A week passes and it’s Monday the ninth—the first day back to school after a two-week winter break. At six in the morning, Hyukjae reluctantly gets up from his bed, hair sticking up in all directions. He scratches his neck idly, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. Light from the rising sun leaks through his curtains, barely brighter than the darkness of his room.

On a day like this, when he has only slept for three hours (which weren’t that restful anyways), Hyukjae wouldn’t normally bother attending school. He only goes because he knows that’s where he’ll find Donghae, five days a week until four o’clock in the afternoon.

A big yawn escapes Hyukjae as he turns on the the shower, stepping into a stream of hot water. He hums a song, but quietly so that he doesn’t wake up Henry, who doesn’t have school until nine thirty. Zhoumi is an early bird, even though his middle school doesn’t begin until eight.

Hyukjae towels off his hair and tugs on a pair of black jeans, a navy blue turtleneck, and his characteristic leather jacket. He’s had it since he was a little freshman who made a big entrance as the high school’s bad boy.

Every time Hyukjae hears the girls squealing as if he were a pop star, he cringes inwardly.

On the outside, he has a mysterious smile and a raised eyebrow. He has been putting up this front for three years, and he used to love being the daredevil who rode a motorcycle, the loner who didn’t have a group of cronies, the delinquent who somehow got decent grades.

That is, until he fell in love with Donghae.

~

Donghae rises with the sun, a bright smile on his face. Today is the first day back to school at S. Muse High. He has all of his break homework completed, Catcher in the Rye entirely read, and quizzes studied for. He’s ready to be driven to school ten minutes early.

“Hurry up, Appa!” Donghae whines to his step-dad, who is hurriedly pulling a pair of pants on.

“Okay, okay!” Siwon slides a belt into the loops, “Can’t I at least have breakfast? What are you leaving so early for?”

Donghae doesn’t really know. He supposes the fact that he hasn’t seen Hyukjae since New Year’s is why he wants to get to school right away, but then again Siwon isn’t a delightful person if he hasn’t had his morning cup of coffee.

“Sure, eat something,” Donghae waves the man away into the kitchen down the hall. He follows, commenting, “You know, this would be easier if you let me get my license.”

“This again?” Siwon complains as he turns the coffeemaker on, “Listen, Hae. I promised your father that I would start teaching you in the summer. Can’t you wait until then?”

The teenager pouts, crossing his arms, “But Hyukkie already drives a motorcycle.”

Siwon pours coffee into a mug and drinks it with a spoonful of sugar, “What Hyukjae does is none of my concern, Hae. We would have to get another car as well. Please, just wait a bit longer.”

Donghae leans against the table as Siwon sits down. He got his driving permit a month ago, but neither Siwon nor Heechul seem all that excited about teaching him. Maybe they had some bad experiences with driving before?

“Fine,” he sighs, brushing a lock of brown hair behind his ear, “But only if you get me donuts on the way to school.” He flashes a sparkling grin.

Siwon snorts into his coffee mug, shaking his head, “You really know how to drive a bargain, huh?”

Donghae nods enthusiastically, walking around to hug his step-father, “Please…”

“Will we be late?” Siwon asks, placing his cup down.

“Nope! We’re super early.”

“Then okay.” Siwon smiles. Donghae hugs him tighter, and the elder mutters something about spoiling him too much.

~

Shindong wakes up when he hears his eldest son driving off on his motorcycle. That loud noise wakes him every single morning, always too early because his own job doesn’t even begin until Henry is at school. He tries going back to sleep, but the restless thoughts swirling around in his head won’t let him.

Hyukjae hasn’t always been a rebellious child. He used to listen intently to the advice Shindong gave him, used to do his homework on time and pass his exams. He was a smart kid, and quite the athlete, not that that’s changed now.

But, once Hyukjae entered high school, something changed. Shindong started having arguments with him, over his tendencies to come home after curfew, or his laziness when it came to homework. They have grown more distant from each other than they used to be. And that only got worse when his wife Meixiang passed away last year.

No. I can’t think about her.

It’s useless to lay here and dwell on things he can’t change. Shindong decides to get up and get ready for the day. He takes a nice shower, pushing the sadness away, and puts on comfortable winter clothes. The weather hasn’t been exactly freezing lately, but it isn’t at all warm.

At seven thirty, Zhoumi is eating cereal at the kitchen table while finishing a pack of flashcards. He has his spoon in one hand and a blue pen in the other.

“Mimi, what are you doing?” Shindong asks as he looks through the fridge for something interesting for breakfast.

Zhoumi jumps in his seat, having not noticed his father’s presence until now. “Ah, Dad!” He covers the flashcards with his forearm, “It’s nothing.”

Shindong shakes his head, walking over to his son, “Don’t tell me those are the vocabulary cards you forgot to finish over break…”

Zhoumi pouts childishly, “No.” But Shindong is giving him that disapproving-father-look, and it’s making him feel guilty. He starts nodding reluctantly, “Yes…”

“I thought so.”

~

First period is U.S. History for Hyukjae, one of the three classes that he has in common with his boyfriend. The blond arrives some time before the bell and sits down in his usual seat in the back corner of the room. He places his bag on the chair in front of him to reserve it for Donghae, since this class does not have a seating chart. A few more students walk in, many he doesn’t bother knowing by name because they never do group activities, plus he only needs to know one person in this class.

“Aiden!” Hyukjae glances up at the mention of his boyfriend’s American name. A girl from the soccer team waves at the teen entering the room from her spot in the front. Donghae grins and gives her a hug, then has a little conversation with her. Hyukjae can’t hear what they’re talking about, but it doesn’t last long since the bell rings and everyone rushes to their seats.

“Morning, Hae.” Hyukjae smirks as the younger sits down.

“Morning!” Donghae turns around and starts fumbling in his backpack, “Wait, I have something for you.”

The blond leans on his forearms, “Oh?”

“Yeah,” the younger pulls out a paper bag, “Donuts!”

Hyukjae’s eyes light up and he snatches the bag, “Did you get me a raspberry jelly-filled one?”

Donghae chuckles as the elder finds what he’s looking for, “Yes. And a lemon one too. Appa bought them for me, but I want you to have them. I already ate a chocolate one with sprinkles.”

Hyukjae grins, “I could kiss you.”

“I’d like that.” Donghae winks, turning to face forward, “But it’s time for class.”

Of course it is. Hyukjae and Donghae have been keeping their relationship private in school, but they bet that the whole school has figured it out anyways. From the way they look at each other, the way they hold hands playfully, they way they’re always seen together at snack and lunch.

Hyukjae doesn’t mind if students find out, especially since he doesn’t know more than a few of their names. But he doesn’t want that news to reach his father.

Ever since Hyukjae started expressing interest in dating, Shindong expressed his disapproval of every single one of his girlfriends. He would always tell his son that the girls weren’t good enough for him, that they wouldn’t last long and would leave him.

Which they did. Most of them, at least. His last girlfriend was at the end of freshman year, and for the first time, he was the one who ended their relationship. While they were dating, Hyukjae realized that she wasn’t all that interesting, and obviously liked another guy the whole time.

The summer before sophomore year, Hyukjae didn’t have any girlfriends. He was too hung up on the feeling in his gut that he wasn’t as attracted to girls as he should have been. He spent the entire summer reconsidering his uality, yet avoiding the question at the same time. He tried not to like men, but sometimes his eyes would catch on the occasional barista or waiter. Still, he locked eyes with the beautiful waitress or fashion model, but something was different.

Hyukjae was on the fence, and he didn’t like it.

It wasn’t until he met Donghae the following year that he learned to be okay with himself.

~

Heechul sleeps in until ten, when he’s woken up by his ringtone. He grabs his cell from the bedside table and reads the screen: Han Geng.

He declines the call immediately. What could his ex-husband possibly want this time? Last time, it was to be a model in Heechul’s fashion show. The time before that was to spend some time with his son, even though he hadn’t seen Donghae for a whole year prior to that.

Han Geng is one of the most complicated people Heechul has ever met. He loved him once, but that is all in the past. Now, Han Geng is the occasional interrupter of Heechul’s sleep via cell phone ringtone because he lives across the states and is three hours ahead.

Heechul puts his phone down and rubs his eyes. He doesn’t like thinking about Han Geng, especially not when it reminds him of the hurt he felt leading up to the divorce.

It was indeed mutual, but not from the start. Eight years ago, only four years into their marriage, Han Geng left Heechul for a modeling job in Beijing. He didn’t tell his husband, or their eight-year-old son; he just left. Heechul still doesn’t know why he made the decision so suddenly, but it happened and Heechul can never forgive him for it.

A couple months later, Han Geng called to notify Heechul that he wasn’t planning on coming back for a few years. The job he was offered was high-paying and in accordance with his dream since high school, as well as being close to his childhood home. Han Geng also told him that he felt like Donghae would be okay without him, and that he knew their own spark had vanished.

Heechul was furious, heartbroken, and lonely. Donghae was his only comfort, the only reason why he didn’t hop on a plane and follow his husband to China. Donghae had a life in the US; Heechul would never suddenly take him away from that. He soon realized that, if Han Geng didn’t want to take part in his son’s upbringing and would rather work in another country, if Han Geng didn’t love his own husband, then so be it. Heechul and Donghae weren’t going to move one bit.

Heechul steps into the shower for a few minutes to cleanse himself, his troubled mind in addition. He remembers how difficult the years were without Han Geng, and yet at the same time how easy they were. He only had to worry about taking his son to school, working in his studio designing clothing, and then picking Donghae up at three in the afternoon. There was no husband to please once he came home, no fights to pick. The monotony helped time pass, and along with the fact that Han Geng only phoned about once a year, helped Heechul forget about the man who had left him.

The next time Han Geng called Heechul, it was to ask for a divorce. At this point, the separation was mutual; Han Geng didn’t want to leave his modeling agency or his newly-found boyfriend, and Heechul hated the Chinese man’s guts. He still does, but the man is more of an annoyance now than anything else.

Heechul dries off with a frown on his lips, and then wraps his long black hair in a towel turban. He puts on a pair of white briefs and ties a fuchsia robe around himself.

When he passes Sungmin’s bedroom, he sees that the curtains are open, which means that he’s awake and most likely with Siwon in the kitchen. His frown turns into a smile.

“Morning, darling,” Heechul calls once he sees his husband and their son sitting at the kitchen table. Sungmin is in his high chair eating a bowl of Cheerios with his father’s help.

“Good morning, Princess,” Siwon kisses the elder, “So what are we doing today? I’m going back to work tomorrow.”

“I know,” Heechul sits on his husband’s lap, “I was thinking we could go shopping. We are running low on milk and diapers, and come to think of it I could use some new clothing as well.”

Siwon lifts a spoonful of cereal into their son’s mouth, “New clothing? Are you thinking designer or cheap?”  

Heechul chuckles, “Cheap, for once. I want a new pair of sweatpants since mine are wearing out, and maybe some patterned shirts.”

Siwon raises a thick eyebrow, expression mocking, “For a fashion designer, you don’t seem to care very much about your own fashion.”

“Yeah, well for a businessman, you don’t care very much about business,” Heechul points to Sungmin, “Change a diaper or two, would you?”

If Heechul wasn’t sitting on him, Siwon would be rolling on the floor laughing at that stupid joke he just made. “Wow, I didn’t know you had a funny side!”

Heechul jabs his husband in the abdomen, insulted, but soon dissolves into laughter of his own. Sungmin decides to join in at some point, gurgling cutely, chubby cheeks dusted pink. Heechul leans over and kisses his son’s forehead, and then sits back to kiss his lover’s lips. No matter how much time passes by, Heechul will never stop loving this big idiot.

“Anyways, I was thinking Target?”

~

Siwon pushes the red cart with their bouncing baby boy strapped into the seat. Sungmin plays with a teething toy that rattles when he shakes it. Heechul walks alongside them, hair pulled up in a ponytail and sunglasses covering his eyes.

“Oh, here.” the elder stops at an aisle for diapers, searching for the brand that they’ve been using, “He’s size four right now. Should we get him size five?”

Siwon puts his finger in the side of Sungmin’s own diaper and checks how tight it is, “It’s still kind of loose.”

“Yeah, but that kid’s just keeps getting bigger,” Heechul pick up two packs of each size, “Heck, he’ll be wearing size six before we even finish with one of these packs.”

Siwon laughs, scratching his stubble, “I’d rethink that. He goes through quite a few of them every day.”

“How would you know?” Heechul refers to their earlier conversation, sticking his tongue out childishly. Sungmin looks back and forth between them with a wonderful expression, not understanding that they are talking about him.

Siwon raises a hand in defeat, “Fine. I’ll start changing his diapers more.”

Heechul grins triumphantly, dropping the diaper packs into the shopping cart.

Half an hour later, the cart is filled up with two gallons of milk, a new teething toy for Sungmin, two pairs of grey sweatpants and three flower-patterned shirts for Heechul, and two different packs of coffee for Siwon’s morning cup.

The three enter the express lane, barely cutting the 10-items-or-less limit. The cashier smiles sweetly at the lovely family, and waves at Sungmin when he giggles. She quickly scans the items, and then asks Siwon for the payment.

“Are you ready to go back to work?” his husband asks, placing the plastic bags in the red cart.

“Of course not,” Siwon replies, pushing the cart out the doors and to the parking lot, “Two weeks wasn’t enough. I wish I could spend more than only Mondays with you at home normally, but…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Heechul tightens his ponytail, “Your dad wants you at work all the time.” Siwon’s father is the CEO of a pharmaceutical company, and he doesn’t exactly approve of his marriage to Heechul, though their relationship with him has gotten better over the past year. Mainly because he adores having little Sungmin as a grandchild.

“I’m still sorry, Princess,” Siwon apologizes, loading up the trunk. He knows it isn’t fair for him to be at work most of the time, because Heechul is almost always home, working in his studio designing clothes for his clients and fashion lines for shows. When Siwon arrives at eight o’clock each night, he can find his husband in the studio at the end of the hallway with a pencil in his right hand and a fabric swatch in his left, a determined and inspired expression on his face. And he always looks up from his work to give Siwon a welcome home kiss.

“It’s perfectly fine,” Heechul smiles softly, buckling his sleepy son into his pink carseat, “I’m glad we get to spend Mondays together. And it was so nice of your father to give you that winter break.”

Siwon chuckles, sliding into the front seat after placing the shopping cart in the allotted spots, “I think he feels a bit guilty that I don’t spend enough time with Minnie.”

Heechul nods, staring out the window, “Or enough time with me.” He grasps the younger’s hand, and Siwon knows exactly what he wants.

~

Donghae goes throughout the school day with a bright, contagious grin on his lips. His friends keep complaining that two weeks wasn’t enough, but Donghae just goes with the flow. He doesn’t mind going to school, although he could do without going to math class.

Geometry is full of freshmen and sophomores. Donghae doesn’t belong here, amongst bratty underclassmen, though his test scores say otherwise.

He glances up at the clock. Five minutes until lunch, when he will sit with his boyfriend at the back of their next class and eat his homemade sack lunch. Donghae then looks down at the quiz which he hasn’t finished yet. Oops, still two more questions, and only four minutes now.

Vertical angles? Which ones were those again? He scratches his head, hoping that doing so will bring to the surface what little knowledge of this topic that he has.

Three minutes and he skips to the last question instead. Label the angle measures. No biggie, right?

Two minutes and Donghae thinks he has the right answers to the last one. Now, to go back to the previous question.

One minute, and nothing comes to him. He tries to define the term over and over again, but can’t come up with anything useful.

Oh, well.

The bell rings for lunch and the students in his class get up all at once. Donghae places his incomplete quiz in the pile at the front of the room, and then shoves his way through the others and out the classroom door. Three doors down is his next class, English, where he will find Hyukjae in a few minutes.

Donghae sits in his usual seat at the back. The previous class that was in here is still filing out the door after what looks like an in-class essay. His English teacher waves to him from the front desk, indicating for him to watch the room while she slips out to make some copies.

After a few more students enter with Donghae’s permission, Hyukjae arrives. Opening the door for him, Donghae leans forward, puckering his lips for a kiss.

Hyukjae taps the novel he is holding in his hand on top of the younger’s head, “Aish, you dummy.” Then he blushes, whispering, “We can’t do that here.”

Donghae shrugs, and then turns around to lead his boyfriend to their usual seats. “How was your day so far?”

Hyukjae purses his lips, “Okay, I guess. But the next two classes should be much better.” The two boys have the next two periods in common, and sit together in both—close enough that they can sneak peeks at each other during class, blow air kisses, and wink suggestively, all mostly without getting caught by the teachers.

“Don’t you have a speech next period?” Donghae asks, opening his brown paper bag and pulling out the sandwich, red apple, and bottle of water from inside. He makes his own lunch every morning, and has been doing so ever since he was little. He learned how to prepare food since Heechul could not cook for his life, and always had to rely on restaurants, freezer meals, or ramen for sustenance. Now, he has Siwon; Donghae is grateful for his step-father’s impressive cooking skills, and only wishes he were home often enough to make real use of them.

“Crap!” Hyukjae kicks the younger’s chair leg, causing Donghae to jump. “Yeah, I do. I completely forgot.”

“Did you prepare it at all?” Donghae splits his sandwich in half and hands his boyfriend a piece. “I already did mine, but it’s not until Wednesday.”

“No,” Hyukjae munches on the sandwich angrily, “And I can’t do it impromptu. I don’t know anything about global warming without doing research.”

Donghae chews thoughtfully, thinking of ways to solve this. The perfect solution comes to mind, something that he hasn’t done since last semester. “Want to ditch?”

A grin appears on the elder’s lips. “You’ve read my mind.”

~

Hyukjae feels only half guilty that he has dragged Donghae into his delinquent escapades. The kid is almost an A student, and he probably would be if he didn’t have Hyukjae holding him back.

Well, at least Donghae seems okay with it. He’s the one who suggested that they ride to the beach and skip the rest of the day, even though their English teacher already saw that he was present at lunchtime. She must have been pretty disappointed when Donghae never showed up when class started.

“Hey, Hyukkie…” Donghae says against his boyfriend’s neck as they ride. He tightens his hold on the elder’s jacket. “Is your dad gonna find out?”

Hyukjae focuses on weaving around the cars on the freeway, “I don’t know. But if he doesn’t like that we’re going out, I’ll just steal you away and we’ll drive somewhere he can’t find us.”

Donghae chuckles. Hyukjae can feel his warm breath on his neck, and then a pair of lips. “Okay, but when I learn how to drive, then I’m going to be the one doing the stealing.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

A/N: Isn't EunHae just amazing? SiChul too!! Also, sorry about Han Geng being an ex again. I just always imagine it that way LOL and I'm not familiar enough with Gunhee or Hongki or anyone else to write them as well. On another note, you guys may recognize my OC Meixiang as Shindong's wife ;-) Next chapter is about the KangTeuk family! (and maybe some others depending on what I feel like)