Work Text:
“Well, Yongqin, would you like to start tomorrow?” Johnny asked from his seat on the stool across the kitchen counter from Ten.
“You can call me Ten, that’s what I usually go by,” Ten quickly explained, “But yes, I can start tomorrow. What time would you like me here?”
“Well, since I’ll need you to be moving in, why don’t I come by your place tomorrow around 10 am and we can load your stuff up in both of our cars?” Johnny suggested.
“Okay, I’ll text you my address tonight,” Ten replied as they both stood up and walked towards the door, “Thank you so much for this opportunity.”
“Thanks so much for accepting the job so quickly, I really need the help. Hyuck needs a lot of...one on one attention so he doesn’t do well at daycare after school. I think he’ll really like you,” Johnny gave Ten a warm smile as he opened the door, “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“See you,” Ten returned Johnny’s smile and headed towards his car. He had parked on the street, unsure of if Johnny would let him park in his driveway since it was just an interview. He wondered what Johnny meant by “one on one attention” as he got his keys out of his bag, he really hoped this kid wasn’t a nightmare.
--
“So, you’re moving in with a hot business executive and his five year old son?” Sicheng raised an eyebrow at Ten as they sat on their couch, drinking cheap strawberry wine.
“Yes,” Ten replied, “In addition to free housing and food, he’s also paying me.”
“That’s a sweet gig,” Kun called from the kitchen, where he was making himself a snack.
“Just how hot is he?” Sicheng asked, loud enough for Kun to hear.
“Like, a ten out of ten. And you know I never say anybody’s a ten.”
“A ten, huh?” Sicheng smirked as Kun came in and sat down next to him.
“Hey,” Kun scolded, “You’re taken.”
“I know. I’m allowed to appreciate attractive men though,” Sicheng gave Kun an innocent smile.
Kun rolled his eyes and looked at Ten, “So, he’s coming by tomorrow morning to help you get all your stuff, right?” Ten nodded, “Don’t you think you should, I dunno, pack it up?”
“Oh shit, you’re right!” Ten set his glass down on the table and jumped up.
“You’re both absolute idiots, where would you be without me?” Kun shook his head as Ten went into his room, “Make sure you label the boxes with what’s in them!”
“Thanks, dad!” Ten called back and he got out the shipping boxes he had been hoarding in his closet for the inevitable day Sicheng would move in with his boyfriend and Ten would have to live without him.
--
“Okay, Hyuck, it’s time for bed,” Johnny walked into his son’s room, where he was playing with his Avengers action figures.
“But daddy,” Hyuck whined, “I’m not tired,” He rubbed at his eyes.
“Yes you are, Hyuckie,” Johnny sat down next to him and ran his fingers through his hair, “Do you want me to tuck you in and sit with you?” Hyuck nodded and took the covers off his bed to lie down. Johnny walked on his knees over to the bed, too tired from a long day at work to stand up again, and put the covers over the very sleepy looking five year old, “Tomorrow let’s go get lunch, okay?” Hyuck nodded, moving his head to the side so he could look at his dad, “We’re going to help your new nanny move in and then we can get some lunch with him. He’s really nice, you’re going to like him a lot.”
“I wish you could just stay with me all the time, daddy,” Hyuck pouted.
“I wish I could too, little bear,” Johnny gave Hyuck a small smile, “But you know that I have a lot of important stuff at work, so I have to get someone to help me take care of you when I can’t be here.”
“I know,” Hyuck’s pout didn’t go away, “I love you, daddy,” Hyuck closed his eyes.
“I love you too, Hyuckie,” Johnny kissed Hyuck’s forehead as the child started snoring lightly.
--
A knock on the door startled Sicheng, Kun, and Ten from where they were sitting in the kitchen, all in various states of waking up. Ten was halfway through his second cup of coffee, while Sicheng and Kun were still waiting for theirs to brew and Sicheng was inhaling a rather large bowl of Cookie Crisp. Ten got up and swung the door open to find Johnny standing in the doorway, dressed much more casually than the evening before, in a plain black hoodie and a pair of jeans. Johnny was holding who Ten assumed to be Hyuck’s hand.
“Good morning,” Ten greeted with a small smile.
“Hey,” Johnny returned the smile, then looked down at Hyuck, “Hyuckie, this is your new nanny.”
“Hi, I’m Ten,” Ten squatted down to Hyuck’s height.
“I’m five!” Hyuck beamed at him, causing Johnny to erupt into laughter. Hyuck’s eyes widened, “You look too old to be ten.”
“No,” Ten’s ears turned red and he was vaguely aware of Sicheng and Kun watching from the entrance to the living room, “I’m not ten years old, I’m much older than that. My name is Ten.”
“Oh!” Hyuck’s mouth formed a small ‘o’ shape, “That makes more sense. My name is Donghyuck but daddy and my teacher and all my friends call me Hyuck!”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you! I hope we get along well and have lots of fun,” Ten grinned.
“Me too! You’re already nicer than my last nanny.”
“Hyuck,” Johnny warned.
“What?” Hyuck looked up at his dad with an innocent expression, “She was mean!”
“You weren’t exactly nice to her to begin with,” Johnny muttered, then turned back to Ten, “Are you ready for me to help move your stuff?”
“Oh, yeah!” Ten stepped aside so the Suhs could come in, “If you want, Sicheng and Kun can watch Hyuck while we move stuff to the cars, so he isn’t following you around and getting in the way.”
--
“I want McDonald’s!” Hyuck whined from his booster seat behind Johnny.
“McDonald’s isn’t even good,” Johnny glanced at his son from the rearview mirror.
“McDonald’s!” Hyuck shouted, kicking at the back of Johnny’s seat.
“Donghyuck Suh, I will drive straight home and make you a salad for your lunch instead of taking you somewhere yummy if you don’t stop right now,” Johnny pressed his lips into a thin line.
“Sorry, daddy,” Hyuck pouted, “I just really want McDonald’s.”
“Is it because of the toy in the kid’s meal?” Ten turned to look at Hyuck, who nodded, pout still prevalent.
“I know of this really great pizza place that has a claw machine, what if we go there and I win you something?” Ten suggested.
“Really?” Hyuck’s eyes widened and Ten nodded, “Daddy, can we do that?”
“Sure,” Johnny smiled, “Here, put it into maps on my phone,” Johnny pressed the home button on his phone to unlock it before handing it to Ten.
--
“You really saved me from the McDonald’s meltdown,” Johnny told Ten as they sat at the counter in the kitchen after Hyuck was in bed.
“Is that a normal occurrence?” Ten raised an eyebrow as Johnny opened the fridge and got out a bottle of water.
“Unfortunately,” Johnny sighed, “It’s his favorite place to eat, all he ever gets is the chicken nuggets happy meal. It’s so gross.”
“He’s five,” Ten laughed, “He’s allowed to like some gross stuff. Don’t tell me you didn’t like crappy chicken nuggets when you were five.”
“I actually didn’t like chicken nuggets growing up, but now they’re a guilty pleasure of mine, I must admit. I’ve definitely had my fair share of fast food delivery once Hyuck is in bed,” Johnny admitted as he sat back down.
“Delivery is too expensive,” Ten shook his head, “Sicheng and I basically live off of cereal and instant ramen.”
“What about the other guy? Kun?”
“Oh, that’s Sicheng’s boyfriend, he moved in like two weeks ago. That’s why I’m glad I found this job. I love them both to pieces, but the walls are very thin in the apartment,” Ten scrunched up his nose in disgust at the memory, “I am very thankful to not be sleeping next door to them anymore.”
“How do you know it won’t be the same here?” The corner of Johnny’s lip twitched into a half smile.
“You told me you’re single.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t get laid.”
“You have a five year old.”
“Okay damn, you got me.”
--
“Ten!” Hyuck jumped up from where he was playing with another boy who hadn’t been picked up yet.
“Hey, Hyuck, ready to go home?” Ten came over to Hyuck, who nodded, “Why don’t you clean up your mess first?”
“Okay,” Hyuck nodded and sat back down to put the toys he had gotten out back into their bin, “This is my best friend, Renjun!”
“Hi Renjun, I’m Hyuck’s new nanny, it’s nice to meet you!” Ten smiled at the other boy.
“Hi,” Renjun gave Ten a small smile before looking away.
“You don’t have to be shy, Junnie, Ten is real nice!” Hyuck told Renjun very seriously.
“Hi, I don’t think we’ve met,” A woman who looked to be a few years older than Ten approached him, “I’m Ms. Kim.”
“Oh hi,” Ten shook her hand, “I’m Ten, I’m Hyuck’s nanny, so I’ll be picking him up every day.”
“Well, it’s great to meet you! Hyuck had a really good day today. I know his dad will ask, he always wants to know. His reading and writing skills are a bit better than the typical five year old’s, but he does have a bit of a problem with his numbers. The calendar is kind of difficult for him, I put some worksheets in his backpack that I was hoping someone could help him out with to get him caught up.”
“Oh sure, I can try and help him with those when we get home!” Ten replied with a smile as Hyuck came running over, his backpack now on his back.
“Let’s go, Ten!” Hyuck grabbed Ten’s hand and shook it a bit.
“I guess that’s my queue to leave,” Ten told Ms. Kim, “Have a great night!”
“You too,” Ms. Kim responded as she turned her attention to a parent that was coming in the room.
“Did you have a good day?” Ten asked Hyuck as they left the classroom and walked down the hall.
“Yeah, I’m getting real good at reading!” Hyuck beamed, practically skipping down the hall. Ten helped Hyuck into the booster seat Johnny had gotten to put in Ten’s car as the kindergartner happily chatted about his day and all the fun things he did with his friends and how he even got to see some of the first graders during recess. Ten still wondered what Johnny meant by needing the “one on one attention”, this kid seemed like a piece of cake.
--
Two weeks later and Ten finally understood what Johnny meant about Hyuck not doing well in daycare as the five year old lay on the ground, kicking his feet and yelling. Johnny wouldn’t be home for another hour, but that wasn’t good enough for Hyuck, he wanted him now .
“I want my daddy!” Hyuck screamed.
“Hyuck,” Ten attempted to approach him, but had to duck out of the way before he got kicked in the face.
“No!” Hyuck shouted back, “I want daddy now!”
“Donghyuck Suh,” Ten spoke in a loud, firm voice, trying his best not to sound like he was yelling. Hyuck sat up, shocked that Ten had used his full name. Ten used this window to sit down across from Hyuck, “Come on, Hyuck,” Ten sighed, wiping some of Hyuck’s tears away with his thumbs. Hyuck stopped kicking and shouting, but the tears continued, so Ten managed to pick him up and place him in his lap, “What’s going on?”
“I want my daddy,” Hyuck’s lip quivered.
“He’s going to be home in an hour, I think you can make it until then,” Ten assured Hyuck, running a hand through his hair, “This isn’t really about missing your daddy though, is it?” Hyuck shook his head with a sniffle, “What happened?”
“One of the first graders was mean to me,” Hyuck mumbled, resting his head in the crook of Ten’s neck.
“What did they do?”
“He told me that my shirt is for girls and that I looked dumb in it. He said I wasn’t a real boy,” Hyuck replied quietly, his tears staining Ten’s skin.
“Hyuck,” Ten sighed, pulling the kindergartner away so he could look him in the eyes, “Don’t listen to him, he’s just being mean. Sometimes people are going to say mean things, but all you have to know is that you can be whoever you want to be and you’ll still always be a real boy if you want to be a boy. Just because some meanie says otherwise doesn’t mean it’s true. Besides, he was probably just jealous because your Tinkerbell shirt is super cool.”
“Really?” Hyuck looked up at Ten.
“Really,” Ten nodded. They both heard the door shut and Ten’s mouth opened in mock surprise, “I wonder who that is?”
“Daddy!” Hyuck hopped up and ran towards the door, “You’re early!”
“Hey, sunflower,” Johnny came into the living room then, Hyuck clinging onto his leg. Johnny sat down on the ground and Hyuck tackled him into a hug, “Were you crying?”
Hyuck nodded, “Ten made me feel better though!” Hyuck snuggled in closer to his dad and Johnny looked over at Ten to mouth a ‘thank you’.
--
“I can’t believe you lasted a month,” Johnny smiled at Ten as he poured two more glasses of wine for them, “Hyuck has been particularly...burdensome this past month.”
“It isn’t that bad, I used to work in retail,” Ten laughed, “Besides, he’s cute enough that I don’t mind the occasional tantrum.”
“But you’ve probably watched Mulan fifteen times this month, isn’t that torture?” Johnny sat back on the couch, sipping his wine.
“Nah, Shang is hot,” Ten shrugged, causing Johnny to choke, “What? He is!” Ten picked up his wine glass and sat back as well, “And he’s a caring yet strict leader, and in the second movie, he’s really funny.”
“So, Shang is your type?” Johnny raised an eyebrow.
“I mean, other than the fact he isn’t real, yes.”
“So then do you like guys?” Johnny asked.
“I am so gay, Johnny,” Ten let out a small laugh, “ So gay.”
“God, me too.”
“You have a son.”
“Well, I’m bi. But lately, I’ve been feeling, just, extra gay, if that makes sense?” Johnny asked more than said.
“Yeah, it does,” Ten nodded, drinking half of his glass in one go.
“Do you drink a lot?” Johnny looked at Ten in surprise.
“Sicheng and I are big fans of $10 bottles of wine. We like to spend our Friday nights on the couch, bitching and drinking.”
“Wow, that is so gay.”
“I know,” Ten laughed, “You should hang out with Sicheng sometime, he’s great. Kun is too.”
“Hey, what are you implying? I have my own friends!”
“Johnny, you haven’t gone out once this entire month,” Ten pointed out.
“Because it’s your first month, and Hyuck is a nightmare to put asleep if I’m not the one doing it,” Johnny replied, setting down his glass.
“Why don’t you go out with your friends tomorrow night? I can handle it here, I promise.”
--
“Where’s daddy?” Hyuck asked as he and Ten drew pictures together on the kitchen counter.
“He’s going out with his friends,” Ten replied.
“Which ones?” Hyuck picked up the red crayon and resumed his intense scribbling.
“I think he said Doyoung and Jungwoo.”
“Uncle Jungwoo?” Hyuck looked up at Ten with wide eyes, “He’s my favorite uncle! He always brings his puppy over!” The two continued their pictures for a few minutes before the doorbell rang, “Who’s that?”
“I ordered a surprise!” Ten smiled and went to answer the door. Ten came back into the kitchen with a brown bag and set it down in front of Hyuck, “How does McDonald’s chicken nuggets sound?”
“So good!” Hyuck dropped his crayon and opened the bag, pulling out the chicken nuggets and a toy, “I got Elsa!” Hyuck grinned.
“Oh, that’s cool!” Ten smiled, getting his own food out, “But she’s not even the best princess, come on.”
“Mulan is the best, but I like Elsa too!” Hyuck handed Ten the ketchup packets he found in the bottom of the bag so Ten could open them for him. They both ate before they went back to coloring their pictures. Half an hour later, Hyuck was starting to rub at his eyes and his coloring slowed significantly.
“Hyuckie, come on, let’s get you in bed,” Ten put down his tablet pen, “You’re tired.”
“No, I’m fine,” Hyuck shook his head.
“Well, why don’t you at least go put on your jammies? They’re way more comfortable than your jeans. Come on, I’ll help you pick some out,” Ten suggested. Hyuck nodded and took his hand, going upstairs with Ten. Hyuck changed and Ten came into his room, “Hyuck, you have to go to bed, okay?”
“No!”
“Hyuck,” Ten warned.
“But daddy isn’t here,” Hyuck crossed his arms. It was almost comical, seeing how mean Hyuck’s facial expression was in contrast to his cute cat pajamas.
“At least lie down until he comes home, he should be back any minute,” Ten somehow coaxed Hyuck into laying down and sat next to his bed, alternating between patting Hyuck’s back and running his fingers through his hair.
Hyuck’s eyes were starting to close when they suddenly flew open, “I’m not sleeping til I see daddy!” He practically screamed.
“What if I FaceTime him? Would that be okay?” Ten suggested, already getting his phone out of his pocket.
“I guess,” Hyuck pouted. Ten started a call to Johnny, and was incredibly relieved when he answered.
“Is something wrong?” Johnny asked, looking concerned.
“Hyuck said he won’t sleep until he sees you, and I didn’t want you to have to come home,” Ten explained and handed his phone to Hyuck.
“Hey, baby bear,” Johnny’s voice was soft and soothing.
“Hi daddy,” Hyuck’s pout disappeared.
“Did you and Ten have fun tonight?”
“Yeah, we colored pictures. I made one for you! Then we had a really yummy dinner. Oh! We watched Atlantis too,” Hyuck told Johnny.
“That sounds like a fun day,” Johnny’s voice was still soft and soothing, Ten could tell he was doing it on purpose to get Hyuck to sleep, “You gotta close your eyes and sleep so you can have more fun tomorrow. Mark and Renjun and Jeno are coming over, remember?” Hyuck nodded, “So I need you to sleep so you have lots of energy to play with your friends. I love you, sunflower.”
“I love you too, daddy,” Hyuck muttered, visibly more relaxed and already half asleep.
“Good night,” Johnny’s voice was even softer than before.
“Night,” Hyuck’s grip on the phone loosened and Ten caught it before he dropped it.
“Oh my god, you’re a wizard,” Ten looked at Hyuck in disbelief before looking back at Johnny.
“No, I’m just a dad,” Johnny smiled, “I’ll probably be back around midnight, by the way. Just so you don’t get startled when I get back and think I’m an intruder.”
“I’ll probably still be up,” Ten replied, “Have fun, be safe.”
“Thanks, see you in a bit,” Johnny smiled before ending the call.
--
“What was that?” Doyoung asked as Johnny rejoined him and Jungwoo.
“Hyuck being a nightmare, the usual,” Johnny replied, “He wouldn’t go to sleep without saying good night to me, but it took him way too long to actually tell Ten that.”
“Things seem to be going really well with Ten, huh?” Jungwoo took a sip of his bellini.
“What do you mean?”
“I think Jungwoo is trying to say that he fit into your and Hyuck’s life so easily and so well. It’s kinda like he was meant to be a part of your lives.”
“He’s a good nanny and a good friend,” Johnny shrugged.
“Friend?” Jungwoo raised an eyebrow.
“What? He’s my friend.”
“You two seem a bit closer than friends. You know everything about him.”
“He takes care of my son, I should know everything about him.”
“But he knows everything about you,” Jungwoo shot back.
“Well, if I know so much about him, it’s only fair,” Johnny shrugged.
--
“Hey, you’re still up?” Johnny asked as he tip-toed into the kitchen, afraid any noise would wake whoever might be asleep.
“Yeah, I started working on this piece when Hyuck and I were coloring, and now I’m kind of in a creative frenzy,” Ten admitted, looking up from his tablet. His glasses were resting low on his nose and his hair was very messy. He had a cup of tea sitting by his tablet, steam still coming up from it. It definitely wasn’t his first cup.
“Can I see?” Johnny asked, making himself a cup of tea.
“Yeah, when I’m done,” Ten replied, “But my fingers are starting to cramp.”
“Then take a break,” Johnny suggested, “Come on, let’s chill in the living room. Leave your iPad in here so you don’t feel tempted to keep working when you should be letting your hand rest,” Ten just nodded and followed Johnny into the living room.
“How were your friends?” Ten asked once they both sat down with their tea.
“Good, annoying as usual,” Johnny smiled, “I miss seeing them so much. Things really changed when Hyuck came into my life.”
“Yeah, five years is probably a long time to go with a very limited social life,” Ten nodded.
“Oh, I didn’t get custody of Hyuck until he was two,” Johnny replied, “His mom and I met at a party through friends, we were never anything super serious. When she found out she was pregnant, she said that she would take care of him on her own. I told her that if she ever needed anything to never hesitate to ask. Well, one day, it was actually his second birthday, she showed up on my doorstep in tears. She told me Hyuck was sleeping in her car in my driveway, so she couldn’t come in. She broke down, telling me she couldn’t take care of a kid, that it was too much and she had given up on all her dreams just for this kid that she hadn’t asked for in the first place.”
“Ouch,” Ten muttered.
“I know, but she wasn’t exactly wrong ,” Johnny sighed, “So I told her that I would take care of him from then on, he could move in with me since I had already finished school and had a good job. My mom lives nearby too, so she comes over a lot, especially when I first started being a full-time dad. She gave me full custody, but she still likes to come around during the holidays and she takes Hyuck for a weekend around his birthday too.”
“Oh wow, that must’ve been so hard for her, but she still tries to be a part of his life.”
“Yeah, she’s a really great woman, and I’m glad she knew when to reach out for help,” Johnny agreed, “And now I have Hyuck, which I wouldn’t change for anything in the world.”
“Even though he sings far too loud and throws tantrums over the dumbest shit?” Ten raised an eyebrow.
Johnny shrugged, “That’s just how he is. And I love him more than anything.”
--
“Happy birthday, Ten!” Hyuck jumped up on Ten’s bed to wake him up.
“Thanks, Hyuck,” Ten opened his eyes, trying not to show how pissed he was. He hated being woken up, especially on Sundays.
“Sorry,” Johnny came into the room with a tray in his hands, “I told him to wait.”
“It’s okay,” Ten sighed, sitting up, “What have you got?”
“Breakfast!” Johnny smiled, setting the tray across Ten’s lap, “I make the best bear-shaped pancakes.”
“You would make them look like bear heads,” Ten let out a small laugh, “Thank you.”
“I helped!” Hyuck practically shouted, sitting on his legs at the foot of Ten’s bed.
“You poured the coffee,” Johnny rolled his eyes.
“Hey, that’s helping!” Ten and Hyuck shot back at the same time.
“You guys are starting to act too alike, it’s freaking me out,” Johnny frowned.
“And this is only after four months, imagine what we’ll be like after a year,” Ten gave Johnny an evil grin.
“Hurry and eat! Daddy and I got you presents!” Hyuck bounced up and down.
“Okay, I’m eating!” Ten picked up his fork.
-
“Johnny,” Ten’s eyes widened as he opened the box the taller man handed to him, “You shouldn’t have.”
“I noticed yours wasn’t working super well,” Johnny explained, “Every time you tried to turn it on, it would take like five minutes, and every time you tried to save your art, it froze. And you cursed at it a lot .”
“Johnny, drawing tablets are expensive ,” Ten picked it up out of the box.
“You’re worth it,” Johnny shrugged.
--
“Daddy!” Hyuck ran towards Johnny as he shut the door. Johnny kicked off his shoes and he enveloped Hyuck into a tight hug.
“Hey, little bear,” Johnny grinned, walking into the living room with Hyuck latched onto his legs, “How was your day?”
“Good!” Hyuck grinned as he and Johnny sat down on the couch, “I’m getting real good at writing my name,” Hyuck beamed, puffing his chest out proudly, “My teacher said I’m one of the smartest kids in the whole class even though I’m the youngest!”
“That’s great, sunflower,” Johnny ruffled his son’s hair, “What did you and Ten do after school?”
“We did my calendar pages from the teacher then we made up dances again!” Hyuck was practically vibrating in his seat, “We finished our dance for the dinosaur song and we started one from Mulan!”
“Oh, you did?” Johnny raised an eyebrow, “Can I see the Mulan dance?”
“Yeah,” Hyuck nodded and jumped down, running into the kitchen, “Ten! Daddy wants to see our new dance!”
“Really?” Johnny could hear Ten’s groan, “Alright, let me wash my hands,” Hyuck ran back into the living room and stood in front of his father. Ten came in a minute later, “Sorry, I was cutting vegetables and my hands felt gross.”
“It’s okay,” Johnny gave Ten an amused smile, “I believe Hyuck wants to do a Mulan dance with you for me?”
Ten threw his hand back in annoyance before quickly regaining his composure and pulling out his phone. He tapped a few things before I’ll Make A Man Out Of You started playing and Hyuck and Ten started doing an extremely half-baked choreography and Hyuck practically shouted the chorus. Ten paused the song once Hyuck got too loud and sat down on the ground, waiting to see how long it took the five year old to notice.
“Hey!” Hyuck crossed his arms and glared at Ten, “You stopped!”
“Yeah, so what?” Ten raised an eyebrow.
“You’re a meanie!”
“Oh, you’re going to pay for that one, brat,” Ten got up and Hyuck ran to the other side of the room, screaming half in glee, half afraid. Ten chased him around the room for a few minutes before he decided he was done letting Hyuck win and scooped him up, throwing him over his shoulder, “Come on, dinner should be ready anyway,” Ten signaled to Johnny by jerking his head towards the kitchen and walking away, Hyuck still a giggling mess on his shoulder.
Well, shit , Johnny thought as he got up from the couch, a massive grin on his face, That was so fucking cute. Johnny knew that Ten was special to him and Hyuck, but maybe he was special in a much different way than Johnny initially thought. When Ten first started six months ago, he was a great friend and an even better nanny, but lately Johnny had come to call Ten family .
--
“Daddy, you’re home!” Hyuck grinned when Johnny opened the door for him and Ten after school.
“Of course I am, I have to spend my favorite bear’s birthday with him!” Johnny picked Hyuck up and walked into the living room. Johnny didn’t care how big Hyuck got, he would carry him around as long as his son would let him. Ten followed behind them and they all sat on the couch, “What did you do in school today?”
“Oh!” Hyuck took off his backpack and set it on his lap, unzipping it. He got out a piece of paper and handed it to his dad, “Today we were learning about families! Ms. Kim said to draw our family and our house. So look, here’s our house,” He pointed to a square with a poorly-formed triangle on top, “And I made the sun extra bright because it’s always so happy here,” Hyuck smiled proudly, “Then there’s me, and daddy, and Ten!”
“You drew me?” Ten asked Hyuck quietly, his eyes starting to water.
“Of course,” Hyuck replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world, “You’re my family just like daddy.”
“Hyuck,” Ten swallowed the lump in his throat, “That’s so sweet of you.”
-
“I think he had a good birthday,” Ten told Johnny as the got comfortable on the couch after Hyuck finally went to bed, “He was super excited to stay up half an hour past his bedtime.”
“Hey, you only turn six once, right?” Johnny smiled.
“I guess you’re right,” Ten nodded, “Sorry if it was weird that he put me on his family picture by the way.”
“It’s not weird,” Johnny replied, refusing to make eye contact with the younger man, “I probably put it in his head. Every time he gets all mad that I’m not home, he lashes out in the form of saying things about you, but I tell him he can’t do that because you live here and you’re like family.”
“Oh,” Ten’s eyes widened, “I didn’t know you felt that way.”
“Yeah, you’re really important to both of us. You’re great with Hyuck, you take care of him really well, and you even take care of me when I’m too stubborn to do it myself.”
“Well, I’m not going to let you go to work with the flu ever again. I can’t believe you thought I would let you do that,” Ten rolled his eyes.
“Thank you,” Johnny finally looked Ten in the eyes.
“For what?”
“Being a part of our family for the past...god what is it...nine months now,” Johnny replied, “I can’t believe it’s been that long, but at the same time it feels like forever.”
“It feels much longer than that, it’s strange how quickly I got comfortable here,” Ten admitted with a slight pink tinge to his cheeks.
“Can I tell you something? I just don’t want to make anything weird.”
“You can tell me just about anything, you know that.”
Johnny took a moment to gather his thoughts, he shouldn’t have said anything. He wasn’t ever going to say anything, but here he was, opening his mouth like a complete idiot as Ten looked at him curiously, “I have feelings for you. Like, romantic feelings. And that’s probably really stupid because you just signed on to take care of Hyuck, but I couldn’t help it.”
“Johnny-”
“Wait, before you reject me, let me-”
“Johnny,” Ten spoke a little louder.
“Ten, just let-”
“Johnny!” Ten grabbed Johnny by the cheeks and turned his head to look at him, “I’m not going to reject you.”
“You’re not?” Johnny’s eyes widened in surprise.
“No, you’re literally my ideal type, dumbass,” Ten rolled his eyes.
“I thought Shang was your ideal type.”
“You’re my Shang, Johnny,” Ten couldn’t help but smile at how stupid that statement sounded.
“So, can I kiss you?” Johnny asked. Ten just rolled his eyes again before leaning in to place his lips against Johnny’s. They were interrupted after just a couple seconds by the sound of little footsteps coming down the stairs.
“Daddy?” Hyuck appeared in the doorway, holding a blanket in one hand and his paddington bear in the other.
“Hey, sunflower, did you have a bad dream?” Johnny turned away from Ten, quickly putting his hands back in his lap.
Hyuck nodded and walked over before climbing up onto the couch, “What were you and Ten doing when I walked in? Is Ten going to be my other daddy?”
“I think it’s a little too soon to say that, Hyuck,” Ten smiled at the six year old, running his fingers through Hyuck’s hair, “But your daddy is definitely very special to me.”
“I hope you get to be my new daddy,” Hyuck smiled, leaning against Ten, “I like you a lot.”
“I like you a lot too, Hyuckie,” Ten replied quietly as Hyuck closed his eyes. Ten let Hyuck lay on him and fall asleep before turning to Johnny, “Well, guess you don’t have to worry about telling him.”
“I guess not,” Johnny smiled.
“Ugh,” Ten suddenly groaned, “Sicheng is going to be so annoying about this. I always told him I never wanted kids, yet here I am, kissing a single dad.”
“Well, I’m not single anymore, right?”
“No, I guess not,” Ten smiled and leaned in for another kiss.