Finally! Writer's block struck again, but I finally broke through.

                Kyungsoo stood up and stretched, with a very satisfying, audible crack to his back, then pulled off his blue sunhat to wipe the sweat off his brow. He had just gotten the later crop vegetables in his garden weeded and thinned so it was looking much neater, and was feeling quite proud of himself. Everyone who had seen it said they were amazed at how well he’d done for a city boy’s first attempt, and even as perfectionistic as he tended to be, he was happy with the results so far. He tossed the last of the weeds and his tools over the low fence Jongin had helped him build to keep the gallivanting dogs and wandering critters out of his vegetables, not that the rabbits respected fences the little burrowing pests they were. He’d always liked rabbits, until they started eating his plants. Fortunately, talking to some of the locals who had gardens had given him useful tips for keeping rabbits away and he was no longer bothered by them. He took one last glance, then carefully stepped over the barrier himself and started cleaning up, piling the weeds to take over to the pigs later after Jongin brought a wheelbarrow, wiping his tools clean to put away, and picking up the basket with the thinned veggies. They were still good, just small and he had every intention of adding them to dinner. Jongin had asked if he could make something Korean, and he was always happy to cook whatever his husband wanted.

                His husband. Kyungsoo smiled at the thought he had of his cowboy as he put his tools and his hat back in the lean to and headed inside to start dinner, after kicking off his shoes on the porch and patting Alice, who was flopped down by her water dish with a rawhide, on the head. She was such a good dog, especially after all the extra training she’d been through. There was even no longer a need to tie her to the porch, unless he and Jongin were going somewhere in the truck and didn’t take their pets with them. Otherwise, they were followed all over the ranch, and even on horseback. Though, her legs did give up after a while so one of them would carry her draped across their lap the rest of the way. Ollie was a bit more stubborn, but he was usually so worn out after helping Jongin with the yearlings he only had to be tied at night so he wouldn’t wander off and try to pick a fight with coyotes. It had happened once when they thought they could trust him, which left him taking the morning off of his work to take the dog to the vet as an emergency for blood tests and to get his wounds cleaned and dressed and in one case sewn up. Thankfully he had all his shots. He came home wearing a “cone of shame” and also had an ointment to help him heal and pain and antibiotic pills they had to hide in bits of ham. It cost a small fortune even though Doc had tried to keep the price down as much as possible since he knew most of Kyungsoo and Jongin’s money was tied up getting the new business set up.

                The business Kyungsoo mused as he pulled off his ed plaid shirt and plain t-shirt before washing up and going to clean and prepare veggies. The future home of Kyungsoo’s Cuisines was coming along nicely. Thanks to his stubborn husband’s insistence on donating a large part of his savings to a business venture that he couldn’t offer a guarantee on, he’d been able to hire enough locals to work on bringing the barn, that he learned was known as a pole barn, up to code for food service much faster than expected, and the older men and in a couple cases women had great ideas on how to make the best use of the space. Plenty of land came with it, and the plan for next year was breaking quite a bit it so he could grow most of the vegetables for his frozen meals line. Or rather, the semi-retired farmers who actually knew what they were doing on that size scale would do the breaking ground, preparing, planting, and the majority of the harvesting, and teach him so eventually he and his helpers could do it themselves. They’d teasingly suggested it would have been easier had either he or Jongin been a woman to get those helpers, so they’d better get a move on adopting a passel of kids.

                Kids. Kyungsoo and Jongin had finally gotten a chance to talk about children, but neither of them had been able to come to a definite conclusion either way. They’d listed all the pros and cons, but that had only ended in a standstill since the lists were even. They decided to wait, at least for now. They’d only been married six months after all and they were young and they might live in the West, but it wasn’t the old West. Their livelihood didn’t depend on having a bunch of kids to help with the work. Nor were they in a traditional Korean farm setting requiring much the same thing. It was more of a village helping each other out type of situation, which he’d always liked the idea of even if he hadn’t gotten a chance to experience it for himself.

                Dinner prep finished, Kyungsoo covered everything and went to check his texts and emails. What he was making wouldn’t take long to cook and was best fresh, so he’d wait til Jongin was home and in the shower to finish. Well, unless he ended up getting dragged into the shower as well. That had its own merits, but it meant dinner would be late. Then again, it had been a few days and dinner really wouldn’t take long… The short man grinned and snorted to himself as he answered his texts, then tackled his emails, most of which needed a quick glance and deletion, though a few he saved and a couple actually required answers. He now had the last of the requirements in order to get the proper permits/licenses for his business, but wouldn’t actually be able to apply for anything until the proposed site was finished so it could be inspected. It seemed bass-ackward to him to do it that way, but figured maybe it was an experiment or something. As long as he had all the documentation and legalities covered, he didn’t care. He wasn’t about to be shut down because some paper pusher didn’t do their job properly.

                Electronic correspondence taken care of, Kyungsoo considered putting his shirt back on to head to the main house to get the regular mail, but decided not to. It wasn’t like there wasn’t seventy-plus half- men running around Holland Ranch due to the heat, and his current workload, in addition to certain other activities involving his husband when they weren’t too tired, was slowly working on his pudge. He had a long way to go yet, but he was less embarrassed about being seen uncovered than he used to be, even if he didn’t tan as nicely as everyone else. So, he just shoved his feet back into his shoes, whistled for Alice who immediately got up looking eager, and with the dog trotting at his heels headed down the hill.

                “Kunthu! Alith!” The backs of Kyungsoo’s legs were plowed into by a small blonde whirlwind as he checked the mailbox the Hollands had set up for the cabin. He nearly fell into said mailbox before he caught himself and turned to hug Tansy, her recently cut chin length hair looking like wet seaweed, either because of sweat or water. He was guessing the latter, since she was in her bathing suit and smelled strongly of sunscreen. She had a decent-sized kiddy pool to splash around in at home, and had been taking swimming lessons at the public pool in one of the nearby towns. She’d told Kyungsoo privately when she was helping him with the garden that she didn’t really like the swimming teacher but not to say anything to her grandparents since she did want to learn to swim and she got to play with other kids three times a week. Concerned there might have been something inappropriate going on since she was such a cute, innocent little girl he asked a few carefully-worded questions, only to be relieved when she said the instructor never touched the kids, even to help. She was just a cranky old lady who blew her whistle and yelled a lot.

                “Hi Tansy” Kyungsoo replied, carefully twisting around so he could bend down and hug her. “What have you been up to today? I missed my helper.” He did too, it wasn’t just him being nice to a child. For a five-year-old, Tansy followed directions well and learned quickly, and though she asked a lot of questions she wasn’t rude or mouthy. He wished more kids were like her. (She’d proved once again how naturally kind and unselfish she was at her recent her princess-themed birthday party. The ranch hands’ children/grandchildren who were around Tansy’s age had been invited along with the kids she knew from swimming class and speech therapy, boys and girls alike all wearing princess party hats. She had been equally sweet and caring to all her guests whether she really knew them or not and didn’t even fuss about taking turns. It was one of his favorite recent memories, especially the sight of Jongin fighting to keep his too small paper crown from falling off. The ranch hands had all pitched it to help with the party however they could, and the cowboy had been elected to chauffer the birthday girl around to the games. For their part, Cook and Kyungsoo as the royal chefs worked hard on a kid-friendly buffet and served the “lords and ladies” with as many “courtly manners” as either of them could remember from watching Disney movies. Later on, the kids had pony rides, and the royal transformed into the royal groomsman as he helped the kids on and off Apple Blossom and the other ponies, which had been rented for the party from a different ranch since Apple wouldn’t have been able to handle all the kids by herself.)

                “I wath in the pool today. Ith too hot to work Kunthu. Did you really work in the garden in the hot?”

                “I sure did. I don’t mind being hot so much. It feels good, and I managed to get all the weeds and all the little veggies that were crowded too close. Jongin’s getting those in his dinner tonight so they don’t go to waste.”

                Tansy giggled. “You’re feeding weedth to Kai? I know he eath like a piggy, tho are you gonna feed him like a piggy now? Put hith food in a big trough like the piggies?”

                Kyungsoo started laughing so hard he nearly had tears in his eyes. Tansy’s unexpected observations and comments were just so, funny and accurate at times. She never failed to surprise him.

                “Tansy! Time to wash up for supper!” Missus Holland stood on the porch and yelled for her granddaughter, which made both Kyungsoo and his little companion look up and over at her.

                “Okay Granma! I just gotta thay bye-bye to Kunthu and Alith firth!”

                “I’ll thee you later Kunthu!” Tansy gave Kyungsoo another hug, patted Alice, and ran off to obey her grandmother. He watched the two head into the house before turning back to the mail. Most was junk, advertisements and such, but he had gotten his cooking magazines and a small package that might be the in depth explanation of the different types of goats available that would do well in the area as well as how to take care of them he’d ordered, and a very official-looking envelope with Jongin’s and his names on it from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The short man found that odd, since his husband only sent in his application a couple of weeks ago and he didn’t think they would’ve made their decision so fast. That just wasn’t how bureaucrats worked as far as he knew. Maybe they needed more information from one or both of them, or there were extra steps since they were a gay couple and/or he was a naturalized citizen himself. As curious as he was, he decided to wait for his husband to come home before he opened it.

                Kyungsoo was deep in the material about goats when Jongin came home, tanned even darker than his natural beautiful bronze and filthy and drenched in sweat. That didn’t stop him from vaulting out of his chair for a hug and kiss, which were enthusiastically returned.

                “Hey Soo, miss me?” Jongin asked when they finally came up for air.

                “You know I always do Baby. I’ll cook dinner while you’re in the shower so it’s all ready. Oh, and we got something from the immigration people today. I didn’t open it yet since I was waiting for you.”

                “I wonder what they want. Are you sure you don’t want to join me in the shower?”

                Kyungsoo chuckled. “Want your back scrubbed?”

                “Among other things.”

                Eventually they got around to dinner, then after Jongin did the dishes they curled up on the couch together to read their letter. It was a simple, one-page thing informing them to expect a visit from representatives sometime within the next few days.

                “I don’t remember reading anything about a home visit, do you?” Kyungsoo scowled at the letter, confused.

                “No, but maybe we just missed that part of the application? How was it when you applied?”

                “I just had to submit the paperwork, take a test, then recite the oath after they made their decision. I assumed it would be different since you’re applying due to marriage, but I still don’t remember a home visit being a requirement.”

                “Maybe it’s to check we really are a couple and it’s not just for show. No use worrying about it.”

                Kyungsoo knew Jongin was right, but that didn’t stop him from lying awake most of the next couple of nights scared his husband might get deported. Maybe they should’ve left well enough alone since he still had residency as a married man, but it had been the cowboy’s decision. Jongin had admitted he felt a bit guilty not going back to do his military service, but he also said he hadn’t wanted to be separated that long. He could and would’ve gone back for visits as much as he didn’t want to be in a country that wouldn’t accept him, or his husband for something they were born as. He also didn’t want to be anywhere near his parents, but his cowboy was the most important person on earth to him.

                It was actually a relief when two ladies in business suits and heels came trudging up the hill looking half worn out. Kyungsoo had been reinforcing Alice’s recent agility training on the homemade course he and Jongin had put together one day and went out to greet them after calling the dog and giving her a treat for being such a good, smart girl, old shorts and t-shirt and blue sunhat and all. He figured that if they didn’t have the decency to call or send a specific time in the letter, they deserved to see him at work.

                Kyungsoo mentally grinned when the taller of the two ladies held out her badge that was hanging from a lanyard around her neck. “Are you Mister Kim or Mister Do?”

                “I’m Kyungsoo Do. My husband is working right now. Is there something I can help you ladies with?”

                Kyungsoo was only half paying attention while she introduced herself and her partner, where they were from, why they were there, until she finally got to the part where she said there had been a complaint of fraud, and that he and Jongin weren’t really married. That got his full attention.

                “We wondered the reason for the home visit, but I can assure you ma’am, our marriage is real. It was unexpected, but it’s real and legal. I can show you our marriage license if you’d like. I had it checked out that it wasn’t some joke or something, before I went back to New York to pack my things and make arrangements to move out here. I don’t think I ever told Jongin I did that since it was such a relief to see him again at first, then we’ve been so busy making a life together, then there was my injury (he pointed to his head, where his scars were still visible since his hair was so short) and hospital stay, and dealing with Taemin and Junmyeon…” He knew he should be polite and invite the ladies into the cabin and offer them something to drink, but he wasn’t feeling very gentlemanly. Besides, if they needed to talk to Jongin, they’d have to walk more anyway.

                “What do you mean, unexpected? And what injury and those people you said you dealt with, who are they? We also need to know everything about you and Mister Kim’s day to day lives, routines and so forth.”

                Kyungsoo explained as simply as he could how he and Jongin had met, that he’d offered to share his room for the possibility of a “Vegas Experience” with the handsome cowboy, only to wake up together the next morning, half- and legally married. He went on to talk about how they’d spent the next few days getting to know each other and enjoying their time together, all the while expecting the other to bring up an annulment. They never did, then his husband had to take off unexpectedly due to the accident and funerals. He went back to New York, only to pack up and move, praying Jongin wanted him. After the happy reunion, they were a real married couple, only for him to end up attacked by a homophobe when they were having a nice day out together. He glossed over most of his hospital stay, only talking about waking up to see his ex and having him thrown out, Taemin tracking the cowboy down only to be arrested, then Junmyeon showing up again to try and break them up. He had since fully recovered and was in the process of starting his business.

                “My best friend Baekhyun was actually the one that pointed out Jongin would be able to qualify for citizenship after we’d been married six months. We knew he’d have residency, but just never thought about it until Baek brought it up. My husband did debate with himself for a while, but decided to go for it.” He then went on to talk about a typical day in the Do-Kim household, from Jongin’s obnoxious alarm clock well before dawn, to the short man giving his cowboy a massage and possibly more at night, which obviously made the women uncomfortable. He wondered if they were homophobic, or for some reason just didn’t enjoy .

                The entire time Kyungsoo was talking, the shorter of the two ladies was scribbling notes and they both seemed uncomfortable standing in the sun sweating. Deciding he’d tortured the two enough, he asked them to come into the cabin for some ice tea.

                “Thank you, and we do need to see your marriage license and do a home inspection.”

                Whistling for Alice who was in the shade of one of her agility ramps so she could come inside and get a bowl of water with ice cubes to help cool her down after her workout, Kyungsoo led the unwanted visitors into the cabin and gave them glasses of barley tea, which was a bit of a shock to those who weren’t used to it. Normally he’d have offered the regular decaf tea he kept for Tansy and some of their guests, but he wasn’t feeling that charitable. They never said a word, just tried to keep from making faces as they poked through the cupboards and drawers, examined the shelves, even opening the wardrobe and going into the bathroom to invade every last inch of his and Jongin’s privacy. He was surprised they didn’t tear the neatly made bed apart to look for signs of intimate activity, as if he wasn’t fastidious about keeping everything clean no matter how often they managed private time. One of them did have the audacity to pick up one of their bottles of lube and read the label with a look of confusion on her face, as if she had no idea what two men would be doing with such a thing. He’d have to scrub the entire cabin after they left, just to get rid of that feeling of being spied on.

                “Your marriage license Mister Do?” The taller one finally asked. Kyungsoo managed to quash his feeling of being violated enough to retrieve his keys from the little shelf Jongin had put up for the ammo for his rifle and their battery lamp and flashlight, then pulled the fireproof lockbox hidden behind Jongin’s paperbacks their important papers were in: the titles for Kyungsoo’s truck and the property his business would be on, his naturalization records and college degrees, Jongin’s proof of ownership for his twenty-two, their recently written wills, the dogs’ licenses and shot records, especially for rabies, the physical copies of their financial records, vehicle, medical, and life insurance policies, and their marriage license from the state of Nevada. He handed it over without a word, then started neatly putting everything else back only to get stopped.

                “What is the rest of all that for? I also meant to ask why you two have a gun.”

                “It’s our important paperwork. My lawyer wants us to get a safety deposit box at the bank since he doesn’t have room in his tiny office for any more file storage, but right now they’re all full, and we don’t want to go any further than we have to in case we actually need any of it for some reason.” Kyungsoo went on to explain what was in it, absolutely loathing the fact their entire lives were being picked apart and wishing Jongin was with him.

                “As for the rifle, we live on a horse ranch. Horses attract predators and horse feed attracts pests that attract more predators. If we have to go outside when they’re active, it only makes sense to be able to protect ourselves if there’s a chance of getting attacked by something. What is all this about anyway? I get an interview and I assume eventually you’re going to go talk to Jongin as well, even checking on living status, but why completely invade our privacy? Who thinks we aren’t really married? Wait, let me guess. Either it was one Junmyeon Kim, or one Taemin Lee. I suppose it could be my parents, but that’s less likely.”

                “I can’t answer that Mister Do, but why would you need a lawyer?”

                Kyungsoo mentally rolled his eyes. “I’m starting a business and I want my covered so I don’t screw anything up. It’s also not really his thing, but he’s talking to his colleagues on our behalf to help us file a lawsuit against the woman that attacked me. I’m not looking for millions, just the hospital bills our insurance didn’t cover and a lesson in being more tolerant, if not accepting. She’s got two small children. They don’t need to suffer because their mother did something wrong. I was actually talking to her son when she kicked me.”

                Then something wonderful happened. Kyungsoo heard Ollie’s “where is Alice?” bark, followed by Jongin’s “Soo, you home?” before his husband came in, dripping in sweat and filthy as usual, and nearly barreled over by the bigger of their dogs looking for his friend, who had been dozing in the kitchen area so she wouldn’t get stepped on or tripped over. The two bumped noses before Ollie loudly helped himself to the water that still had slivers of ice floating in it.

                Kyungsoo practically flew out of his chair and into Jongin’s arms, rewarded with a hug and a smile before getting a peck on the lips. Ordinarily it would be more, but his husband must have noticed their “guests.”

                “Excuse me, but who are you two ladies?” the cowboy asked, seemingly in no hurry to let Kyungsoo go, not that the short man minded. He already felt better with Jongin with him, though he did wonder why he was home so early when he’d said he was going to be working with the yearlings, then heading to town with some of the others to pick up a supply order that for some reason wasn’t being delivered.

                “Remember, we aren’t really married Love, and they’re here to prove that. Want some tea?”

                Jongin chuckled and pecked Kyungsoo’s nose. “We’re not? I must need a shrink then, because I feel pretty married to my adorable, y husband. I’d also love some tea.”

                “That isn’t exactly true Mister Do. The allegation was made. We’re only here to substantiate or refute the claim. You must admit, it’s an unusual situation. You yourself said you didn’t really know each other, nor was your intention to get married, merely “have some fun” as you put it.”

                “So?” Jongin, who had taken over the kitchen chair Kyungsoo had been sitting in earlier, asked as the short man handed him his drink, only to get pulled onto his husband’s knee. “People who don’t know each other get married all the time. In our native culture, there are still couples that end up together due to matchmaking, either through their parents or a professional. We at least liked each other from the beginning, and shortly afterwards fell in love. Soo even moved his entire life out here, because this was where I was. Sure, it might seem a bit more unusual because we’re both men, but so what? Unlike in Korea, gay marriage is legal here. I also happen to not want to be separated from my husband except for maybe brief visits here and there for almost two years while I serve in the army in a country that doesn’t accept a big part of who I am. I would have since I’m still Korean-born and do have some loyalty to my country of origin, but my husband is more important to me. I’ve also found far more acceptance here than I did even in liberal California. No one here at Holland Ranch or in town gives a damn I like men. Well, they didn’t beyond telling me I needed to find a nice boy to take care of me. When everyone found out about Soo, they were nothing but happy for us both once he moved out here. Everyone loves him.”

                Kyungsoo chimed in then, mostly to watch the two women turn red and squirm. “Yes, I was attacked by one bigot. So what? Since I met Jongin I’ve been more willing to actually go out and meet people. I never really got that with the people I dated before, and with Junmyeon I was pretty resigned to a dull, boring life with even more dull, boring . That’s certainly not the case with my husband. More people should be married to a cowboy who’s a trained dancer.” He mentally chuckled as the taller struggled to keep her composure.

                “Yes, er well. Mister Kim, would it be possible to speak to you privately? We want only to collaborate what Mister Do has already told us.”

                Reluctantly, Kyungsoo slid off Jongin’s knee. “Go ahead Baby. It’s about time for the mail anyway, and Cook wanted me to try some new dessert he was thinking of making, a cake if I remember right. I charged your phone you left this morning, so if you need me for something just text. I’ll leave the dogs with you so I don’t have to take Ollie’s chain to tie him.”

                “Okay Soo, but do I get a kiss first?”

                Kyungsoo grinned and pressed his lips to Jongin’s, only to get pulled half back into the cowboy’s lap and kissed properly before being let go. He chuckled and kissed his husband’s temple before shoving his shoes on and shuffling down the hill.