Work Text:
Life was perfect.
How could it not be?
Rui had everything he ever wanted. Ever needed
A husband who treats him like the most delicate art of the universe and four beautiful angels as a testament of that beautiful love.
Well, five, if you want to count the little soul that was being nourished inside Rui’s body.
Every morning, he wakes up to the feeling of steady arms holding him close. The scent of Hyun’s lingering cologne mixed with his natural scent steadied the pregnancy hormones without any effort.
He sees the same eyes he fell in love with years ago. The same shy smile that captivated his heart, and he never thought of returning.
God, he loved Hyun so much
You might think that after knowing each other for almost a decade of knowing each other and being married for a better part of it, and now having their fifth child along the way, would make everything less exuberant
It didn't
If anything, it made Rui crave Hyun even more. He wanted to be by his side all the time. To be at the receiving end of those gentle smiles and even gentle touches.
It is corny and madly pathetic, Haru once whined.
Rui likes to think of it as him finally finding his heaven on earth.
How can anyone be bored while living in heaven?
Today was just another day in the life of Rui and his four angels in their beachside home.
Rui sometimes thinks it is still a fever dream.
Him on a random Thursday, eight years ago, proposed to Hyun when they were in the middle of a trash TV marathon.
A ring Rui had picked the design himself after almost eating Wumuti’s ear off to redo the sketch again and again until it was ‘As perfect as Hyun’ proceeded by secret classes at a workshop to bring that vision to life himself.
A simple platinum ring with Hyun’s birthstone in the middle
And to absolutely no one’s surprise, Hyun said yes. Instantly.
They both were equally, equivocally gone for each other, so neither Wumuti nor Haru were fazed when the couple who had the miraculous talent of making everyone feel like a third wheel, even if just by holding hands, announced that they would have an intimate wedding by the beach soon.
Rui always wanted a big, almost majestic, wedding throughout his life, but the moment Hyun, with a shy smile, mentioned that he always imagined an intimate wedding in a half-asleep mumble, and Rui suddenly had a PowerPoint presentation ready to persuade his side of the family for an intimate wedding consisting of just close friends and family.
But then again, was anyone surprised? No
Rui could do anything for Hyun as long as Hyun asked and kissed Rui afterwards, and vice versa.
God, they really were pathetic throughout, huh?
But it worked out at the end, so Rui likes to believe he did do something right.
So now, years later. Rui was in their home space, clad in Hyun’s Shirt and sweatpants, caressing the protruding bump and trying to soothe lil peanut (As Hyun likes to call the baby during the late-night convos with the still growing bump) while waiting patiently just so he can become a baby again and be kissed and soothed by a certain six feet tall, honey skinned man with a voice that works better than any aphrodisiac and later on a perfect lullaby on the planet.
“Just wait a little bit more, peanut, Appa will be home then we will get all the cuddles we want, but let mama relax in the meanwhile”
Rui was deep in his thoughts and waited when a voice interrupted that reverie
“Mama, when is Baba coming back?”
Rui looked at Han-eul and smiled
“Why do you ask for Baba, Xiao Baobei?” Rui asked with a gentle maternal tone
Han-eul, their firstborn son, who turned seven not so long ago, was the entire carbon copy of his Baba/Appa.
The same introvert personality. Always found secluded in the corner with a book in hand and a strange fascination with animals
Rui, who was always the ball of sunshine and energy and needed to verbalise his thoughts and feelings, felt held back by Hyun when they first started dating. Rui loved loudly, and when given the quiet , but no less whole, love of Hyun, he felt conflicted.
Not knowing what was going on in the other person’s head made him question himself a lot. That was before Hyun held him and explained how his love works; Hyun’s love existed in making sure Rui was never hungry. He always had his fill of desserts and small notes that were placed on the water bottle, and so gradually Rui learned to let Hyun be in his small world. Trusting that Hyun would come to him whenever he felt lonely or the world felt too loud.
And Hyun did.
Those insecurities surfaced again when Han-eul grew up being too quiet for kids his age. When teachers started asking if everything was alright back home, because Han-eul would always prefer to sit in a corner with a plushie than to go out and play with his peers.
Rui cried in Hyun’s arms that night. Voicing his fears. Wanting Han-eul to just be. To not shut himself in a shell where no one could reach him. Rui cried because he felt he had failed as a mother. Hyun held him through all of it. Kissing his temple to calm him down.
“Jagiya, you failed no one as a mother. Our Han-eul is just like any other kid. He just likes the privacy of his own thoughts better. You loved him so much that he is comfortable expressing his true self. Isn't that your biggest achievement? Mhm?”
Rui believed him. How could he not?
That day forward, Rui watched Hyun patiently, letting Han-eul step out of his shell little by little. Hyun knew this feeling better than anyone, after all.
Hyun would sit with Han-eul and just read his favourite book. Take him out on the beach. Take strolls in the park. Talk about their favourite animal and their characteristics respectively, and slowly Han-eul allowed people to step into his space. Not too much but enough. He started talking more openly about his thoughts and feelings, making friends, but if he felt exhausted, he would just curl up on the couch to regain himself until he felt okay enough to be near someone again.
“Mama, what are you thinking?” Hanuel asked his mama, who was suddenly too deep in her thoughts and didn't tell him when his Baba would come back, and he could get the book he was promised.
“Sorry, Xiao Baobei, Mama was just thinking, but I believe it would take Baba another hour or more to come back”
“Oh, that's okay, I guess. I can just read some comics while waiting with you, can I?”
“Of course, come on, tell Mama all about it”
And so they both sat on the couch with Han-eul resting his head on his mama’s chest while he simply read his favourite comic all over again, and Rui calming himself with the presence of Han-eul until Hyun comes back and smothers him in love all over again.
But the calmness never remained for long when you have four kids at home after all
And so the door of the kids’ bedroom opened with a dramatic flair, revealing the twins, Min-ah and Yuna, with the bed covers tied in a flimsy knot that resembled a Robe? With their hair all messed up and faces covered in makeup that more or less looked like face paint
“God! Min-ah, Yuna! What were you both up to?” Rui asked in shock, looking at the state of the twin five-year-olds
“Mama!” Both girls ran to the couch where Rui was sitting with Han-eul.
“Mama, we were playing princess tea party”, Min-ah, the firstborn twin, said with excessive enthusiasm
“I can see that, Xiao Baobei, but what have you made of your face?”
“Oh, that? We just got carried away with our makeup and forgot to stop. But we look good, right?” Yuna replied this time with equal vigour
“You both always look the prettiest, but I think we all decided to only play makeup nicely? Right?”
“Sorry, Mama, we forgot," said both of the twins, sheepishly.
Rui could only shake his head with rather fondness at the antics of this duo before kissing their forehead.
“It's okay, but now let's get you girls all cleaned up, mhm?”
They both nodded and ran to the bathroom to ‘clean up’, which will result in zero cleaning and more water fights until Rui meddles in and cleans them up himself
“Han-eul, will you go and look after Yujin while I help your sisters?” Rui asked with a fond smile after we got up from the couch with a hand supporting his lower back and one on his bump.
Han-eul nodded with a smile before standing up from the couch as well to see what his youngest dongsaeng was up to.
+++
After a well spent hour in the bathroom trying to gently scrub off the paint from the twins' face and detangling their hair, Rui walked out of the bathroom all breathless, only to huff an exasperated sigh at the sight of Han-eul running around the living room to catch a waddling Yujin.
At the sight of Rui, Han-eul ran to his mama and just hugged her leg
“Mama, I tried making Yujin wear his shoes, but he won't let me”,, Han-eul said with a slight sulk in his tone for not being able to help his Mama like he was asked to.
“It's okay, Xiao Baobei, I will help our Yujin-ie. Can you make sure your sisters don't start another art exhibition again?”
Han-eul nodded and went to the room to supervise his sisters and to make sure they don't end up hurting themselves again, whilst Rui, now with all the strength his already-exhausted-from-pregnancy could muster, tried to catch the one-year-old who seemed to possess the agility of an Olympic sprinter.
“Yujin, Baobao, Come to Mama” Rui tried to lull that toddler so he won't have to run around to hold that menace, but ultimately had to
Rui, after a few rounds of going around the house, was able to round Yujin against the couch but tripped on the loose edge of the rug and was about to fall face-first on the floor, only for a pair of arms around his waist to save him from his fate.
“Jagiya, Careful, " a voice censured him gently
It took Rui a second to relax in the familiar press of a sturdy base against his
“Not my fault, Yujin has training for the Olympics.”
A chuckle vibrated from the body pressed beside him, a gentle hand caressed the growing swell of his stomach, followed by a kiss on the temple
“Tired, Jagiya?” Hyun asked after making sure Rui was able to stand on his own.
“Tired doesn't even come close to what I am feeling. Min-ah and Yuna decided to have a make up disaster and I had to bathe them whilst they made the bathroom there personal waterpark and then Yujin suddenly decided he doesn't want to wear his shoes and made Han-eul run behind him the entire house and to top it all off little peanut was restless all day, refusing to calm down and kept punching my bladder like it was its mortal enemy” Rui almost whined while narrating the adventures he was subjected to today.
Hyun caressed the beautiful face of his baby, exhaustion evident of those beautiful features, and he simply decided that it was enough and lifted his Jagiya in his arms and walked to their bedroom, and Rui was tired enough so no protests were made, placing him gently on the bed before supporting his back with pillows
“You should rest now, I will handle these chaos gremlins now” An affectionate, slow kiss was placed on Rui’s lips to soothe his nerves
“But, Baobei, you just came back from the studio. You must be tired yourself,” Rui protested. He knew how much Hyun gave his soul and body combined when in the studio, and his muscles must be aching like hell after holding dance classes for almost a day straight.
“Jagi, I will take a quick bath and then I will be good as new. You should take a nap, your body can't handle much running now” Hyun calmed those protests down gently and pulled the blanket higher on Rui’s body
Rui could hardly make another protest before Hyun silenced those with a kiss on the lips, followed by a dispersal of pecks all over his face, and finally relented under the persuading and let his body relax.
+++
Rui blinked slowly to detach himself from the sleep that clung to him like a glove, feeling blissfully rested, he walked out of the bedroom to look for his husband, wanting a hug to further bring him back to the present.
Rui roamed around to get the familiar silhouette, but he couldn't.
With a slight frown of annoyance, Rui opted to caress his abdomen, finding comfort in that small, almost unconscious gesture
Rui walked past the kids' bedroom to check up on them first, only to stop in awe of the sight that he saw.
Hyun. His gentle, caring forever-loving Hyun was on the floor helping Han-eul complete building a LEGO set while simultaneously having his hair styled into various questionable shapes with glitter hair clips by Min-ah, Yuna and Yujin, asleep against his chest, bundled in a sleep sack blissfully.
The sight was so domestic and wholesome that Rui couldn't help but have a fond smile on his face. A hand still cradling the growing swell of his abdomen, while the other hand quickly wiped the tears that started to fall on his cheeks.
Damn stupid hormones
But deep down, Rui knew it wasn't the hormones. It was the sight of Hyun who could hold their family together effortlessly. Who always showed up. Loved Rui and their kids to the end of the universe and protected them even more fiercely.
If you were to ask Rui if he were to go back in the past, would he want to live the same life again?
Rui would say yes with a sign written in neon paint.
He would go back and kiss Hyun the first day they were introduced to each other as dance partners by their coach, rather than ignoring the obvious pull he felt for the tall man who looked so out of place that he resembled an abandoned rain-drenched puppy.
Haru often questioned why Rui would so willingly go through an arduous time period of pregnancy so many times, and never complain about the strain it would place on his body.
Rui never had a proper answer before, but now maybe he did.
Because it was Hyun. His baobei
Hyun, who, no matter how much he loved kids, never once persuaded Rui to have a baby until Rui brought the topic himself.
Hyun, who would hold him through the morning sickness and make him peppermint tea because his 3 am research on pregnancy suggested that it helps.
Hyun, who would always comply with Rui’s pregnancy cravings with a smile, no matter how diabolical, and sometimes would eat those vile combinations just so Rui doesn't feel left out
Hyun, who would hold his body with warmth and devotion in his touch and whisper soft nothings when Rui couldn't even bear looking at himself with all the stretch marks
Hyun would spend hours and hours talking to the baby inside him because he wanted the baby to recognise both of his parents even before it was born.
Hyun, who would stay by Rui’s side while he healed from his post-birth time period, even called his grandmother to ask the dos and don’ts of everything, just so Rui could heal completely.
Hyun, who loved Rui so much that he always gave his best version to Rui just so Rui would never question why he fell in love.
Maybe those were reasons enough. Maybe Rui was cherished so deeply that the thought of birthing a mini bundle of softness, part him, part Hyun’s eyes and smile, made every pain feel inferior.
Maybe Hyun was just enough for Rui
Maybe Rui finally found his ‘Happily ever after’ in a house by the beach filled with the giggles of their kids and the steady, comfortable silence of their shared love.