Archive of Our Own

“Appa, please can we get ice cream?” Jisung asks, looking up at Jeno with a big, hopeful smile on his face and swinging Jeno’s hand as they walk.

Jeno has a hard enough time saying no to his son on any given day, but when Jisung is peering up at him with that devastatingly cute expression, any chance of him resisting is completely out the window. “Of course, Sungie.”

Jisung pulls his hand out of Jeno’s hold so he can clap happily. “Thank you Appa! And then can I draw when I have my ice cream too?”

“Hmm, let me think.” Jeno pretends to consider it for a few seconds before smiling indulgently. “You’re in luck! I brought along some paper and pencils just for you!” He ruffles Jisung’s hair affectionately and leans down to lift him into his arms, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Come on, I think we’re near the ice cream shop where Uncle Mark works. We can go there.”

Jisung somehow manages to look even more delighted at that, which Jeno can’t fault him for. Mark, being Jeno’s brother and main support system, has been an integral part of Jisung’s life throughout the nearly five years since his birth – it’s no surprise that Jisung is almost as fond of his Uncle Mark as he is of his Appa.

Given that Mark has been pestering him to visit ever since he started working at Nana’s Ice Cream House two months ago, Jeno manages to find it easily enough. He walks into the little shop, still holding Jisung, only to abruptly stop after a few steps, because there’s no one inside except for the man standing behind the counter – a man who is decidedly not Mark. He is, however, incredibly attractive and seems to be smiling brightly at Jisung, his eyes sparkling in the light of the sun streaming in through the window.

Jeno has never been much of a photographer when it comes to taking pictures of people, but he’s struck by a sudden desire to use the camera currently hanging around his neck and immortalize this man’s beauty in a photo or two. Or a hundred, even.

“Hello!” the man says cheerfully. “Welcome to Nana’s Ice Cream House! How can I help you two today?”

Jeno would probably have stood there staring for a little longer if Jisung hadn’t decided, at that moment, to poke Jeno’s cheek insistently. “Appa! We gotta order!”

It brings him back to his senses with a jolt, and he smiles apologetically at Jisung before making his way over to the counter. “Do you want to order by yourself, kiddo?”

Jisung is typically shy around strangers, just like his father, so it takes Jeno entirely by surprise when Jisung visibly perks up at the suggestion and turns to the man, smiling widely. “Please can I have one scoop of mint choco in a cup with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles and gummy bears? Appa says I can only have ice cream sometimes but today I’m allowed!”

The man seems to be utterly charmed by Jisung, if his soft expression is anything to go by. He briefly meets Jeno’s eyes and flashes a smile that has Jeno’s heart threatening to beat out of his chest before turning back to Jisung. “You know, that sounds like a pretty smart rule. I really like ice cream, but I don’t have it every day either because if I have too much, I might get a tummy ache. And those aren’t very fun, are they?”

Jisung looks truly horrified at the idea of getting a stomach ache, shaking his head hurriedly. “I hate tummy aches! I promise I’ll only have ice cream when Appa says yes.” He cocks his head contemplatively. “You really like ice cream too, just like me and Appa?”

“I love it!” the man says with a nod. “And do you want to know a secret?”

“Yes!” Jisung says excitedly, and Jeno has to wonder what kind of secret this man would want to share with a four-year-old he just met.

The man leans a little closer over the counter, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “I actually like ice cream so much that I opened this shop so I can share my love of it with everyone else, too.” Belatedly, Jeno notices the nametag pinned to the man’s apron – “NANA ☺” is printed on it in a cute-looking font, which makes sense, since he’s just revealed that he is, in fact, the “Nana” who owns the shop. Nana appears to have seen Jeno eyeing his nametag, because he adds, “I called the shop ‘Nana’s’ because that’s my nickname, but you can call me Jaemin-hyung instead, if you want.”

“Jaemin-hyung,” Jisung repeats, like he’s testing out how it sounds. “Can I call you Nana-hyung too?”

“Whatever you like the most is fine,” Jaemin says generously. Jeno secretly wonders if that also applies to him, but he cuts off that line of thinking before he can get too caught up in daydreams of choosing from a variety of other pet names to use on Jaemin. “Since you know my name, can I ask for yours?”

Jisung glances at Jeno, silently asking for permission, and Jeno has to give him a quick kiss on the cheek for being so good and remembering to always check before giving his name to strangers. “Go ahead, you can introduce yourself.”

“I’m Jisung Lee!” Jisung says proudly. “And Appa is my daddy.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Jisung,” Jaemin says, and he looks and sounds like he really means it. Jeno feels a bit like he’s melting right where he stands.

All of a sudden, Jisung becomes more bashful, smiling shyly as he says, “Nana-hyung, you’re really pretty.” Jeno has to silently agree with him, because Jaemin is the most attractive person he’s ever seen, and pretty is definitely the perfect word to describe him.

Jaemin’s smile threatens to break off his face. “Thank you so much! You’re very cute, too.” His eyes shift to Jeno then, even though he’s still technically talking to Jisung, and Jeno simply can’t look away. “So, Jisung, does your Appa also want mint choco ice cream? Or maybe something else?”

Jisung is about to answer when he’s distracted by Mark and someone else – a shorter man with a small but friendly smile – emerging from the back room. “Uncle Mark!” Jisung calls instead, squirming in Jeno’s arms until Jeno puts him down so he can run to his uncle.

“Jisungie!” Mark says, looking equally startled as he does happy. He walks out from behind the counter so he can sweep Jisung into his arms and hug him tightly. “What are you doing here, buddy?”

“Wait,” Jaemin says slowly, looking between Mark and Jeno. “Mark-hyung, is this the ‘Jeno’ you’re always talking about? I thought the name Jisung sounded familiar.”

Mark blinks at Jaemin for a moment before spotting Jeno over the top of Jisung’s head. “Jeno-yah! Why didn’t you tell me you were stopping by?”

“It was a last-minute decision,” Jeno says apologetically before breaking into a grin. “Although I’m pretty flattered that you’re apparently ‘always talking’ about me to your coworkers.”

Mark waves it off with a laugh. “I talk about my favorite nephew so often, his father is bound to come up too sometimes.” He pinches Jisung’s cheek fondly, eliciting a giggle, before lowering him to the ground and letting him go back to Jeno. “So, anyway, introductions! Jeno, I guess you and Jaemin have already kind of met.” Jeno meets Jaemin’s eyes again and sends him an awkward half-wave and a small smile, to which Jaemin responds with a grin that could probably light up the entire room. “And this is Renjun,” Mark continues pointedly after several long moments of Jaemin and Jeno just smiling at each other.

“Nice to meet you both,” Renjun says with a wave. “I’ve heard a lot about the two of you from this one.” He nudges Mark with his shoulder playfully.

“Oh, so you’re the Renjun that Mark-hyung never stops talking ab–” Jeno is cut off by Mark suddenly collapsing into a loud coughing fit, but it seems like Renjun heard enough anyway, because he looks extremely pleased with himself as he pats Mark on the back. Jeno has only seen them interact for a few minutes, but he already kind of wants to roll his eyes at their antics. 

Jaemin, who started preparing Jisung’s ice cream during the introductions, meets Jeno’s amused gaze and laughs quietly. They’ve been like this forever, he mouths, his eyes twinkling. He walks out from behind the counter a moment later and kneels down to present Jisung with a cup of ice cream topped with an entirely excessive amount of whipped cream, sprinkles, and gummy bears. “Here you go, Jisung. One very special order for one very special customer!”

Jisung’s eyes shine as he takes the cup. “Thank you!” He looks up at Jaemin expectantly. “Nana-hyung, did you know that I like to draw? I’m gonna draw right now! Do you wanna draw with me?”

“Sungie, he has to work,” Jeno starts to say, but Mark, who has miraculously recovered from his earlier coughing attack, interrupts.

“Junnie and I will take over, Nana, you’ve done a lot today,” he says. “And there’s no one here, anyway, so go have fun.”

Jaemin smiles gratefully at him before turning back to Jisung. “Of course I do! Lead the way!”

Jisung grabs Jaemin’s hand and leads him to a table, Jeno trailing quietly behind after he pays for the ice cream. He gives Jisung the colored pencils and paper he’s started carrying around ever since Jisung developed a fascination for drawing before leaning back to observe Jisung and Jaemin interact.

He’s curious, because he’s never seen Jisung take such a strong liking to someone he’s never met before so quickly. But somehow, Jisung is already comfortable enough around Jaemin to ask, with big eyes and a hopeful smile, “Please can I sit on your lap?”

And Jeno knows that rationally, he should probably be wary that his son is so enamored with this relative stranger, but in all honesty, he can’t find a reason to be. First and foremost, Mark is clearly friends with Jaemin, which makes Jeno significantly less concerned, because he trusts Mark’s judgment above anyone else’s. There’s also the undeniable fact that Jaemin is not only good at interacting with children, but also obviously enjoys it. He knows exactly what to say to make Jisung laugh out loud, helps him wipe whipped cream off his nose when he tries to eat too much ice cream in one bite, and compliments his artistic abilities completely genuinely, all with a smile on his face.

“So, Jeno,” Jaemin says, holding Jisung steady in his lap as he turns to talk to Jeno. “Are you a professional photographer or is it just a hobby?”

“Huh? How did you know about that?” Jeno blinks, slightly taken aback. How did he figure out that I’ve been thinking about taking pictures of him this whole time? he wonders in a mild panic. The moment the thought crosses his mind, he mentally reprimands himself for being so ridiculous, because there obviously must be a rational explanation for the question. But Jaemin doesn’t seem offended – in fact, he’s laughing, covering his mouth with one hand, and really, Jeno wishes he wouldn’t because he could honestly listen to the sound all day.

“Sorry,” Jaemin says, smothering the last of his giggles as Jisung looks up from his drawing, confused. He smiles down at Jisung reassuringly. “Keep drawing, Jisung-ah, everything is fine.” Jisung smiles back toothily and returns to his drawing while Jaemin looks at Jeno again, his eyes still alight with amusement. “I didn’t mean to laugh at you. It’s just that you’re, um, you’re wearing a camera around your neck.” He gestures to Jeno’s camera, which Jeno had in fact forgotten about.

“Oh,” Jeno says, smiling sheepishly. “I guess I’m just used to the first question being about Jisung. I wasn’t really expecting you to ask about me. And I, uh, kind of forgot I still had the camera with me.” He laughs in slight embarrassment.

Jaemin laughs too. “Well, I’m glad I could remind you, then! And by the way, what you want to share about your private life is up to you. As sweet as he is –” he smiles down at Jisung fondly and Jeno can feel his heart melting – “Jisung isn’t any of my business until you feel comfortable with sharing that story with me, if you ever do. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to know more about you.”

“That’s really considerate of you,” Jeno says, feeling a bit awed. “Anyway, to answer your question, no, I’m not a professional photographer. I’m still looking for a permanent job right now, but I have an internship at an architecture firm that mostly involves me taking pictures of buildings to use as references, so I carry this thing around with me a lot.” Jaemin nods in understanding, and Jeno decides that he should seize the chance to learn more about Jaemin, too. “So, you own this shop?”

Jaemin’s eyes light up as he replies. “Yeah, it’s relatively new, which I guess you might know since Mark-hyung only just got hired a couple of months ago, right after we opened for business. But I’m actually also taking classes at the local university to get a master’s degree in education. My original dream was to be an elementary school teacher, so who knows?” He shrugs, smiling. “Maybe I’ll get a chance to do that too someday.”

Considering how good Jaemin is with Jisung, Jeno isn’t particularly surprised to hear that. “I think you’ll be really good at it,” he says sincerely.

“Thank you!” Jaemin looks incredibly pleased at that, and Jeno silently congratulates himself on being the one to put such a lovely expression on Jaemin’s face. “Did you study here in the city or somewhere else?”

It’s easy from there for Jeno to launch into an explanation of how he got his architecture degree a few months ago from the same university that Jaemin is attending now, how it was difficult to keep up with his studies while also having to take care of Jisung right from the middle of his freshman year, how he’s spent the past couple of months searching for a stable job to support them. That’s how they’re found half an hour later by two unfamiliar men – Jeno and Jaemin quietly conversing and taking turns helping Jisung with his artistic pursuits, and Mark and Renjun unsuccessfully trying to pretend that they aren’t flirting at the counter.

“Minjae, I didn’t know you had a kid!” one of them says, smirking.

Apparently, Jaemin is familiar with the customers, because without even looking over, he sighs and shakes his head in apparent resignation. “Didn’t we ban you last week, Hyuckie?”

“Yeah, and then I decided that even though you own the place, you don’t actually have the power to ban a paying customer if they’re not technically doing anything wrong,” Hyuckie retorts, seating himself on the counter like he’s the one who owns the place.

“You’re not a paying customer though,” Renjun interrupts, finally tearing his attention away from Mark. “You’re just a pain in our a–”

“There are children here, Renjun!” Jaemin says, affronted, covering Jisung’s ears hastily.

“I only see one child,” the other man who came in with Hyuckie points out.

“Yeah, that’s because you’re one of the other ones, Lele,” Mark says.

Jeno feels a little lost. Jaemin seems to notice, because he leans over and pats Jeno’s hand comfortingly. “That’s my roommate Donghyuck. He’s also Renjun and Mark-hyung’s definitely totally platonic friend,” he explains, pointing to Hyuckie and putting air quotes around “definitely totally platonic friend,” which leaves Jeno somewhat miffed that his brother apparently hasn’t bothered to share several key details about his incredibly happening love life. Jaemin gestures to Lele next, continuing, “And that’s Chenle, Renjun’s little brother. The two of them have a habit of coming here every day and spending time irritating us instead of buying anything.”

“You love us,” Chenle says dismissively. His eyes land on Jeno and Jisung then, and he continues, “Anyway, who’s this?”

Mark jumps in to respond before Jeno or Jaemin can. “That’s my brother and his son.”

“Ah, the elusive Jeno-hyung and Jisung.” Chenle nods in recognition and Jeno has to wonder what exactly Mark has been saying about him and Jisung. “Well, it’s nice to meet the brother and nephew of one of my future brothers-in-law.”

Jeno is saved from having to reply to that by the sound of Renjun banging his head against the wall in apparent exasperation. Instead, he turns to Jaemin and quietly asks, “Are they always like this?”

Jaemin looks absolutely delighted by Jeno’s bewilderment, giggling behind his hand. “Pretty much, yeah.”

“Look, I finished my picture!” Jisung declares proudly, drawing everyone’s attention towards him. The picture in question consists of five figures that vaguely resemble people standing in a line and holding hands. “I drew Appa and Nana-hyung and me and Uncle Mark and Renjun-hyung!”

“It looks really good, Jisung-ah!” Jaemin says, once again sounding completely sincere. “I wish I could hang it up somewhere so everyone can see it.”

“You can have it,” Jisung says brightly. “Then you can hang it up and you won’t forget me!”

“I couldn’t forget you anyway, silly,” Jaemin says, booping Jisung’s nose gently. “But you have to promise to visit again soon, okay? I'll miss you when you go home!”

Jisung nods happily. “I promise!”

“Speaking of going home, we should actually probably head out now,” Jeno says, cutting in before Jisung can turn his pleading gaze on him and try to convince him to stay longer. “It was nice to meet you all.” He doesn’t mean for his gaze linger on Jaemin as he says it – except he kind of does, and it turns out to be worth it, even when Mark, Renjun, Chenle, and Donghyuck start snickering in the background, because Jaemin is positively glowing as he beams at Jeno in return.

“It was great to meet you too,” Jaemin says. “And Jisung, of course.” He crouches down so he’s face-to-face with Jisung. “You know, you’re giving me your drawing, so I think it’s only fair that I give you a little gift in exchange.” He goes behind the counter, and within thirty seconds, produces a little takeaway carton full of mint chocolate chip ice cream. “For you to enjoy at home,” he says. “Share it with your Appa since he didn’t get to have anything here, okay?”

Jisung nods happily and takes the carton. “Thank you Nana-hyung!”

Jeno moves to take out his wallet, but Jaemin stops him. “It’s on the house,” he says firmly. “I got to keep Jisung’s art, after all.”

“I – thank you,” Jeno says, smiling gratefully. “You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to,” Jaemin says like it’s nothing. “I’ll see you around?” He sounds almost hopeful, and Jeno doubts he’d ever be able to say no anyway, so he nods and relishes the radiant smile he gets in response.

“Yeah, you better come back soon,” Mark says, a playful threat in his voice. “You have no excuse now!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jeno tries to brush it off, even though he knows he won’t be able to stay away for long. “See you all!” He takes Jisung’s free hand and they wave to everyone as they walk out.

It’s only when they get home and Jisung declares that he can’t eat any more ice cream after dinner that Jeno notices that there’s something written on the carton Jaemin gave him. In bright pink marker, it reads, Thank you for letting me keep your lovely drawing, Jisung-ah~~ Don’t forget to visit your Nana-hyung again very soon! ♡ P.S. ~ Tell your Appa he’s invited too ☺♡

~~~

Jisung, of course, interprets “very soon” to mean “the very next day,” and begs to return to Jaemin’s shop, a request that Jeno finds particularly difficult to deny because it happens to be something he wants quite a lot too. He does, however, feel that he needs to maintain some semblance of being a father who doesn’t give in to his son’s every desire, so he resolutely refuses. “Sungie, we just went yesterday. You can’t have ice cream two days in a row.”

“But Appa,” Jisung whines, and Jeno almost caves at the sight of the adorable little pout, but then he pulls out his ace.

“Remember what Nana-hyung said?” he asks, trying not to think about how smoothly the nickname rolls off his tongue. “What happens if you have too much ice cream?”

“I can get a tummy ache,” Jisung says, his frown deepening. It’s enough to convince him that a trip to the ice cream shop is out of the question today, but he’s still a bit grumpy, even after Jeno presses kisses to his cheeks and lets him watch a movie, and he only lightens up slightly when Jeno suggests that they order pizza for dinner.

“And we’ll go back to the shop soon, okay? I promise,” he says, stroking Jisung’s hair soothingly.

“And see Nana-hyung?” Jisung demands.

“And see Nana-hyung,” Jeno agrees, hyperaware of the fact that he’s looking forward to it just as much as Jisung is.

Mark, who in addition to being his brother is also Jeno’s flatmate, comes home at dinnertime to find them both sulking on the couch, a box of pizza on the coffee table and a cartoon playing on TV. He grins at the sight of father and son sitting side-by-side with their arms crossed, twin morose expressions on their faces, and he has his phone out to take a picture before Jeno can even process what’s happening.

“So what’s up with the gloomy parade today?” Mark asks cheerfully, dropping himself on the couch next to Jisung.

“Who’s gloomy?” Jeno says defensively. “Also, delete that picture. Or at least crop me out.”

“I miss Nana-hyung,” Jisung informs Mark dutifully before Mark can reply to Jeno. “Appa said we can’t go see him today because I would get a tummy ache from too much ice cream so we got pizza instead.”

Mark smirks slightly, realization clearly dawning upon him. “Oh, so you’re both upset because you didn’t get to visit Jaemin today?” He throws a sly look in Jeno’s direction.

“No,” Jeno says too quickly, willing himself not to blush. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not even upset.”

“Okay,” Mark says, sounding far too amused and thoroughly unconvinced. “Anyway, I’m just going to send this picture to Jaemin now. He’ll certainly be happy to hear that his two favorite customers are already missing him, considering he spent literally the entire day talking about you.”

Jeno tries not to feel too happy about that. He was probably talking about Jisung, he tells himself sternly. Still, no matter what flimsy lies he tried to feed Mark, the fact remains that he hasn’t been able to get the image of Jaemin smiling prettily at him and the sound of Jaemin’s laughter out of his head all day.

He’s broken out of his thoughts by the sound of Jisung exclaiming, “Look Appa! Nana-hyung sent us a message!”

“Huh?” Jeno asks dazedly.

Jisung brandishes Mark’s phone at Jeno insistently. “See, look! Mark-hyung sent him the picture of us and said that we miss him a lot and he said that he misses us too!”

Jeno peers at the message more closely. soo cute~~, it reads. i miss you too jisungie <3 and jeno of course ;p

Mark wriggles his eyebrows at Jeno suggestively. “You two really hit it off yesterday, huh? Already at the ‘flirty emoji’ phase.”

“Can we please not talk about flirty emojis while my son is in the room?” Jeno asks with an exaggerated sigh. Fortunately, Jisung is happily typing out a clumsy message riddled with typos to Jaemin on Mark’s phone and seems oblivious to the conversation taking place over his head. “And it’s just an emoji, maybe he thought it would be weird if he only sent Jisung one. Also, we talked for maybe half an hour at most, that doesn’t mean we’re magically into each other.”

“I never said anything about you being into each other,” Mark says smugly. “I just said you seemed to get along well. But if you want to go down that road, I had a pretty good view of the two of you yesterday, and honestly, anyone would’ve thought that Jaemin personally hung the stars in the sky for you from the way you were looking at him.” His expression softens as he pats Jeno’s shoulder gently. “And let me tell you, Jeno-yah...I’ve never seen you look at anyone like that before.”

~~~

Jeno manages to hold out for one more day before Jisung practically drags him back to Jaemin’s shop – not that he has any complaints about that. It’s nearing the end of the day, which was an intentional choice on Jeno’s part in anticipation of the shop being less crowded during this time. Sure enough, when they arrive, the only people in the shop are Renjun, Donghyuck, Jaemin, Mark, and Chenle, with the former two bickering animatedly at one table, the latter two deep in conversation at another, and Jaemin leaning against the counter looking bored.

Jisung jumps out of Jeno’s arms the moment they walk through the door and runs towards the counter excitedly. “We came back, Nana-hyung! Did you miss us?”

Jaemin’s bored expression vanishes, replaced by a bright smile. “Jisung!” His eyes find Jeno, walking towards them with his hands in his pockets. “Jeno! It’s great to see you two again.”

“Finally, you’re here,” Donghyuck says, turning away from Renjun to send Jeno a long-suffering look. “Our little Minnie just won’t stop talking about you guys.”

“That’s not true,” Mark says, turning away from Chenle to join the conversation. For a moment, Jaemin looks grateful, but then Mark continues. “He stopped for fifteen seconds to take an order, remember?”

“Anyway,” Jaemin interrupts loudly. “What can I get for you today?”

“Mint choco again please!” Jisung says. “It tasted so good last time. Please can you make it the same way, Nana-hyung?”

“Of course,” Jaemin assures him with a smile. “I made sure to remember the whole thing, just in case you wanted it again. One mint chocolate chip scoop in a cup with whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, and gummy bears, coming right up.”

“And a chocolate scoop in a cone, please,” Jeno adds belatedly to give himself something else to do besides fall in love with Jaemin solely because he apparently made it a priority to memorize Jisung’s entire order. “Just a small one.”

“I got it,” Renjun says. Jaemin turns, raising an eyebrow at him, and receives a grin in response. “I’m sure Jeno will live even if his cone is prepared by little old me instead of you.” Chenle, Mark, and Donghyuck all seem amused by this – Jaemin just flushes slightly and turns back to face Jeno.

“Anything else?” Jaemin asks, and Jeno shakes his head. “Okay,” he continues, smiling at Jeno. “Your orders will be ready in a bit.”

“Great,” Jeno says, returning the smile. “Thanks, Jaemin. Come on, kiddo, let’s sit down.” Jisung, who wandered off after he finished ordering to greet Mark, returns to Jeno’s side as Jeno sits at the table next to Mark and Chenle’s.

“So, Jeno,” Donghyuck says conversationally, dropping into the seat across from Jeno and looking at him expectantly. Out of the corner of his eye, Jeno can see that Chenle is doing the same from his own seat. “When are you going to ask our Nana out?”

Jeno blinks a few times, slightly stunned. “Are you always this blunt?” he finally asks, trying to maintain his composure. “Some people might find it invasive. Disrespectful, even.”

“Only to people we like,” Chenle says in what he probably thinks is a reassuring manner.

“That means we like you,” Donghyuck says, apparently drawing the conclusion that Jeno didn’t pick up on what was being implied. Jeno thinks maybe he should be more annoyed with them, but he finds that he really isn’t at all. They seem like good people, despite their slight disregard for boundaries.

“I’m flattered,” he says dryly, but he also lets a small smile creep onto his face. Donghyuck and Chenle exchange a worryingly mischievous look then, clearly desperate to ask him something else. Jeno sighs internally. “All right, what is it?”

“Can we play with Jisung?” Chenle blurts out eagerly. “He’s so cute.”

Jeno laughs, amused by the unexpected question. They really are harmless, he thinks, surprising himself by feeling almost fond. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

Fortunately for Donghyuck and Chenle, Jisung is delighted to have two new playmates and immediately invites them to join him in a game that involves dancing and guessing what song the choreography corresponds to. By the third song, Jisung is winning, and Chenle and Donghyuck look highly impressed by Jisung’s dance skills.

“You dance so well, Jisungie!” Jaemin says as he sits down at their table with a cup of ice cream in one hand and a cone in the other. “Here’s your ice cream.” Jisung stops mid-dance to thank Jaemin enthusiastically and take the cup. Jaemin passes the cone to Jeno next. “And here’s your scoop of chocolate, Jeno-yah.”

Jeno smiles at him from across the table. “Thank you, Jaemin-ah.”

“I prepared the cone!” Renjun calls playfully from the counter, and Jeno laughs, sending Renjun a thumbs up of acknowledgement.

They stay there for at least half an hour, Jaemin and Jeno conversing with each other as Mark and Renjun start cleaning up the shop for closing and Jisung continues his game with Chenle and Donghyuck. A few minutes before the official closing time, Mark finally interrupts Jaemin and Jeno so that Jaemin can help with wrapping things up for the day. Jaemin throws Jeno an apologetic smile as he goes to pick up the trash left on the table, but Jeno just shakes his head fondly and picks it up first.

“You guys are going to come again, right?” Chenle asks as Jeno follows Jaemin back to the counter to throw away the garbage.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Donghyuck scoffs. “As if Jeno could stay away from precious little Minmin. And more importantly, as if Jisung could stay away from us.”

“I’ll miss you, Lele-hyung and Hyuckie-hyung!” Jisung says, hugging them tightly. “But next time I come, we can play more!” Chenle and Donghyuck nod enthusiastically in agreement.

“Don’t worry, we’ll come back soon,” Jeno promises, his eyes finding their way to Jaemin even though he’s talking to everyone else too.

And they do, two days later. And again, three days after that. And again, and again, until it becomes a habit and they stop by the shop at least twice a week.

Jeno has to spend a little more time at the gym every week and sit through Chenle, Donghyuck, Renjun, and Mark’s suggestive comments during each visit – but it’s entirely worth it for the smiles that light up Jisung and Jaemin’s faces every time the Lee father-son duo walks into Nana’s Ice Cream House.

~~~

“Okay, kiddo, you’re in charge of the list today,” Jeno says as he and Jisung make their way into the grocery store together. “Can I trust you to tell me what we need?”

“Yes Appa!” Jisung says excitedly, proud to have been given such a big responsibility. “I’ll only read the list and not add anything!” He’s been practicing his reading for school, Jeno knows, and he’s always eager for any opportunity to show off his skills.

“And make sure you stay right next to me, okay?” Jeno reminds him, ruffling Jisung’s hair and picking up a basket with his free hand.

“I will!” Jisung says, beaming up at him and clinging tightly to Jeno’s phone with both hands.

Jeno smiles, flooded with affection for his son. “So what’s first?”

“Eggs!” Jisung reads off the screen. “Are the eggs for when we have ramen?”

“That’s right!” Jeno says with a grin as they walk towards where the eggs are. “Look at you, already knowing how to make good ramen. Maybe next time I make some, I should have you help me.”

Jisung’s eyes light up. “Please can you? I promise I’ll be really helpful!”

Jeno laughs gently, placing the eggs in their basket before pinching Jisung’s cheek affectionately. “Of course I’ll let you help, silly.” He points at the list. “What’s next?”

“Bro – broccoli,” Jisung says, sounding out the long word and wrinkling his nose in disgust once he realizes what it is. “Gross, Appa! I hate broccoli!”

“I know,” Jeno says, amused. “But Mark-hyung and I like it, so we’ll just get a small amount, okay?”

Jisung seems to consider it for a moment, pouting a bit, before nodding grudgingly. “But you can’t make me eat it!”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Jeno says, shaking his head fondly as he adds several broccoli florets to the basket. In truth, he’s already trying to think of ways to sneakily add broccoli into some dinner recipes to make them healthier, but of course he isn’t going to tell Jisung that. “Where to next?” But Jisung’s attention is apparently elsewhere because he doesn’t reply. Jeno glances down at him, concerned. “Sungie?”

Jisung is staring, wide-eyed, at another customer standing a few meters away from them – someone who seems to be deep in thought as he looks at the various peppers on display. “Nana-hyung?”

The customer, who indeed turns out to be Jaemin, starts at the sound of his name and looks over at them, surprise written all over his face. “Who – oh! Jisungie!” His face lights up when he notices the little boy waving at him, and his smile only grows bigger as his eyes find Jeno next. “Hi Sungie, hi Jeno! Imagine seeing you here!”

Jeno’s heart stutters in his chest. It’s been a couple of months since they met, but this is the first time he’s seen Jaemin in something other than his work uniform. He isn’t wearing anything special – just a pink sweater and jeans – but Jeno thinks Jaemin is more beautiful than anyone else in existence. “Hi Jaemin,” he manages to say. “It’s nice to see you. Outside the shop, I mean.”

Jaemin’s eyes shine. “It’s really great to see you too.” He leans down to boop Jisung’s nose, much to Jisung’s delight. “Both of you!”

“We came to get groceries!” Jisung says. “And I’m in charge of the list. I can read all the things we need.”

“Wow!” Jaemin smiles at him, impressed. “That’s a big responsibility. You must be very smart to be able to read everything on the list.”

“I’m practicing how to read,” Jisung says, looking pleased at the compliment. “So I can do good in school!”

“Do well in school,” Jeno corrects him gently.

Jisung nods and tries again. “So I can do well in school!”

“I’m sure you will,” Jaemin says, ruffling his hair before meeting Jeno’s eyes. “You’re just the kind of responsible student I would love to have in my classes in the future. I bet your Appa is very proud of you.”

“Of course,” Jeno says, smiling softly at Jisung first, and then at Jaemin. “I’m always proud of him.” They stand there for a few seconds gazing at each other before Jeno remembers where they are and clears his throat abruptly, ridding his mind of stray fantasies about tugging Jaemin in for a kiss right here and now. “Well, anyway, we don’t want to hold you up, I’m sure you’re busy shopping.”

Jaemin shakes his head and shrugs. “I’m not in any hurry.”

“You can stay with us, Nana-hyung,” Jisung suggests. “Then we can all buy things together!”

“Well,” Jaemin says, considering the proposition. “If your Appa doesn’t mind me tagging along, then I’d love to.”

“Of course I don’t mind,” Jeno says immediately, and Jaemin beams at him, which is how Jeno knows he made the right choice.

They walk side by side through the store, conversing easily, while Jisung leads the way and reads off each item on the list. Jeno tries not to think about the way Jaemin looks at Jisung like he’s his own son, tries to ignore the urge to take Jaemin’s hand each time their hands brush together, tries to stop himself from thinking about how well they all fit together, like a real family.

He tries, he really does. But in all honesty, he’s not particularly surprised that he doesn’t succeed.

~~~

Jeno walks into Jaemin’s shop, one hand holding his camera and the other keeping Jisung at his side. Strictly speaking, there isn’t any reason for them to be here – they visited yesterday for Jisung’s ice cream and Jisung didn’t even ask today, but they went out for a walk earlier and Jeno found himself heading here almost subconsciously. As usual, Jisung starts to run toward the counter as they enter, but before he can fully let go of Jeno’s hand, Jeno’s grip involuntarily tightens as he stops short at the sight in front of him.

Jaemin is standing behind the cash register, leaning on the counter with his chin resting on his palm as sunlight streams in through the window and casts a soft glow on his face – he looks ethereal, divine, like something out of a fairytale. And Jeno, as a rule, never takes pictures of people on his work camera, much less without asking them permission first, but before he can stop himself, his hand is already sliding out of Jisung’s, and he’s holding his camera up to his face to capture a photo.

The sound of the camera clicking makes Jaemin’s head snap up in surprise. And if he was beautiful before, then he’s stunning now, a radiant smile lighting up his face at the sight of them. “Jeno! Jisungie! I didn’t expect to see you today!”

“Hi Nana-hyung!” Jisung finally runs to the counter and beams up at Jaemin. “We just came to see you!”

“Is that so?” Jaemin asks, sounding amused. “No ice cream for you today?”

“I had it yesterday, remember?” Jisung says with a pout. “Today we really only came to see you, I promise!”

Jaemin smiles, his expression fond. “I’m very honored.” He turns to Jeno and gestures to the camera. “By the way, what was so interesting in this humble little shop that you had to take a picture, Jeno-yah?”

“I, uh, it was –” Jeno stammers, trying to formulate the words to explain himself without seeming creepy.

“It was you, Nana-hyung!” Jisung says cheerfully, effectively cutting Jeno off. “Because when we came inside you looked so pretty, like a fairy princess!”

Jeno and Jaemin both turn pink at that, although Jaemin has a tiny, pleased smile on his face. “Sungie, why don’t you go find us a table? You can play some games while you wait,” Jeno says hurriedly, trying to keep Jisung from exposing him any further. Jisung runs off with Jeno’s phone, and Jeno offers Jaemin a flustered smile. “I can delete the picture if you want. I swear I don’t usually just randomly take pictures like that, but the lighting was perfect and –”

“It’s okay,” Jaemin interrupts, his cheeks still flushed. “I don’t mind.” Jeno is pretty sure he isn’t imagining the slight heat in Jaemin’s gaze as he looks Jeno straight in the eyes. “In fact, you can take more if you want.”

Jeno tries not to come off as too pleased at that. “Really?”

“Of course,” Jaemin says, and he’s definitely batting his eyelashes at Jeno now. “You don’t need to ask me permission. But you have to make sure you get my good side.”

“That’ll be easy. It’s not like you have a bad side.” Jeno says it quietly, but judging by the fleeting but undeniable flare of desire in Jaemin’s eyes, he wasn’t quiet enough. “Um, anyway, can I just get a small vanilla scoop in a cup with gummy bears, please?”

“Coming right up,” Jaemin says. The sultry undertones in his gaze somehow intensify further as he adds, “I guess Jisungie gets his love of gummy bears from his daddy, hm?” Jeno is left feeling embarrassingly hot and bothered by the suggestive way Jaemin eyes him as he says “daddy.”

Shaking his head quickly, Jeno gathers himself and pays for the ice cream, then joins Jisung at the table he picked out on the other side of the shop. Jisung is humming to himself as he plays a game on Jeno’s phone, so Jeno leaves him be and picks up his camera, watching Jaemin prepare the ice cream and resigned to the fact that his work camera is going to become a personal-use camera for today. He ends up taking about thirty pictures in the three minutes it takes for his order to be completed because apparently, Jaemin looks impossibly good while doing absolutely anything.

Eventually, Jaemin brings the ice cream over and places it on the table in front of Jeno. “Enjoy,” he says, ruffling Jisung’s hair affectionately as he flashes a coy smile at Jeno. Jisung doesn’t jump at the contact, obviously realizing exactly who it is, but he doesn’t look up from his game, either.

Jeno responds by capturing another picture of Jaemin’s face. “Thanks,” he says, lowering the camera and swallowing hard. “For everything.”

“My pleasure,” Jaemin says, his voice almost a purr, and he actually winks at Jeno before returning to the counter, his hips swaying tantalizingly as he walks away.

Jeno is left blinking after him, stunned into silence as his heart races. For a wild moment, he wishes that Mark or Renjun, or even Chenle or Donghyuck were here to confirm that he didn’t just imagine that whole exchange. There’s no way he was flirting so brazenly with me, Jeno tells himself firmly. There’s just no way...right?

~~~

Jeno walks as quickly as he can down the street while still keeping a tight hold on Jisung’s hand. Jisung, seemingly recognizing that his father is feeling a little frantic, follows his lead without complaint. They reach the coffee shop in just under ten minutes, which is quite a feat considering it’s almost a mile from Jeno’s apartment.

Jaemin is the only person in the shop when Jeno and Jisung burst in, his back to the door as he wipes a table down. “Nana-hyung!” Jisung immediately lets go of Jeno’s hand, a bright smile already on his face, and runs over to Jaemin, hugging his leg tightly.

“Sungie?” Jaemin asks as he looks down, startled. Despite his initial shock, he sweeps Jisung into his arms and allows the boy to kiss his cheek happily before turning his attention to Jeno, who’s still standing in the doorway and looking around the shop anxiously. “Jeno? Not that I’m not happy to see you, but we’re actually just about to close. We’re only open half the day on Wednesdays, remember?”

“That’s okay, I just needed to find Mark-hyung,” Jeno says hurriedly, because even though he’s feeling extremely hassled, wiping the apologetic look off Jaemin’s face is suddenly a priority in his mind. “Is he here?”

Jaemin looks slightly perplexed. “No? He and Renjun took off early today. I think they’re finally going on a lunch date with Hyuck, actually.” Normally, Jeno would be happy to hear that his brother and his friends finally got their acts together, but right now, all he feels is a rising sense of panic in his chest. Jaemin seems to notice, because his eyebrows furrow in concern. “Jeno-yah, what’s wrong?”

Jeno takes a deep breath. “I just – I have a job interview I have to be at in...” He glances down at his watch. “In less than half an hour, but there’s no one to look after Jisung.”

Jaemin stares at him incredulously. “I’m literally standing right here.”

“What?” Jeno asks, caught off-guard.

“I can look after Jisung, silly,” Jaemin says, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

Jisung, who’s been content to sit quietly in Jaemin’s arms and play with his hair this whole time, gasps in delight and turns to look at Jeno with pleading eyes. “Please Appa? Please can I stay with Nana-hyung? I promise I’ll be good!”

“I –” Jeno’s immediate instinct to protest dies in his throat as he looks at the two hopeful expressions in front of him. Jisung’s wide, pleading eyes paired with Jaemin’s breathtaking smile leaves Jeno with little choice but to say yes. “Only if it isn’t too much trouble for you, Jaemin-ah.”

“It isn’t,” Jaemin says immediately, hugging Jisung tighter. “I would love to look after my favorite ice cream lover!” He kisses Jisung’s nose with a smile as he speaks.

Jisung looks equally ecstatic at the prospect of spending the afternoon with Jaemin, leaning in to kiss Jaemin’s cheek again. “We’re gonna have so much fun! Thank you Appa!”

Some of the tension in Jeno’s mind eases as he watches the two of them interact. He makes his way over to where Jaemin is standing so he can press a kiss to the top of Jisung’s head. “Be good, okay Sungie? Your Nana-hyung is really amazing to do us such a big favor.”

“It’s nothing, Jeno, seriously,” Jaemin says, and Jeno is too distracted to notice the light flush that appeared on Jaemin’s face at his words. “Um, Hyuckie did request that I leave our apartment empty this evening, but if you want, I can ask them to go to Mark’s instead –”

“You don’t need to go to all that trouble,” Jeno interrupts quickly. “I mean, seeing as Mark’s is also mine. You could just stay with Jisung there, if that’s okay with you, of course. It might be easier, since all his things are there.”

Jaemin nods in agreement. “That works out perfectly, then.” He sets Jisung down on the table he was wiping before. “Sungie, you can lead me back home, right?”

“I know the way because we come here so much! So I remember the whole way home!” Jisung says proudly.

Jeno watches them fondly for a moment before another wave of urgency washes over him. “Okay, I really have to run now. Here’s the key to the apartment, and Jisungie can tell you my number, so just text me when you reach, okay? And let me know if there are any problems.”

“I’m sure there won’t be, but I will,” Jaemin says. “Go on now, I’m just finishing up here and then we’ll be on our way. And good luck with your interview, I know you’ll be amazing!”

Jeno turns to leave, but before he does, he faces Jaemin again. “This means a lot. Really,” Jeno says sincerely. “I just – thank you so much, Jaeminnie.” He doesn’t even notice the nickname slipping out until after he says it.

Jaemin’s cheeks are dusted with pink, but his voice is steady as he smiles softly at Jeno. “Any time, Jeno-yah.”

~~~

It’s nearing eight o’clock by the time Jeno reaches home, exhausted after an interview that went well enough that he was invited to both tour the entirety of the firm and shadow one of the head architects for a few hours. He walks into the apartment and is greeted by the absolutely adorable sight of Jisung curled up in Jaemin’s lap on the couch, his head resting on Jaemin’s chest and Jaemin’s arms wrapped securely around him as they watch a movie. Jeno feels completely wiped out, but the scene before him is so precious that he has to immortalize it.

Neither Jaemin nor Jisung noticed him opening the door, but the sound of his phone camera shutter makes them both jump in surprise. Simultaneously, they turn to face him, Jisung lifting his head off Jaemin’s chest to get a better view. “You’re home!” Jaemin says, his smile lighting up the room, and Jeno can’t help himself – he raises his phone and takes another picture.

“Hey,” he says, finally tucking his phone back in his pocket and meeting Jaemin’s eyes. “How was everything? I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”

“Jisungie is wonderful,” Jaemin says, and Jeno knows he’s being completely genuine. “He was no trouble at all, and we had lots of fun, didn’t we, baby?”

“It was so fun, Appa!” Jisung says excitedly, still perched comfortably on Jaemin’s lap. Jeno barely registers it, though, because his mind is reeling from the fact that Jaemin just referred to his son as baby. The clear indication that Jaemin genuinely cares this much about his son has him feeling like he might melt into a puddle on the spot. “Nana-hyung played lots of games with me and we had a snack and we read a story and then we started watching The Lion King!”

“Sounds like you had a great time, kiddo,” Jeno manages to say, belatedly offering Jisung a fond smile and ruffling his hair. He collapses on the couch next to them and turns to face Jaemin. “Jaemin-ah, I seriously can’t thank you enough. Just let me know how much you want for looking after him, I owe you.”

Jaemin looks at him for a moment, then shakes his head, smiling gently. “You don’t owe me anything, Jeno-yah. I offered to look after him because I wanted to.”

“Still,” Jeno insists, because there’s no way he’s accepting this as a free favor – Jaemin deserves better than that. The next words tumble out of his mouth before he can stop them. “If you won’t let me pay you, then at least stay for dinner.”

“Yeah!” Jisung chimes in before Jaemin can say anything. “Appa makes really, really good ramen, Nana-hyung. You have to try it! Please can you stay?”

Jaemin looks between the two of them and gives in almost immediately. “I – okay.” He has a pleased little smile on his face, and Jeno’s heart beats a little faster just from looking at him.

“Great!” Jeno says, trying not to make it obvious that the idea of Jaemin spending more time at home with him and Jisung is making him giddy with happiness. “I’ll just get Jisungie ready for his bath and then I can start dinner.” He attempts to hide a yawn as he prepares to get up.

“No offense, but you look dead on your feet,” Jaemin says, placing a hand on his arm to keep him from standing up. “You should rest for a bit, I can set up Sungie’s bath.”

Jeno is conflicted, because on one hand, he doesn’t want to trouble Jaemin any more than he already has, but at the same time, he really is tired and Jaemin doesn’t exactly look annoyed by the idea of helping out. “Are you sure?” he asks, but it’s half-hearted and Jaemin can clearly tell because he just smiles in amusement before standing up swiftly with Jisung in his arms.

“We’ll be out soon to help with dinner, okay?” Jaemin says before walking towards Jisung’s room, listening to Jisung chatter away happily about which bath toys are his favorites and why.

“Thanks, Jaemin-ah,” Jeno calls after them tiredly. He closes his eyes for a few minutes and tries to think about anything besides how perfect Jaemin looked sitting in Jeno’s apartment with Jisung in his arms. He can hear Jisung’s delighted giggles and Jaemin’s melodic voice coming from the bathroom, and he sighs wistfully. He fits so perfectly in our lives.

By the time Jaemin joins him in the kitchen with a pajama-clad Jisung skipping happily alongside him, Jeno has managed to drag himself off the couch and start cooking. Jaemin sets Jisung on an empty section of the counter and turns to Jeno. “So, how can we help?”

“You really don’t have to –” Jeno starts, but cuts himself off at the look Jaemin gives him. “I mean, how about you start cutting the vegetables and Jisungie can help me stir the noodles?”

Jaemin nods approvingly, sending Jeno a little wink before setting up the cutting board while Jeno lifts Jisung and seats him on the counter next to the stove. They work efficiently, the air filled with conversation as they talk about their days and Jisung keeps up a constant stream of chatter.

Finally, all that’s left is to let the noodles soften. Jaemin leans against one of the counters and watches as Jeno occasionally stirs the pot. “So, do you cook a lot?”

Jeno opens his mouth to reply, but Jisung answers for him. “Appa only cooks sometimes because he isn’t good at a lot of dishes, except for ramen. So a lot of times we order things. Uncle Mark tries to cook sometimes too but he’s worse than Appa. But we eat it anyway because we love Uncle Mark!”

“Well, I’m sure he’s very grateful for that,” Jaemin says, his eyes twinkling. “I can’t wait to try your Appa’s ramen, though.”

“It’s the best!” Jisung says confidently, and Jeno finds himself adamantly hoping that Jaemin agrees.

Jaemin grins. “I don’t doubt it.”

“Well, you get to judge for yourself now,” Jeno says, placing a portion of noodles in a bowl and offering it to Jaemin.

Jaemin tries a bite as Jeno fills another bowl for Jisung. “Oh, wow, this is so good!”

“It’s only ramen,” Jeno says sheepishly, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed. “Nothing special.”

“It’s amazing,” Jaemin insists.

“I told you,” Jisung says smugly around a mouthful of noodles. “Maybe you can come all the time for dinner, Nana-hyung. Then you can help Appa cook more things.”

“Jisungie, you know you shouldn’t talk with your mouth full,” Jeno scolds lightly, trying to cover up the way his heart is racing at the thought of Jaemin coming over for dinner more often.

Jaemin just smiles softly, holding his bowl in one hand so he can lift Jisung with his free arm and carry him over to the table. Jeno joins them at the table a moment later with his own bowl, and the three of them eat together, Jaemin occasionally stopping to feed Jisung a few bites despite Jisung being perfectly capable of feeding himself. “It would be nice to be here more,” Jaemin murmurs, and it’s so quiet that Jeno thinks that maybe he wasn’t meant to hear it.

Jeno doesn’t say anything in return, but his mind is suddenly filled with images of this happening every day, of Jaemin taking care of Jisung’s bath as Jeno starts dinner, Jaemin helping Jeno cook – or maybe the other way around, because Jaemin is basically guaranteed to be a better cook than him – while Jisung sits on the counter and provides moral support, of Jaemin feeding Jisung as the three of them eat together, of Jaemin slowly but surely becoming one of the most important parts of their lives. He’s nearly dizzy with how fiercely he wants it.

His heart feels too big in his chest as he watches Jaemin wipe Jisung’s mouth with a napkin, giggling at something Jisung said, and he thinks that for now, at least, just getting to have this is enough.

~~~

The next afternoon, Mark, upon hearing about the events of the previous evening, launches into a long lecture questioning why Jeno didn’t just ask Jaemin to be his boyfriend right then and there. “I just don’t understand, I guess. I know you haven’t dated since Jisung’s mother, but this is different. You clearly like him, Jisungie adores him, and you’re already practically dating him anyway. What’s holding you back, Jeno-yah?”

Jeno wants to point out that Mark, Renjun, and Donghyuck had, up until yesterday, been in the exact same position. Mark is right, though, and the more Jeno thinks about it, the more ridiculous it seems. It’s been pretty obvious since day one that Jeno is utterly, devastatingly attracted to Jaemin – he never even bothered trying to pretend that he isn’t. Moreover, Jaemin isn’t exactly subtle about the fact that he returns Jeno’s feelings. And of course, his willingness to fully accept Jisung into his life just shows that he has no qualms about filling the role of a parent, either. It’s easy with Jaemin, in a way that it’s never been with anyone else.

Suddenly, Jeno is exasperated with himself for not doing anything about this sooner. “I have to go,” he says abruptly, grabbing his phone and wallet. “Tell Sungie I’ll be back in a bit.”

“About time,” Mark says, his voice full of affection even as he rolls his eyes. “Good luck!”

Jeno runs out of the apartment and makes it to the shop in record time. He belatedly realizes that he has no idea whether Jaemin is working right now, but fortunately, fate seems to be on his side because he opens the door and walks in to find Jaemin in his usual spot at the counter.

Jaemin turns to see who the new customer is, and his face clouds with slight confusion as he takes in Jeno’s somewhat disheveled form. “Jeno-yah? Did you...run here?”

“I, uh – maybe,” Jeno manages to say, trying to catch his breath.

“Okay,” Jaemin says slowly, but doesn’t question it further. “No Jisungie today?”

“Just me,” Jeno says, his breathing finally back to normal, but his heart rate still elevated, although for an entirely different reason. “I have a question for you.”

Jaemin looks even more puzzled. “What’s up?”

“Would you like to go out with me?” Jeno blurts out. “I mean, like, date me?” Jaemin, looking rather taken aback, stares at him for a few moments without saying anything, long enough that Jeno starts to wonder if after all these months, he’s read the situation wrong.

“I –” Jaemin finally starts to say.

“It’s okay if you’re not interested,” Jeno adds hurriedly, suddenly paranoid that he’s forcing Jaemin into something he doesn’t want.

“It’s not that!” Jaemin says in a rush, looking embarrassed. “It’s just, I was kind of under the impression that I, um, already am?” He meets Jeno’s eyes sheepishly. “Dating you, I mean. I know we haven’t technically gone on any real dates, but...there was our shopping trip, and we flirt all the time, and we had a family dinner, and, I don’t know. We’ve kind of been at it for ages, haven’t we?”

It’s Jeno’s turn to be rendered speechless. “Oh,” he says. They look at each other for a few long moments before he clears his throat. “So...just to clarify, is that a yes?”

Jaemin rolls his eyes at him, all traces of embarrassment gone, but his eyes are still fond. “Yes, Jeno-yah. Of course it’s a yes. But I expect us to go on actual dates now, okay?”

Jeno feels a wave of relief wash over him. “Of course, Jaeminnie. All the time. Whenever you want.”

Jaemin giggles suddenly, lowering his voice a little. “You know, it’s really cute that you ran all the way here just to ask me that.” He rests his chin on his palms with his elbows on the counter, leaning closer to Jeno and peering at him through his eyelashes. “Very romantic. Kind of sexy, even.”

Jeno’s mouth goes dry, his face suddenly feeling quite warm. “Don’t get used to it, I hate running,” he says, but his voice wavers slightly, eliminating any chance of him coming off as serious.

“No promises,” Jaemin murmurs, and his face is so close now that Jeno is sure he’s going to kiss him right here in front of the whole shop, but then the door opens and another customer walks in. Jaemin presses a lingering kiss to Jeno’s cheek instead, one that feels far too sensual for a cheek kiss, before drawing away reluctantly. “If you wanted to go somewhere today, I don’t get off for another hour,” he says regretfully.

“That’s okay,” Jeno says, pulling out his wallet with a smile. “Could I get a scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough, a scoop of mint chocolate chip, and a scoop of pistachio, please?”

Jaemin’s eyes glitter in amusement as he rings up Jeno’s order. “That’s going to take you a while to finish, you know.”

Jeno lets his lips curl into a smirk. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I’ll have a view I won’t mind spending a while looking at.”

And if, after Jaemin brings his order over, Jeno passes the next hour licking his ice cream in the most suggestive ways possible every time he makes eye contact with Jaemin just to see him giggle and blush – well, that's something just for the two of them to share.

~~~

Jeno runs a hand through his hair for the fifth time in the last ten minutes and takes a calming breath as he and Jisung make their way up the stairs to Jaemin and Donghyuck’s apartment. He’s on his way to pick Jaemin up for their first official date – Jaemin had deemed the one on the day Jeno asked him out as their first unofficial date – and to drop off Jisung with Mark, Renjun, and Donghyuck, who volunteered to be his babysitters for the night.

“Appa, why are you scared?” Jisung asks curiously.

“I’m not scared,” Jeno says with a half-laugh. “I’m just nervous. You know that I like your Nana-hyung a lot, right?”

“I know,” Jisung says. “He makes you smile your super happy smile. You used to only smile your super happy smile at me and Uncle Mark, but now you smile it at Nana-hyung too.” Jisung’s certainty takes Jeno by surprise. He forgets sometimes that Jisung might be young, but he’s also very observant. “But then why are you nervous? Nana-hyung likes you a lot too. He told me.”

“Did he?” Jeno looks down at Jisung, surprised. “When?”

“When we played together at home before you came back and made ramen,” Jisung says matter-of-factly. “I already saw that you like him and so I asked him if he likes you and he said that he likes you very, very much.”

Jeno stops abruptly at that and kneels down to be at eye level with his son. “Sungie, I’m going on a date with Jaemin tonight. Do you know what that means?”

Jisung considers the question for a moment. “It means that you love him?”

Jeno laughs softly. “Well, not quite. It means that he’s my boyfriend. So I’m going to spend a lot of time with him from now on. He’s going to come to our house more, and we’ll go to his house more, and you’re going to see him a lot. And probably some day soon, yes, I’ll fall in love with him, too.”

Jisung beams at him, his smile lighting up his face. “I think it’s good that Nana-hyung is your boyfriend because then I can see him all the time! And I hope you fall in love because in school we learned that mommies and daddies love each other, so if you love each other then he can be my mommy!”

Jeno chokes a bit at that, not because it isn’t something he wants – in fact, it is something he wants, very badly at that – but because it’s a little soon to be thinking about that already. “Yeah,” he says faintly, “hopefully that’ll happen too, kiddo. Now let’s get going, yeah? They’re probably wondering where we are.”

The door to Jaemin and Donghyuck’s flat is already open – apparently Renjun and Mark just arrived together moments earlier. There’s a flurry of greetings as Jisung runs to hug everyone and Jeno receives a brief but firm “if-you-hurt-him” speech from Renjun and Donghyuck. “Not that we think you will,” Renjun adds thoughtfully at the end. “It’s only been four months and anyone can see that you’re half in love with him already.”

“Wonderful,” Jeno says dryly, but he doesn’t really have room to be embarrassed about it because he’s fully aware that Renjun is absolutely right.

“Are you ready to go, Jeno-yah?” And suddenly, Jaemin is in front of him and smiling, and he’s all Jeno can see. He looks the same as he always does – though he’s more dressed up, and the way his tight-fitting shirt and jeans accentuate his biceps and his waistline is driving Jeno more than a little crazy – but he’s also radiating happiness, and Jeno feels a bit breathless from how lovely he is.

“Whenever you are,” Jeno says, a goofy smile spreading across his face just from the knowledge that he’s the reason Jaemin looks like he’s glowing.

“Have fun you two!” Mark says, Jisung perched comfortably in his arms.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Donghyuck says with a grin. “Always be safe, and remember to use protection.”

“My son is right there,” Jeno grumbles, and Jaemin laces their fingers together to squeeze his hand comfortingly. “Please don’t corrupt him. That goes for all of you.” He’s not actually worried, though, and they apparently know that because they all just laugh and wave him off.

“Bye Appa! Bye Nana-hyung! I hope you have lots of fun and like each other even more!” Jisung says cheerfully, and neither of them can resist stepping forward to press kisses to both his cheeks before finally leaving.

“So where are we going?” Jaemin asks, his fingers still intertwined with Jeno’s as they walk down the street.

“There’s this restaurant Jisung and I go to a lot,” Jeno says. “He loves it, and I figured if you like it too then maybe next time all three of us can go. You know, if you want to.”

Jaemin beams. “I’d love that,” he says, and Jeno feels himself falling even more for this beautiful soul who doesn’t mind that Jeno and Jisung are a package deal, who has unconditionally accepted both of them into his life.

The restaurant is only a short walk away, and it’s not long before they’re seated and looking at the menu – though in reality, it’s more like Jaemin is looking at the menu and Jeno is looking at Jaemin. They order after Jeno recommends a few dishes he likes, and they chat comfortably while they wait for the food.

Once it arrives, Jaemin is so focused on starting his meal that he doesn’t notice Jeno pulling out his phone, and only looks up when the phone camera shutter goes off. “Are you really still taking pictures of me?” he asks, looking amused. “Don’t you get tired of seeing the same face in all your photos?”

“Never,” Jeno says, and he knows it’s cheesy, but it’s worth it for the sweet smile that spreads across Jaemin’s face.

“Let me see it,” Jaemin says suddenly, and before Jeno can react, Jaemin has snatched his phone away.

“Hey!” Jeno protests, but he’s not really trying very hard to stop Jaemin.

“Your lockscreen is so cute,” Jaemin says fondly, taking in the picture of Jisung smiling toothily at the camera. Jeno has his phone set to unlock with facial recognition, so Jaemin unlocks it easily by aiming the front camera at Jeno for a moment. His eyes widen slightly when he sees Jeno’s wallpaper, his original intentions for taking Jeno’s phone forgotten. “Wait, this...this is me.”

“The first time you and Jisungie hung out without me,” Jeno says. “I took a picture as soon as I walked in, remember?”

“Wow,” Jaemin says softly. “You really made me your wallpaper?” Jeno reddens, but he nods, seeing no shame in admitting that his boyfriend – and he can’t believe how good it feels to be able to call Jaemin that – is his phone background. Jaemin bites his lip, and suddenly he’s pulling out his own phone and taking a picture of Jeno.

“Hey, what was that for?” Jeno asks, though he isn’t really upset.

“Now I have a picture of you to put as my background,” Jaemin says, his eyes twinkling. And sure enough, he sets his wallpaper as the picture he just took. “It goes well with my lockscreen, don’t you think?” He shows it to Jeno – it’s a selfie of Jaemin and Jisung in Jeno’s apartment taken on the same day as Jeno’s wallpaper picture. “Jisungie set it as my lockscreen for me after we took it.”

“He likes you so much,” Jeno says, his heart filled with warmth at the truth of it. “Right from the first day he met you, he’s liked you.”

“I liked him then too,” Jaemin says easily. “Right away.” His smile turns coy as he adds, “And I was also pretty attracted to his dad.”

Jeno smiles at that before looking Jaemin directly in the eyes. “Remember how you said I didn’t have to tell you Jisung’s story until I wanted to? Well, I want to.” Jaemin nods encouragingly, and Jeno takes that as a cue to continue. “He was born when I was eighteen. His mother was my girlfriend at the time, and I was so sure we were in love.” He smiles wryly. “But we had one careless night, and she blamed me for throwing her life completely off-balance in our first year of college. And she was kind of right, so I don’t blame her for leaving. But she went through with the pregnancy and let me have full custody of Jisung, no questions asked, and that was all I could ask for, really. It was totally unexpected, but...I just couldn’t not keep him. He’s the most precious thing in my life.”

Jaemin reaches for his hand across the table and squeezes it. “And you’ve been such an amazing father. I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been to raise a baby alone.”

“Well, to be fair, I wasn’t completely alone,” Jeno says, slightly embarrassed at Jaemin’s effusive praise. “Mark-hyung has been there from the start. I couldn’t have done it without him.”

“Still,” Jaemin says insistently. “It can’t have been easy, even with his help. And for the record, I’m positive you’re the most precious thing in Jisung’s life too.” He smiles warmly. “Thank you for telling me, Jeno-yah.”

“I wanted you to know,” Jeno says, squeezing back. “Now, we really should eat, because I think the food’s gone cold.” Jaemin laughs, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth the way he always does, but this time, Jeno reaches out his own hand to stop him. “Don’t cover your face, Jaeminnie. I like to see you laugh.”

“You’re so sappy,” Jaemin teases, but his eyes are alight with happiness as the two of them finally start eating. They spend nearly an hour talking as they enjoy their food, and after Jeno manages to convince Jaemin to let him pay the bill – “I’m the one who asked you out!” – they head out into the night, holding hands again.

“So, did our first official date live up to your expectations?” Jeno asks playfully.

“Hm,” Jaemin hums, pretending to think about it. “Well, almost.”

Jeno raises an eyebrow. “Almost?”

“The food was amazing, and the company was even better,” Jaemin says. He stops walking and looks Jeno in the eye, leaning in close to whisper, “The thing is, the whole night was perfect and I really like this guy. But you know what? He didn’t even kiss me.”

Jeno lets out a quiet laugh as he wraps his arms around Jaemin’s waist and leans closer to him. “Shame on him,” he murmurs, before closing the gap between their faces. Jaemin tastes like the wine they had with dinner and something else, something sweet and addictive, and Jeno can’t get enough of it. Jaemin’s hands find the back of Jeno’s neck as they try to pull each other impossibly closer, the kiss growing more heated the longer it lasts.

They finally break apart to breathe, cheeks flushed and eyes bright as they rest their foreheads against each other. “I changed my mind,” Jaemin says, smiling at Jeno. “Our first date surpassed every expectation I had.”

Jeno grins and presses another searing kiss to Jaemin’s lips. “Let me try to surpass them even more?” he asks, squeezing Jaemin’s waist gently. Jaemin nods immediately, and Jeno pecks his lips again before pulling away, his eyes full of promises. “Then let’s go home so I can really blow your mind.”

And once they reach Jeno’s apartment and Jeno has Jaemin splayed out on the sheets underneath him, he proceeds to do just that until they’re both too spent to go on. They fall asleep still tangled together, sated and dreaming of the near future where they’ll get to have each other – and Jisung – every day, forever.

~~~

Jeno wakes up to an empty bed. This isn’t unusual – he’s long accepted the fact that Jaemin, like Jisung, is an early riser. He can hear Jisung’s delighted giggles coming from the living room, and he feels himself falling a little more in love with Jaemin for always being able to make his son – their son, really – so happy. It isn’t a particularly special morning, because most Saturday mornings begin this exact same way, but Jeno finds himself overcome with emotion anyway. Today’s the day, he thinks. Suddenly much more motivated to get up, he pulls himself out of bed and grabs his phone, along with the little velvet box that’s been hiding in his drawer for weeks.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Jeno asks, walking into the living room, recording everything on his phone. “Did my two favorite boys decide to start the day without me?”

Jaemin and Jisung both look up from where they’re assembling words with Jisung’s letter blocks, which Jaemin and Jeno had bought after Jisung informed them that his school teaches English as a second language – “and I love learning English! I’m gonna be the best English speaker ever!” he had proclaimed. Jeno’s heart skips a beat as he watches both Jisung and Jaemin’s faces light up at the sight of him.

“We had to, Appa!” Jisung says earnestly as Jeno draws nearer and zooms the camera in on him. “You sleep lots more than me and Mama, and Mama said we shouldn’t disturb you or you’ll start sulking.”

Jisung has been calling Jaemin “Mama” ever since Jaemin moved in five months ago – the same time Mark moved out to live with Renjun and Donghyuck – but it still does funny things to Jeno’s heart to hear him say it. He’s looking at Jeno expectantly now, though, so Jeno brushes it off and raises an eyebrow playfully at Jisung’s accusation instead. “Is that so?” He shifts the camera to focus on Jaemin. “And what do you have to say about this, darling?”

Jaemin looks at him with wide eyes, pretending to be shocked, though there’s the barest hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “What? I would never say something like that, baby, how could you lie to your Appa like that?”

“Mama, don’t be silly!” Jisung giggles, and Jeno sits down next to them as he zooms the camera out so he can capture the way Jaemin’s eyes shine as he watches Jisung with adoration. “You always say Appa will get sulky if we wake him up too early!”

“I might be sulky anyway,” Jeno says in warning, although the smile on his face negates any chance of him looking upset. “After all, I haven’t had my coffee yet because someone decided to abandon me in bed this morning.” Jaemin bites his lip to stifle his laughter, but Jisung suddenly looks concerned, so Jeno adds, “But maybe if I get a hug, I might not be anymore.”

Jisung brightens up and throws himself at Jeno happily. “I’ll hug you, Appa!” Jeno doesn’t bother trying to keep the camera steady – he’s too busy hugging Jisung back. “Now you can’t be sulky anymore!”

“Yeah, Jeno-yah,” Jaemin interjects, his smile light and teasing. “No more sulking, even without coffee.” Jeno sticks his tongue out at his boyfriend over the top of Jisung’s head, and Jaemin collapses into laughter. He’s beautiful to watch like this, his unrestrained happiness one of Jeno’s favorite sights, and Jeno is suddenly even more grateful that the whole thing is being captured on film.

In the meantime, Jisung has untangled himself from Jeno and returned to his blocks. “So anyway, what are you two doing?” Jeno asks, refocusing the camera on the scene in front of him.

“We’re trying to spell me and Mama’s names!” Jisung says proudly. “We have two of the same letters, so that makes it easier.”

“I’ll bet,” Jeno says with a grin. “What about my name? We have one letter that’s the same too.”

“Your name is easy, Appa! There’s only four letters for your name. There’s six for me and Mama’s,” Jisung says, gesturing with his arms for emphasis.

“Can you try to spell it for me anyway? Please?” Jeno asks, smiling fondly at how Jisung nods enthusiastically in response.

Jisung searches through the blocks intently for a few moments and then arranges his chosen letters. “Look, I did it!”

“That’s very impressive, baby,” Jaemin says warmly, pressing a kiss to the top of Jisung’s head before his expression turns mischievous. "But I think we don’t even need your Appa!” Jisung tilts his head curiously and Jaemin continues, “Our names share two of the same letters, but Appa’s name and yours only share one.” Jaemin winks at Jeno teasingly before turning back to Jisung. “So I say we don’t need him. What do you think?”

Jisung’s face lights up – he loves helping Jaemin tease Jeno. Not for the first time, Jeno wonders how Jisung managed to become such a mommy’s boy. But then again, Jisung was immediately drawn to Jaemin on the first day they met, so maybe it’s not so surprising after all. “Yeah! We don’t need Appa!” Jisung says happily. He pushes the blocks away to prove his point and sticks his tongue out at Jeno, his eyes sparkling in delight.

“Oh, I see,” Jeno says with a sigh, playing along. “You two just don’t love me anymore. Maybe I should just go.”

“No, Appa! You can’t leave! Mama, we have to make him stay!” Jisung crawls into Jaemin’s lap and they both pout at Jeno, Jaemin pulling Jisung closer and widening his eyes in an attempt to be more endearing. Jeno has to admit that it’s very effective. “You didn’t even let Mama make us breakfast yet!”

Jeno pretends to think. “I don’t know Jisung, you and your Mama are really ganging up on me today. I don’t think I can let you two get away with this.”

“Oh really? I could always just make you do the cooking for today,” Jaemin says, clearly trying not to laugh.

“Just you wait, we’ll see who’s laughing!” Jeno suddenly puts down the camera and lunges at them, sweeping Jisung into his arms. “And just so you know, I’m not letting either of you go until I get a proper apology!”

Jisung laughs and wriggles in Jeno’s hold as Jeno starts peppering kisses all over his face. “I’m sorry, Appa! I love you!”

Jeno gives him one last kiss on his cheek before he relents and lets Jisung go. “I love you too, Sungie. Do you want to go pick out what you want for breakfast while I deal with your Mama?” Jisung nods and runs into the kitchen excitedly.

Jeno turns to Jaemin, smirking, and slowly crawls towards him until he has Jaemin caged against the couch. “So, Jaeminnie, any last words?”

Jaemin looks up at him innocently. “Are you suggesting I should be scared of my boyfriend who’s dressed in his Cinnamoroll pajamas?” He leans away from Jeno slightly and pretends to be scared, though the smile on his face ruins the effect entirely. “Very frightening!”

“I can be scary,” Jeno complains, moving closer and bumping his nose against Jaemin’s affectionately. “Even with my Cinnamoroll pajamas, which happen to be my favorite. And they’re very comfortable.”

“I hate to break it to you, but you aren’t scary, babe,” Jaemin murmurs, still smiling as his lips brush against Jeno’s. “Not even a little. But that’s okay, because I love you anyway.”

Jeno kisses him properly at that, keeping Jaemin’s back pressed against the couch as he brings a hand up to cup Jaemin’s face. “I’ll take that as an apology, then,” Jeno whispers into the kiss. “And I love you too.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” Jaemin giggles softly. “Here I was thinking this is a one-sided relationship and Jisungie is the only one who wants me here.”

“Not a chance,” Jeno says, kissing him again. “I’ll have you know that I plan on keeping you forever.” Jaemin’s breath hitches as he gazes up at Jeno, and Jeno swears he can see galaxies in Jaemin’s eyes.

“I’ll hold you to that, Jeno-yah. I’m never going to leave.” Jaemin’s voice is full of emotion and Jeno can’t stop himself from capturing his boyfriend’s lips with his own again.

Jeno draws away after a few long moments, drinking in the gorgeous sight in front of him. “Do you promise? You promise you’ll never leave?” Jaemin looks a little confused, but his face is determined as he nods anyway. He’s stunning, his cheeks flushed and his lips red and his eyes shining, and suddenly, Jeno knows this is the right moment, knows he doesn’t want to spend another second waiting. “Marry me, Jaeminnie.”

Tears well up in Jaemin’s eyes as he stares at Jeno in surprise, but before he can say anything, there’s a tiny gasp. They both turn to find Jisung holding the still-recording phone that Jeno had put down before, his eyes wide with amazement. “Appa, are you...marrying Mama now?”

Jeno looks at his son for a moment, and then turns back to Jaemin, who’s still trying to stop his tears from falling. Once again, Jeno is flooded with affection and love for the beautiful man in front of him. “Well,” he says with a lopsided smile, “only if he says yes.”

“You’re so stupid, Nono,” Jaemin sniffles, his tears finally spilling as he leans up to kiss Jeno thoroughly. “Obviously I’ll marry you, even though you didn’t even ask properly or give an emotional speech or offer me a ring.”

“Why didn’t you give Mama the ring?” Jisung asks. He looks at Jaemin intently. “Appa showed it to me a long time ago and said one day he was gonna give it to you so you can stay with us forever. It’s really pretty, Mama. Just like you!”

Jaemin crosses his arms upon hearing that and, through teary eyes, pouts at Jeno, who pulls the box out of his pocket sheepishly. “Okay, let’s try again.” He opens the box and offers it to Jaemin. The ring, a slim gold band with tiny pink diamonds embedded within it, shines under the living room lights. “Na Jaemin, Nana, Jaeminnie, you’re the best thing in my life, and in Jisung’s too. It’s been almost two years since we walked into your shop and met you, and now I can’t imagine a future where you aren’t in it, without the two of us raising Jisungie together as a family. You make both of us so happy and we love you so, so much and we want you with us forever. So...will you marry me?”

“Of course I will!” Jaemin is properly crying now, but he looks dazed with happiness as Jeno slides the ring onto his finger. He pulls Jeno in for yet another kiss before motioning for Jisung to join them. Jisung runs over ecstatically, and Jaemin takes the camera from him so he can record Jisung’s reaction. “How do you feel about this, baby?”

Jisung breaks into a wide, dazzling smile. “I’m so happy because I love you and now you can officially be my Mama and live with us forever and we can have ice cream every day!” Jaemin’s responding smile could light up an entire city.

It isn’t the big, elaborate proposal Jeno imagined in his early days of planning because he’s always thought that Jaemin deserves something special, something unforgettable, something perfect. But as he watches Jisung cuddle into Jaemin’s embrace, as he admires Jaemin’s breathtakingly beautiful smile, as he pulls both of them into his arms and his phone captures every moment, Jeno realizes that this is special and unforgettable and for them, that’s enough – it’s perfect.