overruled
xiumin/luhan | tao/sehun, minor xiumin/kai | 10k | rated r for sex
zitao and sehun have filed for divorce and are in the process of blaming everything on each other. sehun's lawyer is jongin and zitao's lawyer is luhan. it's a clean case until sehun's hyung, kim minseok, storms into luhan's office one day to scream at him and consequently steal luhan's heart.
overruled;
一 I don't know if I have a standing, but I'd love to court you
The reasons stated are adultery and malicious dissertation. It's a polite way of saying, you fucked around behind my back and then you left me at home waiting for you like a dumbass. Lu Han asks Zitao if the allegations are true and the glare he receives is answer enough. Sighing, he arranges his papers into a neat pile and thinks about Zitao's wedding, which was barely a year ago. He remembers Zitao and Sehun smiling at each other, holding hands, and the color scheme had been the extra sweet, extra pretty sort of blue and silver.
They had looked so happy.
But, Lu Han has spent enough time in the divorce court, and has watched perfect couples crumble under the phantom burden of being legally binding, to hold too many romanticisms.
Marriage is something people do when they want to fit into a social norm or fill whatever inadequacies they have inside.
Cynicism is, after all, one of the key requirements of being a divorce attorney.
"I'm going to actually need evidence of all your accusations eventually, Huang Zitao," Lu Han says, trying to convey the urgency of the matter by smacking a folder on the table.
Zitao barely flinches.
He's wearing a biege coat over a black turtleneck and he has his sunglasses on. He has his legs crossed and his hands are resting neatly on his raised knee. Lu Han supposes there isn't much that can phase someone so morbidly shameless in their life's choices.
"You said Sehun did property damage. That would actually help settle this divorce a lot faster if you could prove it."
Zitao sighs, uncrossing his legs and brushing ambiguous flint off the sleeve of his coat.
"I threw away the stuff he ruined," he says, taking out his phone from his pocket and flipping through it.
"This is a counseling sessions, Zitao. I have to actually counsel you and help you, and not fuck up my reputation," Lu Han hisses out, trying to keep his voice down because the law firm's partners are a few doors down and he really needs that promotion they've been hinting at.
"Let's go get coffee," Zitao says, still scrolling through his phone.
The thought of making partner by the end of the year is the only thing keeping him from murdering Zitao.
Lu Han is having a relatively good day. His parents called earlier and said they can make it to Korea for the holidays. The case he had this morning was a simple one and the settlement was generous. He barely has any papers to file for the night and he can probably make it home to watch the soccer game. Yixing texted him to say he'll come over and Lu Han is looking forward to a relaxing night of drinking and watching the game with his best friend.
His motions are overly perky as he calls over an assistant to make copies.
He's swinging his jacket off the back of his chair and starting to slip into it when the door to his office slams open.
There's a blur of movement as their receptionist rushes in and says, "I tried to tell him you were closing for the day, but he pushed past me."
Lu Han is barely listening.
The man seething at his door with his back straight and his teeth bared like a cat is beautiful. He has soft, pretty features and soft, pretty lips that are curling up into a snarl. He has soft, pretty eyes that are narrowing, the edges lined with a natural, sweet tilt. He has soft, pretty hands are that curled into fists.
And, he has a soft, pretty voice as he says, "You piece of shit."
The receptionist gasps and tries to yank the man away, but Lu Han numbly tells her to give them some space.
"I know being morally ambiguous sort of comes with the profession, asshole, but your client cheated on Sehun and you're actually charging him with property damage?"
It takes a while to understand the soft, pretty words, but when he does, he springs into motion. His arm gets a little stuck in his jacket as he tries to either remove it or put it on fully, and the man seems very unimpressed as Lu Han finally manages to settle on removing it.
He clears his throat and walks past his desk to shut the door, gesturing the man to step inside.
"Have a seat," he says, and clears his throat again as his voice comes out odd and scratchy.
The man frowns and hesitantly sits down, seemingly a little embarrassed about his previous tirade.
He sniffs a little as he sits down and stretches up his neck in an attempt to look down at Lu Han. He's cute.
"Now, what can I help you with?"
"I'm Sehun's hyung," he says and Lu Han has barely processed the fact that this man is older than Sehun before he's moving on to the next horrifying fact, "and, his attorney's boyfriend. And, both of them have done jackshit the past days as we've received notice of Zitao's statement, so that leaves me, the only one not directly involved in the case, to try to make some amends."
"Uh," Lu Han opens suavely and the man's eyes narrow again, making him break into cold sweat, "I'm actually not allowed to discuss this case with anyone outside the parties in question."
The man snorts and rolls his eyes, and Lu Han tries to not find it endearing. He fails since the man glares at him and asks, "What the fuck are you smiling about?"
"Um."
"God," the man groans, getting up and walking backwards towards the door, "This won't be the last you see of me. I'm going to make sure Sehun gets every cent of compensation he deserves."
He points a tiny finger at him and Lu Han nearly bursts out laughing at how adorable he is, but manages to contain himself at the last crucial moment.
From Zitao, he finds out that the man is Kim Minseok, around Lu Han's age, and sort of terrifying. He hadn't attended the wedding because he had a writers' association conference to attend, but he had shown up to the housewarming party and spent most of the day scrutinizing Zitao as if making sure the man was good enough for Sehun.
Another fun fact about Minseok is that he hates The System, won't define what The System means, and the only attorney he likes is Kim Jongin, his pretty, little boyfriend who has already made a name for himself in the industry after a year of practice.
Lu Han has seen Zitao walk the ramp on the biggest fashion shows without breaking a sweat, but he seems genuinely afraid of Minseok. Lu Han can't fathom why: Minseok had seemed so sweet.
"Sweet?" Zitao asks, voice a little squeaky.
"Yes, and all, like...," he makes indecipherable gestures in the air, "Nice... and, you know."
Zitao doesn't know, apparently, since he gets up and walks out of Lu Han's office with a disgusted sigh.
Case #124 of his career involves a couple that states that there simply isn't any spark left and Lu Han tries not to snort at that.
What they really mean is that they've found more interesting people to fuck
On Monday, he's scheduled for a counseling session with Sehun and his attorney; the grace period where private settlements are allowed if the parties don't want to take the matter in front of a judge.
He wakes up late, grabs coffee, spills it on himself, drops his briefcase, and comes into the room fifteen minutes late with papers spilling out of his arms.
He regrets not taking the time to fix himself up when he sees soft, pretty eyes glaring at him and a soft, pretty mouth sparing him a derisive snort.
Tripping over his feet a little, he stumbles into the room, bowing apologetically, and settles next to Zitao, who has actually lowered his sunglasses in order to give him a disgusted look.
Lu Han looks across the table to see Jongin smiling somewhat warmly, Sehun glancing down at his nails, and Minseok glaring at him with his arms crossed over his chest.
He clears his throat and hesitantly says, "Uh, are you... We can only allow the parties filing for divorce in this meeting, so..."
He makes gestures towards Minseok while looking at Jongin, who grins a little and says, "Sehun has asked that he be present in all the meetings since he's a witness to some of the claims filed against Zitao-shi."
Zitao snorts next to him, but Lu Han smiles brightly, agreeing readily to gain favor from the petulant man, but Minseok's glare just hardens.
"I don't mind," he says, and this time, Minseok snorts.
"We don't need your permission, anyway," he says, little nose twitching in irritation, and then uncrosses his arms abruptly, slapping his hands on the table, "God, what the fuck do you keep smiling about?"
Lu Han flinches and as he blinks, he realizes he had indeed been smiling. Apologizing profusely, he starts on the meeting by listing some of the technicalities. Eventually, Minseok's glare softens as he directs most of his attention on Sehun, patting his arm now and then.
Kim Jongin is professional and smooth as he states claims of adultery and malicious desertion, then stating the monetary compensation, and finishing with turning the floor to Sehun, who gets in a few digs before Jongin hushes him.
During Lu Han's turn, he submits the proofs of the property damage, which are few and far between since Zitao doesn't "house worthless trash". He can feel himself losing the case as he speaks and it pricks his pride to lose to a some young boy.
"Unless Sehun-shi can provide adequate evidence for the alleged infidelity, your client will have to drop the claims," he says, "Compensation can't be decided on mere suspicions."
Sehun rolls his eyes, but Jongin nods, shuffling some papers around.
The meeting ends with them getting up and only Lu Han and Jongin shaking hands pleasantly as Zitao and Sehun stand around with their arms crossed (and Minseok stands behind Sehun shooting Zitao dirty looks).
Sehun's side leaves first and Lu Han slumps back into his chair with a sigh.
"You're going to cost me my reputation," he grumbles and Zitao grins.
"What reputation?"
Lu Han throws weeks of file-work at Zitao's face.
Yixing laughs at him (which is nothing new), accuses him of being stupid over a pretty face (which is false - he fell for Minseok's fiery personality, thanks), and offers him a bottle of soju (which is incredibly appreciated). Beer is, after all, too mild a liquid to properly drown his sorrows in.
The first time he meets Minseok outside the courtroom or his office isn't until a week later when he's in the middle a lot messier divorce case and hasn't slept for two nights straight. So, he's a little loopy, disheveled, and hysteric as he orders his coffee and then sits down in a dark corner to huddle over his laptop with a manic grin.
And, that's how Minseok finds him - giggling as he types in his closing statement.
Minseok had previously been making pleasant small-talk, the ends of which Lu Han had somewhat registered in the way people register random pieces of strangers' conversations, and he'd had a fleeting thought of how cute he sounded - all honorifics and sweet laughs.
But, then, Minseok turns around as he hears the giggling and his eyes narrow immediately, gummy smile disappearing.
Lu Han can't stop giggling, though. Minseok is wearing a sweater that's too big on him - only the tips of his little hands are visible - has a scarf wrapped around his next several times with the wool nearly covering his mouth, and he looks about as menacing as a newborn rabbit.
As the hysterical noises keep bubbling past his lips, Minseok goes from irritated to concerned and takes a hesitant step back before coming over.
In Lu Han's sleep-deprived mind, Minseok looks like an angel and he sounds like one, too, as he asks, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
You're beautiful, he thinks, and giggles some more when Minseok frowns.
"Your eyes are super red and you're trembling."
"Haven't slept in a while," Lu Han answers with a grin.
Minseok looks a little disgusted, but he remains vaguely polite as he says, "Um, ok, I'll let you ... carry on, then."
Lu Han waves. Or, at least, he flops his hand around limply and lets it drop down on the table with a chuckle.
Minseok goes over to the other side of Starbucks, settling down and taking out his phone from his pocket. Lu Han is almost blatantly watching him - he sees peeks of pale fingers swipe across the screen of the phone, sees little twists of pink lips every once in a while, see him bury a wider smile into his scarf. His delightful viewing experience is blocked by someone walking into the shop and sitting down across from Minseok, effectively hiding Minseok from Lu Han.
Frowning, he scoots in his chair a little so he can look at Minseok again and sees the man sporting a sweet, gummy smile. Reflexively, he smiles, too, and that's when Minseok happens to glance to the side. His sweet, gummy smile instantly sours a little and he mumbles something that makes the guy sitting in front of him turn around.
It's Jongin. Of course.
In his delirium, he doesn't bother hiding his glare, but Jongin smiles at him, waving. Lu Han glares a little harder. Minseok rolls his eyes and reaches over to tug at Jongin's collar, urging him to turn back around.
Lu Han mutters, asshole, to no one in particular (Jongin) and goes back to hastily looking through divorce papers.
His parents arrive in Seoul a few days before Christmas and when he goes to pick them up at the airport, he's welcomed with tears and hugs and kisses. Once he brings them into his apartment, his mother sets about decorating the place in red and green, and bright, bright gold. Yixing and Zitao drop by to visit, and Yixing immediately rats him out, saying, "Your son's in love."
His mother gasps and rounds on him, eyes wide and determined. He looks for help from his father but he's already in some discussion with Zitao over fashion. Lu Han knows it's just his father's way of easing into the topic of Zitao's divorce.
"Who is he?" his mother asks, "What is he like? Oh, honey, tell me everything."
Lu Han rolls his eyes and fakes a punch at Yixing's stomach when the man winks at him.
"It's just a crush," he clarifies, "Not even a crush. It's like vaguely finding someone attractive. Actually, no, he's an acquaintance."
Yixing snorts and shoves Lu Han away, taking his mother by the hands and steering her towards the couch. Sitting her down, he says, "Lu ge is in love."
His best friend then proceeds to highlight every minimal interaction Lu Han has had with Minseok and by the end of it, his mother is looking at Lu Han with glassy eyes asking, "Why didn't you tell me?"
He sighs.
It's going to be long night.
He has another case to wrap up before the holidays and this one involves division of money. It always gets messy when it involves money. He's representing the wife, who thinks she deserves to keep the house and the kids and everything else. He spends most of the meetings massaging his forehead, but finally manages to reach a compromise.
On his way home, he's tired but he feels good, having wrapped up the last of his cases that were due before Christmas.
He makes five minute walk from his office to his apartment in relatively high spirits, and the last thing he's expecting is to see Minseok standing in front of a store.
Minseok is staring inside the store and when Lu Han walks a little closer, he sees that the store is a familiar coffee shop and Minseok is frowning.
When he tries to follow Minseok's gaze, he spots nothing out of the ordinary - the shop is full of customers having a good time and chatting, and he knows that shop so he knows they have great coffee.
Curiosity spiked, he resists the urge to just go up to Minseok and ask what's wrong because he knows that will just earn him some more adorable glares.
Instead, he walks up to him slowly and makes enough noise that Minseok is jerked out of his trance and looks to his side. His frown actually clears and he looks surprised more than irritated. That shift makes Lu Han a little bit bolder as he finally reaches Minseok and asks, "I'm positive there are better ways to people watch in Seoul."
Minseok just snorts and shakes his head. He points at the shop and says, "I have to write a review for them and I'm trying to find out what makes them any different from the million other coffee shops in this city."
Lu Han smiles.
"That's easy, just talk about their color scheme."
Minseok laughs at that, most likely at Lu Han's expense but he can't be bothered with Minseok's cheeks bunch up and his eyes disappear into half moons and Lu Han can see his little teeth and his pink gums. Minseok could laugh forever and Lu Han would just sit there - just watch and never tire of it.
All too soon, Minseok suddenly seems to remember Lu Han is Zitao's lawyer and his face shuts off. He coughs awkwardly, uselessly straightening his red coat (which looks beautiful on him), and looks around the sidewalk as if Sehun is going to pop up from somewhere and accuse him of fraternizing with the enemy.
"Well, I have to go inside now. Um, bye, I guess," he says, holding out his hand and then quickly deciding not to, instead shoving it inside his coat's pocket.
Lu Han smiles again and says, "Bye," in a cheerful tone that makes Minseok hesitate a little before he heads towards the shop's entrance. He glances back once, frowning a little as if trying to figure Lu Han out, and then disappears into the shop.
Later, when he calls Yixing and tells him every minute detail of their interaction with exaggerated pauses and slightly made-up words, Lu Han thinks his face might split from smiling so much. Yixing tells him to man up and also to please never call him again about his tragic love life, thank you.
His mother becomes more emotional the closer they get to Christmas, patting his face at random times of the day and sighing. His father is of no help, as usual - more interested in egging his mother on and laughing at Lu Han's distress. By Christmas morning, his mother is nearly in tears, whispering, "When will you settle down, darling?"
He's in the middle of opening up a present (a beautiful watch from his father) and his grits his teeth a little as he says, "I have settled down."
"You're alone," she says, "I just don't like the thought of my only son coming home from a long day of work to an empty place."
Sighing, he drops his present on the table and takes his mother's hands in his.
"I promise I'll date," he says, and at her disbelieving look, he adds, "You can set me up with those high society freaks if you want, even, okay. Happy?"
She sniffs, acting like she isn't pleased, and shrugs.
There's already so much melodrama in his family, he wonders why he seeks more of it at court.
Zitao has latched himself completely to Lu Han as the divorce slowly reaches a stage of completion and Lu Han just knows Zitao and Sehun still love each other, but are too stubborn to do anything about it. He's seen divorces happen for less so he's not exactly frustrated or annoyed that they're dragging so many people into their mess. He is frustrated and annoyed by the fact that Zitao seems to be half-dating Lu Han now in an attempt to forget Sehun.
"Lu ge."
At Lu Han's indifference, the 'u' gets stretched and Lu Han feels like stabbing himself with his pen. Instead, he signs off on some papers and pulls out a highlighter.
He's trying to finish up a case and head home early. He has to meet some guy at eight for a blind date his mother set up and he'd really like to lament his fate in peace for at least two hours beforehand. As it is, Zitao has made himself at home on his office sofa, has his half-finished latte on Lu Han's table, and is eyeing the interior design with mild distaste.
Another long, whiny 'Lu ge' has Lu Han nearly breaking his highlighter.
"What is it?" he hisses out and Zitao just plucks dismally at his coat, chin tucked into his chest.
"I'm bored."
"I have work to do," Lu Han says, trying to be patient as Zitao blinks at him, unimpressed, "And, I have a date."
"Date?" Zitao asks, scrunching up his nose. Suddenly, his face drops and he leans his head back on the sofa, sighing solemnly. He whispers, "Love is meaningless," and Lu Han rubs at his forehead.
When he gets home, he calls Yixing and tries to subtly ask how to act on a date.
"I want them to like me enough so that they don't complain to their parents and upset my mother, but to also dislike me enough to not want another date, you know?"
"You could just tell your mother you already have wedding plans in your mind for someone else."
Lu Han really should have known Yixing would be of no help.
Date number one is a graduate student at Seoul University, has thick-rimmed glasses, and blushes whenever Lu Han looks at him. He's cute - in a way - and stutters a little when he introduces himself as, "Oh Jiho."
He's in computer science, a subject so far from Lu Han's understanding, and that would be fine if Jiho didn't feel the need to make him see the beauty of programming.
By the time their check arrives, Lu Han is struggling to keep his eyes open and hasn't actually gotten a word in about himself.
It's worth it though when his mother calls him the next day and says Oh Jiho's parents think Lu Han might not be the right fit.
Zitao slams a magazine on his desk and Lu Han glances at the bold, red SEOUL briefly before looking at Zitao. The model waves at the magazine and says, "Your boyfriend featured."
Lu Han snatches the magazine up and flips through until he finds the table of contents. He finds Minseok's name under one bolded section and then flips to the middle of the magazine.
There's an artsy picture of Minseok looking out of the window with a small smile and cup of coffee in one hand, and underneath, in big, black letters, is written 'Kim Minseok'. 'The mysterious author tells all,' is written in slightly smaller, red letters under his name.
Smiling, he reads the interview and quotes interesting bits to Zitao, who doesn't even pretend to be listening. Of course, Lu Han thinks every bit of the interview is interesting, but that's just because Minseok is interesting.
Minseok started writing in school newspapers in high school and kept at it in college while he got his writing degree. His first book was published when he was just twenty two and it was a best seller - some heart-wrenching tale about a girl's struggle to support her family during the Japanese rule. Lu Han makes a mental note to buy that book (and maybe the rest of Minseok's books), and then, the interview gets to the personal life section.
Kim Minseok laughs shyly when asked about relationships, ducking his head. He dodges the question, saying he's still looking.
Lu Han squeals (in a super manly way), and Zitao numbly asks, "What, you have the same favorite color as him?"
"He basically said he's single," Lu Han says and Zitao gets that mean smirk on his face that he always gets before he destroys someone's day, week, life, or dreams - whichever he's in the mood for.
"That issue is from July. To my knowledge, he started dating Jongin around August and oh, well, it's November now, so."
Lu Han would toss the magazine at him, but he has to save it for bedtime reading so he opts for glaring instead.
Going back to the interview (The author hums contentedly around a cup of coffee and then settles down to tell us exclusive details about his upcoming book!), he ignores Zitao's mutterings about Lu Han being a sad, sad little boy.
Date number two thinks the world revolves around and wears sunglasses inside like a douchebag. He orders the most expensive wine and then smirks at Lu Han as if waiting for him to swoon. Lu Han musters up a smile due to pure obligation.
His name is Li Qiang and Lu Han keeps imagining him choking on his steak.
His mother calls the next day, like before, and says the same thing. Lu Han tries to sound disappointed.
Zitao and Sehun's case finally makes it to the judge since the meetings have been falling apart. The evidence is minimal on both parts, so the judge ends up giving them three months to sort out their difference and make the marriage work. She adds mandatory marriage counseling sessions and even gives advice - stating that perhaps they're dealing with miscommunication.
Neither of them seem pleased with the ruling, but Lu Han has never been so happy to lose a case.
The next weekend, Yixing drags him out to a party to 'celebrate his complete lack of a sex life' and 'continuous failures in the romantic department'. Lu Han isn't too psyched even though the food is good and the alcohol is being supplied generously. So, he chooses to sit in a corner, brooding and hoping to bring Yixing's overly bright mood down a notch.
When he sees Minseok across the room, smiling at the party's host, he thinks he must be drunk - or at least, dreaming. Minseok is in all white and has a red scarf around his neck, and his cheeks are flushed pink from the cold - snow melting on his skin.
Yixing elbows him and asks, "What's wrong?"
Lu Han tries for a casual shrug and ends up sort of slumping back against the wall, sloshing his drink around and spilling some of it onto the carpet.
Yixing looks a little worried, but he always looks a little worried, so Lu Han just smiles and glances back at Minseok.
His smile sours when he sees Jongin step in through the door, grinning bashfully as he says something that makes the host laugh and Minseok roll his eyes fondly.
Huffing, he looks away.
It's not like he loves Minseok - that's impossible, he's only talked to him civilly once. It's not even like he likes Minseok aside from finding him cute and passionate and loyal and - okay. The point is, he's just got a little vague crush like the one he had on the Starbucks barista months ago. He had ordered more Americanos in a week than he had ever in his life and he'd been shaky from the caffeine almost constantly. Yixing had had to do an 'intervention'.
So, maybe his crushes are dramatic and weirdly obsessive, but at least they only last for a short while. His stomach will stop twisting at Minseok's every smile eventually.
Lu Han manages to avoid Minseok and Jongin for most of the party, gluing himself to Yixing and probably making it impossible for him to pick up girls. Eventually, though, Yixing ditches him for this gorgeous chick with long, black hair, and Lu Han is left to sulk around by himself. It's too cold to go outside and 'get some air', so he settles for going in the kitchen where nobody is since all the food is set up in the dining room.
He starts checking his emails, mindlessly dropping some into the spam folder and some into the work folder. Hearing footsteps, he looks up to see Minseok walk into the kitchen. Just his luck.
Minseok hesitates a little before coming all the way inside and sitting down on one of the bar stools around the island counter. He manages to sit as far away from Lu Han as possible and clears his throat a lot before asking, "Avoiding someone?"
Lu Han can't exactly say yes, you, so he shrugs and asks, "Are you?"
Minseok sighs, slumping forward, and says, "Yeah, this girl I used to know in college. We had a huge falling out over something stupid and she hates my guts," he rolls his eyes, "The usual drama. Didn't think she'd actually be at this party, but life doesn't go the way you need it to, does it?"
Lu Han provides a lame, "Uh huh," and an awkward vibe settles over the room. It makes Minseok shift uncomfortably and fiddle with his phone.
He finally breaks the heavy silence with, "I'm sorry - you know, for ... I shouldn't have yelled at you at the office. I'm just ... It's been difficult seeing Sehun go through this divorce."
Stumbling over the need to reassure, Lu Han says, "It's okay. It's good. I mean, you're good. Like, it's fine. I ... You don't have to apologize."
Minseok smiles - really smiles - and it's wide, gummy, and so fucking cute, Lu Han has to bite his lip to keep from blurting out something stupid.
"Well, let's start over, then," he says, putting a hand out over the counter, "I'm Kim Minseok, writer by night, grumpy old man by day."
His crush grows just a tiny, tiny, little bit bigger at Minseok's silly sense of humor and he takes his hand, shaking it and saying, "I'm Lu Han, tired attorney by day and tired attorney by night."
Lu Han's pretty sure he's being very objective when he thinks about how Minseok's laugh sounds like angels singing.
They talk for a while - Minseok unloads the frustrations about being a writer, Lu Han accidentally lets it slip he read his interview, Minseok laughs at him quite openly, and Lu Han shares some weird cases he's had (leaving out names, of course, no matter how much Minseok begs). When there's a lull in the conversation, Minseok turns thoughtful and solemn.
"With Sehun and Zitao's divorce," he says, "who do you think is in the right? Objectively?"
"Both of them," Lu Han answers, "That's usually how it is in divorces. Lack of communication on both sides."
Minseok sighs.
"I just - I've never seen Sehun has happy as he was with Zitao and when Sehun came to my house, saying Zitao cheated on him, I didn't believe him. Sehun had a messy relationship years ago where his boyfriend was a sleazy cheat and I thought he was projecting, but he seemed so sure. So devastated. Now, I think maybe ... I don't know. I just wish this wasn't happening. It kills me to see him this way."
Lu Han nods and says, "Zitao hasn't been dealing very well either. It really messed him up to see Sehun accuse him of cheating. I wish I knew more about the situation but neither of them talk about it at meetings, so I can't make the right calls, but I know Zitao would never cheat on him. Nobody made Zitao as happy as Sehun did."
"These kids," Minseok says, smiling sadly, "I wish we could just force them to kiss and make up."
Agreeing silently, Lu Han suddenly starts thinking about something other than finalizing the divorce. Maybe Zitao and Sehun can fix things.
Just as he's about to ask Minseok for help, Jongin walks into the kitchen. He looks between Lu Han and Minseok with raised eyebrows before turning to Minseok and gently asking, "You ready to get out of here, hyung?"
Minseok nods, giving him a smile, and then looks at Lu Han, saying, "It was nice talking to you. I'll see you around."
Lu Han gives him a little wave and Jongin looks even more confused. They leave the kitchen, talking to each other in hushed tones and Lu Han looks down at his phone again.
When Yixing finds him later in the night, he asks Lu Han what his freaky smile is about.
Date number three is a spoiled asshole with an ego problem and a tendency to snap at the server when he wants more wine. When Kang Woohyun isn't talking about his father's business, shopping, or buying vintage cars just for fun, he's talking about how he could improve Lu Han's style.
"I mean," he says, wrinkling his admittedly pretty nose, "That suit with those shoes? Tragic."
Lu Han manages to hold his tongue and not mention that Woohyun's stupid bow-tie is crooked and looks completely stupid, and the date ends on a mostly good note. His mother makes the now routine call of 'well, he liked you, but, oh honey, he doesn't think you're the right fit'.
Zitao and Sehun have court mandated marriage counseling sessions to go to every week and Zitao always comes back from them a little more solemn, a little less confident. Lu Han can't stand seeing Zitao deflate and lose the most important relationship of his life, so for the next session, he decides to go with him. Minseok's words ring in his mind and he thinks maybe they just need the right push.
"Are you really coming to keep me company or are you just trying to find another reason to gawk at Minseok hyung?" Zitao asks, eyeing him suspiciously as they step out of the car and head towards the counseling office.
At Lu Han excited, "Minseok's going to be there?" Zitao rolls his eyes and walks ahead of him.
The receptionist sits them down, saying it'll be few minutes until the counselor is ready, and Lu Han thinks this might be the perfect time to talk to Zitao. He hums and haws around it, nervous about Zitao's reaction, but finally asks, "Do you still love Sehun?"
Zitao just stares at him and says, "Of course, I do. I'm not the one who filed for divorce."
"Maybe if you guys talked it out, you could clear up the misunderstanding. If you just-"
"We have talked," Zitao interrupts, eyes narrowed in anger, "At least, I've tried my best to make Sehun see sense, but the little asshole has always been stubborn and prideful. I'm tired, Lu ge. I'm so tired."
Lu Han hooks an arm around Zitao's neck and pulls him close, their bodies turned uncomfortably over the armrests between them, and he whispers, "I know," against Zitao's hair.
After cradling Zitao against him, the extra tall man hunched over like a child, Lu Han gently says, "Maybe he feels the same way, too."
Zitao shakes his head, burying further into Lu Han's chest, and mumbles, "He doesn't. He would never do this to me if he loved me."
"It's because he loves you that he did this. He thinks you were unfaithful."
Zitao unwinds himself from Lu Han's hold and laughs bitterly.
"That's a nice way to look at it."
Lu Han gears up to argue, but that's when Minseok and Sehun walk in. Sehun spares Zitao a brief glare before sitting down the chairs opposite him. Minseok hesitates a little, giving Lu Han a small smile and following Sehun.
The receptionist calls them up before anyone can awkwardly comment on the weather, and then Minseok and Lu Han are left by themselves in the waiting room.
They pick up a conversation pretty easily. Now that Minseok doesn't seem to want to spit venom every time Lu Han blinks, he's a surprisingly pleasant person and a good conversationalist (even though, some of his jokes are still sort of dry and sometimes take Lu Han too long to get, but he laughs anyway). Minseok makes the same comment about wanting Zitao and Sehun to fix things, and Lu Han jumps at the chance.
"Maybe we could write apologies from one to the other, or something."
Minseok tilts his head like Lu Han is a cute, stupid puppy, and gently says, "That only works in movies, Lu Han."
They rake their brains some more, trying to figure out a way to get the two stubborn models to see how much they're hurting each other. Minseok suddenly claps his hands, eyes big with excitement and lips stretched to reveal those pink gums and tiny, white teeth.
"I've got it," he says and Lu Han is so distracted by how beautiful his smile is that he almost misses the next part, "We can take them to some of their most special places, like the restaurant they had their first date in or their wedding hall or wherever they had their first kiss. You know, rekindle their love or something. Remind them of how good they had it."
"That's a great idea, but I don't know where half those places are."
"Jongin might know. He's known Sehun for almost as long as me and Sehun tells him everything - especially things he knows I would yell at him for."
"Great," Lu Han says stiffly.
Jongin would know. Perfect, handsome, accomplished Jongin, who apparently not only has everything Lu Han wants in a career but also has Minseok and the answer to everything in the whole world.
So, maybe this crush is lasting a little longer than usual, but that's mostly because Minseok is nice to him now and having that grin directed right at him makes Lu Han a little weak and he sometimes wishes Jongin just transferred to some other court district. Either way, it's just a slightly bigger crush than usual and Lu Han has totally got it under control - Yixing voice in his head saying, you're a mess, notwithstanding.
The following weekend, Lu Han closes another successful case, manages to make Yixing talk about the girl he's been seeing, reads the article titled "Best Selling Author Kim Minseok Gets Back to His Roots", sees the subsection titled "Kim Minseok Reviews His Favorite Coffee Shop", maybe cuts out the part where Minseok writes, "The color scheme is inviting - unique", and manages to convince his mother to stop sending him on dates for a while.
All in all, Lu Han is in a pretty good mood until Zitao calls him and asks if they can shorten the three months the judge had given them.
He talks around it, stating legalities and mandations, and then calls Minseok (whose number he managed to ask for while sweating and stuttering at the counseling office).
"We have to do something," he says and hears Minseok sigh.
"I know. Sehun won't talk to me about Zitao - just shuts off completely when I even suggest Zitao's innocence," he says, sighing again, "Jongin knows where their first date was and we all know about the wedding hall. Maybe we should just go for it?"
Lu Han thinks about how broken Zitao had sounded over the phone and can't help but agree.
The plan is slightly messy in its conception and execution, with Lu Han saying, "Hey, let's go out for lunch," to Zitao out of the blue with wide, anxious eyes. Zitao stares suspiciously at him a lot and Lu Han laughs uncomfortably at his own jokes. His palms are sweating and his grip on the steering wheel is turning his knuckles white.
When they arrive outside the restaurant, Zitao is so busy trying to figure out what's wrong with Lu Han that he barely notices where they are. He does notice, though, when they get inside and the host ushers them to table already occupied by Sehun and Minseok.
Minseok bolts out of his seat and Lu Han pushes Zitao down on the empty chair.
Lu Han says, "Talk to each other," at the same time Minseok says, "You can fix this."
Zitao and Sehun are slowly moving from confused to angry and seem about ready to bolt. Minseok places a hand on Sehun's shoulder and says, "Please. For me."
That makes Sehun frown, but he doesn't make a run for it and when Lu Han looks at Zitao, he sees the model looking hesitant. With a smile, he nods at Minseok and they leave the two at the table.
They decide to wait outside the restaurant just in case the two do run out and Lu Han wonders if this will work. Minseok says it will - those two have such strong feelings that it has to. The restaurant is in a busy part of the city with heavy traffic on the sidewalk so they have to sort of linger near the door if they want to actually spot Zitao and Sehun. In consequence, they end up looking like creeps and get weird looks from the people coming in and out of the restaurant.
It makes Minseok laugh, which makes Lu Han laugh, and soon, they're giggling and getting even weirder looks.
Minseok's cheeks turn pink from laughing so much and as he gasps for breath, laughter stuttering to a stop with small hiccups, Lu Han wants to kiss him so badly he aches.
So, maybe the crush is lasting longer and getting stronger. Whatever. Lu Han deals with vindictive spouses daily, he can deal with this.
When Zitao and Sehun don't come out for an hour (during which Lu Han and Minseok play games on their phones, show each other weird pictures, people watch with unnecessarily mean commentary, and laugh at each other's stupid jokes), they decide to check on them.
The sight that greets them is of Zitao and Sehun furiously making out, looking like they want to crawl into each other's laps, and disturbing everyone the restaurant. Minseok looks scandalized and hisses at Sehun to stop right this instant, young man.
The couple breaks apart and blinks at them with glazed over eyes and dopey smiles.
Lu Han coughs uncomfortably, bowing in apology at the people eyeing the models with disdain, and looks at Minseok, saying, "Well, it worked."
The high spots of pink on Minseok's cheeks are endearing and never seem to fade as he ushers them out of the restaurant and gives the models a long speech on etiquette and propriety.
Lu Han almost regrets getting Zitao and Sehun together because they seem attached at the lips. He has papers to fill, things to turn into the judge to let her know that the divorce won't be needed, and he has to get their input. All he does get is wet, smacking sounds and nausea.
Jongin is also in the room, though he seems mostly unaffected by the inappropriate kissing, and he's even humming a little as he fills in his own papers.
When they manage to separate the models for a minute, they sign off on some formalities and Lu Han congratulates them. It's probably the first time he's seen a relationship in this office that hasn't ended in a divorce.
Zitao and Sehun go back to trying to crawl into each other's mouths, and Lu Han sighs, picking up his files. Jongin follows suit and meets him near the door, sticking out a hand.
He grins, disarming and pretty, and says, "Well, it's been nice working with you."
Lu Han accepts his hand and tries to be equally as charming as he says, "Same."
Flushing slightly in embarrassment, he quickly says, "Better let Minseok know the divorce is almost officially not happening."
Jongin tilts his head with a knowing smile and says, "I think you should tell him."
So, maybe his crush on Minseok has only grown in magnitude and maybe he wants to date Minseok, but he didn't think he paraded his feelings in front of Minseok's boyfriend. He's not an asshole.
But, Jongin looks like he knows and Lu Han thinks it's suddenly way too warm in this room.
"Why," he starts, shifting on his feet, "I mean - why would I tell me? I'm just - we just. Well-"
Jongin laughs lightly and shakes his head.
"Minseok hyung and I broke up a few weeks ago. Mutually."
Lu Han tries not to grin.
"So, call him," Jongin says and Lu Han thinks the kid might not be so bad after all.
The judge rolls her eyes a lot, clearly having expecting this outcome, but does recommend they attend one more counseling session to make sure their issues have been resolved. They come out of that session even more intertwined and strangely more in love than they have ever looked.
With most of the obstacles out of the way (no boyfriend, no friends in a messy divorce), it's quite a shame that the next time Lu Han sees Minseok, he has Minseok's book in one hand and he's taking a picture of it with his other hand. He has 'great book!! 10/10 would recommend :-)' typed out on Twitter and he's trying to figure out a nice, pretty angle for the picture.
Minseok, on some secret mission to sabotage Lu Han's life, just happens to be at the bookstore too, has a couple of books tucked under one arm.
He stops short when he sees Lu Han, eyes moving down to the book and the phone and then moving back up to Lu Han with that awful, gummy smile.
There's literally no way to play it cool so Lu Han just sets the book down gently and slips his phone into his pocket, dead set on pretending he's not sweating.
"Hey," he says, voice squeaky in way that makes Minseok smile wider.
"Hi," Minseok says softly, "A fan, are you?"
Leave it to Minseok to ignore Lu Han's cue and jump right into it.
"Yes. I mean - I guess. You write good books."
Minseok grins and asks, "You want to get coffee?"
His heart is doing that silly thing where it seems to want to beat right out of his chest and he's a little breathless when he says, "Yes."
"So, you still haven't kissed him? Or asked him out?"
Yixing doesn't understand, clearly. Neither does Zitao, who is sulking because Sehun is working in Italy for the weekend. Kim Minseok is a difficult man to be friends with. They go get coffee, they go to bookstores, they meet up in restaurants, they play soccer, and Lu Han feels a constant need to impress him. And, Minseok seems to feel a constant need to render Lu Han helpless with smiles and soft words.
Lu Han isn't exactly subtle about his crush - he's blurted out compliments more often than it is socially acceptable to and he's made unfounded digs at Jongin for absolutely no reason other than the fact that Jongin seemed to date Minseok easily enough.
Minseok has to know and is probably just enjoying the way Lu Han seems to choke on his coffee every time their elbows accidentally graze each other.
"What if he doesn't want me to?"
"How the fuck are you going to know for sure unless you ask?" Zitao mutters, flipping through his phone (probably looking at the million pictures of Sehun he has saved).
"Lu ge, you really like him and I think you owe it to yourself - and your mother - to give it a try. I haven't seen you like this over anyone. Do you want to go on more terrible blind dates? Are you going to just fiddle your thumbs and wait until he starts dating someone else?"
Lu Han's stomach twists at the thought of Minseok with someone else and Yixing looks pretty pleased with himself. He flips them off and takes his phone out.
It's a routine by now, them meeting up for coffee - Minseok complaining about his publisher and Lu Han complaining about the divorce case of the week. Today, however, Lu Han is more nervous than usual.
"So," he says and his throat dries up when Minseok looks up from his laptop, "Um. Do you - Would you like to go out for dinner?"
Minseok shrugs, looking back down at his laptop, and says, "Sure. I have nothing else going on. Can we go to the new Mongolian restaurant, though? I've been meaning to try that one out."
His palms are sweating and he rubs them on his knees, the warmness seeping through his jeans and making him feel even more uncomfortable.
"No, I mean. Yes, we can, but - Like, not as friends. Do you want to go to dinner as ... not friends?"
"Not friends?" Minseok asks, looking up again, "Then as what?"
"What?" Lu Han breathes out, panicking.
Minseok breaks into a grin and says, "I'm sorry. You're just so cute when you're nervous. Yes, I will go to dinner with you as not friends."
Lu Han thinks Minseok might be slightly sadistic, but it doesn't seem to matter when Minseok reaches over and taps his finger against Lu Han's thumb.
Their first date is perfect and so is the second one. And, the third. But, the fourth is perhaps Lu Han's favorite because Minseok asks if Lu Han would like to come up to his apartment. Lu Han tries not to be overeager when he nods.
Minseok's apartment is clean - everything in perfect lines and most things organized by height or color - and it's cozy. Lu Han doesn't have time to appreciate the decor right away, though, because Minseok shoves him against the door and kisses his breath away. Lu Han's knees feel wobbly as he grabs Minseok around the waist and hauls him closer, licking into Minseok's mouth eagerly.
When the kiss breaks, Minseok's lips are red and puffy and they twist up into a grin as the man moves away, ushering Lu Han to follow him with a crooked finger.
Lu Han shucks off his shoes, tripping over them a little in his haste to follow Minseok, and when they walk inside a room, Minseok turns to look at Lu Han with dark eyes.
In a bold move, Lu Han snatches him up for another kiss, this time moving slowly and sensually - stroking with his tongue and nipping at Minseok's bottom lip. He moves away from his mouth, working down Minseok's taut neck, sucking bruises and leaving marks. Minseok lets out little noises that make Lu Han sloppy, hands moving around to grope Minseok's waist, slip down to his ass, and then come back to grip his hair.
"Fuck," Lu Han breathes out against Minseok's neck, sucking at his earlobe, "Fuck."
I've wanted this for so long, is at the tip of his tongue, but he finally has this and he doesn't want to jeopardize it. So, he settles for pulling Minseok even closer and then guiding them both back towards the bed. They fall on crisp, cool sheets and tumble around until Minseok is on his back and Lu Han can settle between his legs.
Minseok is flushed pink, a little breathless, and Lu Han looks down at him - taking in every detail. Minseok's eyes narrow at the scrutiny and he wraps his arms around Lu Han's neck, whispering, "Are you going to do something or just look at me all day?"
Lu Han smiles at him, nipping playfully at the air around Minseok's nose, and says, "Both sound appealing."
Minseok rolls his eyes at the cheesy comment, but he's grinning, too, and Lu Han dips down for another kiss. This one turns desperate as Minseok unbuttons Lu Han's shirt and yanks it off of his shoulders, smoothing cold fingers across warm skin. Minseok makes a noise that sounds a lot like a growl and his voice sends tingles down to Lu Han's toes when he says, "Get this off."
Hastening to obey, Lu Han sits back and takes his shirt all the way off, flinging it carelessly to the side. He makes quick work of his pants next, sliding out the belt and then stepping off the bed to slip out of them and his briefs. By the time he crawls back onto the bed, Minseok is naked and Lu Han's heart jerks.
He has soft angles and hard muscles, and Lu Han wants to savor every inch. Minseok grins at him - clearly confident in his skin - and ushers him closer. Lu Han goes like a trained pet, pressing fingers into the flesh of Minseok's thighs, - pulling them apart and leaning down to kiss the tender skin. Minseok's cock is heavy and hard against his stomach, and Lu Han wants it in his mouth more than anything.
So, he licks at the head, smiling around it when Minseok's entire body jerks and he curses. He teases, sucks, and swirls until Minseok is begging, ordering, him to fuck him.
Minseok lets out a frustrated groan at Lu Han's slow pace and twists out from under him, reaching for his side table and pulling out a packet of lube and condoms. Then, he shoves Lu Han until he's turned onto his back and sits down on his stomach.
"Since you seem to enjoy teasing so much," Minseok says with a twist of a smile as he pops open the lube and coats two of his fingers. He places one hand on Lu Han's chest and lifts off of Lu Han's stomach just a little bit, reaching back and closing his eyes as he teases his own opening.
Lu Han slides a hand around his waist, tapping along his spine and touching Minseok's fingers. Minseok is grinding his hips back onto his own fingers, the stretch making him squeeze his eyes shut, and when Lu Han grazes Minseok's knuckles, he groans.
He grabs Lu Han's wrist with lubed up fingers and presses it into the bed - says, "No touching," softly as if he doesn't know how cruel that is. He goes back to sinking down on his own fingers, moving his hips in circles that make Lu Han's cock painfully hard.
"Please," he begs, hovering his hands over Minseok's hot skin helplessly, "Please, let me-"
Minseok moves the hand on Lu Han's chest up to his neck, curling around his jaw and hushing him gently. He closes his eyes, wincing in a way that lets Lu Han know he added another finger and Lu Han aches with the need to touch him there, too - to feel Minseok inside and out.
His boyfriend seems to have more torture in store, because he rocks his hips back onto his fingers, bumping every so often against Lu Han's cock.
Taking pity on him, Minseok pulls his fingers out and instead strokes them along Lu Han's length, getting it coated with warm lube. Lu Han thinks he might come, right now, all over Minseok's fingers, and he has to grit his teeth to keep himself under control. Minseok moves away for a second to pick up a condomn packet, tearing it open with his teeth, and then slipping it onto Luhan's length.
Minseok lifts up, takes Lu Han's cock in his hand to line it up against his hole and sinks down - slowly. They both groan and Minseok closes his eyes when he's fully seated. After an experimental swivel of his hips, he starts moving back up and Lu Han can't help defying Minseok and touching him. He smooths his hands along Minseok's thighs, stopping at his waist and gripping.
Minseok sets a pace just slow enough to drive Lu Han to the brink and gives him a smile that lets him know he's doing it on purpose.
"You're an asshole," he says through groans and gasps as Minseok picks up his speed, skin slapping against skin. Lu Han bends his knees, planting his feet down on the bed, and uses the position to piston up into Minseok, finally wringing a whimper out of him.
He flips them over, swings Minseok's legs over his shoulders (marveling at his flexibility), and starts fucking him in earnest. Even in this position, it still feels like Minseok is in control - cheeks flushed, lips red, and eyes dark and domineering.
Lu Han sinks down for a messy, sloppy kiss that Minseok returns eagerly. He thrusts in and out of him, but can't get as deep as he wants to. Minseok is on the same page because he pushes Lu Han off and gets on his hands and knees. Looking over his shoulder, he says, "Fuck me," and Lu Han is nothing if not an opportunist. He lines himself back up and drives into Minseok in one, fluid motion that knocks the breath out of him.
He moves fast, gripping Minseok's waist, and pushing a stream of curses and faster, faster, faster and pleas out of Minseok that somehow manage to still come off as orders.
Minseok is jerking himself off to the movement of Lu Han's hips and he comes before Lu Han does, his ass squeezing around Lu Han's cock and making him feel dizzy with pleasure. He pumps in and out a few more times before he follows suit, coming in long, languid thrusts.
They both collapse, Lu Han rolling to his side and taking Minseok with him - mouthing at the back of his neck lazily as he comes down from his high.
When they catch their breath, Lu Han slips out of Minseok and takes off his condemn, tying it off and tossing it onto the side table. He curls back against Minseok and whispers, "You're bossy as fuck."
Minseok elbows at him blindly and Lu Han laughs.
Zitao has been giving him looks, looking comfortable with one arm looped around Sehun and his chin resting on Sehun's shoulder. He finally sighs, saying, "Glaring at Jongin isn't going to make him disappear."
Lu Han turns his glare on Zitao, which doesn't seem to impress him in the least. He just rolls his eyes and whispers something in Sehun's ear that makes the model turns his eyes to Lu Han and laugh.
Ignoring them, Lu Han shifts his attention back to Jongin who is standing too close to Minseok, making him laugh too loud, and looking this side of too fond when Minseok touches his arm during the conversation.
It's not like Lu Han is insecure - it's been almost nine months since they started dating and they fall in love a little bit more ever day. And, Lu Han made partner and Minseok threw this party for him. It's just that Jongin is so , all pretty smiles and always, always the right words. It doesn't even help that Minseok fucked him a few hours ago in their apartment, kissing along his skin and whispering, "I love you," like a secret.
And, Jongin knows how much Lu Han hates reminders of his past with Minseok. Which is probably why he brings it up on purpose sometimes, saying things like, "Minseok hyung is so good with his tongue," before putting on a show of chastising himself.
There's something amusing to him about Lu Han all but growling at him, apparently. Which is strange since Jongin is so nice to literally everyone else.
As if reading his thoughts, Minseok looks over and gives Lu Han a soft smile. He says something to Jongin, giving him a quick hug, and walks through the crowded room to sit down next to Lu Han on the sofa. He burrows in immediately and Lu Han throws an arm around his shoulders, pulling him in closer.
"Hello, darling," he says with a light teasing tone.
Lu Han is going to fuck that cheeky attitude out of him as soon as they get home.
++++
zitao and sehun have filed for divorce and are in the process of blaming everything on each other. sehun's lawyer is jongin and zitao's lawyer is luhan. it's a clean case until sehun's hyung, kim minseok, storms into luhan's office one day to scream at him and consequently steal luhan's heart.
overruled;
一 I don't know if I have a standing, but I'd love to court you
The reasons stated are adultery and malicious dissertation. It's a polite way of saying, you fucked around behind my back and then you left me at home waiting for you like a dumbass. Lu Han asks Zitao if the allegations are true and the glare he receives is answer enough. Sighing, he arranges his papers into a neat pile and thinks about Zitao's wedding, which was barely a year ago. He remembers Zitao and Sehun smiling at each other, holding hands, and the color scheme had been the extra sweet, extra pretty sort of blue and silver.
They had looked so happy.
But, Lu Han has spent enough time in the divorce court, and has watched perfect couples crumble under the phantom burden of being legally binding, to hold too many romanticisms.
Marriage is something people do when they want to fit into a social norm or fill whatever inadequacies they have inside.
Cynicism is, after all, one of the key requirements of being a divorce attorney.
"I'm going to actually need evidence of all your accusations eventually, Huang Zitao," Lu Han says, trying to convey the urgency of the matter by smacking a folder on the table.
Zitao barely flinches.
He's wearing a biege coat over a black turtleneck and he has his sunglasses on. He has his legs crossed and his hands are resting neatly on his raised knee. Lu Han supposes there isn't much that can phase someone so morbidly shameless in their life's choices.
"You said Sehun did property damage. That would actually help settle this divorce a lot faster if you could prove it."
Zitao sighs, uncrossing his legs and brushing ambiguous flint off the sleeve of his coat.
"I threw away the stuff he ruined," he says, taking out his phone from his pocket and flipping through it.
"This is a counseling sessions, Zitao. I have to actually counsel you and help you, and not fuck up my reputation," Lu Han hisses out, trying to keep his voice down because the law firm's partners are a few doors down and he really needs that promotion they've been hinting at.
"Let's go get coffee," Zitao says, still scrolling through his phone.
The thought of making partner by the end of the year is the only thing keeping him from murdering Zitao.
Lu Han is having a relatively good day. His parents called earlier and said they can make it to Korea for the holidays. The case he had this morning was a simple one and the settlement was generous. He barely has any papers to file for the night and he can probably make it home to watch the soccer game. Yixing texted him to say he'll come over and Lu Han is looking forward to a relaxing night of drinking and watching the game with his best friend.
His motions are overly perky as he calls over an assistant to make copies.
He's swinging his jacket off the back of his chair and starting to slip into it when the door to his office slams open.
There's a blur of movement as their receptionist rushes in and says, "I tried to tell him you were closing for the day, but he pushed past me."
Lu Han is barely listening.
The man seething at his door with his back straight and his teeth bared like a cat is beautiful. He has soft, pretty features and soft, pretty lips that are curling up into a snarl. He has soft, pretty eyes that are narrowing, the edges lined with a natural, sweet tilt. He has soft, pretty hands are that curled into fists.
And, he has a soft, pretty voice as he says, "You piece of shit."
The receptionist gasps and tries to yank the man away, but Lu Han numbly tells her to give them some space.
"I know being morally ambiguous sort of comes with the profession, asshole, but your client cheated on Sehun and you're actually charging him with property damage?"
It takes a while to understand the soft, pretty words, but when he does, he springs into motion. His arm gets a little stuck in his jacket as he tries to either remove it or put it on fully, and the man seems very unimpressed as Lu Han finally manages to settle on removing it.
He clears his throat and walks past his desk to shut the door, gesturing the man to step inside.
"Have a seat," he says, and clears his throat again as his voice comes out odd and scratchy.
The man frowns and hesitantly sits down, seemingly a little embarrassed about his previous tirade.
He sniffs a little as he sits down and stretches up his neck in an attempt to look down at Lu Han. He's cute.
"Now, what can I help you with?"
"I'm Sehun's hyung," he says and Lu Han has barely processed the fact that this man is older than Sehun before he's moving on to the next horrifying fact, "and, his attorney's boyfriend. And, both of them have done jackshit the past days as we've received notice of Zitao's statement, so that leaves me, the only one not directly involved in the case, to try to make some amends."
"Uh," Lu Han opens suavely and the man's eyes narrow again, making him break into cold sweat, "I'm actually not allowed to discuss this case with anyone outside the parties in question."
The man snorts and rolls his eyes, and Lu Han tries to not find it endearing. He fails since the man glares at him and asks, "What the fuck are you smiling about?"
"Um."
"God," the man groans, getting up and walking backwards towards the door, "This won't be the last you see of me. I'm going to make sure Sehun gets every cent of compensation he deserves."
He points a tiny finger at him and Lu Han nearly bursts out laughing at how adorable he is, but manages to contain himself at the last crucial moment.
From Zitao, he finds out that the man is Kim Minseok, around Lu Han's age, and sort of terrifying. He hadn't attended the wedding because he had a writers' association conference to attend, but he had shown up to the housewarming party and spent most of the day scrutinizing Zitao as if making sure the man was good enough for Sehun.
Another fun fact about Minseok is that he hates The System, won't define what The System means, and the only attorney he likes is Kim Jongin, his pretty, little boyfriend who has already made a name for himself in the industry after a year of practice.
Lu Han has seen Zitao walk the ramp on the biggest fashion shows without breaking a sweat, but he seems genuinely afraid of Minseok. Lu Han can't fathom why: Minseok had seemed so sweet.
"Sweet?" Zitao asks, voice a little squeaky.
"Yes, and all, like...," he makes indecipherable gestures in the air, "Nice... and, you know."
Zitao doesn't know, apparently, since he gets up and walks out of Lu Han's office with a disgusted sigh.
Case #124 of his career involves a couple that states that there simply isn't any spark left and Lu Han tries not to snort at that.
What they really mean is that they've found more interesting people to fuck
On Monday, he's scheduled for a counseling session with Sehun and his attorney; the grace period where private settlements are allowed if the parties don't want to take the matter in front of a judge.
He wakes up late, grabs coffee, spills it on himself, drops his briefcase, and comes into the room fifteen minutes late with papers spilling out of his arms.
He regrets not taking the time to fix himself up when he sees soft, pretty eyes glaring at him and a soft, pretty mouth sparing him a derisive snort.
Tripping over his feet a little, he stumbles into the room, bowing apologetically, and settles next to Zitao, who has actually lowered his sunglasses in order to give him a disgusted look.
Lu Han looks across the table to see Jongin smiling somewhat warmly, Sehun glancing down at his nails, and Minseok glaring at him with his arms crossed over his chest.
He clears his throat and hesitantly says, "Uh, are you... We can only allow the parties filing for divorce in this meeting, so..."
He makes gestures towards Minseok while looking at Jongin, who grins a little and says, "Sehun has asked that he be present in all the meetings since he's a witness to some of the claims filed against Zitao-shi."
Zitao snorts next to him, but Lu Han smiles brightly, agreeing readily to gain favor from the petulant man, but Minseok's glare just hardens.
"I don't mind," he says, and this time, Minseok snorts.
"We don't need your permission, anyway," he says, little nose twitching in irritation, and then uncrosses his arms abruptly, slapping his hands on the table, "God, what the fuck do you keep smiling about?"
Lu Han flinches and as he blinks, he realizes he had indeed been smiling. Apologizing profusely, he starts on the meeting by listing some of the technicalities. Eventually, Minseok's glare softens as he directs most of his attention on Sehun, patting his arm now and then.
Kim Jongin is professional and smooth as he states claims of adultery and malicious desertion, then stating the monetary compensation, and finishing with turning the floor to Sehun, who gets in a few digs before Jongin hushes him.
During Lu Han's turn, he submits the proofs of the property damage, which are few and far between since Zitao doesn't "house worthless trash". He can feel himself losing the case as he speaks and it pricks his pride to lose to a some young boy.
"Unless Sehun-shi can provide adequate evidence for the alleged infidelity, your client will have to drop the claims," he says, "Compensation can't be decided on mere suspicions."
Sehun rolls his eyes, but Jongin nods, shuffling some papers around.
The meeting ends with them getting up and only Lu Han and Jongin shaking hands pleasantly as Zitao and Sehun stand around with their arms crossed (and Minseok stands behind Sehun shooting Zitao dirty looks).
Sehun's side leaves first and Lu Han slumps back into his chair with a sigh.
"You're going to cost me my reputation," he grumbles and Zitao grins.
"What reputation?"
Lu Han throws weeks of file-work at Zitao's face.
Yixing laughs at him (which is nothing new), accuses him of being stupid over a pretty face (which is false - he fell for Minseok's fiery personality, thanks), and offers him a bottle of soju (which is incredibly appreciated). Beer is, after all, too mild a liquid to properly drown his sorrows in.
The first time he meets Minseok outside the courtroom or his office isn't until a week later when he's in the middle a lot messier divorce case and hasn't slept for two nights straight. So, he's a little loopy, disheveled, and hysteric as he orders his coffee and then sits down in a dark corner to huddle over his laptop with a manic grin.
And, that's how Minseok finds him - giggling as he types in his closing statement.
Minseok had previously been making pleasant small-talk, the ends of which Lu Han had somewhat registered in the way people register random pieces of strangers' conversations, and he'd had a fleeting thought of how cute he sounded - all honorifics and sweet laughs.
But, then, Minseok turns around as he hears the giggling and his eyes narrow immediately, gummy smile disappearing.
Lu Han can't stop giggling, though. Minseok is wearing a sweater that's too big on him - only the tips of his little hands are visible - has a scarf wrapped around his next several times with the wool nearly covering his mouth, and he looks about as menacing as a newborn rabbit.
As the hysterical noises keep bubbling past his lips, Minseok goes from irritated to concerned and takes a hesitant step back before coming over.
In Lu Han's sleep-deprived mind, Minseok looks like an angel and he sounds like one, too, as he asks, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
You're beautiful, he thinks, and giggles some more when Minseok frowns.
"Your eyes are super red and you're trembling."
"Haven't slept in a while," Lu Han answers with a grin.
Minseok looks a little disgusted, but he remains vaguely polite as he says, "Um, ok, I'll let you ... carry on, then."
Lu Han waves. Or, at least, he flops his hand around limply and lets it drop down on the table with a chuckle.
Minseok goes over to the other side of Starbucks, settling down and taking out his phone from his pocket. Lu Han is almost blatantly watching him - he sees peeks of pale fingers swipe across the screen of the phone, sees little twists of pink lips every once in a while, see him bury a wider smile into his scarf. His delightful viewing experience is blocked by someone walking into the shop and sitting down across from Minseok, effectively hiding Minseok from Lu Han.
Frowning, he scoots in his chair a little so he can look at Minseok again and sees the man sporting a sweet, gummy smile. Reflexively, he smiles, too, and that's when Minseok happens to glance to the side. His sweet, gummy smile instantly sours a little and he mumbles something that makes the guy sitting in front of him turn around.
It's Jongin. Of course.
In his delirium, he doesn't bother hiding his glare, but Jongin smiles at him, waving. Lu Han glares a little harder. Minseok rolls his eyes and reaches over to tug at Jongin's collar, urging him to turn back around.
Lu Han mutters, asshole, to no one in particular (Jongin) and goes back to hastily looking through divorce papers.
His parents arrive in Seoul a few days before Christmas and when he goes to pick them up at the airport, he's welcomed with tears and hugs and kisses. Once he brings them into his apartment, his mother sets about decorating the place in red and green, and bright, bright gold. Yixing and Zitao drop by to visit, and Yixing immediately rats him out, saying, "Your son's in love."
His mother gasps and rounds on him, eyes wide and determined. He looks for help from his father but he's already in some discussion with Zitao over fashion. Lu Han knows it's just his father's way of easing into the topic of Zitao's divorce.
"Who is he?" his mother asks, "What is he like? Oh, honey, tell me everything."
Lu Han rolls his eyes and fakes a punch at Yixing's stomach when the man winks at him.
"It's just a crush," he clarifies, "Not even a crush. It's like vaguely finding someone attractive. Actually, no, he's an acquaintance."
Yixing snorts and shoves Lu Han away, taking his mother by the hands and steering her towards the couch. Sitting her down, he says, "Lu ge is in love."
His best friend then proceeds to highlight every minimal interaction Lu Han has had with Minseok and by the end of it, his mother is looking at Lu Han with glassy eyes asking, "Why didn't you tell me?"
He sighs.
It's going to be long night.
He has another case to wrap up before the holidays and this one involves division of money. It always gets messy when it involves money. He's representing the wife, who thinks she deserves to keep the house and the kids and everything else. He spends most of the meetings massaging his forehead, but finally manages to reach a compromise.
On his way home, he's tired but he feels good, having wrapped up the last of his cases that were due before Christmas.
He makes five minute walk from his office to his apartment in relatively high spirits, and the last thing he's expecting is to see Minseok standing in front of a store.
Minseok is staring inside the store and when Lu Han walks a little closer, he sees that the store is a familiar coffee shop and Minseok is frowning.
When he tries to follow Minseok's gaze, he spots nothing out of the ordinary - the shop is full of customers having a good time and chatting, and he knows that shop so he knows they have great coffee.
Curiosity spiked, he resists the urge to just go up to Minseok and ask what's wrong because he knows that will just earn him some more adorable glares.
Instead, he walks up to him slowly and makes enough noise that Minseok is jerked out of his trance and looks to his side. His frown actually clears and he looks surprised more than irritated. That shift makes Lu Han a little bit bolder as he finally reaches Minseok and asks, "I'm positive there are better ways to people watch in Seoul."
Minseok just snorts and shakes his head. He points at the shop and says, "I have to write a review for them and I'm trying to find out what makes them any different from the million other coffee shops in this city."
Lu Han smiles.
"That's easy, just talk about their color scheme."
Minseok laughs at that, most likely at Lu Han's expense but he can't be bothered with Minseok's cheeks bunch up and his eyes disappear into half moons and Lu Han can see his little teeth and his pink gums. Minseok could laugh forever and Lu Han would just sit there - just watch and never tire of it.
All too soon, Minseok suddenly seems to remember Lu Han is Zitao's lawyer and his face shuts off. He coughs awkwardly, uselessly straightening his red coat (which looks beautiful on him), and looks around the sidewalk as if Sehun is going to pop up from somewhere and accuse him of fraternizing with the enemy.
"Well, I have to go inside now. Um, bye, I guess," he says, holding out his hand and then quickly deciding not to, instead shoving it inside his coat's pocket.
Lu Han smiles again and says, "Bye," in a cheerful tone that makes Minseok hesitate a little before he heads towards the shop's entrance. He glances back once, frowning a little as if trying to figure Lu Han out, and then disappears into the shop.
Later, when he calls Yixing and tells him every minute detail of their interaction with exaggerated pauses and slightly made-up words, Lu Han thinks his face might split from smiling so much. Yixing tells him to man up and also to please never call him again about his tragic love life, thank you.
His mother becomes more emotional the closer they get to Christmas, patting his face at random times of the day and sighing. His father is of no help, as usual - more interested in egging his mother on and laughing at Lu Han's distress. By Christmas morning, his mother is nearly in tears, whispering, "When will you settle down, darling?"
He's in the middle of opening up a present (a beautiful watch from his father) and his grits his teeth a little as he says, "I have settled down."
"You're alone," she says, "I just don't like the thought of my only son coming home from a long day of work to an empty place."
Sighing, he drops his present on the table and takes his mother's hands in his.
"I promise I'll date," he says, and at her disbelieving look, he adds, "You can set me up with those high society freaks if you want, even, okay. Happy?"
She sniffs, acting like she isn't pleased, and shrugs.
There's already so much melodrama in his family, he wonders why he seeks more of it at court.
Zitao has latched himself completely to Lu Han as the divorce slowly reaches a stage of completion and Lu Han just knows Zitao and Sehun still love each other, but are too stubborn to do anything about it. He's seen divorces happen for less so he's not exactly frustrated or annoyed that they're dragging so many people into their mess. He is frustrated and annoyed by the fact that Zitao seems to be half-dating Lu Han now in an attempt to forget Sehun.
"Lu ge."
At Lu Han's indifference, the 'u' gets stretched and Lu Han feels like stabbing himself with his pen. Instead, he signs off on some papers and pulls out a highlighter.
He's trying to finish up a case and head home early. He has to meet some guy at eight for a blind date his mother set up and he'd really like to lament his fate in peace for at least two hours beforehand. As it is, Zitao has made himself at home on his office sofa, has his half-finished latte on Lu Han's table, and is eyeing the interior design with mild distaste.
Another long, whiny 'Lu ge' has Lu Han nearly breaking his highlighter.
"What is it?" he hisses out and Zitao just plucks dismally at his coat, chin tucked into his chest.
"I'm bored."
"I have work to do," Lu Han says, trying to be patient as Zitao blinks at him, unimpressed, "And, I have a date."
"Date?" Zitao asks, scrunching up his nose. Suddenly, his face drops and he leans his head back on the sofa, sighing solemnly. He whispers, "Love is meaningless," and Lu Han rubs at his forehead.
When he gets home, he calls Yixing and tries to subtly ask how to act on a date.
"I want them to like me enough so that they don't complain to their parents and upset my mother, but to also dislike me enough to not want another date, you know?"
"You could just tell your mother you already have wedding plans in your mind for someone else."
Lu Han really should have known Yixing would be of no help.
Date number one is a graduate student at Seoul University, has thick-rimmed glasses, and blushes whenever Lu Han looks at him. He's cute - in a way - and stutters a little when he introduces himself as, "Oh Jiho."
He's in computer science, a subject so far from Lu Han's understanding, and that would be fine if Jiho didn't feel the need to make him see the beauty of programming.
By the time their check arrives, Lu Han is struggling to keep his eyes open and hasn't actually gotten a word in about himself.
It's worth it though when his mother calls him the next day and says Oh Jiho's parents think Lu Han might not be the right fit.
Zitao slams a magazine on his desk and Lu Han glances at the bold, red SEOUL briefly before looking at Zitao. The model waves at the magazine and says, "Your boyfriend featured."
Lu Han snatches the magazine up and flips through until he finds the table of contents. He finds Minseok's name under one bolded section and then flips to the middle of the magazine.
There's an artsy picture of Minseok looking out of the window with a small smile and cup of coffee in one hand, and underneath, in big, black letters, is written 'Kim Minseok'. 'The mysterious author tells all,' is written in slightly smaller, red letters under his name.
Smiling, he reads the interview and quotes interesting bits to Zitao, who doesn't even pretend to be listening. Of course, Lu Han thinks every bit of the interview is interesting, but that's just because Minseok is interesting.
Minseok started writing in school newspapers in high school and kept at it in college while he got his writing degree. His first book was published when he was just twenty two and it was a best seller - some heart-wrenching tale about a girl's struggle to support her family during the Japanese rule. Lu Han makes a mental note to buy that book (and maybe the rest of Minseok's books), and then, the interview gets to the personal life section.
Kim Minseok laughs shyly when asked about relationships, ducking his head. He dodges the question, saying he's still looking.
Lu Han squeals (in a super manly way), and Zitao numbly asks, "What, you have the same favorite color as him?"
"He basically said he's single," Lu Han says and Zitao gets that mean smirk on his face that he always gets before he destroys someone's day, week, life, or dreams - whichever he's in the mood for.
"That issue is from July. To my knowledge, he started dating Jongin around August and oh, well, it's November now, so."
Lu Han would toss the magazine at him, but he has to save it for bedtime reading so he opts for glaring instead.
Going back to the interview (The author hums contentedly around a cup of coffee and then settles down to tell us exclusive details about his upcoming book!), he ignores Zitao's mutterings about Lu Han being a sad, sad little boy.
Date number two thinks the world revolves around and wears sunglasses inside like a douchebag. He orders the most expensive wine and then smirks at Lu Han as if waiting for him to swoon. Lu Han musters up a smile due to pure obligation.
His name is Li Qiang and Lu Han keeps imagining him choking on his steak.
His mother calls the next day, like before, and says the same thing. Lu Han tries to sound disappointed.
Zitao and Sehun's case finally makes it to the judge since the meetings have been falling apart. The evidence is minimal on both parts, so the judge ends up giving them three months to sort out their difference and make the marriage work. She adds mandatory marriage counseling sessions and even gives advice - stating that perhaps they're dealing with miscommunication.
Neither of them seem pleased with the ruling, but Lu Han has never been so happy to lose a case.
The next weekend, Yixing drags him out to a party to 'celebrate his complete lack of a sex life' and 'continuous failures in the romantic department'. Lu Han isn't too psyched even though the food is good and the alcohol is being supplied generously. So, he chooses to sit in a corner, brooding and hoping to bring Yixing's overly bright mood down a notch.
When he sees Minseok across the room, smiling at the party's host, he thinks he must be drunk - or at least, dreaming. Minseok is in all white and has a red scarf around his neck, and his cheeks are flushed pink from the cold - snow melting on his skin.
Yixing elbows him and asks, "What's wrong?"
Lu Han tries for a casual shrug and ends up sort of slumping back against the wall, sloshing his drink around and spilling some of it onto the carpet.
Yixing looks a little worried, but he always looks a little worried, so Lu Han just smiles and glances back at Minseok.
His smile sours when he sees Jongin step in through the door, grinning bashfully as he says something that makes the host laugh and Minseok roll his eyes fondly.
Huffing, he looks away.
It's not like he loves Minseok - that's impossible, he's only talked to him civilly once. It's not even like he likes Minseok aside from finding him cute and passionate and loyal and - okay. The point is, he's just got a little vague crush like the one he had on the Starbucks barista months ago. He had ordered more Americanos in a week than he had ever in his life and he'd been shaky from the caffeine almost constantly. Yixing had had to do an 'intervention'.
So, maybe his crushes are dramatic and weirdly obsessive, but at least they only last for a short while. His stomach will stop twisting at Minseok's every smile eventually.
Lu Han manages to avoid Minseok and Jongin for most of the party, gluing himself to Yixing and probably making it impossible for him to pick up girls. Eventually, though, Yixing ditches him for this gorgeous chick with long, black hair, and Lu Han is left to sulk around by himself. It's too cold to go outside and 'get some air', so he settles for going in the kitchen where nobody is since all the food is set up in the dining room.
He starts checking his emails, mindlessly dropping some into the spam folder and some into the work folder. Hearing footsteps, he looks up to see Minseok walk into the kitchen. Just his luck.
Minseok hesitates a little before coming all the way inside and sitting down on one of the bar stools around the island counter. He manages to sit as far away from Lu Han as possible and clears his throat a lot before asking, "Avoiding someone?"
Lu Han can't exactly say yes, you, so he shrugs and asks, "Are you?"
Minseok sighs, slumping forward, and says, "Yeah, this girl I used to know in college. We had a huge falling out over something stupid and she hates my guts," he rolls his eyes, "The usual drama. Didn't think she'd actually be at this party, but life doesn't go the way you need it to, does it?"
Lu Han provides a lame, "Uh huh," and an awkward vibe settles over the room. It makes Minseok shift uncomfortably and fiddle with his phone.
He finally breaks the heavy silence with, "I'm sorry - you know, for ... I shouldn't have yelled at you at the office. I'm just ... It's been difficult seeing Sehun go through this divorce."
Stumbling over the need to reassure, Lu Han says, "It's okay. It's good. I mean, you're good. Like, it's fine. I ... You don't have to apologize."
Minseok smiles - really smiles - and it's wide, gummy, and so fucking cute, Lu Han has to bite his lip to keep from blurting out something stupid.
"Well, let's start over, then," he says, putting a hand out over the counter, "I'm Kim Minseok, writer by night, grumpy old man by day."
His crush grows just a tiny, tiny, little bit bigger at Minseok's silly sense of humor and he takes his hand, shaking it and saying, "I'm Lu Han, tired attorney by day and tired attorney by night."
Lu Han's pretty sure he's being very objective when he thinks about how Minseok's laugh sounds like angels singing.
They talk for a while - Minseok unloads the frustrations about being a writer, Lu Han accidentally lets it slip he read his interview, Minseok laughs at him quite openly, and Lu Han shares some weird cases he's had (leaving out names, of course, no matter how much Minseok begs). When there's a lull in the conversation, Minseok turns thoughtful and solemn.
"With Sehun and Zitao's divorce," he says, "who do you think is in the right? Objectively?"
"Both of them," Lu Han answers, "That's usually how it is in divorces. Lack of communication on both sides."
Minseok sighs.
"I just - I've never seen Sehun has happy as he was with Zitao and when Sehun came to my house, saying Zitao cheated on him, I didn't believe him. Sehun had a messy relationship years ago where his boyfriend was a sleazy cheat and I thought he was projecting, but he seemed so sure. So devastated. Now, I think maybe ... I don't know. I just wish this wasn't happening. It kills me to see him this way."
Lu Han nods and says, "Zitao hasn't been dealing very well either. It really messed him up to see Sehun accuse him of cheating. I wish I knew more about the situation but neither of them talk about it at meetings, so I can't make the right calls, but I know Zitao would never cheat on him. Nobody made Zitao as happy as Sehun did."
"These kids," Minseok says, smiling sadly, "I wish we could just force them to kiss and make up."
Agreeing silently, Lu Han suddenly starts thinking about something other than finalizing the divorce. Maybe Zitao and Sehun can fix things.
Just as he's about to ask Minseok for help, Jongin walks into the kitchen. He looks between Lu Han and Minseok with raised eyebrows before turning to Minseok and gently asking, "You ready to get out of here, hyung?"
Minseok nods, giving him a smile, and then looks at Lu Han, saying, "It was nice talking to you. I'll see you around."
Lu Han gives him a little wave and Jongin looks even more confused. They leave the kitchen, talking to each other in hushed tones and Lu Han looks down at his phone again.
When Yixing finds him later in the night, he asks Lu Han what his freaky smile is about.
Date number three is a spoiled asshole with an ego problem and a tendency to snap at the server when he wants more wine. When Kang Woohyun isn't talking about his father's business, shopping, or buying vintage cars just for fun, he's talking about how he could improve Lu Han's style.
"I mean," he says, wrinkling his admittedly pretty nose, "That suit with those shoes? Tragic."
Lu Han manages to hold his tongue and not mention that Woohyun's stupid bow-tie is crooked and looks completely stupid, and the date ends on a mostly good note. His mother makes the now routine call of 'well, he liked you, but, oh honey, he doesn't think you're the right fit'.
Zitao and Sehun have court mandated marriage counseling sessions to go to every week and Zitao always comes back from them a little more solemn, a little less confident. Lu Han can't stand seeing Zitao deflate and lose the most important relationship of his life, so for the next session, he decides to go with him. Minseok's words ring in his mind and he thinks maybe they just need the right push.
"Are you really coming to keep me company or are you just trying to find another reason to gawk at Minseok hyung?" Zitao asks, eyeing him suspiciously as they step out of the car and head towards the counseling office.
At Lu Han excited, "Minseok's going to be there?" Zitao rolls his eyes and walks ahead of him.
The receptionist sits them down, saying it'll be few minutes until the counselor is ready, and Lu Han thinks this might be the perfect time to talk to Zitao. He hums and haws around it, nervous about Zitao's reaction, but finally asks, "Do you still love Sehun?"
Zitao just stares at him and says, "Of course, I do. I'm not the one who filed for divorce."
"Maybe if you guys talked it out, you could clear up the misunderstanding. If you just-"
"We have talked," Zitao interrupts, eyes narrowed in anger, "At least, I've tried my best to make Sehun see sense, but the little asshole has always been stubborn and prideful. I'm tired, Lu ge. I'm so tired."
Lu Han hooks an arm around Zitao's neck and pulls him close, their bodies turned uncomfortably over the armrests between them, and he whispers, "I know," against Zitao's hair.
After cradling Zitao against him, the extra tall man hunched over like a child, Lu Han gently says, "Maybe he feels the same way, too."
Zitao shakes his head, burying further into Lu Han's chest, and mumbles, "He doesn't. He would never do this to me if he loved me."
"It's because he loves you that he did this. He thinks you were unfaithful."
Zitao unwinds himself from Lu Han's hold and laughs bitterly.
"That's a nice way to look at it."
Lu Han gears up to argue, but that's when Minseok and Sehun walk in. Sehun spares Zitao a brief glare before sitting down the chairs opposite him. Minseok hesitates a little, giving Lu Han a small smile and following Sehun.
The receptionist calls them up before anyone can awkwardly comment on the weather, and then Minseok and Lu Han are left by themselves in the waiting room.
They pick up a conversation pretty easily. Now that Minseok doesn't seem to want to spit venom every time Lu Han blinks, he's a surprisingly pleasant person and a good conversationalist (even though, some of his jokes are still sort of dry and sometimes take Lu Han too long to get, but he laughs anyway). Minseok makes the same comment about wanting Zitao and Sehun to fix things, and Lu Han jumps at the chance.
"Maybe we could write apologies from one to the other, or something."
Minseok tilts his head like Lu Han is a cute, stupid puppy, and gently says, "That only works in movies, Lu Han."
They rake their brains some more, trying to figure out a way to get the two stubborn models to see how much they're hurting each other. Minseok suddenly claps his hands, eyes big with excitement and lips stretched to reveal those pink gums and tiny, white teeth.
"I've got it," he says and Lu Han is so distracted by how beautiful his smile is that he almost misses the next part, "We can take them to some of their most special places, like the restaurant they had their first date in or their wedding hall or wherever they had their first kiss. You know, rekindle their love or something. Remind them of how good they had it."
"That's a great idea, but I don't know where half those places are."
"Jongin might know. He's known Sehun for almost as long as me and Sehun tells him everything - especially things he knows I would yell at him for."
"Great," Lu Han says stiffly.
Jongin would know. Perfect, handsome, accomplished Jongin, who apparently not only has everything Lu Han wants in a career but also has Minseok and the answer to everything in the whole world.
So, maybe this crush is lasting a little longer than usual, but that's mostly because Minseok is nice to him now and having that grin directed right at him makes Lu Han a little weak and he sometimes wishes Jongin just transferred to some other court district. Either way, it's just a slightly bigger crush than usual and Lu Han has totally got it under control - Yixing voice in his head saying, you're a mess, notwithstanding.
The following weekend, Lu Han closes another successful case, manages to make Yixing talk about the girl he's been seeing, reads the article titled "Best Selling Author Kim Minseok Gets Back to His Roots", sees the subsection titled "Kim Minseok Reviews His Favorite Coffee Shop", maybe cuts out the part where Minseok writes, "The color scheme is inviting - unique", and manages to convince his mother to stop sending him on dates for a while.
All in all, Lu Han is in a pretty good mood until Zitao calls him and asks if they can shorten the three months the judge had given them.
He talks around it, stating legalities and mandations, and then calls Minseok (whose number he managed to ask for while sweating and stuttering at the counseling office).
"We have to do something," he says and hears Minseok sigh.
"I know. Sehun won't talk to me about Zitao - just shuts off completely when I even suggest Zitao's innocence," he says, sighing again, "Jongin knows where their first date was and we all know about the wedding hall. Maybe we should just go for it?"
Lu Han thinks about how broken Zitao had sounded over the phone and can't help but agree.
The plan is slightly messy in its conception and execution, with Lu Han saying, "Hey, let's go out for lunch," to Zitao out of the blue with wide, anxious eyes. Zitao stares suspiciously at him a lot and Lu Han laughs uncomfortably at his own jokes. His palms are sweating and his grip on the steering wheel is turning his knuckles white.
When they arrive outside the restaurant, Zitao is so busy trying to figure out what's wrong with Lu Han that he barely notices where they are. He does notice, though, when they get inside and the host ushers them to table already occupied by Sehun and Minseok.
Minseok bolts out of his seat and Lu Han pushes Zitao down on the empty chair.
Lu Han says, "Talk to each other," at the same time Minseok says, "You can fix this."
Zitao and Sehun are slowly moving from confused to angry and seem about ready to bolt. Minseok places a hand on Sehun's shoulder and says, "Please. For me."
That makes Sehun frown, but he doesn't make a run for it and when Lu Han looks at Zitao, he sees the model looking hesitant. With a smile, he nods at Minseok and they leave the two at the table.
They decide to wait outside the restaurant just in case the two do run out and Lu Han wonders if this will work. Minseok says it will - those two have such strong feelings that it has to. The restaurant is in a busy part of the city with heavy traffic on the sidewalk so they have to sort of linger near the door if they want to actually spot Zitao and Sehun. In consequence, they end up looking like creeps and get weird looks from the people coming in and out of the restaurant.
It makes Minseok laugh, which makes Lu Han laugh, and soon, they're giggling and getting even weirder looks.
Minseok's cheeks turn pink from laughing so much and as he gasps for breath, laughter stuttering to a stop with small hiccups, Lu Han wants to kiss him so badly he aches.
So, maybe the crush is lasting longer and getting stronger. Whatever. Lu Han deals with vindictive spouses daily, he can deal with this.
When Zitao and Sehun don't come out for an hour (during which Lu Han and Minseok play games on their phones, show each other weird pictures, people watch with unnecessarily mean commentary, and laugh at each other's stupid jokes), they decide to check on them.
The sight that greets them is of Zitao and Sehun furiously making out, looking like they want to crawl into each other's laps, and disturbing everyone the restaurant. Minseok looks scandalized and hisses at Sehun to stop right this instant, young man.
The couple breaks apart and blinks at them with glazed over eyes and dopey smiles.
Lu Han coughs uncomfortably, bowing in apology at the people eyeing the models with disdain, and looks at Minseok, saying, "Well, it worked."
The high spots of pink on Minseok's cheeks are endearing and never seem to fade as he ushers them out of the restaurant and gives the models a long speech on etiquette and propriety.
Lu Han almost regrets getting Zitao and Sehun together because they seem attached at the lips. He has papers to fill, things to turn into the judge to let her know that the divorce won't be needed, and he has to get their input. All he does get is wet, smacking sounds and nausea.
Jongin is also in the room, though he seems mostly unaffected by the inappropriate kissing, and he's even humming a little as he fills in his own papers.
When they manage to separate the models for a minute, they sign off on some formalities and Lu Han congratulates them. It's probably the first time he's seen a relationship in this office that hasn't ended in a divorce.
Zitao and Sehun go back to trying to crawl into each other's mouths, and Lu Han sighs, picking up his files. Jongin follows suit and meets him near the door, sticking out a hand.
He grins, disarming and pretty, and says, "Well, it's been nice working with you."
Lu Han accepts his hand and tries to be equally as charming as he says, "Same."
Flushing slightly in embarrassment, he quickly says, "Better let Minseok know the divorce is almost officially not happening."
Jongin tilts his head with a knowing smile and says, "I think you should tell him."
So, maybe his crush on Minseok has only grown in magnitude and maybe he wants to date Minseok, but he didn't think he paraded his feelings in front of Minseok's boyfriend. He's not an asshole.
But, Jongin looks like he knows and Lu Han thinks it's suddenly way too warm in this room.
"Why," he starts, shifting on his feet, "I mean - why would I tell me? I'm just - we just. Well-"
Jongin laughs lightly and shakes his head.
"Minseok hyung and I broke up a few weeks ago. Mutually."
Lu Han tries not to grin.
"So, call him," Jongin says and Lu Han thinks the kid might not be so bad after all.
The judge rolls her eyes a lot, clearly having expecting this outcome, but does recommend they attend one more counseling session to make sure their issues have been resolved. They come out of that session even more intertwined and strangely more in love than they have ever looked.
With most of the obstacles out of the way (no boyfriend, no friends in a messy divorce), it's quite a shame that the next time Lu Han sees Minseok, he has Minseok's book in one hand and he's taking a picture of it with his other hand. He has 'great book!! 10/10 would recommend :-)' typed out on Twitter and he's trying to figure out a nice, pretty angle for the picture.
Minseok, on some secret mission to sabotage Lu Han's life, just happens to be at the bookstore too, has a couple of books tucked under one arm.
He stops short when he sees Lu Han, eyes moving down to the book and the phone and then moving back up to Lu Han with that awful, gummy smile.
There's literally no way to play it cool so Lu Han just sets the book down gently and slips his phone into his pocket, dead set on pretending he's not sweating.
"Hey," he says, voice squeaky in way that makes Minseok smile wider.
"Hi," Minseok says softly, "A fan, are you?"
Leave it to Minseok to ignore Lu Han's cue and jump right into it.
"Yes. I mean - I guess. You write good books."
Minseok grins and asks, "You want to get coffee?"
His heart is doing that silly thing where it seems to want to beat right out of his chest and he's a little breathless when he says, "Yes."
"So, you still haven't kissed him? Or asked him out?"
Yixing doesn't understand, clearly. Neither does Zitao, who is sulking because Sehun is working in Italy for the weekend. Kim Minseok is a difficult man to be friends with. They go get coffee, they go to bookstores, they meet up in restaurants, they play soccer, and Lu Han feels a constant need to impress him. And, Minseok seems to feel a constant need to render Lu Han helpless with smiles and soft words.
Lu Han isn't exactly subtle about his crush - he's blurted out compliments more often than it is socially acceptable to and he's made unfounded digs at Jongin for absolutely no reason other than the fact that Jongin seemed to date Minseok easily enough.
Minseok has to know and is probably just enjoying the way Lu Han seems to choke on his coffee every time their elbows accidentally graze each other.
"What if he doesn't want me to?"
"How the fuck are you going to know for sure unless you ask?" Zitao mutters, flipping through his phone (probably looking at the million pictures of Sehun he has saved).
"Lu ge, you really like him and I think you owe it to yourself - and your mother - to give it a try. I haven't seen you like this over anyone. Do you want to go on more terrible blind dates? Are you going to just fiddle your thumbs and wait until he starts dating someone else?"
Lu Han's stomach twists at the thought of Minseok with someone else and Yixing looks pretty pleased with himself. He flips them off and takes his phone out.
It's a routine by now, them meeting up for coffee - Minseok complaining about his publisher and Lu Han complaining about the divorce case of the week. Today, however, Lu Han is more nervous than usual.
"So," he says and his throat dries up when Minseok looks up from his laptop, "Um. Do you - Would you like to go out for dinner?"
Minseok shrugs, looking back down at his laptop, and says, "Sure. I have nothing else going on. Can we go to the new Mongolian restaurant, though? I've been meaning to try that one out."
His palms are sweating and he rubs them on his knees, the warmness seeping through his jeans and making him feel even more uncomfortable.
"No, I mean. Yes, we can, but - Like, not as friends. Do you want to go to dinner as ... not friends?"
"Not friends?" Minseok asks, looking up again, "Then as what?"
"What?" Lu Han breathes out, panicking.
Minseok breaks into a grin and says, "I'm sorry. You're just so cute when you're nervous. Yes, I will go to dinner with you as not friends."
Lu Han thinks Minseok might be slightly sadistic, but it doesn't seem to matter when Minseok reaches over and taps his finger against Lu Han's thumb.
Their first date is perfect and so is the second one. And, the third. But, the fourth is perhaps Lu Han's favorite because Minseok asks if Lu Han would like to come up to his apartment. Lu Han tries not to be overeager when he nods.
Minseok's apartment is clean - everything in perfect lines and most things organized by height or color - and it's cozy. Lu Han doesn't have time to appreciate the decor right away, though, because Minseok shoves him against the door and kisses his breath away. Lu Han's knees feel wobbly as he grabs Minseok around the waist and hauls him closer, licking into Minseok's mouth eagerly.
When the kiss breaks, Minseok's lips are red and puffy and they twist up into a grin as the man moves away, ushering Lu Han to follow him with a crooked finger.
Lu Han shucks off his shoes, tripping over them a little in his haste to follow Minseok, and when they walk inside a room, Minseok turns to look at Lu Han with dark eyes.
In a bold move, Lu Han snatches him up for another kiss, this time moving slowly and sensually - stroking with his tongue and nipping at Minseok's bottom lip. He moves away from his mouth, working down Minseok's taut neck, sucking bruises and leaving marks. Minseok lets out little noises that make Lu Han sloppy, hands moving around to grope Minseok's waist, slip down to his ass, and then come back to grip his hair.
"Fuck," Lu Han breathes out against Minseok's neck, sucking at his earlobe, "Fuck."
I've wanted this for so long, is at the tip of his tongue, but he finally has this and he doesn't want to jeopardize it. So, he settles for pulling Minseok even closer and then guiding them both back towards the bed. They fall on crisp, cool sheets and tumble around until Minseok is on his back and Lu Han can settle between his legs.
Minseok is flushed pink, a little breathless, and Lu Han looks down at him - taking in every detail. Minseok's eyes narrow at the scrutiny and he wraps his arms around Lu Han's neck, whispering, "Are you going to do something or just look at me all day?"
Lu Han smiles at him, nipping playfully at the air around Minseok's nose, and says, "Both sound appealing."
Minseok rolls his eyes at the cheesy comment, but he's grinning, too, and Lu Han dips down for another kiss. This one turns desperate as Minseok unbuttons Lu Han's shirt and yanks it off of his shoulders, smoothing cold fingers across warm skin. Minseok makes a noise that sounds a lot like a growl and his voice sends tingles down to Lu Han's toes when he says, "Get this off."
Hastening to obey, Lu Han sits back and takes his shirt all the way off, flinging it carelessly to the side. He makes quick work of his pants next, sliding out the belt and then stepping off the bed to slip out of them and his briefs. By the time he crawls back onto the bed, Minseok is naked and Lu Han's heart jerks.
He has soft angles and hard muscles, and Lu Han wants to savor every inch. Minseok grins at him - clearly confident in his skin - and ushers him closer. Lu Han goes like a trained pet, pressing fingers into the flesh of Minseok's thighs, - pulling them apart and leaning down to kiss the tender skin. Minseok's cock is heavy and hard against his stomach, and Lu Han wants it in his mouth more than anything.
So, he licks at the head, smiling around it when Minseok's entire body jerks and he curses. He teases, sucks, and swirls until Minseok is begging, ordering, him to fuck him.
Minseok lets out a frustrated groan at Lu Han's slow pace and twists out from under him, reaching for his side table and pulling out a packet of lube and condoms. Then, he shoves Lu Han until he's turned onto his back and sits down on his stomach.
"Since you seem to enjoy teasing so much," Minseok says with a twist of a smile as he pops open the lube and coats two of his fingers. He places one hand on Lu Han's chest and lifts off of Lu Han's stomach just a little bit, reaching back and closing his eyes as he teases his own opening.
Lu Han slides a hand around his waist, tapping along his spine and touching Minseok's fingers. Minseok is grinding his hips back onto his own fingers, the stretch making him squeeze his eyes shut, and when Lu Han grazes Minseok's knuckles, he groans.
He grabs Lu Han's wrist with lubed up fingers and presses it into the bed - says, "No touching," softly as if he doesn't know how cruel that is. He goes back to sinking down on his own fingers, moving his hips in circles that make Lu Han's cock painfully hard.
"Please," he begs, hovering his hands over Minseok's hot skin helplessly, "Please, let me-"
Minseok moves the hand on Lu Han's chest up to his neck, curling around his jaw and hushing him gently. He closes his eyes, wincing in a way that lets Lu Han know he added another finger and Lu Han aches with the need to touch him there, too - to feel Minseok inside and out.
His boyfriend seems to have more torture in store, because he rocks his hips back onto his fingers, bumping every so often against Lu Han's cock.
Taking pity on him, Minseok pulls his fingers out and instead strokes them along Lu Han's length, getting it coated with warm lube. Lu Han thinks he might come, right now, all over Minseok's fingers, and he has to grit his teeth to keep himself under control. Minseok moves away for a second to pick up a condomn packet, tearing it open with his teeth, and then slipping it onto Luhan's length.
Minseok lifts up, takes Lu Han's cock in his hand to line it up against his hole and sinks down - slowly. They both groan and Minseok closes his eyes when he's fully seated. After an experimental swivel of his hips, he starts moving back up and Lu Han can't help defying Minseok and touching him. He smooths his hands along Minseok's thighs, stopping at his waist and gripping.
Minseok sets a pace just slow enough to drive Lu Han to the brink and gives him a smile that lets him know he's doing it on purpose.
"You're an asshole," he says through groans and gasps as Minseok picks up his speed, skin slapping against skin. Lu Han bends his knees, planting his feet down on the bed, and uses the position to piston up into Minseok, finally wringing a whimper out of him.
He flips them over, swings Minseok's legs over his shoulders (marveling at his flexibility), and starts fucking him in earnest. Even in this position, it still feels like Minseok is in control - cheeks flushed, lips red, and eyes dark and domineering.
Lu Han sinks down for a messy, sloppy kiss that Minseok returns eagerly. He thrusts in and out of him, but can't get as deep as he wants to. Minseok is on the same page because he pushes Lu Han off and gets on his hands and knees. Looking over his shoulder, he says, "Fuck me," and Lu Han is nothing if not an opportunist. He lines himself back up and drives into Minseok in one, fluid motion that knocks the breath out of him.
He moves fast, gripping Minseok's waist, and pushing a stream of curses and faster, faster, faster and pleas out of Minseok that somehow manage to still come off as orders.
Minseok is jerking himself off to the movement of Lu Han's hips and he comes before Lu Han does, his ass squeezing around Lu Han's cock and making him feel dizzy with pleasure. He pumps in and out a few more times before he follows suit, coming in long, languid thrusts.
They both collapse, Lu Han rolling to his side and taking Minseok with him - mouthing at the back of his neck lazily as he comes down from his high.
When they catch their breath, Lu Han slips out of Minseok and takes off his condemn, tying it off and tossing it onto the side table. He curls back against Minseok and whispers, "You're bossy as fuck."
Minseok elbows at him blindly and Lu Han laughs.
Zitao has been giving him looks, looking comfortable with one arm looped around Sehun and his chin resting on Sehun's shoulder. He finally sighs, saying, "Glaring at Jongin isn't going to make him disappear."
Lu Han turns his glare on Zitao, which doesn't seem to impress him in the least. He just rolls his eyes and whispers something in Sehun's ear that makes the model turns his eyes to Lu Han and laugh.
Ignoring them, Lu Han shifts his attention back to Jongin who is standing too close to Minseok, making him laugh too loud, and looking this side of too fond when Minseok touches his arm during the conversation.
It's not like Lu Han is insecure - it's been almost nine months since they started dating and they fall in love a little bit more ever day. And, Lu Han made partner and Minseok threw this party for him. It's just that Jongin is so , all pretty smiles and always, always the right words. It doesn't even help that Minseok fucked him a few hours ago in their apartment, kissing along his skin and whispering, "I love you," like a secret.
And, Jongin knows how much Lu Han hates reminders of his past with Minseok. Which is probably why he brings it up on purpose sometimes, saying things like, "Minseok hyung is so good with his tongue," before putting on a show of chastising himself.
There's something amusing to him about Lu Han all but growling at him, apparently. Which is strange since Jongin is so nice to literally everyone else.
As if reading his thoughts, Minseok looks over and gives Lu Han a soft smile. He says something to Jongin, giving him a quick hug, and walks through the crowded room to sit down next to Lu Han on the sofa. He burrows in immediately and Lu Han throws an arm around his shoulders, pulling him in closer.
"Hello, darling," he says with a light teasing tone.
Lu Han is going to fuck that cheeky attitude out of him as soon as they get home.
++++