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Coming home to laughter and the smell of his husband's cooking was always the best way to come home in Jooheon's opinion. It was an everyday occurrence since his husband worked from home and his family was always happy so laughter was common. But it still swelled Jooheon's heart when he came home.
"Appa!" Jooheon had enough time to set down his bag and take off his shoes because three bundles of energy crashed into him.
"My babies!" He shouted back, stooping down to pick the three young children out and squeezed them until they let out complaints. He carried the complaining children into the dining room before placing them down, turning to face his husband. Even while in sweatpants and a loose-fitting tank top and covered in a layer of sweat and flour, his husband was gorgeous.
Jooheon met Yoo Kihyun in middle school after a bully had pushed Jooheon off a slide and Kihyun helped him brush the dirt off his shirt. Jooheon knew that he had wanted to marry him at that moment and the decades following only solidified that fact. If Jooheon could remarry Kihyun right here in their kitchen with their three kids as witnesses, he would in a heartbeat.
"Daddy is making chicken," their youngest, Rina (5), informed while clutching onto Jooheon's arm. Jooheon smiled down at her, lifting her up into his arms. She preferred to be carried and it was usually either Jooheon or their eldest, Kyung who was fifteen and already taller than Kihyun. Their middle child was Bae, who took a lot after Jooheon even though he was adopted.
"Daddy always makes chicken," Jooheon rolled his eyes, passing Rina off to Kyung before going into the kitchen to greet his husband. Kihyun's hands were covered in raw chicken and flour so the elder only tilted his head back to press their lips together.
"How was your day, Honey?"
"Good, Changkyun bullied his way into coming over for dinner so I hope we have enough for Hyunwoo's stomach," Kihyun's eyes widened, pausing in his cooking.
"Minhyuk-ah bullied his way into coming with Hoseok and Hyungwon!" Jooheon's own eyes widened, hand resting reassuringly on Kihyun's back. They would not have enough for ten people!
"Want me to run out and get more?" Jooheon watched Kihyun's expression shift into horror at the thought of having to cook for ten people while dealing with eight people on his own. "Or order out?" He kissed Kihyun's face when it relaxed at that option, the elder nodded his acceptance. Jooheon kissed his husband once before moving to call the take out place. He tapped Kyung's shoulder and leaned close to whisper to him. "Help your dad out with whatever he needs," the eldest child nodded his head in acceptance, placing Rina down so he could go help Kihyun out. The other two children trotted after Jooheon and hung off of him as he called a fast food restaurant to ensure they had enough food for their huge family.
"Where's my Joohoney?" The blond in question rolled his eyes as his brother's voice boomed through his house. He had only gotten permission to change into sweatpants and a tank top before he was pulled into being a homework helper that then turned into Barbie playtime. Rina went racing off at the sound of her uncle's voice while Bae stayed close to Jooheon and walked with him.
Bae was their more shy child and their newest. They have had Kyung since he was seven and Rina since she was baby, but Bae had only been with them for two years. His birth parents were very abusive and abandoned him at an orphanage. It had taken a long time for Kihyun and Jooheon to reassure him that he would never be hit by them. That particular task had taken over a year and then Bae became rather clingy with both of them if he did not seem them for a while. Kihyun took care of him after school and then he would cling to Jooheon when the blond got home from work.
"You have a nice day at school?" Jooheon asked softly, aware that he did not usually show his middle child much attention with Rina around, though not on purpose. Bae nodded his head, clutching onto Jooheon's hand and burying his face into his side. Something must have happened and Jooheon would ask Kihyun about it later. Walking downstairs, they were instantly swept in the chaos that was Jooheon's brother Minhyuk and his two husbands. Hoseok and Hyungwon were very mild-tempered which help with Minhyuk excitability, but you put them with children? They were just as bad as the children.
"Honey!" Minhyuk screeched at the sight of his brother, already making his way over to him.
"Minhyuk." Jooheon's voice was in warning, glaring at his brother to calm down. His youngest son was trembling in his side, not quite used to Minhyuk's loud voice. The elder Lee brother instantly drew back his voice and approached them slowly, hugging Jooheon first.
"Bad day?" Jooheon shrugged his shoulders, "Ki, might know why," Jooheon nodded, kissing his brother's cheek before the elder pulled away and stooped down to be eye level with the eight-year-old. "Hey Bae, do you wanna play legos with me?" Bae looked at Jooheon's side for a minute before nodding his head. Jooheon knelt down as well and pressed a soft kiss to his son's cheek.
"I'm going to be in the kitchen with daddy, okay? You come in or call if you need us?" Bae nodded his head, slowly releasing Jooheon's hand and grabbing Minhyuk's, letting the other lead him over to the toy chest in the room and pull out some legos. Minhyuk had always been worried about bringing in an abused child into their household, but Kihyun had fallen in love with Bae and could not walk away from a child in such need of love. Once his brother had met little Bae, he had fallen in love with him as well. Jooheon made his way into the kitchen, smiling at the sight of his eldest cleaning up the dishes while Kihyun was putting the finishing touches on his dinner.
"Kyungie, go make sure your uncle doesn't overwhelm your brother," Jooheon patted his son's back and shooed him away from the kitchen. The tall boy - with permission to stop doing the dishes - quickly made himself scarce in the kitchen, leaving the husbands alone.
"You'll do the work he didn't finish, Honey," Kihyun teased, making sure everything was plated up for their huge family. Jooheon rolled his eyes, already dipping his hands into the murky water. He smiled happily when Kihyun wrapped his arms around his waist and rested his head against his shoulder blades. Jooheon quietly finished the dishes with the comforting weight of his husband against his back. Once he finished, he turned to face Kihyun, arms wrapping around the elder's waist.
"Do you know what happened with Bae?" He asked softly, not wanting anyone else to overhear. Sure, Rina and Kyung knew about Bae's past and his everyday problems, but they never pushed for more information. Kihyun sighed sadly, resting his head on Jooheon's chest for a second before pulling back to look at him. Their position shifted so Kihyun's arms were around his neck and Jooheon's were locked around his waist.
"Some kids at school made fun of him for not having a mom and he got upset enough to hit one of the kids. He has been suspended for the rest of the week," Jooheon growled at the information, wanting to go into the school and give them a piece of his mind. Kihyun pressed soft kisses to his cheeks to calm him down, though the nails digging in his neck suggested Kihyun's own anger. "When we got home, he kept apologizing and did not want to be away from my side. I'm surprised he let you from his sight," Jooheon hummed, remembering how Bae had wanted to sit next to him during homework and even wanted to play Barbies with him and Rina.
"And the other kids?" Kihyun shook his head, his anger showing on his face. Jooheon inhaled sharply through his nose, jaw clenching. Though shows of anger disappeared with the cry of "Bae!" followed by footsteps racing towards them. Kihyun pulled away from his husband as Bae raced into the kitchen, tears streaming down his face and already reaching for Kihyun. The black-haired man dropped down instantly, scooping up their youngest son and cradling him between himself and Jooheon.
"Hey, shh, what happened BaeBae," Jooheon murmured, carefully moving his body in front of his crying child as the others came into the room. He held up his hand to keep them back, glaring at his brother until the other ushered everyone away. Kihyun held his little boy close, soft humming coming as he swayed back and forth.
"He called you my Eomma, but you not," Bae was hysterical, his small voice cracking and breaking both of his father's hearts. Jooheon wrapped his arms around his husband and pressed his lips into Bae's face.
"Who, love?"
"Minnie did," Jooheon could kill his brother at that moment. Sure, he did not know about Bae's day, but his older brother always found a way to put his foot in his mouth if given the opportunity. Kihyun shared a look with Jooheon over Bae's shoulder and Jooheon smirked, knowing his brother was going to get beat up by his husband later.
"Bae…Uncle Minnie did not mean it how those kids did, okay? It is an old nickname from high school. He used to call daddy our Eomma all the time because he used taken care of us," Jooheon explained, rubbing Bae's thigh gently to reassure him. "Do you want me to get Minnie to explain?" Bae whimpered at the mention of Jooheon leaving, but Kihyun was quick to handle the situation.
"BaeBae, appa wants to make you feel better, okay? He wants to go get uncle Minnie to apologize for what he said, yeah?" Bae slowly nodded and Jooheon kissed him once more in thanks before stepping out of the kitchen to get Minhyuk. "Baby, I know you are worried about us both and want to protect us, but we want to keep you safe too. If something upsets you, let us fix it okay? If someone bullies you at school, you come home and tell us okay? Your siblings or uncle upset you? Grab me or Appa, we will take care of you." Bae nodded his head, allowing Kihyun to wipe his tears away and wipe his nose.
"Bub?" Jooheon called to get their attention, Minhyuk standing behind his younger brother nervously.
"Can I put you down, love?" Bae deliberated for a second before nodding. Kihyun placed him down carefully, not commenting on how the little boy hid behind his legs and was holding his hand in a death grip. Minhyuk shyly shuffled forward towards them and knelt down. The trio did not have any children yet so Minhyuk was still a bit awkward around children.
"Hey buddy, you know I was just joking, right? I know Kihyun is not your Eomma, it was just a little joke from high school. I am sorry buddy," he held his arms and smiled happily when Bae climbed into his arms for a hug. Kihyun walked around the two on the floor and cuddled into his husband's side. Jooheon smiled softly, kissing Kihyun's head before calling everyone in for dinner.
It was the time after all the kids were tucked in that Jooheon really loved. Loved coming out of the shower to see his gorgeous husband stretched out in their bed in loose pajama pants and a thick fuzzy sweater that had matching socks he was also wearing. Especially with his glasses perched on his nose.
"Why are you just standing there?"
"Am I dead?"
"Get over here you dork," Kihyun rolled his eyes, holding his arms open for his husband to settle in them. Jooheon laid in the cradle of Kihyun's pelvis, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before laying out on his chest. The fuzzy feet rubbed against his bare calves and short nails scratched his back. Jooheon loved coming home to laughter and going to sleep with the love of his life and everything in between.