ⁿᵒᵗ ʳᵉᵠᵘᵉˢᵗᵉᵈ
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fluff / 1098
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it had been an exhausting day at the company changbin owned. from the moment he stepped into the office that morning, chaos seemed to rule every corner. his assistant, flustered and out of breath, met him at the elevator with a clipboard and a stream of urgent updates.
"mr. seo, the quarterly report meeting has been moved to 9:30, the board wants an update on the expansion project, and-" the assistant hesitated, glancing nervously at changbin. "-there’s been an issue with the investor presentation slides. IT is working on it, but they may not have it ready in time for your call with the international partners at noon."
changbin pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "great. just great. let’s start with the report meeting. get me a coffee - no, make it a double espresso - and let’s hope the day doesn’t completely fall apart."
but fall apart, it did. by mid-morning, the quarterly report meeting had turned into a battlefield of clashing opinions. tempers flared as department heads bickered over budgets, deadlines, and accountability. changbin’s voice cut through the noise like a whip.
"enough!" he barked, slamming his hand on the table. the room fell silent. "this isn’t a debate club. I need solutions, not finger-pointing. if you can’t work together to fix this, I’ll find people who can."
he hated speaking so harshly, but there was no other way to get through to them. by the end of the meeting, his head was pounding, and his patience was running thin.
he barely had time to grab a bite of lunch before the investor call, which was its own brand of nightmare. the presentation slides were still a mess, leaving changbin scrambling to improvise.
"yes, mr. kang, I understand your concerns," he said through gritted teeth, pacing the length of his office. "however, I assure you the numbers are accurate, even if the visuals aren’t up to par. we’re working to resolve the issue as we speak."
the call dragged on for over an hour, with every question feeling like a jab at his competency. by the time it ended, changbin felt like he had run a marathon.
the rest of the afternoon was a blur of back-to-back meetings, urgent phone calls, and endless emails. he didn’t even notice the sun setting until his assistant timidly knocked on his door.
"sir, it’s past seven. should I reschedule your evening meetings for tomorrow?"
changbin glanced at the clock and sighed heavily. "yes, do that. I’m done for today."
he grabbed his coat and trudged to his car, the weight of the day pressing heavily on his shoulders.
as he drove home, his thoughts drifted to you. sweet, caring, and full of energy, you were the only light in changbin’s otherwise stressful life. just the thought of you waiting at home was enough to make changbin’s chest ache with longing.
***
when changbin finally pushed open the door to their shared apartment, the scent of something warm and savoury greeted him. you poked your head out from the kitchen, a bright smile lighting up your face.
"hey, baby! you’re home!" you chirped, wiping your hands on a dish towel. but your smile faltered when you saw changbin’s expression. "oh no, rough day?"
changbin didn’t answer. he kicked off his shoes, dropped his bag on the floor, and crossed the room in a few long strides. without a word, he collapsed into your arms, burying his face in his lover’s neck.
"just hold me," changbin mumbled, his voice muffled. "please."
you immediately wrapped your arms around changbin, holding him tightly. "oh, my poor baby," you cooed softly, running your fingers through changbin’s hair. "you’ve been working so hard. come here, let me take care of you."
changbin didn’t reply, but the way he clung to you said it all. you gently led him to the couch, guiding him to sit down before settling into his lap. you cupped changbin’s face in your hands, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.
"talk to me, love," you said, your voice gentle. "what happened today?"
changbin let out a shaky sigh, leaning into your touch. "everything," he said wearily. "the meetings, the deadlines, the investors - it was all a mess. I felt like I was putting out fires all day, and no matter what I did, it wasn’t enough."
your heart ached at the sight of changbin so worn down. "you’re amazing, you know that?" you said, brushing your thumb across changbin’s cheek. "even on days like this, when everything feels like it’s falling apart, you still keep going. that takes so much strength."
changbin huffed a bitter laugh. "I don’t feel amazing. I feel like a failure."
"hey, stop that," you said firmly, tilting changbin’s chin up so your eyes met. "you are not a failure. you’re human, binnie. it’s okay to have bad days. it doesn’t make you any less incredible."
changbin closed his eyes, leaning forward to rest his forehead against yours. "what did I do to deserve you?" he murmured.
you smiled softly, pressing a kiss to changbin’s nose. "you were just lucky, I guess," you teased, earning a faint smile from changbin. "now, how about I make you something warm and rub your shoulders? you look like you could use some pampering."
"don’t leave," changbin said quickly, tightening his hold on you. "just stay like this. just for a little while."
you nodded, your heart swelling with love. "okay, baby. whatever you need."
changbin buried his face in the crook of your neck, wrapping his arms around your waist and bringing you closer on his lap.
you smiled softly and held changbin's head close, your other arm wrapping around his shoulders. you placed a soft kiss on top of his head, your lips staying there for a moment longer before you buried your face in his hair and inhaled his scent.
you stayed like that for a long time, wrapped up in each other. you pressed gentle kisses to changbin’s temple from time to time, his cheeks, his jaw - anywhere you could reach.
changbin’s tense shoulders gradually relaxed, the stress of the day melting away under your tender touch.
"I don’t know what I’d do without you," changbin murmured after a while, his voice soft and full of emotion.
"you’ll never have to find out," you replied softly, pressing a kiss to changbin’s lips. "I’m here for you, always."
changbin sighed contentedly, pulling you closer. for the first time all day, he felt at peace. and in your arms, he knew he was home.
