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Tutor took a deep breath, adjusting his grip on Teetee, who was currently latched onto Yim like a tiny, stubborn koala. Yim sat on the bed, flushed and exhausted, gently prying Teetee’s little hands off his shirt.
“Teetee, baby,” Yim cooed, voice soft but firm. “Papa needs to rest, okay?”
Teetee’s big eyes shimmered with betrayal. “Nooooo!” he wailed, clinging even harder.
Tutor sighed. This was going to be a long day.
“Come on, kiddo,” Tutor tried, scooping Teetee up. “Let’s give Papa some space—”
Bad move.
Teetee screamed like he was being kidnapped, kicking and flailing. “PAPA!!”
Tutor panicked. “Babe, help?”
Yim gave him the most exhausted look. “He’s your son too.”
“Yeah, but he loves you more!”
Yim sighed but finally pried Teetee’s tiny fists off his shirt. “Teetee, be good for Daddy, okay?”
Teetee sniffled, still reaching for Yim. “No want Daddy. Want Papa.”
Tutor gasped. Betrayal.
Yim bit back a laugh. “I’ll make it up to you later,” he said, pressing a kiss to Tutor’s cheek before disappearing into the bedroom to rest.
Tutor turned to face his tiny opponent.
“Alright, buddy, let’s do something fun! How about coloring?”
“No.”
“Building blocks?”
“No.”
“Going outside?”
“No.”
Tutor exhaled through his nose. “What do you want?”
Teetee crossed his arms. “Papa.”
Tutor was this close to admitting defeat when Teetee’s face scrunched up his little lip wobbling. Oh no. The tears were coming.
“Wait, wait! No crying—um—do you want to watch cartoons?”
Teetee paused. “…with Papa?”
“Without Papa.”
Teetee screamed.
Tutor grabbed his phone. Time to call for backup.
Tutor slumped onto the couch, bouncing a very angry Teetee on his lap while waiting for the call to go through. The moment Net picked up, Tutor didn’t even say hello.
“Help.”
There was a pause. “Help… with what?”
Tutor turned the phone around so Net could hear Teetee’s dramatic wailing.
“Ah.” Net snorted. “So you finally lost to a toddler.”
“Just get over here!”
“Fine, fine, I’ll bring reinforcements.”
Five minutes later, the front door swung open, and Net waltzed in like he owned the place, followed by JJ, who was holding two bags of snacks.
Tutor sighed in relief. “Thank God.”
“Alright, where’s the little demon—” Net started, but before he could finish, Teetee locked eyes on JJ.
There was a moment of silence.
Then— “JAY-JAY!!”
JJ barely had time to react before Teetee launched himself off Tutor’s lap and into JJ’s arms. The tantrum? Gone. Tears? Dried. It was like a switch had flipped.
JJ laughed, catching him easily. “Well, hi there, Teetee.”
Tutor stared in betrayal. “Excuse me—what?”
JJ gave him an innocent look. “What? I’m his favorite.”
Net smirked. “Ouch. That’s gotta hurt.”
Tutor pointed aggressively. “This child screamed for his Papa for an hour and now just—what?—decides Jay-Jay is good enough?!”
Teetee snuggled into JJ’s shoulder, completely content. “Jay-Jay smells nice.”
Tutor gaped. “I—I smell nice too! I literally have the same scent as Yim!”
Teetee scrunched up his nose, and whispered, “No.”
Net wheezed.
Tutor looked at JJ, offended. “What do you even smell like?”
JJ shrugged. “Vanilla and honey, I guess?”
Net suddenly leaned in closer, inhaling dramatically near JJ’s neck. “Mmm. Yeah. You do smell good.”
JJ froze. “…Did you just sniff me?”
Net grinned. “Yeah. What are you gonna do about it?”
JJ looked two seconds away from smacking him with a bag of chips.
Tutor groaned, rubbing his temples. “I called you two for help, not to start flirting in my house.”
JJ rolled his eyes. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
Tutor exhaled sharply. “Fine. If JJ can keep Teetee occupied, Net, you and I are gonna cook dinner.”
Net visibly paled. “Wait. Hold on. I don’t cook.”
“Well, you do now,” Tutor said, grabbing Net by the collar and dragging him toward the kitchen.
“Jay-Jay, save me!” Net called dramatically.
JJ smirked. “Nah. You got this, buddy.”
As Tutor shoved Net into the kitchen, he heard Teetee giggle, happily snuggled in JJ’s arms. Finally. Some peace.
Or so he thought.
Because five minutes later, the fire alarm went off.
Yim was deep in the middle of his heat-induced rest when something loud and awful shattered his peaceful sleep.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Yim’s eyes flew open. The fire alarm?!
Panic surged through his drowsy body as he bolted upright. His first thought was Teetee. His second was Tutor. His third was Tutor is an idiot.
Ignoring the lingering exhaustion in his body, Yim stumbled out of the bedroom and into pure chaos.
The entire living room was covered in flour and chips.
Teetee was sitting on the floor, happily munching on a cookie while JJ, looking far too relaxed, scrolled on his phone.
Tutor and Net were in the kitchen, aggressively flapping towels at a smoking oven.
The fire alarm was still blaring.
Yim took a deep breath. He did not have the energy for this.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"
Everyone froze.
Teetee turned first, gasping dramatically. “PAPA!!”
Tutor peeked his head out of the kitchen, eyes wide. “Babe! You’re awake! How are you feeling?”
Yim folded his arms. “Like I woke up in the middle of a natural disaster.”
JJ, completely unfazed, popped a chip into his mouth. “That’s pretty accurate.”
Yim’s eyes landed on Net, who was still holding a pan with something black and smoking on it. “Net… what is that?”
Net slowly turned the pan toward him. “Uh… It was supposed to be chicken.”
Yim pinched the bridge of his nose. “So let me get this straight… I left you in charge for a few hours, and in that time, you nearly burned the house down?”
Net gestured toward the smoking pan. “And in our defense, the recipe didn’t say not to put the oven on max heat.”
Yim blinked. “WHAT RECIPE SAYS TO DO THAT?!”
JJ scrolled on his phone, smirking. “None. They were winging it.”
Tutor glared at JJ. “You were supposed to be helping.”
JJ held up Teetee, who was still happily munching on a cookie. “I did. My job was keeping the little one entertained.”
Yim sighed. “Unbelievable.” He walked toward Teetee and scooped him up, kissing his forehead. “At least my baby is okay.”
Teetee snuggled into Yim’s neck. “Papa smells nice again.”
Yim smiled. “Thank you, baby.” Then he turned to the others. “You three, clean up. Now.”
Net groaned. “Ugh, I was hoping you’d be so happy to see Teetee safe that you’d forget about the mess.”
Yim gave him a look. The Look.
Net grabbed a sponge immediately. “Right. Got it.”
Tutor leaned in, whispering, “You’re so scary when you’re mad. It’s kinda hot.”
Yim flicked him on the forehead.
And just like that, peace was restored... mostly