Seonghwa spoke with Aeri over the phone for nearly two hours while Hongjoong and Wooyoung tested their new game. Both boys adored it with all of their hearts, and they barely managed to separate from its world when it was time for dinner. Wooyoung even clutched the dice in his hand all through the process of his hasty eating to go right back to it once they were done. After he had done the dishes, Seonghwa had hidden away in his working room and put his phone down next to him to talk with Aeri while he worked.

She apologised multiple times about the inconvenience he had caused with her invitation. No matter how often Seonghwa chuckled and assured her that it was no problem for him, she still felt bad for having to play with his emotions like that. Her concerns only ceased when Seonghwa asked her about Dean and the business instead. Apparently, the junction with him would offer her a great deal to finally reach her goals for the future she had always imagined, but his parents - the important figures in that empire - disagreed for him to help her just as a friend. They had decided to let only family members use their advantages, so the two friends - she had known Dean for two years now - had decided to marry and build their own individual branch themselves by using those parents' roots. Of course, they were suspicious of those plans and the marriage, though, and they had apparently made it very clear that they disliked the idea of Aeri already having been married before and also having a child.

Aeri had nearly started to laugh at that part. According to those parents, they feared that Aeri was trying to worm her way in for all three of them like a hungry leech and that she wasn't actually interested in the deals or Dean.

Seonghwa had strongly agreed to help with that nonsense assumption. Whenever the topic of Aeri being a divorced woman with a kid she 'abandoned' came up, he grew fiercely protective of her. Her hatred of labels like that was intense, and Seonghwa disliked the moments she was reduced to that even more. Aeri always worked hard, and this family was not a failed project. Seonghwa would not stand for that.

They had ended on Seonghwa reassuring her again that he would figure things out. The event was still a long while in the future, so he had all the time to get ready for it. He was glad that they had ended on good terms and that doing her this favour would mean no inconvenience for him. Not every split couple had that luck.

Yunho had also agreed to meet him. He specifically reserved Saturday for the two of them and told Seonghwa to wear boots.

When Seonghwa had asked Hongjoong if it was fine for him and Yongguk to take care of Wooyoung during the day, the demon had been absolutely ecstatic. He had jumped all over the place and danced with Wooyoung in the living room, singing that Seonghwa had a date. Albeit confused, Wooyoung had danced with him.

Saturday came around sooner than Seonghwa could prepare his anxious nerves. He was still in the bathroom, trying to fix his hair, when the doorbell rang. Nearly shaking, Seonghwa just wore them falling into his forehead as soft curls when no parting worked. Then, he raced down the stairs as Wooyoung already opened the door. He must have spotted Yunho's gorgeous beige Dacia Duster in the driveway, or else he wouldn't have opened.

"Hello, Yunho! My dad is on his way!" Wooyoung's cheerful voice ended in a squeal when Yunho presumably picked him up. The shuffle of Hongjoong's socked feet travelled through the house before he was also heard greeting the teacher.

Seonghwa nearly slipped as he ran down the stairs to join them. Given the instructions to wear boots, Seonghwa had opted for black jeans, a regular black shirt and his fleece-lined autumn jacket. Yunho wore similar fashion, but his choice had been a white shirt, a grey and black plaid flannel, plus a jean-jacket combination. He looked great and like the perfect boyfriends up to the tips of his brown boots.

Hongjoong and Wooyoung stood next to each other, holding hands and grinning from one ear to the other as they watched the pair. With regular pauses to throw them suspicious glances, Seonghwa struggled to pull on his black boots. Yunho's hands hovered near his waist at any second, ready to catch him if he stumbled.

"I hope you'll be good. Wooyoung, please keep an eye on Hongjoong."

Wooyoung saluted with a serious expression.

"Have a nice date with Yunho, daddy! And see you later!" The boy cheerfully waved at them, and Hongjoong copied him with his little hand. He tucked in his thumb at the gesture and became all the tinier.

"I'll take good care of him, don't you two worry." Yunho's radiant smile lit up the whole corridor. Hastily, Seonghwa threw the man's scarf around his neck and pushed him out of the door. The two troublemakers stayed behind.

Yunho held open the door to his car's passenger seat for Seonghwa and waited until he had hopped in to closed it. Before Seonghwa got the chance to fumble with his seatbelt, he jogged around and dropped on the chair next to him. His long legs sorted themselves into the legroom miraculously.

"Wait, I have something for you. So we can match."

With one long arm, Yunho reached to the back of the car for a bag. He had to lean in close to Seonghwa to do so, but Seonghwa didn't mind his closeness. Yunho smelled great, as always.

The shirt he had brought for Seonghwa was soft pink and grey, and it matched him wonderfully. Right away, Seonghwa pulled his leather jacket off to add another layer beneath it. He liked the complete look.

"Pretty." With a broad grin, Yunho started the engine. He drove with one of his hands resting on his thigh or the gearstick while his other one rested at the bottom of the wheel on his knee. Seonghwa kept glancing over, never getting enough of the sight.

"So, what are we doing today?"

In a good mood, Yunho tapped his fingers to the song playing on the radio. His car was pleasantly warm and Seonghwa sunk into his heated seat, never wanting to leave again.

"I brought two baskets and gloves. Do you know the pear plantation at the east end of the city?"

Seonghwa nodded quickly.

"I figured we could go there, get some of the freshest pears ever, and then bake a pie at home. With enough for Hongjoong and Wooyoung to enjoy, too." Yunho glanced at him, seeking approval.

"Sure, that sounds fun!" Seonghwa had never gone on such a date before, and he liked the adventure it posed. When he was around Yunho, things never got boring.

"So, how has your week been? Are the kids exhausting?"

Nature swished past them in a splendid swirl of orange and yellow hues. Gloomy grey clouds covered the sky, but they formed the perfect windy weather for a beautiful autumn day. No doubt, soon, the thought of selling Yunho to a hair modelling company would cross Seonghwa's mind.

"They are fine. As always, little trouble makers, but since they are adorable, I can forgive them. Wooyoung did well this week; he was a very happy boy. Did something good happen at home?"

Seonghwa had to think about that. Most of Wooyoung's waking hours consisted of games with Hongjoong by now, so Seonghwa supposed that might raise his mood.

"Hongjoong, probably. He does wonders at taking care of him. I didn't sleep so well and without stress plaguing me in years."

Yunho threw him a concerned glance before he focused right back on the roads.

"You know, if he ever gets too much for you to bear, I can take him for a day or two. I don't mind, and you could always use the free time. I don't like the thought of you being alone and stressed at home." His sincere voice touched Seonghwa's soft heart and filled it with warmth. A blush dusted his cheeks.

"I'll hold you to that promise. But only if the lazy dude I call my best friend ever has no time. I would rather bother him and his existence as a couch tester rather than busy you."

Yunho giggled, showing off his teeth that always reminded Seonghwa of a cute bunny at the front.

"I see; I'm only the correspondent for important things." Yunho pulled down the side of the road that led to the little hill. Seonghwa could already see the symmetrically planted trees from here. A few farmers had gathered around and collected fresh fruit, but there were still many places for them to plunder.

"Correct. I don't want to bother Your Majesty with mundane tasks such as taking care of my kid because I got the blues."

Yunho parked in an elegant swoop and jumped out of the car. His giggles held on even as they retrieved their baskets from the trunk and pulled on their gloves. Once Yunho had shut off his car and put his key into his pocket, he switched the hand holding the bucket to grasp Seonghwa's free hand with his. The gesture felt natural, and Seonghwa managed to stare at their hands enamoured for only twenty seconds instead of a whole minute. He was getting there.

Yunho took care of the talking with the local farmers, and they got pointed to a certain area to have fun with the pears. The old ladies had been completely gone for Yunho's smile and offered him to use their garden tools if he needed anything. Seonghwa could relate all too well. He, too, was an old lady with heart eyes for Yunho.

They found two trees near each other and went to work. Yunho was taller, so he could reach better, but Seonghwa had mastered tree climbing skill since Wooyoung was a big monkey himself. With him seated on a big juncture and Yunho a few steps over, they talked about anything the world had to offer. About Wooyoung, about a recent movie that both of them had watched, about the great cookies Seonghwa had baked once and shared with Yunho, and so on.

Between their laughter and the physical labour, time passed all too quickly, and the sun already curved downward once Seonghwa deemed his basket filled with the most beautiful pears. They shone in the afternoon sun like precious treasures of gold, and he just knew that they would taste great.

Yunho patted the sweat off his forehead with his glove as he also looked down into his basket, satisfied. Then, he stemmed his hands into his hips and turned to Seonghwa.

"Shall we go make the world's best pie, then? I'm at the ready; you just need to unstick from that brave tree."

Seonghwa pet the nature friend with one hand, but his eyes were wary as he looked at the ground. It wasn't too far, maybe two meters or so, but too much for comfort. The slope of the hill also didn't leave a very trustworthy impression, so he found himself stuck on the branch he sat on.

"Ah... Yeah." How should he go at this without completely embarrassing himself? There seemed to be no possible way. Maybe if he climbed down on the other side where the hill sloped up? Fewer depths for him to break his ankles on. Just when he twisted to look around, however, Yunho stepped up to him. He offered his hand for Seonghwa to take while his feet found stable positions on the ground.

"Here, I'll help you down."

With a little 'oh', Seonghwa directed his stupid grin at his feet. No need for Yunho to be this adorable.

Maybe this time, Seonghwa trusted him too blindly. Yunho must have been distracted himself because once Seonghwa slid from the tree and into his arms, he actually took the teacher with him on his descend to the ground. At least, they were lucky enough not to slide down the entire wet hill, but their pants would need a wash as they crashed down in a heap on the earth.

Seonghwa's laughter was the first to break the silence. High-pitched and joyful, it filled the valley for a short moment before he took up his wrist to hide behind. His spine was bent over Yunho's thighs as the man had landed on his butt surprisedly. His long legs held Seonghwa's body even as Seonghwa's head connected with the ground softly. The earth dulled the hit.

"Now, I hope the grannies had something to smile about." Between giggles, Seonghwa glanced up at Yunho. A wild leaf had landed on his cheek, but before Seonghwa could reach out to brush it off, Yunho already did. His gentle fingers came to cup Seonghwa's face as he searched his oddly twisted and folded figure for injuries for a moment.

With his spine curved like that, Seonghwa was anything but comfortable, but for a moment, he was just fine enjoying the warmth of Yunho's fingers on his face and laying in his lap.

"Are you alright?" Yunho's eyes were worried just as much as they were soft. His low voice barely rose enough for anyone to hear but Seonghwa.

"Yeah."

Seonghwa's eyes dropped to his lips first.

Yunho leaned in first.

Their lips met in the middle and melted together in what had to be the purest of all first kisses ever exchanged. A whole swarm of cheesy butterflies in the form of golden leaves rained from Seonghwa when he rose his arms to wrap them around Yunho's shoulders loosely.

The man kissed with the gentleness of a comforting blanket on a chilly night. He tasted like pears of which he had cut one open for them earlier, and the smell of the wet earth they had taken a bath in also clung to him. Yet, he kissed as if he had forgotten everything of the world around them that wasn't Seonghwa.

Yunho's fingers guided their innocent kisses on Seonghwa's jaw without ever forcing him into anything. The tips of his hair tickled Seonghwa's cheeks.

For a few minutes, the world had shut off. Only them and their long-awaited kisses counted, and nothing else.

When their lazy movements slowed down gradually until they came to a stop, Seonghwa couldn't help the whine that escaped his lips once Yunho placed a last chaste kiss on his lips before he pulled back.

"Don't sulk; my back hurts, and yours does, too," Yunho giggled as he brushed his thumb over Seonghwa's pouted lips. At once, Seonghwa had to laugh again as he wormed his way off the man.

"So, ready to make some pie?"

"Let's make some pie."