Epilogue

Zitao dodged falling hats as he searched for Kris. It would be a miracle if either one of them made it out with both eyes still intact. Whoever made it a thing to throw caps with pointy corners in the air on graduation day obviously had a very sick sense of humor.

“Zitao!” He heard, and he turned to see Kris waving at him a few yards away. The caps seemed to have stopped falling, so Zitao hurried over.

“Did you get hit?” He asked as he approached.

Kris shook his head. “No, I’m okay.” He grinned, his smile lighting up his face. “We did it! We graduated from college, we did it together!”

Zitao flung his arms around Kris’s shoulders, and Kris scooped him up and spun him around. They had managed to work out their college careers so that would graduate together. Zitao was now a certified Physical therapist, and Kris was qualified to be a History teacher. They had been together for seven years, and they were as strong as they had ever been.

“This is the best day of my life,” Zitao whispered.

Kris rubbed his back and discreetly kissed his neck. “Better than the day you met me?”

Zitao smiled. “Of course, because now I know exactly how much I love you.”

There was a shout of their names and they pulled away. Krystal came running over and launched herself at Zitao, hugging him so tightly he almost choked. As it was he stumbled under her sudden weight, but Kris caught him before he could fall.

“I can’t believe we did it!” She squealed. “We’re graduates! We have lives, careers! Zitao, this is the best day ever!”

She released Zitao and hugged Kris as well. “This is amazing!” She screamed, and a few people around her shouted in agreement. She let go of Kris and took Zitao’s hands, jumping up and down in excitement. “Okay,” she said excitedly, “I have to go now, Suzy and Minji are waiting to take me out for lunch, and I know your parents are waiting too but call me later, alright? Oh wow, this is so great!” And she ran off, her graduation gown hiked up to her knees, screaming “I’m a translator, I can translate , oh yeah, baby!”

“She’s insane,” Zitao said, shaking his head.

“But we love her,” Kris laughed.

Zitao laughed as well and began looking around. “I see my parents, let’s go.”

Zitao’s mother spent a few minutes cooing over the pair of them, squeezing their cheeks and getting teary eyed about her grown-up babies. Zitao was so happy that she used the plural word, since none of Kris’ clan had been able to make it. His parents were taking the two of them out for a celebratory dinner at a fancy restaurant, but Zitao didn’t realize how fancy it was until they got there.

“Wow, a private room,” he said, looking around. There was a small table set for four, with two people sitting on each side. Zitao pulled Kris into the seat next to his and laced their fingers together on top of the table. Since it was just the four of them they didn’t have to hide.

“So,” Zitao’s dad asked as they looked over the menu. “How does it feel to graduate together?”

Zitao felt like his cheeks would split, he was smiling so much. “It feels wonderful.” He turned to Kris, feeling like his heart would burst with love. “This is the best day ever.”

Kris squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek. “It is, isn’t it?”

It was such a nice evening. They didn’t feel the need to talk about serious matters, instead telling each other funny stories and reminiscing about happy things. Zitao didn’t want to let go of Kris’ hand, not even when their food came. He was so excited he could barely taste what they were eating, and he was glad when his mom said that she’d have the leftovers wrapped up, because Zitao was sure that whatever he was eating was too good not to be enjoyed at a slightly calmer time.

When dinner was cleared away Kris seemed to become more tense.

“Are you okay?” Zitao asked, rubbing his hand. He wondered if Kris needed a Qi swap. He’d been stressed lately.

“I’m okay,” He said quickly. “I just…I…before we came here I called the restaurant and asked them to make something special for dessert. It’s a little unorthodox and I just really hope you’ll like it.”

Zitao smiled reassuringly. “I’m sure I will, I like anything from you.” That seemed to calm him down a bit.

When dessert did arrive, it looked pretty ordinary, not like something Kris needed to worry about. There were tiny macaroons and sweet sugar cookies, two of Zitao’s favorite sweet things, but then he saw a suspicious looking covered dish.

“What’s under the cover?” Zitao asked.

Kris smiled at him. “Close your eyes.”

Zitao looked at his parents in confusion, but they just shrugged. Zitao sighed and shut his eyes. He felt Kris shifting around next to him.

“Okay,” Kris said after a few seconds. “You can look.”

Zitao opened his eyes. There was a tiny, pink-frosted cake sitting in front of him. He quickly realized that it was a strawberry cake, and on top of it there was a large ring made of frosting, with a strawberry where a diamond or large gem would have been.

“It’s so cute,” Zitao started to say, but he only got the first word out before his brain suddenly realized what it was seeing.

A cake, with a ring on it.

A diamond ring.

Like an engagement ring.

Zitao cut off with a choked gasp and clapped his hands to his mouth.

‘Is that what I think it is?’ He thought weakly.

Kris stood up and walked around to the other side of Zitao’s chair. He took one of Zitao’s hands away from his mouth and squeezed gently, and then he got down on one knee.

“Oh my god,” Zitao whimpered.

Kris smiled up at him, and held out his other hand. There was a gold band pinched between his fingers.

“Will you marry me?” He asked quietly.

“You need to ask?” Zitao choked, “Of course I will!”

As Zitao’s parents clapped and cheered, Kris slipped the ring onto Zitao’s finger and stood, pulling Zitao up with him.

“I love you,” He said, gazing almost reverently into Zitao’s eyes. “I will always love you.”

Zitao’s eyes swam with tears, but he held them back. “I love you too.”

Six Years Later

It seemed like a lifetime ago that he had gotten locked in that Hotel, and nearly been scared to death when he looked up at the ceiling and saw another face looking down at him, but it hadn’t been that long, not really, Zitao mused as he tapped his foot nervously. Thirteen years wasn’t a whole lot of time, compared to a lifetime. Still, a lot could happen in thirteen years.

A lot had happened.

Zitao and Kris got married in a small ceremony on a beach in China. Zitao’s parents were there, as were Krystal, Minji, Suzy, Lu Han and Sehun.

Krystal got married a few months later, to Lee Taemin, a man she’d met in college.

Zitao’s parents moved to Korea to be closer to their son, since he didn’t seem to be moving home any time soon.

Suzy and Minji got married a year later…to each other.

Sehun and Lu Han weren’t married yet, but they had adopted a baby boy. They named him Sunwoo, and he was almost four.

Kris and Zitao built up a life. They bought a small apartment just outside of Seoul, and then a bigger one with three bedrooms, and made plans to fill those extra two rooms fairly quickly.

Two years ago they adopted a one year old baby girl from China, and named her Hana. She had been such a delight and a blessing, and Kris and Zitao loved her so much.

“Baba!”

Zitao turned around and smiled when he saw Kris and Hana approaching. Kris was carrying their little girl, steadying her as she leaned over, waving enthusiastically. Zitao waved back and held out his arms as she got closer. Kris handed her over, and Hana promptly grabbed his cheeks a gave him a somewhat sloppy kiss.

“You better now?” Zitao asked her. “No more potty dance?”

Hana smiled. “No more!” She chirped, and then went back to peppering kisses all over Zitao’s face.

Kris laughed and ruffled Hana’s hair. “Save some kisses for daddy, sweet heart!”

“No,” Hana said stubbornly. “Too many kisses!” And she continued along merrily.

Kris looked up at the arrival board. The airport was buzzing, nobody paid attention to the three of them, but Zitao felt like they should have been. Didn’t these people know what today was? How could they do such mundane things like pick a snack from a vending machine or tie their shoelaces?

“The plane pulled in five minutes ago,” Zitao said worriedly, shifting Hana to his other hip. “Should we be worried?”

Kris shook his head. “I think we’re okay.” He looked over his shoulder. “Your mom is coming.”

Zitao whirled around. “Mama!”

“Nai Nai!” Hana shrieked, wriggling in Zitao’s arms. Zitao put her down and she ran over to her grandmother. She was promptly scooped up and fussed over, and Zitao managed to forget how stressed he was for just a second.

His mom came over and kissed his cheek. “Did the plane land?”

Zitao nodded. “How’s baba?”

His mother smiled tiredly. Zitao’s father had taken a bad fall a week ago and hurt his back. “Recovering, but the doctor says he should be alright. He’s a stubborn man, he’ll be fine.”

Zitao nodded, slightly relieved.

Kris suddenly grabbed his arm. “Zitao,” he said, “The passengers are coming.”

Zitao spun around and gripped Kris’ hand tightly, his heart pounding. “Oh my god,” he whimpered.

Slowly, people began trickling out of the gate. Zitao felt like his heart would burst, it was beating so hard. Then two women came out from the gate, each one with a baby carrier strapped to her chest. Zitao and Kris had met them before—their names were Hyesung and Jungah, they were from an adoption agency that worked with China.

“Kris,” Zitao said, “They’re here!”

Jungah saw them and tapped Hyesung’s shoulder, pointing. They made their way over, all smiles. “We meet again,” Hyesung said. She and Jungah busied themselves with the straps on the carriers. Zitao could only see the fluffy black hair of the two babies they held. As they lifted the babies up, the one Hyesung was holding began to cry. Kris held out his hands and took the fussy baby.

“Shh, it’s okay,” he cooed, cradling his son. “It’s okay, daddy’s got you.”

Zitao felt himself tear up, but he kept it together. Jungah handed him the baby she’d been carrying, and Zitao cradled his little boy to his chest. He was sound asleep, his tiny chest rising and falling steadily. He was so small.

Zitao turned to Kris, and they quietly gazed down at their twin boys.

“You have Alex,” Kris said. “I have Jay.”

Zitao nodded. “I know,” he said quietly, so he wouldn’t wake little Alex up. “Kris…they’re so tiny.”

The boys were three months old, but they looked like newborns. Zitao shifted his grip a little bit, and he felt tiny bumps on Alex’s back where his wings were. He knew that Jay would have similar bumps on his back.

Zitao leaned in closer. “Can you imagine them learning to fly?” He whispered.

“Only too well,” Kris whispered back. The boys weren’t Pets, they were harpies, but Kris’ clan had helped them find and adopt the babies the same way they’d done with Hana. Hana, their beautiful little girl, whose legs became fins when she took a bath.

Speaking of Hana, she was at their feet, pulling on their pant legs. “Lemme see!” She cried, “Baba, daddy, lemme see!”

Zitao and Kris knelt down, careful not to jostle the boys. Jay had stopped crying, and he was making adorable little snuffling noises.

Hana was positively shaking with delight as she looked at the babies. “They’re my brothers?!” She gasped.

“That’s right, baby girl,” Zitao said. “They came all the way from China just to be your little brothers. This is Alex, and daddy has Jay.”

Hana extended one hand and gently poked Jay’s foot. He twitched and she jumped back.

“You can touch them, sweet heart,” Kris said. “Do you want to hold their hands?”

Zitao felt his mother hovering, and he knew she was getting this on video. He was so grateful, because when Hana took her little brother’s hands in her own and held them like they were made of glass, it was a beautiful moment.

She stepped back and wrinkled her nose. “Daddy, baba, did you get the right babies? They’re ugly.”

Zitao choked and thought he’d cracked his ribs from trying not to laugh, and he could tell Kris was having just as much trouble.

“You sassy creature,” Zitao gasped. “You looked like this too when you were three months old, we saw pictures of it.”

Hana shook her head firmly. “Nuh-uh. I was a pretty princess! These babies look like lima beans.”

“Lima beans,” Zitao repeated weakly, and he had never wanted to laugh so hard in his life. “Oh my goodness, Hana, I love you darling, don’t you ever grow up.”

Zitao’s mother burst out laughing. “This child is cinematic gold!”

Kris and Zitao stood up and bid goodbye to Jungah and Hyesung. They took turns passing the babies back and forth, Zitao’s mother held them for a little while, and then they decided that it was time to leave. Zitao promised to bring the babies over to his parent’s house soon so they could meet their grandfather, but now it was time to get them home. He and Kris strapped the boys into the little car seats they’d carried in, and then they walked back to the parking lot, Hana walking between them and holding their hands.

“Will they get prettier when they grow up?” Hana asked.

“Yes,” Kris answered. “They’ll be very pretty when they grow up.”

“Just like you,” Zitao said, smiling at his daughter.

They made it back to the car and strapped the baby car seats in alongside Hana’s car seat. It was a tight squeeze, but it was only for a little while. They’d be getting a bigger car soon. On the way home Zitao glanced back several times to find Hana peeking at her brothers, a small smile lighting up her face.

Ten Years Later

It felt like one minute Zitao turned his head to look at three little children, sound asleep in their car seats, and then the next second he was turning around to referee a sports match.

“Your wing is in my face!” Hana screeched, batting at Jay’s head. “Move, you overgrown lima bean!”

Jay elbowed her and she grunted. “Baba! Daddy!” She wailed, “Jay elbowed my s!”

“What s?” Jay asked, and Hana hit him again. “Baba! Daddy! Hana’s hitting me!!”

Zitao turned around. “No hitting, no elbowing, and no name-calling,” he commanded. “Keep all opinions and appendages to yourselves. Don’t even look at each other.”

Hana and Jay stuck their tongues out at each other and leaned back sullenly. Alex didn’t even budge, he was fast asleep.

Zitao eyed him nervously. “Jay, is Alex breathing?”

Jay rolled his eyes but stuck his hand under his brother’s nose. “Yes, he’s alive.”

Zitao had always admired their youngest child’s ability to sleep through everything. He turned back around and Kris grinned at him.

“Aren’t you glad we stopped at three?” He whispered.

Zitao rubbed his temples. “Yes, actually, I am.”

“I didn’t want any more brothers anyway,” Hana called.

“Would have been more fun for me,” Jay said.

“Kids,” Zitao and Kris said warningly.

“We’re not doing anything,” Hana and Jay chorused.

There was a moment of silence. “Are we there yet?” Jay asked.

“Does it look like we are?” Kris asked sarcastically.

“How much longer?” Jay asked. “Call Uncle Lu Han and Uncle Sehun and tell them we’re lost!”

“We’re not lost,” Zitao said patiently. “We’ll be there in two hours.”

Hana groaned. “Can we stop soon? I’m hungry!”

“Me too,” Alex piped up, making everyone jump.

“Jesus H. Christ,” Jay muttered, “How do you do that?”

Alex poked Zitao’s shoulder. “Baba, I want a hamburger, can we get hamburgers?”

“I want one too!” Hana said, “Can we, pleeeeeease?”

Zitao sighed. “Keep an eye out for restaurants,” he said.

“Okay!” The three of them yelled.

The car was silent. Zitao counted down and five minutes later, he turned around to see all three of his children fast asleep. Alex had his head on Jay’s shoulder, and they were holding hands. Jay was resting his head on Hana’s shoulder, and she was resting her head on top of his. Zitao snapped a picture. When he turned back around, Kris held out his hand and Zitao tangled their fingers together.

“I don’t know,” Zitao said quietly, “I think we could have handled seven more.”

Kris chuckled and lifted Zitao’s hand to his mouth, planting a gentle kiss on the back of his hand. “It’s not too late,” he joked.

But Zitao loved their family just the way it was.

He looked over at Kris and smiled, even though Kris’ eyes were on the road and he wasn’t looking.

“I love you,” Zitao said, touching the gold band on Kris’ ring finger.

Kris smiled and squeezed Zitao’s hand. “I love you too.”

It had been twenty three years since he’d met Kris, and as good as his life was back then, it was even better now.

The End

So that’s it, that’s the end. It’s done for realsies now.

Please don’t ask for a continuation, I’ve already done one, and I honestly have no more to say on the subject. Let’s not ruin my good mood by pestering me, okay?

Thanks for reading, everyone! I hope you all had fun, because I sure did!