Sorry I haven't posted the last few days my little kittens. Real life happened and I've been busy. So, slightly longer chapter with a possible surprise at the end for waiting so patiently.

                Jongin kept giving himself quick little pinches on his arm as he tried to hurry through brushing Peaches and putting her up for the night, then cleaning her tack. It felt like some kind of dream that he’d sent Kyungsoo off with Tansy and that he’d soon see his husband again.

                Husband. That was the most remarkable part as far as Jongin was concerned. Kyungsoo had flat out stated they both wanted to stay married, and the sweet man had actually packed up and moved nearly all the way across the country just to be with him and make a home.

                Peaches and her gear finally taken care of properly, Jongin headed for the barn washroom to finger comb his hair and sniff his underarms before washing his hands and heading to the dining hall. He needed a proper shower, but neither Tansy nor Kyungsoo had complained that he stunk so figured he’d be okay til after supper. He just wasn’t sure he was prepared for the ribbing his bunkmates were sure to give him when he went to wash and collect his things. He also wondered what sort of purchases his husband had made for the cabin. He’d only been in it once, when one of the oldest ranch hands, a man named Reynolds and his wife moved out and he was drafted to help load the van and clean afterward. That had been over a year ago, though he knew the place was kept cleaned and aired in case it was needed again. It was a simple, one room place with a tiny attached bathroom and lean to that if he remembered right had never held anything but a show shovel and spiders. The furniture hadn’t been fancy either, mostly pine shelving, drawers under the full-size bed, two-seater breakfast table, plain white appliances and walls with pinewood flooring. He doubted it was anything like what Kyungsoo was used to in New York and hoped his husband wouldn’t regret his decision, or at least be patient enough to wait until they could buy or build a suitable house.

                Suddenly anxious, Jongin nearly sprinted from the barn to the main house, thundering down the enclosed porch that was generally the quickest way to the dining hall, only to have his arm suddenly grabbed so he was forced to stop.

                “Slow down Jongin before you fall and crack your fool head open. The food ain’t going anywhere, and if you’re worried about Kyungsoo he’s not going anywhere either. The Missus and Tansy and Cook are looking after him. In fact, I just got a text asking me to see if you were coming yet but not to rush too much.” Boss Holland’s calm voice and tight grip on his elbow snapped Jongin back to reality and he nodded.

                “Yes Sir. I just can’t believe he’s actually here and I got a little afraid he’d change his mind.”

                Boss let go of Jongin’s arm and shifted his weight so he was leaning more on his cane he’d gotten recently to replace his crutches. “That young man was on the phone with us and/or the elf every day since you up and left him, often several times a day, asking how we were holding up after our losses, wanting advice on what he needed to bring and our help in securing a place for the two of you to live. He was never pushy, always polite, and I swear being able to focus on his questions and the thought of how happy you would be once the two of you were reunited really helped us work through and accept our grief. He’s a good man with a good head on his shoulders. Some might think his decision as impulsive, but he’s anything but. I look forward to getting to know him.”

                Jongin smiled. “It’s a relief knowing you approve. You know Yeol wasn’t exactly impressed when I first told him, although he certainly seems to have come around, and from what I understand Kyungsoo’s best friend, Baekhyun I think his name is, and he actually got into a fight over it. Though, not sure how much was really the surprise marriage and how much was Soo deciding to move here rather than stay in New York. He claims to have always hated New York though and would’ve moved west anyway, if he hadn’t gotten tangled up with his ex.”

                “Come on Boy, let’s go eat. My leg is killing me and I’m sure you want to see your man.”

                Jongin had a silly grin on his face as he and Boss slowly made their way to the dining hall, only to have the cowboy stop just inside the doorway to take in the sight of Kyungsoo sitting at one of the tables, Tansy in his lap playing with his fingers as he talked with Missus Holland and Cook, who seemed delighted with what he had to say. He probably would’ve stared at the picture they made for hours, if Boss hadn’t poked him with his cane and a few other stragglers, who happened to be his bunk mates, shoved him out of the way with a friendly “move Roadblock! We’re hungry! Stare at your man in your own time!” in a combination of English and Spanish.

                “Wait, how did you know about Kyungsoo?” Jongin asked, confused. As far as he knew his husband hadn’t met the ranch hands yet.

                One man clicked his tongue. “Honestly Roadblock, you are so dense. We helped set up the cabin for you two after Missus asked us. We even moved your crap over after you left this morning. We all hope he don’t mind living with a slob, but we also bet he’ll have you trained soon enough. After all, none of us want to ever see you , again.”

                Jongin blushed and decided now would be a good time to go see what Kyungsoo was talking about so hurried off, while his boss and now former bunkmates good-naturedly laughed at his expense. It wasn’t that he minded getting teased, he just… Actually, he wasn’t sure what he was, other than smitten with the adorable man who had just looked up and made eye contact with him, giving him his cute “squishy grin.”

                “Hey Baby, about time you got here. I thought I was going to end up eating your dinner as well as mine.”

                Jongin would’ve said something, but Tansy beat him to it. “Kunthu, nobody can eat like Kai can. Cook thinks he haves a hollow leg.”

                Kyungsoo chuckled and hugged the little girl in his lap. “I’ve seen him eat. Cook might be right about that.”

                At that point, Boss had shuffled up to the front of the room and cleared his throat. “Now that everyone’s here, let’s eat!”

                There was the usual scramble for a place in line. As always, Cook, Boss, Missus Holland, and Tansy went first, while Jongin held back. He’d tried to encourage Kyungsoo to join the others, but he just shook his head and laced their fingers together.

                “I’m not really that hungry. I’d rather wait with you”

                Eventually the couple got their food and went to sit at the same table Kyungsoo was at before. Jongin’s old bunkmates wandered by with their trays to say hello to the short man and whisper off-color comments to the cowboy, so Tansy who was busy showing her new friend how to crumble his cornbread into his bowl, wouldn’t hear and ask awkward questions. She understood as much Spanish as English hanging around the men since she could walk so even that wouldn’t solve anything. Kyungsoo actually humored her by following her directions with a bit, before buttering the rest and telling her he wanted to try both ways.

                Once he saw his husband actually pick up his spoon and start to eat his half-bowl of undiluted seven alarm chili, Jongin dove into his own food in his usual starving man impression, though he was very aware of Kyungsoo next to him, their legs pressing together since their hands were busy. It was nice, having his husband with him during such a mundane time as supper, and surprisingly showing few signs of his usual nervousness around crowds.

                After generous slices of Cook’s amazing chocolate layer cake, Jongin gathered up their trays and dishes to go stack them on the rack after tossing napkins into burnable garbage and making sure what little loose food there was was scraped into the pig bin for the Hollands’ this year’s hogs. Come fall, shortly before deer season started, there would be butchering time and the Holland Ranch annual pig roast that the whole town was invited to. It was a giant potluck with plenty of other types of meat contributions as well as everything else, but the focus was always on the whole roasted hogs.

                “Ready to go home?” Kyungsoo suddenly asked, startling Jongin who had fallen into a bit of a daydream about showing his husband how they had a good time in the country with bonfires, barn dances, going to one of the nearby bigger towns for the street fair, not to mention the traveling he did for the rodeos he participated in. He didn’t know what Kyungsoo’s own plans were yet, but hoped he’d at least be able to show his husband off after one or two of his performances.

                “Home. That sounds so good Soo” Jongin finally answered, taking Kyungsoo’s offered hand, his husband holding a battery-operated lantern in the other, a heavy flashlight sticking out of one of his ridiculously fluffy coat’s pockets. “I do need to pick up something though before we wander out in the dark.”

                “You boys heading out? Jongin, don’t forget to grab your rifle. You know how them damn coyotes get” Missus Holland had a sleepy-looking Tansy on her hip, who groggily scolded “don’t thay bad words Gwamma!”

                “I just remembered it, thanks. Goodnight Missus Holland, Tans” Jongin replied, noting Kyungsoo’s wrinkled nose.

                “Rifle, do you have to?”

                “Afraid so Soo. All sorts of trash critters get attracted by the horses and their feed, and the mice and rats and other smaller ones draw the bigger ones, while the biggest go after the horses directly, or would if we didn’t put them up at night. Come nice weather though they’re out unless it’s raining which means we all take turns patrolling, especially during foaling time. Makes for a few sleepless nights, but we haven’t lost a horse to predators at least since I’ve been here. It’s only common sense to carry a rifle or shotgun at night, especially since the cabin is so near the woods and isolated. I just got you back. I don’t want you eaten by a mountain lion or pack of coyotes.”

                “Guns were never anything good in New York.”

                “Here they’re another tool. A dangerous one if handled by someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, but everyone here has been taught to use one safely. Even Tansy has had lessons, with a wooden one her size since she’s too small to handle a real one yet. You’ll get used to the idea eventually. I know it took me a while, what with guns being all but completely banned in Korea and not exactly encouraged in California, though that never seemed to stop the gangs.”

                The look on Kyungsoo’s face said he wasn’t convinced, but didn’t say another word as Jongin collected his twenty-two and bullets, slipping the latter into his jacket pocket before double and triple-checking the safety was on and slipping it over his shoulder before relocking the staff gun safe and taking his husband’s hand again to step outside into the cold and dark.

                With it being nearly new moon and few stars visible, Jongin was grateful for Kyungsoo’s lantern, even as he kept a watchful look and listen for anything potentially dangerous. The short man never said a word their entire walk. The cowboy wasn’t sure if he was upset about the gun or just thinking over what was apparently something he hadn’t considered about ranch life and kept his own mouth shut until his husband chose to speak first.

                “There it is. It’s quite cute on the outside, and you can’t see in the dark but there’s a large area Missus Holland said was a vegetable garden a long time ago and I was welcome to dig it out again if I wanted. It might be good practice before I go full scale with my food business. The Hollands also offered me use of a couple of the old sheds near the pig pen since I said I was thinking I might want to raise my own meat. They said wild game and beef and pork were no problem to find, and even poultry wouldn’t be too hard to get ahold of, but I was thinking of experimenting with goat, or rabbit. I was told raising rabbits wouldn’t be necessary since everyone was always overrun with them and would be happy to supply all I wanted, at least in season. I thought they’d be trapped though, not shot.”

                “That’s true. Rabbits around here are awful. Some do trap, but most shoot so they don’t risk catching something else, like a loose dog or a skunk. I’ll have to have a look once it’s light out. Shall we go in?”

                Kyungsoo nodded and led the way up to the front door. Fishing a key out of his pocket, he unlocked the door and fumbled in the dark a moment before turning on a light switch, causing both men to squint at the sudden light, and left Jongin kicking himself mentally for not thinking about the sudden change.

                Once the couple’s eyes adjusted, they pulled their boots off just inside the door and Kyungsoo quietly handed Jongin a furry pair of slippers. “I know you’re used to tromping around inside with your boots on you barbarian, but I’m not going to be scrubbing mud off the floor every day.” He slipped his own matching pair on and clicked off his lantern before hanging it on a convenient hook next to the front door, and his coat next to it, hat and gloves stuffed into a pocket. “Oh, and there are hooks above the door. Maybe that thing” he pointed at Jongin’s rifle still slung over his shoulder “can go up there?”

                “Actually Soo, that’s exactly what those hooks are for. Reynolds’ wife got the idea from a book series she read as a girl. Some prairie house thing or something, I forget what. Keeps it out of the way, but easily accessed if it ever needs to be.”

                Jongin wiggled his feet into his new slippers before testing the gun hooks to make sure they weren’t loose before hanging up his rifle. The last thing he wanted was for the thing to go off accidentally and scare Kyungsoo, break something, or hurt either of them. He decided to leave the bullets in his pocket for now til he could find a spot for them or put up a small shelf, and hung his jacket and hat on the hooks next to Kyungsoo’s coat, and set both pairs of boots neatly under them.

                “Care to give me the grand tour? I’ve only been in here once, and that was just to help move and clean.”

                The cabin was warmer than Jongin expected, then he noticed the old-fashioned woodstove and nodded appreciatively. A woodpile wouldn’t look out of place, but a natural gas “pig” would. Because of the horses, all the electrical lines on the property had been buried years ago and the main house had gas heat, but he liked the smell of wood and pictured snuggling with Kyungsoo on cold nights.

                “That shouldn’t take long. I didn’t buy a lot since I wanted us to pick things out together when you had time, plus it’s small and I didn’t want clutter. The Hollands offered to replace the appliances as a wedding present, but these are in perfect order. I was surprised everything was electric, but they explained about the powerlines. I’m glad. The view would be spoiled with wires or one of those natural gas tank things.”

                Jongin turned them both until he could wrap his arms around Kyungsoo from behind. “I was just thinking something similar.”

                Almost as though they were one being, the couple shuffled together so Jongin could see and Kyungsoo explain what he and the Hollands and the cowboy’s old bunkmates had done. Now that he was properly paying attention, Jongin was both surprised and pleased there were few “New Yorkisms” in the cabin. Instead, there were plain light blue walls that only had a calendar he recognized from the town general store hanging in the kitchen. The same appliances were there including a small chest freezer and heavy duty stacking washer/dryer, and when he peeked into the cupboards there were no fancy dishes, only a good, sturdy set in blue, with solid glasses, and a pair of novelty coffee mugs, with one saying “Kiss the Cook” and the other “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.”

                Kyungsoo blushed when Jongin took them down to examine them.  “I didn’t buy those. One of your roommates did. Guess he didn’t realize you were the one who did the riding in this relationship.”

                Jongin chuckled as he put the mugs away. “I’ll ride you whenever you want.”

                “So I’ve noticed.”

                The couple continued their tour. Most of the kitchen area cupboards were either stuffed full of food, or the fanciest, yet most solid cookware Jongin had ever seen.

                “Those did come with me from New York. One of the few things I approved of was this tiny restaurant supply store the chef I worked and trained under introduced me to. I once mentioned to him and the store’s owner about wanting to start my own business, and they went through and picked out exactly what I would need to work small-scale til I was ready to go commercial or whatever I decided, and if I changed my mind they’d still last me a lifetime if I ended up hosting dinner parties once I got mixed up with Suho. Now I have you as a lab rat while I work out recipes.”

                “I see. You only want me as a guinea pig.”

                “Like you’d pass up any chance to eat Darling.”

“Good point.”

The rest of the cabin showed Kyungsoo’s simple taste, or at least good sense as well. There were matching blue checked curtains at the windows and tablecloth on the simple two-seater table, and the bookcases and furniture were all the same type of white pine as the floor. Jongin hadn’t remembered it, but there was a tiny fireplace in the living room area, perfect for the two of them to curl up with hot chocolate on the squashy blue over-stuffed couch, or have company over to sit in the matching two chairs.

“No TV I see.” Jongin wasn’t bothered by this. If they wanted to watch a movie, that’s what laptops and Netflix were for, and he didn’t know how the Hollands managed it, but the entire ranch had excellent Wi-Fi.

“We can get one if you want, but I usually just read, or watch stuff online.”

“I noticed your books.”

Jongin pried himself away from Kyungsoo and wandered over to one of the bookcases to examine the reading material, smiling at their wedding picture prominently displayed. His own collection of ratty secondhand paperback fiction was now keeping company with numerous cookbooks about various cuisines, hardcover biographies and true crime, several foreign language study guides and dictionaries, and a battered softcover half-shoved behind the other books. Curious, he pulled it out.

“Well now, this is definitely one I’ll have to read. Or, maybe you can just teach me the content” Jongin teased, grinning at his suddenly red-faced husband snatching The Gay Man’s Illustrated Guide to Better, more Creative out of his hands and hastily stuffing it back where it had been before.

“I’d thought I’d thrown that out.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.”

All that was left to explore now was the bed tucked into a corner, with the drawers like Jongin remembered, one with his socks and underwear and the other with Kyungsoo’s, plus his silk pajamas. There was a good-size wardrobe with their shirts and pants hanging neatly next to each other, shoes underneath, Jongin’s tank tops and both men’s shorts stacked neatly above. And finally, the tiny bathroom which was basic, toilet, sink, medicine cabinet, shelves for towels and extra toilet paper and toothpaste, and a stand in shower that the two men could probably share and even get frisky in if they were careful. He had to smile at the “Mister and Mister” bath towels hanging ready on the towel rack.

“Chanyeol bought those” Kyungsoo explained. “He also bought us a set of “His and His” which I thought was sweet of him.

“Yeah, Yeol has his moments. Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m more than ready for a shower. Care to join me?”

Kyungsoo smiled, the one that let Jongin know he wouldn’t be sleeping for a while, not that he’d complain. “I’ll even scrub your back. Let me just make sure the door is locked and turn off the overhead light and put on the bed lamp.”

Jongin had no idea how much later it was when they’d turned off that bed lamp and he was finally under Kyungsoo’s pile of thick, fluffy blankets on the bed, aching in all the best ways and completely tangled up with his husband, who was mostly asleep but managing to quietly hum contentedly. The cowboy didn’t even care he’d be short of sleep and probably be slightly uncomfortable on horseback tomorrow. It wasn’t that Kyungsoo didn’t take his time. In fact, the short man was the gentlest, most patient and thorough when it came to prep no matter how hard they went at it afterwards lover he’d ever had, but it had been two weeks and he needed a day or two to get used to it again.

“I missed you Soo. I’m so glad you decided to move here and that you want to stay married.”

Kyungsoo yawned and burrowed closer. “Of course I moved here stupid. A man should be with the man he loves.”

Author's note: as far as I know Kyungsoo's "How To" guide isn't a real book. If someone knows otherwise, let me know so I can change the title or add the author.