Work Text:
Monday
Ten has forgotten the groceries again. Johnny knows this because it's the first thing he checks when he gets home, toeing off his shoes and dropping his bag by the front door. Part of him wants to be vindicated that he knew, KNEW Ten would forget, again. And the other part of him is hungry as fuck because it's been five hours since he ate lunch at his desk at work. He opens the fridge.
Just as he suspected. There are little things here and there, a jar of half finished mayonnaise, three eggs left in the carton, and a half a head of lettuce, milk that is probably expired, and some beer on the bottom drawer, but nothing substantially edible. Johnny feels the annoyance building up and tries to push it down, takes a deep breath, before heading off to find Ten.
"Ten?" Johnny calls as he wanders out of the kitchen and through the living room towards their bedroom. Nobody answers, but again, that doesn't necessarily mean that Ten isn't home. He just isn't always considerate enough to actually answer when someone is calling him. Despite his best efforts, Johnny is beginning to get really annoyed.
He finds Ten on the computer at the desk in their bedroom. He is watching what appears to be a comedy standup clip on Youtube with the headphones on and laughing every now and then. For some reason, seeing Ten completely unworried about the fact that they will have nothing to eat tonight for dinner just deepens Johnny's annoyance. He's tired of being the responsible one around here who has to do everything. He even gave Ten a list this morning of what he needed to get, specific down to the brand of each item. Ten had stuffed the list into his pocket and flitted out the door because he was running late for work.
He walks over to the desk to lean against it, in front of Ten. Ten sees him and pulls the headphones off, leaving it hanging around his neck. "Johnny, you're home," Ten says.
Johnny doesn't say anything and just raises an eyebrow. He doesn't want to make it easy for Ten because he's just going to forget again if Johnny doesn't hone in the lesson that Ten needs to be more proactive about doing the chores around the house.
"What?" Ten says, seeing the look on Johnny's face. He's still completely oblivious.
"Did you forget to do something today?" Johnny says, feeling more and more pissed off and more and more hungry.
Ten scrunches up his face to think. Johnny used to live for that look, because even though it would look pretty unattractive on most other people, it just looks unbearably cute on Ten, especially when they would study together in the library back in college and Johnny would get distracted everytime he looked across the table to see Ten scrunching up his face as he tried to figure out what the densely written academic paper was saying. Now, Johnny associates it with Ten always forgetting to do stuff when Johnny specifically told him to do it. It was Pavlovian, but not in a good way. It was like living with a child, not his husband.
"Oh shit, I'm supposed to get the groceries today!" Ten says, jumping up from his seat. At least he has the grace to look contrite about it, much to Johnny's satisfaction. Man, when did he get so petty? He thinks he might be feeling what Doyoung would call being hangry. Hungry and angry.
"So you finally remember," Johnny says, not without a sarcastic bite in his voice that he couldn't help slipping in, which he knew Isn't going to fly well with Ten.
It doesn't. Ten shuts down, pulling off the headphones and without another word, turns around to walk away. Johnny isn't satisfied with that.
"Now, we're going to have to order in," Johnny continues, following after Ten. He knows Ten is trying not to engage, but that just means Johnny has no opposing force to counter his frustration. He and Ten used to have the biggest fights, Ten would actually throw things and Johnny would have to duck to avoid getting hit. Johnny wasn't sure whether he hated or loved those. It seemed like it was better than what it is now because at least they communicated. And the makeup sex was pretty great, Johnny isn't going to lie.
He is startled, however, when he sees Ten stuffing his feet into his Converses in front of the door to their apartment. "Where are you going?" He asks.
"I'm going to the supermarket right now," Ten replies, straightening up from tying his shoes and looking at Johnny from across the room, defiance in his eyes clear even from there, as if he is daring Johnny to say something. It seems like nowadays, he and Ten always seem to be playing a game of 'who can be more passive aggressive without actually coming to blows and yet still win the argument.' Except, it's a game with no winners.
"It's late already," Johnny tries to protest. Honestly, he just wants to order in, change into his pajamas, and chill. It's not like he wanted to pick a fight with Ten, or make him do something he didn't want to do. He's just tired.
"It's not that late," Ten points out, grabbing his jacket from the coat rack. "I totally forgot about the groceries because Jim told me today that the clients wanted to push the deadline up two days earlier and I'm, like, totally freaking out right now. So I'm sorry, I'll go get stuff now. You can still order in if you're really hungry. I'll make something for myself when I get back."
All the annoyance goes out of Johnny like a deflated balloon. And now he's just left feeling like shit for having been so angry about Ten forgetting the groceries.
"Alright, alright, alright, j-just wait for me," he says, walking over to put his shoes back on too. "I'll go with you."
"Johnny...," he hears Ten say hesitantly. "I don't want to fight with you."
"We won't," Johnny says. "I'll be a perfect gentleman. I promise I'll behave." He sees the skeptical look on Ten's face, and sighs. "Look, I'm really sorry for being an asshole about the groceries. It's just this isn't the first time-"
Ten spins on his heels and yanks the door open to walk out. Johnny makes a noise of frustration and hurries after him, locking the door behind him.
"Okay, okay," Johnny says. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were having a bad day at work. Do you wanna talk about it?"
Blessedly, they don't have to wait long for the elevator to arrive and they get in, Johnny all the while trying to wait out Ten's cold shoulder. During one of their post-fight conciliatory talks, where they would talk for hours, laying everything on the table, Ten admitted that he shuts down to avoid letting his anger get out of control and he starts throwing things.
"One of these days, I'm scared I'm going to really hit you with the clock," Ten said with a teasing smile.
"We've gone through a lot of clocks," Johnny agreed.
So Johnny understands for the most part why Ten is like this. But Johnny's also the kind of person who can't tolerate a conflict being unresolved. He wants to fix it as soon as possible or it'll bother him like a pesky thorn in his side.
He trails behind Ten as they make the ten minute walk to their local supermarket, trying to wait his silent treatment out. It's agony.
The automatic doors of the supermarket swishes open and Ten yanks a wheeling cart from the line of carts at the front of the store, Johnny wincing a little at the force, and starts walking down the fresh produce aisle.
Johnny watches Ten stop and pull out the wrinkled grocery list from his jacket pocket, squinting at it. He starts looking around for something and wheels the cart towards the tomatoes stacked in a neat pile on the side display. Ten pauses and finally turns to Johnny. "Well, since you're here and I'm crap at picking the good ones, can you get the tomatoes? I'm going to run ahead and get the cereal and milk."
Johnny is so taken aback at being acknowledged again by Ten that he barely has time to sputter, "Yeah, but don't get Fruit Loops again. Get something healthier, with whole grains-"
Ten is already sprinting around the corner of the aisle and all Johnny can hear, trailing off, is, "You're not the boss of me."
Johnny shakes his head and turns his attention to picking some fruit and veggies. Both of them are trying to eat healthier after Ten came back from his yearly physical with a warning from his doctor that if he doesn't cut down on his sugar intake and change his diet, he is going to be pre-diabetic in ten to fifteen years.
"What, I don't eat that much sweet stuff!" Ten had protested.
"Your coffee is more sugar than coffee and you have an addiction to coke," Johnny felt the need to point out.
Ten looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.
"Not that kind of coke," Johnny said primly. Ten had hmmphed and grumbled something under his breath, but otherwise quietly acquiesced to doctor's orders and Johnny's daily admonitions.
Johnny has picked some tomatoes, a head of broccoli, stalks of asparagus, two bags of lettuce, some apples, when Ten trots back to the produce area, holding a gallon carton of milk by the handle in one hand and a box of Cheerios under the other arm and places them into the cart. Johnny doesn't realize he's grinning at Ten until Ten looks up at him.
"What?" Ten says, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
"Nothing," replies Johnny cheerfully. His stomach grumbles. Ten looks down at it and his eyes soften with sheepishness.
"Alright, alright," Ten says, taking control of the cart. "Let's get the rest of the stuff on the list and get out of here. We need to feed you."
They bicker through the rest of the list and Ten finally tells Johnny about the crappy day he had, how his boss is going to make them work overtime starting tomorrow to meet the pushed-up deadline so don't wait for him for dinner the next few days. Johnny wishes he can tell Ten's boss to take a hike because he barely gets to see Ten as it is, but he keeps his mouth shut.
While on the line to pay for the groceries, Johnny idly puts his hand on Ten's neck and starts to knead. He first started doing it back in university. When studying together in the library, Johnny had noticed that Ten would wince and try to stretch his neck to loosen it during breaks from being hunched over his computer or his textbooks.
Johnny finally asked, his heart pounding, "Would you let me try something?"
Ten had looked at him for a second, hesitating and wary, before nodding. Johnny reached over and started kneading his neck the way Johnny's ex-girlfriend used to do for him. He sent a silent apology to Irene for using her massaging techniques on a new crush. It felt traitorous. But Irene had been the one to break it off after she graduated university and he was still in his second year. It had been a fun, casual but brief relationship that had come to its amicable end and Johnny learned a lot from the experience that he did not regret. He had known and accepted from the beginning of their time together that he was too immature and young at the time for her to consider anything serious with him. They actually still talk sometimes, even after all these years. Ten had been in awe with her when they first met and later admitted to Johnny, "Dude, even I have to admit you kinda traded down."
Johnny felt Ten tense up at first as Johnny tried to seek out those errant muscles on his neck and then Ten had gone completely boneless, sagging against the table, as Johnny felt the muscles give way under his kneading.
Ten still goes boneless the same way now, sagging against Johnny and Johnny tucks him under his arm as they inch forward on the cashier line. "I'm sorry about earlier," Johnny murmurs into Ten's hair.
"It's okay," Ten says. "I did forget and you were hangry. Understandable under the circumstances."
"I'll make it up to you," Johnny promises.
Ten covers his mouth and snickers. "Yeah?" He looks up at Johnny with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, as if he is issuing Johnny a challenge. "How?"
Johnny pretends to think about it, tapping his finger on his chin in contemplation. "I can do the laundry for this week."
Ten moans quietly, only for Johnny to hear. "Oh yes, tell me more."
"The laundry will be nicely folded and put away as well," Johnny continues.
Ten sighs dreamily. "You sure know how to make a guy happy."
Johnny grins. "I try my best."
After finally making it through the line, they walk home slowly, the plastic bags of groceries swinging from one side, holding hands on the other, under the evening sky.
---
Tuesday
Around noon, while Johnny is eating his lunch at his desk at work, he gets a text from Ten. Hey, how does this proposal sound? Client can kiss my ass. I quit.
Grinning, Johnny puts down his sandwich and texts back: Hey, tell ur client that ass is partially mine. Hands off.
He doesn't have to wait long for Ten's response. Oh ho ho, u marry a guy and suddenly ur own ass is no longer ur own. A second later, Gotta go. Kill me
Johnny knows Ten is going to make fun of him about it, but he does it anyway. He texts back: Love you.
He doesn't get a response, but he isn't expecting one anyway. He knows Ten's job can sometimes run him ragged, especially when nearing a deadline, and Ten doesn't always know where his limits are or when to stop. It frustrates Johnny sometimes and he would chastise Ten about it, because he thinks Ten is being irresponsible about his own health and also forgetting to do chores because he's so wrapped up by work, and of course Ten would react badly to it, and then a fight would inevitably happen, like it did yesterday. Johnny knows there's no easy resolution to this, only compromise. But it's hard. But like his mom always says, "No one said marriage was easy."
At first glance, Johnny never would've thought that Ten would be it for him. They were, are, so different in their personalities and outlook in life. Ten is someone with his head in the clouds, dreaming big, and other than his work or school, he never takes anything seriously. Johnny takes everything seriously, and he's more pragmatic, his feet planted more firmly on the ground. Doyoung claims Johnny only started loosening up a little when Ten came into his life, and everyone else had been inclined to agree, including Johnny.
In the beginning, Johnny was intrigued by Ten, but more in a scientifically curious way. Ten had a way of seamlessly weaving through their interlocking venn diagram-like social circles and he was close to everyone. To some degree, Johnny was jealous of Ten's seemingly effortless affability. He was like a star and the planets revolved around him. But somehow, one day, the star noticed the far distant planet out there.
Johnny had settled in a corner of the university library, intent on getting some writing done for his paper that's due tomorrow, when somebody cleared their throat. He looked up.
"Is anyone going to sit here?" Ten asked, pointing to the seat across the table from Johnny.
Johnny shook his head and darted his eyes back to his laptop. He heard the legs of the chair scrape against the floor and Ten plopping onto the seat and settling in. Ten didn't say anything further as he took out his notebook and a stapled xerox copy of the academic paper that he probably had to read for his own class. Johnny wasn't sure why Ten decided to pick this seat out of all the available ones around the library, but he wasn't going to complain. Even though he didn't know much about Ten at that point, only as the guy with the ear piercings who liked to hang out with Doyoung and the rest of that group, they'd been introduced to each other and the first thing Johnny had noticed was that Ten had a really nice smile. Fresh off his breakup with Irene, Johnny wasn't really looking to get with anyone, but he could at least objectively admire a nice smile when he saw one. Also at the time, Johnny hadn't expected Ten to be his 'type.'
After maybe an hour of quiet studying without any further exchanges of conversation at all, Ten stretched and started gathering his things back up again to leave. "See you around," he said to Johnny, flashing that smile again, before walking away.
Johnny had expected that to be a one time thing, an aberration, but every so often, Ten would slip into the seat across from him and without a word except for hi and some pleasantries, open his books or his laptop and settle in to study with Johnny.
Instead of asking Ten directly what the deal was like a normal human being, Johnny approached Doyoung about it.
"Ten is...shy," Doyoung explained.
Johnny was surprised. He'd seen the way Ten draped himself over people or the way he playfully quarreled with everyone, flitting from one person to the other, whenever they hang out with their mutual friends at parties and other gatherings. "Shy?" He said incredulously. "I think that's the last adjective I would use to describe Ten."
"No, he really is," Doyoung insisted. "He's the kind of person who only opens up with close friends or people he trusts. But once he trusts you, you can't get him to shut up."
Johnny saw this firsthand in regards to himself and later, when they became a couple. Whenever they went to a new place with new people, Ten would get quiet and he would shuffle a little bit behind Johnny, like he was trying to hide. But meeting new people was the part where Johnny excels. He isn't naturally a gregarious person, and he can be pretty awkward himself, but he likes listening to people and he knows the way to keep a conversation going is to ask the next leading question to get the other person to keep talking. Ten would then join in, like a dance routine that they've gotten down, each person knowing their own choreography and each other's. Johnny often felt Ten's discomfort in new settings dissipate once Johnny laid down the preliminary groundwork, felt it like he was attached to it too. In a way, he is.
Johnny checks the time. It's time to get back to work.
He gets home around half past five, knowing that Ten wouldn't be home until late. But there are still remnants of his presence, like his furry bunny slippers (a gift from Doyoung when he came to visit from Korea) laying haphazardly by the doorway from when he kicked them off to put on his shoes this morning, the glasses he wears at home on the coffee table and which he always misplaces because he forgets where he puts them all the time, and Johnny swears even the smell of Ten lingers around the apartment. It smells like the back of Ten's neck when Johnny burrows his face into it every morning, reluctant to get up. It smells like home. He makes dinner and puts a plate out for Ten when he comes in. He reads a novel he borrowed from the public library and then takes a shower, and watches some Netflix in the living room, trying to delay going to bed. He looks at the clock. It's inching towards ten and Ten still hasn't come home yet. He texts Ten to ask if everything is okay at work and resumes watching the documentary, but his mind wanders.
At half past ten, he finally hears Ten unlocking the door to their apartment. Ten pushes open the door, stumbling a little, pink in the face and eyes a little glassy.
"I'm sorry, Johnny, I just saw your text in the elevator," Ten says, grinning when he spots Johnny on the couch. "I went out for some drinks with the coworkers. Today has been a day."
Johnny purses his lips. He's trying to decide how he wants to address this. He's annoyed that Ten hadn't at least texted him to let him know that that's what he was doing, making Johnny worry for nothing, but he doesn't want a repeat of yesterday. Finally, he settles on, "I was worried."
Ten plops onto the couch and drapes himself over Johnny and it won't matter if it's the first time or another forty years from now when they're old and decrepit, but Johnny would forgive Ten anything when Ten is soft and clingy like this. Johnny puts a hand on Ten's back to steady him, and to keep him close.
"I'm sorry," Ten says, sounding truly contrite. "I didn't mean to make you worry. My coworkers and I wanted to go blow off some steam and I was going to text you...but then I forgot."
Johnny slips a hand under Ten's shirt to get to skin, and Ten sighs softly, laying his head down on Johnny's shoulder.
"Did you eat dinner yet?" Johnny asks, rubbing small circles onto Ten's lower back with his thumb. He feels Ten nod against his shoulder.
"But the food was shit," Ten says, giggling a little.
"I made a plate for you if you want," Johnny tells him.
Ten nods again, but doesn't make a move to get off Johnny. Finally he says quietly, "You're too good for me, Johnny."
Johnny tenses. They are back to that again. It had been the reason Ten said no when Johnny first proposed to him. "Ten," he says. "You're drunk. Let's just get you into the shower and into bed."
"You should be with someone who deserves you," Ten plows on, oblivious.
Johnny shifts Ten in his arms until he's sitting back upright and he slides his hands up to cup Ten's flushed cheeks, so he can be sure Ten is looking at him and paying attention to him. "Ten, I'm not going to have a conversation with you like this, you always get like this when you've been drinking, but I married you because I love you, I love you so damn much. You annoy the hell out of me and I'm sorry for yelling at you all the time-"
"You do yell at me a lot," Ten says meekly.
"Yeah, well, then you can throw a clock at me and then we can call it even," Johnny says, leaning in for a kiss. Ten tastes of the alcohol he drank, but his lips are soft and warm and they yield against Johnny's. The simple pleasure of kissing Ten will never get old, not just because it is Ten that's he's kissing, but even inebriated like this, Ten knows what he's doing and he always surprises Johnny. He nips and he licks and it isn't just his mouth or his tongue, but his hands, one of which grips Johnny's hair and pulls a little, just the way Johnny likes it.
"Can we," Ten is saying, his voice urgent as he tugs at Johnny's t-shirt. "Can we?"
Johnny really wants to, wants it so much, they never really have time or the energy to do it anymore until the weekends (when did that start to happen?), but he can't in good conscience have sex with Ten when he's like this. Besides, it's probably not going to be half as good as when Ten is sober. Ten is an active participant in bed. Right now, Ten looks like he's already nodding off to sleep. Drinking always makes him lethargic.
Johnny presses a lingering kiss to Ten's lips. "Maybe tomorrow?" He suggests.
Ten pouts in disappointment, which just makes Johnny want to kiss him some more. "Okay," Ten acquiesces, stumbling to his feet and heading for the bathroom. Johnny sits for a moment, willing his half hard-on to disappear before going to get a glass of water for Ten to drink when he gets out of the shower. He puts the plate he left out for Ten into the fridge. Maybe one of them can bring it to work tomorrow for lunch.
Ten seems more sober when he emerges from the bathroom in his jammies, steam billowing out from his super hot showers. He says the artificial humidity reminds him of being back home in Thailand during monsoon season. He slips into bed next to Johnny and gulps down the glass of water Johnny had left on the nightstand.
"I'm going to need to pee in the middle of the night, but I'll take that over the hangover tomorrow," Ten says gratefully. He puts the empty glass back down on the nightstand, next to the bottle of aspirin that Johnny had fished out of the drawer, and snuggles into Johnny. Johnny reaches over Ten to turn off the lights and envelops him in his arms. Johnny thinks this is the best part of marriage that makes everything else worth it, Ten in his arms, smelling fresh from his shower, soft, warm, and drowsy, and the promise that Johnny would get to have it again tomorrow and the day after that.
---
Wednesday
Johnny wakes early in the morning, always before Ten and the alarm clock, and sometimes he has to be the bad guy who has to wake Ten up to make sure he isn't late for work. He allows himself a moment to pull Ten closer to him, tucked right up against him, and presses his face into the nape of Ten's neck. Ten murmurs something unintelligible, but keeps sleeping.
Regretfully, Johnny rolls Ten over and starts pressing kisses to his face. If he has to wake Ten up, he might as well do it in the most pleasant way possible. Ten starts to stir, scrunching his face in irritation at being awaken. Johnny's heart never fails to lurch at the sight of sleepy, irritable Ten.
"I'm awake, I'm awake," Ten finally says, groaning. "Fuck, it's only Wednesday." He peels away from Johnny and rolls over onto his stomach and gets on his knees, but keeps his head on the pillow, so that his butt is in the air.
"That's not getting up," Johnny chides, preemptively turning off the alarm clock before it rings and rolling out of bed to get ready. He can't resist the urge to swat at Ten's behind along the way.
Ten groans some more, but finally gets out of bed. They brush their teeth together in the bathroom, Ten still trying to put in more sleep by closing his eyes and leaning against Johnny while he brushed.
Johnny thinks he already knows the answer, but he asks anyway. "Do you have to stay late again today?" He asks, changing into his work clothes and watching Ten hop around the bedroom, trying to put his pants on. His coordination deteriorates when he's sleepy.
"I'll try to get off early," Ten says, finally progressing enough to zip up his fly. "I'll tell them it's our anniversary or something."
"Wasn't that the excuse you used last week?" Johnny feels the need to point out.
"Yeah, but that was our wedding anniversary," Ten replies. "Which it really wasn't, but they don't have to know that. This week is the anniversary of when you first saw my ass and decided that you wanted to tap that."
Johnny bursts out laughing at Ten's abrupt vulgarity.
"What?" Ten says blithely, breezing past Johnny to grab a piece of wheat toast in the kitchen, his customary breakfast. He gets his coffee free at work. "It's a nice ass."
Johnny follows Ten out to start making the coffee for himself. He gets to go to work a little later than Ten, a fact that will probably forever irk Ten, unless he changes his job, which Johnny sometimes wishes he would. They run him to the ground over there. "Well, it's an alright ass," Johnny says, noncommittal. "Let me know if they actually let you get away with that excuse. Then we can go out to celebrate our anniversary of when I wanted to tap that ass."
"Can we really?" Ten asks, perking up. "I feel like we haven't gone out on a proper date in a while. You finally agree to marry a guy and suddenly he's done wooing you."
Johnny puts his hands on his hips in mock anger. "Hey, why do I have to be the one wooing you? Sometimes this guy likes to be wooed too."
"Alright, alright, fine," Ten says, giving in quickly, probably because he knows it's true. "I'll do some wooing. Prepared to be wooed tonight at 5:30 sharp. I'll come pick you up at work. If they ask me to stay, I'll tell them I have some serious wooing to do if I want to save my marriage."
"The word woo is starting to sound weird," Johnny says.
"Yeah, it is," Ten agrees. "But I mean it. Get ready to be wooed so hard, you don't know what hit you." He slips on his shoes and walks over to peck Johnny on the lips before hurrying out the door. "See you later, handsome."
Johnny pours himself a cup of coffee and drinks it standing up while reading the news from his phone. He's excited about getting wooed tonight, remembering when he first wanted to woo Ten.
It had been several weeks since Ten first started sitting with him to study and gradually, they started talking about more stuff than simply exchanging pleasantries. He learned that Ten is originally from Thailand and wanted to come here to study, that the first several months were rough because he didn't know anyone but Doyoung had struck up a conversation with him and the good thing about Doyoung was that he had a large group of other friends who also took a liking to Ten.
Johnny didn't exactly remember when it started, but his objective fascination with Ten became more personal. Ten is like an onion, with more layers to peel back. He wasn't just simply Ten, Doyoung's gregarious friend. He was also Ten, the guy whose smile could light up a room, Ten the student who had to worry about his visas expiring and becoming Ten the Grouch because of it, Ten who challenged Johnny with just the tilt of his smile and the mischievous glint in his eyes, whom he could talk to for hours but also spend the same amount of time in companionable silence, and Ten, whom Johnny wanted to protect.
When he finally got up the courage to ask Ten out, Ten gave him that same brilliant smile and said, "Took you long enough." And kissed him.
The rest of the day is going to be a slog to get through until 5:30. He might as well get started.
At exactly 4:15, Johnny gets a call from Ten on his cell phone. "What's going on, bub?" He says.
"Hey, Johnny," Ten says, sounding hesitant. Johnny's heart sinks, knowing already what is coming. "We're at the tail end of the project and Jim thinks we can get it done by tonight if I stay-"
"I get it, Jim says jump and you say how high," Johnny blurts out before he can stop himself.
Ten goes silent. "That's not really fair of you," he finally says, quiet and icy. "You've been criticizing my job since day one-"
"Because they work you to death over there," Johnny retorts. "And guess what, despite how much they make you work and what they put you through, how come I'm still the person making more money here? It's not fair to you-"
"Oh, so this is what it's about," Ten snaps. "The fact that I don't bring home as much money as you and you have to take care of expenses-"
"That's not what I meant and you know it," Johnny says wearily. "Alright, I have to get back to work. Can we talk about this when we get home?"
"No, I'm not going home tonight," Ten says, anger still simmering like boiling acid in his voice. "I'm staying over at Taeil's. I don't know why I expected you to understand." He hangs up on Johnny.
Johnny jabs at his phone to get out of the call screen and for the little catharsis it offers to jab at something and tosses the phone onto his desk, rubbing his eyes in frustration. He knows he's majorly screwed up but still, he doesn't regret telling Ten what he had been thinking for a long time about his job. They take advantage of Ten's work ethic and his inability to discern what his own limits are. Johnny still remembers the knee injury Ten sustained that put an end to his dance hobby, just because he ignored the gnawing pain of his knee until it was too late. On top of that, sometimes Ten would come home tired and stressed out and he'd take it out on Johnny, which Johnny doesn't think is fair for himself either. And he's tired of always being the one who breaks and apologizes first. Especially when he knows he's right this time.
One of his work colleagues, Wendy, pops her head into his office, sees the look on his face, and says quickly before hurrying away, "I'll come back later."
So, instead of being wooed, Johnny goes home at 5:30 to an empty apartment and an absent, pissed off Ten who has decided to seek solace with someone else. How did the day that started out so promising go so wrong? Because Johnny had to go and open his stupid mouth. It certainly isn't the first time.
He debates for a moment before giving Taeil a call.
"I'm so sorry about this," is the first thing Johnny says to Taeil when he picks up.
Taeil laughs quietly into the phone. "It's no bother and I don't get to see Ten enough as it is. It's nice when he visits."
"Hey, you're not the only one who barely gets to see him anymore," Johnny says bitterly. "Has he even gotten to your place yet?"
"Yeah, not really," Taeil admits. "He said he probably won't be able to get off work until 9 at the earliest."
"This is fucking ridiculous," Johnny can't help but say, frustration welling up again.
"Give Ten some time," Taeil says, his voice soothing enough to dispel some of Johnny's irritation. "I'll try to work on him too. I don't think this job is very healthy for him either."
"Thanks, hyung, you're the best," Johnny says gratefully. He and Taeil chat a little more about how the rest of the guys are doing before hanging up.
Johnny goes through the motions of the rest of the night, distracted and missing Ten, despite himself. He's still a little pissed off that Ten refuses to listen to him, especially when it's for his own good and that he had misinterpreted Johnny's intentions. But he feels Ten's absence like a physical thing.
The bed is too big and empty without Ten. He remembers the first night after they had finally set everything up in their new apartment and got to rest after the whirlwind of the last few days.
Ten had shoved at Johnny. "You're taking up so much room on the bed. Why are you so huge?"
Johnny rolled over onto his side, propped his head up with his hand, and smirked pointedly at Ten. Ten flushed pink, even though they'd just come off their honeymoon and had done some unspeakable things. He scowled at Johnny. "You know what I mean. And honestly," Ten said with a growing wicked grin. "Don't be so self-flattering when you don't have a reason to be."
"Okay, now you've just crossed a line," Johnny swore, lunging for Ten, who emitted a high pitched squawk and tried to fight Johnny off, but being big has its advantages.
Johnny trapped Ten on the bed, pinning Ten's wrists above his head. Ten was flushed a deeper pink from the roughhousing and it did things to Johnny. He leaned down to kiss him and Ten met him halfway.
Johnny groans and picks up his phone from the nightstand and starts to type. I'm an asshole (again). I'm sorry. Please call me.
He's such a pushover when it comes to Ten, but he can't help it. There is no scientific or logical explanation for it, except that Johnny is well and truly whipped.
---
Thursday
Johnny spends the night tossing and turning in bed, sleep elusive, that by the time he has to get up, he knows he's pretty much fucked for the rest of the day. He checks his phone to see if Ten had replied back at all during the night. The screen remains despairingly devoid of messages. Ten's stubbornness includes his infuriating ability to hold a grudge.
Johnny takes to compulsively checking his phone every few minutes through the day, at the conference meeting, at his desk during lunch, chatting with Wendy, as he is drinking his third cup of coffee of the day, until at three in the afternoon, when a new message notification pops up on his phone. He almost drops his phone in the hurry to read the message.
I'm coming home tonight, it simply says.
It's not a definitive sign of forgiveness, but it's a step forward. He'll take what he can get. He makes a few attempts to text what he thinks is an appropriate response, deleting each of them, until he settles on, See you soon.
Throughout the rest of the day, he experiences the strange sensation of feeling both dread and anticipation of going home to Ten. He hates fighting with Ten, always had. What he hates most about it is that it feels like having to reset their relationship back to zero after a huge fight, both of them hesitant and wary around each other and having to learn how to trust each other again.
Despite this, he hurries home, wanting to see Ten again at the very least. Whatever happens next, he'll take it as long as he gets to see him again.
The apartment is still empty when Johnny gets home, but that is to be expected, and the latent anger Johnny feels toward Ten's job threatens to flair up again. He cleans up the apartment in an effort to put his nervous energy to some kind of use, picking up things scattered around the apartment, but it only serves to remind him how much of Ten's presence is around the apartment and how it permeates Johnny's own existence. Ten's glasses are now perched on the kitchen counter, precariously close to the stovetop. Johnny doesn't even want to know how it ended up there. He takes it and brings it back out to the living room to the coffee table in front of their couch, places it down next to Johnny's battered copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude. Ten's jacket and scarf are slung over the back of the couch and Johnny picks them up to hang in their bedroom closet, next to Johnny's own button down shirts. There's Ten's sketchbook on top of the laundry hamper in the bathroom, which again, Johnny will not question how it got there. He takes it back out to the living room to put it next to the glasses.
Finally, he hears the sound of the door being unlocked and Ten pushing it open. They both freeze when they see each other, like two deers in headlights.
"Hey," Johnny finally says. He feels like he's trying not to spook a scared animal.
Ten closes and locks the door behind him. "Hi," he replies quietly. An awkward silence follows.
"Have you eaten yet?" Johnny says, trying to move past the cautious truce they seem to have mutually and silently agreed upon.
Ten shakes his head as he kicks off his shoes and takes a seat on the couch, bringing his feet up under him so it seems like he's curling in around himself. "I'm not really that hungry anyway." He pauses, then looks up at Johnny with big, imploring eyes, as if pleading to Johnny not to hurt him. Every and any reservation in Johnny crumbles.
"I shouldn't have said those things," Johnny says. "I'm really sorry. Your work is your business and I shouldn't have butted in-"
"No, you're right," Ten suddenly pipes up. Johnny is so surprised, he sputters, "I am?"
Ten hides a small smile behind his hand, but the crinkles of his eyes give him away. "Don't try to bullshit the bullshitter, Johnny. I know you think you've been right all along." His smile vanishes just as quickly as it appeared and he looks so tired that Johnny wants to take him to bed and just let him sleep.
"I was thinking about it last night after I talked to Taeil," Ten continues. "And I thought about what you said, and yeah, I guess I was being kind of defensive about the fact that I don't make as much as you-"
"Ten," Johnny says, wanting to absolutely make himself clear that it is never his intention to belittle Ten's contribution to their finances.
"No, I know," Ten interrupts him. "I know you don't mean it like that and I know you're just trying to look out for me. I was so angry at first, I didn't see that." He snuffles and rubs his nose and wraps his arms around his legs. He looks so small and vulnerable, every fiber in Johnny wants to reach out and offer comfort. Ten continues. "I really do want to quit this job. I'm so tired all the time, but I don't have another job lined up and this one takes up so much of my time and energy, I can't go out to look for another one while I'm at this one."
"So quit your job and then you'll have the time," Johnny points out.
"But then I won't be bringing in any income," Ten says. He scrunches up his face. "And being unemployed...in this economy?" He sighs and it's as if he's finally allowing himself to peel back that final layer hiding his true thoughts and fears. "I'm so scared that I won't be able to find another job. The people at this job, they need me, and it feels good to be useful, but what if I can't find another job and I'm just hanging around here being a useless lump and then you'll have to pick up the slack and I'm just going to be a burden-"
Johnny gives up trying to respect Ten's personal space and he takes the two large steps to kneel and pull Ten into his arms. Ten is trembling, but he clings to Johnny like a lifeline. "Listen to me," Johnny says fiercely, because he needs to make Ten understand. "You don't need to be gainfully employed to be 'useful.' And what the fuck does it mean to be 'useful' anyway-"
"Okay, here we go," Ten murmurs, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"-but capitalism telling us that we only deserve to live if we serve a purpose," Johnny continues, undeterred. "And that's just bullshi-"
"Okay, okay, okay," Ten says, exasperated. "Jesus, I wish you were this eloquent when you were yelling at me in the first place, then maybe we wouldn't have gotten into this fight. And FYI, Taeil is way better at the communication thing than you. I don't know why I didn't marry him."
"Because I'm devilishly handsome?" Johnny suggests, putting on what he hopes is his most smarmy face. Ten looks unimpressed.
And still worried.
"Look," Johnny says, rubbing Ten's arms. "I'll support any choice you make. If you wanna stay at the job, stay, but if you want to leave, do it and don't look back. I said I will take care of you in our marriage vows, right?"
Ten's face softens, but he still looks indecisive. "I know, but I don't want to be taken care of. I'm an independent man who needs no-"
"Really?" Johnny says dryly, giving Ten a wry look. "You're really going to say that to my face?"
Ten grins cheekily at Johnny that Johnny has to lean in for a kiss. It's only a gentle brush of lips, Johnny doesn't want to ask for more than Ten could give right now, but Ten presses in, unfolding himself from his self-preserving position to unravel himself to Johnny. It's a trust that Johnny really tries hard not to lose, but he isn't perfect. Neither of them are.
"I think," Ten breathes, his hands roaming restlessly across Johnny's shoulders and then his chest. "I think I promised some wooing."
Johnny swallows hard. "You're not even going to take me out to dinner and a movie first?" He asks, trying to keep his voice even. "Where did the romance go?"
Ten laughs softly under his breath. "A dinner and a movie...in this economy?"
"Okay, you have a point," Johnny says hurriedly, hooking his arms under Ten's thighs and hefting him into his arms as he stands up. Taken off guard by this, Ten yelps and wraps his arms around Johnny's neck for balance. But his expression of panic soon gives way to an impressed look.
"Alright, now I'm beginning to remember why I married you," Ten says. "It's the wall sex."
Johnny presses a line of kisses down Ten's neck as he walks blindly towards the direction of their bedroom, Ten's limbs wrapped around him. "Did you want to do that today?"
Ten shakes his head. "I'm kinda tired. I might just lie back and let you do all the work." He must've noticed the incredulous look on Johnny's face because he takes one look at it and bursts out laughing.
"Now I know why you married me," Ten murmurs with a hint of amusement and smugness in his voice.
Johnny actually feels his face turn beet red. "It's not the only reason," he insists. They finally make it to the bed surprisingly without serious injury and he lowers Ten onto the bed gently, all the while kissing him. Ten kisses back enthusiastically, winding his hand through Johnny's hair and tugging lightly, just enough for Johnny to feel it, get turned on by it. The thing about sex is that besides the obvious enjoyment derived from it, Johnny learns new things about himself and Ten from it, and trusting each other with that knowledge. Even after all this time, he still has new things to learn.
He draws away just far enough to start undressing Ten, first unbuttoning his dress shirt, taking his time. They have the whole night and neither of them feels the urgency that was so prevalent when they first started dating. They couldn't keep their hands off each other in the beginning. They still have those moments, but time has tempered their desire into something more patient and more profound because of it.
He feels Ten suck in a breath as he lightly passes a hand over one of Ten's nipples, teasing. Johnny leans down and presses his tongue to it, flicking at it lightly. Ten sighs softly, still scratching lightly at Johnny's scalp, and arches slightly to offer more of himself to Johnny, trying to chase the pleasure. Johnny gives it to him, pressing his tongue harder against the nub and biting down on it with the slightest pressure of teeth. Ten jerks a little and gasps at that, and a soft moan escapes him.
Johnny kisses a line down Ten's stomach, which hasn't changed much over the years except for that small scar from his emergency appendectomy. Ten had ignored the pain until his appendix had burst because it was finals week of their last year. He was rushed to the hospital right after the last exam was turned in. Johnny had been so angry and had never been so scared in his life when they were operating on Ten. Everytime he sees this scar, it reminds him of how close he had gotten to losing Ten and how he saw with devestating clarity what his life would be like without him.
He moves past the scar, sitting up, and sets about removing Ten's pants, slipping his boxer briefs down his legs slowly, wanting to tease out the moment. He is still fully clothed, but tonight's about Ten. He shifts further down the bed and bends down and tilts Ten's cock into his mouth.
"Oh," Ten breathes out. "Oh, oh god." He squirms a little and his grip on Johnny's hair tightens.
He lets Ten fuck his mouth, taking him deeper with each thrust, keeping a hand tight around the base of Ten's cock. When he could feel Ten's breath hitching quicker and quicker until he's sure Ten's about to come, he slides Ten's cock out of his mouth, which earns him a drawn out whine. There is a sheen of sweat glistening on Ten's skin and he stares back at Johnny as if he's looking at him again for the first time. He is so beautiful, laid out like this for Johnny.
Johnny starts unbuttoning his own shirt and Ten sits up to help him, distracting him with kisses. Johnny's progress with taking his own clothes off falters as he kisses back, unable to resist. Eventually, they manage to get Johnny's shirt off and then his undershirt and their hands entangle together, trying to unzip his pants. Their wedding rings clink together. They finally get his pants and boxers off and fall back onto the bed, Ten clinging to Johnny, his body a long line of heat and soft skin. Johnny gasps into Ten's mouth at the contact.
Ten pushes Johnny away and turns over onto his stomach, tilting his head back just enough to offer Johnny a teasing smile. Johnny leans down to press a brief kiss to the edge of that maddening smile and reaches over to get the lube from the drawer of the nightstand.
He lets Ten get used to his touch, rubbing into the crease of Ten's ass with coated fingers, but going no further. Once he can feel Ten relax into it, he slips the tip of his finger in further, Ten instinctively tensing again. He waits until Ten starts relaxing again before moving on, and it's this stop-and-start dance that helps Johnny get used to what he thinks is an intrusion of somebody's body, however welcome it maybe, more so than it really does anything for Ten. Ten loves rough sex when he's in the mood for it and he'd goad Johnny until his restraint snaps, but he's also willing to let Johnny go slow, enjoying the build-up. Johnny knows he's a prude by most standards, but that's just the way he is, and Ten still loves him for it.
He prepares Ten until Ten is squirming under him and he can fit three fingers with ease. He pulls them out slowly and squeezes more lube into the palm of his hand to prepare himself, a sharp intake of breath at the contact of the lube against his cock.
He drapes himself over Ten, who can probably feel his pounding heart. Ten shifts his hips up a little, offering himself to Johnny. Johnny sinks into Ten's tight heat with a groan, Ten reaching back to clutch at Johnny's neck for purchase as Johnny starts thrusting.
"Johnny," Ten gasps between sharp exhales of air each time Johnny snaps his hips. "God, you feel so good."
Johnny moans into Ten's neck at the praise and it spurs him on, sliding a hand down Ten's stomach to wrap a hand around his cock, stroking to the rhythm of his thrusts. Ten whines between the clench of his teeth, snapping his hips back to meet Johnny's.
Johnny can feel the slick sweat between them and he wants to submerge himself in this moment forever, but the pleasure is threatening to overwhelm him and he gasps for more air, trying to stave off his orgasm.
Without warning, Ten says, "Stop, stop."
Johnny freezes, thinking he's hurt Ten, and the thought snowballs when Ten drops to his stomach on the bed, Johnny's cock slipping out of him, and turns around. His cheeks are flushed pink from the sex and his hair is a mess, sweat drenched and wild. He's the beginning and end of Johnny. He flashes Johnny an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, my arms were getting tired," Ten says.
Johnny lets out a sigh of relief, but also of exasperation. "Oh my god, you scared me. I thought I hurt you-"
He's cut off by Ten's lips on his, and he can feel Ten's arms wrap around his neck to draw him down. "You can never hurt me, Johnny, even when you're trying to hurt me and I'm telling you to," Ten says.
"Hey," Johnny protests weakly between presses of lips. He slips back into Ten and Ten gasps wetly into his mouth, whispering, "Yes, yes, yes."
Johnny hates to admit it, because it's embarrassing as hell, but this is his favorite position because he thinks it's the most intimate, face to face, the closest he can be with Ten without actually being absorbed into his body. All the points of their bodies align like stars in a constellation. It feels right.
He hitches his knees further up the bed to get better traction, snapping his hips harder and faster. Ten starts letting out these little sharp cries, his brows knitted with pleasure-pain, his hands scrabbling restlessly over Johnny's shoulders. Johnny gets his hand on Ten's cock again, and with a few more thrusts and the twisting of Johnny's hand, Ten throws his head back, squeezes his eyes shut, and comes with a audible gasp, spasming around Johnny's cock. Johnny slows his thrusting, but doesn't stop, wanting to help Ten ride it out. Ten stares up at Johnny, transfixed, his breathing ragged.
"Now you," Ten murmurs after he has caught his breath, lifting his head to nip at Johnny's ear and pressing a line of kisses, alternating with gentle bites, down to the juncture of Johnny's neck and shoulders. He wiggles his hips for added emphasis. Johnny buries his face into Ten's neck and starts thrusting again, now letting the pleasure take him over instead of holding it back. He thrusts deep into Ten, as deep as he can go, and comes with a grunt into Ten's skin.
Ten shoves at Johnny to get off him, but just as soon as Johnny rolls over onto his back with an apologetic grunt, Ten flops on him with what seems to be the last of his energy. Johnny knows how that feels. He wraps his arm around Ten and hooks a leg over his. The lamp on the side of the bed cast a soft glow, Johnny and Ten coccooned in its light. It's quiet.
Ten sighs softly, his breath tickling Johnny's collarbone. "I won't even know who I am if I'm not working," he admits.
"You're Ten," Johnny says, "You're everything to me."
"I don't know how you can say some of these things with a straight face," Ten says, lifting his head to laugh in Johnny's face.
"That's because I'm not," Johnny says with a smirk. Ten shoves him playfully and shakes his head, but he looks pleased and appeased, so it's worth it even if Ten laughs at him.
---
Friday
In the morning, they DO have wall sex in the shower. Ten is still loose from last night and they fuck unhurriedly and languidly, his legs wrapped around Johnny. The water gets into their eyes, but it's warm and comfortable in there, and Johnny gets to lick the water off Ten as he takes him to the brink, Ten shuddering and coming in his arms.
"Fuck, I'm going to be late for work," Ten says, but he's giggling and in no hurry to get out of the shower as he clings to Johnny. "But I can't even bring myself to care."
"Well, good," Johnny says smugly.
They stumble out of the shower, drying themselves off and getting dressed for work. Johnny isn't expecting Ten to make a decision right away about quitting his job, but he hopes he does.
They leave for work together this time, Johnny watching Ten shoot off a text to his workmates in the elevator that he is going to be late but he's on his way, a piece of wheat toast dangling from his mouth. Before going their separate ways, Ten drags Johnny closer by his tie and thoroughly kisses him, right out in the middle of the street. It's great and Johnny has to take a moment to remember where he is and where he's supposed to be going by the time Ten pulls away.
"See you tonight, handsome," Ten says, grinning up at him.
"Let's go back to bed," Johnny suggests. "We'll call in sick today."
Ten snickers, then grows solemn. "I'll think about what you said," he says sincerely, pressing a quick kiss to Johnny's cheek. He sticks the wheat toast back into his mouth and with a final wave, heads off to work.
Johnny turns to walk in the opposite direction, feeling hopeful. He knows it's not going to solve all the problems in their marriage, but he had known that he was going to have to take the bad with the good when he asked Ten to marry him. In fact, it was Ten who told him.
It had been several months after their graduation from university. Ten's family, including his younger sister, had flown in to attend the graduation and Johnny finally got the chance to meet them. Ten had always been the one to fly back to Thailand to see his family during school breaks and each time, Johnny missed him terribly and worried that Ten would decide that he'd rather stay home because the visa situation was always so difficult and complicated and that Ten would finally decide it just wasn't worth it. That Johnny wasn't worth it to stay in a country that didn't seem to want him.
The fear grew after they graduated because there was now nothing to anchor Ten here. Ten could always decide to go back to Thailand to find work. In fact, many of their friends had returned back to their respective country of origin to seek their fortunes after college, armed with their university degrees. He wanted Ten to stay and he thought about it and waited on it for months, making sure that the decision he finally came to wasn't motivated by fear but by his commitment.
He planned to ask when they had a free night alone in the apartment they decided to rent together. It had been small and cramped, but it had been perfect all the same. They had just cleared the dishes after dinner and were hanging out on the couch in the living room, Johnny looking up from the book he was reading at Ten curled up against the arm of the couch, drawing in his sketchbook. He could stay here, sitting on this worn out secondhand couch, be here in this moment for the rest of his life and be content.
"Ten," he began. Ten looked up at him, his glasses drooping down the bridge of his nose. He pushed them back up again. "Hm?" Ten murmured distractedly.
"Will you marry me?" Johnny asked, his heart pounding.
Johnny watched Ten's eyes instantly focus behind the lens, staring at Johnny in shock. He didn't say anything for a moment, and Johnny could also see the different emotions play across Ten's face, and then he saw Ten's face harden. "No," Ten finally said.
Johnny was expecting a lot of things, even a no for an answer, but for it to actually happen, he didn't know what to say next. He hadn't thought to prepare that far for a 'no' scenario. "No?" He stammered.
Ten looked torn and Johnny recognized the expression on his face as pain. It occurred to Johnny that Ten didn't actually want to say no, but he couldn't understand why he did. "Why?" He asked.
Ten paused, biting at his lower lip and he wrapped his arms around him, curling his legs deeper within himself, as if he was trying to protect himself. "I-I don't think I'm ready to get married."
"Okay, that's fine," Johnny tried to say. He could respect that. They were still so young. "We'll wait-"
Ten shook his head, and Johnny felt himself go numb. He felt like he was having an out of body experience where the corporeal version of him would now have to live on in a world where Ten never really loved him, not in the way that Johnny loved him. He didn't know if he could survive that.
"I'm sorry, Johnny," Ten said. "I don't want you to make a decision you will regret."
Johnny felt his body and whatever out-of-body version of himself snap back into one. "What are you talking about?" He said, confused. "I'm not going to regret asking you to marry me-"
"You may not regret it now, especially since I just had a near death experience," Ten said. "But I know you, and I know myself. You're not thinking straight right now."
"Wait, wait, wait, hold the phones," Johnny says, not really understanding at all. It was like Ten was speaking another language. "You don't want to marry me because you think I'm still freaking out about your appendicitis? Or do you not want to marry me because you don't love me like that?"
"Of course I love you," Ten blurted out, but he jerked back and covered his mouth with his hands, as if he hadn't meant to say it.
"Ten," Johnny said slowly, not sure if he wanted to laugh or cry. This was so ridiculous and he kind of wanted to shake Ten into his senses again. "Your near death experience was like months ago. Don't you think I would've recovered by now from my 'throes of emotions', going by your reasoning?"
Ten shrugged with slumped shoulders and looked away, back down on his sketchbook. "When I woke up after the surgery, I saw the look on your face and you were so angry with me. I don't want you to ever look at me like that again, but I know you will. I thought you would never forgive me. I can't stop being who I am and neither can you-"
"But I'm not asking you to change-"
"Well, we're going to have to if the marriage is going to work," Ten says. "Or at least, I'm going to have to."
First of all, Johnny couldn't believe that a marriage proposal had turned into an argument. And maybe this was what Ten meant, that their marriage would not survive the fights and disagreements that they were going to have, or the differences in their personalities, but if they've survived through it so far, what difference would marriage make?
"Alright, alright, alright," Johnny said, holding up his hand. He felt emotionally wrung out, but he was going to go down fighting if he had to. "If you don't want to marry me, I can respect that, but I just want to say this: I want to marry you because I love you. I will always love you. I will love you when you're being a pain in my ass and I will love you when we piss each other off, and I will love you even if we don't get married and you decide you'd rather be with someone else-"
He didn't even see Ten move, it was so quick, but he's suddenly being kissed and he could feel a wetness between their faces. He realized that Ten was crying. Reluctantly, he cupped Ten's face and pulled away. Ten looked back at him, his face a teary mess and the most beautiful thing Johnny has ever seen.
Ten shook his head and huffed out a quiet laugh through his tears. "You're so stupid. I don't want to be with anyone else."
"Well...good," Johnny said, dazed and wanting to lean in to kiss Ten again.
Ten still looked indecisive. "I really do want to marry you-"
"Then marry me."
Ten bit his lower lip again and looked back up at Johnny. "Okay."
Johnny started laughing, giddy. "Try to sound a little less enthusiastic about it."
A smile appeared slowly on Ten's face, like a sunrise. "Yes, okay, I will marry you, Johnny," he said, his voice trembling, eyes welling up with fresh tears. "You can't get rid of me now."
The wedding had been small and intimate, only close friends and family. They waited until Ten's family and also many of Johnny and Ten's friends from university were able to clear their schedules and fly back to attend it. They had the ceremony in the backyard of Johnny's childhood home, his mom planning everything down to perfection.
"Just leave it to me, kiddo," she had said. "You've got bigger stuff to worry about."
They did have bigger things to worry about. They had to worry about Ten's residential status in the country. Despite same sex marriage being made legal, Ten and Johnny found out the hard way at the time that it didn't guarantee Ten permanent citizenship. The granting of legal same sex marriage had just been superficial without any of the benefits afforded to straight marriage. Ten and Johnny decided to get married anyway and hoped for the best. After a few years and several notable court cases in the news, Ten's immigration lawyer finally informed them that Ten's citizenship status has been expedited because of his marriage to Johnny. He still had a few more additional steps to take and more waiting before it was official, but he finally obtained citizenship last year.
"Thanks to you, I'm no longer Thai," Ten had said with an aggrieved sniff.
"Yep, you get to be a terrible American just like the rest of us," Johnny replied cheerfully.
They had weathered through so much, and there has been bad days and good days, but Johnny discovered that the biggest difference in being married is that it really was what made them their true selves around each other. He saw to the very core of Ten and the person he is, all his imperfections and habits, his many moods and whims, and still loved him. Johnny doesn't think he would ever stop, nor does he know how to.
Ten is already home when Johnny gets back after work. He is curled up on the couch again, in a sweatshirt that belongs to Johnny, so it hangs loose on him, the sleeves drooping. He looks shell shocked as he looks up at Johnny. Johnny instantly knows.
"You gave your two weeks notice," Johnny states, his heart leaping.
Ten nods wordlessly. Johnny walks over and wraps his arms around Ten, who burrows into him. They don't say anything.
Finally, Ten whines sadly into Johnny's shirt. "I won't even be able to get unemployment benefits, or severance pay," he says miserably. "This is all your fault, Johnny."
"I know, I know," Johnny says, rubbing Ten's back, trying to provide the comfort that he knows is not going to be enough.
"They didn't even try to get me to stay," Ten continues. "I feel so used. This is worse than the boyfriend I had before you."
"I know," Johnny says, although it pains him to hear about how Ten has been hurt in the past and how he's hurting now. He doesn't talk about that past relationship much, saying that Johnny has totally made up for it so he's all healed now, thank you very much.
"I'm happy, but I'm also sad," Ten says. "What am I going to do with my life now?"
Johnny thinks about it. "Let's go on a vacation," he suggests. "This is the perfect time. I still have all my paid time off available and I need to use it before the year ends. Let's leave after your two weeks are up. In fact, don't even bother to show up to work on Monday."
Ten lifts his head and blinks up at Johnny with a skeptical arch of his brow. "Where are we going to go on such short notice? We have nothing booked." He pauses. "But then again, that does sound pretty good right now. I could use a vacation."
"Yeah?" Johnny says, hopeful. "I'll look into some stuff over the weekend and make some calls. It doesn't have to be far. Maybe we'll take a road trip to my family."
Ten visibly perks up. "It would be nice to see your mom again," he says. "Best mother-in-law ever. Maybe I should put that on a mug or a t-shirt and give it to her. I don't know why I haven't done that before."
"Don't," Johnny warns. "She'll be insufferable, more so than she is already."
"You're not the boss of me," Ten says. "Besides, this is payback because my dad likes you more than he likes me. His own son! When are you going to bring Johnny back to Thailand? Is Johnny okay? How is Johnny doing? Make sure he's eating well. What about me, dad? Oh, well you. You just make sure you don't do something that will make Johnny divorce you."
Johnny is already starting to laugh in the middle of the tirade, his whole body shaking trying to hold it back. "He knows you so well," he says. Ten makes a noise of outrage and Johnny has to protect himself from Ten half-heartedly hitting him. He catches Ten's hands and leans in to kiss him. Ten instantly goes slack, kissing back. It's Ten who deepens the kiss, making it wet and intense, pulling his hands from Johnny's grasp only to scrabble at the knot of Johnny's tie, trying to loosen it.
Johnny breaks off the kiss, but he's panting and so turned on. "We should eat first," he says, trying to be sensible. He doesn't want Ten to skip another night of dinner.
Ten doesn't look like he's too keen on the idea, but his stomach answers for him with a growl. "Fuck, okay, fine," Ten says, looking down at his stomach like it betrayed him. He leaps up from the couch and prances into the kitchen. Johnny leans back on the couch and then sits back up again.
"Make sure you wash your hands," he hollers.
"I didn't wash my hands the ONE time," Ten yells back. "I can't believe you won't let me forget it. Fuck you." But Johnny can hear the running of water as Ten turns the tap on.
After dinner, Johnny washes the dishes, but Ten makes it increasingly difficult for him to finish, snuggling into him and tiptoeing to press tantalizing kisses down his jaw, getting handsy.
"Ten, you have to let me finish," Johnny manages to say, almost dropping a bowl when Ten slides his hand underneath his shirt.
"Okay," Ten says, but he doesn't take his hand away. In fact, his hand slides lower.
"You are a fucking menace," Johnny accuses.
"Thanks," Ten says cheerfully. Johnny finally places the last plate on the rack to dry, wipes his hands on the dish towel, and then he turns to shove Ten against the counter.
"Oh," Ten only has time to say before Johnny leans down to kiss him. Johnny nips petulantly at Ten's lips, pushing his tongue roughly into Ten's mouth. He can feel Ten's heartbeat speeding up. It's that kind of a night.
Johnny pulls Ten from the counter by the collar of his shirt and starts shoving him towards the direction of the bedroom. Ten is practically vibrating with excitement as he stares boldly back at Johnny, his eyes half lidded. When they finally get to the bed, Johnny pushes Ten onto the bed, the force of it causing Ten to bounce a little when his back hits the mattress. Johnny covers Ten with his body and resumes kissing him. His body still remembers last night and this morning with Ten and it revs up quickly, rutting against him, eager to get with the program.
They're quick and sloppy with taking off their clothes this time and at one point, Ten has a wardrobe malfunction where he gets stuck in his own skinny jeans.
"Why do you have to wear skinny jeans around the house?" Johnny says in exasperation, trying to help Ten get untangled. "Can't you wear sweatpants like the rest of us normal people?"
"I was trying to seduce you," Ten whines, growing more and more frustrated.
"You can wear sweatpants for that too, you know," Johnny argues, finally wrestling the pants off Ten's legs and throwing it behind him. Without much ceremony, he drags Ten's boxers down his legs and throws it behind him as well. It's the last piece of clothing to go. Ten wraps himself around Johnny like an octopus and resumes kissing him eagerly. Johnny moans into his mouth and his hand slides lower to grab at Ten's ass. Ten gasps and then he grins, Johnny feeling it against his lips.
"Oh, so that's how it's going to be, huh?" Ten says. "Turn around for me."
Oh, it's that kind of night. Johnny releases Ten and turns around to lie on his stomach, anticipation thrumming in his blood. He feels the mattress dip from side to side as Ten shifts...away and off the bed.
"Where are you going?" Johnny calls after Ten, confused and a little disappointed.
"Be back in a sec," Ten says, his voice muffled. He reappears a few seconds later with a wet washcloth in his hand. Ten gets back on the bed and pats Johnny's butt cheeks.
"Welcome to your prostate exam," Ten says. "I will first clean the area in question, and then I will perform the examination...with my tongue."
"I don't know if I'm feeling this role-play, Dr. Ten," Johnny admits, but his heart leaps at the thought of what Ten is going to do. It's something that he personally is not entirely comfortable with doing, but he's willing if Ten asks him.
He feels the gentle prodding of the warm, wet towel as Ten begins cleaning him out and automatically clenches. He tries to relax and after a while, he gets used to the feeling enough to enjoy the process because Ten is taking care of him this time.
"Okay, done," Ten finally says. Johnny feels the bed shift again as Ten leans over to put the towel on the nightstand. He yields easily when Ten moves him into position and hears the smooth rustling of Ten's skin against the sheets as he bends over. Ten doesn't do anything more than breathe against that area first, letting Johnny get used to it. Johnny grips the sheets so hard, his knuckles are white.
The first lick is shallow, but it shocks Johnny nevertheless. How could it not, when it's an act that seems so unnatural to Johnny? Ten pushes apart Johnny's cheeks and his tongue goes deeper with each swipe, a hot, wet brand against sensitive skin. Johnny gasps and squirms, the feeling overwhelming. He feels like he's been turned inside out by Ten.
He hears himself grunt and whimper and whine Ten's name, his own voice sounding distant in his ringing ears.
"I wonder," Ten says hoarsely, and Johnny can feel the vibrations of his voice against his hole. "I wonder if I can make you come just like this."
Johnny can't even form words at this point. He just nods frantically into the pillow. He doesn't know if Ten would actually be able to succeed, but Johnny's willing to let Ten try. He would let Ten do anything to him.
Ten goes back in, lapping at Johnny and probing in alternations, going as deep as he can. Johnny is dying. It's both too much and not enough.
Finally, he manages to say, not recognizing his own voice at all, "Ten, I can't, I can't-"
"Okay, okay," Ten says hurriedly, sensing Johnny's urgency. Johnny hears him shuffle around and the click of the lube opening. "Turn around for me again, Johnny."
It takes effort to do it, his body is so strung out from that experience, but Johnny rolls over. Ten's lips are red and swollen and when he runs his tongue across them as he stares back at Johnny, Johnny has to sit up to kiss him, but Ten turns away with a smile.
"You know where this mouth has been, right?" Ten asks.
"Yeah, my own asshole," Johnny replies. "Get the fuck over here and kiss me." He yanks him closer and fits his mouth against Ten's. Ten wraps his arms around Johnny and kisses back, plastering himself against Johnny. Johnny runs his hands over Ten's body, eager to touch. Ten pushes him onto his back again and grins at Johnny when he pulls away. He squeezes the lube onto his hand and starts to stroke his cock, prepping himself. Johnny swallows hard. Everything Ten does is so unbearably sexy.
"Alright, Mr. Suh, ready to be probed further?" Ten says with a smirk, getting into position, hovering over Johnny.
Okay, not everything he does is sexy. "Seriously, though, we need to work on that," Johnny says.
"Everyone's a critic," Ten replies, rolling his eyes. He starts sinking into Johnny, slowly and tortuously because Johnny is still pretty tight and he can't help but wince a little against the discomfort. Ten starts thrusting, sitting back on his heels to hit Johnny at a better angle, his body undulating. It reminds Johnny of when Ten used to film Youtube videos of dance covers back in college. Johnny used to get so turned on by the way Ten moved that he had to excused himself and get some fresh air, trying to will away his hard-on. It was embarrassing, but later Ten admitted that he was deliberately trying to provoke him, choosing the songs that he knew showed off his best moves and his best assets.
Johnny grasps for Ten's hands, which are braced against Johnny's thighs. Ten grips back, the veins in his arms strained against his skin. Johnny is hyperaware of every one of his senses, the feel of the sheets against his back with each thrust, the hot slide of Ten's cock inside him, the sound of Ten's whimpers and grunts and curses and the sound of his own cries, but his vision is narrowed down to the expression of Ten's face, lost in pleasure and concentration. When Ten hits that spot in Johnny, it comes as a surprise and Johnny's whole body spasms, and he gasps at the intensity in which he feels it.
"There it is," Ten grits out triumphantly, thrusting relentlessly again and again, speeding up, getting caught up in the momentum. Johnny feels the pleasure building within him, and lets himself be swept up in it, letting himself go. His body is no longer his own. It's belongs to Ten to do as he pleases. He feels himself arch his back and comes so hard, he whites out for a moment.
Distantly, he feels Ten still thrusting, but it's erratic and he can hear him groaning, ready for his turn too. Still dazed, Johnny has only enough energy to lift his hand to slide it up Ten's chest, rubbing the heel against his nipple, trying to stimulate Ten into coming. Ten gasps and leans into it.
"Come on, come on," Johnny is saying mindlessly. He clenches around Ten and that's what does it, Ten wailing like he's dying and with one last deep thrust, comes in Johnny. Ten's skin is glistening with sweat and his chest is heaving for air and he's leaning over Johnny, looking at him with wide, disbelieving eyes, like he can't quite believe what just happened. It's strange to think that no matter how many times they've done this, each one hits them like it's the first time.
Ten whimpers softly when he slips agonizingly slow out of Johnny. Ten lies down next to Johnny and Johnny has to pull him into his arms, no matter how filthy and sweaty it is between them. He presses a lingering kiss to Ten's forehead and just holds him. Ten makes a fuzzy, sleepy noise and curls into Johnny.
Johnny falls asleep to the sound of Ten's steady breathing and the beating of their hearts.
---
Saturday
They fuck again in the morning, Johnny waking up first and kissing a line down Ten's abdomen, his own body still thrumming with residual pleasure from last night, and feeling that satisfying ache in every part of his body every time he moves. He feels like he will never be satiated, but good thing it's the weekend. They have all day.
Ten is still sleeping when Johnny gets his mouth around Ten's cock, but he begins to stir, groaning softly. Johnny feels Ten slip a gentle hand through his hair and rest on his scalp, and it spurs him on. He hollows out his cheeks and rubs his tongue against the shaft and into the slit and takes him deeper still, to the back of his throat, trying to pull out all the tricks to make Ten go crazy. Ten moans louder this time, and Johnny can feel Ten's thighs start to tense and tremble around him. Ten is moving his legs restlessly, and one of them knocks into Johnny's shoulder, jostling him.
"Sorry," Ten says, laughing and groaning at the same time. His laughter trails off into quiet whimpers of Johnny's name. "I'm gonna, I'm gonna, fuck, Johnny." He arches his back and comes in Johnny's mouth with a strangled noise.
Johnny swallows and releases Ten's cock from his mouth, crawling up to sprawl over him, Ten's arms coming around to hold him. Johnny begins to rut against Ten languidly, sighing into his mouth.
"Good morning," Ten says teasingly. "That was some wakeup call."
"We try to provide excellent service around here," Johnny says in between little kisses to Ten's lips, like sips of precious water.
"Remind me to write a glowing review about it on Yelp later," Ten says, slipping a hand between them to wrap around Johnny's cock. Johnny fucks into it, the pressure and heat of Ten's hand just right. He chases after his orgasm and he grunts into Ten's mouth when he comes.
They lay there, Johnny's head resting on Ten's chest, catching their breath and enjoying the fact that they finally got to the weekend, with nothing that they have to rush to or separate them.
"What do we have to do today?" Ten finally asks, threading his fingers into Johnny's hair and massaging his scalp. Johnny leans into it like a cat being petted.
"Laundry," Johnny says, making a face that he knows Ten can't see but can probably feel the facial muscle changes against his chest. "I have to make plans for our vacation too. Also breakfast."
"Can't we stay in bed all day?" Ten asks.
"Or we can do that," Johnny agrees quickly. "There's always Sunday."
"I want to spend Sunday in bed too," Ten says petulantly.
"We at least gotta eat something," Johnny tries to point out, but he's feeling pretty amenable to the idea himself.
Ten hums, noncommittal. They doze on and off for a while until Johnny's stomach threatens to revolt, feeling the pangs of hunger. He reluctantly peels himself away from the still sleeping Ten, pressing a kiss to the smooth skin of his shoulder, and heads for the shower. Ten joins him in the middle of it, sliding the shower glass door open, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Johnny pulls him in and shuffles him around until he's directly under the shower head. Ten starts waking up in increments and he wraps his arms around Johnny's neck, tiptoeing up to kiss him.
"Will we ever take a normal shower together?" Johnny asks, laughing. But his hand are already sliding down Ten's chest, down his abdomen, to wrap around Ten's cock. Ten inhales sharply and his arms tighten around Johnny. Johnny watches for every minute reaction flashing across Ten's face as he strokes him leisurely, mesmerized. Ten's eyes when he tilts his face up to look at Johnny are dark and intense and his breathing grows shallower and harsher with each stroke until he finally sucks in a breath and comes with a small, surprised squeak. He falls into Johnny, who wraps his arms around him and holds him close.
Johnny reaches out to pick up the bar of soap from the shower caddy and starts sudsing Ten up with it.
"Are you ninja soaping me up?" Ten asks into the hollow of Johnny's collarbone.
"Mmhmm," Johnny murmurs.
"Thanks," Ten says gratefully.
Johnny also releases Ten long enough to scrub shampoo into his hair. Ten pouts at him when Johnny gets some in his eyes. Johnny laughs, but gently rubs it away under the water and presses a kiss to the tip of Ten's nose in apology.
When they finally get out of the shower, they're wrinkled like prunes but squeaky clean. They get dressed and strip the mattress of the dirty sheets and pillowcases to put in the hamper to bring down to the laundromat later. Ten puts on a new sheet while Johnny goes into the kitchen to scrounge around for breakfast.
They eat breakfast, curled up together on the couch while Johnny scrolls through his news feed online and Ten tries to take a picture of them that he's satisfied enough to put on his social media platforms. Every so often, he asks Johnny to lift his head and smile at the front facing camera, and Johnny obliges, sometimes making a face that has Ten giggling and saying, "I'm saving this one for a later post."
Ten shows Johnny some of the comments that seem to appear the moment Ten posts his pictures. He still has a following from his Youtube days and many of their friends from college follow Ten as a way of staying in touch. One of the comments is from Doyoung.
Ugh gross, but also good morning!
After breakfast, their mugs and plates emptied and standing side by side on the coffee table, Johnny kind of just wants to keep making out with Ten. He allows himself the indulgence of pulling Ten to him and kissing him lazily. It's Saturday, they're going to do everything lazily today. Ten holds Johnny's face in his hands and kisses back, stroking Johnny's jaw with his thumb. Ten tastes like the coffee they drank, but it's still pretty great, the feeling of Ten under him, his mouth soft and pliant. Sunlight from their east-facing window pours in in beams that move across the floor.
Ten looks wrecked by the time Johnny pulls away. Johnny really wants to take Ten back to bed and stay there the rest of the day, but there are chores that needs to be done. Including making plans for a vacation that would hopefully take Ten's mind off work for a little bit.
"You coming with me to the laundromat?" Johnny asks, getting up to grab the laundry from the hamper in their bathroom.
"Yeah, I guess, since it was supposed to be my turn this week," Ten replies. He helps Johnny load the laundry bags and they each carry one in their arms to the elevator. They say good morning to their upstairs neighbor when they get into the elevator and Ten coos over her dog, whom she is taking down for a walk.
"She had a litter about two months ago and I have one pup left to give away," the neighbor says. "Would you be interested in having a dog?"
Ten snaps his head up to look pleadingly at Johnny, a big, hopeful smile on his face.
"We'll talk about it," Johnny says, trying to be sensible. Ten calls him a wet blanket sometimes, especially when Johnny won't let him do something or other, but he's just trying to offset Ten's impulsiveness.
They bid goodbye to the neighbor and promise to contact her soon with their answer, and start walking in the direction of the laundromat.
"Pleeeeeaaaase, can we get a dog?" Ten begs, bouncing up and down in excitement. "I promise I'll do all the work, especially since I'm unemployed now."
It's not that Johnny doesn't like pets nor does he think it's a bad idea. He just prefers not to make hasty decisions without considering all aspects first. He needs to figure out the logistics of having one, especially since they both work full time, but with Ten staying at home for the time being while looking for another job, maybe it is a good idea to get one to keep him company. Keep them company.
"Okay," he finally says.
Ten perks up. "What, really?" He exclaims, that brilliant smile spreading across his face. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou. You won't regret it." He somehow manages to jump up with the laundry load still in his arms to peck Johnny's cheek and runs ahead into the laundromat.
Ten's enthusiasm is infectious and after they had loaded the machines and it's whirring away, they sit on the plastic chairs to send a text to their neighbor about accepting the offer and to research names and how to care for a new puppy.
"We can't name her until we see her," Ten insists. "We don't pick the name, the name picks us."
Johnny rolls his eyes but he's feeling pretty excited about the prospect of having a dog. He hasn't had one since childhood and it had been a good memory. He knows Ten had all sorts of pets growing up in Bangkok and that he would get besotted with anything that looks cute. Johnny...kind of knows how that feels as he watches Ten scroll through this phone, looking up every now and then to show Johnny something interesting. The next time Ten lifts his head, Johnny takes the opportunity to surprise him with a kiss.
"Mmmph," Ten says, caught off guard in mid-sentence. When Johnny pulls back, he sees that Ten is pink in the face and a little dazed, but not displeased. "People are looking," Ten says, flustered.
"Let them," Johnny says.
"Ooh, you're so sexy when you're being a rebel," Ten says, snuggling into Johnny.
They switch the cleaned laundry from the washers to the dryers and while Ten is intent on staring at the clothes tumbling over and over again inside the machine, Johnny makes plans for their impromptu trip in two weeks. They're going to have to bring the dog with them, so he needs to find airbnb places that allows pets. He also texts his mom to let her and his dad know that they're coming.
About time, is all she texts back.
We might be bringing an extra guest with us, Johnny types, figuring he better give them the heads-up about the puppy.
Grandkids?
Johnny rolls his eyes. Even being in a marriage where his mom knows will not be able to produce children, she still insists on them.
"You thought being gay would get you off the hook," she told him. "Joke's on you."
"How are we going to get you grandkids, ma?"
"Adopt!"
He texts back, It's a puppy
Good, a practice kid
He ignores that and goes back to looking for places to stay during their road trip. They are going to need bring a lot of wee-wee pads with them since the puppy, as far as he knows, has not been potty trained yet. The logistics are going him a headache, but he has two weeks to plan this, so he's not going sweat it. Ten nudges him when the dryers complete their cycle and they load the now clean clothes back into the bags to bring home.
"Let's go see the puppy!" Ten says, his face glowing with excitement.
They drop the clothes off at their apartment and Johnny makes Ten stay to help him fold and put them away in their rightful places before heading up to their neighbor's apartment together, Ten vibrating with anticipation.
Their neighbor opens the door with a smile and ushers them into her apartment. The layout is different, smaller because she lives by herself, but she has it tastefully furnished and in the middle of the living room is the puppy playing while her mom looks on. The neighbor had told them that the pup is a mixed breed between a labrador and pit bull and she's completely black.
"Oh," Ten says, hushed. He drops to his knees to get a better look at the puppy, who stops and looks up at him. Ten reaches out to pet her and scratch behind her ears and she nearly topples over leaning into the touch. He gets bolder and picks her up gently as she squirms and nips at his shirt and hand and anything she can reach.
"We're going to have to train that out of you," Ten murmurs, but he looks amazed and in awe of her.
The neighbor gives them a starter pack, containing a few sheets of wee wee pads, some chew toys that belonged to the puppy's mom, a leash, and a large sandwich bag full of kibble. She also lets them know they're free to contact her about any questions and if they ever need a dogsitter.
Johnny and Ten thank her profusely and leave the apartment, the puppy in Ten's arms and Johnny carrying the supplies.
"She's so cute, I need to take pictures for Instagram," Ten says, cooing over her. He looks up. "Ooh, what are we going to name her?"
"Hey, you're the one who said you don't pick the name, the name picks you," Johnny says.
"Hmmm," Ten says, looking back down at the pup with a contemplative expression on his face. "Hmmm. I kind of feel like calling her Stella so when we're calling for her, we can be like STELLA STEELLLLLLLLLAAAAAA. Get it, get it, like in a Streetcar Named Desire."
Johnny looks down at the puppy to see what she thinks. She stares up at him and makes a whining noise.
"But that would make us Stanley. I don't want to be Stanley," Johnny says. "Honestly, we should call her Ten Junior because she loves to whine just like you."
"If our child isn't watching right now," Ten says, glaring at Johnny, "I would kill you dead on this spot."
When they get back to their own apartment, Ten sets Stella down in the middle of the living room and she staggers around on her unsteady feet before plopping down. Ten already has his phone out and snapping pictures. After Johnny has stored the supplies properly in the kitchen, Ten ropes him in to take pictures of him and the puppy and then they switch as Ten directs Johnny around like they're on a photoshoot. Johnny tries to be extra cautious and careful handling Stella because she looks so small in his hands. He's afraid of hurting her if he's not being mindful of her presence.
Later that evening, after having fed themselves and their new resident, Johnny checks Instagram and sees that his entire feed is Ten posting picture after picture of Stella, playing, napping, eating. Then he gets to one that Ten took of him. He's sitting on the floor with Stella on his lap and he's looking down on her and smiling softly. He hadn't even noticed that Ten took that picture. The caption reads: The two loves of my life.
He taps the heart to like the post and then turns to pull Ten into his arms.
---
Sunday
The scratching at the door is what wakes Johnny up and he has the odd sensation of not quite knowing where he is, whether he's back home when his dog was still alive, or even somewhere else where there's a dog scratching at his bedroom door. Then he remembers.
Ten is stirring next to him, then his eyes fly open and he quickly sits up in bed. "Stella," he says, scrambling out from beneath the comforter .
"I haven't seen you move this fast since...," Johnny starts to say, then pauses. "I have actually never seen you move that fast."
"My child needs me," Ten says, throwing the door open. Not expecting the door to be flung open so quickly, Stella falls through the threshold, but quickly scrambles upright to run around Ten's feet, her tail wagging furiously. Ten picks her up and carries her to the bed.
"I know we shouldn't make it a habit to let her on the bed," Ten says, making a sheepish face at the side-eye that Johnny is giving him. "But look at her. She misses us so much."
Stella is squirming in his arms and panting excitedly, tongue waggling. She lets out a half-hearted yelp. Johnny melts inside, but he struggles not to show it. If one of them isn't going to be the disciplinarian around here, this dog will never get trained.
"We should probably feed Stella and then take her outside for a walk," Johnny says.
"Okay," Ten agrees. "You get dressed. I'll go get out the food for her. And then you keep an eye out on her while I get ready."
Plan established, they go off in their respective directions. This is not what Johnny had anticipated to be happening so early on a freaking Sunday. He wanted to still be in bed, cuddling with Ten and maybe some morning sex, but they've taken on this responsibility and he supposes there's time enough for that later, tonight perhaps.
"Ohhhh, she peed on the floor last night," Johnny can hear Ten say over the buzz of his electronic toothbrush. "But don't worry, I'm cleaning it up. Bad dog!"
The mess is cleaned up by the time Johnny settles in to watch her, the smell of Lysol still in the air. Stella has finished her breakfast and is lapping at her water bowl, which is just a small ceramic bowl they're using until they get more supplies.
"We should also go to the pet store to pick up the rest of the stuff we need to get for her," he leans back and shouts, hoping his voice would carry into the bathroom. It startles Stella and she picks up her head to stare at him. "Sorry, kiddo," Johnny says to her. She pads over to him and tries to climb up his thigh, but she's small and he's big, so he picks her up and deposits her onto his lap. She doesn't seem satisfied with this height and tries to make a summit bid for his head by trying to scale his chest, but she's no cat.
"Okay, okay," Johnny says, trying to calm her down by petting her, which works. She melts and plops down on his lap to happily receive the petting.
Ten bursts out of the bathroom in a flurry of motion. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go!" He stops when he spots Johnny and Stella. "Awwwww, my two babies. Really big baby and little baby."
Johnny glares at Ten, but he thinks the grin tugging at his lips neutralizes any vehemence he initially had. He sets Stella down to stand up and takes the leash that Ten hands to him. She tries valiantly to squirm out of it, but they eventually get it on her as she whines at them for torturing her like this.
"Alright. Are we ready?" Johnny says, securing the leash with one hand and holding out the other arm for Ten. Ten grins and hooks his around Johnny's.
They have to separate in the process of locking the door behind them and then getting in the elevator, but once they emerge out onto the street, Johnny pulls Ten close again and tucks him in under his arm, while Stella tries to scrabble ahead of them, and they can hear the insistent sound of her nails scratching against the pavement.
"Easy, easy, you're going to hurt yourself," Ten says, trying to sooth Stella. "Oh, there is so much training we have to do for her," he admits apprehensively to Johnny.
"We'll get through it," Johnny says, pressing a kiss to Ten's temple. Like they always have.
They're not the same people from when they first met or even when they got married. They have grown into each other, like interlocking vines, inextricable. No matter how much they fight and are subjected to each other's imperfections and flares of temper, Johnny knows that the foundation of their marriage has been laid with love and commitment to each other, along with the willingness to forgive.
And on this Sunday, with Ten beside him making a face when Stella stops to poop and trying to thrust the task of picking it up to Johnny, Johnny knows that they can weather through anything, even the newest addition to their family.
It is enough.