NOTE: **SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE THE BIRTH OF THEIR FIRSTBORN, RENSHU**

“Alright, I’m off,” Junhui announces as if he were addressing an entire audience and not just Minghao, who was sprawled out on their sofa watching the Saturday drama reruns.

“Okay,” Minghao calls, eyes glued to the TV. “Have fun.”

“Yeah, I’ll try, you know doctor appointments can get super wild,” Junhui remarks.

“Haha, yeah...you got that right. Welp, see you later, babe.”

Minghao hears the door open, figuring that Junhui would just leave and be on his merry way to his doctor’s appointment (which, mind you, he was already five minutes late for).

But, knowing Junhui, that’s less than ideal for his standards. Instead, he hears a loud sigh come from his partner, followed by a melancholy, “Well, I guess I’ll just, leave , with no parting affection whatsoever from the man I am bound to in a domestic partnership with.”

Jesus Christ. Minghao lazily reaches for the remote on the coffee table to mute the TV. He looks up to see Junhui leaning coolly against the doorframe, his arms crossed and his eyes gazing up at the ceiling.

“Okay fine,” Minghao huffs. He gets up from the sofa and ambles over to the door.

Once he’s there, Junhui pretends for a moment not to notice his presence. He looks around before finally locking eyes with Minghao.

Junhui gasps. “Well well well , fancy seeing you here, babe!” he exclaims. He squishes Minghao’s cheeks with his hands.

“You looked pretty cozy on the sofa there, didn’t think we’d get to meet like this!”

Minghao groans, swatting Junhui’s hands off his face.

“Oh my God , you’re such a dork , do you want me to kiss you goodbye or not?”

“Well, duh . Of course I do! Lay it here!”

MInghao rolls his eyes and quickly pecks Junhui’s lips.

“Now go!” he demands, pushing Junhui out the door. “You’re going to be late!”

Junhui complies and rushes out. Once he’s halfway down the hallway, Minghao calls out from the doorframe, “Love you!” to which Junhui responds, “Love you too!”

And with that, Minghao is alone in the apartment. He closes the door, sighs, and makes his way to the dining table so he can get some work done.

Minghao and Junhui have managed to stay tied to their jobs as performers, somewhat. Junhui works as a drama teacher down at the city high school, hired on the spot once they’d found out about his experience as a child actor back in China and doing a couple of dramas in Korea.

Minghao works as a dance instructor at the local hip hop studio, and he was trying to choreograph a routine for the class he had to teach that following day.

He had his pencil and paper out, but no inspiration was striking. The page was doomed to blankness. He wondered if it was because he was thinking too much about Junhui’s doctor appointment and the news that had taken the world by storm just a week ago.

________________________________________________________________

It was a Wednesday evening. They were lounging on the couch. Minghao had his arm draped around Junhui, whose head was nestled comfortably in his chest. Together, they managed to fit snugly under a huge fleece blanket that his mother had brought him as a housewarming gift when they first got the apartment.

“...the same conditions as female pregnancy. The hormones, morning sickness, contractions, you name it,” the biologist on the TV explained as if he were speaking about the weater. “There have been several reported male pregnancies as of this past year, all with success and healthy, beautiful.”

“And what do you recommend for the male population wondering if they might be able to carry children?” asked the news reporter.

“Check with your doctor. As of right now, the hospitals and offices throughout Korea are equipped with proper technology to determine this likelihood, if you are to ask for a male-specific fertility exam.”

The news reporter nods. “Very well. Thank you, Dr. Yoo.”

The news cuts to commercial.

Minghao turns to Junhui and says, “That’s pretty neat, huh.”

Junhui answers, “Yup, definitely.”