Chapter Text
the first time he ever met mr. lee, jaehyun had almost died. it was during jaemin’s first week at his new kindergarten, a private one called moonmoon. johnny had helped him find the kindergarten when they had to move from their cozy, yet rundown apartment.
jaehyun had expected a nice old man who smelled like brownies and who looked like every other grandpa since well… that’s the kindergarten teacher he had when he was a child. he hadn’t been mentally or emotionally prepared for the literal epitome of sunshine that greeted him. mr. lee was far from being a grandpa. he was young, a few years older than jaehyun at most, but everything about him, from the warm oversized sweater, to the fucking flower tucked safely behind his ear, to the glint in his big, doe-like eyes, to the slight peachy blush adorning his cheeks, screamed youth.
jaemin was holding onto mr. lee’s hidden hand, but the moment he caught a glimpse of his father, he bolted straight into his open arms. for a moment, jaehyun forgot about the teacher still looking at them. it had been a long day at work, and the only thing that brought him a little bit of peace was jaemin and his bubbly laughter.
“appa, appa! mr. lee showed me his plushie collection! can you buy me a seal please, please, please, please,” he draws out the syllables, pleading eyes stabbing at jaehyun’s weak heart.
jaehyun ruffled the boy’s dark hair, pulling him even closer until jaemin’s arms were wrapped around his neck. it was only then he realized mr. lee’s presence once again. the teacher had stayed in the same spot, and jaehyun might be dramatic, but he swore that the man was an angel, with the halo of sunshine around his head.
“i’m lee taeyong. i don’t think we’ve had the chance to meet yet,” he said, crouching down to be at the same level with both the child and the father. “i am jaeminnie’s teacher. i’m sorry i couldn’t meet you when you first registered him. i managed to catch a cold just before fall started.”
jaehyun just stared at him, unable to say anything. the man was beautiful, ethereal, touched by the gods themselves, sculpted by michelangelo, a work of art; jaehyun couldn’t look away, nor could he think.
jaemin nudged his father, breaking out the reverie. “this is appa, mr. lee! he’s not usually this dumb, i promise! he can talk like you and me, but a cat seems to have gotten appa’s tongue,” the child explained, making the teacher laugh.
it sounded like angel choirs singing, like trinkets and bells blown by a gentle wind. jaehyun wanted nothing more than to hear it for the rest of his life. “jaemin-ah, i don’t think you should talk like that about your father. i’m sure he’s just very tired.” taeyong laughed once again when jaehyun’s eyes widened, seemingly having realized what his son had said just then.
trying to take his eyes from the angel in front of him, jaehyun pushed his hand forward, focusing on it as he said, “jung jaehyun. it’s a pleasure to meet you, taeyong-ssi.” he managed to speak without stumbling over his own words, which jaehyun was proud of.
taeyong shook it, his long fingers wrapping nicely around jaehyun’s own. the man’s sweater sleeve almost covered his hand as well. it was… cute, in a way that made jaehyun want to squish him to his chest. he had to let go of it before his intentions of snuggling with jaemin’s teacher became too obvious.
jaemin finally let go of jaehyun’s neck, jumping from his arms and impatiently pulling on his father’s coat. “can we go appa? waffles probably misses me already,” he pouted down at the two men, melting both of their hearts.
“sure little guy,” jaehyun said, standing up as well. he made sure to help taeyong up just so that he could held onto the teacher’s hand for one more second. “i’ll see you again?” he addressed the question to taeyong.
“well, i assume that since you’re jaeminnie’s father, you’d come pick him up again, right?” when jaehyun simply blushed, taeyong continued, “yes, jaehyun-ssi, you will see me again.” there was no malice hidden behind the words, only pure amusement.
“swell!” he said, cringing at how forced he had sounded. already getting bored of the conversation, jaemin began to drag his father out of the kindergarten, shouting his goodbye over his shoulder.
that was how jaehyun finally met mr. lee, and how he had also managed to become so enamoured with him that he kept on thinking of taeyong more and more with each day that passed by.
the kindergarten creative activities mean drawing and creating things that the parents can put on the fridge and admire while nursing headaches with immense amounts of coffee. there are a plethora of drawings on their fridge, ranging from the classic scenery with the sun that wears sunglasses (a very ironic concept, if jaehyun thinks about it) to drawings of people shaped like roblox characters. jaehyun loves every single one of them.
he knows that sometimes, teachers ask the kids to draw a family portrait, he had to do that too, years ago. he expected jaemin to come back with a nice picture of both of them as cool roblox people, maybe even a sun with sunglasses and a snapback too to tie everything together. he, by no means, expect a call from taeyong asking him to come to the school since they have to talk.
“what happened? did jaemin get into a fight?” jaehyun asks. he tries not to sound too panicked, but as a parent, he can’t help but think of the worst possible situation for which taeyong could call him.
“no, no! it’s nothing bad, i promise,” taeyong rushes to say, “the kids had to draw a family portrait today and i guess since jaemin saw that almost everyone drew two or more parents he didn’t want to feel left out so…”
“yes? what is it taeyong? did he draw johnny and ten?” it wouldn’t be the first time jaemin thinks of them as his parents too. he does spend a lot of time with ten after all.
“not exactly. he drew me as the second parent. i thought maybe we should talk about it?” taeyong’s voice is clearly filled with nervousness to a point where jaehyun finds himself wanting to pinch his cheeks again.
“are you asking me out, taeyong-ssi?” jaehyun questions, fighting back the blush that threatens to spread across his face. he may be confident when approaching other men, but god, even just teasing taeyong over the phone turns him into an anxious mess of red cheeks, clammy hands and a twisted tongue.
“th-that’s not… i meant it as in… oh would you look at that? jisungie needs my help! g-goodbye, jaehyun-ssi!” he hangs up so fast that jaehyun is sure he must’ve broke his screen with how hard he probably pressed the end call button.
he can’t wipe the stupid smile off his face for the rest of the day. and if, when he goes to pick jaemin up, he winks at taeyong before running into the rainbow colored fence, well, he can at least be proud of the blush he got from the elder. it was worth embarrassing himself and ending up with an equally red flushed face.
if there is one thing his friends like to do every time they meet, it would probably be teasing jaehyun until he flips them off and threatens them that he will pee in their shoes. today is no exception.
it starts off with ten pulling on jaemin’s tongue to give him all the details that he knows jaehyun keeps from him. and jaemin loves ten a bit too much to the point where with just one right word, jaemin begins talking and spilling every little thing that has happened during the week they haven’t been over.
“and mr. lee is so pretty, hyung! appa keeps looking at him whenever he comes to pick me up! i want mr. lee to be my other appa since he has many plushies and maybe if he was living with me and pa, he would share them with me. you think appa will marry mr. lee soon, tennie-hyung? because i want to wear a dress to the wedding! can you make me a pretty blue dress, hyung? and can you add seals on it?” jaemin talks so casually about it as if he can’t sense the absolute joy and smugness that creeps from the elder.
“is that so, jaem?” ten hums, leading the child away from where jaehyun, johnny and sicheng are seated at the kitchen table. “tell me more, baby.”
jaemin’s high voice gets farther and farther until they can just hear the door to the boy’s room close.
“so you got a crush on jaem’s teacher?” johnny asks, a glint of humor in his eyes.
“no i don’t! why would i have a crush on him? are you nuts, john? he’s my son’s teacher, i can’t date him!” jaehyun protests. he frowns at his friends when they don’t seem to believe his meaningless words. of course he has a crush on taeyong! he’d have to be blind not to be attracted to such a beautiful man.
sicheng snorts, reaching for the last of the strawberries on johnny’s plate. “what does he look like?”
“i don’t know, like a normal guy,” jeahyun shrugs, promptly fixating his eyes on his unfinished waffles. they’re a bit burned on the sides, but they’re still edible.
“like a normal guy as in normally eh like johnny-hyung or abnormally stunning like me?” the chinese man asks. he pretends not to hear the offended gasp johnny graces them with.
“like… i don’t know, he’s alright i guess? he’s a bit shorter than me, nice cheekbones, pretty long and dark lashes, glittery make-up but that’s kinda subtle. he’s always wearing these big sweaters and hoodies which makes him look even tinier and i just want to pinch his cheeks and hug him. his hair seems kinda dead, not gonna lie, but it still looks surprisingly soft? like if i were to thread my fingers and pull on it, it would probably feel very fluffy. oh and his eyes…” he lets his chin rest on his palm as he looks at nothing in particular, “they’re so big and full of innocence…”
“anything else?” johnny says.
“god, johnny, his voice? it’s heavenly. he’s an angel, like the sun come to life!”
“but you don’t like him?” sicheng speaks around a mouthful of strawberries, waffles and whipped cream.
without thinking, he answers, “i dont.” johnny and sicheng look at him. they truly look at him. “goddamnit, i think i have a crush on jaemin’s kindergarten teacher,” jaehyun sighs.
the eldest claps him on the back, sending him forward until his chin almost hits the plate in front of him. “hell yes, bro! you’re finally getting some type of action!”
jaehyun glares at him, but sicheng continues where johnny leaves it off. “it’s been what? four years since you’ve last gone on a date? you went out with woojin right before getting jaem?”
“and don’t forget that date he went on with sooyoung! remember how he left in the middle of the date because ten called him to ask where jaem’s diapers were?” johnny laughs, so loud that it makes jaehyun flinch.
“yeah, yeah, my love life is a sad-sad thing, thank you for reminding me, guys, really feeling the love.”
just as he says this, ten comes back holding jaemin in his arms. he puts the boy down in johnny’s lap, taking a seat on his other leg. “yo, did you know jae has a fat crush on jaem’s teacher?” he asks, clearly enjoying the situation more than jaehyun.
the man groans, his forehead actually hitting the table this time. “his name is taeyong, can you just stop calling him jaem’s teacher at least?”
ten stays silent for a second, but then he asks again, “yo, did you know jae has a fat crush on taeyong?”
jaehyun can’t even flip him off, this is his living hell.
nowadays, jaehyun stays behind longer, when he comes to pick up his son. jaemin always runs off from his hold, going to play with his friends for a few more minutes, and jaehyun’s only form of entertainment is taeyong. not that the teacher minds it. he seems to love talking to jaehyun as much as the younger does. sure, their conversations do end with both of them blushing and refusing to make eye-contact, but they still make jaehyun smile even hours after he gets home.
they were talking about how jaemin’s been begging his father for anything seal related and how jaehyun has been browsing the internet in order to find the biggest plushie available to be shipped to seoul when taeyong says out of nowhere, “ you must be a great parent to jaemin, jaehyun-ssi.”
jaehyun stops dead in his tracks, almost dropping his laptop case on the ground. he doesn’t, jaehyun has enough self-control over his body. he just chokes. “the painting on the building is astounding, no harsh lines, i love it!” he panicked, but it’s not his fault; no one has ever complimented his parenting skills before. not in a way that feels sincere at least.
“i mean it! jaeminnie talks about you almost every time someone is willing to listen about how his appa burned the chicken again and how his appa helped him paint his room rainbow and how his ap--”
“okay, that’s enough, taeyong-ssi!” his cheeks burn in shame. he doesn’t want taeyong to think of him as a parent who can’t even cook some simple fried chicken. god, he probably told him he’s a great parent just to ease the next blow.
“i think it’s cute, you know? you’re really young but i can see how many sacrifices you’ve done for jaem, how you’ve probably learned everything as you went.” taeyong’s smile reaches his eyes, his hand pulling at jaehyun’s fingers nervously.
“thank you. it means a lot coming from you… jaemin thinks of you as his other dad after all…”
despite the redness that went below his sweater, taeyong still finds the confidence to wink as he says, “well, since we’re so close to raising a child together, you can call me hyung. unless you want to drop the niceties and go straight to the pet names?”
jaehyun chokes again. “h-hyung sounds great!”
the elder just gives him a bright smile, one that makes jaehyun feel fuzzy and giddy on the inside, and lets his hand linger on jaehyun’s for one second too much to be considered friendly.
his sister is back in town, something about a wedding she has to attend to. that means jaemin screaming and following soojung everywhere she goes, asking her to pick him up and take him to the arcade. the boy knows that his aunt is whipped for him and that she would do anything he asks of her, and boy does jaemin take advantage of it?
jaehyun isn’t mad about it. soojung taking care of jaemin gives him some time for himself, time he uses by staying late at work and finishing projects. it’s by no means a healthy way of using this new freedom, but work is more important than self-care. especially when he is almost a month behind.
he has coffee and energy drinks to help him power through the agonizing hours over hours of staring at a brightly lit computer screen. that and the thought of listening to jaemin ramble about his day when he gets home. he makes it through the week of soojung’s stay with just a few lost brain cells lost in favor of being awake.
jaehyun thinks he’s gotten away pretty easily.
“jaem’s teacher glared at me every time i picked the baby up from school. care to tell me something, little brother?” soojung asks on their way to the airport. she’s eyeing jaehyun closely, even if the man can’t look at his sister, eyes focused on the road.
“i have no idea what you’re talking about, soo. maybe he just glared at you because you glared at him first?”
“i don’t glare at pretty people, jae,” the woman huffs, rolling her eyes.
“you glared at amber though? and at jongin, and jennie, and seulgi, and naeun. do you want me to continue?”
“yeah, but i ended up with a boyfriend and a lot of girlfriends after glaring at them, so maybe that’s just my technique of getting laid.” she looks out the window, avoiding jaehyun’s sharp look. she is sure that he could’ve cut her with just one look.
“are you trying to hook up with taeyong?” jaehyun asks, voice calculated to not let anything slip out.
soojung turns to smile at him, innocently, the mischief hidden carefully behind it. “it seems like you’ve already caught his eye, brother dear. so don’t worry, even if i had the smallest amount of intention to sleep with him, considering that i do have amber right now, he wouldn’t even think about me,” she says. “now you better send me pictures of jaem’s halloween costume or else i will fly back to korea to smack you.”
jaehyun pretends not to notice the way she changed the subjects and chooses instead to accept his sister’s challenge.
all kids get into at least a fight in kindergarten. at least, that’s what doyoung, one of the teachers that greets him when he gets at moonmoon says to him. he got a phone call, not even from taeyong himself but from the principal of the school, taeil, to inform him that jaemin took part into an altercation and that if he could come, it would be greatly appreciated.
jaehyun obviously ran from the office in .5 seconds after hanging up. he didn’t even inform the manager, too worried about jaemin’s wellbeing to utter more than a hurried explanation to his coworker.
doyoung guides him to taeil’s office, asking him to take a seat on the unusually tiny chairs outside and to wait until someone calls him inside. after that, he disappears inside the office, leaving jaehyun alone with a few colored pencils next to him. jaehyun glares at the giant plushie across the room, pouring all of his negative emotions out and hoping that they will reach the pink unicorn.
ten minutes later, the door opens again, this time taeyong’s head peeking out, his freshly dyed pink hair falling in his eyes. “jaehyun-ssi? you can come in now.”
jaehyun rushes to stand up, cursing the uncomfortable chair. he looks at the elder, searching for something, anything that could tell him if jaemin is ok, or at the very least, if he is in any trouble.
when he enters the office, he finds jaemin looking at the ground, sucking on his finger. it’s a nervous habit he’s picked up from jaehyun, but instead of biting his nails and the skin around them like his father, jaemin just sucks on the digit and frowns.
taeil stands up, smiling reassuringly at him. “mr. jung, i’m glad you could come. there’s nothing to worry, jaemin isn’t in trouble.”
“ok, that’s great. can anyone tell me what actually happened? because i don’t think jaemin would just start a fight out of nowhere,” jaehyun finally takes a seat when taeyong’s gentle hand pushes him down. the teacher sits next to jaemin, taking the boy’s thumb out of his mouth.
“i punched him because he said injunnie can’t like art because it’s girly! i didn’t do anything wrong, appa! he was mean to my best friend and i just showed him what happens when you put a gender to one specific thing! you always tell me to stand up in front of people who hurt my friends, appa!” jaemin explains it, his hand grasping onto taeyong’s.
“is that so, baby?” jaehyun smiles at his son, a wave of pride flowing through him.
“we’ve already talked to byeongho’s parents. he is in trouble for--”
“talking shit about one of the students and using the whole you can’t do that because you’re not a girl bs,” doyoung interrupts taeil, dodging the elder’s hand as he reached for him. “look, i’m right, hyung. you can’t say i’m not.”
“i know doie, thank you for input.” taeil rolls his eyes but jaehyun can see the fond look playing on his face. “jaemin will just get a warning for punching the boy.”
“so he’s free to go, sir?” jaehyun asks.
“yep. but you better not come back in here because you punched another child, jaemin. if you come back i will have to cut down your recess,” taeil’s demeanour changes, turning more serious than what it was like a few seconds ago. when jaemin nods, he breaks into a smile again, and pulls a jar of lollipops from somewhere under his table. “you may take one.”
jaemin perks up, his tiny arm sticking out to reach into the glass jar. he pulls out three lollies, on accident. taeil shakes his head, but closes the lid as a sign for him to keep all of them.
“thank you, mr. moon! i’ll make sure to bring you and mr. bunny moon a cake tomorrow!” he smiles at taeil and doyoung, before whispering to his father, “appa, can you help me make mr. moon and mr. bunny moon a cake? and can we not burn it?”
the three men laugh, whilst jaehyun flushes red once more at the cruel reminder that he can’t make anything in the kitchen without burning it at least a bit. he switches to english, “jaemin if you stop embarrassing me in front of your teacher i will buy you three seal things, anything you want.”
jaemin nods excitedly, giving his father a broad grin. “i want another plushie for cat and a hoodie and a cap too. maybe a pillow? can you embroider cat on a pillow for me appa?"
he picks up his son, silently thanking taeil for his understanding, and leaves the office. taeyong is quick to follow him, closing the door to taeil’s office quietly.
“i wasn’t surprised jaemin faught someone. his mom looked pretty badass, you know?” taeyong doesn’t seem to notice the confusion that flashes across his face.
“his what now?”
“his mom? uh, she came to pick him up like… all of last week? really pretty, kinda tall, wearing designer clothes?” taeyong’s cheeks flush when jaehyun doesn’t stop staring at him after five full minutes have passed. “i mean, i’m sorry, i shouldn’t have said anything, i should go.”
“soojung is my sister, yongie. my actual, related sister. and she’s very much in love with another girl,” jaehyun smiles. he understands the assumptions, he really does, but why would he think that soojung of all people, could be his wife? he hears a voice that sounds a lot like ten’s saying disgusting in his head. jaehyun agrees.
before taeyong can apologize again, jaehyun smiles again and ruffles taeyong’s -- very soft, his brain supplies-- hair. “don’t worry about it, ok, yong? i have to take him now, but i’ll see you tomorrow?”
taeyong nods, his cheeks as pink as his hair. “see you tomorrow,” he says, voice small and almost shy. jaehyun ruffles his hair one more time, before leaving. he has to listen to jaemin talk about how badass he was when he punched byeongho, and he is so proud of his son that he buys him two scoops of ice cream.
jaehyun realizes that he wants to have taeyong in his life for the rest of it when jaemin tells him that the teacher stood up for him, the same way he did for renjun. this time, jaemin has been the target for bullying, since he went to school wearing one of the new dresses ten designed for him (it had a bunch of seals).
“mr. lee said i don’t have to worry about it though. he said i’m stronger and braver than him anyway and that i could’ve handled those bullies alone had it not been for cat who was in my arms. you know cathrine doesn’t like being away from me, appa, i couldn’t put her down. she’s a fussy seal.”
i’m going to marry him.
at jaemin’s old school, jaehyun always thought of the teacher-parent meetings as a bother. there wasn’t much to talk about four year old kids anyway, and it’s not like he enjoyed the company of his old teacher either. sure, ms. kim was a great old lady who did smell like cakes and sweets, but she wasn’t taeyong.
“thank you for staying after, jaehyun,” taeyong says, as he looks around the class for any leftover traces of cookie crumbs or any spilled juice.
“i don’t mind! i used to help around at jaem’s old kindergarten.” big lie. “besides, i can’t let you clean this class up all by yourself, hyung.” truth. “we’re taking care of my child together so we have to take care of yours too,” he has no idea why he added this last part, but to make it seem like he planned it and not just found the rest of the sentence along the way, he points around the empty classroom.
“that’s sweet, jaehyun, but i do have an actual child, you know?” taeyong offers him a smile.
“you do?”
of course he does, he’s probably married too. oh god, he’s boo boo the fool. why did he even make that joke? what if a giant beast is going to come break all of his bones because he dared to look at his husband? he’s doomed.
the elder claps excitedly, and rushes to jaehyun’s side, phone already out. “i do! see, this is ruby!” he shows him a photo of… a dog. “she’s pretty old now and she really likes to sleep, but she’s a great child. when i go and visit my mama, ruby always comes to greet me! sometimes, i do feel like she forgets about me since i don’t get to see her often, but i hope i’m wrong…”
“i’m sure she remembers you, hyung. dogs are smart, and even if they only meet you once in their lifetime, they will still remember you,” he says, swiping left, thinking he will find another photo of ruby. he is met with the sight of taeyong, hair ruffled as if he just woke up, his presumably naked body covered by a giant stuffed toy. his lips are parted and there is a blush across his cheeks, but what makes jaehyun almost pop a boner right then and there is the lust in taeyong’s eyes, something that pulls jaehyun in. it makes him wonder what was he thinking of before taking the photo.
he swipes back and pushes the phone, showing ruby and not that sinful picture of taeyong, into the elder’s hands.
jaehyun stayed silent for the rest of the clean up. he tries to hide his semi hard dick with anything that’s not see through or a toy, but when he finally leaves, he can see the way taeyong’s eyes flicker to his crotch before going crimson.
jaehyun has an undoubtable dilemma. he has no fucking clue what the adventures of shark prince and kitten boy is. but that’s not all, no, jaehyun’s life is not that easy; jaemin keeps asking his father to tell that story every night. it’s gotten to the point where jaemin can’t even fall asleep unless he starts bullshiting whatever this story is. he knows it’s something taeyong tells the kids, but he is clueless about the plot of it. jaehyun is pretty sure he even killed one of them, something that he assumes taeyong has never done.
“and then, the shark prince had to fight the people of the land because--”
“appa, i told you that the shark prince is called seungmin! and that kitten boy is ilhoon! you’re not doing it like mr. lee does. it’s wrong!” jaemin whines and pouts at his father, trying to get him to do something right by just using his adorable puppy eyes.
turns out that taeyong is a good teacher and he uses different voices for all of the characters (which there are a lot, jaehyun lost the narrative line after jaemin started talking about a robin and a turtle, both princes as well.). besides the voices, taeyong also gestures wildly, engaging with the kids in the stories.
their bedtime story ends with jaemin being the one who retells the tales of shark prince and kitten boy. he falls asleep just from exhaustion of gesturing and changing the voice he uses every other line.
during the third night when it happens again, jaehyun gets so frustrated that after jaemin falls asleep, he calls taeyong and demands the elder to tell him everything there is to know about the adventures of shark prince and kitten boy because his son hasn’t shut up about it for almost a week now and he is going insane.
taeyong agrees to meet with him the next day, probably because he can sense the pure desperation in jaehyun’s voice. again, there is a voice in his head that sounds like ten merged with sicheng who tells him that there may be a possibility, brief, almost minute, that taeyong may actually want to spend time with jaehyun.
the same way he does in real life, he ignores ten and sicheng’s voices, even though they may hold a bit of truth.
taeyong gives him the book, and he can’t help but notice the faint lee taeyong written under the big and colorful title. he had no idea taeyong is a writer, but somehow, the thought of the elder spending days and nights over stories for kids to make them feel included and loved makes sense.
they start seeing each other more and more, outside of the scheduled school meetings. there’s always books with them, and the hang-outs turn into reading dates. jaehyun doesn’t think taeyong considers them dates, per se, but he’s too excited to be close to the elder, to see him get overly excited about a certain book. jaehyun loves the way his eyes sparkle even more than usual.
it’s the way taeyong seems to become another person when it comes to his favorite books, how jaehyun can pinpoint the ones in which taeyong has stepped into; the ones in which taeyong had found himself.
they spend so much time together that jaehyun ends up buying books after books that he thinks taeyong will enjoy. he always finds them close to taeyong after he gives them to him. in his bag, on his desk at school, even in his car.
jaehyun finally learns how to tell stories of the shark prince and kitten boy thanks to taeyong, and after each successful bedtime story, he makes sure to send a photo of jaemin, sleeping and cuddling with cat, to taeyong. the pink haired man always responds with tens of hundreds of heart emojis.
“fuck!” jaehyun swears when he drops a fork on the floor. he’s tired and he just wanted to eat his food in peace without any interruptions.
little feet pad onto the wooden floor as jaemin hurries to the kitchen. his tiny fist is raised as he begins to scold jaehyun. “appa, mr. lee says that’s a bad word! bad words shouldn’t be used like that! they’re mala… malacious!”
“malicious, baby,” jaehyun says, throwing the fork into the sink and taking a new one from the drawer.
“yes! and they hurt people and when you use them, your little angel is disappointed in you,” jaemin pouts and touches his right shoulder, as if apologizing to the angel there for his father’s use of bad words.
“i’m sorry, baby. you’re the only angel in my life, though. will you be disappointed in me for saying that word?” when jaemin nods, jaehyun just sighs. “guess i’ll have to apologize even more, huh?”
“i accept apologies in the form of toys, appa! and cake! and tennie-hyung’s pretty clothes! and johnny-hyung’s hugs! and sicheng-hyung’s… i just want sicheng-hyung cause then injunnie could live with me forever!”
“you don’t want anything from me, baby?”
“stuffed animals.”
jaehyun sighs and follows his son to the living room, where thomas the tank engine is playing on the tv. “guess i have to buy you another seal, huh?”
“actually, appa, i want a corgi.”
while eating, jaehyun looks up corgi toys and he tries not to curse at taeyong too much for teaching jaemin that cursing is something bad. he wonders if any of his favorite curse words are safe from jaemin’s small hands.
he doesn’t notice it at first, too caught up in getting his daily dose of taeyong’s smile, but the guy that’s always at the front desk in the school winks at him. jaehyun can’t really call it a wink though. the man looks like he’s just blinking in a weird way (which is why it took him so long to realize what he’s doing). he realizes it’s a wink only because after each blink-wink he grins at taeyong and does a weird kissy face. the kissy face is directed at jaehyun.
that’s how jaehyun finds out about how taeyong’s coworkers ship them.
“i’m sorry about yuta,” taeyong says, disrupting jaehyun’s peaceful reading. the cafe where they’re at right now is empty; there is actually a student sleeping at a booth, their laptop open on the table, but jaehyun doesn’t consider them as a major part of the ambiance.
“you mean the guy who always winks at me when i come in to pick jaem up?” taeyong nods. “oh no, it’s ok. i didn’t even notice him until a few days ago. i thought he just got chalk powder in his eyes every time,” jaehyun laughs. he sees a smile creep on taeyong’s face as well.
“are you sure? he can be a lot when he wants to… he just likes to tease me but sometimes yuta doesn’t realize that the other party may not be accustomed to his shenanigans.”
“tease you, how? or rather, why?” jaehyun asks. there must be something involving him too, if yuta only teases the teacher when jaehyun is present.
“they… uh, all of my coworkers ship us, i guess? they think that just because jaemin has drawn me in his family portrait and because we spend time together outside of jaeminnie’s classes, we’re together. it’s stupid, it really makes no sense, haha,” he says. “so, one hundred years of solitude! what a great book, am i right?” taeyong, however, quickly changes the subject, laughing nervously.
jaehyun doesn’t think it’s stupid, not when his feelings for the elder have grown quite a lot over the course of their spawning friendship. he stays quiet and listens to taeyong go on and on about the book, watching as he fiddled with his thumbs.
for as long as jaehyun can remember, halloween has always been jaemin’s favorite holiday. he’s always loved dressing up, sewing his costumes with ten’s help (he’s not really allowed to sew, courtesy of jaehyun’s worried nature, but he gets to choose the colors of thread ten will use).
jaemin chooses his and jaehyun’s theme for the costume months in advance, and this year is no different. jaemin has chosen the addams family as their theme, and he insisted to dress up as wednesday.
jaehyun agreed, since he loves his son more than anything. he was only uneasy at the thought of his baby asking for an axe, or a knife, or a set of bows and arrows, or a cannonball. he doesn’t want his lovely son to go to jail for murder.
while jaehyun helps braid the wig on jaemin’s head, his son gives him the wonderful news of them having to participate in the pumpkin carving contest the kindergarten in hosting. it’s a tradition, as jaemin tells him, even if this is his first year at moonmoon.
“are you sure you… want that, baby? do you really want to stab a pumpkin with one of those flimsy plastic tools?”
“no, appa! you don’t get it! i want to stab it with a knife! ” jaemin gives him a giant grin, showing his father the new empty spot he has from where his canine fell out a few days ago. had he not just said that he wants to stab something with a very much real, sharp, dangerous knife, jaehyun would’ve thought of it as adorable.
who is he kidding now? his son will always be adorable, no matter what creepy nonsense he’s saying.
“alright, baby! then appa will help you make the coolest and scariest pumpkin the whole universe has ever seen!”
jaemin claps excitedly, bouncing around and making jaehyun’s job of braiding the black locks a lot harder. he will be dead if he ruins ten’s wig, so he puts his hand on the boy’s shoulder and tries to settle him down.
“i’m sorry appa, i just want to beat duckie’s bum in this contest,” jaemin explains. “he said that if i can win it, he’ll ask his appa to help me make some cupcakes for injunnie and nono and markie and lele and sungie too! i won’t give any to duckie though, cause he’s a meanie and he never gives me more icing,” he ends his little rant with a pout, slumping back in jaehyun’s hold.
jaehyun tries not to act in a childish manner when he speaks, “hey! i can help you make your friends cupcakes!” he ends up whining, the same way jaemin does when he wants a new car toy.
“... appa, are you sure about that? your food is really good, but do you remember the cake we tried to make for uncle tennie’s birthday?”
jaehyun shudders at the memory. burned cake tins, burned cake pieces, raw and still gooey in the middle, overly sweet buttercream to hide the murder site, and that oh so furious look on sicheng’s face when he came home to find his and jaehyun’s kitchen a disaster.
“let’s leave the past in the past, baby.” jaehyun helps his son stand, smoothing out the creases of his black dress. “do we have to do anything else for your costume?”
“nope! but we have to add your moustache, pa! it’s the most important part of gomez!”
the man draws on a simple line, above his upper lip with an eyeliner pencil, smiling down at jaemin. he breaks into a laugh when he notices the mean glare his own son is giving him. “you’ve ruined it now, appa!”
“well, i’m not the star of this family anyway, baby. now come on, we have a carving contest to win and you have some cupcakes to win!”
“hell yeah!”
jaehyun pretends not to hear the curse his son just said and instead puts his shoes on and leads jaemin out of their apartment.
turns out that jaehyun doesn’t quite fit the whole gomez character he’s supposed to be. from what he can remember of him, he’s talented… at everything. there is nothing that gomez can’t do when faced with something new. he’d probably be great at carving this damned pumpkin too! his would probably look stylish, maybe morticia’s face would be engraved in it, or maybe even the fucking starry night! but jaehyun, poor jung jaehyun, a man who’s not talented at anything he tries, has given this vegetable a tumor.
he’s been struggling to give it some eyes for the past twenty minutes, but so far pugsley --as the pumpkin has been baptized by jaemin-- is still blind. he stabs the knife through its head and watches as it remains standing there, its blade shining from the jack-o-lantern behind him.
“appa, you don’t seem to be doing it right… maybe i should ask mr. lee for help,” jaemin says, already jumping down from his chair.
“i can do it alone, jaem. i promised to help you make the coolest and scariest pumpkin and i will be damned if i don’t do it!” jaehyun takes the knife out a bit too forcefully, before sticking it back in the disgustingly orange vegetable. at last, one of the eyes is cut out, so triumphantly, he pulls the piece out.
the shape he’s cut out was supposed to be a circle of some sorts, but when jaehyun takes it out, it looks more like a wobbly oval.
“that doesn’t look right, appa.”
“it’s a picasso inspired pumpkin, baby, that’s what it’s meant to look like!”
jaemin shuts up, but jaehyun can still feel the glances he’s throwing him. it’s not his fault that his artistic talents stop at music and writing! and he’s sure that more than half of the parents here can’t do at least a quarter of what he’s done already. he’s sure that theirs are way shittier than his. he’s sure that--
--when he looks around him, all of the pumpkins look straight out of halloween magazines.
“are you sure you don’t want mr. lee’s help, appa? he showed me a book full of pumpkins! and he said that if i want to, he can come and help make one of those!”
“we’re not asking anyone for help, jaemin. i can do it. now pass me the small knife, i have to give pugsley’s eye some more details,” he says, holding his hand out for jaemin to pass him the cutting tool.
jaemin stays silent as he observes… whatever his father is trying to accomplish. jaehyun isn’t so sure himself. he is trying to make the eye rounder, but with the way it’s going, it just looks like jaehyun is carving the next black hole that is to swallow earth.
once the hole is far too big to be fixed, jaehyun gives up. the knife falls on the wooden desk with a thud and next comes his forehead. not in the sharp blade, obviously; his head falls on the clean part of the desk. “go call mr. lee, jaem. but don’t tell him i’m bad at this, ok?”
jaemin nods and off he goes, speed walking as fast as his short legs can carry him to taeyong’s side. he pulls on his sleeve, his very pink sleeve, since taeyong decided to dress up as prince bubblegum from adventure time (very fitting, jaehyun thinks; maybe they should’ve gone as finn and marshall lee after all), and proceeds to drag him to where his father is drowning in his own misery.
“appa told me not to tell you this, mr. lee, but he’s really bad at this. he gave pugsley just one eye for his whole face! i won’t be able to win against duckie unless you help me! appa said he will be of help in this quest, but he let me down! he’s not a good gomez, mr. lee! if he’d be a villager from animal crossing he’d be octavian!” jaemin’s loud voice, and his rather… mean choice of words to describe his father, make jaehyun’s head snap up.
taeyong is hiding a smile behind his hand, but jaehyun can see the way his eyes crinkle. it’s so goddamn beautiful that he can’t even be mad at his son for insulting him by comparing jaehyun to octavian. he’s by far the most worthless villager! at least jaehyun tried his best in making the scary pumpkin dream of jaemin come to life.
“well, i can’t have you lose now, can i, baby?” taeyong takes a seat next to jaehyun and gently takes the vegetable in front of him. he pushes his puffy sleeves up, just past his elbows and cracks his knuckles. “let’s try and save pugsley the pumpkin,” he mutters under his breath.
jaemin cheers and plops down onto his father’s lap. jaehyun wraps his arms around the boy instinctively, not wanting him to move around too much and get cut. it doesn’t come as a surprise that taeyong is probably the most talented person at carving pumpkins that jaehyun knows. his hands seem to be working on their own, cutting out just the right amount of flesh, carving into it with just the tip to score it in such a way that it makes jaehyun think he’s painting something, not stabbing pieces out.
taeyong holds out one of those plastic tools for jaemin, smiling encouragingly at the boy. “go on, baby. put your own twist to it! your appa did it, i did it, you have to add something that’s you as well!”
excitedly, jaemin yanks the tool out of taeyong’s hand and goes ham on the poor vegetable. he stabs at it until there are some shapes that resemble stars in it, until he manages to make an actual indent in it and he pierces the stabbing tool through the flesh. jaemin lets out a victorious shriek.
the two adults watch him with bemusement in their eyes.
“can we sign it, appa?” jaemin asks once he deems the masterpiece done.
“of course, baby!” he turns the pumpkin around until he finds a good, nice and empty spot where the three of them can sign their names. jaemin goes first, since he’s the only one still holding a sharp object in his hands. his signature ends up looking like a wonky jaem, which, in all honesty, jaehyun first reads it as faem.
then comes taeyong, who somehow writes his name in a perfectly readable, even fancy way. it’s fucking calligraphy done on the ugliest surface ever.
jaehyun is as jealous of this as he is impressed.
before he knows it, taeyong places the knife in his hand again and jesus, jaehyun has to hold the godforsaken tool again. he gives the elder a smile, tense and clearly faked, as he pulls the pumpkin closer. jaemin, sensing the danger approaching, moves from jaehyun’s lap to taeyong’s.
jaehyun does a quick prayer, before he gets to work. at first it’s all good; he carves in the jae part of his name without any actual trouble. sure, it looks like chicken scratch, but it’s something.
only when he reaches the u in his name does hell break loose (an exaggeration). jaehyun cuts his finger, just a scratch, really, but taeyong and jaemin beg to differ. jaemin begins to yell about how his appa will now turn into a pumpkin since he has the blood of one in his system now, taeyong begins to panic since there is actual blood dripping down from the cut and jaehyun just wipes his finger with a paper towel near him.
taeyong gasps, grabbing the piece of blood stained paper out of jaehyun’s grasp. “hold on, i’ll bring the first aid kit! don’t you dare move or else you’ll be in trouble, young man!” with that, taeyong runs, heading straight into the building.
jaemin looks at his father with a worried glance. “appa, will you be ok?”
“of course, baby. your appa is very strong! it doesn’t hurt one bit!” jaehyun reassures his son. it doesn’t hurt, that’s for sure, but when he looks at the cut again, he finds it bleeding even more than it was just seconds ago.
it’s just because taeyongie took the paper from me, he tries to put his mind at ease.
taeyong comes back with a colorful kit in his hands. he sits right in front of jaehyun and takes his bleeding finger to his hand. his hands are gentle as they take out the disinfectant from the box. “this may sting a little, jaehyunnie,” is all the warning he gets before the devil’s piss is poured over his cut. it hurts like hell, far more than it should normally, but jaehyun keeps his cool facade on, urging the tears that threaten to leave his eyes back inside his tear ducts.
after just a few more seconds of pain, taeyong puts a band-aid around his finger. it has little planets and stars on it, the astral objects bright against dark background of the bandage.
“mr. lee! you have to kiss it better!” jaemin says. “if you don’t then appa won’t heal!”
taeyong blushes, a pretty shade of pink dusting across the apples of his cheeks. he leans in, just enough for his pink hair to fall in his eyes, and presses a kiss on the bandaged finger. jaehyun tries not to combust.
jaemin’s voice breaks the tense atmosphere. “mr. lee, mr. lee! can i get a bandaid too?”
the teacher smiles and takes another one from the kit, this one with a bunch of jupiters on it. “where do you want me to put it?”
jaemin points at his finger, the same one where jaehyun cut himself. “here, please!” taeyong complies, wrapping the band-aid around jaemin’s perfectly fine finger. “and a kiss please?” this time, taeyong doesn’t blush as he kisses the band-aid on jaemin.
“there! all nice and patched up!” taeyong says.
he moves to close the kit, placing the box of bandages back inside, but jaemin is quicker than him. he takes the box, pulling out a single band-aid. he places it on taeyong’s finger, his tongue sticking out in concentration. “we’re all matching now!” jaemin smiles broadly at the two adults, his contagious happiness soon reaching them as well.
“i guess we are,” taeyong chuckles, “like a family.”
jaehyun stares at the elder, bewitched by what he just said. “yeah, like a family,” he agrees, loud enough just for himself to hear.
halfway through the month of november, taeyong comes by their apartment, courtesy of jaehyun inviting him. since the days have gotten shorter and a lot more colder, jaehyun doesn’t want the elder to walk the streets alone after their reading dates, since taeyong never agrees on the young father to give him a ride home. that’s the reason he gives taeyong when asked why exactly did he invite him over.
he frets over the way the inside of the apartment looks for far too long, taking toy after toy, tiny socks, big socks, glasses that were once full of orange juice, pieces of chocolate left to melt in their shiny wrappers and just throws everything in a dark corner. he tries to tidy everything, dust the furniture clean; he doesn’t rest until the whole house is spotless.
“appa, why are you cleaning like this? is santa coming early this year?!” jaemin speaks around his chicken strips, sending crunchy bits down on the coffee table in front of him. gravity falls is playing on the tv, since jaemin wants to get in the autumn spirit.
“no, baby. taeyongie is coming over.” jaemin tilts his head in confusion. “mr. lee, jaem,” jaehyun clarifies.
jaemin gasps, pushing the plate of chicken away and standing up. “mr. lee! i have to go clean my room! ahh, i can finally show him my plushie collection!” the boy runs past jaehyun’s legs, heading to his room.
jaehyun shakes his head, a smile spreading on his lips. it seems like both of them are excited to have the elder in their home.
taeyong arrives just a bit past six, his arms full of bags overflowing with food, candy, cake and toys ; seal toys, to be exact. the moment jaemin sees him, he runs into his arms, not caring that the elder is holding bags. he jumps on him, trying to have taeyong catch him.
jaehyun takes the bags from him, leaving taeyong to take care of an overly excited jaemin. he heads to the kitchen, placing the food on the table to unpack later, after he makes sure that taeyong doesn’t actually want to leave.
a few minutes later, jaemin brings his teacher in the kitchen, dragging him with all his might inside. “and here we eat when uncle johnny, uncle tennie and uncle chengie come over! usually we eat in the living room! i watch cartoons and appa does boring adult work on his laptop. can we eat in the living room today too, mr. lee? i want you to watch bill bring the apocalypse!”
taeyong lets out a choked, confused noise, eyeing jaehyun for some sort of explanation. jaehyun simply shrugs. he doesn’t think taeyong is ready to hear jaemin’s theories of the show yet. maybe next time.
“jaeminnie, why don’t you go prepare cat and her family to meet yongie-hyung, hm?” jaehyun suggests, kneeling down in front of his son.
“ok, appa! i know you want to spend time with mr. lee alone!” jaemin says innocently. he gives his father a cheeky grin, before leaving the men alone.
taeyong looks around nervously, rocking on his heels. his eyes stop on the fridge, full of different drawings and other miscellaneous papers. “you’ve… you’ve framed the drawing jaemin did of his… family?”
jaehyun looks up from where he was measuring the hot chocolate mix he needs to make three cups. “hm?” he finally notices what taeyong is talking about. the drawing of he and taeyong holding hands, while jaemin is between them, grinning widely. jaehyun goes red. “y-yeah, i mean... “ he coughs. “it’s a good drawing, y’know?”
humming, taeyong moves closer to it. his fingers trace the lines of it, his eyes are full of… something jaehyun has only seen johnny muster when he looks at ten. going lower, taeyong stops at the picture of jaehyun, jaemin and soojung, the three of them smiling at the camera while fireworks go off behind them. they took it during the new year’s party back in america.
he frowns, just slightly, before it disappears and he blushes once more. “your… sister is really pretty,” taeyong says, turning to look at the younger man again. before jaehyun can agree to the statement, everyone who sees soojung can see that she is beautiful, the pink haired man continues, “but i think her brother is prettier.”
jaehyun fights back the blush that rises to his face and does the only thing he can think of in this situation. he makes a joke to ease the tension that’s growing rapidly from just how awkward he is, “you mean yunho is prettier than her?”
taeyong sighs, but he doesn’t look exasperated with how dumb jaehyun is acting. “i meant you, though i’m sure your brother is pretty too. he’s your brother after all.”
jaehyun has no idea where this confident taeyong has come from, from what depth of hell it’s crawled his way out, but he knows for sure that if he keeps going with this stupid game of making jaehyun flustered, he’s going to explode from overheating. he loves it, loves how suddenly taeyong is ready to risk it all for his dumb ass, but while the elder has grown in this confident gay persona, jaehyun remained the panicked bisexual he’s always been.
it’s not fun for his heart.
thankfully, his son comes to the rescue, carrying far too many stuffed toys and even dragging one of his giant plushies with ease into the room. “mr. lee, i called you to come meet them, but you didn’t hear,” the boy pouts, “so i brought them here!”
taeyong smiles at him, all warm and loving, and picks up the child, making sure to grab the big toy as well. “jaehyunnie, could you bring the food i’ve brought to the living room? i have a whole family of seals to meet and i think it would be wise to eat while i do so,” taeyong calls over his shoulder, already leaving the kitchen.
jaehyun has no alternative but to follow the elder in the living room, carrying three bowls full of udon soup, since somehow the elder knew exactly what food jaemin insists on eating every day. he sets the bowls down on the table and joins the two on the couch. he doesn’t really pay attention to how his son is explaining in great detail the whole family tree of his collection, but taeyong seems to be immersed in it.
he gasps when jaemin tells him a scandalous affair that happened, he nods along when the boy stops to find the word he wants to use and most importantly, he never laughs at jaemin’s wild imagination. not that jaehyun or his friends have ever done that.
jaehyun may have just fallen in love even more… wait… he’s never been in love with taeyong to being with, how the fuck did he just fall deeper? this makes no sense, he’s not in love with jaemin’s kindergarten teacher!
he tries to focus on the cartoons, on the colorful mess of bubbly pinks and rainbows and rivers of maple syrup and clouds made out of cotton candy (wasn’t the apocalypse happening?), but his eyes are always drawn back to his son and taeyong, who are talking animatedly.
jaehyun tries very hard not to look over too much.
an hour later, already half an hour past jaemin’s bedtime, the boy’s eyes begin to close, his speech gets more and more slurred with each word he speaks and soon enough he’s clinging to taeyong’s shirt. “can hyung tell me a story?”
taeyong hums, gathering the child in his arms. he silently asked jaehyun where jaemin’s room is, to which the younger pointed down the hall. i’ll guide you, he mouths at him. jaehyun has to pick every single toy up, while taeyong simply holds jaemin in his arms, rocking him back and forth as he hums a slow tune.
they get to jaemin’s room faster now that there is no little distraction awake, and before jaehyun knows it, he’s watching taeyong tell jaemin a story from the doorway, wearing a stupid smile on his face.
“and then, the shark prince had to fight the evil wizard and save kitty boy!” taeyong says, gesturing wildly as he tries to explain the fight scene in his story in such a way that jaemin gets more captivated.
jaemin yawns, cuddling his seal closer. “and then what, papa?” he asks, voice almost too quiet for jaehyun to catch the last part. but he does. the air gets knocked out of him, his face flushes bright red and there are tears forming in his eyes. his baby boy thinks of taeyong as another parent.
he gets out of the room just as taeyong leans in to kiss jaemin’s forehead and tuck him in better.
jaehyun is so screwed, he doesn’t even know if he should cry or laugh! this is the first time it happens with a person he has actual feelings for! when it was just ten or johnny he could have laughed it off, joked about how the three of them are jaemin’s poly parents, but it’s different with taeyong!
he wants to kiss taeyong! he’s never had those thoughts about johnny or ten when sober!
slowly, taeyong exits the room, closing it gently so that the sound doesn’t wake jaemin up. he lets out a sigh of relief and leans on the closed door. “that was a wild ride. i was afraid i’d have to spoil the ending of the final book to him,” he chuckles. only when jaehyun doesn’t laugh at his joke does taeyong look in his direction and notices how… terrified he looks.
“is everything alright, jaehyunnie?”
“i-- yeah, i’m all good!”
“are you sure?” the elder presses on, unconvinced by his obvious lie.
without a breath in between, jaehyun stammers out, “i’m sorry my son called you papa i understand if it made you uncomfortable, please don’t leave us though, i can’t imagine my life without you in it anymore.” he’s said everything so fast that it takes taeyong a moment to understand what he has just let out.
when taeyong does catch the meaning, he looks him dead in the eyes and says, “you’re a fucking idiot, jung jaehyun.”
said man can’t even process the fact that he’s just heard taeyong swear for the first time since they’ve started talking, because the elder is pulling him closer by the hem of his t-shirt and kissing him deeply and oh… that’s nice. why haven’t they been doing this already?
for a few seconds, jaehyun lets his carnal desires take over, kissing taeyong with much more force. he pushes the elder against the wall, his hands resting on taeyong’s face. a moan escapes the pink haired man and the sound goes straight to jaehyun’s growing hardness.
something inside of him switches; he pulls back. “wait, does that mean you like me?” jaehyun asks, suddenly unsure of his actions.
“i like you so much you can’t even comprehend it, hyunnie,” taeyong says, staring deep into jaehyun’s eyes. the younger can’t feel anything dishonest in him, but he still worries. taeyong senses the words that threaten to spill from jaehyun’s mouth, so he rushes to say. “and yes, i’ve liked you since you ran into the fence around the school. so it’s been a while i guess.”
jaehyun goes pink. “did that really make you like me?”
taeyong hums, wrapping his arms around the younger’s neck to pull him closer. “yeah. it was endearing to see you stumble and almost fall… adorable, really.” he smiles, small yet full of love. his cheeks are just as pink, meaning that the confident gay in him may be slipping away. jaehyun hopes he’s not, because if taeyong goes back to being a panicked gay then they won’t get anywhere tonight.
“can you shut up, that was embarrassing,” jaehyun whines, refusing to look at taeyong.
“how about you shut me up, hm, handsome?”
jaehyun’s brain short circuits, and everything is blank in his head. he moves without thinking when he leans in and presses their lips together again, this kiss totally different from the one he’s just had with taeyong; much shyer, almost unsure of what to do next.
jaehyun has never felt this way when kissing a man before, he’s never felt this way when kissing a woman either. it’s all because taeyong makes something inside him spark, makes him want to try new things, to learn to love again in more ways than before.
jaehyun wakes up in an empty bed. his hand looks around for the body that should be next to him, but it only finds still warm sheets tangled around him. he stands up, the white sheets pooling around his waist as he groggily searches the room for taeyong. images flash before his eyes; pink hair sprawled across his pillow, teeth scraping at flawless, milky skin, fingernails scratching it, sweat glistening under dimmed lights, a mouth, pretty and pink, gasping for air, white staining cheeks and stomaches.
the smell of pancakes brings him back to the present. he looks down at his chest, littered with little bite marks and scratches and decides that a t-shirt will be needed.
guided by the sweet smell, he enters the kitchen a few minutes later, only to find taeyong and jaemin surrounded by plate after plate after plate, each fuller than the other with pancakes drowned in syrup.
“why are there… dozens of pancakes?” he asks, stunned at the scene in front of him.
jaemin jumps down from the chair, running into his father’s legs. jaehyun quickly picks him up. “me and hyung made them for you! you have to eat every single one, appa! they’re made with love!”
“and a ton of sugar,” taeyong says. he put on a hoodie of jaehyun’s, and he had to roll the sleeves two-three times in order to not have his fingers covered by the green material. “jaem accidentally dropped in three cups of sugar instead of three tablespoons.”
“how--”
“don’t question it, hyunnie,” the elder laughs, shaking his head. “they’re pretty tasty anyway, if i do say so myself. not as tasty as what i had to eat last night but they’re ok.” he winks at jaehyun, making the brunette choke on his orange juice.
“hyung is right, appa! the udon soup was great! not even his pancakes can compare!” jaemin exclaims.
taeyong smirks at the younger one more time before setting one last plate on the table. “yes baby, the udon was amazing. now eat up! both of you are growing boys!”
and jaehyun and jaemin both can’t help but listen.
brunch with johnny, ten and sicheng is always something unmatched when it comes to the amount of patience jaehyun has. sure, sometimes, when they’re targeting johnny or ten or sicheng, he joins in on the fun! but when the three of them team up to bully him (with love, ten always argues) it’s not all fun and games.
and when he arrives at the restaurant with taeyong holding one of his hands and jaemin the other, jaehyun knows that this get together is ought to be a long one.
while johnny is busy talking with taeyong about the school system in korea (jaehyun is happy johnny finally found himself someone who understands the pain of being a teacher), ten leans in to whisper in jaehyun’s ear, “is this jaem’s teacher?”
jaehyun nods, reaching for the toast that’s in front of sicheng. “yes, he is,” he whispers back.
“he’s cute.”
“i know, tennie.”
“do you really like him?”
“more than i’ve ever liked anyone, yes.” jaehyun slathers the toast in butter, putting some of the strawberry jam on it and passing the slice to jaemin. when he looks at ten, the elder is smiling at him, the gentle one he has stored away for special occasions.
“i’m glad you’re finding love again, jae. you deserve it.”
jaehyun hides his face behind the coffee mug, not wanting the thai to see his blush or his teary eyes. “fuck off,” he mumbles.
jaemin sees the opportunity and grabs it, “appa, that’s a bad word!”
taeyong laughs and wipes some of the jam from his mouth. “very good baby, your appa needs to learn that it’s not ok to swear around you!”
“thank you, papa,” jaemin says, leaning on taeyong. the boy doesn’t seem to realize what he’s just said, but sure enough the five men around the table do.
johnny quirks an eyebrow, sicheng hides a smirk behind his hand, ten gasps rather loudly, taeyong blushes and jaehyun just pretends not to have heard it.
“can anyone pass me the salt please?”
“you fucker!” ten says through gritted teeth.
once again, he was right about how much the meeting will last.
when jaehyun (and jaemin) take taeyong home that day, jaemin insisted on them stepping inside so that taeyong can pay his debt of having been introduced to the child’s toys. taeyong, more than excited, agreed.
and so, they fell into somewhat of a routine. every other night they would spend it at each other’s apartment, with the guest cooking dinner (though, most of the time, when jaehyun cooked, they just ended up getting take-out). jaemin got more and more attached to taeyong, calling him papa almost every time when he refers to him.
it didn’t faze anyone anymore. taeyong’s friends and fellow teachers didn’t even bother to call jaehyun to school if something happened to his son. they knew that his other father was there to take care of him now.
it scared jaehyun, how close the two have gotten over the course of just a few months. though he wouldn’t change it for anything, he couldn’t help but wonder sometimes, what his life would be like if jaemin hadn’t called taeyong papa that night. would they have actually gotten together without the help of his little rascal? or would have taeyong gotten tired of beating around the bush?
one thing was for sure: he was ready to spend the rest of his life alongside taeyong, and nothing could change that. and that he owed his son the biggest and most cuddly plushie he could find for pushing the two (dumb) adults together.