Chapter Text
Blinks
Blinks blinks
Junhui's big sparkling almond eyes are mirrored right in front of him as he opens and closes them, only a lot smaller and brighter.
"Dada."
"Xiao Jun."
"Are we playing a blinking game, Dada?" The younger Wen queries with curiosity, reminding Junhui of himself during his own childhood一full of curiosity and eager to explore the world around him.
"I don't know either, Xiao Jun." Junhui replies honestly as he finishes his breakfast, placing his chopsticks beside his plate. The child does the same, almost in a hundred percent accuracy. Junhui smiles to himself and enthusiastically messes up Xiao Jun's hair, the child may not be his and Minghao's own blood but he's still their son nonetheless.
Junhui's phone suddenly lights up, ringing and vibrating as the image of Minghao's pouting face fills up the screen. "Xiao Jun, come here! Papa's calling!"
Before Junhui can even slide the answer button to the right, his child is already running towards him. When the youngster actually jumped from the chair and stepped on the floor is a mystery for Junhui at this point. Last year, Xiao Jun could barely run straight. Right now, his little son seems like he can champion a marathon without any training. "Papa! Papa calling!"
"Aigoo! Xiao Jun, why are you running inside the kitchen? Didn't Papa tell you to not run inside the kitchen because there are a lot of glasses in there?" Minghao's signature gentle yet nagging tone is heard from the phone as his low quality video appears.
"Low quality but still pretty." Junhui murmurs to himself as Xiao Jun situates himself on his lap.
"I heard that, handsome." Minghao teases as he leans on his right hand, a mannerism he usually does whenever he just wants to stare at something or someone. This time, he's enjoying the contentment of seeing his two favorite people in the world, looking homey yet chaotic in their kitchen.
"Ewwwwww. Esucuse me, Dada." Xiao Jun whines as he grabs the phone closer to his face, even nudging Junhui's head softly with his thin fluffy hair. Their child is still having some difficulties with complicated syllables but Xiao Jun’s improving day by day, making Junhui beam with pride as he kisses his son’s forehead. "Papa! We miss you already!"
"I miss the two of you too, baby." Minghao giggles as he reciprocates the longing evident in his family’s faces. However, he sighs at the end of his chuckles, his smile slowly fading into that of a worried expression.
"Love, it's just gonna be three days. Don't worry too much." Junhui quickly reassures Minghao upon the sight of his anxious lover's face. "Your parents need your help for their shop opening. It's no one's fault that Xiao Jun's passport release didn't make it in time for our scheduled flight."
A lengthy sigh escapes from Minghao's plump pink lips and Junhui internally groans as well. They made out right before Minghao drove off for the airport and his bite left a small abrasion on his lover's lips. Now that Xiao Jun has a room of his own, the two of them can easily make love any time they want. "That's gonna be our first agenda once he's back."
The sound of the airport announcement tone blares through the other side of the screen, making Minghao look up. The scarf around his neck slightly slides downwards, revealing the trail of hickeys that Junhui made last night. The blonde instantly giggles at the sight of it.
"Papa, many bug bites!" Xiao Jun exclaims with concern, his little brows furrowing as he places his face nearer towards the screen. Junhui bursts out laughing, leaving the rest of his family puzzled with the sudden outburst.
"Yeah. Bug bites." Minghao grumbles in embarrassment as his fingers desperately fix his scarf, finally deducing the cause for Junhui's laughing feat. He quickly fixes his composure, acting prim and proper again as if his son did not just see his necklace of hickey on full display. "Papa will go now. I'll call you two upon arrival. I love you both!"
"Bye, Papa! I love you!"
"Bye, babe! I love you!"
Junhui and Xiao Jun yell at the same time then they look at each other, a stare off commencing once again. Minghao's lighthearted laugh is heard before the video call ends, making their homey kitchen silent once again.
"Dada! Let's play!" The stillness, however, is readily replaced by Xiao Jun as he skips off Junhui's lap, running straight towards his playroom.
"Xiao Jun, you're running again!" Junhui points out as he laughs while chasing after his son, barefeet making noise on their wooden kitchen floor. If Minghao was here, he'd be throwing a fit by now.
"You're running too Dada!" Xiao Jun can be heard sneakering as he buries himself under his blanket fort.
Junhui catches his breath as he snatches his son, tickling Xiao Jun on the sides that causes the child to roll on the mattress.
"These three days will feel like forever."
Junhui thinks to himself as the father-and-son combo lay on the sheets after accidentally bumping each other's foreheads together.
"But it will surely be worth it."
Pencil stroke after pencil stroke is heard inside Junhui’s home office after the blonde has successfully devised a way for him to watch over Xiao Jun while still being able to work on his jewelry designs. Yesterday, when he came home after closing his shop, he placed a mini duplicate of his own desk in his office where Xiao Jun can practice his kindergarten assignments consisting mainly of alphabets, shapes and animals.
Junhui opted to close his physical jewelry shop for three days so he can focus on taking care of Xiao Jun. He only has one commissioned jewelry design due this week and his assistant was already assigned to do his online product ship outs every morning in his warehouse. The business is still running smoothly despite him being away so he's not stressed that much, giving him the much needed unwinding and quality time with Xiao Jun.
"Xiao Jun, can you show Dada your drawing?" Junhui asks permission as he looks over at Xiao Jun's desk, his son seemingly preoccupied with something, with his little fingers tightly gripping the pencil that Junhui had provided. Minghao and Junhui are both adamant on teaching Xiao Jun about consent and personal space so he waits for his son's approval, wanting the youngster to decide for himself if he wants to show Junhui his artwork or not.
"Five minutes, Dada." Xiao Jun replies sternly, mimicking Minghao's usual line whenever his lover doesn't want to be rushed.
Junhui struggles to hide his chuckle so he covers his mouth with his hand. He's not even sure if Xiao Jun already understands the measure of time in minutes but Junhui finds it adorable nonetheless. "Alright, my little artist. Take as many minutes as you want."
"Dada, I'm done!" Xiao Jun's baby skips are heard as he proudly comes closer to Junhui to show him his artwork.
The blonde gasps as his fingers take the miniature sketchpad from Xiao Jun's hands, amazement fully evident in his face.
The paper has only one image, that of a circular band that crosses in the middle, forming an attempt of an infinity sign. There lies in the middle is a lopsided circle with a star on the side, Junhui figures it was his son's attempt of drawing a sparkling gem. The lines are wobbly, considering that it was made by a five-year-old, but the intent was there. Xiao Jun just designed an infinity ring.
"Wow... Xiao Jun, where did you learn this?" Junhui inquires with bewilderment as his fingertips carefully follow the lead strokes, the dents making the image more real and rustic. His heart beats loudly inside of his chest, swelling with pride at his son's masterpiece. It’s the same overflowing feeling of elation when Xiao Jun first called them Dada and Papa一surreal and heavenly. Junhui's almond eyes are now glazed, restraining himself from bursting into tears.
"From Dada!" Xiao Jun beams with pride as Junhui grabs his phone, taking a picture so he can share this precious moment with Minghao. "I saw pretty accessorish in the shop and I want to copy Dada!"
"Ac-ces-so-RIES." Junhui corrects his beloved son while poking his cute nose, finding Xiao Jun the most adorable person in the whole wide world. "I'll send this to-"
Junhui's voice trails as an idea starts to conceive in his brain, flashing Xiao Jun his signature boxy smile.
"Xiao Jun, do you want to join Dada for a secret mission?"
"Babe! Xiao Jun! Papa's home!" Minghao yells as soon as the front door locks behind him, leaving his luggage right on the doorway. He's usually the tidiest in the family but today is different. Order is not his priority but his boys certainly are.
"Here, Papa!" Xiao Jun's excited high pitched voice resonates from his playroom, punctuated by his giggle and a hush from Junhui. Minghao readily removes his shoes and socks, threading barefoot on their carpet as he heads straight towards where his family is.
"Found you!" Minghao animatedly hops into the room only to be frozen right on his tracks. "What... what's happening?"
Junhui is wearing an all white suit with a black bowtie, bent on one knee as he welcomes Minghao with an open velvet box on his hands. Xiao Jun is mimicking his father’s position, wearing the same exact suit and also kneeling but slightly wobbly, all the while offering Minghao a bouquet of red roses that's almost the child's height.
Minghao readily holds his family close, falling on his knees on the floor as he hugs both of them. "My silly boys, what are you both up to?"
"Dada will poropos to you!" Xiao Jun squeals, spilling Junhui's surprise without any regard for his father’s hard work.
"Poropos?" Minghao echoes the strange word, puzzled as he averts his gaze on Junhui's flustered face. "What is Xiao Jun saying, love?"
Junhui releases the breath he's been holding, quite relieved that Xiao Jun isn't entirely eloquent yet so his cover isn't blown completely. Instead of clearing up the word, Junhui takes Minghao's right hand and shows off the ring that’s perfectly placed in the middle of the open velvet box.
"Xiao Jun designed something wonderful a few days ago and I just had to make it myself. Besides, we were too busy with our business and our little mischievous angel here that I didn't have the time to formally ask you this. I know we both agreed that marriage shouldn't be rushed especially when Xiao Jun came first before the ceremony but..." Junhui's voice trails as he remembers that night of his supposed proposal. Both of them were meant to enjoy an overnight by the beach and he planned to propose to Minghao after dinner. On the way to the resort, however, both of them saw an infant being dropped off right outside a local hospital, with the parent storming off after leaving the abandoned baby. The couple took it upon themselves to adopt the child and the rest is history. "You're the only person in this world that I want to build a bigger family with, the only person I want to grow old and gray with so... Xu Minghao, will you marry me?"
"Yes!" Xiao Jun answers without pausing on behalf of his father who is already weeping as he nods nonstop.
Junhui is already crying silently as well, elated as he places the ring on Minghao's palm. "Love, read the inscription inside the band."
Minghao wipes his tears with his sleeves in order for him to see better. Xiao Jun comes to the rescue using his own suit sleeve as well, making the couple laugh in amusement. Once the child is done patting Minghao's eyes using his own clothes, the raven haired man leans on Junhui's shoulder, finally inspecting the ring.
The diamond sparkles as Minghao angles the band with his fingers, right away finding his name in his own penmanship. He's been practicing calligraphy for weeks as a form of relaxation, Junhui must have gotten one of his sketch pads and used it as reference. The next name is Junhui's with the blonde's own handwriting as well, showcasing several precise and sturdy lines, just like his personality. The final name, unlike the first two, surprises Minghao, making him sob uncontrollably as he visualizes Xiao Jun's ragged handwriting of his own name, scribbled messily but readable nonetheless.
Minghao collapses on Junhui's chest, nestling his right on his lover's broad pectorals. Xiao Jun reaches over and kisses Minghao's exposed other cheek, joining the hugging party. Minghao slides the ring on his own finger and intertwines his hands with his two boys.
"It is already a yes, Junhui. Even before you asked."