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Jinyoung lifted BamBam out of the bath quietly, glad that the preschooler was cooperating with him for once. He ruffled his hair with the towel to dry him off, a sense of fondness washing over him as the boy giggled loudly. He told him to use the potty one last time before bed.
As BamBam did as he was told, Jinyoung pulled Yugyeom out of the bath next, cooing at his chubby cheeks. He was glad that his youngest was feeling a bit better. He’d been teething more lately, into the biggest and most painful teeth, and he had been crying quite a bit in the past week as a result.
Jinyoung dried Yugyeom off quickly and slipped a pacifier past his lips. He’d have to start weaning the boy off of his pacifiers soon, but with all the teething going on, he couldn’t find it in himself to take away something that might help ease the pain or get him to sleep quicker.
Jinyoung pulled the drain plug from the bath and stood up. He left Yugyeom on the floor to play around with the rubber ducky still laying there and picked up BamBam. He helped him brush his teeth and then he dressed him up in his pajamas for bed.
“Mark-ah,” Jinyoung called for his eldest son, knowing Jackson wouldn’t be far behind. Mark appeared in the doorway a few moments later, Jackson right behind him as predicted.
“What’s up, Dad?” he asked, giving a little wave to Yugyeom, who returned it with a happy clap.
“Can you two please make sure Youngjae is getting into bed soon? I still have to get Gyeomie and Bammie ready, and Appa isn’t home yet.”
“Sure. Are you gonna come tuck him in? He still asks every day,” Jackson answered, clinging to the doorframe.
“Yes, I’ll be in to tuck all of you guys in, just make sure he brushes his teeth and actually gets into pajamas, okay?”
“Okay, dad,” Mark accepted, dragging off Jackson to find their younger brother.
Jinyoung returned his focus to his two youngest children. He glanced at a still undressed Yugyeom, sighing as he set down BamBam.
“Can you go hop into bed for me, kiddo? I’ll be right there with Gyeomie to read you a bedtime story. Make sure you pick out only one for me to read.”
BamBam dashed off to his room, and Jinyoung could imagine how he was digging through the books on the lowest shelf.
Jinyoung picked up Yugyeom and put him on the changing station, wrapping him up nicely in a diaper and blowing in his stomach to make him shriek with laughter. They were in the process of potty training the boy, but he still didn’t do well with nighttime, so better safe than sorry. He bundled the toddler up in his pajamas and then pulled him onto his hip.
Jinyoung carried the boy into BamBam’s room, smiling when he saw that his second youngest had followed directions and gotten into bed with his favorite bedtime story sitting on his lap.
Jinyoung settled onto the bed, making sure BamBam was tucked in nicely. He set Yugyeom down and he instantly laid down and curled up next to his older brother. He squished his face into BamBam’s small chest and Jinyoung couldn’t help that fond feeling practically drowning him. He felt it consume him further when BamBam pulled his baby brother up and wrapped his arms around him.
Jinyoung picked up the book and read BamBam to sleep slowly, making sure to do all the voices or else he’d have to restart. As the story came to a close, BamBam had fallen asleep and Yugyeom had long since been out.
Jinyoung extracted his youngest from the hold of BamBam and tucked him into his chest, marveling at the warmth and in awe at just how much love he felt for the human being in his arms. He swayed as he walked to Yugyeom’s room, careful not to wake him. He kissed his forehead goodnight sweetly before laying him down in his crib. He brushed his wild hair back down and left the room, making sure the nightlight was turned on and the door was open in case anything were to happen.
Jinyoung made his way into Youngjae’s room, his face breaking into an even wider smile when he saw his other three kids crowded around one of the books Mark was reading for class. He settled down on the bed, between them all, and Youngjae climbed into his lap, the other two each on each side of him.
He read about 10 pages, finishing up the chapter, and then made sure Youngjae was fully tucked into bed. He kissed him goodnight and Youngjae smiled blearily at him until he left the room with Mark and Jackson trailing behind him.
“Ah, you’re getting to be so heavy,” Jinyoung whined as he picked up Jackson, setting him in his bed and tucking him in. Jackson just rolled his eyes, but he hugged Jinyoung goodnight anyways and let him kiss his forehead.
“Sleep well, dad!” Jackson called and Jinyoung left the room. He smiled and waved before closing the door.
Jinyoung hefted Mark up and onto his hip, an easier task than lifting Jackson since the boy was so small.
“Dad, when is Appa gonna be home?” Mark asked, resting his head on Jinyoung’s shoulder and he opened the door to his room.
“Hopefully soon, kiddo.”
“I miss him. I want him to tuck me in, too.”
“I miss him, too, Mark.”
Jinyoung lifted up the covers so Mark could slide into bed and he sighed, sitting down after the boy. He brushed his hair back, running his fingers gently through his son's hair.
“Get some rest, today was pretty hectic. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Goodnight, dad.”
“Night, Mark. I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Jinyoung flicked off the light and shut the door behind him, a heavy breath leaving his chest. He shuffled down the hall and started getting ready for bed by himself, brushing his teeth and changing his clothes. He still had to clean up a bit from the mess his kids had made, so he made his way downstairs once he had dressed in warm pajamas.
Jinyoung spent an hour or two cleaning and picking up, then spent another good chunk of time preparing for the next morning, when he’d probably be alone again. He quietly got coffee ready to brew, so he could hit one button the next morning and it would start, letting the warm smell drift over him for a few moments before he shut the grounds.
Eventually Jinyoung tottered off to his bedroom around 11pm, tired from the day's activities and the seemingly endless energy of his children. He climbed into bed, grabbing the pillow from Jaebum’s side of the bed and holding it close and he let his eyes flutter shut. He took a deep inhale, savoring the scent of his husband that he hadn’t seen in a few days, and he drifted off to sleep.
——
Jinyoung’s eyes weakly opened when he heard loud crying, definitely coming from one of his youngest two children. He rubbed at his eyes and stood up, shuffling out of his room. He peeked into BamBam’s room and, upon seeing that he was still sleeping, went to check on Yugyeom. He peeked into the room and took a deep breath when he saw the boy kicking in his crib, crying loudly.
Jinyoung pulled him out of the crib, swaying him gently to calm him a little.
“What’s wrong, kiddo? Can you tell me what’s wrong?”
The boy spluttered a little, but managed to choke out a soft “hurts daddy” and Jinyoung instantly knew what he was talking about. His teeth. Jinyoung walked over to the dresser, pulling a teething toy out of a drawer and handing it to Yugyeom so he could gnaw on it. He ruffled his hair, giving the top of his head a kiss as he bounced him gently.
“It’ll be okay,” Jinyoung murmured, letting the boy drool a bit on his chest. He rocked him slowly, willing him to just fall back asleep, but it seemed like it wasn’t going to be that easy. He’d stopped crying, but he still looked upset and pained. Jinyoung pulled away the teething toy, surprised that the toddler didn’t protest and instead just stayed smushed into his chest.
Jinyoung remembered something Jaebum had tried with Youngjae and Jackson when they were kids that had worked well for teething. BamBam hadn’t liked it much, and he didn’t know about it for Mark. He supposed he’d forgotten about the remedy up until now.
Jinyoung carried Yugyeom into the bathroom. He tried to set him on the sink counter but the boy wouldn’t let go, so he just adjusted his grip so he could hold onto him with one arm. He washed his hand, making sure to wipe off all the soap, then pulled Yugyeom a little closer with one hand.
“Can you open your mouth, Gyeomie?” Jinyoung asked quietly, hand resting near his child’s face. Yugyeom complied easily, probably knowing that it would help ease the pain quicker.
Jinyoung gently pushed one finger into Yugyeom’s mouth and rubbed his gums, shushing the boy quietly when he made a noise of surprise. Sure enough, rubbing at the boy's gums eased the pain and he relaxed into Jinyoung’s shoulder eyes more. His eyes grew a little droopy and he let out a soft breath before they closed completely. Jinyoung withdrew his hand and washed it again, carrying Yugyeom back to his room and placing him down in the crib. Yugyeom whined, eyes cracking open and arms reaching up to his dad. He looked like he was about to start crying again so Jinyoung quickly kicked him back up. He quieted down immediately, snuggling into his neck.
“Do you miss Appa, too?” Jinyoung asked quietly, thinking about how his youngest somehow managed to understand things Jinyoung thought he wouldn’t be able to at such a young age. Yugyeom didn’t respond, too engrossed in falling asleep to care. He was asleep quickly and Jinyoung sighed. He thought about returning the boy to his crib, but the grip he had on his shirt was tight and Jinyoung didn’t want him to start crying again. He resigned himself to walking back to his bedroom, toddler in hand, and slipped into bed. Yugyeom easily settled to sleep next to him, little hands clutching the fabric of his shirt with all the strength he could muster.
Jinyoung closed his eyes, listening to the breathing of his youngest, content to just drink in the moment.
“I love you so much, kiddo,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead and watching his little face scrunch for a moment before relaxing.
Eventually Jinyoung fell asleep too, the toddler pressed up to him like a lifeline.