A/n: 

this is a prequel to the previous chapter. It was posted here once before but has disappeared. Please enjoy! 

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Park Kyung considered being a kindergarten teacher a heavily rewarding experience.  He felt satisfaction in knowing that he was shaping young minds and helping them learn.  He loved watching as their young eyes widened in amazement over things like caterpillars turning into butterflies and successfully tying their own shoes without help.  It was truly an amazing thing to see, and he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Being a kindergarten teacher could be tiring, though.  Long hours spent with children could wear anyone down, especially when the children got cranky before naptime.  He also never knew what was going to happen.  Sometimes his students wanted to hold his hand and play, and sometimes they wanted to stick gum in his hair and swallow the class pet goldfish.  His days usually went by in a whirlwind, and even though he dearly loved his students, he was always ready to go home after a long day’s work and relax.

Except, his own home was a lot like a kindergarten.

The man he lived with, Woo Jiho, his lover of forever years, was like one giant kindergartener.  He never knew what was going to happen.  Sometimes Jiho wanted to hold his hand and play, and sometimes he wanted to shoot into Kyung’s hair, but to Jiho’s credit, he had never swallowed their pet goldfish. Kyung’s nights also went by in a whirlwind, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

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One night, Kyung came in from work and kicked off his shoes before walking into the living room and sitting on the couch.  He was bone-tired.  One of his particularly bold students, Yukwon, had asked for Kyung’s hand in marriage, which led to a very upset little boy named Minhyuk, and the whole thing ended with Kyung wearing a flower crown made by his students and being the best man at Minhyuk’s and Yukwon’s wedding by the splash pond in the front of the school.  It had been a very happy occasion, but Kyung was tired and really needed a drink.  He groaned as he removed himself from the unreasonably sticky couch and made his way into the kitchen to search the liquor cabinet.  Which was empty.  What the , Jiho?

“Jiho, what happened to all the alcohol?” Kyung hollered loud enough for Jiho to hear him wherever he happened to be.

“Attic,” Jiho answered back, suddenly coming behind Kyung to wrap his arms around him and bury his face in his neck.

“Why the attic?” Kyung asked, much softer this time.

“Felt like it,” Jiho shrugged.

“Fair enough,” Kyung replied.  He’d been with Jiho long enough to know not to argue on things like this, because it’s hard to argue about things that Jiho does on whims, and instead decided to drag him towards the fridge in search of orange juice. 

-

Later that evening, Kyung took a much needed shower, washing the day down the drain.  He probably stayed in there too long, but he deserved it, he reasoned.  Being the best man at a wedding was hard work.

When he emerged from the shower like a ghost, his pale skin contrasting with the steam, he shook his hair out like a dog and reached for a towel.  As he was drying himself off, he began fantasizing about his and Jiho’s bed, and how he couldn’t wait to fall into it and be surrounded by its comforting softness, cradled in comfort.  He slipped on a pair of sweatpants and opened the bathroom door, ready to jump into the bed when he noticed Jiho.

Jiho was already on the bed, sprawled out in his most natural form, and Kyung decided that his fantasy of sleeping could wait.  He had something better to do, anyway.  Jiho’s eyes were locked onto Kyung, and Kyung let his own eyes wander from Jiho’s face to his beautiful neck down to his collarbones.  His eyes swept over Jiho’s muscular chest and abdomen, to his hipbones, which were just begging to be touched.  Jiho’s was begging to be touched, too, and his delicious thighs were begging to be kissed.  Kyung continued his gaze down Jiho’s legs, taking in the sights of his toned calves and his… shoes.  What the , Jiho?

“Jiho, why are you wearing shoes,” Kyung said more than asked, his voice a mixture of confusion, disappointment, and slight indifference, but only slight.

“I’m going somewhere,” Jiho responded.

“What?” Kyung asked him incredulously.

“I’m going somewhere,” Jiho repeated, still sprawled out and looking at Kyung with those bedroom eyes.

“Jiho, it is late and you are already in bed and .  Where could you possibly be going?” Kyung asked, crossing his arms.

“I’m not sure, but I have my shoes on so I must be ready to go somewhere,” Jiho shrugged, the look in his eyes still screaming pure but Kyung was still so confused that he tried to ignore it.

“Well, scooch over,” Kyung said before falling onto the bed, giving Jiho no time to actually scooch over.

“You’re heavy and you’re wrinkling me,” came Jiho’s muffled voice from underneath Kyung.

Kyung just grunted in ignorance of his complaints and absently kissed Jiho on the forehead.

“Aren’t you going to take my shoes off?” Jiho asked.

“I thought you were going somewhere,” Kyung replied, shaking his head.

“Now I want you to take my shoes off,” Jiho pouted, voice still muffled, and Kyung obliged him, making a mental note to stop spoiling him so much.

“There you go,” Kyung said once the shoes were off, and Jiho reached over and snatched the shoes real quick out of his hands.

Kyung gave him a confused glance as he began to dig around inside the shoe. “I figured out where I’m going,” he said, and pulled something out of the shoe.

“Oh did you?” Kyung asked, curious to know Jiho’s destination.

“I’m going… to marry you,” Jiho said, and he reached for Kyung’s hand, slipping the thing he pulled out of the shoe- a simple gold band- and slid it onto Kyung’s finger.

Kyung looked down at the ring, simple but beautiful in the way that it sparkled up at him, and he began to cry.  He’d been proposed to twice in one day.  A new record.

“Why are you crying? You’re not supposed to cry,” Jiho said, wrapping his arms around Kyung, tears peppering his skin.

“But this was so sweet and well thought out even though you put the ring in your shoe and now it smells like feet but you used a pun to propose to me and I’m so happy and why are you ,” Kyung said all at once without taking a breath, crying and laughing and smiling and so so so happy.

“I love you,” Jiho smiled, and that’s all Kyung needed to hear.

“I’m going to marry you, too,” Kyung said, and Jiho thought it was a cute try at a pun at least.

“That’s all I needed to hear,” Jiho said, and he pulled Kyung back down on the bed with him.

As Jiho began to gently kiss him, Kyung thought about how fulfilling it was to love Woo Jiho.  He felt satisfaction in knowing that Jiho was by his side, and would be until he was no longer able.  He loved watching as Jiho’s eyes widened in amazement and love whenever he Kyung.  Sure, it could be tiring and he never knew what was going to happen, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world.