They both exhaled, Matthew sighing as he did.

“Breathe in.” He dug his thumbs into the skin, working through the knots and tension held in his shoulders. The skin grew red underneath his hands, blood rushing to the area and heating the skin. “Breathe out.” Matthew exhaled, a hum escaping his lips at the feeling of the young man handling his body.

“Breathe in.” Gunwook started rubbing a particularly tight knot, bringing both his hands over to it. He worked at it with extra pressure, loosening it to the best of his ability. As it slowly dissipated and released the tension in the area, Matthew breathed out early. A small moan could be heard, his eyes fluttering shut. 

Gunwook chuckled upon hearing it, applying a bit more pressure to the next knot he found. The knot happened to be right on top of Matthew’s back tattoo. “I didn’t know you had so many tattoos before today.” He continued to rub the tattoo, admiring the design, “Why have you been hiding them from me?” 

His tone sounded pouty. Matthew knew exactly what his vocal inflection sounded like when he got like this, especially when it was a teasing, unserious pout. But to hear him speak like this when manhandling him and rubbing his hands all over his body— It made Matthew moan again, a little louder than last time.

“I haven’t been-“ A shallow moan poked through as he continued working on the knot, “hiding them from you. I just don’t-“ a small whimper, “show them too often.” 

Gunwook leaned in, stopping his hand movements for a moment to speak in his ear again, “I’d love to see them more often, then.” 

Matthew could feel his soft chuckle on his back as he leaned back into him, chasing the feeling of Gunwook so close to him. He whined when the man moved back to where he had been, missing the contact.

“You have so many knots back here,” His hands caught on another knot, slightly lower than his shoulders and more toward the middle of his upper back, “It’s a good thing I’m here to help.”

He pressed on it hard, harder than any masseuse probably would, and grunted as he applied the pressure. The grunt alone made Matthew hum, but the hard press and rough hands made him moan sinfully, louder than his past ones. He became pliant in Gunwook’s hands, letting him move and manipulate his body as he wished. 

Gunwook spread his legs further apart, moving his hands below Matthew’s armpits. He picked him up with ease, like he weighed nothing, and moved him to sit on the same seat as him. His thighs clenched around Matthew’s thighs, trapping him between them. 

His arms wrapped around Matthew’s chest, pressing his own chest against his back again. Matthew leaned forward, his back arching as Gunwook took one of his arms from his chest and pressed it into his lower back. His back arch became deeper, Gunwook pushing his lower back out and pulling his upper half toward him. 

The young man chuckled, “Gotta cover all my bases, baby.” His voice was deeper than before, heavy with lust.

Matthew threw his head back at the sudden nickname drop, pushing Gunwook back into the seat and pressing his back fully against him. He rested his head on his broad shoulder, whimpering into his neck. 

Gunwook brought his hand to the back of his head, supporting it and encouraging him to keep his head where it was. His other hand lightly caressed his chest, running over his nipple every once in a while. Each time he did, another whimper would escape past Matthew’s lips. 

He lay there for a bit, resting on him as he heavily breathed. Matthew’s mind was reeling. This felt like the most erotic experience he’s had in forever, surely this was no longer platonic. He couldn’t be the only one that was hot and bothered here. There was no way he was. 

Gunwook placed a hand on his jaw, fishing his face out of his neck. Matthew opened his eyes, taking in his appearance. 

His jet-black hair was tousled, falling onto his firetruck-red face. His pupils had expanded, a dark glint in his eyes as he looked deeply into Matthew’s. 

Matthew looked down at his plush lips, noticing a few indents in them that hadn’t been there earlier. Upon a closer look, he could recognize them as teeth marks, implying he had been biting his lips as he massaged him. And with how deep they were, he had been biting them hard.

His eyes flicked back to the younger’s eyes at the same time his did, revealing how they both glanced at the other’s lips simultaneously. 

The young man sighed, moving his arm down to the older’s waist. “Please stop me if you don’t want this, Matthew.”

The hand on his jaw softened, gently cradling his face as Gunwook began leaning in. 

Matthew didn’t stop him. He didn’t stop himself, either.

He started leaning in too, flicking his gaze between Gunwook’s lips and eyes over and over. His eyelids felt heavy, flickering shut the closer the two got. 

Finally, the two met in the middle. Both gasped into the kiss, mouths falling open at the sparks igniting around them. They melted into one another, moaning as they relaxed their jaws and lazily kissed. Their lips slid against each other lightly, Gunwook pecking his lips repeatedly. 

Matthew turned in his arms, placing a hand on his chest as he kissed him. Their noses brushed as they both opened their mouths again, Matthew sucking on Gunwook’s bouncy bottom lip and tasting his cherry lip balm. The young man hummed at the feeling, a deep groan erupting from his chest.

For months his inner demons had imagined what it would be like to feel his lips against his. Those plush, pouty lips that had always been perfectly taken care of. It was better than what he had dreamed of. He felt insane, as if he was bound to become addicted to him from here on out.

Gunwook dropped his hand from Matthew’s jaw, bringing it down to his waist so he could pick him up again. He whined on his lips, the grip on his waist rough yet gentle. The man placed him on his lap, Matthew instinctively spreading his thighs and pushing the younger’s in. 

Gunwook pulled away for a moment, ripping the glasses off his face and throwing them behind him without a care in the world. Neither knew where they went or if they stayed intact. Neither cared. Gunwook simply pulled him back in the moment the obstacle was out of the way.

The CEO wrapped his arms around the young man’s neck, pulling him closer to him as he opened his mouth wider in the kiss. He was quietly begging the man to stick his tongue in, waiting for him to do it first before he used his own.

Getting the hint, Gunwook slid his tongue into his mouth and lazily caressed Matthew’s tongue, groaning as his legs spread just a bit more. His thighs were too strong this time, causing Matthew’s legs to spread onto his lap more. 

It was this movement that caused Matthew and Gunwook’s fronts to meet, matching tents in their shorts rubbing through the fabric. 

Matthew moaned loudly at the feeling, the sound being drowned out as Gunwook devoured him. The kiss was suffocating in the best way, like being choked on the cusp of an orgasm. He couldn’t tell where he ended and Gunwook started. He didn’t want to know the details anymore. He just wanted to relish the moment, the two colliding on repeat. 

Gunwook’s nails started digging into his lower back, the slight hint of pain making Matthew throw his head back in pleasure. A high-pitched whine fell from his lips, his back arching as he pulled himself closer to him with the arms around his neck. 

Gunwook bucked his hips lightly, bulge meeting Matthew again. The water splashed when he did, droplets hitting Gunwook’s chest and kissing his torso on their way down. 

Fuck, he felt so big. 

The younger moaned deeply as he bucked his hips again under the water, the whoosh of water moving out of the way sending shivers down both their spines. 

Gunwook’s nose buried itself into Matthew’s neck, pecking and sucking right below his ear. He left little bites as he breathed heavily into his ear, whimpering for more. He focused on creating constellations over his skin, biting, licking, and sucking every inch of the surface he could. He was marking him his. 

“Fuck, Gunwookie…” He was lost in the moment. Everything around him was Gunwook. The lips and tongue on his neck, Gunwook, the thighs spreading his legs further and further apart, Gunwook, the fabric-covered cock below him that kept rutting into his own, Gunwook.

Gunwook.

Gunwook.

…

…

Gunwook. 

Matthew’s eyes flew open, head snapping down to take in the scene before him. He was spread on Gunwook Park’s lap, rock hard, getting hickeys from Hana’s son. He was rutting against Hana’s son, Hana’s 20-year-old son. The college-aged son of his girlfriend.

He pushed himself off of him, separating them and cringing at the sound of the suction on his neck disconnecting. He climbed off his lap with haste, swimming as far away as he could at the furthest part of the hot tub, opposite Gunwook. 

Gunwook’s eyes opened, brows furrowed in confusion. One second, he was in an intimate moment with Matthew. The next, he was being pushed as far away as he could be. 

This was wrong in so many ways. Matthew was set to marry Gunwook’s mother eventually, whether they had an open relationship or not. Surely family members had to be off the list of people outside the relationship that were okay to get involved with. Especially her 20-year-old son who was a whole 14 years younger than Matthew. 

He was a 34-year-old man. It didn’t matter anymore if he’d hooked up with younger people in the past, this was a whole nother situation. Fuck, for months Matthew had tried proving to the boy in front of him that he could be his father.

The boy in front of him.

Said boy sat up, swimming toward him with concern written on his face. “Is everything okay, Mattchu?” 

That nickname again. He wanted one to call Matthew since he called him Gunwookie so they could be on a level playing field. But sitting here, dread filling him, Matthew realized they shouldn’t be on a level playing field in this regard. They were too close, too involved with one another, too in tune with the other"s emotions. 

They were closer than Matthew and Hana had ever been. 

“Was it me… um…” Gunwook scratched the back of his neck, trying to allude to the not-so-dry dry humping, “I’m sorry if I took it too far, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

That was the problem. Matthew didn’t feel uncomfortable. He felt more comfortable than ever before. He felt like letting the boy consume him entirely, letting him take him then and there in the hot tub his mother bought for the house. He felt too comfortable.

Matthew gulped, “It’s nothing you did, Gunwookie.” The last thing he wanted was for the boy to blame himself when Matthew was the issue. He had been the issue all along. “I think I just need a moment to myself.” 

He moved to get out of the hot tub, swinging his leg over the wall and quickly stepping down the mini staircase. Gunwook’s eyes followed his every move, a frown coming to his expression. 

That frown hurt to see. 

“Of course, take all the time you need.” 

Matthew grabbed his phone, ignoring the towel he brought the moment he saw what was on the floor by the table it rested on. 

A pair of cracked glasses. 

The glasses Gunwook tore off his face while they made out to get a better angle into his mouth. He could feel the ghost of his tongue for a moment, reminding him of his now very empty mouth. 

He clenched his jaw, keeping his eyes on the floor as he ran for the house door. He couldn’t look at Gunwook, he knew he’d see a hurt look on his face. He’d see confusion and concern, the boy probably blaming himself for everything. 

Gunwook did nothing wrong. The issue was he did everything right. Matthew was in the wrong here. 

He slammed the glass patio door behind him, the sound of the door rattling echoing into the mansion. The empty house seemed to mock him, reminders of Hana and Gunwook sprinkled everywhere. Hana’s favorite paintings on the wall, Gunwook’s chocolate milk bottle on the counter that he forgot. He was surrounded by the Park family. 

Matthew leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down and leaving water droplets on it. He landed on the floor with a wet squelch from his shorts, forming a puddle around him. 

He didn’t care. He could only focus on the bits of the Park family around him.

Hana’s pink baking apron hung on the stove handle in the kitchen across from him, Gunwook’s calendar held up on the fridge with a pink magnet. Hana’s kitchen rags with duckies on them, Gunwook’s big duck body pillow Odungie—he couldn’t even remember when he learned its name— on the couch. Hana’s portrait with Gunwook in the living room, matching smiles on their faces and matching moles under their eyes.

The similarities were everywhere. Of course they were, Gunwook was her son. 

It was at this moment he realized the one similarity he never should’ve learned about. The one he should’ve never known. He felt sick as he thought of it, nauseous as it didn’t leave his brain. 

This was wrong, he shouldn’t be making this comparison or connection at all. He shouldn’t know this. He should go to hell for knowing this. He probably would go to hell for knowing this. 

And yet… it made sense, didn’t it? The two shared a lot of their mannerisms. There were phrases Gunwook would say that he remembered hearing Hana say, implying he learned them from her. They both would place their hands on his shoulders when talking, and they both would soothe him with their thumbs on his jaw. There were bound to be similarities like this. But Matthew was never supposed to know how far the similarities went. Especially not this far.

Gunwook kissed exactly like his mom.

-

New Text Message From: Hana Park 1:10 am

I’m so happy you and Gunwook are getting along! 

I was so worried you’d never warm up to each other.

When I get back, we’ll all have a nice dinner together and discuss the merger and engagement more thoroughly. I think it’s time we start planning for a beautiful wedding in Seoul! I’m hoping for an autumn ceremony❤️

-

“Mr. Seok, this is your assistant, Ms. Shin. Were there any appointments today I wasn’t made aware of?”

Matthew was reading over the current cases his company was handling, looking through every detail and checking his employee"s notes to see if they might’ve missed something. Second opinions were important in this industry. There was almost always something someone had missed that they couldn’t see without assistance.

“Mr. Seok.”

His company could handle any case thrown at them, but the most interesting one on his desk by far was the current domestic homicide case in his hands. One of his best lawyers, Stephen Yoon, was the defendant in the case, working hard to prove that a young Yizhuo Ning wasn’t responsible for the untimely death of her girlfriend at the time, Aeri Uchinaga. 

Cases like this were interesting. His firm didn’t work too closely with the government, being they were involved with large companies. So when a homicide case of any kind hit his desk, he knew they weren’t trying to prove the guilty party. They were trying to defend them. 

“Mr. Seok, hello?”

To defend someone who many already assumed was guilty of murder was hard to do. Often, the best way to go about this was to find a different person who could’ve committed the murder and find out if it was them instead. If that wasn’t possible, if they knew they had a genuine murderer on their hands, the next step was to try and bring the charges down to be as least severe as possible. 

In this case, Yizhuo’s mother seemed… suspicious to say the least. Her testimony showed clear signs of lying, repeating the same details over and over to distract from her being unable to share specific ones. She knew the exact time she smelled the smoke in the air, down to the minute, but couldn’t seem to remember whether her daughter ever got out of the house, nor where she could’ve been at the time. What kind of parent smells smoke in the air, notices there’s a fire, and doesn"t instantly look for their child?

The mother was a good person to look into, but the motivations were difficult to find. There hadn’t seemed to be any resentment toward Aeri from the mother’s side, so what reason would she have to kill her daughter"s girlfriend? 

“Mr. Seok, you have a visitor.” A knock could be heard from the door, his assistant speaking through it. He snapped out of his studying. Quickly putting everything back in their proper folders, he took his case files and put them in a drawer of his desk.

“You can let them in!” He spoke loudly, making sure his assistant could hear him. 

The door opened, revealing his assistant, Ms. Shin, and his visitor… a very familiar face. “I tried getting in contact with you, but you didn’t answer. Did you have an appointment with this young man?” 

There, with his hands in the pockets of his ripped jeans, stood Gunwook Park. The boy he had made out with in the hot tub. The son of his girlfriend that he had been doing anything to avoid in a house that was specifically altered just to push them closer together. The boy he had been avoiding for the past 3 days.

And he didn’t look happy. 

His jaw was set, clenched ever so slightly with a blank expression on his face. 

Matthew almost wanted to turn him away, tell his assistant he didn’t have an appointment with him— because he didn’t— and have her escort him out. He almost wanted to continue ignoring him for as long as possible. 

Yet as he gazed into his eyes from across the room, pure hurt visible in them, he couldn’t turn him away. 

He sighed, “I did. Thank you, Ms. Shin.”

She nodded, turning to Gunwook and stepping out of the way so he could come in. Gunwook let out a small “Thank you” before the door closed behind him. Leaving Matthew and Gunwook alone. 

The tension between them was palpable again, a loud silence between them. The young man stood still, breathing deeply before exhaling a sigh. They were both waiting for the other to speak, unable to start the painful conversation on their own. 

“I thought we agreed not to shut each other out anymore.” Gunwook’s voice was cracking as he spoke, directing his gaze to the floor to avoid eye contact. 

Matthew could feel his stomach drop, his heart shattering at how fragile he sounded. He hated hurting Gunwook, he hadn’t even intended to do that. 

He had felt so guilty about being with Gunwook at all that he had disregarded how he felt about the situation. In his mind, there was no genuine way Gunwook was as attached as he was now. 

Matthew sucked in a breath, “Gunwookie…”

“No.” Gunwook broke his train of thought, walking up to his desk and stood tall in front of him, staring down at the man still sitting in his desk chair. “You don’t get to call me that right now. Not after you avoided me for days.” His voice was hoarse, ridden with raw emotion.

The man couldn’t respond, choking on his words. He was suffocating all over again, the collar of his white collared shirt suddenly too tight and too close. He hated seeing Gunwook like this, it made him feel like the worst person on earth.

“Why are you shutting me out?” 

“Gunwook, we can’t do this.” Matthew looked down at his desk and closed his eyes, doing anything he could to not see him so upset. “It’s wrong.”

He hadn’t been alluding to the conversation they were having. They couldn’t do what they were bound to do if Matthew didn’t stop things here. They couldn’t get closer anymore, they’d already gotten too close as is. 

He scoffed, “Oh, all of a sudden you care about right and wrong? You of all people?” 

Matthew gazed back up, eyes meeting Gunwook’s upset ones, “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You don’t even realize it.” Gunwook sounded hysterical, filled with so much emotion he couldn’t properly understand, “You don’t even realize how hypocritical you are!”

The young man stormed his way to Matthew, rounding the corner of the desk to stand in front of him. His fists were clenched around the end of his hoodie sleeves, the same one Matthew had been wearing when they had their movie night together. The one Matthew borrowed to make Gunwook feel more comfortable with him. 

The irony of the clothing choice hadn’t been lost on him. 

He swallowed and kept the eye contact they had, his jaw clenching as Gunwook spoke, “You told my mom seconds before meeting me that order and rule were just suggestions. As a lawyer!” The boy grabbed the armrests of his chair, leaning over him as he spat out his words, “And now you have the fucking nerve to talk about what’s right and wrong?” 

“You had no right to hear that conversation!” Matthew pushed him back from him, standing up from his seat and coming chest to chest with the man.

“And you had no right to abandon me after promising me you wouldn’t!” 

The room went silent, only the sound of heavy breathing audible. Matthew could’ve sworn he heard some desk chairs outside his office roll, but that didn’t matter to him. In his mind, his own words were echoing back to him. His promise to prove to Gunwook he would be there for him. His promise he would never abandon the Park family. His promise to stop shutting him out. 

Matthew’s mission to become a significant figure in Gunwook’s life. 

His mission was a success in the worst way.

Every morning, he woke up thinking of him. He dreamt of his smile the night before, daydreamed about his laughter throughout the day, and went to sleep wishing the bed didn’t feel so cold. 

This only got worse after their hot tub shenanigans. Matthew couldn’t do anything without thinking of him anymore. He couldn’t wash his face without thinking about Gunwook doing the same next to him, flicking water his way to tease him. He couldn’t eat without imagining Gunwook on the other side of the table, cheeks full of the pancakes he made for him and chocolate smeared on his lips that desperately needed to be kissed away. He couldn’t get in a tub of water without wishing he was sitting on his lap again, feeling them connect in every physical way possible.

Matthew couldn’t breathe without wanting Gunwook next to him for every inhale and exhale of his for the rest of his life. 

And he felt disgusting for it. 

“I don’t want to abandon you,” Matthew whispered, choking on his words. “That’s the problem.”

He looked down at his shoes, unable to look him in the face. Matthew was set to marry Gunwook’s mother within the year; he was supposed to be in love with her. Not her son. 

“Matthew…” His voice had lost all its anger, only concern evident. 

“You make me feel safe, Gunwook. I haven’t felt so happy in my entire life.” He laughed bitterly, “I can go to you when I have a bad day, when I’m happy, when I’m upset, I can talk to you about anything. I can even just sit with you and be thankful you’re sitting with me in the first place.”

Matthew finally looked up, making eye contact with him. His eyes showed conflict in his mind, a storm brewing behind them. “But you’re 20 and I’m 34. I’m your mom’s boyfriend, your future stepfather. Fuck,” He let out a huff of air, another bitter laugh escaping him, “Hana’s starting our engagement when she comes back!”

He sounded crazy. He knew for sure he looked crazy. Matthew was doing everything he could to not let himself break down over this, not let a single tear fall in front of him. He had begun hysterically laughing at his own misfortune, waving his arms around like a lunatic at every word he spoke. 

The man couldn’t let himself cry. He had lost enough times as is, he had lost enough things as is. He couldn’t lose himself to Gunwook. 

“You’re actually getting engaged!?” Gunwook shouted, pure shock on his face. He looked downright horrified. 

“Of course! It was the plan all along!” It was the whole reason he had even met Gunwook in the first place. He met him to get closer to him in preparation for the merger happened, for when he and Hana got married for their companies. “For months, all Hana wanted was for us to get along so she could start the merger and propose. The merger-“

Matthew had to pause, take a second to breathe, and lower his volume so he could get his bearings. 

Gunwook placed his hands on his shoulders, trying his best to comfort him while he was processing the news. “You aren’t even in love with each other, why are you getting married for a merger?” 

The boy looked distraught, utterly trepidatious. 

Thinking back on his question during movie night, Matthew realizes something huge. Gunwook thought because Matthew and his mother weren’t in love that he had a chance. A chance to be the one Matthew was dating instead. 

But the merger always took priority in Hana’s eyes. She didn’t care to fall in love with Matthew first, they both figured they’d just eventually fall in love in their marriage. Because her company and her son always came first. Matthew was low on her list of priorities. All of this was for the business and for…

“For you.”

“…What?” His voice was small, barely there. 

“The whole merger is for you. We’re merging to give our companies a better future. Under you. ” 

All of this was for Gunwook. The merger was so they could both expand their companies as one and create the best law company the United States had ever seen. They’d open new offices all across the nation for all sorts of cases, increasing their clientele tenfold. Their companies would go from two multi-million dollar law brands to one huge billion-dollar brand, the largest in the nation. 

All for Gunwook to inherit when Hana retired. Which, with what she’s told Matthew, would be in the next 5 to 10 years. Meaning she wanted to start as soon as possible.

“But I don’t want the merger.” Gunwook dropped his hands from his shoulders, looking for Matthew’s hands to loosely hold, “I don’t want the engagement, I don’t want you to be my stepdad, Matthew…”

Matthew moved his gaze back to the floor, staring at their shoes. His business formal shoes were next to Gunwook’s Nike sneakers, highlighting their differences. The man needed to avoid his eyes for a moment, lest he burst into tears in his office.

He held his hands tightly, as tight as he could in fear he would leave him, “Why does she need to give me the company? Why does she need this merger at all? Why even give me a billion-dollar brand when…” 

Gunwook softly released one of Matthew’s hands, letting his arm swing slightly from lack of care as he raised it to rest on his jaw and cheek. He ran his thumb over his jaw, swiping it over and over again in a soothing manner. A habit his mother had, too. It made Matthew suck in his breath, eyes more watery than he was used to. 

“When she can just give me you instead?” 

He had a sad smile on his face, tears slowly dropping from his eyes and tainting the gorgeous smile. 

Matthew’s heart skipped a beat, a swarm of butterflies— no, a swarm of bees awakening in his stomach. Gunwook could tell Matthew was infatuated with him, that he wanted him more than anything else. 

He wanted him so badly, so carnally it was clawing at his insides. Matthew wanted Gunwook, wanted to give into his deep, dark desires and let him consume him. He wanted to get as close as possible to the sun that was Gunwook Park. 

“But you can’t have me.” 

Matthew didn’t even sound like he believed himself. Probably because he didn’t. It was a last-ditch effort, a final attempt at removing himself from Gunwook. But he already knew Gunwook was a permanent mark on him, that no matter where he went the thought of Gunwook would haunt him like a ghost. 

The CEO of the Seok Firm, Matthew Seok, was irrevocably infatuated with Gunwook Park. Nothing was going to change that. He was in too deep already. He was in love with him.

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

Gunwook tightened the hold on his jaw, tilting Matthew’s head up to look at him again. They gazed into the other"s eyes, tears visible. Matthew’s tears were hanging on by a thread, ready to fall at any second. He couldn’t find himself to care.

The young man swooped down to catch Matthew’s lips, finally kissing him again. The first thing Matthew could taste was the salt of Gunwook’s tears, his lips wet and salty. The stubble on his face was scratchy, indicating the boy hadn’t even attempted to shave in his distress. Matthew didn’t find himself caring, relishing in the prickly hair against his clean-shaven face.

Matthew shut his eyes as he leaned into the kiss, allowing the tears collecting to finally fall for the first time in years. Being with Gunwook felt like being reinvented just for him, becoming the person Matthew had always wished he could be in the comfort of someone who liked him for being that person.

They kissed softly, yet with passion and controlled energy. There was no laziness, no lack of attention, no need to cure arousal of any kind. It was simply them. That was all that mattered. 

Gunwook carefully took hold of Matthew’s hands, guiding them to rest behind his neck before letting his arms fall to his waist. Matthew played with the hood of his hoodie, taking in his grapefruit scent as much as he could. 

Matthew could never imagine himself away from him, especially after this. The feeling of being so tenderly held and cared for simply for existing, the love he could feel Gunwook held for him with every press of his lips and soft placement of his hands, he couldn’t live without it anymore. It was a cathartic feeling to finally let himself enjoy this. 

They pulled away, their kiss cutting short. Their foreheads rested on one another’s, gazing into each other"s eyes as they caught their breath. Everything felt right in the world. 

Matthew brought his hands to Gunwook’s face and wiped away his tears with his thumbs, letting his own tears cascade down his face and leave a salty trail. It felt freeing to let them do that.

Gunwook mirrored him, clearing his face of its staining. The smile on his lips was sweet, loving and caring. 

“You’re crying.” Gunwook giggled softly, his tone joyful. The man who said he couldn’t cry finally let go, finally let himself feel emotion. 

“I am.” Matthew smiled. His tears kept flowing, guilt overridden by pure happiness. 

“Do you regret it?” Gunwook questioned, “Do you regret this like you did before?”

Matthew’s response was instantaneous, almost instinctual. 

“Not even a little.”

The two leaned in again, finding each other"s lips as if it was the only place their lips knew to go. 

-

Gunwook and Matthew sat side by side at the dining table a few mornings later, their arms brushing against each other with every move of their forks. Matthew had made pancakes again, taking special care to add enough chocolate chips to the batter to satisfy his lover"s chocolate craving. 

Lovers. Is that what they were now? Matthew was unsure.

They both knew they liked each other, that was a given. Matthew was utterly in love with Gunwook. But he had no idea if Gunwook liked him or loved him. 

Maybe it was obvious to people on the outside looking in. One conversation with Taerae after their kiss told him Taerae expected this outcome from the very start. He had no idea how it was so clear to the man. To Taerae it sounded like he saw a prophecy unfolding for months and always knew how it was going to play out. To Matthew, he would stay awake at night fretting over whether their relationship was serious or not.

It had been so long since he had been in a relationship he was struggling to differentiate the emotions involved. It was hard for him to tell the difference between love and like, admiration and infatuation. 

Relationship was an interesting word to use here. They’d peck each other’s lips as Matthew walked out of the door to go to work, quickly kiss once he came back home, and make out on Gunwook’s bed after dinner. But they rarely talked anymore. 

Sitting at the table now, they didn’t utter a single word. They simply took pleasure in being next to each other. But Matthew needed more. He needed to know how deep Gunwook was in whatever they had going on. If the boy truly loved him the same way he did.

Maybe it was time for an experiment. 

“You know Hana’s back tomorrow, right?” 

Matthew didn’t look in the boy"s direction as he said it, cutting through the remnants of his stack of pancakes and stuffing his mouth with fluffy, chocolatey deliciousness. He came across casually like he was talking about the weather outside.

Gunwook didn’t respond verbally, only stiffened up at the reminder. The reminder that their little bubble with just the two of them was about to burst.

“She wants to talk about the engagement over dinner tomorrow night.”

He wanted more of a reaction, he wanted to see just how much the idea bothered him now. Would he want to keep their relationship on the down low, letting him marry Hana in the public eye? Or would he seethe at the idea of Matthew being wed to someone who wouldn’t love him how he did, someone who wasn’t him, someone who just so happened to be his mother?

He was looking to tick him off for this very reason. To test him. 

Gunwook’s fork clattered onto the plate below him, his jaw set and clenched shut. Not a word.

Matthew got out of his seat and left his empty plate where it was, walking back into the kitchen and beelining for the pantry. It took a moment of searching but once he found what he was looking for, he walked out with a boxed brownie mix and a jar of coconut oil. 

He gathered all the things he would need for some brownies; a mixing bowl, whisk, eggs, spatula, measuring spoons, baking spray, and the baking pan. He had turned all his attention away from Gunwook, focusing on getting everything together for a sweet treat. 

He set everything on one of the counters by the stove, preheating the oven and spraying down his baking pan. He could feel Gunwook’s eyes on him, boring into the back of his head. 

Just as he was getting all of his ingredients in the mixing bowl, he prepared the next step of his plan.

With a practiced act, Matthew sighed, “I knew I was forgetting something!” He finally made eye contact with Gunwook, who looked lost in his thoughts about the upcoming engagement. “One sec.” He lifted a finger in his direction to emphasize his words.

Then, with clear and precise movement, he grabbed the frilly pink apron hanging from the oven door handle. Hana’s frilly pink apron.

Hana had a baking hobby. She loved making cupcakes, brownies, puddings, and all sorts of sweet desserts. She preferred to make everything from scratch, taking any free afternoon she had to make chocolatey treats for her son to enjoy. And with how messy baking could get, she had the cutest, baby pink apron to cover her. 

Matthew took the apron and draped it over his neck, taking the long pink strings and wrapping them fully around his waist once before tying it tightly in the back. He was in nothing but black basketball shorts—Gunwook’s basketball shorts— and a plain white tank top—Gunwook’s white tank top. 

It was impossibly snug on his waist, highlighting how small it was in comparison to his shoulders. The image had to be mind-boggling. It should be mind-boggling. It made him look like a housewife.

He directed his gaze back up now that it was on tight, gauging Gunwook’s reaction. 

Gunwook was leaning back in his chair, face beet red and partially covered by the hand on his mouth. Matthew could tell he was trying to get his bearings at what he saw before him.

Matthew smirked, turning back to his brownie batter and whisking it in a way that made his entire body shake. Was it cringy? Yes. Was it making Gunwook hot and bothered? Also yes.

“So? The engagement dinner?” His smirk was still plastered over his face.

“Absolutely not.” Gunwook’s voice was deep, husky, and hoarse.

“What do you mean?” He scrunched his eyebrows innocently.

“That dinner isn’t happening.” Gunwook stood from his seat, pushing it in with little care as he stormed into the kitchen. Matthew gave him no reaction, just kept smiling and stirring the batter. 

Gunwook was right next to him now, looking down at him for answers. Matthew kept whisking till he felt the batter was ready, ignoring him. 

Once the batter was the right consistency, Matthew turned to the counter the pan was set on and poured in the brownie batter. He had completely turned away from Gunwook, irritating him.

“You can tell Hana the dinner isn’t happening if you want to,” Matthew started, opening the oven to slide in his brownies and starting a timer on his phone, “‘cause I definitely won’t be.”

Matthew looked up and stared back at Gunwook, who seemed upset now. “And why won’t you?”

“The merger is still a pretty good idea business-wise, y’know? I don’t see why I need to cut off the engagement, Hana and I aren’t in a serious relationship anyway.” Matthew shrugged, turning away to put some of the dishes in the sink.

Gunwook, in a fit of irritation, grabbed Matthew by his jaw and turned him back to him, forcing him to look him in the eyes. There was a fire in his eyes, a determination he wasn’t used to seeing. He closed his eyes for a moment and breathed in, a frown playing on his lips.

“You’re kidding, right?” 

“Why would I be?”

Matthew was kidding. He was playing with Gunwook to see how long it took him to crack. He wasn’t seriously considering the engagement anymore, not when he was happy where he was. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t lie for a moment or two.

It was bad to want to win here, to want Gunwook to crack and admit just how he felt about him in great detail and in a grand gesture. But fuck, he wanted to win here. Forgive Matthew for regressing slightly, but he wanted to win again. 

“Matthew, why are you acting like this right now?” Gunwook raised his eyebrow and dropped his hand from his jaw, confused.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re being kinda hurtful again,” Gunwook explained, “I thought you didn’t want to do that anymore.”

He paused, the smirk on his face completely wiped off. His eyes widened, “Wait, fuck, am I hurting you right now?”

Gunwook winced, nodding back, “Yeah… you are.”

Matthew didn’t even realize it would hurt him, he was so focused on getting a jealous Gunwook he ended up hurting him in the process. He hated hurting him. This didn’t go how he wanted at all.

He reached his hand to the young man’s face, holding it softly, “Fuck, I’m so sorry, Gunwookie… I didn’t mean any of it, I swear.”

“It’s fine, I can tell it wasn’t your intention but,” Gunwook took his other hand and held it, “What was your intention?”

“I…” He closed his eyes, rethinking his actions, “god, this is embarrassing to admit.”

“Hey,” Gunwook adopted a soft tone of voice to soothe him, “it’s okay, I won’t judge.”

He truly hoped he wouldn’t. Because now that Matthew was recounting his thought process, he deserved to be judged a bit.

“I wanted to see if you got jealous when I mentioned everything ‘cause I’m scared you’re not as serious about us as I am.” Matthew said it all in a rush, keeping his eyes closed until he finished. 

Gunwook blinked for a moment or two, processing the word vomit. Matthew tried to gauge his reaction, anticipating the worst.

He slowly smiled, a little giggle coming out, “You’re so cute.”

Matthew blushed, pouting a little, “I’m not cute!”

“But you are!” Gunwook giggled, “You wanted to make me jealous!”

“…Did it work?” 

“It did.” Gunwook sighed, “But you don’t need to make me jealous for reassurance, Tthew. You can just talk to me.”

Matthew stayed quiet for a moment, unsure of what to say to that. This wasn’t as fun as he wanted it to be, he secretly was hoping the jealousy would lead them somewhere a bit more… lewd. Could you blame him? An angry, jealous, or upset Gunwook was hot to think about. 

He was happy Gunwook understood what was happening and found an alternative, prompting the two to simply talk it out and express any concerns to one another. 

But Matthew… he had been hoping for something else. 

Gunwook raised an eyebrow at the silence, “There’s something more to this, isn’t there?”

“Yeah,” Matthew sighed, “could you possibly…stay jealous?” His hand fell from Gunwook’s face, feeling a little ashamed for what he was asking for.

“You want me… to keep being jealous?” 

“Are you still?”

The young man stared at him for a moment. He didn’t answer verbally, yet the red on his cheeks seemed to confirm he was. He seemed confused about where this was leading.

“Let all that emotion out on me.” Matthew stated, “Show me how much I matter to you…” He moved his gaze down to the ground. 

Gunwook’s eyes widened, realizing what Matthew was implying. He let go of Matthew’s face for a moment and reached into his pocket, grabbing his phone. He began playing with it for a second before he smirked and set it on the countertop. 

Matthew raised his eyebrows at the action, looking to Gunwook for answers. 

The young man smiled back, “The cameras are off now.”

“You can do that?” Matthew looked surprised.

He nodded back, “Yeah, mom doesn’t really like when I do but she won’t notice it until later.” Gunwook shrugged, he’d get scolded for turning them off when she was busy later. But he didn’t care right now. “Now, what was it you wanted, exactly?” 

“Be mean and rough to me, if you can. Hurt me as much as you want, I don’t mind.” Matthew smiled as he spoke, as if he wasn’t telling him to degrade him. “If that’s okay, of course.”

“If that’s what would make you happy then it’s okay with me.” Gunwook rubbed the back of his hand with his thumb, letting it hit every knuckle on Matthew’s hand. “I’ll be as jealous, mean, and rough as you want me to be.”

Matthew giggled, grateful for the man in front of him. He understood what he was doing, even if his method had been a bit unorthodox, and found a solution so he would get what he wanted without hurting anyone—who didn’t want to be hurt— in the process. 

Gunwook was one of the best people Matthew had ever met, he couldn’t even describe how much he loved the man. 

“Ooo! Can you do that jaw thing again, too?” Matthew’s eyes sparkled in anticipation, “It’s really hot when you do that.”

Gunwook grabbed him by the jaw roughly, tilting his head up higher, “Like this?” The smirk on his face was playful, excited to do whatever Matthew wanted him to do.

He nodded in his grip, “Yes!” Matthew was smiling wide, ready for what was to come, “And be mean to me, let the jealousy out.” 

“Okay, let’s rewind for a second and get back to earlier so I can be jealous for you, baby.” Gunwook smiled, closing his eyes for a second and breathing in. Matthew giggled at the sight, he looked like a theatre nerd getting ready for a scene.

“So? The engagement?” Matthew brought them back on topic, waiting for Gunwook to open his eyes before he mouthed the words ‘ I’m not getting married to her, don’t worry’ to reassure him.

“You’re not getting engaged to her, end of fucking discussion.” The grip on his jaw remained steady, Gunwook slowly walking them toward the nearest wall and pinning Matthew against it. He let go of Matthew’s hand and placed his hand above him on the wall, effectively caging him in. 

The act was pretty convincing, all things considered. Whether it was from his actual jealousy and emotions or a knack for acting, Matthew wasn’t sure. He didn’t necessarily care at the moment.

Matthew smiled as if he wasn’t trapped under him, smirking as he spoke, “Why not?”

“Because I’m here. You don’t need some merger or engagement when I can give you everything you need.” Gunwook was sighing as he spoke, “Matthew, I don’t think you understand just how much I need you.”

“Then make me understand.”

Before Matthew could even close his mouth from his statement, Gunwook captured his lips in a heavy, all-consuming kiss. The grip on Matthew’s jaw was strong, pressing on the hinge of his jaw to force his mouth to open wider. 

He was kissing him like he needed him to breathe, licking into his mouth like he needed to consume him, gripping his jaw like he owned it. The intensity was almost too much for Matthew, the feeling of being so manhandled bringing heat to his core. 

Matthew moaned loudly at the feeling, goosebumps raising when Gunwook groaned back. 

His tongue was practically bullying its way into Matthew’s mouth, licking every inch of it he could find and humming at every moan and whimper Matthew let out. 

Gunwook pulled away quickly, Matthew chasing his mouth and begging him to continue. He let out whimper after whimper trying to get the boy"s lips back on him, but Gunwook didn’t give in.

“You want more?” He chuckled menacingly, dropping his hand from Matthew’s jaw quickly and letting his head fall without the support. He moved his hands to his thigh, making sure to grip the bare skin under his shorts as he lifted him with ease. 

Matthew wrapped his legs around his waist, trapping Gunwook between them. The grip on his thighs told him the man didn’t mind it, his body being hitched up to match his height against the wall. His arms rested around his neck, trying his best to bring Gunwook back to him again.

“You have the nerve to talk about marrying my mom and now you want more?” 

Gunwook went for his neck, his breathing heavy on his neck as he attacked the exposed skin. He bit the CEO’s neck. Hard. Matthew whined at the feeling of his teeth on him, giving him the perfect hint of pain to make him even more aroused. 

“What the hell can she give you that I can’t?”

He sucked roughly over the bite, bruising his skin for all to see. Then he repeated his process, moving his mouth to under his jaw and biting the skin as hard as he could without drawing blood or breaking through. Matthew shouted, cursing repeatedly as he sucked on his bite again.

The young man left as many bites as he could, leaving them all over his collarbone, neck, and jawline. He didn’t move away from his neck till Matthew looked like he had been mauled, torn apart, and put back together. Gunwook didn’t want the bites to be easily hidden, he wanted them to be so difficult to hide there was no possible way to keep them hidden. 

“She could never satisfy you. Never take care of you right. ” Gunwook growled out the words, leaning back to take in his work, “Look at you, so desperate and needy.” 

Matthew whined, bucking his hips toward Gunwook for any stimulation he could get. He wasn’t having it, using the grip on his thighs to keep his lower body pinned to the wall.

“And so fucking greedy.” 

Gunwook tightened his grip on his thighs and moved them both back for a moment to readjust before slamming him back into the wall, Matthew throwing his head back in ecstasy. 

“Only I can satisfy you, only I can treat you right.” Gunwook was breathing lowly as he spoke, growling the words out. 

“She’d leave you high and dry to take care of yourself, she wouldn’t even blink in your direction.” There was a bit of disdain as he spoke of her, spitting out the feminine pronoun like it became poison to him. The disdain sounded a bit more authentic than Matthew was anticipating, the pure jealousy Gunwook held of his mom peeking through.

“You’ll always end up back here, begging me to give you what you want.” 

He kissed him again, venting his frustrations with bruising kisses. Matthew knew he was right, he knew relationships were ruined for him since the day he met Gunwook Park. There truly was no one else he could go to anymore, none of them would be able to satisfy his every need like Gunwook could.

Matthew kissed back as best he could, battling him in intensity. That was, of course, a losing battle. Gunwook dominated their kiss with ease, manipulating Matthew’s mouth, jaw, and tongue to move however he wanted them to. And Matthew was ecstatic to let him do it, excited to let him consume him in every way, shape, and form.

When he pulled away again, Matthew directed his attention to Gunwook’s neck to leave pitiful pecks and nibbles all over him. He was dizzy with lust, hypnotized by his sex drive. He needed him, and he needed him now. 

“Gunwookie, please…” Matthew whined against his neck, “Please…”

Gunwook’s nails dug into his thigh, leaving small crescent shapes on the back of them, “Use your words, baby.”

“Please!” He was embarrassed to say it, wiggling his hips as best he could to press his growing arousal into Gunwook. His boxers were so tight, his body was so warm, he was desperate. He was a whimpering mess, begging Gunwook to stay true to his words and take care of him. 

“You were so vocal earlier when you were trying to piss me off.” Gunwook let go of one of Matthew’s legs, letting it fall as he held him up with only one arm and his hips. His hand went to his jaw again, squishing his cheeks together and shaking his almost limp head for him. Matthew was so pliant in his hands, letting him do whatever he wanted with him. “You can tell me exactly what you want or you’re getting nothing.” 

Matthew whined at the statement but remained quiet.

Gunwook started to loosen his grip on Matthew, backing away ever so slightly. He moved slowly, slow enough to give Matthew a little pressure to speak but fast enough to make sure he registered what was happening.

“Gunwookie, touch me please!” Matthew pulled him as close to him as possible, rutting his hips in his direction.

Matthew had to look pathetic by now. He had never felt so desperate for intimate touch in his life, normally he was the one making people beg. But fuck, he needed Gunwook the way others had needed him in the past. He needed Gunwook to savor his body, use him, and wreck him. 

The young man didn’t respond verbally, but grabbed him by the meat of his thighs and picked him up with ease. In one swift move, he placed Matthew on the marble countertop they first met at, standing between his legs and spreading them with his hands on his knees.

The CEO looked down at the man between his legs, whose gaze fell to the apron covering his shorts. Gunwook looked with conflicted hunger, wanting nothing more than to please Matthew but despising the piece of cloth in the way. 

The pink frilly apron was still tightly tied, covering him from his chest down to his knees. It was a reminder, an overshadowing he wasn’t appreciating. Especially when it was covering his clothes on Matthew’s body. It was tainting the smell of himself on him, replacing fresh grapefruit with the more potent scent of vanilla and bourbon.

Matthew could tell the apron was starting to annoy Gunwook, making him frown a bit. He wanted to make him jealous, sure, but now that the goal was already achieved was it possible the sight of it was hurting him?

He sighed, moving his hands from Gunwook’s neck to behind his back, “It’s okay, I can take it off-“

“Don’t.”

His hands paused behind him, holding loosely onto the apron strings. It took a moment for him to realize what he said, analyzing the expression on his face. Gunwook’s jaw was tense, but his eyes were fiery. 

Gunwook grabbed the bottom of the apron, lifting it to reveal the shorts underneath. With his other hand, he took hold of Matthew’s jaw and hinged it open, shoving the fabric in it. 

“Hold it for me, will you?”

Matthew bit down on the fabric, the spit pooling in his mouth quickly soaking it. His hands rested behind him, holding him up on the counter. 

The boy dropped his grip on his jaw, slowly gliding his hands down the side of Matthew’s torso. He let his thumb brush against his nipple through the top of the apron, smirking at the sound of his breath hitching through a stuffed mouth. 

After a few long moments of agonizing anticipation, Gunwook’s hands finally made it to the waistband of the basketball shorts. He let his thumbs dip below it a few times, teasing Matthew, who watched his hands with rapt attention. 

Once he grabbed onto the waistband with one hand and pulled it back, he let his other hand slowly brush against Matthew’s lower stomach. Matthew could feel the rough hand lightly ghost his happy trail, following it down till he made it to the front of his boxers. 

His hand hovered, gaze coming up to look Matthew in the eye. It was as if he were asking permission, waiting for a sign of approval from the man. But Gunwook had Matthew’s approval since the moment he grabbed his jaw. He was ready to let the boy do whatever he pleased with him, ready to smile and moan while being used. 

Matthew nodded quickly, almost dumbly, and bit the fabric just a bit harder. Gunwook let his hand fall to the man’s arousal, groping him through the fabric of his boxers. His hands were huge, covering his entire bulge with ease. 

His head fell back with a moan, the fabric following him. The tie around his waist felt even tighter than before, digging into him through the tank top. 

Gunwook fondled him under his shorts, playing with the man and enjoying the feeling of his cock getting harder and harder because of him. He couldn’t take his eyes off Matthew"s lower half, mesmerized by his desperate hips that kept jolting at every touch.

He could feel his legs closing in from the pleasure, attempting to trap Gunwook where he stood. The boy suddenly took his hand on the waistband and let go to grasp his knee, spreading his legs again. 

The feeling of his hand through the boxer"s fabric, while it was delicious, wasn’t enough anymore. Matthew bucked his hips harder, chasing his need for friction. He tried begging, telling the man exactly what he wanted, but the fabric muffled his words. 

Gunwook chuckled, “Cat got your tongue, Tthew?”

Matthew glared at him, getting impatient with him. 

“It’s okay, I got you, baby.” 

Gunwook’s hand moved from his bulge, creeping its way into his boxers and taking hold of his cock. The skin-to-skin contact sent shivers down his spine, causing Matthew to suck in a breath through his nose. 

He took his cock out of the boxers, letting it peek out from the top of his shorts waistband. Then, with his eyes meeting Matthew’s, he leaned down closer. He placed the lightest, gentlest kiss he possibly could on the head of it, reveling in the way it twitched in his hold. 

The man left teasing licks on Matthew’s cock, letting his tongue lightly graze him. He focused on the pre-cum collecting at his tip, tasting him and lapping the liquid up like it was the only water left in an oasis. 

Matthew leaned back, humming as he struggled to keep himself upright anymore. Gunwook’s hot tongue on him was addicting, stimulating him perfectly as he felt a drop of spit fall from it and slowly drip down the side of his shaft. 

Rather than keep his mouth on him, Gunwook moved back and started moving his hand up from the base, stroking him and fully enveloping him. 

The man wasn’t small, don’t get this wrong. He was average. Gunwook, however, was huge. The palm of his hand could nearly cover Matthew’s entire face, his long fingers able to wrap fully around his arm. The large hand jerking him off was big enough to cover the majority of his shaft, meaning every inch of him was able to feel his skin against him.

But with only a single drop of spit and dry hands, the friction wasn’t exactly what he was wishing for. He winced at the dry drag, the sting too much for him. 

“Fuck, we don’t have any lube.” Gunwook let go of him, looking up at Matthew. He looked a bit concerned for him, moving his hand to rub his arm soothingly in fear he hurt him. 

Matthew spit out the fabric in his mouth, letting it fall in his lap and over himself, “Use the coconut oil.”

“Use the what?” Gunwook’s brows furrowed, a little confused.

He sighed, a little frustrated, “The coconut oil over there, just use that instead.”

“Oh. Right.” It was like his confidence guise had fallen, stumbling as he awkwardly left Matthew’s legs and grabbed the jar of coconut oil. 

Matthew knew the confident, dominant energy was a little bit of an act but seeing him cutely grab the oil with pure confusion on his face made it more obvious it was. 

Gunwook found his place back in his legs, adjusting himself and his feet to find the proper way to stand there again. Matthew giggled at the action, but he ignored the laugh. He opened the coconut oil jar and scooped some out, unsure of what to do when it felt so solid. 

“Rub it in your hands. To warm it up a bit.”

“Ohhh!” 

He set the oil jar down and warmed the oil in his hands, watching as it melted and seeped into his skin a little. He rubbed his hands with precision, making sure none of the oil fell out of his palms. He was focused on making sure it was perfect, tongue peeking out of his lips in concentration. 

It was at moments like this that Matthew’s heart began to beat a bit faster. Sure, it had already been beating pretty fast from the events of the morning so far, but this was different. The man was adorable, gorgeous, and taking extra care to make sure everything was perfect for him. It made Matthew smile.

With his hands covered in the oil, Gunwook flicked his head back a little, attempting to get some of the hair out of his face. Then, after swiping the apron fabric out of the way and off to the side, the tie still tight around Matthew’s waist, he brought his hands back onto Matthew’s cock, stroking it with more conviction.

The oil had been warmed up to perfection, letting his hands slide with enough friction to feel it but enough give to feel good. It was driving Matthew crazy, making him let out an embarrassingly loud moan after having his mouth gagged for so long. 

“It feels good, right? Not too hard, not too cold?” Gunwook questioned innocently, checking on the man before him. 

“It’s sooo good~!” 

The grip on him was firm, Gunwook establishing a steady pace as he stroked the man in front of him. Moans and grunts filled the room, the sound of birds chirping outside drowned out by their pleasure. 

“It’s funny to think the man who wanted to be my dad can barely talk now,” He chuckled, “you’re just a moaning mess.”

Gunwook massaged the head with his thumb, raising his other hand to Matthew’s chest. He snuck his hand under his shirt from the side, maneuvering around the obstacle that was the pink apron. Matthew still wasn’t too sure why he hadn’t ripped it off him yet. 

His hand found Matthew’s nipple, gently rolling it between his two fingers. He looked at him for his reactions, smirking as Matthew’s eyes fluttered shut.

“Do you still want me to call you daddy? Or does that not work anymore?”

Matthew’s hips bucked up into Gunwook’s hand, chasing his pleasure. The warmth of his oily hand was all-encompassing, completely engulfing him. It was the best hand job Matthew had ever gotten. 

“Fuck, with how you’re acting, you should be calling me daddy.”

He could feel his climax slowly creeping up on him, the heat in his stomach growing hotter. He was panting where he sat, pathetically rutting in his hand as Gunwook increased the speed of his pace. The teasing was too much for him, the thought of calling Gunwook daddy sending a wave of shock through him that intertwined with his lust. 

Then, he stopped. 

Gunwook’s hands were completely off of him in less than a second, Matthew whining at the loss. He ran his hand through his hair, pushing it back only for it to fall back in his face. 

“It’s too early for that, Tthew.” Gunwook chuckled deeply, “I’ve got other plans.” 

Using both hands, he grabbed the waistband of Matthew’s shorts and took them off quickly, taking his boxers off afterward. He threw both of the articles of clothing on the floor beside them, not even sparing a glance to see where exactly they ended up. 

With a grip on Matthew’s thighs, he pulled him closer to him. Matthew gasped at the movement, the feeling of his ass on the cold marble making him shiver. Suddenly, he was being pushed down on the counter, back hitting the surface. 

Gunwook squatted down where he stood, his face level with Matthew’s puckered hole. 

Feeling breathing on his hole, Matthew lifted his head quickly, “Wait, I’m not prep-“

Before he could finish his sentence, the feeling of Gunwook’s tongue pressed flat on it sent goosebumps up his body. He moaned loudly, head falling back onto the countertop. The last thing he saw before closing his eyes in pleasure was the smug look on Gunwook’s face. 

He spread his legs apart as far as he could, lapping at Matthew’s hole like he was eating a full-course meal. Gunwook let his tongue peek into it every once in a while, pushing past the pucker and relishing in the twitch as it latched onto him. He moved away for a moment, spitting on his hole and watching as it dripped down onto the counter. He was mesmerized by the way Matthew’s thighs shook at the feeling, staring at them for just a moment. 

Gunwook didn’t stay there for long, however, standing back up and reaching for the coconut oil again. With more practiced hands, he quickly warmed it up and made sure his fingers were covered generously. 

With his pointer finger, Gunwook slowly entered Matthew’s hole. He clenched around the intrusion, humming as the long finger fully sunk in. God, his fingers were so long he couldn’t even imagine what it would be like when he finally got to feel Gunwook in him. 

He slowly pumped his finger in and out of Matthew, prepping him for later. It wasn’t much, but his finger was so long he could already feel it ghosting his prostate. Matthew was panting, breathing heavily in anticipation.

He put a second finger in once he felt he was ready, pushing the two in leisurely. Matthew clenched around him instantly, whining at the slow pace of the prep work. 

Gunwook started pistoning his fingers again, the excess oil making a squelching sound with every thrust. He sucked in a breath, “Fuck, you’re tight.”

Matthew moaned at the remark, letting out a particularly high-pitched squeal when he felt Gunwook curl his fingers into his prostate. The young man smirked, taking the hint. His focus moved to the specific angle he found, hitting the spot over and over again.

A wave of pleasure spread through his body with every thrust, his thighs closing in around Gunwook’s hips. For once, he didn’t spread his legs back open, choosing to pull Matthew closer to him instead. Matthew could feel his hips bucking a little, begging for stimulation. 

With every whimper and moan out of Matthew’s mouth, Gunwook chuckled, “Could you cum just like this?” His voice was deep and breathy, little grunts and groans pushing past his lips.

The man whined at the teasing, “Gunwook!” 

“Don’t get too excited.” He stopped his finger thrusts and inserted a third, stretching his hole and scissoring his fingers, Gunwook was breathing heavily, his boxers and sweatpants incredibly tight on him. 

He could only imagine what it would feel like to be in him, fully enveloped by his walls as they clenched around him tightly. Matthew would be begging him to go faster, go harder, wanting him as deep as possible. 

Matthew could feel his hips stagger a bit, bucking into nothing as he suddenly thrust his fingers into him again. His pace was hurried with no clear rhythm anymore, just desperation. The only rhythm was the matching of his hips and fingers, as if he were imagining himself in their place.

It felt like being overstimulated and under-stimulated at the same time, constantly on the cusp of orgasm while always being too far away from it. Matthew moaned loudly, chasing the release he knew Gunwook wouldn’t give him just yet.

Suddenly, Gunwook’s fingers stopped. His hip movement stuttered, coming to a halt at the same time. Matthew sat up to look at the young man, surprised by what he saw. 

Gunwook’s head was thrown back with a loud moan ripped out of his throat. Sweat dripped down from his scalp, landing on his lips as he hummed and licked the salty liquid up. His jaw dropped for a moment, breathing heavily as he stared at the ceiling.

Matthew’s gaze fell down to his gray sweatpants, shock crossing his face at the dark, wet stain at the front of them. 

Holy shit.

He looked back up to his face, Gunwook looking up from his sweatpants at the same time. “Did you just-“

“No, no, no, no, no, I didn’t, I swear-“

Matthew laughed, “You totally did!”

Gunwook cried, “No! I don’t wanna stop so early! I didn’t!”

“Baby, it’s okay.” He chuckled at the reaction, bringing his hands to his face, “We don’t have to stop if you don’t want to.” 

He pouted back at him, upset that he didn’t last as long as he wanted to. Matthew smiled reassuringly, bringing his hips to Gunwook’s. 

Once the two were right on the other, Matthew realized it. The bulge in Gunwook’s pants didn’t lessen, if anything it seemed harder than ever before. He raised his eyebrows, bringing his hand down to see if he felt right. 

Gunwook whined at the contact, overstimulated. 

“You’re still hard.”

The young man rutted against his hand, begging for another release. Matthew smirked, bringing his hands to the waistband of his sweatpants and pulling them down. 

The fabric pooled at his ankles, revealing the state of his boxers. They were practically drenched in cum, sticking to his cock in a way that had to be uncomfortable now. The outline of him was visible, and Matthew’s jaw nearly dropped at what he saw. 

With his hole perfectly oiled up and prepped, he reached for the coconut oil jar and gave Gunwook a request, “Take them off for me, will you?”

He nodded back dumbly, peeling the fabric off him and letting it fall and meet his sweatpants. 

While warming the oil up in his hands, Matthew couldn’t help but stare at the beast in front of him. He had at least seven to eight inches on him, a delicious curve emphasizing his size. Not only was he long, he was girthy, too. It made him question whether three fingers were even enough for him, anticipating the stretch the cock would give him. 

“You’re fucking huge, Gunwookie.” Matthew looked into his eyes as he said it, smirking mischievously. 

Gunwook, now awkward after reaching his orgasm too early, responded back with an unsure tone, “Thanks?”

It was fun to see the act he was playing completely wiped away. He knew it would probably come back later, but Matthew loved seeing the boy in front of him squirm. 

Now that his hands were covered in the oil, he leaned down a bit and started coating Gunwook’s cock in the lubricant. He whined at the feeling, bucking desperately instantly. 

He was hot and heavy in his hands, the weight of it making Matthew lick his lips. It didn’t take long to lube him up, Matthew pulling him closer to him by his cock. Gunwook groaned at that, looking down to gaze at Matthew’s smug face.

“Well? I think it’s time we get to the main event,” He chuckled, relishing in how quickly the tables had turned. He didn’t mind being the one who dominated or the one who submitted, he simply followed what felt right. 

And right now, he felt teasing the boy in front of him was the best course of action, “If you’re even ready for that, Daddy.”

Gunwook choked at the nickname, not expecting Matthew to actually say it. It had been a throwaway line earlier, something to rile the man up. Perhaps it riled him up too much, the hand around his cock squeezing the moment he felt it twitch at the name. 

The college boy took his cock in hand, lining the head of his cock up with Matthew’s puckered hole. He tapped it on him, both whining at the feeling. 

His head dipped past the rim before popping back out, the two of them watching with rapt attention. The sight of his head disappearing in him was nearly pornographic, the rim stretching around it to accommodate. 

Finally, Gunwook slowly let his cock sink into him, giving the man time to adjust. He sucked in a shallow breath, sighing at the feeling of his walls clinging tightly to him. 

Matthew gasped at his girth, the stretch making him hum. He felt buzzy, his lust taking over his whole body and mind. And Gunwook wasn’t even halfway in.

They made eye contact as the final inches went in, eyes hooded in pleasure. Gunwook finally bottomed out, throwing his head back the moment he was in. Matthew felt like he could feel him in his throat, the intrusion making him feel full. 

A hand pressed on his lower belly as Gunwook looked down, gasping at the sight below him. Matthew followed his gaze in curiosity, mirroring his gasp once he saw what the boy was gawking at. 

Gunwook whined, “I can fucking see how deep I am.” A bulge was popping out of Matthew’s lower belly, outlining where Gunwook’s cock was in him. 

Matthew needed him to start moving immediately. The second he saw the bulge, he needed to feel the boy thrusting in him. He needed to let him completely wreck him.

He threw his head back, crying aloud, “Move!” Matthew didn’t say anything further, he didn’t need to.

Gunwook took him by his thighs and pulled him closer, spreading them as far out as he could and somehow letting the man sink even further down on him. He moved his hips back, letting the entirety of his shaft out and leaving only his head in the man. Then, in one sharp move, thrust the entirety of his cock back in. 

They both moaned loudly as Gunwook established a steady pace. It was slow to begin with, almost gentle. Matthew could tell by Gunwook’s clenched hands that he was holding back for now, trying to pay extra attention to make sure he didn’t cum too early again. 

The sound of skin slapping skin filled the kitchen, along with uncontrollable moans and whines coming from the two of them. Both of them were equally loud, whimpering pathetically for the other. 

Each thrust brought Matthew back and forth on the countertop, the movement shaking his entire body. Gunwook didn’t even have to adjust himself to hit his prostate, he hit it every time without issue. Thrust after thrust, his prostate was getting rammed into.

The pace gradually got a little faster, Matthew letting his eyes close as he focused on everything his body was feeling. The tight grip on his knees forced his legs wide open, the thick cock thrusting in him over and over again, the blood in his body rushing to his face, his sweat dripping from everywhere it possibly could. He was almost overwhelmed by it all, but he loved the symphony of stimulation he was getting. 

He opened his eyes and looked at Gunwook, whining at the expression he saw. Gunwook’s eyes were screwed shut, his jaw clenched as he breathed through his teeth. He looked close, trying his best not to cum. 

Matthew giggled through his moans, “I’m surprised you haven’t cum yet, Daddy,” His hand reached for Gunwook’s hair, raking it back and out of the way, “You’re being such a good boy for me.”

Before he could understand what was happening, Gunwook’s expression went dark. He pulled out of him quickly, grabbing him by the waist and lifting him off the counter. Matthew gasped, confused about what was happening.

His feet landed on the floor, the tile cold on his feet. Gunwook, with his grip still on his waist, turned him around and bent him over the countertop. His ass and cock pathetically hung over the side, the bottom half of the apron lightly covering his shaft. 

Gunwook dug his hand into Matthew’s ass cheek, groping the flesh. He rubbed his cock between the two perky cheeks, teasing him just a bit. Matthew wished he could see him again, wished he could watch his expressions change and moans fall from his mouth.

The head pushed past his rim again, Gunwook penetrating him quickly. He whined as he did so, the two moaning in unison. Without a moment to spare, he started thrusting with haste. 

Matthew could feel him so much deeper this way, the cold countertop below him pushing on the bulge of his belly. The rough thrusts moved his entire body, his upper half sliding back and forth on the marble. With his lower half hanging off the side, his cock swayed with the thrusts, hitting the side wall of the counter over and over again as it rubbed against the pink apron.

Like this, he felt stimulated in every way possible. He rested his cheek on the countertop, eyes shut tight and mouth agape. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” He moaned, cursing at the feeling. 

Waves of pleasure kept hitting him like a truck, the thick cock in his ass massaging him from the inside. The stretch was perfect, Matthew fitting on Gunwook’s shaft like a glove. 

Gunwook’s thrusting got faster, high-pitched moans filling the kitchen, “You take me so well, Matthew~!” 

His endurance was beginning to shock the man. The boy had already came earlier, somehow getting harder from doing so. Now he was drilling into Matthew with vigor, thrusting in hard, fast, and deep with insane stamina. Call him old, but Matthew couldn’t fathom having that kind of stamina himself. Perhaps it was Gunwook’s youth that gave him it. 

Matthew, being the greedy man he is, loved every bit of energy Gunwook gave him. He tried his best to meet his thrusts, throwing himself back on the younger cock, but found he didn’t need to once Gunwook caught on to what he wanted. 

Gunwook wrapped his hands around his waist, holding Matthew down and pushing him back and forth on his cock to match his thrusting. The younger cried loudly, whimpering from the grip on his shaft. 

The older man shouted, “You’re fucking me so good, Gunwookie~!” His shout morphed into a whine, balling his hands up into fists from the pleasure, “Such a good f-fucking boy~”

The sound of skin slapping on skin got louder, rougher, and harder. Gunwook cried at the praise given to him, whimpering and whining like he was in heat. “I’m such a good boy for you, Matthew! Let me be your good boy for life, please!” 

He begged and pleaded with him, “I’ll fuck you just like this every day,” Gunwook interrupted his own speech with a heavy smack to Matthew’s backside, the skin red under his touch, “Every night,” He was panting now, clear desperation in his voice, “I’ll fuck you like this forever!”

Matthew whined at the words, the heat in his gut building more and more. He felt so close, like his climax was going to hit any moment now. His cock kept hitting the wall over and over again, the rough apron fabric rubbing it raw. It was dry, so very dry and hard. The way his cock slapped the wall was driving him crazy, sending jolts of electricity up his spine. 

Gunwook’s thrusts became erratic, slowly losing his rhythm in pursuit of his orgasm. Matthew could feel his cock pulsating in him, the younger reaching down and taking Matthew in his hand. 

He jerked him off, stroking the elder"s cock with a barely lubricated hand. Matthew didn’t even care about the dry drag of the skin anymore, moaning at the large hand wrapped around him. 

Gunwook moaned, “You can take it, can’t you? You can take me, right?”

His mind drifted to the feeling of Gunwook burying himself in him, forcing him to take his load. Matthew wanted him to cum in him so badly, he was practically feening for it. He swallowed the spit in his mouth, ignoring the drool dripping on the counter, “Cum in me, Daddy, please! You’ve been such a good boy for me, Gunwookie~!”

“Fuck!” Gunwook cried, matching his thrusts with the strokes of his hand. He pounded into Matthew’s prostate, bullying it with repeated force. 

With one final push, Matthew was cumming from his climax, his release all over Gunwook’s hand and Hana’s pink apron. Gunwook’s hips stuttered, burying his cock as deep into Matthew as he could, letting his cum fill the man below him. 

The two breathed heavily, panting from the workout. All the tension in their bodies let loose, riding out their orgasms with pitiful twitches and rutting. 

Matthew whined, the warm cum in his ass stimulating and addicting. His entire body relaxed, his legs going limp. He put all his balance into his upper body on the counter, letting his lower half hang over the edge. 

The frilly pink apron soaked up the cum quickly, almost like a sponge, holding it in the fabric. The scent of vanilla and bourbon had been replaced with the smell of fresh grapefruit and bitter cum, tainting the apron. 

Gunwook slowly pulled out of him, his release covering his cock and dripping down the side of Matthew’s leg. The college boy had came like a fountain, filling the man to the brim. 

With Matthew’s cum still on his hand, he lapped the bitter release up, cleaning it off him. Gunwook groaned at the taste of Matthew on his tongue, licking every drop off of him before directing his attention back to the man in front of him.

Slowly, Gunwook helped Matthew turn around and sit properly on the countertop, the older man finding it hard to sit upright. He was going to be sore for the next few days, he wasn’t even sure if he was going to be able to walk the rest of the day. 

Matthew held himself up with his hands behind him, panting as he made eye contact with Gunwook. The younger had a gorgeous blush on him, his skin was so red he wouldn’t be surprised if every drop of blood in his body was near the surface of his skin. 

Gunwook’s gaze dropped to Matthew’s thighs, his own cum covering them and dripping out of his hole onto the counter. It was quite the sight to see, especially with the slight shake of his thighs from their… activity. 

He reached behind Matthew’s waist, taking hold of the apron strings and un-tieing them. He took the apron off him, grabbed a hold of a dry area of the fabric, and used it to clean the cum all over Matthew. 

It was everywhere. Gunwook’s cock, Matthew’s hole, his inner thighs, dripping down his legs, dripping onto the counter, drops hitting the floor, it was hard to tell where it wasn’t at this point. 

He paid special attention to cleaning Matthew, first, cleaning the cum off his body. He chose to clean the counter, floor, and himself later. The man in front of him was his top priority. 

Matthew reached forward and ran his hand over Gunwook, collecting some of the cum and bringing his hand to his mouth. The overstimulation made him suck his breath in, shivering in Matthew’s hold. He licked the cum off his hand in a similar fashion as Gunwook had, moaning at the taste of him while Gunwook worked to clean him off.

The apron was rough to the touch, scratchy, and tough against bare skin. It made the skin under it red and raw. Matthew whined at the dry fabric on him, overstimulated from it. Gunwook reassured him, “It’s okay, Mattchu. We’re gonna go take a shower, okay?” 

He nodded back, holding his arms out for Gunwook to carry him to the bathroom. Gunwook giggled, picking him up and holding him bridal style. 

Standing there in the kitchen, the two with their lower halves naked, they leaned into one another and let their lips meet again. It was a soft kiss, one of pure affection and appreciation for each other. While they could taste each other’s bitter releases with hints of coconut on their lips, they didn’t care. The soft press of their lips was enough, just being with each other was enough. 

The timer on Matthew’s phone suddenly went off, indicating the brownies he put in the oven and forgot about were finished. Gunwook pouted hearing it, pulling himself off Matthew.

Matthew giggled, “Just turn the oven off, baby, we’ll get back to it later.” 

Gunwook nodded and walked over— making sure not to step on his own release— before turning the oven off. Then, with haste, he adjusted his hold on Matthew and ran up the staircase to the bathroom.

-

They were sweaty, tired, and clingy as they stood in the shower together, holding the other closely with tenderness. 

The warm water ran over them, washing the soap on their bodies away. Their hands caressed each other gently, enjoying the feeling of the other"s skin. 

Gunwook reached for the bottle of shampoo, squeezing some out in his palm and massaging it into Matthew’s scalp. With wordless communication, Matthew held his hand out for him. Gunwook giggled, taking the bottle and squirting some in Matthew’s hair. 

They both worked the shampoo into each other"s hair, watching as the soap covered each strand in bubbles and suds. A smile spread on Matthew’s face, stepping on his tip-toes to reach properly. Gunwook simply crouched down a little to adjust for the height difference.

He worked with the lather in Gunwook’s hair to make a little mohawk from his jet-black hair, laughing at how silly it looked on him. Their interaction remained wordless, relishing in the others" presence. 

Gunwook smiled softly at his laugh, admiring him. He let the water ruin the work, soapy water running down his back as the makeshift mohawk faded away. 

His smile had always been so gorgeous, so lovely and full of life. Matthew loved everything about the man in front of him, from his cute pout to his lovely smile, from his compassion and care to his jealous tendencies, even from his worst to his best. He couldn’t imagine doing anything without him from now on, which made the future unnerving. 

He wanted to stay in the present moment without worry, wanted to stand and appreciate their shared joy for centuries. But the inevitable was near, and they needed to face it together.

Matthew stared at the man, holding out his hands for the young man to grab. He did instantly, holding onto them tightly and reassuringly.

The man sighed, looking into his eyes with endearment and confessing, “Gunwook, I love you. A lot more than I probably should.”

“I love you too,” Gunwook responded, giggling with joy at the confession, “so, so much.”

“Tomorrow isn’t gonna be easy. I have no idea what to do or say.” Matthew breathed out, bringing his gaze to the shower floor for a moment, “But we’ll get through it together, okay?”

Gunwook whispered to him, “Don’t marry her, Matthew,” He spoke with a hint of insecurity and worry, “I’m right here.”

Matthew smiled, looking into the taller man’s eyes, “I wouldn’t even dream of doing that, Gunwookie.”

He rested his hand on his jaw, holding Matthew’s face gently as he spoke, “One day, if you really still care about that merger, just marry me instead, okay?” He swiped his thumb on his cheek, gazing at him like he hung the stars in the sky, “I’ll give you everything you’ll ever need.”

Tomorrow morning, this peace of theirs was going to be disrupted. The world would come crashing down on them if Hana discovered the truth, the truth that her son and her boyfriend had gotten closer than they ever should’ve been. 

Matthew felt he was Icarus in this moment; reckless and taking risk after risk all for the pure happiness he felt with Gunwook. He knew things were bound to go wrong once the front door opened. 

And yet, he didn’t seem to care. He knew the burn was coming, he knew their lives were about to change forever. 

But standing here with the man he loved, giggling over the foamy hairstyles they made with shampoo, he knew he would fight to keep him by his side through it all. And Gunwook would do the exact same. 

Icarus flew too close to the sun and melted from the heat, crashing into the cold water below. Alone. Icarus was a fool.

The sun was near, close to rising again.

But Matthew loved the burn of it all. 

He’d let the burn consume him over and over again if it meant Gunwook was with him, he’d fall into the deepest, coldest ocean known to man if it was for Gunwook. 

Matthew wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. 

He pulled Gunwook closer by his waist, their chests pressing, “Everything I need is right here.” 

~~~~~