Saturday mornings are blessedly routine in this household.

Yugyeom usually wakes up at around seven thirty, after which he’d wander, half asleep, into his parents’ room, to curl up in a ball between them and fall asleep again for another half hour or so. Jinyoung will stir awake from the way Yugyeom’s rolling around restlessly between them at around eight, give or take five minutes, and proceed to press sleepy morning kisses on Yugyeom’s forehead and Jaebum’s cheek, before getting up to start making breakfast.

Whatever happens in between, by eight forty-five, Jaebum will be up and shuffling into the bathroom to wash up to the sound of the newscaster reporting on the week’s major events and Jinyoung starting the coffee machine in the kitchen, and this Saturday is no different.

“Wait, so you’re heading where?” Jaebum yawns, rubbing sleep out of his eyes as he trudges out into the living room, shaking himself awake. He ruffles Gyeommie’s hair fondly where he’s sitting at the table working his way through a bowl of his favourite breakfast cereal, the one Jaebum had bought two nights ago, and the little boy whines. “Where’s the other one?”

“He’s in the kitchen bathroom,” Jinyoung sets a cup of coffee on the table, which Jaebum naturally gravitates towards. “So I was saying, my sisters have been asking to see Gyeommie again since August, and my mom’s coming to Seoul today to help with some prep for noona’s wedding the month after next, so I was thinking I could bring Gyeom out for lunch and to spend the afternoon with them. And then, you know,” Jinyoung sends him a puppy-eyed, pleading smile across the table. “One of our hall lights has needed fixing for a while, and you were complaining about how stiff the bathroom door is, plus our car was due for maintenance two months ago-…”

“Alright, alright, I get it,” Jaebum grumbles, considerably more awake now that he’s had half a cup of coffee. “Need me to drop you off at your sister’s place?”

“It’s okay, they’re picking us up from the plaza down the street,” Jinyoung says happily, walking around the table to peck Jaebum’s cheek, before sauntering back into the kitchen to finish up making breakfast. Jaebum watches him go, barely paying attention to anything else until he realises Yugyeom is making a face at him, and ruffles his hair with considerably more force before settling opposite him at the table, sipping from his coffee.

It’s only when Jaebum’s drowsily starting on the toast and eggs that Jinyoung’s made, that Yugyeom (or The Other One, according to Jaebum, now) trudges sleepily into the living room from the kitchen, attracting the attention of the little boy at the table, who leaves his cereal halfway to start eagerly chattering to him about the latest Gundam that some Junhyuk-hyung had apparently showed them yesterday. And it occurs to Jaebum-…

“Yugyeom,” he calls out, chuckling when both of them turn to face him at the same time, comically similar in their mannerisms. “The big one. Where are you headed today? You aren’t planning to stay indoors, are you?”

Yugyeom hesitates, apparently not having thought of this either. “I, actually, uhm. I don’t have-…I’m not going anywhere.”

“Oh…?” Jinyoung seems to have caught on to Jaebum’s point, as he approaches the table, a cup of coffee in his own hands. Leaving Yugyeom alone in here for half a day wouldn’t be the wisest- even Jinyoung knew that. “I could…bring him along, I guess?”

“Or-…” Jaebum lets out an infinitesimal sigh. “Do you want to come with me? I’m heading to the garage and the hardware store, I could use your help.”

“Okay, yeah,” once again, to Jaebum’s surprise, Yugyeom looks inexplicably cheered by the thought, and Jinyoung beams at Jaebum as he sits at the table to start eating.

*

“Okay, so we’ll pick everything on this list up, then drop it off at home so we can send the car for maintenance and take a bus back,” Jaebum says, squinting at the blue post-it that’s been stuck to the refrigerator for weeks now, piled on with everything that needs to be bought or replaced. He looks over at Yugyeom, who’s admiring the storefront with interest, before dubiously extending the hand with the post-it. “You mind holding this?”

Once again, Jaebum’s surprised Yugyeom had even agreed to follow him in the first place, rather than going out and spending the day with his friends, or whatever it was kids these days did in their spare time. Since yesterday, he’d been puzzling over the fact that someone like Yugyeom wouldn’t have friends close enough for him to choose staying with them over a bunch of strangers, because, everything considered, he seems like a decently likable kid- not prom king, sure, but definitely worth at least a circle of close friends who’d be more than willing to open their doors to him if he needed a roof over his head for the night.

The fact that Yugyeom seemed interested in being here, even, talking endlessly with a newfound courage and enthusiasm in the car ride on the way here, honestly made Jaebum even more confused, and a little wary. But then again, he’s not one to judge- it’s not like he’d been a model teenager, either.

“Sure,” Yugyeom takes the post-it, reviewing its contents studiously as Jaebum picks up a basket, muttering about hardware stores and how nothing’s ever organised in them. “Wow, did they really sell tomatoes here?”

“Oh, those are the groceries, we’ll go by the supermarket a few blocks away to pick those up,” Jaebum chuckles, peering over at the post it. “We get what we can from here, though, it’s less expensive.”

“Ah,” Yugyeom says, looking over in the direction of the supermarket. “Then we could just split up. I could go to the supermarket, or something.”

“Huh,” Jaebum thinks it over. “Yeah, that would be faster. I’ll head over to the supermarket, then- there are a few brands Jinyoung particularly wants. But what about the list?”

“Oh, I’ll just take a picture of it,” Yugyeom takes out his phone, holding the post-it up, and Jaebum shrugs. He isn’t all too hot about technology, nor revealing how bad he actually is with it, but kids these days will come up with just about anything using a smartphone.

Jaebum swears he doesn’t jump, however, when Yugyeom’s bag suddenly emits a sharp whirring noise, and Yugyeom cusses under his breath, fumbling with the bag, muttering something about keep forgetting to change the settings, before hastily extracting what looks like a piece of film, the kind one would see from a Polaroid camera, or something. It’s the same one as those he’d seen stuck on the boy’s journal on the first night, he realises.

“What…” Jaebum trails off after a moment, trying not to look like he’d been spooked by whatever had just printed (or developed? He doesn’t even know) that picture in Yugyeom’s bag, squinting at the phone. “What uh, what brand is that, actually? I’ve never seen one like it before.”

Yugyeom sends him a sideways glance, before tucking the photo and the phone out of sight into his back pocket. “It’s-…uhm, it’s a Samsung. The latest model.”

Really? Jaebum wants to ask, because it sure looked banged up as anything when he’d taken a look at it, screen cracked around the edges and cover fraying with age, but he decides not to say anything that might expose his technological ineptitude any further.

Yugyeom seems to promptly forget their conversation, however, after Jaebum’s handed him the basket and is turning to walk off, because he’s already taking his phone out again, snapping a picture of the storefront, and Jaebum remembers the conversation he’d had with his son that evening.

“You seem to really like pictures,” he comments, catching a glimpse of the screen as Yugyeom enters his gallery to see hundreds of photos, all of different things he can’t quite see.

“What? Oh-…yeah, yeah,” Yugyeom hesitates for a moment. “They’re, you know. Important.”

“You do photography in your free time?” Jaebum realises he doesn’t know why he’s asking- the question had just come to mind naturally. “At school?”

“It’s more of a, uh, personal hobby,” Yugyeom looks slightly embarrassed. “These pictures aren’t really worth anything.”

“Well, if they’re important to you, they’re worth something,” Jaebum says, now a little more confused than unsettled, opening his wallet to fish out a bill. “I’ll see you at the supermarket later then? Here’s ten thousand won, it should be enough for what’s on the list.”

*

Jaebum sees Yugyeom when he’s standing in the queue at the supermarket later, wandering down the sweets aisle, phone out, and gestures for him to come over.

“Here’s the extra from the hardware store,” Yugyeom returns him a couple of notes and a handful of coins. “I hope I bought the right light bulb.”

“As long as it’s a light bulb,” Jaebum says nonchalantly, handing the notes and some extra to the cashier, before dropping the coins into the donation box sitting by the conveyor belt.

He’s taking the groceries out of the basket when he catches Yugyeom staring at the minifridge some distance away a few moments later, and laughs. “You ever try one of those?” He gestures to the cans of Hite and Cass Light arranged haphazardly on the wire racks, and Yugyeom scrunches his nose up. 

“Yeah,” he mumbles. “It’s gross.”

Jaebum collects his change back, shifting aside for the next customer in line, and Yugyeom starts picking the plastic bags up.

“Which one do you usually buy?” he asks, all of a sudden, and Jaebum raises a brow, taken aback by the question.

“What, the beer?” he takes a few of the bags from Yugyeom, and picks up the last one, shaking his head. “No, no, I don’t really drink.”

Jaebum manages to walk a pretty good distance ahead after saying that, trying to remember if he’s gotten everything, before he realises Yugyeom isn’t by his side, and turns around quizzically.

“You don’t?” Yugyeom’s still standing near the supermarket exit, sounding so genuinely surprised, then, that Jaebum has to look at him properly, puzzled.

“Yeah, why?” Jaebum starts off for the carpark, gesturing for Yugyeom to follow. “It’s expensive and it doesn’t exactly taste great- I’d rather save the money for something else, you know?”

Yugyeom doesn’t reply, and Jaebum turns back to see the teen watching him almost incredulously, eyes wide.

“You don’t have to enjoy beer to be a man, or whatever it is they tell you,” Jaebum rolls his eyes. “Jinyoung hates that stuff anyway- we’ll buy wine once in a while, but we don’t usually drink beer.”

Yugyeom remains mute for a while, then, trudging on to catch up with Jaebum as they continue on towards the carpark.

“You’re not missing out,” he finally says, as they’re loading the groceries into the backseat of the car, and Jaebum looks up, just shy of knocking his head on the car roof. Yugyeom clears his throat. “People shouldn’t drink so much,” he pauses, closing the car door, seemingly thinking of what else to say. “It’s unhealthy, anyway.”

“Uh huh,” Jaebum opens the door to the driver’s seat, nodding slowly, wondering when their relationship had progressed to the boy feeling comfortable enough to give him life advice, but then Yugyeom gets into the passenger seat, turning the radio on to some Girls’ Generation song as soon as Jaebum starts the engine, and starts talking about the light bulb, and Jaebum decides what’s on his mind isn’t worth bringing up right now.

*

“Finally,” Junho says, slamming a hand down on the hood of the car, and Jaebum glares at him under the harsh burn of the lights in the garage. “Any longer and this girl would’ve died out there. Did you hear her engine when you were coming in? She’s probably cursing you, your ancestors, your cow-…”

“Why don’t you try having a kid, hyung,” Jaebum shoots back, and Junho waves off his retort carelessly, peering into the car.

“It’s always that excuse whenever I say anything, you have a kid so you can’t meet for drinks, can’t dance, can’t even go to Jeju for a couple days,” Junho rolls his eyes, rounding the edge of the car to open the hood. “, look at those valves, I’m surprised you didn’t break down on your way here.”

“Just tell me how much it’ll be and when you’re going to be done,” Jaebum grumbles.

“With stuff like this, maybe only Monday, if you’re lucky,” Junho squints. “My old man and I don’t work on Sundays, I’ll just remind you, and this girl looks like she’s going to take a lot of work.”

“Alright, I’ll drop by in the evening after work to pick it up,” Jaebum sighs. “How much is this going to be again?”

“That is an important question indeed,” Junho says gravely, looking somewhere in the distance. “But first I need to ask you an even more important question,” he reaches over to physically direct Jaebum’s gaze to where Yugyeom’s standing by one of the polished Audis near the back, taking yet another picture with his phone. “I’m going to give you a few options to make this a little easier on you. (a), that’s your lost younger brother you’ve never told me about, (b), your cousin that you apparently brought here for no reason at all, (c), your much younger boyfriend that I should probably tell Jinyoungie-…”

“He’s a friend,” Jaebum snaps. “Hyung, don’t be ridiculous.”

“Since when did you start making friends with high school kids,” Junho gives him a measured look, and Jaebum sighs again, shaking his head.

“It’s a long story-…I found that kid under my block sitting in the rain a couple nights ago, and I knew Jinyoung would slaughter me if he’d found out I left him there, so I brought him up. We’re letting him stay for a few days.”

“Huh,” Junho squints, watching Yugyeom check the photos on his phone, completely absorbed. “You know I was going to say something about stranger danger and everything, but I don’t know,” he shrugs. “He seems like a good kid.”

“Congratulations, for being the thousandth person to tell me that,” Jaebum grumbles. “Can I go now?”

“Well alright, if you can’t wait to get away from the hyung that got you through all your ty teenage angst all those years ago,” Junho raises his hands in surrender, and Jaebum finally chuckles, albeit drily. “Take it easy, okay? I swear you’re more serious than Wooyoung, sometimes.”

“Sure,” Jaebum mumbles. “Text me when you’re free-…we can go eat barbecued meat, like old times. It’ll be my treat.”

“I raised you well,” Junho claps him on the back, clearly pleased. “Now go collect your weird friend and leave, please, the girls don’t like it when people take their pictures without permission.”

“They’re cars, hyung,” Jaebum rolls his eyes, but he obliges anyway, walking over to where Yugyeom’s studying a red Lambourghini to pull him away, at least before Junho starts charging them for polluting the air with their presence.

*

“You like cars?” Jaebum asks, halfway on the bus back home, and Yugyeom shrugs. “Planning to be an engineer?”

“Ah, not really,” Yugyeom laughs nervously. “I don’t-…I’m not really good at school.”

“Well, you’re not the first,” Jaebum leans out slightly to check the stop they’re at. “I hated it too. Couldn’t understand Math to save my life.”

“Me too,” Yugyeom says, intrigued. “I’m not that good at languages either, though- people who can’t do math stuff usually do better at those.”

“Huh, well me too,” Jaebum replies nonchalantly. “There were a couple of years back then I just gave up on everything to do with studying- I just wanted to dance.”

“You dance?” Yugyeom says, genuinely surprised.

“Used to,” Jaebum emphasises, laughing. “That was ages ago, back when I was still in college. Which I only got into because my parents forced me to scrape up a degree in at least something.”

“Did you specialise?” Yugyeom continues, still looking slightly enamoured.

“Yeah, I was in a crew back then? B-boy,” Jaebum’s barely paying attention to what he’s saying, nodding for Yugyeom to head towards the door as the bus slows to a stop. “That’s where I met Jinyoung. He was with another crew at that time, but unlike me he actually kinda liked and did well in uni,” Jaebum chuckles as he turns back, watching Yugyeom hop off the bus after him. “I stopped about a year before we adopted Gyeommie.”

“I had no idea,” Yugyeom says curiously. “What crew were you in?”

“What’s with all these questions?” Jaebum chuckles. “My crew disbanded ages ago, anyway. Hey, where’s the bag from the hardware store? I just remembered- I don’t think I saw it with the other groceries we dropped off at the house.”

“Oh, oh, I put it in here and kind of forgot about it,” Yugyeom admits, opening his satchel, letting Jaebum glimpse the plastic bag inside. “It was small enough, and we were carrying a load of other stuff just now, anyway.”

Jaebum had gestured to tell him it was okay even before Yugyeom opened the bag, but at the same time-…

“What’s that book?” he peers over the plastic bag to the thick-looking volume behind it, and Yugyeom quickly closes the bag. “Is that-…Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics, Yugyeom,” he laughs, wondering how he’d been played by this kid so easily. “You told me you didn’t like school.”

“It’s nothing-…we don’t learn that in school,” Yugyeom seems uncomfortable to talk about it. “I just picked it up to read on my own for a bit.”

“Who picks up a book on quantum mechanics to do light reading?” Jaebum chuckles, adjusting the groceries on his lap as the bus does a turn. “How are you really doing in school, now that I know you’re apparently in training to become the next rocket scientist.”

“It’s true, I at the stuff they teach, like Math and English,” Yugyeom protests. “Besides, quantum mechanics isn’t just math- there’s a lot of thought and philosophy in it too.”

“Thought and philosophy, huh,” Jaebum grins, looking out of the window to check again as the bus comes to a stop. “That’s funny- you should talk to Jinyoung about it, he loves this stuff. It’d be a good conversation starter.”

“Really?” Yugyeom sounds genuinely curious again, inexplicably fascinated by whatever Jaebum’s saying. “Did he study this? Was he always interested in stuff like this?”

“Not quantum mechanics probably, but he did take courses in philosophy and logic in university,” Jaebum shrugs. “If you’re interested in pursuing this for further education he’ll probably be able to give you a few pointers.”

To his surprise, Yugyeom doesn’t seem the least bit interested in that, instead nodding slowly, seemingly absorbed.

“I never knew,” he muses, then, and Jaebum falters, once again puzzled by the statement.

“Well, I don’t think you would, seeing as we just met a few days ago,” he says, with a light laugh, and Yugyeom blinks, like he’d just remembered too.

“Yeah,” he says, finally, not meeting Jaebum’s eyes, and that’s the end of the conversation.

a/n: so yes! plenty of revelations, lots of stuff that made my baobei yell at me for when she was reading this through, cute babygyeom + jjp times (more to come!) and some more on teenager!gyeom \o/ thanks so much for all the comments you guys have been giving, those really gave me strength to pull through this kinda crappy week T.T <3333 hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and that it doesn't sound too contrived or rushed >.< comments again would be appreciated! it's amazing how you guys think hehe \o/ kisses and hugs xoxo