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***
Jisung wakes up alone.
It’s a bit of an unusual occurrence - there’s usually always someone curled up beside him, which is a key benefit of having seven loving husbands, but then he rolls over and squints at the small clock that’s hanging on the wall, trying to parse the positions of the hands.
It’s nearly eleven in the morning, which explains it.
Jisung sighs, and rolls himself out of bed, freshening up before ambling out of the room and nearly tripping over Kkami, who’s sprawled out at the top of the staircase like he owns the place.
“I expect this kind of behaviour from the cats, not from you,” Jisung chides, and Kkami just looks at him with a vaguely judgmental expression, rolling over to show off his belly.
He honestly looks awfully like Hyunjin, when he makes that face, and Jisung snorts as he edges around the dog and makes his way downstairs.
The house is empty, which isn’t surprising when he remembers that it’s a Tuesday. He’s given himself a day off from the small carpentry business he runs out of their garage, but everyone else still has work to do and tasks to accomplish.
Seungmin is probably at his little clinic, tending to various patients, and Jeongin is likely working his shift at the library. Minho has dance classes to teach at the small primary school in town, and Chan had mentioned driving up to the city to pick up some new music equipment.
Jisung recalls that Hyunjin is working on a commission, a series of paintings depicting 'the masculine form’, or something similar, and had roped Changbin in as his model.
He’s pretty sure that there’s more fucking than any actual painting going on in Hyunjin’s tiny art studio round the back of the house, but he’s not going to judge - it had been the same story when Hyunjin had dragged him into some body painting experiment a few weeks ago.
That only leaves Felix unaccounted for, and so Jisung wanders through the house in search of the man. Doongie is fast asleep on the sofa, and Berry is lazing next to Soonie under a sunbeam, the two of them lying curled up together.
Jisung snaps a photo of the scene, and sends it to their group chat, before continuing on through the house, past the kitchen and out across the porch into their backyard, stepping into a pair of outdoor slippers that have been left by the steps. Dori is asleep atop the recycling bin, and the chickens are running around their corner of the yard, pecking at the ground.
He can see that the windows of Hyunjin’s studio, located right at the edge of the property, are open, probably to let in the natural light, the faintest sound of music coming out from it, and he directs his attention to the part of the yard that’s been cordoned off for their garden.
Jisung can’t help the smile that spreads across his face when he spots a familiar straw hat peeking out from between the bushes.
“Lixie?” he calls, and Felix jumps up from where he's tending to one of the blueberry shrubs.
“Sungie!” he returns, grinning brighter than the sun overhead, “you’re awake!”
Jisung ambles over to his husband, accepting the kiss that Felix offers him, soft and sweet.
“How’s your eye?” Felix asks, and out of habit Jisung’s hand goes to the eyepatch he wears over his right eye, a simple cotton thing to keep the stye there from getting agitated while it heals.
“It’s alright,” he answers, leaning into Felix, “Seungminnie had a look at it last night, he says it should be fine in a few days.”
The blonde man hums.
“That’s good.”
Jisung shuffles so that he’s got his arms wrapped around Felix’s waist, and he hooks his chin over the other man’s shoulder.
“What are you up to?”
“I’m harvesting some berries, and doing some weeding while I’m at it,” Felix explains, gesturing at the basket on the grass beside him, filled with several punnets of strawberries already, “I’m thinking of making a pie.”
“Sounds delicious,” Jisung says, and he’s not saying it just because - Felix is an excellent baker, just like Minho is an incredible chef, and between the two of them the house is always a happy place, filled with good, home cooked food.
“Can I help?” Jisung asks.
“Go put on your boots and get your hat,” Felix says, booping Jisung on the nose with his finger, and Jisung leans in and press a little kiss to Felix’s nose, watching the way his face scrunches up, his pretty freckles like stars dancing across his skin.
“Of course, baby,” he says, and Felix laughs.
***
Gardening is hard work, but two hands are better than one, and they’ve finished up just as the sun starts to hit its peak.
Felix rinses his berries in the kitchen sink, setting them aside to drain, and Jisung cajoles him into taking a shower together, all warm skin and grasping hands, soft and tender under the spray.
When they’re done, they eat lunch perched at the kitchen counter, feasting on sandwiches made using leftover chicken from dinner the night before and mushroom soup that Minho had put together in the morning, before leaving for the day.
“Do Binnie-hyung and Hyunjinnie need food?” Jisung asks, and Felix shakes his head, sending little droplets of water from his damp hair flying through the air.
“Changbin-hyung took some with him when he headed into the studio,” Felix explains, “you know how Jinnie gets when he’s absorbed in his painting.”
“As bad as Chan-hyung when he’s really into a new track?”
“You and Changbin-hyung can be just as bad,” Felix chastises playfully, and Jisung pouts in mock offense, putting on a sulking face until Felix gives in and kisses him.
They laze together on the couch for a while, and Jisung reaches for Felix’s left hand, toying with the simple gold ring that sits on his finger, the one that matches the ring on Jisung’s finger, the one that matches the ones that all their other husbands wear, a symbol of their union as eight.
Felix smiles at him, indulgently, kisses him again, something gentle and warm that leads to a lazy makeout session, their movements slow and syrupy until Felix pulls away.
“Pie time!” he announces, apparently a man on a mission, and Jisung whines.
“But Lixie, kisses .”
“Yes, but pie time,” his pretty husband insists, and Jisung acquiesces, rolling off the sofa and narrowly avoiding stepping on Doongie’s tail as he trails after Felix into the kitchen.
Jisung’s been banned from doing anything in the kitchen that isn’t boiling water, toast, coffee, or instant noodles, his skill with hands clearly limited to woodworking and music, but he still likes to watch.
It’s fascinating, looking at how Minho’s knives move so swiftly, chopping up vegetables and meat, and it’s incredible to witness how Felix can mould butter and flour and sugar into the most delightful treats, little hands kneading dough and whisking up batter.
“What inspired the pie?” Jisung asks, propping his head up on the counter with one hand, and Felix laughs, bright and brilliant.
“You’ve all been working so hard,” he says, “I just felt like everyone deserves a little treat.”
Felix is the real homemaker among them, the one who keeps house and bakes delicious things and sweet-talks the little old ladies at the market into giving him a better deal for their produce. Minho and Hyunjin, too, are incredible house-husbands, but they haven’t exactly given up their careers, not in the same way Felix had decided to retire completely from his job as a patissier and focus wholly on domestic bliss.
Jisung can’t help but think that it suits him, this quiet life, the ray of sunshine brightening up the house they bought together in this small countryside town with his care and his affection.
“You’re so good to us, Lixie,” Jisung says, and Felix giggles.
He has flour across his nose, from working his pastry, and Jisung reaches over the counter to wipe it off with his thumb, grinning at the bright smile that his husband sends him.
“Do you need any help?” he asks.
Felix purses his lips.
“Well, you can probably manage removing the strawberry stems,” he teases, and Jisung rolls his eyes, reaching for the basket.
“You can count on me, babe,” he replies, winking at Felix in the most exaggerated manner possible, and Felix just rolls his eyes back at him, pretty pixie mouth curved up into the sweetest smile.
***
The pie is cooling on the counter, covered by a mesh cloche to protect it from the curious paws of certain small animals, and Jisung settles against Felix on the giant wicker sofa they have out on the back porch. Berry is dozing at their feet, and Felix is warm, curling into Jisung like he’s one of the cats.
They’re of a height, really, so Felix is doing some impressive contorting of his body to fit his head under Jisung’s chin, but Jisung lets him, wrapping his arms around his husband and pulling him in close, tucking his head atop Felix’s blonde curls.
“Your hair is getting long,” Jisung remarks idly, playing with Felix’s hair.
The other man shifts.
“It really is, I’m not sure if I wanna cut it or let it grow out,” he says, and Jisung hums, shrugging.
“You’d look good either way, you know that,” he tells Felix, and Felix laughs.
They lie together, entwined together peacefully under the shade with the late afternoon sun shining across their ankles, and then Felix fidgets again, wriggling his phone out of his hoodie to check the time.
“I should probably get a load of laundry going before the rest get back,” Felix remarks, and Jisung just tightens his grip.
“Five more minutes?” he asks, pouting at Felix.
Felix, bless his soul, has always been indulgent with each of them, and so he tips his head up to peck Jisung on the jaw, sweet and sure.
“Fine,” he says, snuggling even closer, “five more minutes.”
Jisung smiles, and closes his eyes.
***