Here's another bonus chapter to feast your eyes on! I still can't believe we're a good distance into 107k reads. I've had a lot of new readers between the last update and this one, and it excites me hearing how they love it as much as the old readers (who are very dear to my little black heart♡) Brings tears to my eyes :,)

In addition, I got around to making realistic renditions of older Colin and Peter with Artbreeder! I put them at the bottom of the chapter so y'all can have a nice surprise when you reach the end! Enjoy!!!

They owned a home now.

That was the only thing Colin could think about as his head lolled against the window of the Uber. An enormous smile was on his face. He wasn't sure if it was induced because these streets---with a breathtaking view of the beach beyond the traffic and dull streetlights glowing in the night fog---were ones he was going to familiarise himself with. Still, his smile grew wider when the map of his phone showed that they'd arrive in two minutes.

Doing freelance work meant he had to travel a lot more, and it surprised him how many of his gigs within the last 5 years involved people outside the country. His flight had been delayed, and he had struggled to find transportation from the airport. Colin was more than glad to be on American soil again. The last three weeks he spent in Paris were great, but it was three weeks too long without Peter.

The couple saw little of each other recently. Sure, they always spent holidays together, but even that contributed little. By the time their families and friends had cleared the scene, they would be too tired to do anything other than fall asleep.

It was a nice thing; slipping into a blissful sleep and waking up next to the person you loved. But Colin craved the simpler times when Peter would sit on their balcony with his guitar in his hand, and he'd get to hear his melodious voice from where he'd be cooking in the kitchen. Sometimes, the brunet wished they could reverse to those times and be stuck in limbo there---right after Peter graduated and he'd quit his job.

Colin knew it was stupid to think that, though. They had a great life now; they even bought a freaking house to top it off. But he could savour those memories and still look forward to the new ones they would make. Starting with now.

Peter didn't know he had left Paris. Even though Colin was bursting to let him know about his departure when they had talked on the phone earlier, he figured the news would be best received as a surprise.

His phone vibrated just as the Uber driver pulled over at his destination, and he paid the fare. Lugging out his suitcase, he was hit with a wave of heavy, humid air. The California summer heat extended into nightfall and it got unbearable sometimes. But it wasn't going to that much of a bother when they had an oceanfront house on Moonstone beach.

Colin had seen it once, when the realtor brought them over. But that had been months ago, before they even renovated it. Now, as he stared at building, he knew it was worth the cash they'd spent. It was breathtaking, overlooking the dramatic, brown shoreline that was sprinkled with multicolored sea glass and moonstones---hence, its name.

As he climbed up the stairs and pressed on the doorbell, the brunet wondered if Peter had gathered any in the time he'd been here. He had told Colin they looked nice. Maybe they could go on a foraging spree together if Peter hadn't.

His train of thought was knocked off its rails when he heard a consistent tapping noise coming from inside, followed by what sounded like Peter shushing someone. Colin pressed on the doorbell again, curious what Peter was doing and why he was taking so long.

"I'm coming! Damn." The lock clicked and Peter's head popped out behind the door a moment later. His down-turned eyebrows rose, and the look of irritation on his face morphed into surprised.

"Missed me?" Colin smiled, tilting his head to the side.

Eyes trailing down from the top of Colin's head to his feet, Peter stepped outside. He looked like he was trying not to mimic Colin's smile when he finally said, "More than I'd like to admit."

"I'd love to hear you say it. Don't be shy."

"Who said I was shy?"

"You have a little blush forming here, and here," Colin pointed to one cheek, then another.

"Okay, I missed you," Peter admitted, letting Colin wrap his arms around him once he opened them for a hug. Colin kissed his neck only to have him say, "Your stubble is scratchy," then hold on to the brunet's chin when they pulled apart.

"I haven't shaved in a couple of days so that explains it." Colin reached for the handle of his suitcase, only to be stopped when Peter grabbed it, too.

"I'll take that," he told Colin. "But before you go inside, I need to let you know something."

"What? You got us another partner and we're a trouple now?" Colin joked. He was poking fun at the idea, but his smile fell as soon as Peter answered.

"Well... you're not far, but you're not exactly close either."

"Should I be concerned?" Colin narrowed his eyes. "Because I'm not exactly up for sharing you, you know?"

"Depends on how you interpret it, really. But there's a ferocious beast in there," Peter replied with a shrug, as if he hadn't just said the most outlandish thing in the universe.

"A what?"

"A monster."

"Peter, are you okay?"

"Yes," he assured, placing his hands on Colin's shoulders. "Just don't panic when he jumps out at you. He likes to do that."

"What are you talking about?"

Colin found out sooner than he expected. He wasn't halfway into the living room when the tapping noise started aggressively again, followed by a growl. He was down with his ass against the hardwood floor before he could make out whatever the hell tackled him.

It took all his strength not to throw it off him when it licked his face. But Colin opened his eyes to see beady, dark ones gazing excitedly at him. "Oh God, it looks just like that bear dog Marcus has." It barked twice, as if agreeing with him.

"That's because it's that dog's puppy! He was selling the pups, and I thought, why not?" Peter lifted it off Colin's chest and hugged the puppy to his own. His wide grin faltered when the dog licked his face, but he still said, "See? Adorable."

Colin couldn't argue with that. The grey leonberger was cute, even if it weighed a ton. He stood, straightening his clothes, trying hard not to blatantly address the fact that Peter was rocking the pup now. "Since it looks we're keeping this dog, what do you plan on naming it?"

"Oh, I did that already. His name's Wolfie," Peter said, face set in the most serious expression Colin had ever seen him give.

"Wolfie?" Colin deadpanned, staring at him with a raised eyebrow. The dog barked at the sound of its name, and Peter shrugged.

"You called me Pikachu for years. Don't even think about criticising Wolfie when no other name can stoop to that level." He rolled his eyes, turning. "Anyway, I was trying to get Wolfie to sleep when you got him all excited by pressing the doorbell. I'll help with you suitcase later, but there's food in the kitchen if you're hungry."

"What'd you order?" Colin yelled after him, stilling in the kitchen.

"I cooked." Peter replied without skipping a beat.

It was surprising. "You cooked? You? Peter? The man who lives off toaster pastries and boba?"

"Is that so absurd?"

"Yes, actually. I thought the microwave was the only thing you knew how to use."

He could picture the less-than-pleased look that was probably on Peter's face when he replied. "Do you want the lasagna or not?"

"Lasagna? I'm interested." Colin looked around for the oven after the fridge turned up empty. The lasagna was in it all right, but it looked nothing like all the ones he'd had before. Placing it on the island like it was a health hazard, he called out, "Peter, I need you to be at the table, too. Just so you can call 911 when the light leaves my eyes after I choke on whatever this is."

Peter walked in right after Colin had dished a serving and taken a seat. He sat across from Colin, frowning at the hesitant look he made. "It's just instant noodles instead of that pasta or whatever. You're not gonna die."

He was right. Colin didn't die after the first bite. Or the second. Or the third. The cheese didn't kill him, neither did the tomato sauce or uncharacteristically long noodles. "This is actually pretty good. The texture feels weird, but the taste isn't questionable."

"Yeah, the taste is definitely worth the diarrhea afterwards."

Okay, he spoke too soon. Maybe he was gonna die after all.

"Wha--"

"I'm kidding! Your stomach will be fine."

He was skeptical about that statement about how Peter grinned at him. He finished the meal and got around to cleaning up, while Peter sent his suitcase up to their bedroom.

He hadn't been up there yet, but the thought of having a room that was just theirs excited him. This wasn't his, nor Peter's. It belonged to both of them. Just like this entire house.

Colin heard Peter's footsteps before he came to hug him from behind. He interlaced their fingers and let free his thoughts, enjoying how domestic it all was.

"We've got the beach house, and the puppy we never discussed getting. All that's left is the--" Colin started, dropping his spoon before continuing.

"Yachts!"

"Kids."

They both stared at each other, bursting out in laughter a second later at how far apart their responses were. A yacht wasn't very domestic.

"Don't you want mini us-es running around the house? Playing with the dog I knew nothing about?" Colin asked.

"Colin, I'm too young to have kids. I'm not that grown."

"You're pushing 30."

"28 is nowhere near 30. And ugh, don't remind me of how old I'm getting. It'll let the grays show," he picked at a few strands of his hair, pretending to search for nonexistent gray hairs.

Colin smiled a little, facing Peter. "You were great with Lily, though."

"That's because she wasn't my child. Besides, Lily doesn't listen to me anymore. Or her mother. Or Lei. She's in a rebellious teen phase Ivy swore I passed down to her."

"Passed down? I always thought you're still in it with how you act."

"Hilarious," Peter mused dryly.

"But seriously, don't you want kids?"

"Are we gonna adopt or--?"

"Biological, if you're not opposed to it. One of mine, and one of yours."

"That sounds expensive." Peter bit his lip in thought. "And we just spent a huge sum on buying and renovating this place."

"You're right," Colin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I might have been getting ahead of myself." He let his fingers slide through Peter's repeatedly until he found his voice again. "Do you regret it?"

"What?"

"Being with me? Getting tangled up with each other? I mean, you could have been with a nice girl or something. You wouldn't have had to worry about a lot of these things... although I doubt any nice person can tolerate you this long."

"Exactly why I ended up with you." Peter rolled his eyes. "Your point?"

"What I'm saying is, your life could have been easier without me. In a lot of ways. Sometimes I think I pulled you into this, and if that's the case then---"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Peter blinked at him in disbelief. "Easier? Really? I was living with my sister. I had no source of income. My girlfriend dumped me on my ass, and let her shitty best friend beat me up--"

Colin cut in. "That one was your fault, by the way."

"That's not the point. All that matters is you know this was my choice too. You didn't influence me into getting with you, even if that's what you might think." Peter sighed, rubbing at his neck. "You're the best thing that happened to me. I might not have acknowledged it back then, or until now, but I'm extremely grateful for everything. I get why you think life would be easier if I wasn't with you, but honestly, I love this. I love us. I suppose its hard, but easy's boring. And if taking that road means I would have had none of this," he gestured around the room, a small smile gracing his features as he added, "then I don't want easy."

"Peter, wow. I--" Colin's words were left hanging when Peter interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah. I love you too, and all that jazz. Wanna go for a walk on the beach? I have a bottle of wine that needs to be worked on."

°

Colin didn't know there was a boardwalk on Moonstone beach. Yet here they were, legs dangling over the edge while they stared at the moon's light hitting rolling waves. They passed a bottle of Chardonnay between them, talking between small sips and large gulps of the full-bodied mixture with hints of vanilla and caramel.

It tickled Colin's throat, just like the laugh that bellowed out when Peter told about the time he'd almost got caught skinny-dipping in the ocean. He narrated the experience as one he'd never want to go through again, especially when he remembered seeing sand in his boxers days after.

Peter took a swig after he was done talking, scrunching up his face a little when he swallowed. He asked Colin about Paris, but Peter seemed too lost in his head to listen after a while. They passed the wine to pass the comfortable silence, drowned out by the water lapping at the pillars of the boardwalk.

The bottle came back to Colin, and he drank again. "Where'd you get this?"

"This girl, Jess. She's our neighbour. She gave it to me as a housewarming gift." Peter waved dismissively. "I suppose she has a crush on me. Thinks I'm single too, since she's never seen you around."

"She's sweet enough to get you expensive wine. Do you like her?"

"I like her wine," Peter laughed, lifting the bottle to his lips. "Wanna know a secret?" He leaned against Colin's shoulder, passing the bottle back. It was almost empty now.

Colin downed the rest, setting down the bottle. "What?"

"I didn't make the lasagna by myself. Jess helped."

"And she wasn't weirded out by the noodles?"

"Just a little." Peter tried to show Colin how small her resistance was by holding his thumb and index finger as close as they could get without touching. He was too tipsy to do it right. They touched.

"Wanna know another---another secret?"

"Tell me."

"I'm mad at you."

"Why is that?"

"We haven't--you and I. No kisses. Just hugs."

"Lemme fix that." Colin brushed back Peter's hair and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

Peter frowned at him, but even that annoyed expression looked beautiful to Colin. He thought Peter's eyes reflected the round shape of the moon, dilated and darker, like something from a dream. Peter didn't say a word for a while, but eventually, his head was back on Colin's shoulder.

"Aren't you sleepy?" he asked.

"No. Travelling through multiple time zones fucked up my sleep schedule, so I'm not exhausted yet."

"So you won't get in bed with me when we go back?"

"What do you mean?"

Sighing deeply, Peter elaborated. He picked his words slowly and carefully. "Well, if you're not sleepy now, then you're probably gonna watch TV or something, because there's no need to get in bed." A yawn. "But I'm sleepy, so I have a reason to be in bed... but not you."

"Ah, I see." Colin wrapped his arms around Peter as he lifted them both to their feet. He picked up the wine bottle.

Peter hung onto his arm, his hopeful expression steadfast, unlike his swaying body. "Will you?"

"Would that make you happy?" Colin asked.

"Very."

Colin kissed his forehead again. "Yes."

~

Look at them being an old married couple. Don't forget to drop a vote and fill in that star ☆

And here are are photos, as promised ;)