UUUUUGH *apologises profusely and pathetically blames university prep for the absurdly long wait*

Here you go >< 

4,132 words

Please enjoy and comment <3 <3 <3

10 years later

Tao's POV

It feels strange getting ready to leave this early in the day, seemingly hours earlier than normal. I'm currently in my office, finishing up on some last minute tasks and tidying my desk in preparation for a fresh start after the new year. Today is new years eve and very soon I’ll be heading home to meet Kris and prepare for our new years celebrations.

I received a text earlier from Kris, letting me know that he was leaving his office. It's been a few years now since we merged our companies, or really since our parents merged them. We each have our own branch of the company in Seoul to run, each specialising in a different department. It's nice to be involved in each other's work like this, but from a distance.

I think it's healthier to each have our own thing to focus on; something that we can each take pride in and work for. Seeing as we live together and spend all our free time together, it's a good idea to work separately in order to avoid driving each other insane, as funny as that sounds.

We've been together over 10 years now and he's become my other half; we complete each other, know each other inside and out. All those years ago, I never thought I'd find someone who'd make me as happy as he does.

I eventually finish tidying up my office and then collect my bags, and coat from the hook by the door. It's eerily quiet as I walk through the building. Most people have either had today off or had a half day, like Kris did.

I ordered my secretary to have a day off; she's very hard working, too hard working sometimes in my opinion, so I told her to spend some time at home with her family for once.

There's a little life on the ground floor, but the place is still much quieter than usual. It's peaceful.

I send a message to Kris as I walk across the spacious lobby to reach the main doors, letting him know that I'm leaving now and will be home soon.

My breath fogs as the doors slide open in front of me with a barely audible sound, and I step out onto the street, glancing around to see the area empty, I tighten my coat around me, attempting to conserve heat as I feel it escaping me, and head towards my car.

I receive a prompt reply from Kris, letting me know that he's already home and he can't wait to see me. A smile tugs at my lips at the thought of him at home waiting for me, and I pull out of the car park, eager to get home.

As I drive along I can see that the pubs are already getting busy in the build up to the new years celebrations, revelers inside already starting to drink and have fun with their friends. I can see tons of couples out on the streets, holding hands in the cold, and it makes me want to see Kris even more.

When I get home we'll have a few hours to relax and then get ready for our new years party at Luhan's and Sehun's house. They're both fully qualified surgeons now and work together in Sehun's family's hospital, which means that they're very busy and work hectic schedules. That makes today even more special for them because they've both managed to score today and tomorrow off at the same time, and so they invited us over to their house so we could all see each other together.

I'm relieved when I finally reach our house. The large metal gates ahead open up automatically for my car and shut behind me as I cruise down our long drive way. I park the car in the garage, collecting my bags and shivering in the icy cold, teeth chattering as I sort everything out and close the garage doors. Then I head towards the front porch, and a huge, bright smile spreads on my face when I see Kris waiting for me in the doorway.

He pushes himself upright from where he was leaning against the door frame waiting, and reaches out for me as I head up the steps, pulling me in for a soft welcome home kiss.

He tugs me inside when he feels my cold nose and hands, and closes the door behind me, undoing my coat for me as I toe off my shoes, before pulling me in for a warm hug. I nuzzle my cold face into the crook of his neck as he holds me, grinning against his skin when he gasps at the feeling of my cold hands slipping under his shirt and pressing against his back.

Still, he soldiers through it, only letting me go when the heat has seeped back into me and my little shivers have stopped. Then, he leads me by the hand into the kitchen, my feet soaking in the gentle warmth from the underfloor heating, quietly asking me "how was work?" as he makes me a hot drink.

I lean against the table as I reply, happy to watch him peacefully focus on his task. When my drink is made he turns, handing it to me with a warm smile, and we head into the lounge where the television is on softly in the background.

We snuggle up on the sofa together, turning up the volume, content to spend the next hour quietly watching the new years eve's comedy shows before we need to prepare for the party.

The time passes peacefully and eventually we decide to get ready, washing up my mug and leaving it to dry before heading upstairs to change. We enter our bedroom and Kris heads straight into our walk in wardrobe as I start to remove my work suit, folding it over the back of one of our armchairs, before making my way to join Kris and pick out an outfit.

He's down in the far end, past all our formal clothing and among the racks of casual clothes. Our wardrobe is arranged in ranks; levels of formality with the most formal nearest the door because those are the types of clothes we wear the most.

I take less time than Kris to pick out an outfit, mainly because I'd almost completely planned it on the way home, and I'm back in our room, tugging on some jeans, in time to hear my phone buzz with a text from Luhan to remind us about the drinks, which are our task for the party. I send him an amused reply, telling him not to worry, and that we'll be leaving relatively soon.

I turn to check on Kris, aware now that we don't have all the time in the world, and hold back an exasperated laugh when I see that he's still not picked anything.

I slip on my shirt and jacket, then make my way to him, running a hand up his back and resting it on his shoulder as I look past him at the clothes. He releases a mildly frustrated sigh and eventually goes with something I choose for him when I decide to save him from his indecisive self.

We leave soon after, locking up the house and heading to the garage, Kris telling me that he's already stowed the drinks in the boot of his car. We sing along to the upbeat songs on the radio, getting in a festive mood, as we make the forty five minute journey to Luhan and Sehun's house.

In comparison to our house, which is very state of the art, but rather traditionally designed, with a plethora of wooden beams in the ceilings and traditional, beautiful fireplaces, and in my opinion, though huge, has a very cosy, homely atmosphere, their house is very modern, with a colder feel to it and huge glass walls on certain rooms, letting in lots of light.

As we pull up we can see the light from the lounge shining over their pool, with shadows moving, suggesting that we're not the first to arrive.

We get an enthusiastic welcome from the people inside as we walk in, each carrying a crate of drinks, though it's hard to tell, as we're rapidly relieved of the heavy boxes, whether they're excited to see us or the alcohol.

Just as I'm hanging up my coat, I feel a gentle tugging on my trouser leg, and look down to see a shy, smiling face gazing up at me.

"Hey Kyuminnie!" I say softly. The adorable four year old smiles a little brighter up at me and raises his arms expectantly. I bend down, picking him up and propping him on my hip, smiling over at Kris who waves back when Kyumin raises his little hand in greeting.

I lean back a little, "Minnie? Where's your daddy?"

He twists round a little in my arms and points, "that way," he whispers in his shy, tiny voice. We follow his directions through the house, though of course we know the way, until we arrive in the guest lounge. A multitude of voices call out in welcome and Kyumin points excitedly to the far side of the room where his parents are.

We make our way across, greeting Jongdae, we don’t call him Chen anymore, who's curled up on an armchair, and Baekhyun and Chanyeol who're settled on a nearby sofa together, the few people who're here before us.

I pass Baekhyun, promising to come back to talk, and take Kyumin over to his parents.

"Xiumin, Sohee, how are you?" I say in greeting. They turn in sync, and huge, adoring smiles form on their faces when they see their son in my arms.

"Tao, Kris," Sohee replies, "we're well thank you. It's good to see you both!"

When Xiumin had first introduced us to Sohee, they'd looked so similar that we'd all mistaken her as his cousin or maybe even his sister that we'd never heard of. Needless to say, Xiumin was furious and we've all learned our lesson, never mentioning it again.

The adorable outcome from this is that Kyumin looks even more similar to his parents than most kids do; he's practically a mini Xiumin.

We chat for a while until Kyumin starts squirming in my arms, and just as I'm passing him over to Xiumin, I hear a murmur of approval from behind me. I turn to find Luhan and Sehun walking in, carrying copious amounts of the booze we brought.

We leave the three of them when they decide to sit down slightly to the side, mainly to prevent their son creating too much trouble, and head over to join the others. Kris ends up chatting with Chanyeol almost immediately, and I take a seat next to Baekhyun, beckoning Jongdae over, and catching up on the latest news.

As time passes, I notice how Jongdae keeps checking his phone, and eventually I can't keep my mouth shut.

"Waiting for someone to call?" I ask.

Jongdae looks over at me guiltily, like someone caught with their hand in the cookie jar, and I narrow my eyes suspiciously. "Is it a special someone?" I question teasingly.

The faint flush that springs into his cheeks is enough confirmation and Baekhyun and I gasp in sync.

"No way!" Baekhyun says excitedly, "who are they? How long has this been going on? Why don't we know about this?"

Jongdae hesitates for a second before giving in, "it's someone I met at a convention about five months ago. We sort of hit it off and eventually she asked me out."

Jongdae used to go through relationships in quick succession, none ever lasting very long and usually ending because his partner at the time was unable to understand his commitment to his research; studying the science of the weather can mean you need to travel to random places at very little notice and for quite some time, and no one was willing to stick around.

Because of that, and to the best of my knowledge, he's avoided relationships for the past few years, unwilling to bother investing in someone only to have them leave him just like the rest. This new person must be pretty special if they've managed to draw him out of his shell.

A pleased smile starts to spread on my face as I watch him talk, happiness clear in his gaze as Baekhyun skillfully draws out more details from him.

When he eventually starts to clam up and as I'm about to tell Baekhyun to leave him alone for now, the sound of new arrivals at the door saves him by taking the attention off him.

I twist in my seat to see Kyungsoo in the doorway, the sounds of Jongin's voice in the background. I'm out of my seat in a flash when I see the little bundle in his arms.

Kyungsoo laughs at my enthusiasm as I skid to a stop in front of him and peer down at the little darling in his arms. He shifts her around in his hold a little and gently grasps a little arm, lifting it to pretend wave at me.

"Hello little Hyeminnie," I murmur softly, reaching out to touch her soft hand, slightly overwhelmed by how tiny she is. Her huge eyes stare up at me innocently and all of a sudden a gorgeous smile appears on her face and that's that. I'm smitten.

I glance up at Kyungsoo and he laughs at the awe in my eyes. "She's so beautiful."

This is the first time any of us, other than the new parents, will be seeing tiny Hyemin. Kyungsoo and Jongin adopted her only a few weeks ago, on her first birthday, and this is the first time we've been allowed to see her.

Everyone crowds around and I give up my spot, moving to the side to let the others say hello, Kyumin's reaction is the most adorable of all, tugging Kyungsoo down so he can gaze in wonder at the little face greeting him, and I end up standing next to Jongin, who's watching with an unrestrained, proud smile on his face.

One glance at the dark circles on his and Kyungsoo's faces show that they've been experiencing the usual difficulties of living with a baby, but as I talk with him, I can tell that he believes one hundred percent that the sleepless nights are worth it, and that he's completely fallen for the precious little addition to their family.

In the midst of the baby admiring chaos I see two people appear in the doorway. Lay and Joonmyun are smiling brightly at seeing us, each holding a bag and the free hand of the other. Hand holding and the occasional chaste kiss is the extent of the physical affection they show in public, being a couple that value their privacy, however that does not mean they're not possessive of each other, in fact they're more possessive than you'd think.

I'm the first to slip round to see them, and I take the bags off them as I ask them how they've been, before moving away to put the bags on the coffee table when more people spot them.

The atmosphere is cheerful when we're all settled on seats with a drink in hand and someone to chat to. We've got music on in the background and there are snacks on the table in front of us for us to pick at before dinner later.

It's nice to chat to everyone and time passes quickly; we're soon called into the dining room by Sehun who'd been cooking in the kitchen.

There's a nostalgic feel to the meal as Luhan gives a heartwarming toast to our long lived friendships and to the cherished new additions to our little group. I'm seated next to Kyungsoo who looks infinitely more relaxed now than when he first arrived, and seems to be finally letting loose now that he's got willing friends to coo over the baby and give him a break.

"People can warn you that it's difficult and that you get little sleep, but no amount of books or advice from other people can really prepare you for how much of a roller coaster experience it is. On one hand it's amazing and I feel so blessed to have been given such a beautiful little baby to welcome into my family, and on the other hand I'm exhausted."

He chuckles, glancing over again to where Hyemin is, over by Sehun and Baekhyun.

"She's so curious," I say, peering over at her and watching the way she gazes around at everything in interest.

"Yes she is," he replies with a bright smile, "and she's so easy to entertain, always just a moment away from a smile."

I can feel myself smiling back at him, happy to see the content, enamored smile he has on his face.

"Would you ever consider parenthood?" he asks softly, startling me a little.

I mull it over in my mind, watching the two kids and the way they so clearly make their parents so happy. I glance over to Kris, "I don't know, maybe. I think Kris would make a great dad, but I don't think the time is right for us just yet. We're too work orientated at the moment."

"I think you'd be an amazing dad, but yes, you'd need to prioritise work less."

"Yes, I guess we'll see what happens." I say, resolving to think it over in my mind.

To tell the truth, ever since Xiumin and Sohee had their son, and I've become close with him, I've found myself wondering what it would be like, and even desiring, to have a child of my own. This would be a big decision though and Kris and I would have to have a lengthy talk about it and wait a while to make sure we're certain.

We eventually finish desert and we're still seated around the table, sipping our drinks and chatting, when sudden loud music emanates from the living room. Luhan abruptly bursts in, all excited, and starts harassing people out of their seats.

"Come on, come on guys, it's karaoke tiiiiime!" He cries enthusiastically, a big smile on his face, and the mood instantly brightens as people start to drag themselves off into the living room for a bit of childish fun.

I grin at Kris as he takes my hand, enjoying the atmosphere as I watch Luhan rush up to the front to grab the mic for the Karaoke set and start an overly dramatic introduction to the event, accompanied by theatrical pauses and forced cheers from his audience.

We’ve settled around the room, sprawling on the sofas and chairs as we wait to see who Luhan will select to go first.

Kyungsoo has the misfortune of catching Luhan's eye when he tries to slink secretly into the room after putting Hyemin into her travel pram in the next room to let her sleep for a bit. He cringes and groans when Luhan announces that Kyungsoo is his selected victim, and Jongin has to give him an encouraging tug on the hand to get him to go up to the front.

Kyungsoo flicks through the song menu and cackles evilly when he picks a duet song and chooses Luhan as his partner.

I laugh at Luhan's resigned expression as he makes his way back up to the front.

Although made for reasons of revenge, Kyungsoo's song choice was a good one as it's fun and upbeat and we all know the words, except Kyumin, who's bouncing up and down on his mum's lap and appears to be enjoying himself all the same.

As time passes, and we all get a little more alcohol in our systems, everyone starts to loosen up fully, the embarrassment at being forced to sing fading away, and soon my jaw is aching from smiling and laughing so much at the silly, but very much entertaining, actions of my friends.

I’m left blushing at Kris’s terribly cheesy love song he dedicates to me, and I swat at his arm when he comes to sit back down, flushing darker at the catcalls and cheers from around the room when he tugs my in for a kiss.

As it nears midnight, Sehun and Jongin slip out of the room to check on the baby again and then get the champagne ready for the toast we'll have when the countdown to the new year takes place.

Luhan grabs Joonmyun and drags him outside, enlisting his help in checking the fireworks that are set up in the garden, probably because he seems the least tipsy and is usually the most responsible.

We turn the music down when everyone's back in and switch the TV to the main channel where the New years celebrations are shown taking place in the Centre of Seoul. I snuggle down in Kris's arms on the sofa, smiling when he wraps an arm around me and pulls me closer, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

When the time comes, we all join in the count down, even Kyumin, though he's not making much sense trying to count backwards from sixty. As the countdown finishes and fireworks start on the screen, we all raise our glasses, toasting to the new year and drinking as we wish each other a happy new year and watch the beautiful display on the screen.

When the fireworks come to a close, Kris tugs me up, pressing happy kisses to my lips and holding me tightly. I snuggle into him when he pulls back with a smile, and close my eyes in content.

I open them again a few minutes later when Joonmyun calls out for everyone to follow him into the garden, and I spot Jongdae slipping back into the room from where he'd gone to make a phone call to his significant other, if the goofy smile on his face is any indication.

I press myself into Kris's side, sighing happily when he wraps his arm around me, as the cold air surrounds us whilst we watch Joonmyun crouch a distance away and flick open a lighter to light the main fuse for the row of fireworks. I'm guessing from the look of it, that the lengths differ so the they will set off one after another rather than all at once.

When he's done, he jogs back towards us, heading straight for Lay and slipping an arm around his waist, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek.

I look back out just in time to see the first rocket shoot up into the sky in a burst of sparks, exploding into a bright flash of red and gold above us, and from then on it's beautiful magic in the sky, bursts of colour and light blooming and being displayed on the faces of us here on the ground.

At some point, through the noise, I hear Kyumin cheering excitedly from where he's perched on Xiumin's shoulders, gazing up at the sky with wonder on his face.

When the last of the fireworks fade out above us and the world falls silent again, whips of smoke still visible in the darkness above us, we gradually move back inside again, congratulating Luhan and Sehun on their great choice in fireworks.

After a while, Xiumin and Sohee take Kyumin upstairs to put him to bed in one of the spare rooms, the late night having finally used up all of his energy, and he's already asleep in Xiumin's arms when they leave the room.

After that we pass the time more peacefully, alternating between talking amongst ourselves with music playing softly in the background, and playing games in groups.

Hours later, when people finally start to crash out, some where they're sitting, Kris and I decide to head upstairs where Luhan and Sehun have said we can have the spare room we usually borrow.

Snuggling under the covers together a little later, I pull Kris close, whispering my love into his skin as I pepper little kisses and nibbles down his neck. He reaches his hands around me, clutching me to him and nosing down at me until I turn my face up to his and kiss him on the lips.

Eventually we settle down; I'm happily cocooned in his arms, pressing my cool palms against the hot skin of his back where my hands rest under his sleep shirt. I press my face into his neck and I follow him into sleep, thinking happily of the new year to come.

Hi people!! Bet you weren't expecting the long jump to the future. Sorry about the lack or warning lol. Figured I shouldn't just blather on.

PLEASE READ!!!!
Ok, so this is the last chapter in the main chronological story. The upcoming chapters will each be oneshots kinda, explaining how the other couples got together (the ones you don't know about already), so Baekyeol, Sulay,(looking forward to writing these) maybe a kaisoo one about how they eventually adopted Hyemin, very unsure yet about that one. I'll probably throw in a few Taoris chapters later on because I love them but yeah.

I hope you've enjoyed my story so far, I can't tell you all enough how much I've appreciated your support <3 <3 <3

Please comment and stuff. Maybe upvote if you think my story is worth it.... :)  thank you all for subscribing!! <3

So yeah, this fic isn't over just yet, there are still bits coming so don't go anywhere my darlings <3 <3

(Thank you to Eleri for being there to kick me up the occasionally (read: a lot) through this)