First Home: New-found Haven

(ctto)

“Nini, marry me.”

Jongin has never turned his head so quick in his life. He finds Lu Han sitting on the old, screeching bed of their untidy room, watching him intently while he is busy stuffing clothes inside a scruffy backpack. He stares at the younger boy, recalling the words that slipped from his mouth seconds ago to make sure he heard them right.

“Marry you?” Jongin wants to clarify. He manages to put the last piece of clothing inside the bag and zips it close before sitting next to Lu Han. The younger one moves a little to give space for the older boy. They are now facing each other.

“Yes. I want you to marry me TONIGHT.”

Jongin heard him right. He studies Lu Han’s face beneath the flickering light of the oil lamp and realizes that the deer boy is not taking the words as a joke. “I want to,” Jongin says honestly. “I wish to marry you, Lulu. But not tonight. We can’t marry unless we’re of legal age. That’s what the book I read says. Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?”

“Because you might leave me if we don’t get married tonight. I heard people on TV saying that if two people marry each other, they are tied as one and cannot be separated. Nini, you won’t leave me, right?”

Jongin comes to realization and pulls the younger boy to sit on his lap, “Lu, tell me again why we’re running away.”

“Because people plan to take me away and we don’t want that,” replies Lu Han. “I want to be with you.”

“So do I. That’s why we are about to escape. We want to be with each other. There’s no way I am going to leave you, Lu. Why would you even think that?”

Lu Han clings to him by leaning his head on Jongin’s shoulder, “But you might get tired of me. I annoy you because I move a lot when we sleep. I steal your food because I am always hungry. I whine a lot and…. And what if you’re not going to like me in the future?”

Jongin chuckles, “Yes, you annoy me sometimes but that’s fine. I still love you.”

“Really?” Lu Han's eyes are growing bigger each second, anticipating more of Jongin's sweet words.

"Yes. I mean it."

"Even if I turn ugly?" Lu Han pouts miserably at the thought of having wrinkles on his face.  

"What?" Jongin laughs and cradles him. "My Lulu? Ugly? No way! You, little angel, will always be beautiful."

"Hmmm, are you sure about that, Nini?”

“Yes. Trust me,” says Jongin firmly. “We are in this together.”

Lu Han smiles and brings Jongin’s face near his, “Thank you, Nini. I was just afraid to be alone again but now, I am relieved.” He plants a light kiss on the older one’s nose and giggles; his cheeks turning bright red.

Jongin understands and pats his head, “Good. Now grab your bag so we can get out of this place immediately. We don’t want the old lady chasing after us if we get caught.”

Jongin and Lu Han tiptoe down the stairs, making sure no one hears them. Other orphans much younger than them are soundly sleeping at this hour. Lu Han silently wishes he can bring them along but they're too young for this adventure. He regrets leaving them behind under the old woman's roof but he has no choice. He prays that someday, someone will save them and give them the love they deserve. "Goodbye, little brothers," he whispers in the cold air before jumping down on the other side of the fence.

"Where are we heading to, Nini?" asks Lu Han. With their hands holding on to each other, they stroll under the chilly night, along the busy streets of Seoul. Jongin looks around and points at an open park where some people are camping. "We will stay there for tonight, Lu." He leads the younger one across the vicinity with tents situated everywhere and they settle under a tree. Lu Han looks confused, "How are we going to sleep, Nini?"

Jongin drops his big, worn backpack and grins, "I stole this from the orphanage." He pulls out an inflatable, dome tent good for one person. Lu Han helps Jongin builds it and after a long time, they finally snuggle their way inside. "I can't move, Nini," whines Lu Han, trying to rest his back on the ground. Jongin curls his body to make way for Lu Han. "I am sorry. This is too small for us." 

Lu Han instantly becomes aware of his behavior and apologizes, "I'm sorry, Nini. I don't mean to complain." He inches towards Jongin and embraces him lovingly, "Don't be mad, okay?"

Jongin chuckles, "I am not mad, Lu. Come on, let's lie together."

In the tight space, Jongin and Lu Han cuddle each other; the older boy hugging Lu Han from behind. In the silence of the night, Lu Han falls asleep immediately while Jongin takes his time admiring the deer boy wrapped closely in his arms. 

The next day, Jongin wakes up to Lu Han on top of him, drawing heart figures on his left cheek. The younger boy greets him with a bright smile before moving aside so Jongin can sit up.

"You drool a lot when you sleep," says Lu Han teasingly. Jongin quickly wipes away the traces around his lips. He tackles Lu Han down and starts tickling him. Their tent is moving here and there. The people in the park wonder maliciously what's going down inside. When Lu Han laughs hysterically and yells a series of "stop" and "don't", a woman with her seven year old kid quickly walks away from the scene. Other campers ignore the sounds and start doing their own business. Jongin finally stops and stares at Lu Han with disheveled hair from their early morning wrestling. The young boy is staring back at him, still giggling. His face is all flushed and sweaty. Jongin feels his throat drying and quickly looks away.

"What's wrong, Nini?" asks Lu Han innocently.

"Nothing," Jongin answers quickly. "Let's get up and find something to eat." In a hurry, he struggles to get out from their little haven. For a moment, he is blinded by the sun, making him squint his eyes. When his vision clears, Jongin sees a crowd of people staring at him with judging eyes. "Oh God! Teenagers nowadays. They are too promiscuous." He hears a woman say. Another middle-aged woman shakes his head, "He's too young to do such a "thing". I wonder where his parents are." Jongin seems to comprehend what the talk is all about and blushes hard. Lu Han comes out and joins him shortly, earning a loud gasp from the crowd. 

"It's a boy!"

"And he looks younger!"

Lu Han looks around, ignoring the eyes on him and searches for a food place. He is his empty belly, oblivious of what's happening with Jongin. The older boy is fifteen and knows certain things (a lot of things actually), young boys like him are also aware of. He blames it on a book he has read about love; also to the TV program he watched one evening where two people did some exploring. At his age, he starts to notice changes in his body and behavior but he doesn't like to admit it.  He keeps everything to himself; all Lu Han's touches and kisses result to.

"Lu, what do you want to eat?" asks Jongin while the two of them watch a couple enjoying their meal inside a small restaurant. Lu Han is currently watching the cheese stick in the woman's mouth with a drool. He points at the remaining cheese sticks on the plate and gulps, "That looks yummy."

Jongin nods, "Okay. We will get that."

"Nini, do you have enough money to buy it? What if it is too expensive?" Lu Han mumbles worriedly. "What if the food are all expensive? What if we can't eat?! We will die in hunger, Nini!"

"Lu, calm down. You worry too much. I save a good amount of money when we cleaned Mrs. Lee's shoe shop, remember? You can eat good stuff today, I promise." 

Jongin leads him inside the food shop and they are immediately welcomed by a puppy-looking man. He has soft features like Lu Han and the name tag placed on his left chest says "Baekhyun." 

"Well what do we have here?" He chirps happily while wiping his hands on his apron. "Welcome to our family shop. I am Byun Baekhyun, the owner and sometimes the waiter of this restaurant. Please find a seat so I can take your order."

Jongin picks the table near the window. The man named Baekhyun appears in front of them with a menu in his hand. "What can I get you, boys?"

"CHEESE STICKS, CHEESE BREAD AND ANYTHING WITH CHEESE!" Lu Han exclaims without glancing at the menu. Baekhyun laughs at the enthusiasm of the smaller boy. "Anything with cheese it is. What about you, boy?"

"I will eat what he wants to eat."

"Oh. Okay. I recommend this one for the both of you," says Baekhyun while pointing at a particular dish. The two boys nodded after they made sure of the price.

"Give me ten minutes and I'll be back with the food."

While waiting for Mr. Baekhyun to return, Lu Han can’t help but rave about the food shop and its beautiful embellishments. The tiny space, with antique, auburn walls and cork ceiling, gives off a feeling of coziness. Lu Han’s eyes travel from the copper-colored tables, to the dangling lamps and the different cookware displayed in the counter. “I like this place,” he concludes. “I wish we can own one of these someday. What do you think, Nini?” Jongin likes the idea, “Yeah. A restaurant would be nice. I can be the cook and you will stay in the counter to greet the customers with your beautiful smile.”

Lu Han clasps his hands in excitement but his shoulders eventually drop when he comes into realization, “It’s a nice dream. If only that will come true.”

Jongin is worried with the tone of his voice. Lu Han sounds really sad. Before he can ask, another man, a tall one who looks older than Mr. Baekhyun, joins them. “Hello there,” he greets with a big smile.

They bow politely and wonder what the man wants from them.

“I am the owner of this restaurant together with my ba- with Baekhyun, the one who assisted you earlier. My name is Chanyeol and I was wondering why you two carry a lot of things with you.” He eyes the scruffy backpacks beside Jongin’s chair.

Jongin is hesitant to tell their story. He knows not to trust strangers. On the other hand, Lu Han is happier to share their situation. “We ran away from the orphanage, Nini and I,” he begins. “The old woman who owns the orphanage wants to sell me so we escaped. No one can take me away from Nini.”

“Nini?”

Lu Han nods, “Yes. His name is Jongin but I call him Nini because it’s cute. My name is Lu Han. You can call me Lulu.”

“I am fifteen and Lu is thirteen,” Jongin adds.

“Oh. I see.” Chanyeol becomes more intrigued with the two. He pulls a chair on the other table and sits down with them to ask more questions.

“What do you mean to sell you? An orphanage can’t sell children. It’s illegal.”

“That’s what I thought,” says Jongin. “I thought of telling the police but I’m afraid they’ll…they’ll take us somewhere and Lulu will be separated from me.”

Chanyeol studies the older boy’s face for a while. He then glances at the deer boy across the table who just as sad as Jongin. Suddenly, he is reminded. Chanyeol leans back on the chair, both arms crossed on his chest.

“When did the two of you run away?” he asks further.

“Last night,” the boys chorused.

“And where did you stay? Where did you sleep?”

“In a tent,” Jongin answers. “I stole it from the orphanage. We slept in the park just across the street.”

Chanyeol sighs, “I feel sorry for you, boys. And worried at the same time. Do you know how dangerous it is to stay outside? You are too young to roam around on your own.”

“I know,” Jongin mutters despairingly. “But we don’t have anywhere to go? There’s no way we’re going back to the orphanage.”

Lu Han is silently playing with the hem of his shirt. He glances at Chanyeol and Jongin before he stares back at his feet.

“Alright. I have decided!” Chanyeol proclaims all of a sudden. Jongin and Lu Han look at the man in surprise. “The two of you will stay here with us.”

Baekhyun pops behind Chanyeol, looking all confused. “What’s happening here? Who is staying?” he asks before setting the plates on the table. Lu Han’s eyes grow wider while looking at the variety of food. Jongin swallows and is ready to devour the entire thing.

Chanyeol drags Baekhyun to the side while the two boys eat. He narrates what the boys told him and Baekhyun listens carefully. “Let them stay with us for the meantime, babe. I am worried that someone will pick them up and do nasty things to these poor souls,” says Chanyeol while sobbing dramatically. Baekhyun knocks his head and glares. The taller man is expecting Baekhyun to scold him by the way the smaller one looks at him. However, the frown turns to a wide smile when Baekhyun glances at the boys happily eating together. “Why do you sound like I would refuse? Do you think I am that bad of a person, Park Chanyeol? They will stay as long as they want. They need a home and I am more willing to welcome them into our little haven.”

Chanyeol is pleased and grabs Baekhyun into a hug, “Come here, you little sweetpea. I am so lucky to have a kind and loving husband like you.”

Baekhyun chuckles and steals a kiss from him. “I’m glad to hear that. I feel the same, Yeol.” He drifts away from Chanyeol and they both reveal their plan to Jongin and Lu Han.

The cheese stick drops from Lu Han’s mouth upon hearing the news while Jongin chokes on his food.

“HOME?!” they both exclaimed.

“Yes. Chanyeol and I want the two of you to stay with us. We aren’t going to have a peace of mind if we let you go and stay in the streets with nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep. This restaurant, as you can see, has three floors. The second floor is where we sleep. We have extra rooms on the third floor for you.”

“R-really?” Lu Han’s face lights up.

Chanyeol nods, “Yes. We are the only ones staying in this building so it would be great to have companies. Baekhyun and I have been together for five years now and we actually wish we have…uhm…you know, children that we can take care of. We had planned to adopt but for some reason, it didn’t push through. I believe that this is fate.”

Jongin and Lu Han glance at each other with hopeful eyes.

“And you actually remind us of ourselves back when we were young. Chanyeol and I are inseparable. We can see ourselves in you; how you value each other just by the way you look at each other’s eyes,” Baekhyun says kindly. “It’s adorable.”

“I thought I was the only one reminded,” Chanyeol laughs pleasantly.

Jongin and Lu Han are spared from becoming street rats when the Park’s welcomed them into their loving home. By the end of the day, the four gather in one table and enjoy their first meal as a family.

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