Year after Year, Hand in Hand; Minho/Key
Starting his own family was number one on Kim Kibum's to do list in life but would that be possible if he could only see himself with Choi Minho?
A domestic minkey one shot filled with sugar, spice, and everything nice. Plus a little surprise in the end (which probably wouldn't be so much of a surprise).
Author's Note: didn't plan for this to happen but you can see it as a sequel to Like Cats On Hot Bricks! my take on domestic minkey. a whole lot of fluff awaits you. hope you lovelies like this story and thank you for giving this story a chance! enjoy! ^^
Kim Kibum always wanted a family for himself. While others craved for success, for riches, for status, or for fulfilling high flying careers in life, Kibum knew right from the start that building a family he could call his own was number one on his to do list in life. There was no one reason to pinpoint why he was eager to start a family. It was simply what Kibum desired.
Don't get him wrong though. Kibum wasn't desperate to find love. He wasn't going to settle down with just anybody who came his way and showed interest in him. Nor was he constantly searching for The One. When it came to love, Kibum preferred to let nature take its course. And life indeed took a turn for the better when Kibum met Minho at the age of 17. It wasn't love at first sight for either of them. It wasn't a fairy tale either considering the circumstances. For one, there was obviously no existence of a princess in this fairy tale of theirs. Which brings us to point two, were fairy tales ever about two Prince Charmings falling in love? The answer to that was enough to prove how tough their circumstances were - it was them against society. Yet, all that didn't matter as much because what was important was that it was a love that came without warning. As time passed by, Kibum came to realise he couldn't do without Minho in his life. And thankfully, he found out that Minho felt the same way as well when his other half clumsily proposed on their 5th anniversary together. It had been cheesy (“Kibum, what do you think about celebrating a different kind of anniversary next year?”, Minho had asked not so subtlety) but Kibum found himself nodding and unable to hold back the tears in his eyes as he wondered how on earth he ended up so lucky to be able to find someone who made his life complete.
Their relationship was far from perfect. It was a rollercoaster ride filled with ups and downs. There were uncertainties, doubts, insecurities about their relationship and their future together, cold wars that lasted too long since both of them were equally stubborn, and not forgetting the days they felt they almost wanted to kill each other; but what counted was that Kibum and Minho weathered the storm together because they both knew what they had was too good to lose. What mattered was that their not so perfect relationship worked, what mattered was the way he and Minho were total opposites but still fit amazingly well with each other. Until today, at the age of 27, Kibum still couldn't find an explanation to why his relationship with Minho was still going as strong as ever. Perhaps love really did work wonders. They didn't need the society that was constantly putting them down to approve of them, nor did they care about the need for institutions to declare they were bonded together in marriage. All they needed was the simple matching white gold rings on their fourth finger of their left hands to know they were tied together in a love so unbreakable.
Kibum and Minho had certainly come a long way since the day they first met. 10 years together has brought them more than they could ask for and they really couldn’t be happier. Just thinking back about their relationship had brought a silly smile on Kibum’s face. And as he waited for the water to boil and make his much needed cup of coffee to start his morning off right, Kibum’s fingers played with the ring that Minho had put on for him 4 years ago. He knew he was smiling to himself but he couldn’t help it. Kibum couldn’t help thinking about how blessed he was in life… to be able to find his significant other, to be able to support themselves with decent jobs, to own a lovely apartment to call their home and just basically being able to make the future they wanted together come true. Everything was how it was supposed to be and Kibum was so very thankful. It wasn’t just those things that made Kibum happy. Simple random seemingly insignificant things in life like the sound of footsteps shuffling across the floor could make him smile too. And true enough, as his ears picked up the sound, a smiling Kibum slowly turned around and greeted his better half with a surprised, amused expression.
“You’re up early for a Saturday morning.”
With eyes not fully opened, Minho yawned while messing up his already messy hair and simply stated, “You weren’t in bed.”
Kibum rolled his eyes. “When did that ever stop you from sleeping in?”
“Today it did.” Minho flashed a smile as he joined Kibum in the kitchen, immediately backing his significant other up against the kitchen counter and resting his hands on the countertop so Kibum had nowhere to escape (not that he was going to anyway).
“Why?” Kibum raised an eyebrow. “Are you feeling guilty about coming home so late last night?”
Minho let out an awkward chuckle. “Sorry, I didn’t expect Changmin’s bachelor party to go on for that long… you should have come along.”
“You know I couldn’t, Minho.” Kibum answered with a reproachful look.
Minho smiled apologetically and nodded, “Everyone asked about you although they understood why you couldn’t be there. It’s been long since we all gathered together and they missed you…”
“Mmhmm…”
“And I missed you too.” Minho slid his hands around Kibum’s waist and pulled him closer until their bodies fit snugly against each other.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Kibum’s hands were on Minho’s chest, pushing him slightly away to maintain a safe distance between them.
“Making up for last night.” Minho’s eyes sparkled with desire and a hint of playfulness as he tried to close the distance between their lips and kiss Kibum, only to end up kissing air as his better half avoided him successfully by moving his head away.
“Here?” Kibum asked disbelievingly. “In the kitchen?”
“Why not?” Minho frowned.
Reaching out to smooth the crease in Minho’s forehead, Kibum let out a sigh. “We can’t, Minho.”
Minho caught Kibum’s hand and kissed it. “Don’t worry KIbummie, it’s still early.”
“Think with your brain, honey.” Kibum instructed as he lifted his free hand and patted Minho’s cheek lightly a couple of times. “Don’t forget what we agreed upon.”
“No displays of affection unless locked in the bedroom, I know, Kibum.” Minho leaned his forehead against Kibum’s and stole a kiss from his lips in one swift action. “One kiss wouldn’t hurt though.”
“Are you asking for trouble, Mister?!” Kibum hissed as he shot a glare at his lover.
“Nope.” Minho replied casually, unaffected by Kibum’s obvious frustration with him. “I would be if I did this though.”
And before Kibum could react, Minho caught his lips in a searing kiss that left Kibum with no will to resist. His hands had naturally wrapped around Minho’s neck as he leaned instinctively into Minho’s touch, stealing all the warmth that his lover could give. Kibum knew he was going against his own words when he put up no resistance against Minho and as if that wasn’t bad enough, he even began responding to his kisses. But this was Choi Minho he was dealing with - the very Minho who understood all his weaknesses and knew exactly how to break his defences. Kibum could only keep up with his fierce kisses and give Minho what he wanted because one (very passionate) kiss really wouldn’t hurt… right?
“Appa?”
Just when Kibum decided to let his guard down completely, a single word that registered in his ears had set off the alarms in his head. The voice was soft but it was more than enough for both Kibum and Minho to crash back into reality. Cursing in his mind, Kibum’s eyes instantly flew open as he pushed an absolutely stunned Minho out of his way so he could quickly walk to the entrance of the kitchen where the voice travelled from… a voice that belonged to a little girl dressed in baby pink pyjamas with tiny heart prints who was hugging a Pororo stuffed toy in her arms.
“Good morning baby girl.” Kibum knelt down before his three year old daughter and reached out to tidy her hair, tucking loose strands of her long hair behind her ears and arranging her bangs to the side, before he pinched her cheeks lightly and smiled lovingly at her, “Did you have a good sleep, Mikyung?”
Mikyung nodded and sent her dad an adorable eye smile.
“Shall we go brush your teeth now?” Kibum then asked.
Mikyung nodded again and then lifted her hand to point towards the direction behind Kibum as she exclaimed, “Minho appa’s back!”
At the sound of his name, Minho gulped, taking a deep breath to steady his racing heart, and then waved a little awkwardly at his daughter as he walked to join where Kibum and Mikyung were standing.
“Hi sweetie, did you miss me last night?” Minho crouched down to talk to his little princess.
With Mikyung jumping into Minho’s arms as a reply to his question, Kibum smiled defeatedly while watching the father and daughter shower each other with kisses.
“She was asking for you the entire night, right until she fell asleep.” Standing up, Kibum sighed as he thought back to the night before when his little girl kept bugging him to know when Minho was coming back home. “She’s too attached to you…”
Minho lifted his daughter off the floor and carried her in his arms as he stood up so they could all be at eye level with each other. “Jealous, Kibum?”
“I can’t even be bothered to answer that.” Kibum rolled his eyes at Minho and then stretched out his arms as a sign for his daughter to come over. “Mikyung baby, let’s go brush your teeth.”
“Okay, appa!” Mikyung giggled and turned to face Kibum, wriggling around in Minho’s arms which left him no choice but to pass his little girl over to Kibum.
Once Mikyung had settled comfortably in his arms, Kibum pressed a kiss onto his daughter’s cheek and made his way towards their bathroom. His conversation with Minho had ended when it barely even started but that didn't mean Kibum wasn't interested in talking to his little one.
“We all know Mikyung loves Key appa the most, right?” Kibum asked his daughter, but it was obviously loud enough for Minho who was following closely behind to hear. Minho remained silent, laughing discreetly at Kibum's childishness, and decided not to destroy the father and daughter moment.
“Yupp!” Mikyung replied enthusiastically and hugged her small arms around Kibum's neck, planting a kiss inaccurately on her father's jawline instead of his cheek that she was originally aiming for. “I love Key appa!”
Of course, Kibum couldn't care less about where the kiss landed and he cooed at his daughter in satisfaction, “Aigoo, our Mikyung is the sweetest.”
Upon reaching the bathroom, Kibum placed Mikyung back down onto the ground and urged her forward towards the sink. “Mikyung honey, can you remember what appa taught you?”
“I can!” Mikyung answered confidently as she waddled towards the sink and bent down to pull the stool out from below, placing it properly in front of the sink before she stepped on it excitedly. With the added height, she was now at a comfortable level to reach the sink with her own ability. The proud parents watched as their daughter turned around and smiled proudly at them.
“What do you do next, sweetie?” Minho questioned to remind his daughter that she still had a task to complete by herself.
“My toothbrush and toothpaste!” Mikyung responded as she reached for her pink toothbrush with one hand and grabbed the toothpaste with the other.
“You alright baby?” Seeing that Mikyung was struggling to handle both her toothbrush and her toothpaste in her little hands, Kibum was about to step forward to help his daughter but was held back by Minho who shook his head at him.
“She can do this.” Minho reassured a worried looking Kibum with a warm smile.
Nodding a little uncertainly, Kibum bit his bottom lip as he turned back to watch Mikyung try to squeeze the strawberry flavoured toothpaste properly on her toothbrush. He had almost surged forward when she had squealed as she dropped the tube of toothpaste into the sink but stopped himself when he saw Mikyung picking it up in the next moment and trying again. It took more time than it should for Mikyung to successfully squeeze just the right amount of toothpaste out but what counted was that she ultimately did it by herself. Kibum turned to look at Minho when he felt an arm snake around his waist and was greeted with a wide smile.
“Our daughter's growing up well...” Minho thought out loud as he hugged Kibum closer.
“Of course she is!” Kibum snapped, casting a look of contempt at Minho, but a smile was tugging on the corners of his lips as he leaned against his lover. "She has us, Minho."
Minho nodded, knowing that Kibum was thinking back on how difficult it had been to adopt Mikyung under their names. In fact, saying it was difficult was an understatement. Let’s put it this way, at one point in time, Minho even suggested getting into a fake marriage with a random lady just so he and Kibum could adopt a child successfully. Needless to say, the journey had been hell; hope was frail, their goal seemingly unreachable, and their future with a child at home was near impossible. Yet, they must have done something right in their previous lives for the adoption agency to finally accept their application after multiple failed attempts. Their efforts had moved a kind soul in the agency, a kind soul who apparently had enough power to process the paperwork as fast as possible. And so, after the longest wait, Mikyung was finally welcomed into their home at the age of 1. It was officially the happiest day of the couple's life to date. How could it not be when they were blessed with the most special gift life could ever bring them - a child to call their own? Mikyung was everything they wanted and all they could ever ask for.
“Hey Kibum?” Minho broke the silence, his eyes still watching Mikyung who was now holding her cup to rinse her mouth with water.
“Yeah?” Kibum glanced sideways at Minho, only sparing a little attention to him as his attention was still primarily on his little girl.
“Do you think she knows what we were doing just now?” Minho couldn’t help but murmur into Kibum’s ear a question that had been bothering him the entire time.
Almost immediately, Kibum elbowed Minho in the stomach and whispered back, “She’s three, Minho, she’s not stupid. And thanks for reminding me that I have a score to settle with you.”
“But she doesn’t seem to know! Besides, I don’t think she saw us, Kibummie.” Minho had to defend himself because god knows how Kibum would settle things with him… perhaps restrict him from kissing and hugging for a month? Minho shivered at the thought of not being able to touch Kibum for a month just because he had incurred the wrath of the almighty Kibum.
“You sure you want to continue discussing this with me now?” True enough, Kibum narrowed his eyes threateningly at Minho.
Minho instantly shook his head and smartly changed the topic before Kibum got scary, turning his attention back onto his daughter.
“Mikyung! What would you like to do today, baby?”
After placing her toothbrush and toothpaste back to their original places at the sink, Mikyung turned to look at her fathers with a bright smile on her adorable face and pleaded, “I want ice cream! Chocolate please!”
“Alright, chocolate ice cream it is!” Minho readily agreed, his enthusiasm almost matching that of his daughter’s.
“You need to stop spoiling her.” Kibum sighed, stepping towards Mikyung to help her down from the stool and at the same time, grabbed a towel to wipe his daughter’s face dry.
With a helpless smile, Minho shrugged and retorted, “I would when you stop.”
Kibum gave a fake laugh and when the laughter died down, glared at an amused Minho. He then held his daughter’s hand and looked down at her, “Let’s get you ready, shall we, Mikyung?”
“Okay!” Mikyung agreed and then announced her choice of fashion for the day, “I want to wear a dress today… can I?”
“Sure, sweetie, anything you want.” Kibum gave in to his daughter’s request without hesitating and finally led her out of the bathroom to choose her outfit in her bedroom. Just by looking at his lover’s expression, Kibum knew Minho was going to call him out for spoiling their daughter as much as he does. So as he walked past Minho, just when his better half opened his mouth to speak, Kibum held up a finger directly at Minho’s nose to warn him to shut up and not make any comments.
“Don’t.” Kibum even cautioned out loud just to show how serious he was.
“I don’t even have to say anything since you already know what I’m going to say...” Minho chuckled as he caught Kibum rolling his eyes at him and then watched as the two most important people in his life walked away and disappeared into the room.
And with that, Minho decided he should probably get himself ready for the day ahead as well. Saturdays were after all family days. What’s more, Minho was determined to use the whole day to make up for the time he had missed with Kibum and Mikyung the previous night (Kibum had been invited to Changmin’s party too but not wanting to leave Mikyung in anyone’s care, he decided to stay at home while Minho represented the two of them at the party). It had been a long time since Minho spent time with his friends and he couldn’t deny the fact that he had thoroughly enjoyed himself. The funny thing was, when Minho finally reached home to find his daughter sound asleep in her own room and Kibum barely awake as he sat against the headboard of their bed (obviously waiting for Minho to come home), Minho realised that he could never, and wouldn’t even dare, last a day without Kibum and their precious little daughter. It was alarming, how much he had come to love Kibum and Mikyung, but he couldn’t be more grateful for what life has brought him.
Minho, Kibum and Mikyung together weren't society's definition of a family but they sure as hell meant everything a family should be, and in fact, so much more than you could imagine. Year after year, hand in hand in hand, they certainly were living their own special kind of happily ever after.