Chapter Text
Seonghwa woke up with Wooyoung half on top of him, drooling on his chest and half of his body hanging off the bed.
God, now he remembered why he didn't let Wooyoung sleep with him that often.
It was Saturday and Seonghwa had promised Wooyoung he would help him with homework and both would go out to buy matching clothes.
Wooyoung had been way too excited to be the tiny version of him. Seonghwa found it difficult to say no to his son's little happy face.
It had been a little bit of a relief for Junhye, too. She wouldn't have to be at Seonghwa's apartment on weekends to take care of Wooyoung, Seonghwa had promised the tiny man that the weekends were dad and son time.
Wooyoung made a loud snorting noise and rose his head from Seonghwa's chest, looking around confusedly.
"Dad..." he whispered, letting his head fall back into Seonghwa's chest.
Seonghwa couldn't help but laugh as quietly as he could.
"I thought you were at work!"
Wooyoung's arms tightened around him and he rubbed his head on Seonghwa's chest, further messing his already disastrous hair.
"I'm glad you're home, dad"
Fuck.
Seonghwa felt like he was going to cry. Why was he so emotional lately, anyway?
"I'm glad, too, Wooyoungie" Seonghwa sat on the bed, dragging Wooyoung to sit on his lap "remember what we agreed on? Breakfast and then homework"
Wooyoung's face wrinkled in disgust, a pout on his lips. Seonghwa chuckled and kissed his son's forehead, pulling him closer for a tight hug.
How long had it been since Seonghwa had hugged Wooyoung like that? He didn't want to think in the answer to that question.
"Okay, dad...you'll help me, right? Sometimes it's difficult if I do it alone"
"I'll help you. Promise."
Wooyoung pulled away, smiling widely at him, making Seonghwa feel like he was going to melt down into a poodle of love for his son.
Wooyoung jumped off the bed and ran out of the room.
"Come on, dad! Get up! I'm hungry!"
Seonghwa ran after him, making silly noises that made Wooyoung laugh and yell out.
"Go away, monster!"
Seonghwa stuck his tongue out, showing his teeth and probably looking the dumbest he had ever looked.
"I eat little boys! Grrr!"
Wooyoung climbed the couch and grabbed one of the cushions, hitting Seonghwa with it.
Wooyoung's laugh was high pitched and hyena like. Seonghwa didn't think he had ever heard him laugh that much.
He picked up Wooyoung without much effort, turning him around to blow raspberries into his back.
"I ate you! Aha! Now you're a monster like me!"
"Grr! What will we eat now, dad? Grr! There's no more people left to eat!"
Seonghwa let him down and Wooyoung went around growling at the cushions, his backpack and even at Seonghwa's plastic plant.
"How about cereal, my little monster?"
Wooyoung thought about it for a few seconds and finally nodded "grr! Cereal is good. Grr!"
Seonghwa picked him up and took him to the kitchen, sitting Wooyoung on one of the chairs and going to retrieve two bowls, spoons, the milk and cereal.
Wooyoung poured the milk before the cereal but Seonghwa thought nothing of it, he just couldn't help but just focus on his son and the way he would wait until his mouth was full of food and then swallow. Wooyoung then looked like a cute little hamster.
He didn't realize he hadn't even began to eat until Wooyoung pointed it out to him.
"Oh, sorry. I'll be done in a minute."
"Don't worry, dad. I can wait!"
Seonghwa just had to smooch his son, he just couldn't take it.
"Yeah, because you're such a sweetheart-"
"Nope, I am a big monster. Grr!"
Wooyoung got down to the floor carefully and started to scratch the countertop, the table and even Seonghwa's legs.
When Seonghwa was done eating, he put the bowls on the sink and went to get Wooyoung's backpack. He left it on the table and picked up his son from where he was scratching the legs of one of the chairs.
"Homework time, little guy"
Wooyoung whined, going limp on Seonghwa's arms.
"I'm sleeping, I can't do homework now. Call later, please!"
Seonghwa had a horrible fit of giggles that made Wooyoung laugh as well.
Why had he spent so much time unaware of what he was missing?
Oh, right. Because he had thought that it was better if he worked his ass off every day of the week to earn enough money to raise his son without trouble, rather than just talking to his boss and convince her to let him work from home on weekends and spend some time with Wooyoung.
Seonghwa sat down, let Wooyoung sit on his lap and both stared at Wooyoung's homework in front of them.
Wooyoung was biting his lower lip, looking a little nervous.
Seonghwa ran a hand through Wooyoung's hair, trying to brush it off the boy's face.
"I'll help you if you don't understand something, okay? I'm here, you just have to ask"
Wooyoung looked at him with fearful eyes and nodded slowly.
"Okay...I will try my best"
-
Wooyoung and Seonghwa stood in front of the mirror.
They were wearing the exact same red hoodie, the exact same sweatpants and the exact same shoes.
"I like it" decided Wooyoung "we look good!"
Seonghwa nodded slowly, eyes not leaving their reflections "we do, actually? We're cute"
Wooyoung made a peace sign on his cheek as he posed and looked at himself in the mirror.
"I'm so cute, dad!"
Seonghwa snorted as he pulled his phone out the pocket of his pants, that were hanging on the wall.
"Come on, let dad take a cute picture of you"
Wooyoung started to make different cute poses and Seonghwa was able to snap a picture of almost all of them.
Seonghwa knelt down and pulled Wooyoung closer to him "now, a cute picture of big monster and his little monster"
Wooyoung immediately put his tiny hands up, probably trying to resemble a set of sharp claws, showing his tiny little teeth.
Seonghwa just made the same pose and took the photo. He kissed Wooyoung's cheek and stood up.
"Okay, these are good, right?"
Wooyoung nodded quickly "we look so cute!"
"Ok, but now we need to take them off to pay for them and take them home"
"And can I wear them all the time?"
"Of course you can, baby"
Wooyoung cheered and let Seonghwa help him put his old clothes back on. Seonghwa put his clothes back on as well and they made their way out of the fitting room. Wooyoung wouldn't let go of his hoodie.
Seonghwa paid for the clothes and still had a little bit of money to waste, so he decided to take Wooyoung for an ice cream.
"Ice cream?" Seonghwa could practically see Wooyoung's body begin to fill with excitement as he gave little jumps "yes!"
Seonghwa snorted and searched for the closest ice cream shop in his phone. The closest to them was one that sold ice cream rolls.
Ice cream rolls?
Seonghwa had never heard of that type of ice cream?
"I think I know where we can go eat our ice cream" he said as he took Wooyoung's hand "come on-"
"Dad, can you take more photos of me when we're eating our ice cream? I like photos"
Wow, what kind of diva was he raising.
"Of course, we can have an entire photoshoot if you want"
Wooyoung laughed, looking up at him.
Seonghwa swore he had never seen Wooyoung smile and laugh so much in the span of less than a day.
Maybe this Kim Hongjoong dude was right.
Maybe Wooyoung was missing his dad.
Seonghwa would never allow himself to spend so little time with his son ever again. He wouldn't allow Wooyoung to miss him so much that he began to do bad stuff just to have Seonghwa's attention for once.
Jesus, why the fuck did he felt like crying all the damn time?
He looked down at his phone to make sure he wasn't getting them lost and it suddenly occurred to him-
Kim Hongjoong hadn't replied to his texts.
Maybe he had been too reckless? Maybe the man had misunderstood?
It's not like Seonghwa wanted them to have dinner in a romantic way- well, Seonghwa wouldn't be against it, either-
Jesus, what if the man never spoke to him ever again? What if he was weirded out?
"Dad, are we near our ice cream? I want to eat ice cream..."
Seonghwa got out of his own head and looked down at Wooyoung. He was pouting and making a grumpy face. He secretly snapped a photo of his son and put the map back on-
They were actually right in front of it?
Seonghwa stopped and looked around.
He would have to use the map to get back home, because he had no idea of where they were.
The good news was that he could see the ice cream shop and Wooyoung would finally stop looking like not having ice cream was ruining his life.
"That's it" he said, pointing at the building from across the street.
Wooyoung's expression changed drastically as he let out an excited squeal "let's go, dad! Come on!"
They crossed the street after Seonghwa warned Wooyoung to be careful or something very bad could happen. His son couldn't give less of a fuck.
He just wanted his ice cream and Seonghwa respected that.
They went into the little shop. It was almost all decorated with pink stuff, it was a little colder than outside and there was kind of a sweet scent in the air.
He picked up Wooyoung so they could decide what flavor they wanted their ice cream to be.
There were multiple options written in that piece of plastic on the wall. Apparently, you could use even a bag of chips to make your ice cream.
"Ourios" said Wooyoung as he pointed the 'oreo ice cream rolls' with his finger "I want the ourios one"
"Great choice, little man" he shrugged "I'll have the same one"
They spent the next three minutes or so watching the man make their ice cream rolls.
It was just simply amazing.
Wooyoung's mouth was hanging open and his brows were furrowed in confusion. Seonghwa couldn't say he was doing any better.
Just how could that man move his hands so quickly? How did the whole thing work?
"It's ready! Here you go, little one"
The man handed Wooyoung his cup and a little plastic spoon. Wooyoung was yet to get out of his daze.
Seonghwa paid for the ice cream and managed to grab his cup without having to let Wooyoung down.
"Thank you, sir" mumbled Wooyoung, still impressed "are you...superman?"
Wooyoung narrowed his eyes as the man laughed "no, but I wish I was, little one!"
The man waved them goodbye but Wooyoung was too focused on his ice cream to notice.
Seonghwa sat on one of the benches at the side of the street and both began to eat their ice cream while looking at the cars, the sky, the people passing by and the pretty birds flaying above them.
Seonghwa had to take a couple more photos of his son. How shocked he looked when he put the first spoonful of ice cream in his mouth, how he had laughed at a dog staining its owner's pants with its dirty paws.
Seonghwa tried to stop taking photos and videos of his son just enough time to enjoy his ice cream.
When they were done, they threw the cups in a trash bin and Seonghwa used the map to get them to somewhere he knew.
He kind of regretted not going out more often. He only knew his way to work, Wooyoung's school and then back at his apartment.
"Did you like it, Woo?"
Wooyoung squeezed their cheeks together and nodded "yes. This is like...the best day of my life, dad! I'm sure!"
Even if he struggled with the shopping bags, Seonghwa returned the hug just as tight, kissing Wooyoung's cheek.
"I'm so glad, baby"
Wooyoung kept his tiny little arms around Seonghwa's neck all the way home.
-
"Be good today, okay? Listen to the teachers and try your best" he whispered.
Wooyoung nodded with a little smile on his lips "okay, dad. I'm also going to make you a really good drawing. You'll like it so much"
"I'm sure I will, Wooyoungie" Seonghwa kissed his son's cheek and stood up, still smiling at Wooyoung "go sit now, baby"
"Oh, wait, dad"
Seonghwa only hummed and put one knee on the floor, to be at his son's height. "What? Did we forget something or-?"
"I...love...you..?"
Oh, fuck. Seonghwa was going to cry in the middle of a classroom full of moms and kids.
"I- I love you too, baby"
They hugged for the last time and Seonghwa waited until Wooyoung sat down next to another kid and got the hell out of there.
He blindly walked through the hallway, quickly and trying his best to avoid hitting someone as he cried his poor eyes out.
It wasn't even the fact that Wooyoung had said those words to him, it wasn't the first time and hopefully not the last.
It was just that it had been a long time since they had said those words to each other and Wooyoung had sounded so hesitant-
Like he thought Seonghwa's answer would be something other than 'I love you, too' or that he wouldn't even say it back.
Wooyoung was doubting Seonghwa's love for him. Was his son-?
"Hey, are you okay? Why are you crying?"
Seonghwa jumped back, startled and when he managed to dry his face just good enough to look up, he saw Kim Hongjoong.