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“Kai? Love? Could you check the cabinets in our bathroom and note down what we need?”
Death probably feels less painful than waking up at 7 am in the morning, but here Beomgyu is at 7.40 am all washed up, fully dressed, and rummaging through their fridge with his phone in one hand. The only thing missing is breakfast and his daily cup of morning coffee, which is probably why he feels like absolute crap right now. His eyes burn and his head hurts in a way that will only occur if he’s forced to wake up before 8 am by an alarm clock and all he wants to do is drag his husband back into bed and pass out. But it’s Sunday, which means it’s grocery shopping day. And they can’t skip grocery shopping day or else all they will eat next week will be overpriced takeout or instant noodles. Beomgyu can’t allow that to happen, especially not when he made it his new year’s resolution to cook as much as possible to ensure a healthy diet for them both.
“Yes, honey!” Kai calls from the bathroom, and Beomgyu can hear his husband whistle a cheerful little tune as he checks on their toiletries. This is perhaps the one thing about his husband he doesn't understand even after seven years of being together.
“Six eggs left, six… we have milk, cheese, Coke…” Beomgyu mutters to himself as he surveys what’s left in the refrigerator. He has to be smart about next week’s groceries. Kai is meeting a client on Monday and they are both working overtime on Thursday, which meant that on both days they would have to order takeout or resort to instant noodles. On Saturday they will be having dinner with Kai’s family, and the following Monday they would both be away for two weeks on a trip. They can’t buy anything that they can’t finish or will go bad before they return from the Maldives. That means they have six meals to cook next week, and currently they have enough in the refrigerator for three…? Or is it two meals…? Fuck, he can't count. Beomgyu groans and slams his forehead against the refrigerator door. It’s too early in the morning for this.
A warm body slides up behind him and presses a hand to his forehead. “Nooooo, why did you do that?” Kai rubs against the sore spot comfortingly, and kisses it better, “What’s wrong?”
Maybe it's because he's still groggy and half asleep, but the action fills him with so much warmth and makes him so mushy inside he nearly melts into an embarrassing gooey puddle by Kai’s feet. Instead, he coughs and pats the younger’s ass gently before slinking towards the kitchen island.
“You—” Beomgyu points at the fridge with a sigh, having completely given up, “—help me think of how much food to buy. I’ve yet to check the pantry and we got to make sure the fresh items don’t expire while we are overseas.” He takes a seat on the bar stool by their kitchen island instead, flopping down dramatically and allowing the granite surface to cool his forehead. Kai pokes around their kitchen with a thoughtful look on his face and scribbles the things they need down on the memo pad they have stuck on their fridge.
“We could pop by the market for a few fresh items then head to the supermarket for the rest?” Kai eventually suggests, slipping the square piece of paper over to show him the list but Beomgyu’s too exhausted to even process what’s written, instead choosing to trust that Kai knows what he’s doing.
“Come on love, let’s go. You’re driving though—fuck I feel like shit.”
Kai giggles and pulls him close for a side hug. “We’ll stop for coffee and a quick breakfast don’t worry hyung.”
Coffee and breakfast is just a quick bite from the McDonald’s drive-thru but the coffee works literal wonders, immediately waking him up and injecting life back into him. It's black, bitter and hot just the way he likes his coffee, and by the time Kai pulls up at the wet market, he's ready to haggle with some aunties over meat.
8.30 am is considered quite late to visit a market, and most stalls have already sold half of their goods. The day starts early for the housewives and aunties, who reach as early as 6.30 am for the freshest produce. It's absolutely insane in Beomgyu’s opinion, and he would rather take the remnants than make himself suffer for slightly fresher meat.
They start off at the fruit stall first, where Beomgyu lets Kai pick a few of his favourite fruits before passing the seller some cash. It's the same seller who has been around ever since he visited the market with his mom as a kid, and the kind uncle gives him a few persimmons on the house, patting him on his back before he waved goodbye to them both.
They didn't have much to buy at the vegetable store except for a bunch of spinach and an onion, which Beomgyu easily gets a discount for when he flutters his lashes and smiles at the auntie. They all know him. The meat stall, however, is tricky.
Successful haggling only comes with skill and years of practice, and Beomgyu’s proud to say that he's been watching his mom and grandma do this ever since he could remember. However, the owner of the meat stall is extremely obstinate and resistant, and sometimes even increases the prices without reason. If it weren't for the fact that their meat is much fresher than what's sold in supermarkets, Beomgyu would have stopped visiting long ago. Even his mother hates the owner of this stall.
“Come on auntie, this cut was cheaper by two dollars last week!” Beomgyu whines, stomping his feet in frustration as he feels his patience near its limit. If he could cross over the display fridge and throttle the old woman he might.
“Inflation boy. Blame the government not me.” God. That section of meat should not be priced this high but he really needs it for a dish he plans to make next week. It's Kai’s favourite cut of meat and if he can't get his hands on it…
As if sensing his frustration, his guardian angel, aka Kai, steps in and claps his hands together in front of his chest. “Please, auntie? It would be great if you could give it to us cheaper! It's for a surprise dish I'm making for my mother’s birthday next week.”
The stall owner looks stunned as Kai speaks in a pout, eyes extra wide and extra sparkly as he pleads with her. It works—she looks extremely taken by how adorable Kai is and agrees (though rather grouchily) to give it to them at the original price.
Kai cheers and honest to god bounces on the balls of his feet a little, which manages to make the auntie crack out a small smile. Beomgyu watches on, half impressed that his husband still has it in him despite pushing thirty and half bitter that a seasoned haggler like him wasn't able to get the discount.
“Thank you so much! I will definitely put your advice to good use when making it for my mom!” Kai waves cheerily goodbye to the stall owner and loops his arm around Beomgyu’s, steering them both back to their car.
“Could literally feel the murderous aura coming from you back there hyung.” Kai elbows him playfully, “What would you have done if I wasn't there?”
“Pay for it, what else,” Beomgyu grumbles, “annoying old woman, always trying to overcharge people who look like they are better off. Bet she could literally smell the money on us.”
“You're the one who decided to wear that jacket today,” Kai points out. Beomgyu looks down and flushes hot. “Yeah well— can't I wear my favourite jacket? You bought it for me of course I’m wearing it everywhere I go.” It's his comfort jacket, something he puts on whenever he's too tired or too lazy to think, or just wants to be comfortable.
The younger hums, “You got that for me didn't you hyung? It's my favourite cut of beef. Thank you.” He turns to give Beomgyu a grateful smile.
So the younger knows. Damn it there goes the surprise, but he supposes it's hard to fool each other after being married for so many years. Beomgyu laces his fingers together with Kai’s and presses a kiss to the back of his hand that's not on the steering wheel.
“Of course, love you, babe.”
Maybe it has to do with age, but there's something so exciting and therapeutic about grocery shopping at a large supermarket, especially those that are big enough to be decked out with their own rotisserie, salad bar, bakery, a delicatessen filled with even the strangest cheese that Beomgyu will never dare to try. He loves walking past the fruits and vegetables section, loves looking at the oddly shaped tomatoes, the tri-coloured capsicums, and the self-weighing station in its little corner by the potatoes. He knows he's old when he would rather shop for kitchen utensils than clothes or a new game at the store. Man, he could spend hours in here.
Beomgyu’s definitely back in high spirits when he grabs a cart from the entrance and pulls out the list Kai wrote earlier. There are actually not that many items to buy and they can get things done pretty quickly if neither of them gets distracted. They’ve never been good at staying on task whenever they visit the supermarket, always going home with something outside of their list, but today, Beomgyu is determined to stay focused. A quick round around the area, grab what they need and go.
Famous last words.
Almost immediately after they step into the store, Beomgyu loses Kai, and it takes him a minute of looking around before he finally spots his husband by a cart near the entrance filled with what seemed like hedgehog plushies.
“Oh my god hyung it's Odi!” Kai's eyes are super sparkly when he turns to show him the hedgehog and Beomgyu already knows he's lost the battle. Despite that, he sighs and shakes his head. “You know your soft toys have begun spilling into our office and the living room right? Plus you promised me no more until you clear those out.”
“Oh,” Kai says, disappointed. He looks down at the plushie, “Okay… you've got a point.” He turns to put it back into the cart but the younger looks so sad about it, it makes Beomgyu feel like he just kicked a puppy in the face. Like a major asshole. Kai pouts and rubs the back of his neck sadly and Beomgyu caves almost immediately.
“Fine, fine, one more wouldn't hurt. Last plushie Huening Kai, you hear me?” Beomgyu chides, grabbing one and dumping it into the cart. Kai definitely does not hear him, but it doesn't matter anyway, he's never been able to deny his husband of anything.
The distractions get worse as they go along. They only needed one carton of milk, but somehow their cart has three bottles of yoghurt drinks because the bundle comes along with a cute Snoopy-designed glass Tupperware. Beomgyu couldn't say no to the oddly shaped tomatoes. Kai developed a sudden craving for nato, and had to get some gummies and snacks and several bottles of a Japanese drink that had a label neither of them could read. Beomgyu almost picked up a miffy-shaped mini frying pan for eggs and they both nearly lost their minds when they found hello kitty toilet paper.
“Oh my god we need to buy this we have to.” Kai grabs it and hugs it to his chest. “Please.”
Kai doesn't even have to beg, Beomgyu has already slotted a pack of them underneath their cart.
Kai adds the pack in his arms to their cart too and moments later, Beomgyu spots a knock-off Line Friends toilet paper with bear images embossed on the paper itself. Oh my god . Kai makes a wounded noise at the back of his throat as he takes two packs off the shelf.
“Toilet paper doesn't expire.”
“Yup yup.”
“It's definitely good to stock up too, then we won't have to stock up on them that frequently.”
“Definitely.”
“It's a reasonable purchase.”
“Of course, we have to get it.”
They leave the aisle with four packs of toilet paper. That’s forty rolls, but it’s okay, toilet paper doesn’t go bad.
The cashier definitely gives them a weird look when they pull up to the checkout but she doesn’t say a word, scanning their cart that has been filled to the brim with items not in their shopping list including the forty toilet rolls and hedgehog plushie. The bill amounts to nearly three hundred dollars and they don’t quite realise the severity of the issue at hand until they are back at home with all the groceries laid out on their kitchen island.
“Shit.”
“Shit indeed.”
“We said we weren’t going to buy much, but look at us.” Kai giggles, pointing to the heirloom tomato that sits on the counter, “Look at your tomato.”
“Well, look at that three big bottles of yoghurt drink just because you wanted the Snoopy Tupperware.” Beomgyu retorts, though he breaks out into a laugh as well. They’ve never been good at staying focused at the supermarket. He shrugs off his jacket and drapes them over the back of the couch and motions for Kai to do the same. They’ve got tons of groceries to unpack and store.
Fridge and pantry organisation is something Beomgyu picked up from Tiktok a few months ago, and while it is lots of work as compared to simply dumping things into the fridge, it’s very satisfying and he feels good after. Consider it a form of stress relief—Soobin tends to plants, Kai likes to play games and Beomgyu likes to organise his groceries.
He grabs a packet of bacon and passes it to Kai, “Help me open this please, scissors are over there.” Beomgyu points at the scissors with his chin, but the younger grabs the packet and rips it apart with his brute strength, biceps bulging under the sleeves of his white t-shirt as he does so. He’s always known Kai is strong but damn.
Damn.
“Here you go,” Kai passes it back to him nonchalantly, as if he didn’t just… rip that shit apart with his bare hands.
Can he rip him apart with his bare hands too?
“T-thank you.” Beomgyu pulls out a slice of bacon, slightly dazed, as he rolls it up with parchment paper and places it in a transparent Tupperware. He briefly registers Kai moving around the kitchen as he puts the items that do not have to be organised back into their place, slowly clearing up more space on the island for Beomgyu to work on. They might have gone a little crazy at the store, but it’s not too bad. Maybe they would have to give away two bottles of the yoghurt drink, but Beomgyu thinks they can finish the fresh food by next Sunday.
“Could you help me leave those leafy vegetables out to dry?” Beomgyu points at the packets of vegetables lying near the sink. He hates how they’re all wet and humid inside and if he doesn’t air dry them first they will rot in his fridge. Kai hums in reply. “Thanks love.”
He hears the cabinet close behind him, and then a pair of hands are on his hips pressing him forward against the counter as Kai slides past behind him. “Sorry hyung, passing through.”
Beomgyu visibly flusters, ears turning red rapidly as he tries to collect himself after that little bit of manhandling. It’s not the first time Kai’s ever touched him like that, but he feels hyperaware of every single display of strength from the younger all of a sudden, and if his hands weren’t coated in raw bacon grease he would have grabbed his hair and started screeching. Why does he like this so much? Where is this coming from?
Beomgyu turns to look at his husband who’s airing vegetables out by the sink and takes in his extremely broad back, his biceps that flexed as he worked and his waist that Beomgyu loves to have his hand on, down to his cute perky butt and thighs that he knows are filled with muscles. So soft in all the right places, yet so strong and so sturdy. So much bigger and broader than Beomgyu…
As if hypnotised, his feet carry him towards the sink, hands sliding around Kai’s waist in a back hug as he washes the grease off his hands. He’s so warm, Beomgyu thinks, as he presses his cheek against Kai’s shoulder, his husband smelling of detergent and his own fragrance. Beomgyu’s favourite mix of scents. He sighs and wraps his hands tightly around Kai’s middle, uncaring that his wet hands must be cold and dampening the fabric of the younger’s shirt.
“Why? What’s wrong?” Kai asks cutely and Beomgyu shakes his head.
“Just wanna hug my teddy bear, can’t I?” Kai’s back shakes a little as he laughs at the nickname—he always gets so shy whenever Beomgyu calls him his teddy bear. But he is, he’s Beomgyu’s huggable teddy bear, why can’t his husband see it?
“I’m tired Kai, I think I woke up too early today.” Beomgyu mumbles, eyes slipping shut. This position is surprisingly comfortable, and he really thinks he can fall asleep standing like this.
Kai pets his arm that’s wound around his waist. “Go sit first, let me put these away then we can laze on the couch.”
He groans at the loss of warmth when he pulls back but Beoomgyu complies easily, pushing himself up on the counter and waits patiently for Kai to put the vegetables and the bacon he accidentally left outside away into the fridge. Oops. The younger ends off by giving the island a little wipe-down before he washes his hands at the sink. His hands clean and groceries put away, he turns to Beomgyu with outstretched hands.
“Come here, you big baby.”
Beomgyu shrieks in surprise when Kai drags him off the counter by the thighs, his ass dipping back dangerously and giving him a scare as he desperately wraps his arms and legs around his husband. He smacks Kai’s chest for scaring the living shit out of him, ready to scold the younger but the words die on his tongue when his hand comes into contact with firm muscles. Jesus fucking Christ.
“Bed? Or sofa?”
“Bed,” Beomgyu grumbles into Kai’s neck, “Wanna nap till lunch.”
“Anything for you baby.”