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“Don’t sulk, Nonu,” Jeonghan softly said, petting his child’s head. He gently stroked his silky hair. “You know, appa always wanted to work at this laboratory. Do you really want to spoil your appa’s happy day, baby?” he said, pouting a little to get the right emotions out of his stubborn little baby.
“I don’t want Cheollie appa to be sad, Hannie appa. I will just miss my friends and my room, and my swings,” Wonwoo sadly said, lisp prominent in his speech, clutching cat plushy to his chest and tearing up a little. “Cheollie-appa gonna be sad because of Wonnie?”
“No, baby! Appa loves Wonnie you know that? But shhh~, its a secret! Don’t tell him I said that,” mischievously said the man. He smiled, wrinkles gathering around his eyes. He hugged his son, tightly clutching him to his chest. “Soonyoungie and Junnie are sad too, wanna help appa make them happy and cook some cookies, mhm?” Wonwoo instantly perked up and started cutely bouncing, mischief glinting in his eyes.
“Can we make a chocolate cake instead, Hannie appa? It will make my sadness go away quickly and appa will be very, very, very happy!” slyly said the boy, looking with his best puppy eyes impersonation at his father.
“Ya! Don’t fool your father, you little rascal!” laughingly said Jeonghan. He jokingly chased his toddler and softly slapped his bum. Wonwoo giggled and hugged his father, lamentably pleading and cutely stretching ‘please~’ with a strong lisp, and Jeonghan might just have a soft spot specifically reserved for his youngest son. “Okay, okay, you little bandit. Come help me and I might need some extra help licking chocolate frosting off of the spatula.” Boy’s eyes lit up as he ran towards the kitchen, nodding his head on the go. His hair softly bounced with each prance, and his little (not so little) ears were adorably peeking out. Jeonghan just shook his head, smiling to himself. He stood up and headed towards the kitchen, following his son. In a rush of excitement, Wonwoo must have forgotten his best friend who was sadly laying on the floor, face down. Jeonghan picked the plushy off the floor on his way, chuckling at his adorable toddler’s antics.
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To say the kitchen was a mess would be an understatement. Jeonghan was regretting his decision to allow an overly excited child into the kitchen. Flour was decorating every single countertop, some even got on the floor. His mixer was a mess of a cake butter and melted chocolate, and his kid, who was currently seated on the floor, was innocently drawing intricate designs with his fingers on the flour-coated floor. Wonwoo was a complete mess covered in flour, chocolate, and cake batter. Jeonghan tiredly sighed, finally closing the oven with the cake inside. Wonwoo stood up and went to the small oven window to look at it.
“When can I eat the cake, Hannie appa?” he curiously asked, frowning a little when he observed his sticky fingers covered in a smaller version of the unbaked cake.
“Well, firstly, we need to wash this dirty baby, and then we need to get baby’s toys out of the boxes and sort them out, and only then we can check on the cake and if it is good, and all baked, we will cover it with chocolate,” he said, picking his son up so he won’t dirty up the whole house. Wonwoo frowned again, not fond of the plan but gave up quickly since he didn’t like his fingers sticky, and taking bath is so much fun, anyway. On his way out of the kitchen, Jeonghan spotted his oldest son — Jun — carrying boxes to his new room.
“Junnie-yah, can I ask you a favour?” Jeonghan loudly said to gain the attention of his oldest. Jun peeked out of his room in curiosity.
“Yes, father?” he asked. He looked at Wonwoo in his father’s hands and smiled when the youngest started making faces at him.
“Do you mind helping your brother take a bath? I need to clean the kitchen since this little rascal decided to play a tornado while helping me bake,” Jeonghan chuckled and adoringly looked at his youngest as he giggled. He rocked him in his arms, disregarding growing discomfort and cramps in his arms. After all, Wonwoo started gaining weight and was not his littlest baby anymore. He is just a little now.
“What will I get in exchange though?” shamelessly asked Jun curving his brow. At this point, he fully stepped out of his room. Soonyoung, now, was peeking out from his room, intrigued.
“Yah! Why are you bargaining with your father?” Incredulously asked Jeonghan, not mad in any sense but plainly amazed at how shameless his kids are. “So, I am here working my back off, baking this cake for my children out of the kindness of my soul, and that's how they treat me!” he sighed dramatically. However, Jun was relentless. He cocked his second eyebrow, which didn’t make any sense but amazed little Wonwoo, who instantly tried to copy his cool hyung. “Okay-okay, fine! I will give you $5. If, and only if he will be squeaking clean and all of his toys are on their’s corresponding places,” he said, giving up. Waves of tiredness came crashing on him. All he wanted to do now is to clean his kitchen and just relax for the rest of the evening. Jun immediately took Wonwoo from his father’s arms until he changed his mind, and went straight to the bathroom with a giggling Wonwoo who made it his personal goal to cover his brother’s face in the sticky substance of a cake butter and flour. Soonyoung followed after them carrying his tiger figurines with him. Jeonghan drew a sigh and turned around heading towards the kitchen, grabbing a broom on his way.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom Soonyoung started filling the bathtub, adding a bubbly liquid. Jun, on the other hand, was struggling with getting Wonwoo out of his clothing.
“I am a big boy let me take off my clothes myself!” He loudly exclaimed trying to push his brother away. Annoyed, Jun just stood up. Face and hair covered in whatever mess Wonwoo had on his fingers and putting his hands up in surrender. He retreated back to the sink to wash his face. Wonwoo then proceeded to start undressing but soon ran into trouble. He was stuck in his overalls.
“Hyung~,” plaintively mumbled Wonwoo, turning his torso towards his eldest brother. Jun was unimpressed. He just chuckled and sat on his knees to help his adorable little brother out of the overalls' confinement. Soonyoung smiled at the toddler and turned off the faucet so the tub won’t overflow. He checked the water's temperature so little Wonnie won’t boil in the hot water or freeze in the cold. Satisfied with the result he tossed some toys in the bathtub, and soon it was filled with yellow rubber ducks hidden in bubbles, the small ship sailing through the bubbly thickness and some of Wonwoo’s Barbies dressed in swimsuits swimming face down. He even put his tiger warrior action figurines in it too. Wonwoo, now completely naked, stood in front of a tub smiling, couple teeth missing in his tiny kitten smile. He carefully got into the tub as Jun and Soonyoung sat next to it. They both adoringly looked at their baby brother’s happy face as he excitedly played with the toys. He took one of the tiger warriors and curiously observed the figurine. Previously, Soonyoung was adamant about sharing his toys with Wonwoo, even though he always pleads to him to let him play with them. Jun already gave up playing with toys so a couple of his cars and plushies were in Wonwoo’s possession but he was still intrigued by Soonyoung’s tigers. He carefully glanced at him silently asking for permission. Soonyoung wanted to protest but Jun placed his hand on his thigh and squeezed it a little bit. He looked at him pleadingly. Confused, Wonwoo was glancing between them, tigers still in his hands.
“Soonyoungie,” Wonwoo mumbled looking at his older brother. “Hyung~, can I play with your warriors? I promise, I won’t break them!” he shook his head, making a cutesy face at his slightly pouting brother. Soonyoung was contemplating for a bit but eventually gave up, sighing. He closed his eyes and nodded. The smile that bloomed on his youngest brother’s face was enough for him to not regret his decision. It made him happy that he made Wonnie happy. Happy, that he was the cause of that toothy smile. Jun half hugged him, pressing Soonyoung against himself, and slightly ruffling his hair. Wonwoo was giggling in joy while drowning the tigers and sinking underwater along with them. Apparently, he was a self-proclaimed baby shark. The rest of the bath time was spent with the siblings playing together. The room was filled with the laughter and splashing, and so, so much happiness.
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Jeonghan was scrubbing the dried flour and cake butter mixture off of the kitchen tiles while humming some random melody. His manicure was ruined, his hair was made into a messy bun and sweat was trickling down his face but it was just a regular day in the Choi household. Occasional giggling could be heard from the bathroom upstairs and it made his heart swell with so much love, that he was unable to comprehend how can he feel so much love towards his children. It may sound harsh to someone but it’s just what he is feeling. The amount of love he feels towards his sweet, little children is immense and he would do anything to hear them laugh like this every single day. Smiling to himself he continued to scrub the dirt off the floor.
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Covered in a fuzzy towel, Wonwoo was brought into his small room next to the master bedroom. Soonyoung was struggling to carry him but he managed to carefully put Wonwoo onto the bed while Jun was filling the washing machine to clean his dirty clothes.
“Lay still, Wonnie! Big boys don’t run around nakey-nakey,” he reprimanded the boy, heading towards the wardrobe. “You wanna wear your dinosaur pyjamas or your Care Bears pyjamas, Nonu?” he took both, showing them to the younger who got up from the bed still covered in his towel, cat ears perched on his hood covered head. He appraisingly inspected both of them and decided to stick with his trusty dinosaur PJs.
“I want my T-rex, hyung~,” he singsonged, getting out of his towel. Soonyoung put other PJs back into the drawer and picked up a pair of underwear on the way. He proceeded to dress his brother with the utmost care.
“Are you sad, hyungie?” unexpectedly asked Wonwoo touching both of his cheeks with his tiny hands. Soonyoung looked at him questioningly. “Daddy told me that you and Junnie-hyungie are sad because Cheollie-appa bought a new house so far from an old house,” he said with a serious look on his face. Soonyoung just cooed at him, pinching his chubby cheeks.
“I am sad because all my friends are left behind but I will find new ones, right? I will never be sad while my family is with me, Wonnie,” he said, looking at him adoringly. Wonwoo nodded his little head, hair bouncing in process.
“I was sad, too, but appa made us a cake so we won’t be sad anymore. I love daddies, and I love my hyungies! Plus, I met a new boy. He lives across the street. His name is Gyugyu. He is cute but kinda cries a lot,” he secretly told Soonyoung. The older just had to tease him.
“So, little Wonnie in love with Gyugyu? Don’t you love appa anymore? You promised him you will marry him when you are older,” he asked Wonwoo, dramatically covering his mouth. Wonwoo instantly blushed. He quickly realized his mistake and started desperately touching his cheeks to get attention.
“No~! I love Appa! Hyung!” Yet Soonyoung was relentless. He kept teasing the poor boy.
“I might just tell him that his precious little Nonnie doesn’t love him anymore!” Wonwoo started bouncing and chanting “No, I love Appa!” over and over again until Soonyoung noticed tears streaming down his face. He laughed and told him it was a joke, only then Wonwoo stopped pleading and wiped his tears away.
“You are a meanie, hyung!” he cried, right at the same time as Jun came into the room. Wonwoo ran to him and hugged his legs, burying his face in his sweatpants.
“What happened here?” he asked petting Nonu’s head. Soonyoung didn’t get a chance to answer.
“Soonyoung-hyung is being mean to me! He kept teasing me when I said Gyugyu was cute! I like Gyugyu he smells nice and he has a cute little puppy, and shares all his toys with me! But I love Cheollie-appa the most! Gyugyu is cute but Cheollie-appa is the best,” Wonwoo said sniffling, only Soonyoung knew he was faking it. That little demon with fluffy cheeks and cute pout had no shame and just snitched on him.
“Soonyoung-ah, why would you do this?” tiredly asked Jun not trusting the little rascal glued to him. He winked at Soonyoung and made a face signalling to him to keep playing the role. Soonyoung snickered quietly and started mockingly apologizing. Two brothers kept fake arguing, and Wonwoo turned his head a little to see what was happening. He smiled when he saw that they ‘argued’ and stuck his tongue out to Soonyoung then quickly buried himself in the sweatpants once again. His older brothers just rolled their eyes at his antics and were contemplating whether or not they should whoop his bum.
“So, Gyugyu, huh?”
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Jeonghan finally finished tidying up the kitchen, and he even managed to peacefully cover the cake with a chocolate frosting while his kids were upstairs helping Wonwoo with sorting out his toys. He finally sat down and turned on tv but lowered the volume to a minimum so he won’t hear little footsteps coming straightaway. He let his hair loose from his bun and stretched his legs along the sofa finally letting himself relax. He covered his eyes with his arm, further sinking into the soft sofa. Even though the majority of their things were still neatly packed in boxes, and half of the house is still a mess, Jeonghan was done for today. The door quietly opened, making little squeaking noises. He heard some snuffling and humming but paid no attention until the footsteps approached him. He felt someone kissing his forehead and smiled fully knowing it’s his husband.
“How was your day?” Jeonghan asked Seungcheol. He felt his legs getting lifted upwards and then his husband sat down on the sofa, putting his legs back on his laps.
“It was amazing! People in the neighborhood are nice and welcoming, and my workplace is right next to this forest and it’s just so amazing,” he excitedly told his husband, gently massaging his legs. “I am so happy we made this decision, honey,” he leaned down and kissed his husband’s nose. “Where are my babies?”
“They are upstairs. Wonwoo was fussing the whole day about not finding his toys and that whole house is just “not homey” enough, and that he is sad about leaving halmeoni alone in the city,” he tiredly said, looking up at his husband who just chuckled at his son’s antics.
“He is such a fussy baby,” he said with a fond smile on his face. Though, Jeonghan wasn’t finished.
“Up until he met a neighbor’s boy, adorable little fella. His name is Gyugyu and he is a bit older than Wonwoo. You should have seen them meet. It was so cute and awkward but they instantly clicked and Wonwoo was so sad when I told him to come home.” Seungcheol smiled, thinking of his youngest baby. “So, we invited Mingyu, that’s his name, by the way, and his mother over. While kids were playing, I got to know Mrs. Kim, she is a wonderful lady. But what shocked me the most that Wonwoo willingly let Mingyu eat all his gummies! He told me in secret that he wants to marry Mingyu because he is cute, apparently.” That made Seungcheol frown.
“Isn’t it too early for him to get married? After all, he promised to marry me,” Seungcheol pouted, looking at his husband sadly. “Should I be worried about that MIngyu?” HE jokingly said, receiving a slap from Han. “How are my princes though? I guess they are pretty sad too. Maybe it was a wrong decision to put kids under so much stress, don’t you think so?”
“Honey, everything will be fine They are still kids, and friends come and go, you know?” he said, hugging him and softly kissing him on the lips. “Wonwoo doesn’t mind it already, I bribed him with a cake,” he giggled. “Boys are fine too. Jun told me that he met a cute boy in a bakery today.”
“Oh god no! No boys until he finishes college!” They both laughed. Seungcheol loving looked at his husband leaning down to kiss him.
“Appa!’ Wonwoo came sprinting down the stairs upon hearing his father’s voice. “I missed you!” he said hugging his flustered father as he lifted him, peppering his face with kisses.
“How is my big boy today, huh?” he asked Wonwoo, who just giggled and told his dad everything he did today. Even about how cute Mingyu was. That damned boy.
“Hi, Dad,” greeted Jun waking down the stairs with Soonyoung in tow.
“Hi, appa!” exclaimed Soonyoung, sitting next to his Hannie-appa. He always was Jeonghan’s boy rather than Cheol’s.
“So, who’s ready to eat some cake?" asked Jeonghan, petting his middle child’s head. The choir of ‘me’s followed his question as they all proceeded to stumble into the kitchen. The room instantly filled by the family chatter and occasional giggles from the youngest who was seated on his father’s neck. They all chatted, sitting together and eating their father’s famous chocolate cake. The atmosphere in the house was tranquil and cozy. Their family time, eventually, got cut by the clock striking 9 pm and that meant that it is kids’ bedtime. Wonwoo instantly put dibs on his father to read him a bedtime story and tuck him into bed. Laughing, Seungcheol picked him up and headed towards his room.
“What story you want me to read, baby?” he asked, tucking him into the bed and giving him his favourite cat plushy.
“Hmm, I wanna hear about how your dada was fighting with evil monsters!” demanded Wonwoo, cuddling his toy.
“Okay, boss!” joked Seungcheol, fake saluting. He sat on a bed next to the toddler and started animatedly retelling him his favourite story about how his brave grandpa, who fought monsters far from the home to keep everyone safe. Closer to the end of the story, Wonwoo tiredly rubbed his eyes and yawned.
“I love you, appa,” he softly said, closing his eyes in tiredness. Seungcheol fondly smiled at his son, gently stroking his face.
“I love you too, baby boy,” he lovingly said. Seungcheol leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. “Good night, sweet dreams, baby.” The last thing Wonwoo heard were the soft squeaks and click of his door being closed shut.