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The sky is crystal clear, the sun is shining bright, the birds are chirping melodies, truly a perfect morning to wake up to—for it isn't just any day—it is Nicholas’ first anniversary with the one and only Byun Euijoo.
As he rouses from his sleep, Nicholas can't help the smile that takes over his face as he reminisces about his soulmate. Oh, how he had been pining for the bright eyed boy, for years upon years. Nicholas never dared to profess his love—too afraid of getting his heart broken but unafraid of showing his unfiltered adoration for the ever so oblivious boy.
Heaven knows how they even got together in the first place. Nevermind, Nicholas actually does know, and he gets so giddy recalling how Euijoo was the one who actually made the first move! Quite uncharacteristic of him, Nicholas must say, but it did happen. He doesn't know how exactly, but their friends had somehow instilled the confidence Euijoo lacked and pushed him to confess before Nicholas “gives up on him” (well, jokes on them Nicholas was in the long run for this homoerotic pining game).
He still remembers how nervous Euijoo was, shaky hands gripping on a bouquet, words stumbling out of his mouth, “I'm most like myself when I'm with you, Nichol”; Nicholas’ eyes welling upon the confession, gentle kisses through messy tears—oh, how the memory is engrained in his brain. It's so surreal to think that it's been an entire year since.
To top it all, they've been in their never ending honeymoon phase, much to the displeasure of their friend circle—weekly movie nights now served witness to their blatant display of affection.
“They were more bearable when they weren't all over each other,” Fuma would quip loudly over Maki’s fake gags. The group groaned in agreement while Yuma jokingly added, “Should've never pushed Euijoo to confess, atleast the constant bickering forced them to keep it in their pants.”
Euijoo would simply laugh and further snuggle into Nicholas’ side on their designated loveseat, all while Nicholas would simply count his blessings and ignore the others’ grievances. They should've known what was coming for them~!
“All I ever think about is your pretty face.”
A ringtone cuts through Nicholas’ trip down memory lane, and it wasn't just any ringtone, but the customised one for his beloved.
Nicholas rolls over his bed, eager to pick up his phone from the side table, not wanting to miss the precious call. One year into their relationship and he still feels like a giggly high school girl.
“Juju—”
“Nichol.” A stressed Juju breaks through his sunshine and rainbows.
Oh no. Nicholas immediately shoots out of his bed; he can feel his heart drop to his stomach, that tone did not bear good news.
Too caught up in the negative connotations, he failed to realise that Euijoo was rapidly talking. Nicholas snaps back to reality, unable to decipher the speech, asking for the younger to take a deep breathe.
Ever the obedient fella, Euijoo instantly takes a deep breath to let out perhaps the most dreaded sentence Nicholas would ever hear, “I’ll have to take a raincheck for our date.”
Nicholas could practically hear Euijoo pouting through the phone, only to realise that he himself was pouting upon hearing those words in the very first place. As though he was being watched, Nicholas quickly schools his expression, pretending to remain unaffected so as not to cause further misery to his troubled Juju.
“What happened, Juju? Is there anything I can help with?” worry evident in Nicholas’ tone. The two of them were done with their finals so he knows it's nothing related to academics—but the stressed voice indicates that an incident has definitely occurred—and Nicholas would do anything to ease any and every burden off Euijoo’s shoulders. In a flash, he runs to get changed and reach his lover at the earliest.
Euijoo lets out a long and tired sigh, causing Nicholas’ heart to clench tight as he blindly searched for his jacket, “One of my babysitting clients had an emergency and abruptly dropped off their daughter at 5 in the morning and I didn't want to wake you up earlier because I know how cranky you get but it's our anniversary and I had our whole day planned and now I feel helpless because I didn't want to disappoint you—”
“Juju nooo, you could never disappoint me,” Nicholas cuts him off to gently chide Euijoo as he grabs his car keys and wallet.
“But—” “No buts! This situation is beyond your control, Juju, and we must work around it!”
“But how, Nichol? It's not like I can leave her home alone and carry on with our anniversary plans.”
“It's very simple, Juju, I'm coming over,” Nicholas starts the ignition of his car, leaving no room for argument.
He's met with silence on the other end, “Juju?” “But—” “I said no buts, Juju! I'm already making my way to your place,” Nicholas cackles as a brilliant idea strikes his mind, “and what better way to spend our anniversary but to play house,” stunning Euijoo into another round of silence.
A minute or so passes by before Euijoo starts again, ever so hesitant, “Are you sure about this? I can totally manage her by myself and I’ll make it up to you as soon as I can.”
“Euijoo, you silly fool, I would rather spend the day with you, with or without your elaborate plans, whether indoors or outdoors, even with the extra company of a child, because it's you I want to spend time with.” Euijoo scoffs at his cheesy words—but Nicholas can hear through his nonchalance, already envisioning how red Euijoo is at his words—he speeds up with the urgency to get to his blushing lover sooner.
As if sensing the change in speed, Euijoo quips back, “Stop flirting you cheeseball, focus on the road and drive safely please,” he sighs, an attempt at masking his fondness, but Nicholas isn't fooled by it, “I’ll deal with you once you get here.”
ʚ⊱. . ◠ . ◠ . ɞ ⸝⸝ ᵕ̈
It doesn't take much longer for Nicholas to reach Euijoo’s place. He all but sprints towards the stairs, too impatient to even wait for the lifts—all the way to the 4th floor.
A slight misjudgement on his part—Nicholas hasn’t been to the gym in a hot minute—but it doesn’t matter as he skids to stop at Euijoo’s door. Nicholas punches in the code, 7997, opening the door to a breathtaking view.
Lo and behold, there stands Euijoo cradling a toddler in his arms.
The latter notices Nicholas’ presence and gives him a warm and welcoming smile over his shoulder, careful not to disturb the sleeping beauty.
Nicholas’ heart swells at the domestic sight, further cementing the idea that floated around his head from day one—Byun Euijoo is the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with.
Acknowledging the serene atmosphere, Nicholas gently closes the front door and takes off his shoes to make his way to the duo. He holds himself back from cooing loudly as he approaches them. She is around 2 years old and has the most cherubic features he has ever seen—pouty lips, rosy cheeks and a little button nose— Oh, Nicholas was already falling for her.
He reaches to touch her cheeks, and wow this must be what clouds feel like. “Her name is Hana,” Euijoo whispers ever so softly, breaking his trance. Nicholas looks up to find the other already looking at him with so much fondness; Euijoo then bends down to give him a gentle peck, “Welcome home, Nichol.”
Nicholas preens at the greeting, leaning over to steal another one. Hana slightly moves in Euijoo’s arms, forcing the two apart, “I'll take her to my bed so she'll be more comfy.”
As Euijoo settles her in the middle of his bed, Nicholas scours around the room for extra pillows—as a safety measure for Hana. Euijoo smiles in approval as he starts to pad the area around her, laying beside the boundary once deemed satisfactory to Nicholas.
The two of them flank Hana’s sides and admire her peaceful countenance. Nicholas reaches over to play with one of her dark curls, truly taken by the little girl, only shifting his focus once he hears a faint giggle, finally considering his boyfriend’s presence. He notices Euijoo’s droopy eyes and realises that his sleep did indeed get disturbed.
And so, Nicholas shuffles over a little, halfway onto the boundary, extending his arm to pet his Juju’s fluffy hair. He's met with a suspicious glance from the other but he continues with his ministrations, leaving Euijoo no choice but to fall asleep instantly.
Triumphant at his success, Nicholas finally realises that although he woke up with no qualms this fine morning, it was still quite early considering how he usually woke up past noon. He decides to use this opportunity to catch up on his own lost sleep—curling protectively around Hana with a hand outstretched to Euijoo, Nicholas finally succumbs himself to dreamland.
ʚ⊱. . ◠ . ◠ . ɞ ⸝⸝ ᵕ̈
The second time Nicholas wakes up is to a weight on his arm and a fist in his hair. It takes him a minute to regain his senses and realise that baby Hana was now halfway to being on top of him, very intrigued by his hair.
Noticing his awake presence, Hana exclaimed excitedly, “Pink hair! You have pink hair!” Nicholas chuckles fondly and murmurs, cautious of his sleeping lover, “Is that your favourite colour Hana-chan?” She nods, very enthused by the very concept of pink hair. He’s ready to add more to the conversation but is interrupted by the grumble of her stomach, she immediately pats her stomach and says, “Tummy growly!”—this time Nicholas doesn't hold back from cooing at her.
He collects her in his arms as she continues to grip onto his hair, super attentive to his own movements so as not to jostle Euijoo in the process. Hana readily clings to him and the two of them tip toe out of the room, closing the door stealthily, ready to begin their hunt for food.
Hana continues to play with his hair, curiosity taking over her once they are in the corridor, “Pretty pink hair! l want pink hair!” She tugs at his hair, “Give me pink hair!” causing Nicholas to wince at her surprisingly strong grip. He attempts to ease her fingers out of his hair, but fails to do so as she continues to keep blabbering about pink hair. Damn kids and their freakishly abnormal strength.
His saving grace comes in the form of a princess colouring book on the coffee table. Ignoring the excruciating pain, Nicholas seats himself in front of the table, desperately waving the book with his unoccupied arm in front of the mesmerised toddler—and it works like a charm—Hana lets out a gasp in delight, “My princess book! I want my book! I want to colour!” instantly letting go of his hair and stretching out to grab her book. Nicholas is more than happy to provide what she wanted, especially now that he isn't at the wrath of her powerful hands.
She scrambles off his lap and goes to lay on the floor, stomach down, kicking her feet as she flips through the book for a blank page. Oh how easily kids are entertained—Nicholas muses to himself.
Hana is so absorbed in her colouring, she fails to hear her own stomach grumble as she happily hums a mashup of every nursery rhyme in the world. Luckily for her, Nicholas has now grown attuned to her every whim; he's grateful for the open layout connecting the living room and kitchen as it allows him to keep a watchful eye on her as he figures out what to make for their lunch.
He is also grateful to find that the fridge is filled with a wide variety of banchans—courtesy of a recent visit from Mama Byun. He opens the freezer and of course there are sausages, to be loved is truly to be seen, and Nicholas Wang is so damn pleased to be seen by Byun Euijoo.
“Hana-chan,” Nicholas calls out—momentarily stealing her attention, her big brown eyes trained on him, “Do you like sausages?”
She tilts her head inquisitively, unsure of what to reply, thankfully another voice saves her head from melting into a puddle of confusion. “Hana is good with anything as long as it's not spicy.”
Euijoo makes his way to Nicholas with messy hair and the cutest smile, wrapping the other in a back hug, “Good afternoon, Nichol,” voice muffled by Nicholas’ shoulder. Nicholas stretches his neck to kiss his forehead in greeting.
“Juju,” Hana squeals, oblivious to interrupting their moment too busy making grabby hands at the aforementioned boy, “Juju upsies.” Euijoo chuckles and heads over to her, but not before pecking Nicholas’ shoulder in return.
“Princess Hana!” he calls out as swoops her from the floor and throws her into the air, causing her to burst into a fit of giggles. Nicholas is brought out of his stupor by the freezer’s beeping and hurriedly gets to action.
Nicholas makes his way around the kitchen as if it were his own, multitasking as he fries his famous sausages and heats up rice packets along with banchans—a full meal for the three of them to enjoy. He occasionally sneaks glances to find Euijoo reading a storybook to Hana, with exaggerated expressions eliciting more and more giggles from her, causing Nicholas himself to smile at the infectious joy.
The domesticity of it all warms Nicholas’ heart, he's so ready to build a family with Euijoo (even if that meant kidnapping little Hana).
His daydreaming session is broken by a tug at his pant, Nicholas looks down to find Hana trying to get his attention; “Yummy smell, Hana very hungry!” “Lunch is almost ready,” he sings, picking Hana up to settle her in the middle seat—Euijoo having already begun to set the dining table.
It takes Nicholas yet another moment as he stares at the set up—three placemats, three sets of cutlery, three plates—sigh, three is such a lovely number—truly a perfect fit for the small table.
Euijoo squeezes his shoulder, concern evident at how often Nicholas zoned out; the latter peeked to check on Hana and found her distracted, and quickly kissed Euijoo’s worries away, “I'm just very happy, Juju,” Nicholas murmurs, and in lieu Euijoo smiles his beautiful eye smile.
“Hungry! Hungry! Hungryyy!” Euijoo chuckles, poking Hana in the stomach, “Aren't you a demanding Princess!” Hana nods vehemently as Euijoo goes back to helping Nicholas with setting the dishes.
Hana happily grabs her plastic spoon to start digging into her plain rice, but not before Nicholas has to stop her from burning her tongue. He quickly sits down, leaving Euijoo to serve the rest, focused on blowing the rice before feeding it to Hana.
Once everything is settled and served, Euijoo joins them at the table, taking the opposite seat to Nicholas, nudging his lover’s feet as a sign of gratitude for the lovely spread.
Nicholas finds that Hana’s focus has shifted from her precious rice to the enticing sausages placed in front of her. He pokes one of the pieces to feed her but she eyes it warily, determined to keep her mouth shut; Nicholas pouts at her reaction causing Euijoo to snicker.
Another attempt is made as Nicholas does the airplane method to feed her, but is yet again met with a mouth sealed tight. Refusing to give up, he decides to switch gears, “Here comes the airplane Euijoo,” surprising the boy who quickly adapts to Nicholas’ new plan, dramatically opening his mouth and chewing the food. Euijoo widens his eyes comically, “Hana-chan! The sausages are so tasty! You must try!!”
Convinced by Euijoo’s acting, Hana finally takes a bite of the sausages, practically mimicking Euijoo’s expression, “Tasty! Tasty!” she claps her hands excitedly. They both laugh at her absolute glee and take turns at feeding her, allowing them some chance to eat as well.
“I'm full!” Hana exclaimed, and Nicholas coos at her yet again, ruffling her hair, “Good job Princess Hana! You ate so well!” she smiles proudly at the comment. Euijoo leans over to wipe the mess all over her face, Hana wriggling under the napkin.
A light bulb strikes Nicholas as he purposely spreads some kimchi sauce at the end of the corner of his, calling Euijoo’s attention to it, “Jujuuu~ I've been messy too,” he teases, mirth dancing in his eyes. He's met with a roll of eyes but absolutely no hesitation whatsoever as Euijoo stretches over to wipe it with his thumb, purposely making eye contact as he licks it clean.
“Where's the decorum Euijoo-san!” Nicholas gasps scandalously, “There's a baby with us,” he pointed to the ever so oblivious Hana who was now playing house with her cutlery.
Euijoo kicks his foot in retaliation, choosing to return to his meal and ignoring Nicholas’ remaining antics. Nicholas happily hooks Euijoo’s foot with his own as they peacefully finish their meal with Hana obliviously entertaining herself.
Once done, Euijoo gets up to collect the dishes, insisting on washing them since Nicholas prepared the meal; the latter gladly accepts the offer and picks Hana out of her chair, eager to finally get playtime with her!
The eagerness is not lost to Euijoo, “Don't be up to any funny business,” he calls out.
Nicholas mockingly salutes him and says, “Aye aye captain, Juju,” causing Hana to giggle in his arms and imitate his salute—Euijoo shakes his head, feigning disapproval, fondness seeping through his smile.
ʚ⊱. . ◠ . ◠ . ɞ ⸝⸝ ᵕ̈
It's become eerily quiet as Euijoo continues to wash the dishes and pack up the meals, hushed whispers and fast paced movements have seized for the past five minutes or so.
He hastens his pace, curiosity taking over him and turns around to find that nobody is there—except for a pillow fort that has taken the coffee table’s stead. Euijoo decides to make a big show and pretend as though they have completely disappeared into thin air, “Oh no!” he cries out, “Where is Hana? Where is Nichol?”
A hearty giggle comes from under the makeshift fort, followed by a quick shush, and Euijoo knows he must continue the act. “They're not in the living room!” he wails and emphasizes his footsteps as he walks around the house, “They're not in the bedroom either!!”
The giggles get louder, Nicholas’ attempts at quieting Hana failing miserably, “Oh? Are those giggles I hear?”
Euijoo rounds the corner, tiptoeing around the fort, “Juju gone?” he hears Hana ask Nicholas and decides to pounce on the opportunity.
“Boo!!” he shouts, jumping into the pillow fort, “here comes the tickle monster!”, immediately tickling Hana who tries to escape his clutches, hiding behind Nicholas in an attempt of refuge. Euijoo follows her within the mini space and continues tickling her, Nicholas’ laugh serving as the background track—that is until she starts to hiccup. Nicholas immediately springs into action, running to get water while Euijoo rubs her back. After gulping some water and taking deep breathes, her hiccups die down much to the relief of both boys.
“Let's do something less strenuous,” Euijoo suggests abashedly, cradling Hana in his arms, “What would you like to watch Princess?”
“Princess movies!” she exclaims, pointing towards the TV peeking through the opening of the fort. “At your service Hana-chan,” Nicholas announces, going to get the remote and pull back the fort’s sheet for viewing purposes.
Hana makes herself comfortable between the two of them, laying in Nicholas’ lap while holding onto Euijoo’s thumb—where she falls asleep halfway through the second movie.
Euijoo’s phone buzzes, “It's a message from Hana’s mom,” he whispers to Nicholas, “she says she'll be back just past sundown,” catching the other wistfully looking at the girl in his arms.
“What if we kidnap her?” Nicholas softly jests, voicing his previous thoughts, “she's so happy with us!” He attempts putting on his best impression of puppy eyes to convince Euijoo—to no avail. Euijoo hums and scooches closer to gather Nicholas in his own arms with the latter melting automatically.
“We could kidnap another child… preferably from the orphanage…,” Euijoo suggests ever so shyly, “and preferably legally… with adoption papers.”
Nicholas solemnly nods in agreement, “She has to be a girl, with big round eyes,” turning to wink at Euijoo, “just like yours!” Euijoo can't decide if he's flustered by the wink or if it's how casually they're talking about raising a family together.
“She'll be like a mini Euijoo running around the house,” Nicholas squeals, getting lost in the vision. “More like a mini Nicholas if she turns out to be just as bratty,” Euijoo counters, deciding to surrender to the flow and join in with the future-building.
Both Euijoo and Nicholas are so wrapped in their own world—eager to build their future together—that they fail to realise that the sun has begun to set; the doorbell cutting through their vision board. Euijoo jumps up to switch on the lights and greet Hana’s mom while Nicholas gathers the half-awake child in his arms, bringing her to her waiting mother. Hana perks up at the sight of her mom and practically jumps out of Nicholas’ arms, who shakily stabilises her before properly handing her over.
“And who is this?” Hana’s mother asks curiously, a question directed at Euijoo who turns red instantaneously, Nicholas snickers at how easily he blushes even though it's been a year since they've been together.
“This is my boyfriend, Nicholas,” Euijoo explained timidly, “please excuse me while I collect Hana’s things,” profusely bowing before scurrying off to gather everything.
He returns to laughter at the door and wonders what aspired while he was gone, but decides to leave the interrogation for after bidding Hana’s mother goodbye.
Hana’s mother smiles as Euijoo returns the bag to her; smile widening when Nicholas immediately wraps his hand around Euijoo’s waist, “I was telling Nicholas-san how lucky he is to have you, Euijoo-san.”
Euijoo feels his face get red at the comment, “I am so lucky indeed,” Nicholas agreed cheekily, pecking Euijoo’s cheek, which keeps getting hotter and hotter by the minute.
“Oh young love, how precious,” she coos at them. It takes every atom in Euijoo’s body to not duck behind Nicholas who squeezes his waist, gleeful from her admiration of their love. “I'll let you both be!” Hana’s mother cheerily bids them goodbye, “Sorry for the intrusion and thank you for taking care of dear Hana.”
They both bow to Hana’s mother, waiting for her to enter the lift before shutting the door tight. Nicholas squeezes Euijoo’s red cheeks, and pulls him down for a kiss, “You're so damn adorable when you're flustered, I absolutely love how teasing you will never get old,” he pokes the younger’s cheeks, who simply whines in retaliation.
After having teased Euijoo enough, Nicholas lets go and is met with the sight of the pillow fort—his heart aching, missing Hana already. A hand intertwines with his, grounding him to reality.
“I miss her already,” he whispers, gently leaning on Euijoo’s shoulder as they take in the emptiness together. Euijoo brings his hand to his lips, gently kissing Nicholas’ knuckles, “Thank you for helping me today, I know I threw a wrench in our anniversary plans and I'm sorry,” Nicholas makes noise in protest but stays quiet when Euijoo squeezes his hand, signalling that he wasn't done yet, “but I'm not regretful because I got to see a glimpse into our future.”
Euijoo turns to face Nicholas, whose heartbeat was rapidly increasing with every word, “A future I'd like to secure with you, step by step,” he rummages through his pocket and seems to pull out something, hidden tightly in his fist, “because I, Byun Euijoo, am so madly in love with you, Wang Yixiang.” He bends down on one knee only to be met with a—SQUEAK!—causing Euijoo to fall on his butt, bringing Nicholas down with him, completely taking them out of the moment, both uncontrollably laughing once noticing the culprit of the noise—a leftover toy Euijoo forgot to pack for Hana.
As the laughter slowly dies, they locked eyes as Nicholas gently rested his chin on Euijoo’s chest. He then smacks said chest, “You better not be proposing to me with no fanfare Byun Euijoo-ssi,” Nicholas whines, “You did way more while asking me out, my expectations are too high now!”
“I've pampered you wayyy too much, Nichol,” Euijoo chides, knocking the other’s forehead, opening his fist to reveal a key. Nicholas gasps at the reveal, reaching over to grab it, only for Euijoo to pull away, “Its an emergency key! Just in case the keypad didn't work,” he states as a matter of fact. “I was going to ask if you'd like to move in…,” Euijoo starts to falter, confidence waning away, “You know because your lease… is getting over…?” Nicholas blinks at him in awe, causing Euijoo to question at the lack of response, “I mean… only if you want to…” voice fading in doubt, scared to decipher his lover’s face.
Eyes closed, Euijoo wishes for the world to swallow him—taken by surprise when he feels Nicholas’ lips on his, automatically responding per muscle memory. Nicholas momentarily breaks off the kiss, “The answer is yes,” he kisses Euijoo again, “It's always yes, Juju.”