Their home was modest, nothing like the villa owned by Caspian’s parents, but the neighborhood was nice and safe, and they didn’t need that much. Three years on, Gunner was still the sweetest little slut of a boyfriend Caspian could have wished for. He’d secretly worried whether he made the right choice by offering Gunner the permanent swap, but as strange as the whole experience had been, he had no regrets.
After some growing pains and tense months with Caspian’s parents, Gunner got their support to pursue his dream of becoming a piano teacher. He got a certification for it while Caspian graduated high school in his stead. Their wedding, while lavish, had been small and featured no chocolate fountains. Mom and Dad hadn’t been thrilled about Caspian “rushing into things”, but once all was said and done, they’d slowly warmed up to ‘Gunner’. Caspian did everything in his power to make sure they saw him for who he was, and while things would never be as they used to be, he was always welcome in their home and often chatted to both of them.
Life had been tough for him, since he needed to not only pass his high school exam again but also restart his further education while also working, but now that he’d gotten a secretarial job at Dad’s firm, things were finally looking up.
Impressed by how well their ‘son’s’ ex-delinquent partner had cleaned up his life, Caspian’s parents gave him more support than he could have anticipated, and if he kept up his hard work, he could count on a promotion and a job more suitable to his education. Gunner also contributed to their budget, but earned less, and Caspian couldn’t help feeling proud that he supported Gunner no matter how heteronormative that was. It suited them both, so he didn’t care about the opinions of others.
But working so much pumped Caspian out, and he was eager for a weekend getaway with his boy. They’d be staying at a nice hotel, but since there was nothing he loved more than pampering Gunner and seeing the awe on his face whenever Caspian managed to surprise him, he’d also booked tickets for Don Giovani.
Gunner, on the other hand, was happy to take on most of the house chores. He’d expanded his cooking repertoire and never failed to prepare dinner for them like a good little house husband.
Some days were harder than others, but Caspian wouldn’t change a thing in their relationship. He absent-mindedly petted Dingo on the way to the bedroom where they’d left their bags, when the doorbell rang.
They finished just in time.
“I’ll get it,” Gunner called out and ran down the corridor while Caspian scratched Fluffer’s head goodbye and carried their luggage toward the entrance.
Caspian looked around the bedroom once more, to make sure Gunner’s little brother didn’t find any sex toys while he stayed with their pets, but it seemed all the naughty boxes had been tucked away in the closet.
Caspian stilled as he glanced at the tall mirror. He still sometimes caught himself surprised by the reflection staring back at him. He had a bit of a flush left from the sex, and wasn’t nearly as buff as he used to be when he’d first taken over Gunner’s skin, but his silhouette was imposing thanks to his height. Three years were a lot, so he’d grown out his hair to a mid-length, which he liked to slick back, and wore clothes that were way more stylish than Gunner’s original wardrobe. A series of painful laser treatments ensured that while the face tattoo remained visible up close, it was no longer so stark against his flesh.
He was tall and handsome though, and glancing into the mirror never stopped being a delight. He’d had to learn to navigate attention from women which was a surprising minefield he’d never walked into before, but when the wedding band on his hand didn’t do the trick, revealing that a husband waited for him at home was usually more than enough.
“Hello, Noah,” he called out.
Noah cooed at Dingo before yelling a ‘Hey!’ He was the only person who knew the truth about them, and they’d grown close thanks to that. Noah was also the one person they trusted with Dingo, despite his constant attempts to encourage the dog to grace him with a lottery win.
Gunner was talking to his brother when Caspian approached with their bags. “So you’ve got food in the fridge, and I bought the ice cream you like, but remember—”
Noah rolled his eyes. “I know, don’t bring peanuts into the house.”
“Have fun. Call if anything’s wrong. And don’t invite strangers over,” Caspian added and pressed a little kiss to the top of Gunner’s head on his way out.
Gunner grinned back at him, the blue eyes sparkling with so much love Caspian got a happy tingle in his chest. Moments later, Gunner was running to catch up with him by the car.