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“So… how do we tell them this, hyung?”
“I’m pretty sure they’ll be okay with it… especially Hyuningie.. they’re best friends.”
“Yeah, I mean the poor boy couldn’t get his visa yet that’s why he can’t join his parents… but I’m pretty sure he’ll easily open up to us since we spend loads of time with him too.”
It’s another early morning, Choi Soobin and Choi Yeonjun were sitting on their couch, snuggling next to each other, trying to think of a way to break the news to their children.
Their neighbor and closest friends, the Kangs, had faced bankruptcy in their business and they were currently facing a huge amount of debt. Luckily, they were able to find some way to pay for their debts but unfortunately, they had to move into another country for this. Another sad news is that their son, Kang Taehyun, wasn’t approved for his Visa. Therefore, he had nowhere else to go.
Soobin and Yeonjun open-heartedly offered to take care of the five year old boy. Taehyun is already part of their family. Surely their sons would understand, and trying to convince a 5 year old that his best friend would live together with them wouldn’t be much of a task. What’s hard would be trying to make the boy welcome to their home and adjusting their lifestyle so that the young boy wouldn’t feel out of place.
“I guess we just have to tell them?” Soobin pulled away from their cuddle session. Yeonjun wasn’t very pleased by this so he tried to pull his husband closer, wrapping his arms and leg around the taller.
“I mean we don’t have much of a choice, he’s joining us in three days… It’s now or never.”
The children's gurgles of excited laughter had become louder accompanied by high pitched noises, which the couple surely guessed was from Beomgyu.
“I can’t believe they wake up so early.” Yeonjun whined, still not willing to let go of his husband as he heard the sounds of tiny footsteps running towards the living room. Their five year old son showed up first, running towards the couch and hiding behind the couple.
“Papa! Dada! Hyuningie jumped on my bed and removed my covers- He hit me on my tummy too!” Beomgyu shouted, eyes teary as he whined to his parents. Soobin tried to comfort their eldest son as he opened up his arms to hug the six year old.
“Hyuning… What will you say to your hyung?”
Yeonjun placed the pouting five year old on his lap as he made him face his hyung. Huening refused to apologize and crossed his arms.
“Hyung always jumps on my bed too! Why can’t I do that too?!?”
“I do that when you’re AWAKE NOT WHEN YOU’RE SLEEPING!”
“What did we say about shouting inside our home?” Yeonjun warned them, trying to look stern but all he wanted to do was to snuggle his cute babies who both looked down, apologetic eyes looking down on their laps.
“I’m sorry, papa.” They both said. The couple stroked their sons’ hair as they waited for them to kiss make up. But the silence was eating Soobin alive so he decided to intervene and help them get back on good terms.
“Hyuningie… you know it’s bad if you jumped on Beomie’s bed while he’s sleeping. You could fall down and step on your hyung, then both of you would get hurt. We don’t want you hurt, right?”
Huening pouted at what his dad said and nodded sadly.
“And you shouldn’t jump on your dongsaeng’s bed, I told you, Beomie, you’re going to be Hyuningie’s idol. He’s gonna copy whatever you do. So be a good example to him, okay?” Soobin continued. Beomgyu wiped out his little tears and agreed to his father.
“Yes, dada… I’m sorry...”
Yeonjun wanted to coo at his baby. He’s so mature now, Beomie is growing way too fast. The couple waited for Huening to apologize. Instead they were surprised when the younger pulled his hyung into a tight hug and wailed, they guessed that the tears on Beomie’s eyes affected the younger a lot.
“I’m so sowwy, hyung!” Babytalk comes out whenever he’s stressed or panicking. Beomgyu hugged his dongsaeng back and cried with him. Yeonjun and Soobin couldn’t help the smile that crept on their faces as they turned their sons’ cuddling session into a family group hug.
“Yay! You said sorry to each other now. So we should all be happy.” Yeonjun tickled his sons to endless giggles. It’s too early for them to be sad and crying.
“Papa, I’m hungry.” Beomgyu whispered tiredly from all the tickling he received from his papa.
“Come on, let’s get some breakfast.” Yeonjun scooped him up while Soobin went and carried Hyuningie as well. The little family gathered in the kitchen. Yeonjun and Beomgyu were busy mixing pancakes. Though it was mostly Yeonjun keeping Beomie from eating the batter and mixing it with his bare hands. Soobin and Hyuningie placed the utensils needed on the table. Hyuningie wanted to have his race car plate with the matching spoon and fork while he placed Beomie’s favorite bear plate.
When everyone was finished eating, it was time to clean up. The boys stood by the sink and tried their best to help Soobin wash and dry the dishes. As per rule, one cooks, the other washes the dishes. After chores were done and everyone was clean, it was playtime. But before all of that, the couple wanted to address the change that would come in the nearby future.
“Before we start playtime, we have something to tell you guys.” Soobin addressed as he sat on the floor with his sons. Yeonjun joined him after a while and pulled Hyuningie closer to hug him.
“What is it, dada?”
Beomgyu sat in front of his dad, head tilted as he waited for his dad to continue. Soobin sighed as he pulled Beomie close to him as well looking at both his sons before sharing the big news.
“You guys know Taehyun right?”
“Hyunie? Hyuningie’s friend?”
“My bwestfwend!!! He’s my best friend, dada!”
The younger one kept on excitedly bouncing on his papa’s lap at the mention of his closest friend.
“Yes he is, isn’t he, Ningning?” Yeonjun couldn’t help himself as he gave eskimo kisses to his youngest son.
Beomie had a questioning look on his face, looking up from his dada.
“Taehyun’s parents are going to work very very far away from here.” Soobin tried his best to explain this to his babies. “And he’s going to be alone for a looooonnnggg time...”
“No~ that’s SAD! Hyunnie alone for a long time is sad! Hyunnie can’t be sad.”
“It is sad Hyuningie, he doesn’t have anywhere else to go..”
“We can just have him here dada!” Beomgyu exclaimed and stood up, sharing his brilliant idea. “Then he wouldn’t be alone anymore!”
“Well that’s what we were about to say, baby… Would it be okay for our babies to have Taehyunie here in our home until his appa comes back?” Yeonjun asked his eldest, surprised that the idea came from his Beomie himself.
“Of course papa! Taehyunie is like another dongsaeng! I love having him around! He’s nice to me too~”
“Okay, okay, since Taehyun will live here for a very long time, we have to set some new rules okay?”
“Okay, dada.” Beomie and Hyuningie both sat up straight, just like they always did when rules were mentioned, waiting for Soobin to state their new house rules.
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Three days went by faster than they thought. It was after dinner time when Taehyun’s family arrived at their doorstep. Apparently, they decided to have one last family dinner before they part ways. Taehyun’s parents apologized and thanked Yeonjun and Soobin as they dropped their son off. It was a sad view, the couple hugged Taehyun tight as they cried and tried to comfort one another. After a few more reassurances and Taehyun’s parents telling him to be a good boy, he and his parents parted ways.
Even if he cried along with his parents Taehyun wiped away his tears and greeted the couple as if nothing happened. The young child always seemed way too mature for his age anyways.
“Thank you so much for having me, Sir Soobin, Sir Yeon- Yeonjun. I’ll be forever grateful.”
“Sir? You don’t have to call us sir, Taehyunie…” Yeonjun knelt down in front of the child and smiled at him. “I’ll always be Ningning’s Papa. You always called me, Yeonyeon hyung, right? You can still call me that, nothing changed.”
Yeonjun caressed Taehyun’s face, wiping the tear streaks left behind as Soobin also leveled with the child.
“It’s just like an everyday sleepover, Taehyunie. Before you know it, you will be back with your parents again.” The couple tried their best to be positive around Taehyun, they didn’t want the poor boy to feel worse than he felt now.
“Is it really okay for me to stay here?”
“Of course, baby…” Yeonjun smiled. “Beomie and Hyuningie had been waiting for you inside.”
With the mention of their sons' names, the younger finally smiled and followed the couple into the living room.
“TAEHYUNIE!”
Both kids were excited to have a friend over. They were glad that Taehyun felt at ease with their sons. The children played together with their toys and had fun together.
Lately, Beomgyu liked to play tag with Hueningkai, where Hyuningie was always the one running and Beommie was the chaser, mainly because Beomie really liked to shout ‘tag, you’re it’ and catch Hyuningie around, and Hueningkai enjoyed the chase around the living room, now, Beomie regretted his decisions because catching Hyuningie was fun but catching both Taehyunie and Hyuningie was hard. Taehyun pitied the eldest of the three, and decided to show magic instead. Taehyun’s magic tricks were cute and obvious but to Beomie and Hyuningie’s eyes, it was amazing.
While the kids were playing in the floor, still busy watching Taehyun with his amazing magic tricks Soobin and Yeonjun played footsie and cuddled on the couch, stealing glances and holding hands, talking about their plans, and Yeonjun stealing kisses from Soobin whenever he deemed that the children were busy.
After playtime was over and everything was put away, all three boys, snug in their pajamas, settled on the couch with Yeonjun and Soobin, arms tangled together and legs shoved sloppily in awkward places. They then watched Frozen together, an unanimous favorite, until sleepy eyes began to close, tiny bodies curling up for sleep.
Soobin and Yeonjun put the boys to bed—they wanted to sleep together for their first night, they insisted on sleeping in Beomie’s room, kissing them goodnight and tucking him in.
The couple smiled at each other, taking one last glance at the sleeping trio before walking out of Beomgyu’s room.
“Hey, have I ever told you how much I love you?” Soobin teased. “I’m glad you’re in this with me.”
“Of course how would you raise three kids without me? It’s impossible,” Yeonjun pointed out.
“Hmm... you can’t possibly do this without me either,” Soobin grinned and kissed Yeonjun on his cheek.
Yeonjun swatted him away but he was smiling anyway. After all these years, Soobin could still make him feel giddy, as if time were nothing.
They collapsed back on the couch, another Disney movie on. They watched it together, arms and legs tangled together in a sloppy comfortable kind of way.
“I love you too, I doubt I could do any of these without you,” Yeonjun said during a song scene.
“I knew it,” Soobin grinned, Yeonjun slapping him on his chest, as he laughed almost loud enough to wake the kids.
“Oh, hush,” Yeonjun chuckled, and Soobin, always one to oblige, hushed and they watched on the TV. Hugging Yeonjun closer to him until it was time to put themselves to bed and kiss each other goodnight, Yeonjun always wanting extra kisses, because why not?