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Kun always has everything under control. He knows when to go grocery shopping and when to get a regular check-up. For Ten, that never cared for the consequences of his actions until they were faced upon him, it’s perfect. They balance each other very well. Ten is impulsive, yes, but Kun is there to pull him back when needed. And whenever Kun is too strict, Ten presents him fearless and freedom. Ten loves it.
And Ten loves even more that this aspect of his boyfriend make it easy for them to think of every new step of their relationship freely (it’s easier for Ten, and him only, but Kun likes it that way too).
When Ten first moved in and they had to move for a bigger apartment, Kun had things under control. He spent sleepless nights searching for a nice, calm neighborhood, close enough of both Ten’s dance academy and the university he lectured on and still on the proximities of their friends, while taking in count their income and their monthly expenses. Kun also made one of his students run a fake censor on the apartment complex to know their neighbors’ better.
(Very creepy, Ten acknowledges, but he’s glad there are no cat lady or drums player, and the closest child is five floors above them. Peace and quiet.)
It’s the obvious thing to do (except for the fake census), Ten knows. Still, it doesn’t mean he’d do any of those. He’d simply choose a nice place with a pretty view. It’d be a frivolous choice, but at least he’d get pretty pictures at night. He’d deal with cat ladies, children and the musicians other ways.
And when they first traveled abroad, a much needed vacation to South Africa, Kun had every itinerary on his hand, or his bag, or in the phone. Johannesburg looked even prettier and more alive knowing they’d never get lost or run out of money out of carelessness.
Ten has good memory and he remembers his partner being free-spirited only twice, the day he applied for the doctorate program and the time he proposed.
When Kun started his doctorate, Ten started taking care of little things he usually skipped. Finances and household wore him down. He had always disliked them, but he’d do anything for Kun to fulfill his dreams. He’d deal with it.
And when Kun, few weeks later, proposed (diamond ring and all Ten ever wanted, a dreams come true evening), Ten knew their life was going places he wasn’t prepared for. But he liked. Still, a marriage requires preparation and with Kun going crazy with his research at the university, it was only fair for Ten to take care of it.
And Ten was very good on it. After a few months he had everything envisioned, and almost ready to take off, but they still needed to save more money. Yet, they set a date; for it to feel real, only for the two of them.
“Two years, my love,” Ten says, kissing the top of Kun’s head. Ten likes the shampoo Kun uses so he breathes in, smelling the comforting and nostalgic scent. Kun has never changed it, Ten remembers it from their first dates. “Two years and we’ll have our dream marriage.” Kun smiles before laying a kiss on his chest, coiling himself impossibly closer to Ten.
Two years.
But there was no one holding Ten’s impulses. And that’s how they got themselves a cat. It was the last kitten left in a box in front of his usual grocery shopping place.
Mr. Baudelaire, the cat, now part of their family was a playful little fella, scratching their sofa and eating his plants. Kun might have disliked the cat at first, but every Saturday afternoon was nap time for the two of them, Kun laying on the old rug in living room and the cat on top of him. And of course Ten’s gallery was full of photos of them laying like this.
With Mr. Baudelaire’s expenses and no source of income, their marriage was postponed for the first time. The first of many, and Kun always made sure to reassure Ten that it was ok.
It was ok to adopt a friend for Mr. Baudelaire, otherwise the cat would be lonely all day long without them home. And that’s how Mrs. Austen joined the family. Followed by Mr. Dickens and Yoshihiro-san months later. All of them unemployed, with only purrs and meows as payment for their stay. And when the money saved every month got cut by a third to pay for the cats’ pet shop, feeding and toys to no end (the last one, Kun’s fault), none of them complained.
Three years.
But life is full of surprises, good and bad. Johnny’s marriage was a good one, of course, but traveling to the US had its cost. And finding a place for four cats to be, in safe and well fed, was also expensive. This time their shared account was the one suffering from a cut. But it was worth it.
It was worth to see their friend crying and babbling his vows to Taeyong, who was a crying mess too. And while Ten filmed the whole scene (of course he was uploading it online, it was what Johnny would do to him), it fueled his desires of a marriage of his own.
Ten started to give private dance classes, which in the first months gave their joint account a very needed influx, but a strained ankle forbid him of giving dancing at all for a month. The medical costs were bigger than the surplus of the two months he overworked.
And, of course, his dance academy changed address, much further from downtown, and from his place.
“We either buy a car, or you wake up 4:30 am every morning, Tenten,” Kun explains, pressing a kiss on his nape.
Ten isn’t going to wake up 4:30, he needs his beauty sleep. He turns around with difficulty, careful not to fall from the sofa. “But our marriage, Kunkun...” He complains, looking into Kun’s eyes.
“It’s ok, Tenten, we can always set another date,” Kun tangles their legs, and hugs Ten closer.
The mood for Netflix is over, he just wants to cuddle.
Five years.
Ten wasn’t jealous, per se. It was just a picture of Taeyong and Johnny at the beach, the sun setting before them, and a small kid holding their hands.
The image of that picture didn’t leave his brain for days. And if he was expecting an objection to his impulses from Kun, like it used to be, it was not what he gained.
“I want it too,” Kun confesses when they sit down after a long walk. “I do, but we have four babies and the rent and the car,” Kun counts down every of their expenses, playing with the engagement ring on his finger. “And the marriage. Do you realize it’s been three years since we got engaged? We passed five of our initial dates, the sixth is two years from now and we’re thinking of adopting a child.” He finishes smiling. It’s beautiful, but sad.
“It’s ok, Kunkun, we can always set another date,” Ten singsongs, kissing the sad smile off Kun’s face. It’s one of the smiles he hates seeing perched up on his fiancée’s lips. It’s his duty to destroy them. “You just don’t die, ok? I need to marry you. I’ll try to stay alive, too.”
Someday.
Chenle is loud. Ten realizes how they became the couple with a loud child and also the cat couple, if that is a thing. Chenle likes chasing the cats while laughing his high-pitched laugh, and Ten hopes his neighbors don’t mind it too much. Kun chose the perfect apartment in a great quiet neighborhood for them to spoil it.
But he loves it. He loves to arrive home after a long, excruciating day and be welcomed by his cute to-be-husband and his even cuter child.
He loves to help his son paint his coloring books and he simply adores when Kun throws caution to the wind and joins them in their Disney movies marathon, singing the songs out loud and dancing awkwardly with them.
“Lele has a really good voice,” Ten leaves the door of Chenle’s room partially open, and takes Kun with him back to the living room to clean up the mess they made. “He still has trouble with pronunciation, but I think we should find him some singing classes,” He sits down on the sofa, legs on the center table. “And an instrument, maybe piano or guitar,” He reminds himself of the census Kun made years ago. “Maybe drums,” He laughs.
Kun smiles and joins him on his dilly-dallying. “I can teach him the piano,” He looks at Ten kindly. “I still know how to play it, kinda.” He answers Ten’s inquisitive, quite disdainful, stare.
“And you’ll teach him at night, after work? To have our neighbors starting a petition to banish us from this apartment complex?” Ten lays down in the couch, his head on Kun’s lap. He feels like being pampered after a night of singing and dancing, and Kun seems to notice, cupping his face. It’s simple, Ten thinks, but it’s enough for now. “And you’re going to buy a piano? See, baby, we have no space left. If he doesn’t like it we have another thingamabob to our whatsits galore.”
Kun laughs at him, caressing his cheek with his thumb. They stay in silence for a while, as Mr. Baudelaire chases Mrs. Austen with the help of Yoshihiro-san. Mr. Dickens watches them, uninterested in the joys of running around carelessly.
Mr. Clarke, the newest addition to the family, is probably sleeping with Chenle, Ten guesses. The orange cat had a liking to sleep in that room since he arrived at their little home. He claims Chenle as his only family, probably. The child being the only one whom he gives his purrs. The cat barely leaves the room, being a little territorial and aggressive to the older cats.
Ten knows it’s very little space for three human beings and five cat beings. And with Chenle growing up they will need to search for a nice school. And a Thai teacher. And a Chinese Mandarin teacher, otherwise Kun’s parents will be sad. Moving from Seoul was out of question, but houses on the countryside were cheaper, that’s for sure.
“There’s smoke coming out of your head, Tenten,” Kun playfully pinches his cheeks, bringing his mind back to the present. “Sharing is caring.”
“I was wondering whether we could afford a bigger house for our children,” Ten lays down his wondering quietly. He could see the gears on his lover’s mind turning. It’s always been pretty to see his eyes loose focus and his lips part. But he enjoys much more messing with him while he concentrates, so Ten moves up and kisses away any conclusions Kun has made in the last seconds.
Kun nods. “We’ll talk this down once I finish my doctorate this Summer and get my bonuses.” He then takes Ten’s hands into his own, kissing the old engagement ring. “But what about our marriage? I still want to say my vows and cry like crazy and dance with you and make love to you on our honeymoon, in Paris, of course.”
“We can do all of that without a big ceremony, you know?” Ten looks at the ring on his finger and feels the one on Kun’s hand brushing on his jaw. They maintained its sparkle from the first day, much like their relationship. “My love’s for real, and so is yours. There’s no need to proclaim them to the wind to make them true,” Ten goes back to sitting. There’s a lot to clean and he he’s getting sleepy laying down. “Marriage can wait. I’d rather spend our savings on a big house with a big backyard for our children to have where to play without having to worry about this or that neighbor. And I want more babies, you know.”
“How many cats do you want Ten?” Kun asks, taking Ten’s hands on his. “We already own five. We really are the cat ladies of this complex.” Kun complains.
Ten rolls his eyes. “Yes, I am totally talking about cats, Kunkun,” It still baffles him how oblivious Kun can be. He moves closer and kisses his someday-to-be-husband’s nose. “Totally.”
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