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When San had spoiled the comeback, Seonghwa knew they were in for a long night.
Predictably, their manager had lectured them, and San had gotten a call from Hongjoong. Mingi was lucky enough to not have been in the room, so he wasn't scolded nearly as much as San. Seonghwa tried to take the brunt of it from their manager, and while he did get an earful of his own, he couldn't take away the reprimanding that San was given.
Now that the manager was gone and it was just the three of them again, Seonghwa waited for the inevitable meltdown. San didn't do well with scoldings, and the guilt for letting out their upcoming comeback before it was officially revealed was enough to make any member feel bad. The fact that this was the second time San had slipped up made his scolding that much more severe, and Seonghwa knew he'd be in tears before too long. He was honestly surprised San had managed to hold it together in front of their manager.
Cautiously, he laid a hand on San's shoulder. He almost regretted it because San immediately burst into tears, sobbing loudly. He pushed his face into Seonghwa's chest, and Seonghwa didn't hesitate to hold him closely. He repressed a sigh. He hated when his babies cried.
"E-eomma, I'm sorry!" San cried out. "I didn't mean to!"
Seonghwa shushed him. "Shh, baby, I know, I know," he soothed. "Take some deep breaths for me. There we go."
Though they were shuddery and hitched, San tried to do as Seonghwa said, and Seonghwa couldn't help the little smile it brought. San always tried his best to be good, but sometimes he just got so excited that he couldn't help but get in trouble from time to time.
"Good boy, Sannie, good boy," Seonghwa praised once San had calmed down a bit. He was still crying, but it was much more controlled. Seonghwa really hoped they had avoided a full meltdown.
"Hyung."
Seonghwa blinked in surprise. The tall boy was being so quiet, Seonghwa forgot that he was with them. He adjusted his arms around San and turned to Mingi, who looked a bit upset.
"Yes, sweetheart?" Seonghwa asked. His little Mingi was always a bit sensitive to the tears of the other members (unless they were arguing). Seonghwa figured he'd have two littles on his hands tonight.
"Sannie upset," he said. He brought his hand to his mouth and started pulling on his bottom lip.
"He is upset, but he'll be okay," Seonghwa told him as he gently pulled Mingi's hand away from his lip. He gave it a reassuring squeeze, but Mingi's eyes still filled with tears and they spilled down his cheeks. "Oh, don't cry, Mingi. Come here."
Mingi didn't hesitate and threw himself into Seonghwa's open side, burying his face into his shoulder. Seonghwa softly hummed a simple tune as he focused on comforting his little ones through the hiccups and cries and whimpers. They both tried to climb in his lap, but since they both couldn't fit, Seonghwa found himself with San's torso smushed against his own and Mingi's legs thrown over his lap. It was more than a bit uncomfortable, and Seonghwa was sure the other two probably felt the same, but he stayed still until he finally started to hear the cries easing off.
"San, Mingi, eomma can't feel his legs anymore," Seonghwa said lightly. Though they both whined, they moved just enough so Seonghwa could shift and bring feeling back into his legs.
"Eomma, appa said he's gonna talk with me," San told him as he sniffled. "I don't wanna spankin'..."
Mingi gasped at the dreaded word, and Seonghwa had to bite his lip to not giggle. He didn't think Hongjoong would spank San for this. He'd definitely give him a lecture, but he doubted it would be too harsh because the manager had already given them one. He might make him write lines, and surely San wouldn't be too upset at that kind of punishment.
"Ah, I'm not so sure about that, baby," Seonghwa tried to reassure. "Appa knows you've already been lectured." He purposefully didn't mention any other punishment he might receive. No need to put any extra stress on San when he was already feeling bad.
San didn't look like he believed him. "Eomma?" he asked in a tiny voice. "Are you mad?"
Seonghwa pressed a kiss to his temple, ignoring the look of jealousy Mingi had for the moment. He'd get his own kisses soon. "I'm not mad at all, sweetheart. It was an accident."
San seemed satisfied with that, but he was still a little teary. He likely would be for the rest of the night until Seonghwa got him settled into bed. He gave San another kiss and then gave one to Mingi before the other boy could fuss. He sat with his babies for a bit longer, content to just hold them as they were content to be held.
"How about we start getting ready for bedtime, hm? Are you two sleepy?" Seonghwa asked and chuckled at the twin head shakes he received. "Well how about I make you both some warm milk while you two wash up? Then we can read another chapter of our book." The three of them had started the book fairly recently, and it was just simple enough for San and Mingi to enjoy but engaging enough that Seonghwa was also invested in the tale.
Mingi whined, rubbing his head against Seonghwa's shoulder. "I want eomma to help me."
"Me too," San piped up. "Want eomma."
And Seonghwa was way too soft to deny them. He nudged them to stand and grabbed both of their hands to lead them to the bathroom. He had them sit on the edge of the bathtub while he warmed up the water to wet some washcloths to wipe away any remnants of tears. San started sucking his thumb and Mingi had pulled his shirt collar into his mouth. Seonghwa guided San's thumb away and gently pulled Mingi's shirt out of his mouth. They fussed a bit, but let Seonghwa clean them up.
Once that was finished, Seonghwa led them to his room and sat them on his bed. "I'll be right back with your jammies," he said, smiling at the wide eyes staring back at him. San tried to follow him, but Seonghwa gently pushed him into sitting once more. He was grateful when San didn't throw a tantrum or start crying at being denied and hurriedly grabbed pajamas from their rooms. They were good for him as he undressed and redressed them, and Seonghwa couldn't hold back a coo at how cute they both looked. Mingi ate up the attention and giggled, making grabby hands at his eomma, and of course Seongwha couldn't resist him.
"Aren't you just so cute? My little MinMin," Seonghwa cooed.
"Eommaaaa," San whined and made some grabby hands of his own. "I'm cute too."
"Yes, my Sannie is so cute too," Seonghwa said and pulled him into his arms as well. Both boys smushed their faces into Seonghwa's stomach, and Seonghwa held them close. "Are you two ready for some milk?" He laughed at their eager nods and then took them both by the hand to lead them to the kitchen.
He had to gently but firmly guide them to keep their distance while he prepared their drinks. They had both shyly requested bottles, and Seonghwa didn't want them to get in his way as he warmed the milk. Fortunately, Seonghwa was quite practiced at preparing bottles, so it didn't take much time before they were all settled on Seonghwa's bed. He knew he'd have to move them back to their rooms since all three of them couldn't sleep comfortably on Seonghwa's bed, but he hoped they would be too milk drunk and sleepy to give him much trouble.
But for now, he focused on reading to his two babies as they suckled their bottles. He read quietly, trying to keep them calm and not get too excited about the contents of the book. Luckily it was a mellow chapter, and San and Mingi were captivated by it. Seonghwa had to pause a few times when Mingi dribbled a little milk down his chin and when San tried to share his bottle with him. It was sweet, but Seonghwa had to pass. He'd let San try to feed him once and ended up with milk up his nose. Hongjoong still made fun of him for it.
Once the chapter was finished, Seonghwa closed the book and looked at the two sleepy boys curled up. He really hated to move them, but it had to be done. He started with Mingi and was relieved when the boy let him take him to his room with little fuss. He tucked him in and gave him a few kisses.
"Sleep well, my baby. Eomma loves you."
"Love you, eomma. Nigh nigh," Mingi murmured, already succumbing to slumber.
Seonghwa watched him for a few minutes to make sure he was fully settled. He left the door cracked as he left and made his way back to San. When he returned to his room, San had curled up in Seonghwa's bed and was clutching a pillow to his chest. The (thankfully empty) bottle lay beside him, having been replaced with his thumb. He was breathing deeply and completely knocked out. Seonghwa knew it wouldn't be fair to Mingi to let San sleep with him, but he really didn't think his heart could take waking up San to move him to his own bed when he looked so peaceful and cute.
He decided to leave him there while he did his own night time routine. After he was done, he stopped by San's room to grab his pacifier and one of his stuffed animals. While it was cute to see the boy snuggled up with his pillow, Seonghwa would really like to have his pillow back.
San hadn't budged when Seonghwa returned, so he carefully pulled the pillow from his arms and replaced it with the stuffed cat he'd brought. San snuffled and whined a bit in his sleep, but he didn't wake up. That accomplished, Seonghwa placed the bottle on his nightstand and climbed into bed. San was still actively sucking his thumb, and it would be tricky to replace it with the pacifier. Without delay, Seonghwa slowly pulled San's hand away. His face scrunched up without something to soothe him and his eyes fluttered open. He whined and scrubbed his eyes with a fist, rolling away from Seonghwa before he could place the pacifier in his mouth.
"Eommaa-aaa," he cried through a hitched breath. He kicked his legs a few times and the blanket bunched up around his feet.
"Shh, shh, baby. Don't cry. Eomma has your pacifier right here," Seonghwa consoled. He pushed the soother past his lips and held it there until San latched on. "There we go. That's better, hm?"
San was still a little fussy and tears trailed down his cheeks. Seonghwa gathered him up in his arms and rocked him. He reached for the plushie that had rolled away during San's little fit and tucked it into his arms. He smiled when San pulled it close.
"Let's try to sleep now. It's late," Seonghwa said. He stretched to pull the rumpled blanket over the two of them and maneuvered San to lie next to him. He thumbed away the lingering tears and gave San a peck on the forehead. San made a little noise and finally settled down, snuggling close to his eomma.
"Love you, eomma," San mumbled around the pacifier.
Seonghwa's heart filled with fondness. He pulled San closer and whispered, "I love you too, Sannie."