coley_merrin (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
coley_merrin) wrote2011-06-22 02:02 pm
coley_merrin) wrote2011-06-22 02:02 pm
Entry tags:
[Fic] Passage - 3&4/7
Title: Passage
Author: Coley Merrin
Pairing: Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun
Rating: NC-17
Genre: AU, Romance
Summary: The newest client of the stable Kyuhyun oversees is nothing short of intriguing. His reason tells him no, but he’s willing to go halfway and no further - If Zhou M is willing to let him stop.
***
“New arrival this week,” Kyuhyun said, leaning against the stall door beside Zhou Mi. There was commotion outside as ponies were being led out to a class, but that wasn’t his area to oversee. And he wasn’t a little bit thankful about it, either.
“Oh, the mare in foal?” Zhou Mi asked, looking over at him.
“You do have an ear to the stable grapevine.” That grapevine likely meant Henry. But it didn’t matter, since it was no secret. “Though thankfully still foal in mare at this point. I don’t think they like moving her so late, but they didn’t have a choice.”
Zhou Mi hummed, nodding sagely, but did not pry, which he appreciated. “Have you had mares foal here before?”
“A couple. The vet will be checking up on her frequently, so it will just be a matter of keeping an eye out. It’s not her first foal, and she’s done well in the past, so that’s one less thing to worry about.”
It would be nice to have a new baby around the yard and stable. All the grooms were particularly excited at the prospect, and Henry with them. But they couldn’t all be there for the birth. It was hardly a spectator sport. And knowing mares, it’d be in the middle of the night when he least expected it. Though with the vet, they’d get a whole lot closer than he would on his own. It was a nice shift in the routine, rather than one that made him want to tear out his hair.
And speaking of that, it’d been almost a week since Zhou Mi had fallen off his horse. And it wasn’t like Kyuhyun spent a lot of time analyzing the humans around him, but he could tell Zhou Mi was walking more freely as his body healed from the impact. Most importantly, it’d been over a week since they’d had sex. And he was rapidly accumulating ideas about what they should get up to next.
Emphasis on the up part. But he’d pretty much agreed that Zhou Mi was the one who’d make the next move when he felt better, even if it chafed at him wanting to shove Zhou Mi along. How fun was sex with an aching tailbone? He really didn’t know.
He pushed himself off of the door before he could get any bright ideas, like fishing for what Zhou Mi was doing that night. But he slapped Zhou Mi’s arm with his gloves.
“Getting back to work.”
“I’ll keep an eye on you while you do,” Zhou Mi promised, the words carrying a tilt that was just so sly that it had Kyuhyun staring back a little harder than he intended. And Zhou Mi’s lips curved to let him know that Zhou Mi had meant it just exactly how Kyuhyun had taken it.
If that didn’t put a smile on his face, and a spring in his step, he didn’t know what would.
***
“You and Zhou Mi seem pretty tight,” Henry said, as they worked together to prepare the stall for the incoming mare.
Kyuhyun didn’t bobble the bag in his hands, but it was close. And he reminded himself the last time Henry had said something about Zhou Mi, with Kyuhyun taking it completely wrong. So he just had to remember that not everything came back to dirty or lewd things, and it didn’t mean that Henry thought they were sleeping together.
Even if they had.
“He’s a good guy to have around the stable,” Kyuhyun said. “He helps out the other riders even when he doesn’t have to.”
“Yeah. He’s a nice guy, and a good rider. But you don’t really talk to customers much unless you’re checking in or they need something.”
“I can’t help it if his jaws flap,” Kyuhyun shot back.
“That’s not what I meant. I mean, it’s almost like you’re… Never mind.”
Henry seemed to redouble his efforts with the rake, and Kyuhyun stopped to stare. No, he wasn’t letting that go, especially since Henry had been the one to bring it up in the first place.
“Almost like what?” he asked, and hoped that his voice sounded dangerous enough.
“You don’t date, and Zhou Mi is single,” Henry said, shrugging and not meeting his eyes. “So it’s almost like you’re flirting. Together, I mean, not just you. And I’m the only one who knows you like— So no one else probably sees. It’s cute.”
And Henry heaved a sigh, hanging his head at what he’d just said. Kyuhyun had somehow followed. Apparently it was cute, if they flirted, because Henry knew Kyuhyun’s preference ran to men. And no one would know otherwise, because of special flirt-shielding powers he carried in his back pocket?
“So you “can see it” because you know me so well,” Kyuhyun said, making little quotes as he stared Henry down.
It was useless to deny outright. He played back the morning, Zhou Mi’s smiles. They weren’t the same ones he saw given to everyone else, and Kyuhyun didn’t just randomly stop by and chat with most people. At least, not like that. Or maybe, it was because of Zhou Mi that he recognized it. He always called a hello, or stopped to talk to clients if they weren’t busy. It was one of the few ways he actually was up to speed on what was going on. Zhou Mi, on the other hand… Kyuhyun had gone willingly and without question. They were racking up their accident repertoire. Knocked in pile of horse poop, check. Rescue from falling off horse, check.
Exceptionally satisfying sex didn’t fall under accident, more like a repeatable occurrence.
But Henry was hedging under Kyuhyun’s scrutiny. “I could be imagining things.” And as soon as Kyuhyun rolled his eyes he threw in, “But I don’t think so. I think you should go for it.”
“Picking up with a client isn’t…”
“If he leaves, you get more horses. I don’t think he’s the type to get you fired.”
Kyuhyun shook his head. “No, that’s not what I meant. I mean, it’s not serious. We’re just…friendly.”
Henry nodded, putting on his best knowing face. “For now.”
“Why do I keep you?”
“Because I’m the only one who talks back?”
And Henry ducked when Kyuhyun threatened to throw the salt in his hand at him. But he shook his head, not willing for it to become a thing in Henry’s head.
“It’s really not something to worry about.”
“I wasn’t worrying,” Henry said with a grin. “It’s just cute. And hey, good for you!”
Cheeky. Too cheeky. But just as Kyuhyun was beginning to think he would put any worry about Zhou Mi and his bedroom to rest as well, after Henry left he had a visit himself.
“What time is good to come by, if you're free tonight?" Zhou Mi asked, leaning casually against the stall's corner pole. And from that angle, Zhou Mi's hair resembled a forelock, gleaming in the light. His eyes skimmed up Zhou Mi’s body one more time, and the tilt of Zhou Mi’s lips seemed to indicate that he knew it, too.
And his body let him know that he would be very much available.
***
Of course Zhou Mi had been a little reticent to take Kyuhyun up on his offer to repeat their sex visit. It wasn’t that the sex had been bad, because that wasn’t true. And Kyuhyun’s offer had certainly been appealing.
But the fact that Kyuhyun seemed less than willing to approach any kind of dedicated relationship made him pause. It had made him pause the first time, albeit not long enough with Kyuhyun attached to his mouth. But upon reflection, he realized that everyone had walls. And Kyuhyun, as stable manager, had every right to be cautious and keep him at some distance. If they started dating, got close, and things got ugly, then Zhou Mi would have the opportunity to make things really ugly, or even just uncomfortable for Kyuhyun. Part of that worry was Kyuhyun not really knowing Zhou Mi. But if Kyuhyun opened a crack, and if that was sex, then Zhou Mi had the opportunity to squirm through it. Kyuhyun would get to know more about him, whether he really wanted to or not.
And as for himself, he was looking forward to learning more about Kyuhyun as well. It was one thing to be attracted to Kyuhyun’s face, and certainly his body. He remembered the first time he’d come up on Kyuhyun bent over and picking out a horse’s hooves. The pants he’d been wearing, for his butt and thighs? Well. Had been very flattering. But the careless grins, the sexy voice. The dedication that Kyuhyun put into each of the horses, into the stable itself. Before Zhou Mi had been fully interested, he’d seen that. He wanted to know so many things, like how Kyuhyun had gotten the job, how he had come to be around horses to start with. What his likes and dislikes were, if they could ride together. He bet Kyuhyun looked amazing on a horse. To him, it wasn’t a weird thought at all.
And he wasted precious time considering all of those things, as he combed Dahua’s mane and tail.
“What do you think I should do?” he asked Dahua, scratching behind the horse’s ears.
Dahua just snorted and bobbed his head. Still, it made Zhou Mi laugh. Perhaps the horse knew more than he did. Maybe he was meant just to go for it.
***
Kyuhyun was finishing up for the night as he pulled in, the gate closing behind him. He got a wave, as Kyuhyun locked up the outer shed, and they walked into the barn together. The horses were each checked as Kyuhyun walked through, and Zhou Mi kept quiet, slipping each of his horses a small carrot and trailing along so he didn’t disturb Kyuhyun’s mental checks. And at the office, Kyuhyun turned, giving Zhou Mi a once-over that had his blood singing.
“Welcome back,” Kyuhyun said, and waved Zhou Mi up the stairs behind him.
He had a few moments more, to consider Kyuhyun’s apartment. The cozy chair, the TV, the computer desk. The little kitchen, tucked away. It was small, but nice. A little cluttered, but not obnoxiously so. And the air smelled clean, which was something that spoke even higher. Kyuhyun tossed some things onto the table, while looked like mail.
“You need anything, or…?”
Offering Zhou Mi a drink, perhaps. But he shook his head, and followed Kyuhyun into the bedroom. There wasn’t anything he needed. He’d eaten, driven with the expectation that they would do just exactly what Kyuhyun was offering. And it soothed him slightly to know that his expectations had been right. He wondered if Kyuhyun was glad for that as well. Analyzing what Zhou Mi wanted, expected. What Kyuhyun got was a man as eager to pull Kyuhyun close for a kiss, as Kyuhyun seemed himself. Untucking cloth to feel Kyuhyun’s back, angling his face to taste Kyuhyun. And the smile he felt, as Kyuhyun went between their shirts. Undoing button by button, sucking at Zhou Mi’s lips and arching into his touch.
“Nice of you to stop by,” Kyuhyun panted, shrugging out of his shirt.
“I like getting to know people,” Zhou Mi said, his fingers sliding into Kyuhyun’s hair. “A lot.”
And it was a joy, getting to know Kyuhyun. The shiver as his fingers tickled Kyuhyun’s neck, and the soft exhale against Zhou Mi’s face, as his fingers stroked Kyuhyun’s shoulder blades. The muscles along Kyuhyun’s spine, and the line of his waist, hips.
“What made you want to get to know me?” Kyuhyun asked, the sound of the words almost deliciously dirty.
He licked his lips and, with his eyes on Kyuhyun’s, roamed his hands over Kyuhyun’s butt. And the smile that moved Kyuhyun’s face was knowing.
“Or maybe you’ve had it already,” Kyuhyun teased.
“And somehow I’m still back for more.”
A humming sound from Kyuhyun’s throat kept him interested as Kyuhyun led him closer to the bed.
“Yeah, about that. I had an idea.”
Their lips caught at each others as Kyuhyun urged pants and underwear down their hips. He was first onto the bed, naked and aching, and hungry, as Kyuhyun crawled after him. Carefully, Kyuhyun’s knees between his, forcing Zhou Mi’s thighs up. He searched Kyuhyun’s face, the same face that was focused on Zhou Mi’s body. But Kyuhyun looked back up at him after a moment, smiling.
“You ride horses all day, I thought maybe you’d like to take a rest.”
In that… Kyuhyun would be riding him, in a different way. His legs around Kyuhyun, Kyuhyun moving inside of him. He had to bite his lip to stop the moan.
“I like riding a lot,” Zhou Mi said, cupping Kyuhyun’s jaw. “All kinds of it.”
And it made Kyuhyun grin. He hummed into that kiss, letting Kyuhyun get situated more firmly against him. Luxurious slide of skin against skin, erection against erection as Kyuhyun touched them both. Wet kisses, touches. That Kyuhyun wanted to switch it up made his body buzz with anticipation. To find that position, that way, that delighted them both. He knew he’d enjoyed having Kyuhyun under him. And he wanted to know if he’d enjoy the opposite just as well.
Kyuhyun stretched out, reaching for the lube and condoms, and for a long moment, it afforded him a view of Kyuhyun’s neck, and parted mouth. Gorgeous, sculpted, and—
Totally dark. He blinked, hand grasping Kyuhyun’s arm as he realized Kyuhyun had accidentally hit the off switch of the light in his haste. As condoms fluttered onto his chest, they laughed, and he hoped he hadn’t made some weird sound because of it. The dark wasn’t always something to be afraid of, and he preferred to sleep without light assaulting his eyes. But there were moments, when the dark drew him down with unease. But there was no apprehension, with Kyuhyun breathing above him.
“You want it back on?” Kyuhyun asked. And for a moment, he considered it. He’d be able to see Kyuhyun’s face. But it was oddly intimate, kneading Kyuhyun’s shoulders, and trying to find any point of reference in the totally dark room. He moved up, as though to whisper.
“No, let’s—“
The skin of Kyuhyun’s earlobe gave under his teeth, eliciting a moan and a shudder.
“Oh, fuck.”
He could barely contain himself, struggling to breathe in the aftermath of Kyuhyun’s utterance.
“Are you sensitive there?” he asked.
The almost embarrassed giggle in Kyuhyun’s silky voice led him to believe it was true. Sensitive. In the dark it seemed even more so. Focused on touch, and sound, and smell, instead of only what his eyes could show. The hand Kyuhyun used to jerk them did not stop - though perhaps faltered - as Zhou Mi skimmed fingers down Kyuhyun’s back. He could feel the skin, and muscles, move. The shudder across flesh as his light touch tickled and stimulated. He wondered if Kyuhyun’s eyes were closed, just feeling, or if he was searching for Zhou Mi’s face.
Or wanting to bite Zhou Mi’s face, given the sound Kyuhyun made as Zhou Mi’s nails scratched up the sides of his ribs. But it softened to a pant, hot against Zhou Mi’s chin, and Zhou Mi assumed open-mouthed. Just from the circling of his thumbs against Kyuhyun’s nipples. It was all he could do just to swallow, and not jerk up against Kyuhyun’s shifting hips. If his touching made Kyuhyun want, then it was equally true for him. And he was through with teasing.
He fumbled for Kyuhyun’s face, his hands the only guide to tell him how far away Kyuhyun really was. Taking his mouth, pressing kisses across it. Feeling Kyuhyun rumble and fight him, pressing down into the kiss. The slide of lips, skin, wet heat, and hard flesh. Too sexual to be patient with.
“Ready,” he moaned, and tugged on Kyuhyun’s ears with his fingertips.
“Condom.”
The word was puffed against Zhou Mi’s mouth, and it was, at that moment, the prettiest word he thought he’d ever heard.
“On my chest,” he said, and puffed it out for good measure. Foreplay was wonderful. Laughter was wonderful. But they’d let it build long enough.
He could feel the wrapper sticking to his skin, and expected Kyuhyun to grab it. Expected for all of half a moment as Kyuhyun pinned his arm. It took until the second wet kiss against his chest to realize that it was Kyuhyun’s turn…to tease him.
“Who’s in a hurry now?” Kyuhyun asked, his tone sly. And he had reason to be, as his tongue teased Zhou Mi’s skin. And he wasn’t looking for the condom either, because it was clear his nose brushed it several times. It made him shudder, and want, as Kyuhyun kept them both hard - aching.
Kyuhyun’s breath was labored, and the condom retrieved. Slick fingers to prepare him. Lifting his hips for Kyuhyun, ready. The first time like that, for them. How much finesse Kyuhyun possessed, he didn’t know. How long they would last. He wasn’t sure it would be very long for him. His head went back, trying to relax for Kyuhyun. Hissing, not for pain, but finally for friction.
“That okay?” Kyuhyun asked, and Zhou Mi kissed him to prove it.
He’d missed it, having a man inside him. And Kyuhyun was oh-so appreciative. Musical moans as they began to move with, against each other. Clutched together in the most pleasurable way possible.
“Kyuhyun.” He moaned it almost before he had thought, legs giving up their balancing position to wrap around Kyuhyun.
And the angle changed, Kyuhyun moaning above him, panting in heady gasps.
He imagined flailing for the light, watching Kyuhyun’s eyes blind with sex. The slide of their bodies together, Kyuhyun driving into him, rocking him.
And he came over Kyuhyun’s fist.
Kyuhyun’s thrusts were ragged and desperate, and Zhou Mi bit, almost too hard, onto Kyuhyun’s earlobe. The spasm, the cry. The rocking, as Kyuhyun rode through his own pleasure. In its own right, it had been amazing. As good as the last time, if not better. He breathed, hearing Kyuhyun still drawing in gasps, heart thumping clearly against Zhou Mi. And he didn’t want to lose that connection, petting Kyuhyun’s hair. Half wishing Kyuhyun would fall asleep and prolong the moment, and not kick him out of the apartment. There were times when he was perfectly fine alone. And there were others, where he drew so much for just being near, touching. Like some well inside of himself was being filled. And it wasn’t just the sex, that had him wanting.
Every time Kyuhyun came near in the stable, or they talked, Zhou Mi was drawn to him. To stand a little bit closer, to touch Kyuhyun’s hand. Absorbing him with his eyes. And in that moment, that precious moment where his legs still trembled, and his heart slowly settled, he drew Kyuhyun in with every inch of skin that touched him. Their cheeks. Hands. Thighs.
“I’m gonna crush you,” Kyuhyun mumbled.
And Zhou Mi helped him fall, turning so that Kyuhyun could find the mattress. But not staying separate. Arm over Kyuhyun’s side and pressing close. Basking Kyuhyun’s sucking breaths, and the hand that settled at Zhou Mi’s hip, sliding onto his waist and curving there.
He half woke once, as Kyuhyun’s leg rocked his, but he was content to let his mind congeal and just fall into Kyuhyun’s presence. Content, warm, pleased.
But he did wake, at Kyuhyun’s sharp inhale - proof Kyuhyun was waking as well. Grunts and murmurs as Kyuhyun got his body aligned. He could just see the outline of Kyuhyun’s shoulders, the urge to touch.
And ended up half on Kyuhyun’s chest in a heap of laughter as Kyuhyun mercilessly tickled him. It was just as nice there, skin to skin, his face against Kyuhyun’s neck. But he allowed himself only a few moments to inhale there. The scent of Kyuhyun, sweat, writing into him. Not just as a turn-on, but also a memory. Kyuhyun was patting the back of his head like he was a toddler, and he pushed himself up. His hips protested, and he was well-aware of what they’d been doing before their nap. But it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle.
And he wasn’t going to make Kyuhyun have to chase him out again.
“Need to find my clothes. Don’t let the light blind you,” he warned, stroking Kyuhyun’s chest before rolling so that he could find the light. And he did so, without breaking anything. Squinting at the floor in pain as the light flooded the room. Kyuhyun moaned, and that was his sentiment exactly. But it allowed him to collect his clothes, almost grabbing Kyuhyun’s shirt on accident. And in the privacy of the bathroom he considered himself. His hair was completely to the four winds, marks evident as he rolled his shoulders. He felt good. Really good. And not as dissatisfied to be leaving as he might have thought. Absence made the heart grow fonder? Well, they’d put that to test, a little.
He liked, very much, that Kyuhyun made him want to stay. To kiss, hold, talk. It had been a long while since he’d met anyone that made him want that effortlessly. And if there was something negative to be found out, well. They would find that out eventually as well.
By the time he had cleaned up and dressed, Kyuhyun was up, and in a pair of loose pajama pants. Padding into the living room with him, as Zhou Mi gathered his things to leave.
“You clean up well,” Kyuhyun remarked. “Considering I saw what you looked like when you crawled out of bed.”
He couldn’t say Kyuhyun looked much different, himself, albeit with hair that looked like he’d patted it down at least.
And he got a good look at Kyuhyun’s ear, wincing a little. “Looks like I bit a little hard.”
Kyuhyun touched the reddened skin, and shrugged. “Probably won’t be able to tell by morning. Not my fault my ears turn you on.”
Zhou Mi laughed, and tugged Kyuhyun closer by his waistband. Kyuhyun’s mouth gave to him, at least for a moment. Nipping back against his lips, and pressing up into him. And then those lips quirked.
“See you tomorrow.”
Zhou Mi hummed, not entirely sure he was confident leaving with no solid plans. Kyuhyun surely wouldn’t think he was pushing too hard to at least figure out when they were seeing each other again. And at the very least, Kyuhyun had to know he was interested.
“Yeah. Are you… Are you busy Friday night?”
Kyuhyun cocked his head, as though considering his schedule three days in advance. “No, I’m not busy.”
Okay, it was like pulling teeth to get Kyuhyun to follow him.
“I could bring something to eat, if you wanted. And we could…?”
“I think my mattress could handle it,” Kyuhyun said, and the smirk had Zhou Mi poking him.
The kiss before he opened the door was an indulgence he could not resist. And the raised eyebrow he got for it with the waving hand, was utterly worth it. He still had a smile on his face as he closed the door behind himself and clattered down the stairs.
***
Kyuhyun woke feeling inordinately pleased with himself. A hot man had been in his bed, preceding a good night’s sleep. A new arrival to welcome and look in on.
He half wished he’d turned the light back on, so he had reference to Zhou Mi’s face as they’d fucked. But it also had lessened his nerves a bit. He hadn’t had to school his face, or worry about every twinge of Zhou Mi’s. He’d had sounds, and touches. He almost got a chill right then, remembering Zhou Mi’s fingertips against his skin. Moaning his name, meeting his thrusts. Coming for him. Zhou Mi had been more than competent in his sexual skills— and he was man enough to want to prove his own prowess. But Zhou Mi had been open to it, and he felt pretty good about himself in general. Zhou Mi was, after all, the hottest guy he’d had the pleasure of sleeping with in years. A guy who went a little loopy in the eyes when they kissed.
He had to shake himself out of it, manning the shovel before he started shoveling manure in the wrong direction.
But when Zhou Mi arrived, he couldn’t help himself, wandering over as Zhou Mi was getting his tack together. He didn’t dare get close, but no one was near enough to hear his words anyway.
“Okay to ride today?” he asked, trying for casual. Code for: I didn’t pound you into the mattress too hard, did I?
Zhou Mi’s face screwed up for a moment, as though he were really thinking hard. But it ended in a laugh. “I’m fine, yes. You?”
“Oh, fine. Just wondering what I’m going to get fed.” In more than one way. If Zhou Mi brought food, then there were all sorts of possibilities.
“I think you’ll like it,” Zhou Mi said. And it was nearly a solemn promise.
Kyuhyun actually believed it.
But he didn’t stay to chat. The stall was ready, and the trailer holding the mare in foal was pulling into the yard. There were greetings and handshakes as the pretty chestnut mare was led out of the trailer. She was bulky, awkward, and heavy with foal. But also curious, and sweet natured, greeting Kyuhyun with a nuzzle. Though he might have bribed her a little with sugar.
The owner liked the box stall, and they made sure she could work the automatic waterer, discussing her food intake and needs as the stable’s veterinarian checked her out as well. Paperwork was signed, and the trailer pulled away. One more guest in his lineup, he thought, adding her to the mucking, feeding, and turnout schedules. The veterinarian had warned him that she could foal at any minute. He had known before she arrived that her foaling date was soon, but it couldn’t be helped. It meant that he would check on her several times through the night, each night until she foaled. But if it meant he got to make sure the foaling went well, then it was all worth it.
And those nighttime excursions, roaming downstairs in his pajamas to look in on her as she rested, only gave him more moments to think of Zhou Mi’s upcoming visit, and what they would do. He didn’t know if he was supposed to be upset by Zhou Mi bringing food. It smacked almost of a date. But Kyuhyun liked both sex and food, and yes, even Zhou Mi. So he figured combining the three was only something to look forward to.
***
***
In the process of getting the stable shut down for the night, Kyuhyun didn’t have time to spare wondering about Zhou Mi coming back that night. His expectations were for food and sex. Everything else was gravy. He and Henry went through the checklist for each horse, checking the weather. Bringing horses in from pasture, feeding, and making sure everything was secure and clean. He sent Henry off to rest and recharge for the next day, leaving him to do some accounting that was the joy of his life. Inputting payments into his books, making out a deposit slip, wishing he could bash his face into the table. He’d rather muck out the stable singlehandedly that do all his accounting. He had invoices for the vet, the farrier, the feed supplier. Fascinating, depending on the point of view, but necessary things.
He was just wrapping up his computer input when he heard the outer door open. A few whinnies at the far end, Zhou Mi’s horses and a few others. And there was a pause, he figured as Zhou Mi stopped to say hello. But it wasn’t only a few moments later that Zhou Mi came into view, smiling.
“Hello!”
“Hey,” Kyuhyun said, putting his laptop to sleep and eyeing the bag in Zhou Mi’s hands with interest. Zhou Mi had said he’d bring food, and he certainly had. Kyuhyun’s stomach growled. Chicken.
“Please tell me the logo is telling me what’s actually in the bag,” he said, eyeing it with greed.
Zhou Mi laughed, waggling it. “It is. Did you want to eat down here, or…?”
“Upstairs, so I don’t have to clean up down here,” he decided after a moment. Reason winning out over wanting to rip into the bag right there. Plus he had plates and utensils upstairs. And drinks. “Don’t drop it before we get up there.”
And of course Zhou Mi would have to mime dropping it. And he couldn’t even kick Zhou Mi up the stairs.
There were paper plates and utensils in the bag, the chicken, two different kinds, tucked in little boxes. And rice, and pickled radishes. He was practically drooling, offering Zhou Mi beer, and carrying two cans back from the refrigerator with him. Though, when Zhou Mi reached for it, he yanked the offered drink back.
“Hey, this is for me. Thanks for the food, you can go now.”
“I can take the food out with me,” Zhou Mi said, not so subtly threatening.
But he couldn’t help the grin, giving Zhou Mi the beer after all and sitting at the table. Of course, Zhou Mi probably didn’t know that by responding, he was encouraging Kyuhyun. But he couldn’t deny that it was fun. Zhou Mi’s indignant face, or the pursed lips and narrowed eyes. It had him chortling, even as he battled Zhou Mi’s chopsticks for first pickings. There was one box of spicy chicken, one of mild, and he squished down the bag so they had a place to put their chicken bones.
“Good choice,” he said, two pieces of chicken already in his belly, and the pleasant burn of spices on his lips.
“I almost called and asked you what you wanted, but I thought this sounded really good.”
“Better than my mother’s cooking. Wait, I didn’t say that.”
“I’ll remember,” Zhou Mi sing-songed, waggling a chicken bone at him.
“I’ll say you’re making it up. You did fall on on your head when you fell off Dahua, didn’t you? Your poor head.”
He got a version of the indignant pouting face, but he was pretty sure Zhou Mi was smiling as he took a punctuating swig of beer.
***
As wonderful as it was being full and comfortable, the new horse in the barn had Kyuhyun antsy. The mare still waiting to give birth. He left Zhou Mi in front of the TV, in order to go check. The vet had been by that day, checking her out. And he’d been pretty sure she was going to foal within the next day or two, if not that night. She’d been restless all that afternoon, and as much as he relished the idea of sex, and as much as he knew Zhou Mi was there for that express reason… His life would have that kind of timing.
He’d considered calling Zhou Mi and telling him not to come. Then he considered how hungry he would be. And then, he knew any creature about to give birth was unpredictable. It might be midnight, or two in the morning. Possibly plenty of time to have sex, even if she was starting her labor. Though the idea made him twinge with guilt a little. Not like sex would be neglecting his job, or the mare. There wasn’t anything he could do for her, except make sure her stall was clean, and that she wasn’t laboring in vain. He’d been taught, conditioned, to watch out for a breech birth. But there wasn’t anything yet to indicate it.
She was still restless, pacing, and he glanced at his watch. They’d whiled away over an hour, just eating and cleaning up. He rolled his shoulder, noting that he had what he needed for the birth sitting by. Wasn’t exactly like a baby. The mare didn’t need a midwife. He was excited, and looking forward to having the event over. One less thing to worry about, and a new stable resident.
But he jogged back up the stairs, mind working. He didn’t want to get naked, get into some sweaty situation. Considering how long they’d spent just getting to sex after the clothes came off the last time, he didn’t want to have to push it. Sure, a fast hot fuck was great, but he liked letting the situation take him. Without that nagging worry to help out.
Zhou Mi looked up at him immediately, blinking from where he’d been staring at the news. And still dressed.
“How is she?” Zhou Mi asked.
“Good. Anxious, and pacing. I think it’s tonight. I’ll leave her for an hour or so, before I check again, but yeah. Pretty sure. I’ll need to be able to check a lot, so…”
Zhou Mi nodded, turning off the TV. “So probably not the best idea to get naked in bed, then?”
Of course, Zhou Mi would get it. “Yeah, probably.”
But as he considered Zhou Mi, those parted thighs, and hands resting on the armrests. There wasn’t any anger in that posture, as though he was unhappy or dissatisfied to be turned down. Concerned for the horse, and for what Kyuhyun had to do. Shit.
“Sit tight for a minute,” he said, and ducked into his bedroom. It wasn’t guilt, it was want. And if he didn’t want to get naked, and risk losing himself rolling between the sheets, then there were other things that could be done. Things that didn’t require Zhou Mi getting up. Just Kyuhyun getting down.
With condoms in hand, he went back, Zhou Mi still sitting on the edge of the chair. It took little more than a finger wave for Zhou Mi to stand, curiosity in every feature. And then pleasure, as Kyuhyun pressed up close for a kiss. Lingering alcohol and sharpness of the radishes, and the softness of Zhou Mi’s mouth.
Zhou Mi smiled, cupping Kyuhyun’s jaw. “That’s nice. Really nice.”
“Wouldn’t want to deprive you of kiss—“
Apparently Zhou Mi liked kissing him more than he liked talking about kissing. Arm around Zhou Mi’s neck, fingers brushing Zhou Mi’s hip. That mouth. Smiling, saying things that made Kyuhyun’s brain wonder. Hotter than it had any right being, lips, and nibbling teeth, and questing tongue.
Subdued, then. As though he didn’t want to push Kyuhyun, knowing that getting too worked up wasn’t good. But Kyuhyun still had a few secrets of his own. And that secret included popping the button of Zhou Mi’s pants, and urging down the zipper. Feeling the inhale that was as much question as reaction, but Kyuhyun pressed him with a kiss. A few seconds of working, meant he had the pretty pants and underwear sliding south.
“Kyuhyun?”
Kyuhyun let his arm slide down, slow, off of Zhou Mi’s shoulder. Opening his hand to reveal the condoms. “Have a seat. We have time for…something.”
And if that wasn’t obvious enough, perhaps the way he licked his lips was. He wondered if he imagined the flush on Zhou Mi’s cheeks, but he got no resistance, pressing Zhou Mi back onto the plush chair, and sinking down between his knees. Not a bad view. And it seemed Zhou Mi liked kissing him quite a lot. He used his hands at first, getting Zhou Mi from interested to hard. He glanced up now and then, watching Zhou Mi bite at his lips, hands balling and relaxing.
“You like me between you legs, don’t you?” he asked, and got a fully body laugh out of Zhou Mi. He squirmed as Zhou Mi tucked his knees in a little, squeezing Kyuhyun’s ribs.
“You’re welcome between them any time. You know that,” Zhou Mi murmured.
Too many words, and not enough time. For his effort, he shot Zhou Mi a smile. And licking his lips, condom in place, sank down around Zhou Mi’s cock. Listening to the sounds that Zhou Mi made was like liquid pleasure. Sighs and curling cries, soft, sometimes startled. Silky and pristine, Zhou Mi’s voice. One of the things that attracted him to Zhou Mi at first, that precise voice. He could have listened to Zhou Mi spout idiocy, just to get that little tingle at the humor in his voice.
And as he massaged Zhou Mi’s hipbones, dragging his lips along Zhou Mi’s erection, there were definitely other things that drew him as well. Things that made him a lot less shifty inside. Like the knowledge that Zhou Mi had gotten hard for him, against his mouth, his hands. And if there was more obvious proof, more tangible knowledge, of want, then he didn’t know what it was. Glancing up to see Zhou Mi’s mouth parted, watching him. The solid heat of a cock in his hands, his mouth. He wanted to take Zhou Mi from behind, just to feel him buck and moan, and come from Kyuhyun’s hand jerking him, hips moving.
He hummed, Zhou Mi’s hand sliding through his hair. Not holding, or demanding, merely touching. As though feeling in another, tangible way the movement, the suction that Kyuhyun was generating. The stroking of his fingers. Feeling the flex of Zhou Mi’s thighs. He was half hard himself, from the sounds, the knowing. Feeling Zhou Mi tense, desperation in every cell. And not only helping, but urging him to come. And getting his wish. Pleased, as he eased away his mouth, at Zhou Mi’s hanging head, heaving chest.
“At least you don’t…tease,” Zhou Mi got out after a moment, as Kyuhyun enjoyed smirking up at him.
“Today at least. We’re on a schedule.”
And he proved his point, standing and wiggling down his own pants. There was room enough for the both of them on the plush chair, but only with one of them on top of the other. And he had no compunction against sitting on Zhou Mi’s lap. Feeling Zhou Mi’s skin, against his own. Feeling his arousal lurch as Zhou Mi pressed close to kiss his neck and breathe hard against him. But he wasn’t there for cuddles. Zhou Mi’s palm was sweaty, and it felt amazing as Kyuhyun dragged it along his cock. It would take little to get him fully hard, not the way they were going. And then when he could see straight again, back to check on the mare. No fuss, no problem.
And just as he was getting into the rhythm of moving Zhou Mi’s hand, Zhou Mi chuckled.
“Feels like you were having a good time down there.”
He would have given some kind of glare or smart retort, had he not gotten caught on Zhou Mi’s heavy, sex-satisfied eyes. And that look was there because of him.
“Shut up,” he finally muttered, and turned so he could feel Zhou Mi’s lips quirk into his kiss. Zhou Mi’s mouth was sweet, wide. Not only eager, but hungry. And conscious again, he was pleased to note. Squeezing his fingers up Kyuhyun’s erection, and humming into the kiss. And it didn’t matter how warm Zhou Mi’s mouth was, it wasn’t comforting.
It was thrilling.
That probably had something to do with the throbbing between his legs. Their noses bumping together, as he chewed at Zhou Mi’s lips. Demand, reward. Zhou Mi’s jaw under his hand. The glimpses he got of that face between kisses, between strokes, sent pulses through him.
“Fucking gorgeous,” he muttered, and the hum of agreement he got as Zhou Mi kissed him, had his hips jerking. Even if he hadn’t meant to say it, it was truth. Maybe if Zhou Mi hadn’t been so— Maybe he could’ve said no? Found a way to…
He gasped, Zhou Mi’s hand speeding up. And it seemed Zhou Mi remembered all too well what turned Kyuhyun on, moving to nibble, wet and hot, at his ear. Zhou Mi’s long, elegant fingers, his mouth, bucking under him, and—
The only warning he could give was a strangled moan, arching his neck, and losing himself to Zhou Mi’s moving hand. Frozen in pleasure, and urging Zhou Mi to move until he couldn’t take it any more. Face lowering in a daze until it collided with Zhou Mi’s shoulder, at least until his bare skin started to get cool, and then belated realizing he was probably cutting off circulation to Zhou Mi’s legs.
“Should’ve just shoved me onto the floor.”
Zhou Mi laughed, clutching him tight with the arm Zhou Mi had wrapped around him. “You were keeping me warm.”
“Ah, I see how it is.”
But he allowed Zhou Mi to tip his face, sighing into the kiss. They were all kinds of a mess as he stood, with Zhou Mi levering up behind him. Pants askew, utterly a mess between skin and hands. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Zhou Mi did a little dance to get his pants back up his hips, and Kyuhyun hobbled toward the bathroom. Add that Zhou Mi had nice hands - good technique. Having someone else’s hand for a change wasn’t bad at all. Just like getting to suck wasn’t bad. Another check mark in his head. Zhou Mi was waiting beside the door when he went back out, looking at him rather hopefully.
“Is it okay if I go down with you?”
He shrugged, using Zhou Mi’s shoulder to steady himself as he stepped into his shoes. “Sure. You’re no worse than I would be.”
***
From everything the veterinarian had told him, and his experiences of deliveries past, he knew that the mare was well on her way to foaling. She was restless, anxious, attempting to kick her stomach. In the few minutes that he and Zhou Mi stood observing, she paced the circumference of the stall several times, laying down, only to get back up. It was a good sign. They’d been upstairs less than an hour, but she’d definitely progressed.
“If I were her owner, I’d want to be here when she foaled,” Zhou Mi said softly.
“I know. But I guess it’s enough that they know someone is looking in on her. Healthy foal, I guess, is most important.”
“Sure. Do you mind, if I stay until she foals? It’s okay if not, if I’d be in your way.”
He could see Zhou Mi’s face in his peripheral vision, the question on it. It could still be a couple of hours until she foaled, and then waiting for the foal to nurse, the placenta to pass. More hours than he’d ever spent in Zhou Mi’s presence that was for certain. But it was also another pair of hands, another brain and set of eyes. If he needed Zhou Mi to fetch something, or get the vet on the phone, then he wouldn’t have to do everything himself. Worst case, he would’ve called Henry. He wondered how much of a slap to the face it would be if he said that Zhou Mi should go, because he was calling Henry instead.
“You looking to sue the stable if you get hurt?” he gently ribbed.
Zhou Mi both looked and sounded insulted. “Not unless you drive me through with a pitchfork.”
He chuckled, and gestured at the worktable. “Might as well take a seat, then, because it’ll be a while.”
It was midnight, by the time they got situated at the table, going up and down a few times to not be hovering by the mare until he couldn’t take waiting upstairs any longer. He brewed coffee upstairs, and brought down snacks. Even brought down a set of cards, so they could play a little to pass the time. They weren’t close enough to infringe on her space and increase her nerves, but Kyuhyun could hear every footfall, every time she lay down. Counting in his head how long she stayed down, in case he needed to go see what was up. If she stayed down long enough, it might mean the foal was coming.
The coffee helped, a little. Well past his usual time to sleep, and Zhou Mi’s as well it seemed from the punch drunk laughs and droopy eyelids. All discreetly quiet, of course. They moved on to checkers, and he discovered Zhou Mi to be a rather ruthless opponent, with kinged pieces everywhere.
He was getting to the desperate phase, not wanting to lose again, and about to suggest that they move on to drawing mazes for each other on paper, when the mare began to labor in earnest. Sweating, and laying down, he checked everything he could. She wasn’t too near a wall, didn’t seem to be overly troubled. Besides the whole pushing-out-a-foal part.
He waved Zhou Mi close, quiet, and stood outside, at the stall’s edge and out of the mare’s line of sight. And Zhou Mi’s hand on his hip was tight, as they saw the foal’s front legs in their protecting sack emerge. And it was a good sign, the foal coming out just right. Head, and front shoulders. He had to remember to keep breathing, as the mare seemed to heave, expelling the rest of her offspring’s body.
The sack around the foal had torn, to his relief, and he could see the tiny nostrils working in the unfamiliar air. It was a matter of waiting, then. Whether the foal would move, or the mare. Severing their connection from the umbilical cord after the foal had received all the blood it needed. The struggle of life into the world. They snuck a smiling glance at each other as the mare rested from her efforts. It didn’t happen quickly, but just the same, it did.
He was shifting his weight from foot to foot as they watched in silence. The foal struggling to right itself, the mare heaving onto her feet. Kyuhyun watched that process carefully, making sure she didn’t step on the foal accidentally. But the mare and foal, bonded. Nuzzling, licking her baby, and the foal struggled to stand. Three solid efforts were required before the foal found its legs, wobbly, with its floppy little ears. He could see Zhou Mi silently cheering. Tiny, trembling thing, but strong all the same.
“I need to treat the umbilical cord, if she doesn’t seem too worried by us going in,” Kyuhyun said, looking to Zhou Mi. “If you could hold her head and soothe her?”
“Of course.”
He was pretty sure what gender the foal was, but wanted to be certain. The mare was curious, if a little wary, as Kyuhyun offered her a sugar cube. But she knew, trusted humans, and so she didn’t balk at Kyuhyun slipping into the stall with them. Zhou Mi came up at the stall door, coaxing her with a little grain, a few carrots. Stroking her, talking to her, as he approached the doe-eyed foal. Curious, wary. And with caution, he got his arms around the foal. Pretty, almost chestnut that would certainly darken. Bleating a little in surprise, but quieting. Both of them talking to the mare so she knew no one was trying to hurt her baby. Treating the umbilical cord was quick enough, and he petted over the foal’s coat, rubbing down its legs and lifting them carefully. A foundation for the future. And he smiled up at Zhou Mi.
“A little filly.”
And the filly, free of Kyuhyun, who slipped out quickly, pressed against her mother. And when he had washed up, returned, he knew from Zhou Mi’s smile that the foal was nursing. A good, really excellent sign.
“If only all deliveries were that smooth,” Kyuhyun said, walking away to press his hands into his lower back. He half felt like he’d been in labor too, standing for hours and just watching the natural progress.
“That was amazing to watch,” Zhou Mi agreed. “Thank you for letting me stay.”
“Thank you for helping. It helps having another person around sometimes. Right now, just want to watch out for her passing the placenta well.”
“Tomorrow’s going to be really long, if you don’t get sleep,” Zhou Mi fussed, touching his arm. “If you want, why don’t you go up, and get a couple of hours of sleep at least? I can stay down here and keep an eye on them. Since she’s up and feeding, there isn’t much to look out for. And I can sleep tomorrow away if I need to.”
A few hours of sleep sounded amazing. “Since she’s doing okay, you can go head and nap, too. I mean, you don’t have to stay. I could just as easily check every hour or so.”
“No, get a few solid hours. I can nap in a chair, and just wander by. And I’ll hear if anything is up. I’ll get you if she passes the placenta, or if anything seems wrong.”
His adrenaline was fading, looking in on the nursing foal. Zhou Mi had to be as tired as he was. Somehow, it probably would’ve been possible to say no, send Zhou Mi home. But the truth was, he hadn’t wanted to. Having someone down there was a comfort, and getting a little rest meant he could be sharper the next day. Everyone won.
***
The first thing that Zhou Mi did after Kyuhyun disappeared was set an alarm on his phone, and take a nap. It didn’t matter that sitting in the hard chair, and using the table as his pillow wasn’t optimal. He had a clean rag from the cupboard as his real pillow, and got in almost an hour of sleep before his phone rattled him awake. The foal was resting from the long ordeal, dozing on the straw-covered floor. He wouldn’t have stayed long, but for the mare leaving her hay, to come and greet him.
“Hi sweetheart,” he said, stroking her neck before scratching behind her ears. “Such a strong baby you have there. She’ll grow up to be beautiful and strong like you, yeah?”
And they communed like that for several minutes, her getting attention, and him slowly becoming conscious. But he let her go back to eating, smiling again at the dozing filly. Okay, and maybe he snapped a few photos with his phone, but that was just because she was too cute.
The rest of the horses were uninterested in his existence, but he walked down the length of the stable. A few nickers, some petted noses. Zhu demanded attention, and Dahua was unimpressed. By the time he made it back to tack/catchall room, he’d peeked in at the mare again. And when he sat down, his body felt like it weighed about a thousand pounds. Which was nothing to his head.
He groggily set another alarm, and fell into a sleep full of neck-cricks and startled dreams.
His brain felt like shoe leather, the next time he woke. Everything quiet, and normal, and he wondered just how long Kyuhyun wanted to sleep, and how long he could manage to be in and out of consciousness. He played silent games on his phone, propping his head up with one hand. And he swore, he just meant to close his eyes for a second.
He rocketed out of sleep at a touch, Kyuhyun’s face looming.
“I just sat down, I swear. Five minutes, I don’t—”
“It’s okay,” Kyuhyun laughed. “They’re doing fine. I’m awake now, and I’ll just start getting things ready, so why don’t you head up, get a shower, and get a few more hours of sleep?”
Being horizontal sounded like winning the lottery. He stood, moaning a little. “That sounds amazing.” And a thought trickled by. Not having any clothes. “Um. Do you mind if I borrow underwear?”
Kyuhyun shrugged, like it was no big deal. “Sure, top drawer, if it fits you. Take whatever you need.”
“I probably only need one pair,” Zhou Mi teased.
And he was scoffed at. “Hey, it might look cute on your head. I mean, whatever else you need.”
He was so tired he would’ve turned and walked away, just at that offer. But Kyuhyun’s arm was there, hanging onto his.
“I just wanted to say thanks. For staying. Staying up. I appreciate it.”
Maybe it was the hour, or just whatever, but Zhou Mi pulled Kyuhyun close, a hug not so much tight as encompassing. Kyuhyun didn’t protest, moving into it and letting Zhou Mi hold on. He could’ve fallen asleep right there, breathing in the scent of Kyuhyun’s shoulder.
“Thank you,” he said, pressing a kiss to Kyuhyun’s neck.
And that was too much even for him, pushing back and waving so he could amble upstairs, carefully washing his hair under the hot shower, drying off and snagging a pair of underwear from the drawer, and yes, they fit. Maybe not perfectly, but they still did.
The sheets were cool against all his exposed skin. Too tired to seek out pajama bottoms or anything of the like, but at least feeling more comfortable than naked. He yawned loudly into one of the pillows and glanced briefly at where Kyuhyun usually lay. It was nice to be in his bed. In Kyuhyun’s room. Even alone, it was kind of like Kyuhyun was there. And breathing deep, taking in all those familiar scents, he fell asleep.
***
Kyuhyun’s whole body seemed to ache as he pushed himself up the stairs to his apartment. Henry was there, and the other grooms, and he knew they were able to take care of feedings and mucking, and doing whatever checks Kyuhyun hadn’t. He figured he could get at least a couple of hours in before the veterinarian and the owners arrived to check out the new baby. Henry’d call when they got there, and he didn’t figure anyone would grudge him a few more hours sleep, since the foal seemed bright eyed and healthy. The afterbirth had been put aside for the vet to see, and the stall cleaned. Everything was as it should be.
Zhou Mi was still dead asleep when he got into his bedroom, and he smiled. It clearly hadn’t been a totally restful sleep, because the sheet had been pulled down halfway over Zhou Mi’s butt. Covered, of course, in his donated underwear. There was something a little hot about that fact. A man in his bed, lines of his shoulders and back leading down to something Kyuhyun had worn as well. It was less a frightening thought than the next one, which was more to how right Zhou Mi looked in his bed. That arm hooked under the pillow, mouth parted as he breathed. The empty room had life, with Zhou Mi in it. And he erased the thought entirely.
The shower was quick, but refreshing, pulling on pajama pants and sliding under the sheet. It took a little maneuvering but he got the sheet up over Zhou Mi, too. Between that movement, and the rocking of the mattress, half woke Zhou Mi.
“Everything okay?” Zhou Mi rasped, unfolding himself enough to turn toward Kyuhyun.
“Yeah. Just getting some rest before things—“
He almost gasped, the heat of Zhou Mi’s skin startling to him. It got him a sleepy chuckle, and a man inelegantly clutching him, arm flopped over his waist, and head near to his.
“I should go,” Zhou Mi said with a sigh, the heat of it curling against Kyuhyun’s neck.
“Mm,” he grunted.
Was that agreement? Disagreement? They’d never slept, really slept, in the same place together.
He just knew neither of them moved. And he heard Zhou Mi’s breathing even, before sinking into sleep himself.
***
Kyuhyun moaned, swatting at the push against his ribs.
“Your phone.”
“Urrgh.”
The whole bed seemed to shake, and that woke him slightly. Getting his eyes open just in time to see ten miles of thigh scrambling back onto the bed. And then a phone was being pressed against his ear, Zhou Mi gesticulating and mouthing words at him. Ah, to say hello.
“Hey?” he said, getting a hand up and half covering Zhou Mi’s before he could grip the phone himself.
“The mare’s owners are here,” Henry chirped at him.
He dropped his face into the pillow for a moment. “Okay. Give me two minutes.”
Zhou Mi was already half dressed by the time he got himself sitting upright.
“I have to go down and talk to the owners,” he said, swinging himself out of the bed.
“Okay. I’m going to go home, and change, and come back. I’ll bring you coffee if you want?”
Kyuhyun thought about it for a moment, inhaling as though that would make the coffee get to him quicker. “I’ll take caffeine in an IV bag. Or whatever drink they have with as many shots as the cup will hold.”
Zhou Mi laughed, catching him around the side and pressing a kiss to his mouth. “Good luck, then. I’ll be back soon.”
He was shrugging into his shirt, when he realized that Zhou Mi had gone down. Undoubtedly passing Henry, and everyone else. Zhou Mi’s car had been there when anyone else had arrived. If anyone paid attention to Zhou Mi’s clothes, it was obvious he’d been there overnight. Though they had the foal to explain that away on, he supposed. Just the horse, and Zhou Mi staying over to witness the birth. Because it mattered that much. Still it had him grim faced as he raced down the stairs. It didn’t do to keep the clients waiting.
***
Kyuhyun nearly snatched the paper coffee cup out of Zhou Mi’s hands by the time he got back. No more than an hour and a half, but it was still enough. Zhou Mi had even brought a drink for Henry, who had made miffed noises that he’d missed the birth. And from what Kyuhyun gathered, that was the only reason Henry thought Zhou Mi had been there. Or only reason Henry was letting on.
The mare’s owners were well pleased with their new arrival, how clean the stall was, how prompt Kyuhyun had been. The veterinarian had given both mare and foal a clean bill of health, and mother and baby were tucked down his list of worries. His eyes all but rolled back in his head, as he drank the coffee Zhou Mi had brought. Not as much caffeine as he might like, but it’d do.
“You riding today?”
“Yeah,” Zhou Mi said, smiling into his own cup. “I need to do some reinforcing from yesterday. I got enough sleep that I think I won’t be falling asleep in the saddle. You’ll be okay?”
He was pretty sure. The coffee and whatever food he snagged would get him through the rest of the work day, getting everything buttoned up, and all the animals fed. But sex, that he wasn’t particularly trusting himself with, given the amount of sleep he’d gotten.
“I won’t be of much use tonight, though.”
“Maybe tomorrow then,” Zhou Mi said. “I’ll get to riding, now.”
And Kyuhyun had the belated realization, calling out, “Thanks for the coffee!”
And he was saluted with Zhou Mi’s coffee cup. He definitely liked Zhou Mi in those jeans.
He didn’t think tomorrow was too soon at all.
***
Author: Coley Merrin
Pairing: Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun
Rating: NC-17
Genre: AU, Romance
Summary: The newest client of the stable Kyuhyun oversees is nothing short of intriguing. His reason tells him no, but he’s willing to go halfway and no further - If Zhou M is willing to let him stop.
***
“New arrival this week,” Kyuhyun said, leaning against the stall door beside Zhou Mi. There was commotion outside as ponies were being led out to a class, but that wasn’t his area to oversee. And he wasn’t a little bit thankful about it, either.
“Oh, the mare in foal?” Zhou Mi asked, looking over at him.
“You do have an ear to the stable grapevine.” That grapevine likely meant Henry. But it didn’t matter, since it was no secret. “Though thankfully still foal in mare at this point. I don’t think they like moving her so late, but they didn’t have a choice.”
Zhou Mi hummed, nodding sagely, but did not pry, which he appreciated. “Have you had mares foal here before?”
“A couple. The vet will be checking up on her frequently, so it will just be a matter of keeping an eye out. It’s not her first foal, and she’s done well in the past, so that’s one less thing to worry about.”
It would be nice to have a new baby around the yard and stable. All the grooms were particularly excited at the prospect, and Henry with them. But they couldn’t all be there for the birth. It was hardly a spectator sport. And knowing mares, it’d be in the middle of the night when he least expected it. Though with the vet, they’d get a whole lot closer than he would on his own. It was a nice shift in the routine, rather than one that made him want to tear out his hair.
And speaking of that, it’d been almost a week since Zhou Mi had fallen off his horse. And it wasn’t like Kyuhyun spent a lot of time analyzing the humans around him, but he could tell Zhou Mi was walking more freely as his body healed from the impact. Most importantly, it’d been over a week since they’d had sex. And he was rapidly accumulating ideas about what they should get up to next.
Emphasis on the up part. But he’d pretty much agreed that Zhou Mi was the one who’d make the next move when he felt better, even if it chafed at him wanting to shove Zhou Mi along. How fun was sex with an aching tailbone? He really didn’t know.
He pushed himself off of the door before he could get any bright ideas, like fishing for what Zhou Mi was doing that night. But he slapped Zhou Mi’s arm with his gloves.
“Getting back to work.”
“I’ll keep an eye on you while you do,” Zhou Mi promised, the words carrying a tilt that was just so sly that it had Kyuhyun staring back a little harder than he intended. And Zhou Mi’s lips curved to let him know that Zhou Mi had meant it just exactly how Kyuhyun had taken it.
If that didn’t put a smile on his face, and a spring in his step, he didn’t know what would.
***
“You and Zhou Mi seem pretty tight,” Henry said, as they worked together to prepare the stall for the incoming mare.
Kyuhyun didn’t bobble the bag in his hands, but it was close. And he reminded himself the last time Henry had said something about Zhou Mi, with Kyuhyun taking it completely wrong. So he just had to remember that not everything came back to dirty or lewd things, and it didn’t mean that Henry thought they were sleeping together.
Even if they had.
“He’s a good guy to have around the stable,” Kyuhyun said. “He helps out the other riders even when he doesn’t have to.”
“Yeah. He’s a nice guy, and a good rider. But you don’t really talk to customers much unless you’re checking in or they need something.”
“I can’t help it if his jaws flap,” Kyuhyun shot back.
“That’s not what I meant. I mean, it’s almost like you’re… Never mind.”
Henry seemed to redouble his efforts with the rake, and Kyuhyun stopped to stare. No, he wasn’t letting that go, especially since Henry had been the one to bring it up in the first place.
“Almost like what?” he asked, and hoped that his voice sounded dangerous enough.
“You don’t date, and Zhou Mi is single,” Henry said, shrugging and not meeting his eyes. “So it’s almost like you’re flirting. Together, I mean, not just you. And I’m the only one who knows you like— So no one else probably sees. It’s cute.”
And Henry heaved a sigh, hanging his head at what he’d just said. Kyuhyun had somehow followed. Apparently it was cute, if they flirted, because Henry knew Kyuhyun’s preference ran to men. And no one would know otherwise, because of special flirt-shielding powers he carried in his back pocket?
“So you “can see it” because you know me so well,” Kyuhyun said, making little quotes as he stared Henry down.
It was useless to deny outright. He played back the morning, Zhou Mi’s smiles. They weren’t the same ones he saw given to everyone else, and Kyuhyun didn’t just randomly stop by and chat with most people. At least, not like that. Or maybe, it was because of Zhou Mi that he recognized it. He always called a hello, or stopped to talk to clients if they weren’t busy. It was one of the few ways he actually was up to speed on what was going on. Zhou Mi, on the other hand… Kyuhyun had gone willingly and without question. They were racking up their accident repertoire. Knocked in pile of horse poop, check. Rescue from falling off horse, check.
Exceptionally satisfying sex didn’t fall under accident, more like a repeatable occurrence.
But Henry was hedging under Kyuhyun’s scrutiny. “I could be imagining things.” And as soon as Kyuhyun rolled his eyes he threw in, “But I don’t think so. I think you should go for it.”
“Picking up with a client isn’t…”
“If he leaves, you get more horses. I don’t think he’s the type to get you fired.”
Kyuhyun shook his head. “No, that’s not what I meant. I mean, it’s not serious. We’re just…friendly.”
Henry nodded, putting on his best knowing face. “For now.”
“Why do I keep you?”
“Because I’m the only one who talks back?”
And Henry ducked when Kyuhyun threatened to throw the salt in his hand at him. But he shook his head, not willing for it to become a thing in Henry’s head.
“It’s really not something to worry about.”
“I wasn’t worrying,” Henry said with a grin. “It’s just cute. And hey, good for you!”
Cheeky. Too cheeky. But just as Kyuhyun was beginning to think he would put any worry about Zhou Mi and his bedroom to rest as well, after Henry left he had a visit himself.
“What time is good to come by, if you're free tonight?" Zhou Mi asked, leaning casually against the stall's corner pole. And from that angle, Zhou Mi's hair resembled a forelock, gleaming in the light. His eyes skimmed up Zhou Mi’s body one more time, and the tilt of Zhou Mi’s lips seemed to indicate that he knew it, too.
And his body let him know that he would be very much available.
***
Of course Zhou Mi had been a little reticent to take Kyuhyun up on his offer to repeat their sex visit. It wasn’t that the sex had been bad, because that wasn’t true. And Kyuhyun’s offer had certainly been appealing.
But the fact that Kyuhyun seemed less than willing to approach any kind of dedicated relationship made him pause. It had made him pause the first time, albeit not long enough with Kyuhyun attached to his mouth. But upon reflection, he realized that everyone had walls. And Kyuhyun, as stable manager, had every right to be cautious and keep him at some distance. If they started dating, got close, and things got ugly, then Zhou Mi would have the opportunity to make things really ugly, or even just uncomfortable for Kyuhyun. Part of that worry was Kyuhyun not really knowing Zhou Mi. But if Kyuhyun opened a crack, and if that was sex, then Zhou Mi had the opportunity to squirm through it. Kyuhyun would get to know more about him, whether he really wanted to or not.
And as for himself, he was looking forward to learning more about Kyuhyun as well. It was one thing to be attracted to Kyuhyun’s face, and certainly his body. He remembered the first time he’d come up on Kyuhyun bent over and picking out a horse’s hooves. The pants he’d been wearing, for his butt and thighs? Well. Had been very flattering. But the careless grins, the sexy voice. The dedication that Kyuhyun put into each of the horses, into the stable itself. Before Zhou Mi had been fully interested, he’d seen that. He wanted to know so many things, like how Kyuhyun had gotten the job, how he had come to be around horses to start with. What his likes and dislikes were, if they could ride together. He bet Kyuhyun looked amazing on a horse. To him, it wasn’t a weird thought at all.
And he wasted precious time considering all of those things, as he combed Dahua’s mane and tail.
“What do you think I should do?” he asked Dahua, scratching behind the horse’s ears.
Dahua just snorted and bobbed his head. Still, it made Zhou Mi laugh. Perhaps the horse knew more than he did. Maybe he was meant just to go for it.
***
Kyuhyun was finishing up for the night as he pulled in, the gate closing behind him. He got a wave, as Kyuhyun locked up the outer shed, and they walked into the barn together. The horses were each checked as Kyuhyun walked through, and Zhou Mi kept quiet, slipping each of his horses a small carrot and trailing along so he didn’t disturb Kyuhyun’s mental checks. And at the office, Kyuhyun turned, giving Zhou Mi a once-over that had his blood singing.
“Welcome back,” Kyuhyun said, and waved Zhou Mi up the stairs behind him.
He had a few moments more, to consider Kyuhyun’s apartment. The cozy chair, the TV, the computer desk. The little kitchen, tucked away. It was small, but nice. A little cluttered, but not obnoxiously so. And the air smelled clean, which was something that spoke even higher. Kyuhyun tossed some things onto the table, while looked like mail.
“You need anything, or…?”
Offering Zhou Mi a drink, perhaps. But he shook his head, and followed Kyuhyun into the bedroom. There wasn’t anything he needed. He’d eaten, driven with the expectation that they would do just exactly what Kyuhyun was offering. And it soothed him slightly to know that his expectations had been right. He wondered if Kyuhyun was glad for that as well. Analyzing what Zhou Mi wanted, expected. What Kyuhyun got was a man as eager to pull Kyuhyun close for a kiss, as Kyuhyun seemed himself. Untucking cloth to feel Kyuhyun’s back, angling his face to taste Kyuhyun. And the smile he felt, as Kyuhyun went between their shirts. Undoing button by button, sucking at Zhou Mi’s lips and arching into his touch.
“Nice of you to stop by,” Kyuhyun panted, shrugging out of his shirt.
“I like getting to know people,” Zhou Mi said, his fingers sliding into Kyuhyun’s hair. “A lot.”
And it was a joy, getting to know Kyuhyun. The shiver as his fingers tickled Kyuhyun’s neck, and the soft exhale against Zhou Mi’s face, as his fingers stroked Kyuhyun’s shoulder blades. The muscles along Kyuhyun’s spine, and the line of his waist, hips.
“What made you want to get to know me?” Kyuhyun asked, the sound of the words almost deliciously dirty.
He licked his lips and, with his eyes on Kyuhyun’s, roamed his hands over Kyuhyun’s butt. And the smile that moved Kyuhyun’s face was knowing.
“Or maybe you’ve had it already,” Kyuhyun teased.
“And somehow I’m still back for more.”
A humming sound from Kyuhyun’s throat kept him interested as Kyuhyun led him closer to the bed.
“Yeah, about that. I had an idea.”
Their lips caught at each others as Kyuhyun urged pants and underwear down their hips. He was first onto the bed, naked and aching, and hungry, as Kyuhyun crawled after him. Carefully, Kyuhyun’s knees between his, forcing Zhou Mi’s thighs up. He searched Kyuhyun’s face, the same face that was focused on Zhou Mi’s body. But Kyuhyun looked back up at him after a moment, smiling.
“You ride horses all day, I thought maybe you’d like to take a rest.”
In that… Kyuhyun would be riding him, in a different way. His legs around Kyuhyun, Kyuhyun moving inside of him. He had to bite his lip to stop the moan.
“I like riding a lot,” Zhou Mi said, cupping Kyuhyun’s jaw. “All kinds of it.”
And it made Kyuhyun grin. He hummed into that kiss, letting Kyuhyun get situated more firmly against him. Luxurious slide of skin against skin, erection against erection as Kyuhyun touched them both. Wet kisses, touches. That Kyuhyun wanted to switch it up made his body buzz with anticipation. To find that position, that way, that delighted them both. He knew he’d enjoyed having Kyuhyun under him. And he wanted to know if he’d enjoy the opposite just as well.
Kyuhyun stretched out, reaching for the lube and condoms, and for a long moment, it afforded him a view of Kyuhyun’s neck, and parted mouth. Gorgeous, sculpted, and—
Totally dark. He blinked, hand grasping Kyuhyun’s arm as he realized Kyuhyun had accidentally hit the off switch of the light in his haste. As condoms fluttered onto his chest, they laughed, and he hoped he hadn’t made some weird sound because of it. The dark wasn’t always something to be afraid of, and he preferred to sleep without light assaulting his eyes. But there were moments, when the dark drew him down with unease. But there was no apprehension, with Kyuhyun breathing above him.
“You want it back on?” Kyuhyun asked. And for a moment, he considered it. He’d be able to see Kyuhyun’s face. But it was oddly intimate, kneading Kyuhyun’s shoulders, and trying to find any point of reference in the totally dark room. He moved up, as though to whisper.
“No, let’s—“
The skin of Kyuhyun’s earlobe gave under his teeth, eliciting a moan and a shudder.
“Oh, fuck.”
He could barely contain himself, struggling to breathe in the aftermath of Kyuhyun’s utterance.
“Are you sensitive there?” he asked.
The almost embarrassed giggle in Kyuhyun’s silky voice led him to believe it was true. Sensitive. In the dark it seemed even more so. Focused on touch, and sound, and smell, instead of only what his eyes could show. The hand Kyuhyun used to jerk them did not stop - though perhaps faltered - as Zhou Mi skimmed fingers down Kyuhyun’s back. He could feel the skin, and muscles, move. The shudder across flesh as his light touch tickled and stimulated. He wondered if Kyuhyun’s eyes were closed, just feeling, or if he was searching for Zhou Mi’s face.
Or wanting to bite Zhou Mi’s face, given the sound Kyuhyun made as Zhou Mi’s nails scratched up the sides of his ribs. But it softened to a pant, hot against Zhou Mi’s chin, and Zhou Mi assumed open-mouthed. Just from the circling of his thumbs against Kyuhyun’s nipples. It was all he could do just to swallow, and not jerk up against Kyuhyun’s shifting hips. If his touching made Kyuhyun want, then it was equally true for him. And he was through with teasing.
He fumbled for Kyuhyun’s face, his hands the only guide to tell him how far away Kyuhyun really was. Taking his mouth, pressing kisses across it. Feeling Kyuhyun rumble and fight him, pressing down into the kiss. The slide of lips, skin, wet heat, and hard flesh. Too sexual to be patient with.
“Ready,” he moaned, and tugged on Kyuhyun’s ears with his fingertips.
“Condom.”
The word was puffed against Zhou Mi’s mouth, and it was, at that moment, the prettiest word he thought he’d ever heard.
“On my chest,” he said, and puffed it out for good measure. Foreplay was wonderful. Laughter was wonderful. But they’d let it build long enough.
He could feel the wrapper sticking to his skin, and expected Kyuhyun to grab it. Expected for all of half a moment as Kyuhyun pinned his arm. It took until the second wet kiss against his chest to realize that it was Kyuhyun’s turn…to tease him.
“Who’s in a hurry now?” Kyuhyun asked, his tone sly. And he had reason to be, as his tongue teased Zhou Mi’s skin. And he wasn’t looking for the condom either, because it was clear his nose brushed it several times. It made him shudder, and want, as Kyuhyun kept them both hard - aching.
Kyuhyun’s breath was labored, and the condom retrieved. Slick fingers to prepare him. Lifting his hips for Kyuhyun, ready. The first time like that, for them. How much finesse Kyuhyun possessed, he didn’t know. How long they would last. He wasn’t sure it would be very long for him. His head went back, trying to relax for Kyuhyun. Hissing, not for pain, but finally for friction.
“That okay?” Kyuhyun asked, and Zhou Mi kissed him to prove it.
He’d missed it, having a man inside him. And Kyuhyun was oh-so appreciative. Musical moans as they began to move with, against each other. Clutched together in the most pleasurable way possible.
“Kyuhyun.” He moaned it almost before he had thought, legs giving up their balancing position to wrap around Kyuhyun.
And the angle changed, Kyuhyun moaning above him, panting in heady gasps.
He imagined flailing for the light, watching Kyuhyun’s eyes blind with sex. The slide of their bodies together, Kyuhyun driving into him, rocking him.
And he came over Kyuhyun’s fist.
Kyuhyun’s thrusts were ragged and desperate, and Zhou Mi bit, almost too hard, onto Kyuhyun’s earlobe. The spasm, the cry. The rocking, as Kyuhyun rode through his own pleasure. In its own right, it had been amazing. As good as the last time, if not better. He breathed, hearing Kyuhyun still drawing in gasps, heart thumping clearly against Zhou Mi. And he didn’t want to lose that connection, petting Kyuhyun’s hair. Half wishing Kyuhyun would fall asleep and prolong the moment, and not kick him out of the apartment. There were times when he was perfectly fine alone. And there were others, where he drew so much for just being near, touching. Like some well inside of himself was being filled. And it wasn’t just the sex, that had him wanting.
Every time Kyuhyun came near in the stable, or they talked, Zhou Mi was drawn to him. To stand a little bit closer, to touch Kyuhyun’s hand. Absorbing him with his eyes. And in that moment, that precious moment where his legs still trembled, and his heart slowly settled, he drew Kyuhyun in with every inch of skin that touched him. Their cheeks. Hands. Thighs.
“I’m gonna crush you,” Kyuhyun mumbled.
And Zhou Mi helped him fall, turning so that Kyuhyun could find the mattress. But not staying separate. Arm over Kyuhyun’s side and pressing close. Basking Kyuhyun’s sucking breaths, and the hand that settled at Zhou Mi’s hip, sliding onto his waist and curving there.
He half woke once, as Kyuhyun’s leg rocked his, but he was content to let his mind congeal and just fall into Kyuhyun’s presence. Content, warm, pleased.
But he did wake, at Kyuhyun’s sharp inhale - proof Kyuhyun was waking as well. Grunts and murmurs as Kyuhyun got his body aligned. He could just see the outline of Kyuhyun’s shoulders, the urge to touch.
And ended up half on Kyuhyun’s chest in a heap of laughter as Kyuhyun mercilessly tickled him. It was just as nice there, skin to skin, his face against Kyuhyun’s neck. But he allowed himself only a few moments to inhale there. The scent of Kyuhyun, sweat, writing into him. Not just as a turn-on, but also a memory. Kyuhyun was patting the back of his head like he was a toddler, and he pushed himself up. His hips protested, and he was well-aware of what they’d been doing before their nap. But it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle.
And he wasn’t going to make Kyuhyun have to chase him out again.
“Need to find my clothes. Don’t let the light blind you,” he warned, stroking Kyuhyun’s chest before rolling so that he could find the light. And he did so, without breaking anything. Squinting at the floor in pain as the light flooded the room. Kyuhyun moaned, and that was his sentiment exactly. But it allowed him to collect his clothes, almost grabbing Kyuhyun’s shirt on accident. And in the privacy of the bathroom he considered himself. His hair was completely to the four winds, marks evident as he rolled his shoulders. He felt good. Really good. And not as dissatisfied to be leaving as he might have thought. Absence made the heart grow fonder? Well, they’d put that to test, a little.
He liked, very much, that Kyuhyun made him want to stay. To kiss, hold, talk. It had been a long while since he’d met anyone that made him want that effortlessly. And if there was something negative to be found out, well. They would find that out eventually as well.
By the time he had cleaned up and dressed, Kyuhyun was up, and in a pair of loose pajama pants. Padding into the living room with him, as Zhou Mi gathered his things to leave.
“You clean up well,” Kyuhyun remarked. “Considering I saw what you looked like when you crawled out of bed.”
He couldn’t say Kyuhyun looked much different, himself, albeit with hair that looked like he’d patted it down at least.
And he got a good look at Kyuhyun’s ear, wincing a little. “Looks like I bit a little hard.”
Kyuhyun touched the reddened skin, and shrugged. “Probably won’t be able to tell by morning. Not my fault my ears turn you on.”
Zhou Mi laughed, and tugged Kyuhyun closer by his waistband. Kyuhyun’s mouth gave to him, at least for a moment. Nipping back against his lips, and pressing up into him. And then those lips quirked.
“See you tomorrow.”
Zhou Mi hummed, not entirely sure he was confident leaving with no solid plans. Kyuhyun surely wouldn’t think he was pushing too hard to at least figure out when they were seeing each other again. And at the very least, Kyuhyun had to know he was interested.
“Yeah. Are you… Are you busy Friday night?”
Kyuhyun cocked his head, as though considering his schedule three days in advance. “No, I’m not busy.”
Okay, it was like pulling teeth to get Kyuhyun to follow him.
“I could bring something to eat, if you wanted. And we could…?”
“I think my mattress could handle it,” Kyuhyun said, and the smirk had Zhou Mi poking him.
The kiss before he opened the door was an indulgence he could not resist. And the raised eyebrow he got for it with the waving hand, was utterly worth it. He still had a smile on his face as he closed the door behind himself and clattered down the stairs.
***
Kyuhyun woke feeling inordinately pleased with himself. A hot man had been in his bed, preceding a good night’s sleep. A new arrival to welcome and look in on.
He half wished he’d turned the light back on, so he had reference to Zhou Mi’s face as they’d fucked. But it also had lessened his nerves a bit. He hadn’t had to school his face, or worry about every twinge of Zhou Mi’s. He’d had sounds, and touches. He almost got a chill right then, remembering Zhou Mi’s fingertips against his skin. Moaning his name, meeting his thrusts. Coming for him. Zhou Mi had been more than competent in his sexual skills— and he was man enough to want to prove his own prowess. But Zhou Mi had been open to it, and he felt pretty good about himself in general. Zhou Mi was, after all, the hottest guy he’d had the pleasure of sleeping with in years. A guy who went a little loopy in the eyes when they kissed.
He had to shake himself out of it, manning the shovel before he started shoveling manure in the wrong direction.
But when Zhou Mi arrived, he couldn’t help himself, wandering over as Zhou Mi was getting his tack together. He didn’t dare get close, but no one was near enough to hear his words anyway.
“Okay to ride today?” he asked, trying for casual. Code for: I didn’t pound you into the mattress too hard, did I?
Zhou Mi’s face screwed up for a moment, as though he were really thinking hard. But it ended in a laugh. “I’m fine, yes. You?”
“Oh, fine. Just wondering what I’m going to get fed.” In more than one way. If Zhou Mi brought food, then there were all sorts of possibilities.
“I think you’ll like it,” Zhou Mi said. And it was nearly a solemn promise.
Kyuhyun actually believed it.
But he didn’t stay to chat. The stall was ready, and the trailer holding the mare in foal was pulling into the yard. There were greetings and handshakes as the pretty chestnut mare was led out of the trailer. She was bulky, awkward, and heavy with foal. But also curious, and sweet natured, greeting Kyuhyun with a nuzzle. Though he might have bribed her a little with sugar.
The owner liked the box stall, and they made sure she could work the automatic waterer, discussing her food intake and needs as the stable’s veterinarian checked her out as well. Paperwork was signed, and the trailer pulled away. One more guest in his lineup, he thought, adding her to the mucking, feeding, and turnout schedules. The veterinarian had warned him that she could foal at any minute. He had known before she arrived that her foaling date was soon, but it couldn’t be helped. It meant that he would check on her several times through the night, each night until she foaled. But if it meant he got to make sure the foaling went well, then it was all worth it.
And those nighttime excursions, roaming downstairs in his pajamas to look in on her as she rested, only gave him more moments to think of Zhou Mi’s upcoming visit, and what they would do. He didn’t know if he was supposed to be upset by Zhou Mi bringing food. It smacked almost of a date. But Kyuhyun liked both sex and food, and yes, even Zhou Mi. So he figured combining the three was only something to look forward to.
***
***
In the process of getting the stable shut down for the night, Kyuhyun didn’t have time to spare wondering about Zhou Mi coming back that night. His expectations were for food and sex. Everything else was gravy. He and Henry went through the checklist for each horse, checking the weather. Bringing horses in from pasture, feeding, and making sure everything was secure and clean. He sent Henry off to rest and recharge for the next day, leaving him to do some accounting that was the joy of his life. Inputting payments into his books, making out a deposit slip, wishing he could bash his face into the table. He’d rather muck out the stable singlehandedly that do all his accounting. He had invoices for the vet, the farrier, the feed supplier. Fascinating, depending on the point of view, but necessary things.
He was just wrapping up his computer input when he heard the outer door open. A few whinnies at the far end, Zhou Mi’s horses and a few others. And there was a pause, he figured as Zhou Mi stopped to say hello. But it wasn’t only a few moments later that Zhou Mi came into view, smiling.
“Hello!”
“Hey,” Kyuhyun said, putting his laptop to sleep and eyeing the bag in Zhou Mi’s hands with interest. Zhou Mi had said he’d bring food, and he certainly had. Kyuhyun’s stomach growled. Chicken.
“Please tell me the logo is telling me what’s actually in the bag,” he said, eyeing it with greed.
Zhou Mi laughed, waggling it. “It is. Did you want to eat down here, or…?”
“Upstairs, so I don’t have to clean up down here,” he decided after a moment. Reason winning out over wanting to rip into the bag right there. Plus he had plates and utensils upstairs. And drinks. “Don’t drop it before we get up there.”
And of course Zhou Mi would have to mime dropping it. And he couldn’t even kick Zhou Mi up the stairs.
There were paper plates and utensils in the bag, the chicken, two different kinds, tucked in little boxes. And rice, and pickled radishes. He was practically drooling, offering Zhou Mi beer, and carrying two cans back from the refrigerator with him. Though, when Zhou Mi reached for it, he yanked the offered drink back.
“Hey, this is for me. Thanks for the food, you can go now.”
“I can take the food out with me,” Zhou Mi said, not so subtly threatening.
But he couldn’t help the grin, giving Zhou Mi the beer after all and sitting at the table. Of course, Zhou Mi probably didn’t know that by responding, he was encouraging Kyuhyun. But he couldn’t deny that it was fun. Zhou Mi’s indignant face, or the pursed lips and narrowed eyes. It had him chortling, even as he battled Zhou Mi’s chopsticks for first pickings. There was one box of spicy chicken, one of mild, and he squished down the bag so they had a place to put their chicken bones.
“Good choice,” he said, two pieces of chicken already in his belly, and the pleasant burn of spices on his lips.
“I almost called and asked you what you wanted, but I thought this sounded really good.”
“Better than my mother’s cooking. Wait, I didn’t say that.”
“I’ll remember,” Zhou Mi sing-songed, waggling a chicken bone at him.
“I’ll say you’re making it up. You did fall on on your head when you fell off Dahua, didn’t you? Your poor head.”
He got a version of the indignant pouting face, but he was pretty sure Zhou Mi was smiling as he took a punctuating swig of beer.
***
As wonderful as it was being full and comfortable, the new horse in the barn had Kyuhyun antsy. The mare still waiting to give birth. He left Zhou Mi in front of the TV, in order to go check. The vet had been by that day, checking her out. And he’d been pretty sure she was going to foal within the next day or two, if not that night. She’d been restless all that afternoon, and as much as he relished the idea of sex, and as much as he knew Zhou Mi was there for that express reason… His life would have that kind of timing.
He’d considered calling Zhou Mi and telling him not to come. Then he considered how hungry he would be. And then, he knew any creature about to give birth was unpredictable. It might be midnight, or two in the morning. Possibly plenty of time to have sex, even if she was starting her labor. Though the idea made him twinge with guilt a little. Not like sex would be neglecting his job, or the mare. There wasn’t anything he could do for her, except make sure her stall was clean, and that she wasn’t laboring in vain. He’d been taught, conditioned, to watch out for a breech birth. But there wasn’t anything yet to indicate it.
She was still restless, pacing, and he glanced at his watch. They’d whiled away over an hour, just eating and cleaning up. He rolled his shoulder, noting that he had what he needed for the birth sitting by. Wasn’t exactly like a baby. The mare didn’t need a midwife. He was excited, and looking forward to having the event over. One less thing to worry about, and a new stable resident.
But he jogged back up the stairs, mind working. He didn’t want to get naked, get into some sweaty situation. Considering how long they’d spent just getting to sex after the clothes came off the last time, he didn’t want to have to push it. Sure, a fast hot fuck was great, but he liked letting the situation take him. Without that nagging worry to help out.
Zhou Mi looked up at him immediately, blinking from where he’d been staring at the news. And still dressed.
“How is she?” Zhou Mi asked.
“Good. Anxious, and pacing. I think it’s tonight. I’ll leave her for an hour or so, before I check again, but yeah. Pretty sure. I’ll need to be able to check a lot, so…”
Zhou Mi nodded, turning off the TV. “So probably not the best idea to get naked in bed, then?”
Of course, Zhou Mi would get it. “Yeah, probably.”
But as he considered Zhou Mi, those parted thighs, and hands resting on the armrests. There wasn’t any anger in that posture, as though he was unhappy or dissatisfied to be turned down. Concerned for the horse, and for what Kyuhyun had to do. Shit.
“Sit tight for a minute,” he said, and ducked into his bedroom. It wasn’t guilt, it was want. And if he didn’t want to get naked, and risk losing himself rolling between the sheets, then there were other things that could be done. Things that didn’t require Zhou Mi getting up. Just Kyuhyun getting down.
With condoms in hand, he went back, Zhou Mi still sitting on the edge of the chair. It took little more than a finger wave for Zhou Mi to stand, curiosity in every feature. And then pleasure, as Kyuhyun pressed up close for a kiss. Lingering alcohol and sharpness of the radishes, and the softness of Zhou Mi’s mouth.
Zhou Mi smiled, cupping Kyuhyun’s jaw. “That’s nice. Really nice.”
“Wouldn’t want to deprive you of kiss—“
Apparently Zhou Mi liked kissing him more than he liked talking about kissing. Arm around Zhou Mi’s neck, fingers brushing Zhou Mi’s hip. That mouth. Smiling, saying things that made Kyuhyun’s brain wonder. Hotter than it had any right being, lips, and nibbling teeth, and questing tongue.
Subdued, then. As though he didn’t want to push Kyuhyun, knowing that getting too worked up wasn’t good. But Kyuhyun still had a few secrets of his own. And that secret included popping the button of Zhou Mi’s pants, and urging down the zipper. Feeling the inhale that was as much question as reaction, but Kyuhyun pressed him with a kiss. A few seconds of working, meant he had the pretty pants and underwear sliding south.
“Kyuhyun?”
Kyuhyun let his arm slide down, slow, off of Zhou Mi’s shoulder. Opening his hand to reveal the condoms. “Have a seat. We have time for…something.”
And if that wasn’t obvious enough, perhaps the way he licked his lips was. He wondered if he imagined the flush on Zhou Mi’s cheeks, but he got no resistance, pressing Zhou Mi back onto the plush chair, and sinking down between his knees. Not a bad view. And it seemed Zhou Mi liked kissing him quite a lot. He used his hands at first, getting Zhou Mi from interested to hard. He glanced up now and then, watching Zhou Mi bite at his lips, hands balling and relaxing.
“You like me between you legs, don’t you?” he asked, and got a fully body laugh out of Zhou Mi. He squirmed as Zhou Mi tucked his knees in a little, squeezing Kyuhyun’s ribs.
“You’re welcome between them any time. You know that,” Zhou Mi murmured.
Too many words, and not enough time. For his effort, he shot Zhou Mi a smile. And licking his lips, condom in place, sank down around Zhou Mi’s cock. Listening to the sounds that Zhou Mi made was like liquid pleasure. Sighs and curling cries, soft, sometimes startled. Silky and pristine, Zhou Mi’s voice. One of the things that attracted him to Zhou Mi at first, that precise voice. He could have listened to Zhou Mi spout idiocy, just to get that little tingle at the humor in his voice.
And as he massaged Zhou Mi’s hipbones, dragging his lips along Zhou Mi’s erection, there were definitely other things that drew him as well. Things that made him a lot less shifty inside. Like the knowledge that Zhou Mi had gotten hard for him, against his mouth, his hands. And if there was more obvious proof, more tangible knowledge, of want, then he didn’t know what it was. Glancing up to see Zhou Mi’s mouth parted, watching him. The solid heat of a cock in his hands, his mouth. He wanted to take Zhou Mi from behind, just to feel him buck and moan, and come from Kyuhyun’s hand jerking him, hips moving.
He hummed, Zhou Mi’s hand sliding through his hair. Not holding, or demanding, merely touching. As though feeling in another, tangible way the movement, the suction that Kyuhyun was generating. The stroking of his fingers. Feeling the flex of Zhou Mi’s thighs. He was half hard himself, from the sounds, the knowing. Feeling Zhou Mi tense, desperation in every cell. And not only helping, but urging him to come. And getting his wish. Pleased, as he eased away his mouth, at Zhou Mi’s hanging head, heaving chest.
“At least you don’t…tease,” Zhou Mi got out after a moment, as Kyuhyun enjoyed smirking up at him.
“Today at least. We’re on a schedule.”
And he proved his point, standing and wiggling down his own pants. There was room enough for the both of them on the plush chair, but only with one of them on top of the other. And he had no compunction against sitting on Zhou Mi’s lap. Feeling Zhou Mi’s skin, against his own. Feeling his arousal lurch as Zhou Mi pressed close to kiss his neck and breathe hard against him. But he wasn’t there for cuddles. Zhou Mi’s palm was sweaty, and it felt amazing as Kyuhyun dragged it along his cock. It would take little to get him fully hard, not the way they were going. And then when he could see straight again, back to check on the mare. No fuss, no problem.
And just as he was getting into the rhythm of moving Zhou Mi’s hand, Zhou Mi chuckled.
“Feels like you were having a good time down there.”
He would have given some kind of glare or smart retort, had he not gotten caught on Zhou Mi’s heavy, sex-satisfied eyes. And that look was there because of him.
“Shut up,” he finally muttered, and turned so he could feel Zhou Mi’s lips quirk into his kiss. Zhou Mi’s mouth was sweet, wide. Not only eager, but hungry. And conscious again, he was pleased to note. Squeezing his fingers up Kyuhyun’s erection, and humming into the kiss. And it didn’t matter how warm Zhou Mi’s mouth was, it wasn’t comforting.
It was thrilling.
That probably had something to do with the throbbing between his legs. Their noses bumping together, as he chewed at Zhou Mi’s lips. Demand, reward. Zhou Mi’s jaw under his hand. The glimpses he got of that face between kisses, between strokes, sent pulses through him.
“Fucking gorgeous,” he muttered, and the hum of agreement he got as Zhou Mi kissed him, had his hips jerking. Even if he hadn’t meant to say it, it was truth. Maybe if Zhou Mi hadn’t been so— Maybe he could’ve said no? Found a way to…
He gasped, Zhou Mi’s hand speeding up. And it seemed Zhou Mi remembered all too well what turned Kyuhyun on, moving to nibble, wet and hot, at his ear. Zhou Mi’s long, elegant fingers, his mouth, bucking under him, and—
The only warning he could give was a strangled moan, arching his neck, and losing himself to Zhou Mi’s moving hand. Frozen in pleasure, and urging Zhou Mi to move until he couldn’t take it any more. Face lowering in a daze until it collided with Zhou Mi’s shoulder, at least until his bare skin started to get cool, and then belated realizing he was probably cutting off circulation to Zhou Mi’s legs.
“Should’ve just shoved me onto the floor.”
Zhou Mi laughed, clutching him tight with the arm Zhou Mi had wrapped around him. “You were keeping me warm.”
“Ah, I see how it is.”
But he allowed Zhou Mi to tip his face, sighing into the kiss. They were all kinds of a mess as he stood, with Zhou Mi levering up behind him. Pants askew, utterly a mess between skin and hands. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Zhou Mi did a little dance to get his pants back up his hips, and Kyuhyun hobbled toward the bathroom. Add that Zhou Mi had nice hands - good technique. Having someone else’s hand for a change wasn’t bad at all. Just like getting to suck wasn’t bad. Another check mark in his head. Zhou Mi was waiting beside the door when he went back out, looking at him rather hopefully.
“Is it okay if I go down with you?”
He shrugged, using Zhou Mi’s shoulder to steady himself as he stepped into his shoes. “Sure. You’re no worse than I would be.”
***
From everything the veterinarian had told him, and his experiences of deliveries past, he knew that the mare was well on her way to foaling. She was restless, anxious, attempting to kick her stomach. In the few minutes that he and Zhou Mi stood observing, she paced the circumference of the stall several times, laying down, only to get back up. It was a good sign. They’d been upstairs less than an hour, but she’d definitely progressed.
“If I were her owner, I’d want to be here when she foaled,” Zhou Mi said softly.
“I know. But I guess it’s enough that they know someone is looking in on her. Healthy foal, I guess, is most important.”
“Sure. Do you mind, if I stay until she foals? It’s okay if not, if I’d be in your way.”
He could see Zhou Mi’s face in his peripheral vision, the question on it. It could still be a couple of hours until she foaled, and then waiting for the foal to nurse, the placenta to pass. More hours than he’d ever spent in Zhou Mi’s presence that was for certain. But it was also another pair of hands, another brain and set of eyes. If he needed Zhou Mi to fetch something, or get the vet on the phone, then he wouldn’t have to do everything himself. Worst case, he would’ve called Henry. He wondered how much of a slap to the face it would be if he said that Zhou Mi should go, because he was calling Henry instead.
“You looking to sue the stable if you get hurt?” he gently ribbed.
Zhou Mi both looked and sounded insulted. “Not unless you drive me through with a pitchfork.”
He chuckled, and gestured at the worktable. “Might as well take a seat, then, because it’ll be a while.”
It was midnight, by the time they got situated at the table, going up and down a few times to not be hovering by the mare until he couldn’t take waiting upstairs any longer. He brewed coffee upstairs, and brought down snacks. Even brought down a set of cards, so they could play a little to pass the time. They weren’t close enough to infringe on her space and increase her nerves, but Kyuhyun could hear every footfall, every time she lay down. Counting in his head how long she stayed down, in case he needed to go see what was up. If she stayed down long enough, it might mean the foal was coming.
The coffee helped, a little. Well past his usual time to sleep, and Zhou Mi’s as well it seemed from the punch drunk laughs and droopy eyelids. All discreetly quiet, of course. They moved on to checkers, and he discovered Zhou Mi to be a rather ruthless opponent, with kinged pieces everywhere.
He was getting to the desperate phase, not wanting to lose again, and about to suggest that they move on to drawing mazes for each other on paper, when the mare began to labor in earnest. Sweating, and laying down, he checked everything he could. She wasn’t too near a wall, didn’t seem to be overly troubled. Besides the whole pushing-out-a-foal part.
He waved Zhou Mi close, quiet, and stood outside, at the stall’s edge and out of the mare’s line of sight. And Zhou Mi’s hand on his hip was tight, as they saw the foal’s front legs in their protecting sack emerge. And it was a good sign, the foal coming out just right. Head, and front shoulders. He had to remember to keep breathing, as the mare seemed to heave, expelling the rest of her offspring’s body.
The sack around the foal had torn, to his relief, and he could see the tiny nostrils working in the unfamiliar air. It was a matter of waiting, then. Whether the foal would move, or the mare. Severing their connection from the umbilical cord after the foal had received all the blood it needed. The struggle of life into the world. They snuck a smiling glance at each other as the mare rested from her efforts. It didn’t happen quickly, but just the same, it did.
He was shifting his weight from foot to foot as they watched in silence. The foal struggling to right itself, the mare heaving onto her feet. Kyuhyun watched that process carefully, making sure she didn’t step on the foal accidentally. But the mare and foal, bonded. Nuzzling, licking her baby, and the foal struggled to stand. Three solid efforts were required before the foal found its legs, wobbly, with its floppy little ears. He could see Zhou Mi silently cheering. Tiny, trembling thing, but strong all the same.
“I need to treat the umbilical cord, if she doesn’t seem too worried by us going in,” Kyuhyun said, looking to Zhou Mi. “If you could hold her head and soothe her?”
“Of course.”
He was pretty sure what gender the foal was, but wanted to be certain. The mare was curious, if a little wary, as Kyuhyun offered her a sugar cube. But she knew, trusted humans, and so she didn’t balk at Kyuhyun slipping into the stall with them. Zhou Mi came up at the stall door, coaxing her with a little grain, a few carrots. Stroking her, talking to her, as he approached the doe-eyed foal. Curious, wary. And with caution, he got his arms around the foal. Pretty, almost chestnut that would certainly darken. Bleating a little in surprise, but quieting. Both of them talking to the mare so she knew no one was trying to hurt her baby. Treating the umbilical cord was quick enough, and he petted over the foal’s coat, rubbing down its legs and lifting them carefully. A foundation for the future. And he smiled up at Zhou Mi.
“A little filly.”
And the filly, free of Kyuhyun, who slipped out quickly, pressed against her mother. And when he had washed up, returned, he knew from Zhou Mi’s smile that the foal was nursing. A good, really excellent sign.
“If only all deliveries were that smooth,” Kyuhyun said, walking away to press his hands into his lower back. He half felt like he’d been in labor too, standing for hours and just watching the natural progress.
“That was amazing to watch,” Zhou Mi agreed. “Thank you for letting me stay.”
“Thank you for helping. It helps having another person around sometimes. Right now, just want to watch out for her passing the placenta well.”
“Tomorrow’s going to be really long, if you don’t get sleep,” Zhou Mi fussed, touching his arm. “If you want, why don’t you go up, and get a couple of hours of sleep at least? I can stay down here and keep an eye on them. Since she’s up and feeding, there isn’t much to look out for. And I can sleep tomorrow away if I need to.”
A few hours of sleep sounded amazing. “Since she’s doing okay, you can go head and nap, too. I mean, you don’t have to stay. I could just as easily check every hour or so.”
“No, get a few solid hours. I can nap in a chair, and just wander by. And I’ll hear if anything is up. I’ll get you if she passes the placenta, or if anything seems wrong.”
His adrenaline was fading, looking in on the nursing foal. Zhou Mi had to be as tired as he was. Somehow, it probably would’ve been possible to say no, send Zhou Mi home. But the truth was, he hadn’t wanted to. Having someone down there was a comfort, and getting a little rest meant he could be sharper the next day. Everyone won.
***
The first thing that Zhou Mi did after Kyuhyun disappeared was set an alarm on his phone, and take a nap. It didn’t matter that sitting in the hard chair, and using the table as his pillow wasn’t optimal. He had a clean rag from the cupboard as his real pillow, and got in almost an hour of sleep before his phone rattled him awake. The foal was resting from the long ordeal, dozing on the straw-covered floor. He wouldn’t have stayed long, but for the mare leaving her hay, to come and greet him.
“Hi sweetheart,” he said, stroking her neck before scratching behind her ears. “Such a strong baby you have there. She’ll grow up to be beautiful and strong like you, yeah?”
And they communed like that for several minutes, her getting attention, and him slowly becoming conscious. But he let her go back to eating, smiling again at the dozing filly. Okay, and maybe he snapped a few photos with his phone, but that was just because she was too cute.
The rest of the horses were uninterested in his existence, but he walked down the length of the stable. A few nickers, some petted noses. Zhu demanded attention, and Dahua was unimpressed. By the time he made it back to tack/catchall room, he’d peeked in at the mare again. And when he sat down, his body felt like it weighed about a thousand pounds. Which was nothing to his head.
He groggily set another alarm, and fell into a sleep full of neck-cricks and startled dreams.
His brain felt like shoe leather, the next time he woke. Everything quiet, and normal, and he wondered just how long Kyuhyun wanted to sleep, and how long he could manage to be in and out of consciousness. He played silent games on his phone, propping his head up with one hand. And he swore, he just meant to close his eyes for a second.
He rocketed out of sleep at a touch, Kyuhyun’s face looming.
“I just sat down, I swear. Five minutes, I don’t—”
“It’s okay,” Kyuhyun laughed. “They’re doing fine. I’m awake now, and I’ll just start getting things ready, so why don’t you head up, get a shower, and get a few more hours of sleep?”
Being horizontal sounded like winning the lottery. He stood, moaning a little. “That sounds amazing.” And a thought trickled by. Not having any clothes. “Um. Do you mind if I borrow underwear?”
Kyuhyun shrugged, like it was no big deal. “Sure, top drawer, if it fits you. Take whatever you need.”
“I probably only need one pair,” Zhou Mi teased.
And he was scoffed at. “Hey, it might look cute on your head. I mean, whatever else you need.”
He was so tired he would’ve turned and walked away, just at that offer. But Kyuhyun’s arm was there, hanging onto his.
“I just wanted to say thanks. For staying. Staying up. I appreciate it.”
Maybe it was the hour, or just whatever, but Zhou Mi pulled Kyuhyun close, a hug not so much tight as encompassing. Kyuhyun didn’t protest, moving into it and letting Zhou Mi hold on. He could’ve fallen asleep right there, breathing in the scent of Kyuhyun’s shoulder.
“Thank you,” he said, pressing a kiss to Kyuhyun’s neck.
And that was too much even for him, pushing back and waving so he could amble upstairs, carefully washing his hair under the hot shower, drying off and snagging a pair of underwear from the drawer, and yes, they fit. Maybe not perfectly, but they still did.
The sheets were cool against all his exposed skin. Too tired to seek out pajama bottoms or anything of the like, but at least feeling more comfortable than naked. He yawned loudly into one of the pillows and glanced briefly at where Kyuhyun usually lay. It was nice to be in his bed. In Kyuhyun’s room. Even alone, it was kind of like Kyuhyun was there. And breathing deep, taking in all those familiar scents, he fell asleep.
***
Kyuhyun’s whole body seemed to ache as he pushed himself up the stairs to his apartment. Henry was there, and the other grooms, and he knew they were able to take care of feedings and mucking, and doing whatever checks Kyuhyun hadn’t. He figured he could get at least a couple of hours in before the veterinarian and the owners arrived to check out the new baby. Henry’d call when they got there, and he didn’t figure anyone would grudge him a few more hours sleep, since the foal seemed bright eyed and healthy. The afterbirth had been put aside for the vet to see, and the stall cleaned. Everything was as it should be.
Zhou Mi was still dead asleep when he got into his bedroom, and he smiled. It clearly hadn’t been a totally restful sleep, because the sheet had been pulled down halfway over Zhou Mi’s butt. Covered, of course, in his donated underwear. There was something a little hot about that fact. A man in his bed, lines of his shoulders and back leading down to something Kyuhyun had worn as well. It was less a frightening thought than the next one, which was more to how right Zhou Mi looked in his bed. That arm hooked under the pillow, mouth parted as he breathed. The empty room had life, with Zhou Mi in it. And he erased the thought entirely.
The shower was quick, but refreshing, pulling on pajama pants and sliding under the sheet. It took a little maneuvering but he got the sheet up over Zhou Mi, too. Between that movement, and the rocking of the mattress, half woke Zhou Mi.
“Everything okay?” Zhou Mi rasped, unfolding himself enough to turn toward Kyuhyun.
“Yeah. Just getting some rest before things—“
He almost gasped, the heat of Zhou Mi’s skin startling to him. It got him a sleepy chuckle, and a man inelegantly clutching him, arm flopped over his waist, and head near to his.
“I should go,” Zhou Mi said with a sigh, the heat of it curling against Kyuhyun’s neck.
“Mm,” he grunted.
Was that agreement? Disagreement? They’d never slept, really slept, in the same place together.
He just knew neither of them moved. And he heard Zhou Mi’s breathing even, before sinking into sleep himself.
***
Kyuhyun moaned, swatting at the push against his ribs.
“Your phone.”
“Urrgh.”
The whole bed seemed to shake, and that woke him slightly. Getting his eyes open just in time to see ten miles of thigh scrambling back onto the bed. And then a phone was being pressed against his ear, Zhou Mi gesticulating and mouthing words at him. Ah, to say hello.
“Hey?” he said, getting a hand up and half covering Zhou Mi’s before he could grip the phone himself.
“The mare’s owners are here,” Henry chirped at him.
He dropped his face into the pillow for a moment. “Okay. Give me two minutes.”
Zhou Mi was already half dressed by the time he got himself sitting upright.
“I have to go down and talk to the owners,” he said, swinging himself out of the bed.
“Okay. I’m going to go home, and change, and come back. I’ll bring you coffee if you want?”
Kyuhyun thought about it for a moment, inhaling as though that would make the coffee get to him quicker. “I’ll take caffeine in an IV bag. Or whatever drink they have with as many shots as the cup will hold.”
Zhou Mi laughed, catching him around the side and pressing a kiss to his mouth. “Good luck, then. I’ll be back soon.”
He was shrugging into his shirt, when he realized that Zhou Mi had gone down. Undoubtedly passing Henry, and everyone else. Zhou Mi’s car had been there when anyone else had arrived. If anyone paid attention to Zhou Mi’s clothes, it was obvious he’d been there overnight. Though they had the foal to explain that away on, he supposed. Just the horse, and Zhou Mi staying over to witness the birth. Because it mattered that much. Still it had him grim faced as he raced down the stairs. It didn’t do to keep the clients waiting.
***
Kyuhyun nearly snatched the paper coffee cup out of Zhou Mi’s hands by the time he got back. No more than an hour and a half, but it was still enough. Zhou Mi had even brought a drink for Henry, who had made miffed noises that he’d missed the birth. And from what Kyuhyun gathered, that was the only reason Henry thought Zhou Mi had been there. Or only reason Henry was letting on.
The mare’s owners were well pleased with their new arrival, how clean the stall was, how prompt Kyuhyun had been. The veterinarian had given both mare and foal a clean bill of health, and mother and baby were tucked down his list of worries. His eyes all but rolled back in his head, as he drank the coffee Zhou Mi had brought. Not as much caffeine as he might like, but it’d do.
“You riding today?”
“Yeah,” Zhou Mi said, smiling into his own cup. “I need to do some reinforcing from yesterday. I got enough sleep that I think I won’t be falling asleep in the saddle. You’ll be okay?”
He was pretty sure. The coffee and whatever food he snagged would get him through the rest of the work day, getting everything buttoned up, and all the animals fed. But sex, that he wasn’t particularly trusting himself with, given the amount of sleep he’d gotten.
“I won’t be of much use tonight, though.”
“Maybe tomorrow then,” Zhou Mi said. “I’ll get to riding, now.”
And Kyuhyun had the belated realization, calling out, “Thanks for the coffee!”
And he was saluted with Zhou Mi’s coffee cup. He definitely liked Zhou Mi in those jeans.
He didn’t think tomorrow was too soon at all.
***
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Zhou Mi: Deal with it, cause I'm in it.
XD
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That was so cute how Kyuhyun let Zhou Mi stay and sleep in his bed. Kyuhyun can't deny anymore that Zhou Mi and he are a perfect couple. *is giddy* I hope Zhou Mi invites Kyuhyun to his place soonish? :)
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I kind of rly want to see qmi riding together *nods*
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Need qmi horse photoshoot :[
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the way they fit together there and they are just so cute.....
you're still the best, bb!
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