This was actually written for reikah/youkohieifan in response to my Timestamp/Where Are They Now meme, where people could choose a story and request to see what happens five years later. But I figured I might as well post it up as an epilogue here as well.

Fai heard the footsteps on the walkway and the door slam, and looked up from his workbook as a deep bass voice called out. "I'm home!"

"Welcome back," he called in return, and hastily began to shuffle papers onto the desk so that he could get up to greet his lover.

Before he had half-extricated himself from the pile, the wooden doorframe creaked as Kurogane leaned on it with a chuckle. "Don't bother getting up," he said. "I'm about to go shower to get the dust off."

"Kuro-dirty works so hard," Fai said, grinning up at the tall man. "Don't you ever get tired of slaving away all day in the hot sun?"

The question was teasing, but there was a half-serious note in it. Fai sometimes felt guilty about how hard Kurogane worked, knowing it was mostly for his sake. At least now he had a job, even if only a part-time one; there had been a tight period a few years ago, after Fai lost his job waiting tables, when they had nothing but Kurogane's income down at the docks to survive on. The first few weeks had been bad ones; Fai had been sick and weak, completely at the end of his rope. It wasn't until he'd had to intercede in a fight between Kurogane and his old landlord, Ashura, that he realized he couldn't just lay back and rely on Kurogane for everything. That realization had enabled him to get up and start sorting out the mess that had been his life.

In the past four years Kurogane had moved from a grunt job hauling crates and boxes, to an assistant and apprentice to a small but well-respected construction firm. Although he was at best an indifferent reader he was smart, quick to learn, and eager to work, and by now was pulling in quite a respectable salary. He still spent the majority of his time working out in the weather, hauling beams and blocks around, which accounted for his now-familiar patina of dirt and sweat; and he wrinkled his nose adorably in response to the question, Fai thought.

"Don't see why I would," Kurogane said. "I like the chance to get out in the open air and do things. I'd go stir-crazy cooped up in a dark room surrounded by paper and shit like you do. And they don't pay you enough for it," he said with aggravation. This was something of a sore point with him; he never thought Fai's employers paid him what Kurogane thought he was worth.

Fai smiled, and answered as he always did when Kurogane said that: "It's not just about the money, Kuro-miser," he said. "They offer good benefits and they let me take hours that work with my schedule. And since my library is associated with the city university, they'll be an important reference for getting financial aid when I apply."

"You're still sure about this idea of becoming a lawyer?" Kurogane asked dubiously. His skepticism was not entirely unfounded; in the two years since Fai had completed his GED, he'd run through a spectacular array of different career plans before finally settling on law. Actually, Fai's initial impulse had been to go into social work, in order to help people in bad situations like his own had been. Fai knew well that his own survival and turnaround had been no less than a miracle - a miracle who still graced his life every day. He'd wanted to be able to provide the same chance to other people.

But the job of a social worker was a hard and thankless one, and the more Fai read case studies, the more he realized he would quickly burn out with such constant exposure to suffering that he couldn't alleviate. Besides, the law and legislative side of the system fascinated him; he'd started asking questions, and almost before he knew it he'd been co-opted into working part-time at the university library.

"I'm sure," Fai said, spreading out the sheaf of papers in his hand on the desk with a smile. Kurogane grunted and trekked further into the room - getting dust all over the carpet, Fai noticed indignantly, but then, he always had - and planted his hands on the arms of the chair, leaning in for a kiss. Fai kissed him back deeply, and inhaled - Kurogane's aroma was not exactly rosy, smelling of oil and sweat and a faint underlying doggy tang that never quite went away - but it was familiar and beloved. He broke away, still smiling, and pushed his glasses up his nose. "After a few months, if I make the right connections, I can even whip up some passports and birth-certificates for Kuro-pup," he said.

"Don't see why all that's so important anyway," Kurogane grumbled. "Stupid bureaucratic red tape. I'm here, aren't I? I don't need papers to prove it."

Fai threw a pen at him. "Well, for once I'd like to be able to put you down on a lease," he said in an acid tone. "And travel out of the state. Not to mention taxes. I'm getting tired of having to lie to cover up where all this second income comes from. And sooner or later your bosses are going to push the issue when asking for your identification, you know."

"Yeah, yeah," Kurogane said, waving these lesser considerations aside. "Whatever you say. It's important to you, anyway."

And for Kurogane, that was all that ever mattered.

Fai rose from his chair, spilling pens and paper all over, and wrapped his arms around Kurogane, kissing him again. He just wanted reassurance that he would be able to keep Kurogane by his side, his personal miracle. He wanted Kurogane in his life - forever.

"Go wash up," he murmured, patted his hair, and smiled. "Then come back to the bedroom, and let's play."