The light streaming through the crack in the sheer pink curtains is far too bright for Sungmin. He has just woken up, and there is a beam of glaring sunlight shining right across his sensitive little eyes.

Sungmin starts wailing for his parents. He knows that if he starts crying, one of them will rush to his side and tend to his every need. It’s just one of the perks of being an infant.

“Oh, Minnie!” Sungmin’s daddy comes rushing to his side, “Ah, I should’ve closed these.” Heechul pulls at the drapes, shielding Sungmin from the scary sunlight. Then he dips his hands into the crib to lift Sungmin into his arms.

Sungmin’s cries quiet down once he feels the warmth of his daddy’s soft, pale arms. He still feels a bit tired, but it’s already morning, isn’t it? At one year old, Sungmin has gotten used to the whole “awake during the day, sleep during the night” thing, though that doesn’t keep him from waking up at three in the morning because he’s hungry or wet.

“Daddy~” Sungmin cooes, tangling his tiny fingers into Heechul’s long hair.

“Yes, Minnie. Daddy loves you,” Heechul cooes back, nuzzling the baby’s nose.

Sungmin feels a slight bouncing motion, indicating that his daddy is taking him downstairs, possibly to the room where all the food is in. Mentioning food makes Sungmin suddenly hungry.

“Yum!” Sungmin shouts, “Yum! Yum!”

“Okay, okay,” Heechul says, “Food’s coming.” He places Sungmin in his high chair and goes to the cupboards to get something. Sungmin doesn’t know what, but he is craving mashed carrots and Cheerios and those are the only menu items he will accept this morning.

When Heechul brings out green beans and mashed potatoes, Sungmin finds himself mildly upset.

“No, no, no!” he shouts, pushing the baby food away. Heechul insists on trying to feed him the green beans, and Sungmin continues to refuse, blowing raspberries and covering his mouth. Sungmin doesn’t know how to voice his strict breakfast menu, so he does the best he can by at least preventing the gross green mush from entering his mouth.

His daddy huffs, putting the spoon and jar down, “Minnie, you have to eat this. I haven’t gone shopping yet so this is the only jar we have.”

Sungmin is only half sure of what his father is saying, and he doesn’t like it. Food is the only thing he is exceptionally picky about, something he is sure drives his parents bonkers.

“Choi Siwon!” Heechul shouts, frustrated, “Your baby won’t eat his breakfast like a good boy!”

Sungmin blows more raspberries in response, drool dripping down his chin.

“Coming!” Sungmin hears his Appa say from the staircase. He walks up to the baby and picks up the baby food from the table, “Watch the airplane, Sungminnie.”

Sungmin’s eyes track the quickly moving spoon, enamoured with the delightful display. How can a spoon move around so quickly? It’s like a real airplane!

“Here comes the yummies!”

Sungmin opens his mouth wide, accepting the spoon airplane. He is so satisfied with having caught the speedy airplane that he doesn’t even notice that it tastes like icky green beans.

“Yum! Yum!” Sungmin squeals, and Siwon indulges him in more spoon airplanes until the entire jar is finished.

Sungmin’s face is a mess, but he doesn’t care. He caught so many airplanes in one day, it’s like magic!

“You’re amazing,” Heechul smiles, kissing Siwon’s temple, “You should always be in charge of feeding Sungmin.”

“You should have figured out by now that he likes the airplane trick the best.”

Heechul rolls his eyes. Sungmin giggles, wiping his face with his hands.

“Appa? Dad?” Sungmin hears the pleasant voice of his older brother calling from the top of the stairs, “I don’t have school today, right?”

“Yes, Donghae,” Siwon answers, “It’s President’s Day.”

“We’re going shopping though, as a family,” Heechul says, “So you better get ready.”

“Okay!”

Sungmin only understands a few words in the conversation, and can’t deduce much about what the agenda is for today. But he knows he’ll find out soon.

After Siwon feeds him some blueberries, Sungmin is lifted out of his high chair, face and hands washed, and put in a cute peach jumper. Heechul then takes him and puts him in his carseat. Sungmin assumes that they are going somewhere.

Donghae gets in the backseat next to Sungmin and cooes at him, pinching his cheeks. Sungmin kisses and his fingers endearingly. He loses track of time as he plays with his brother, and soon they have arrived somewhere.

Sungmin doesn’t know where they are until he is strapped into a seat on a shopping cart. He gurgles with realization; he loves the super market!

Siwon grasps the handle in front of Sungmin, while Heechul and Donghae grab a second cart.

“Let’s make this a race,” Heechul winks at his husband, ripping a paper in two, “You take this half of the shopping list and the first person at the register wins.”

Siwon takes the list, “What do I get if I win?”

“Satisfaction,” Donghae says a big word that Sungmin really doesn’t know. The baby looks back and forth between his family members, trying to discern what the heck is going on.

Heechul slaps his elder son playfully on the back, “That and the loser has to pay for patbingsu afterwards.”

“From XOXO?” Siwon asks. Sungmin tugs on his Appa’s shirt and babbles.

“Yep,” Donghae says, “Lucky for you, Sehun gave me a coupon.”

“Well, you’re going to be the one to use it!”

Heechul grasps his cart. Donghae looks between his parents like he doesn’t know who to assist in the race.

Heechul waves the boy off to his other father, “You might want to help your Appa out. He won’t be able to match my shopping speed.”

“I have mad daddy legs,” Siwon scoffs, “I don’t need another helper. Sungmin is enough, with his squeals of joy and support.”

“Alright then,” Donghae joins Heechul. A crowd of annoyed people has gathered behind the Chois, who have been blocking the entryway this entire time. It’s about time for them to get out of the way.

“Ready, set, go!”

~

Jongwoon plops down on the couch with his assigned novel in hand. He was reading in his room by lamplight, but it got too quiet and he was starting to lose focus, so he moved to the living room where his brothers are. Ryeowook is making a thousand piece animal puzzle on the hardwood floor, and Kyuhyun is watching cartoons on TV, his face a mere foot away from the screen.

“Kyuhyun,” Jongwoon scolds, “get back from the TV. You’re too close.”

Kyuhyun looks back and sticks his tongue out at the elder, but does scoot a bit farther away.

Annoyed by his brother, Jongwoon buries his nose in his book. He’s staring at words, but not absorbing any of them. He tries looking closer or farther away, but he simply cannot read more than one sentence. It’s weird, like he’s tired of studying, or something.

Impossible, Jongwoon thinks. What’s gotten into him?

Still, he closes his novel and lets his eyes rest on other things. He smiles at Ryeowook’s pensive pouty lips and his raised hand with a puzzle piece in it, and frowns at Kyuhyun’s growing proximity to the television screen. He turns around and sees Jungsu sitting at the kitchen table with some paperwork. Youngwoon is upstairs taking a shower; Jongwoon can hear the harsh sound of the water hitting the upstairs tiles.

“Umma?” he calls, “I’m bored.” His words surprise even himself. The diligent A-student Kim Jongwoon does not get bored. He makes do with his time by reading or studying or making art projects. He never gets bored.

Yet here he is, bored out of his mind so badly that he cannot even read.

“Really?” Jungsu asks, walking over into the living room and standing behind the couch, “Since when?”

The preteen shrugs.

“Me too!” Ryeowook exclaims from his spot on the floor, “I finished my homework already and this puzzle is too hard!”

Jungsu chuckles, “What about you, Kyu?”

Kyuhyun turns around with a pout, “I guess. Gumball just finished and there’s nothing else good on.”

“Do you have something in mind, Umma?” Ryeowook bounces onto the couch, gripping the back of it and mussing his hair on Jungsu’s stomach.

“Maybe…”

He disappears into the kitchen and returns a few minutes later with a DVD from the box up high in the kitchen cupboards, out of reach of the little ones.

Ryeowook’s eyes light up when he sees that it is the movie that he’s been wanting to watch for ages, “Umma! I didn’t know we had Big Hero 6! When did you buy that?”

Jungsu smiles, placing the disc in the DVD player, “I bought it a few days ago. Got it cheap in the discount aisle.” He sits down on the couch between Jongwoon and Ryeowook, putting his arms around the both of them.

“Me too!” Kyuhyun shouts, jumping onto Jungsu’s thighs and cuddling up to his chest.

“Kyu, don’t you think you’re a bit old to be clinging to me?” Jungsu asks, an eyebrow raised but a mocking smile on his lips.

Kyuhyun doesn’t answer, clutching onto his father’s green shirt.

Jongwoon smiles at his younger brother, reaching over to ruffle his hair just as the movie begins. “I think he’s perfectly fine, just like that.”

Kyuhyun sticks his tongue out, blushing.

~

Donghae and Siwon sit at the kitchen table for a pleasant lunch of fruit salad and sandwiches, two of the only things Heechul can actually cook. Siwon ended up winning their little race, but agreed to pay for the patbingsu anyways. It put a bright smile on Heechul’s tired face, and a mess on Sungmin’s face. Speaking of Sungmin, he is presently bouncing in his high chair, pieces of apples and peaches stuck to his cheeks.

Donghae giggles, wiping the fruits off of his baby brother’s face, “Minnie, stop being so messy.”

“Hae! Hae!” Sungmin exclaims, slapping his hand in his bowl of fruit salad.

Siwon lifts his hand out and takes the fruit salad, shaking his head, “Sungmin, that’s enough.”

Sungmin gives him a raspberry, something he probably learned from Henry.

Before Donghae can catch the baby’s tongue between his fingers in punishment, the phone rings, echoing in the house.

“Can you get that?” Heechul shouts from the upstairs bathroom, where he is busy making his face. Why, Donghae doesn’t know, since they aren’t going anywhere else today. His father is weird in terms of makeup and fashion, so Donghae has learned not to question him.

“I got it!” Donghae calls back, running for the phone in the hallway.

“Hello, Choi residence.”

“Donghae, is that you?” A familiar voice sounds at the other end. A voice that Donghae hasn’t heard for quite a few months.

“Hello, Baba,” Donghae says robotically, his good mood souring immediately. His voice isn’t loud enough for anyone in the kitchen to hear, not that it matters. Han Geng calls once in a while and hardly anyone in the house cares to talk to him. Heechul would rather change Sungmin’s diapers than talk to his ex-husband. Siwon has no hostility towards Han Geng, probably because Han Geng was one of the ones to raise Donghae to be such a great son. Sungmin is a baby and doesn’t know of such things, although he often cries if Han Geng visits, which is extremely rare. And Donghae...

“Hello, son.”

“I’m not your son anymore.” Donghae mutters, “What do you want?”

“Why the animosity? We had such a great time at the zoo a few weeks ago.”

“That was three months ago. And it rained.”

There is a second of hesitation before Han Geng continues, “...I’m very sorry. You’re right. It was in November. I’ll remember, for sure. Sorry, again.”

That’s weird. Han Geng has never apologized to Donghae in any way, yet here he is, apologizing heavily for such a little thing. Are pigs flying?

“So, to make up for that horrible time you had, I’d like to meet you for coffee sometime today. Would that be okay?” Han Geng asks, tone polite and even somewhat innocent.

Which really doesn’t match what a terrible father he had been. Donghae gave Han Geng all of his love when he was a little boy, only for him to suddenly leave their family without a warning. Donghae watched Heechul suffer for so long that, even at a mere nine years old, he himself stopped feeling the loss and instead only felt resentment. Fun-loving, caring Baba was no longer there and didn’t matter to him anymore. Heechul was far more important to Donghae than anything else. He was the only father he had.

Well, until Siwon came along and became his more-than-perfect Appa. But that’s another story for another time.

Since then, Han Geng has visited once in a blue moon, and he usually takes Donghae out someplace childish. Somewhere that Donghae doesn’t care for, even if Heechul or Hyukjae took him. Proof that Han Geng really doesn’t know Donghae, as if he ever did.

“Uh,” Han Geng fills the silence, “We can do tomorrow, if you want.”

“Uhm…” Donghae trails off.

“I-It’s also okay if you don’t want to,” Han Geng interjects, “You probably really don’t want to, after all I’ve done. Did you ever like hanging out with me during my visits?”

Donghae didn’t, not really. But he doesn’t know how to answer that, not with Han Geng hitting the truth on the nail. All these things he's said in this phone call remind Donghae that Han Geng wasn't a great father. He even knew that Donghae didn't like spending time with him, yet Han Geng kept trying.

Donghae's irritation ebbs away, replaced with an unexpected feeling of pity.

Han Geng seems to take his silence as an answer, “Fine, okay. I’ll call back some other time. We don’t have to meet—”

“Okay,” Donghae interrupts, “I’ll meet you in a few hours.”

There is a bit of silence before the elder man continues, “R-really?” The question sounds so innocent that it cannot possibly be coming from a thirty-something year old man who hasn’t bothered to take much of a place in Donghae’s life. The tiny surprised stutter doesn’t help.

“Y-yes,” Donghae stammers as well. “Where are we going to meet?”

“XOXO,” Han Geng answers, tone lighter, “It’s a little cafe-slash-coffee shop I found near my new apartment. We can meet there—”

“New apartment?” Donghae says. “But you live in New York…”

“Not anymore.”

Again, Donghae doesn’t know what to feel, or what to say. “Oh...why?”

“Donghae, we can talk about that over coffee, if you don’t mind. I have to do a bit of paperwork right now, sorry.”

“Oh...okay?” Donghae answers with a question, confused about this whole thing himself.  

“Don’t worry. See you soon. Bye.”

Donghae doesn’t reply before the call drops.

Han Geng doesn’t live in New York anymore?

He moved here?

Why?

Donghae scratches his head, putting the phone down on the receiver.

“Who was that, Hae?”

Donghae whips his head around, eyes wide.

Heechul steps down the stairs in a pair of sweatpants and one of Siwon’s dress shirts. For all the time spent upstairs in the bathroom, it doesn’t look like he did much. Maybe he removed a few minute hairs that Donghae can’t see. But he still has dark bags under his eyes, most definitely from late-night fashion design inspiration.

“Uhm…” Donghae pauses. Should he let his father know who he was talking to? Something tells him that he shouldn’t. “It was Hyuk.”

“Hyukjae called the house phone?” Siwon walks into the hallway with Sungmin toddling around his legs, “He’s never done that before.”

Donghae feels like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. But he tries his best at lying through his teeth, “His phone is broken and he cannot remember my cell phone number for the life of him. I guess his dad gave him our house number.”

“Oh,” Heechul nods his head, seeming satisfied with Donghae’s lie. He saunters over to his husband’s side and drapes over his shoulder lovingly.

“What did Hyukjae have to say?” Siwon asks, wrapping his arm around Heechul and leaning over to pick Sungmin up with one arm. The baby squirms in his hold but quiets down after his father lets him climb onto his shoulders.

Donghae keeps lying, a constricting feeling in his gut, “He wants to meet me at XOXO in a little while.”

“We were just there,” Siwon raises an eyebrow, “You don’t mind?”

Heechul scoffs, drawling, “It’s Hyukjae. Of course he doesn’t mind.”

Donghae smiles, “Yep. So, do you mind dropping me off there, Appa?”

“No problem,” Siwon smiles. Heechul is practically falling off of him, appearing incredibly exhausted. His eyelids keep fluttering shut.

“And Dad?”

“Hm?” Heechul asks, eyes bleary.

“Take a nap, please. You were up late last night with that dress design. I don’t understand how the heck you got up this morning.”

Heechul shrugs, unclear of it himself, “I will,” he outstretches his arms, “Come here, Minnie.”

Sungmin falls into his father’s arms and they both retire to the living room couch.

Siwon watches after them as Donghae steals away upstairs to get ready, a pool of guilt churning in his stomach.

~

While sitting on the couch, watching TV, Hyukjae sneezes.

“Bless you!” Henry shouts cutely. He is playing with a set of toy trains on the carpet in front of the couch. Zhoumi sits beside his elder brother, playing on his 3DS.

“Thanks,” Hyukjae says, rubbing his nose. Either he’s getting a cold, or Donghae is talking about him.

Probably not.

The blonde sinks into the couch, shoulders hunched. His boyfriend has been avoiding him this week, maybe because he has two big exams coming up, but Hyukjae still doesn’t like how little time Donghae has spent with him. Hyukjae is lucky enough not to have any upcoming exams, but his most important source of entertainment is not so fortunate.

He pulls his phone out of his pocket, opening up his messenger.

[Hey Hae.]

Hyukjae switches his phone screen off and stuffs it in his pocket, not expecting Donghae to answer for a while. He closes his eyes and enjoys the sounds of his family around him for a while. Zhoumi’s game makes little ping! noises and Henry makes “Choo-choo!” sounds. The television plays The Incredibles in the background, and there is a distinct tapping of Shindong on his laptop down the hall.

The whole atmosphere is calming. Hyukjae watches the nostalgic Pixar movie without really processing anything, leaning on his brother’s shoulder heavily.

“Hyuk, can you not?” Zhoumi mutters, “I’m trying to beat this level!”

Hyukjae sniffs, sitting up straight. “Sorry, bro...Hey, don’t you have an exam tomorrow?”

Zhoumi’s thumbs move faster than the speed of light, contrasting the calm expression on his face, “Uhm, no. It was on Friday…”

“Oh…” Hyukjae frowns, realizing that he can barely remember when he has his own exams, let alone when his brothers’ are. He should probably commit those to memory. Probably. “Well do you know your score yet?”

Zhoumi shakes his head, eyes lit up with the glow of the 3DS.

“100%!” A booming voice shouts from the hallway, “Zhoumi, your math teacher posted the test grade!”

Zhoumi gasps, throwing his 3DS down with abandon. Hyukjae’s eyes widen at how quickly Zhoumi completely disregarded his goal of level completion in order to run to his father’s laptop and see the grade for himself.

“That’s my first 100% in math this year!” Zhoumi shrieks at the top of his lungs.

“Yay, Mimi!” Henry claps enthusiastically, scrambling up and rushing to his brother’s side. Hyukjae does the same, leaving the television set on.

Zhoumi’s eyes are glued to the laptop screen and Henry has hopped up onto Shindong’s lap. Hyukjae smiles, leaning a palm on his father’s shoulder.

Shindong looks up, “Hyukjae, do you mind making a pizza run for your brother here?”

Zhoumi turns around and gives his elder brother puppy dog eyes and clasped hands. He pushes his bottom lip out and whimpers. Henry copies him and Hyukjae gives in immediately, melting at the adorable sight.

“Oh, alright…”

Hyukjae disregards the fact that his dad could just drive all of them to eat out, and hops onto his motorcycle. An idea hits him.

[Hae, Mimi got really good grades today. Would you like to come over for some pizza ;-)]

He stuffs his phone in his pocket and tugs his helmet over his head, jolting at the sudden buzz.

[Aww, tell him congrats. Sorry though, babe. I’m busy right now and can’t come over. I’ll talk to you later tonight, okay?]

Hyukjae frowns for a second, but then smiles at the implied promise coming from his boyfriend. He types his last text with a smirk on his lips.

[Well then, no pizza for you ;-P]

~

“I thought Hyukjae’s phone was broken?”

“Huh?” Donghae looks up from his phone and finally realizes that they have arrived. He looks to his younger father, who is sitting in the driver’s seat. “Oh, it is broken. That was, uhm, Yuri.”

Siwon gives him a distinctly raised eyebrow, “Yuri makes you giggle like that?”

“Sometimes,” Donghae writes off, waving his hand and opening the car door. “Thanks, Appa. Pick me up in two hours.”

“I will,” Siwon gives him a kiss on the cheek before the teen steps out, “Text me if you want an extension to your date.”

Donghae chuckles, the words ‘It’s not a date. It’s a meeting with my ex-father.’ on the tip of his tongue, but he cannot say them, “Of course. Bye.”

Donghae stuff his phone into his pocket and strolls up the sidewalk to the glass door entrance of XOXO, a hip mini-cafe-slash-coffee shop run by a bunch of men so handsome it should be illegal, some of whom Donghae knows by name. He opens the door and is met with a lot of modern silver and black decor, occupied mostly by college students from the nearby university. He spots Sehun picking up dirty dishes and waves to him.

“Back so soon?” the taller asks.

Donghae immediately has a mini panic attack. “Uh, y-yeah. Uhm I have to see uhh…”

“Is Jae with you?”

“Hm?” Donghae scratches his neck, “Ah, no. Uhm I’m meeting…”

“Donghae!” A voice calls from the back corner of the seating area. Both teenagers turn to see who it is.

Donghae spots the man he is going to meet. He hesitates, caught between resentment and curiosity at what Han Geng could possibly have to talk about with him.

Sehun seems to detect the pause. “That your ex-dad?”

Donghae’s eyes widen at the boy’s perceptiveness. But he has no need to hide from his friend. “Yeah. Please don’t tell my parents, okay?”

Sehun puts his hands up, “It’s none of my business. No worries.”

“Sehun Oh!”

Sehun jolts and picks up the dishes rushedly, almost dropping a ceramic cup, “Old Man Kris is calling me. Gotta go, Aiden.”

“See you.”

Donghae watches the younger go with a solemn face, anxious to move his gaze to the back corner where he is supposed to be. Finally he takes a deep breath and makes a beeline for the silver booth, passing by the cafe’s only two waiters as well as the long cash register lines. Once he comes face-to-face with the man who doesn’t make sense anymore, Donghae clears his throat loudly.

The man looks up. His appearance is familiar to Donghae: a wide forehead, spiky midnight black hair, and thin eyebrows. A pleasant smile overtakes his features and Donghae finds himself uncomfortable.

“Long time no see,” Han Geng says.

Donghae nods, trying not to meet his eyes. Just because he suddenly pities the man doesn’t mean he enjoys being in his vicinity.

“Take a seat, please,” the man gestures towards the opposite side of the booth.

Donghae takes his offer, still looking off to the side. He watches one of the familiar faces behind the counter make a frappuccino: Chen, Hyukjae’s next-door neighbor.

Han Geng is silent, sipping on his glass of water. He slides a menu towards Donghae, who picks it up and hides his eyes behind it.

“So…” Okay, he’s not exactly silent. “How have you been?”

Donghae shrugs, not bothering to speak. Regret fills his stomach with a queasy sensation and an bitter taste on his tongue. He should never have agreed to this.

“Hello.”

A tall, thin young man dressed in a grey outfit and a shimmery black apron comes up to the table to take their order. Donghae doesn’t know him well; he has upswept midnight hair and dark ‘panda eyes’, a professional smile on his lips as he says, “Welcome to XOXO. What would you like to order today?”

Donghae keeps his gaze on the menu, “A vanilla latte and one apricot croissant.”

“Gladly,” the waiter says, scribbling in his notepad, “And you, sir?”

“A caramel macchiato and a raspberry scone,” Han Geng’s voice sounds tired, like he dragged himself out of bed after a really late night, just to see Donghae. A bit of guilt joins the regret in Donghae’s stomach.

“Coming right up!” the waiter collects the menus from them and departs.

Now Donghae has nothing to hide behind. He fiddles with his fingers and keeps his eyes trained on the galaxy floor tiles. He hears a tapping sound and sees one of Han Geng’s fingers nervously fidgeting.

He meets Han Geng’s eyes.

“Donghae…” Han Geng starts.

“Yeah?” Somehow, Donghae now cannot tear his eyes from his ex-father’s gaze. It looks subtly different from the way it usually looks (or maybe Donghae is just forgetting what the man’s idle gaze looks like).

“Are you okay with this?” Han Geng asks.

Donghae isn’t sure, of course. He’s fine with being here, but why is he here? He’d rather be with Hyukjae.

“I’m just here to find out what you’re doing here in LA.”

Han Geng’s gaze drops to the table, “It’s kind of a long story…”

Donghae gestures with a wave, “We have time.”

Before Han Geng can begin his story, their waiter arrives with a tray. He places their orders down on the table one at a time, naming each item as he goes.

“Feel free to flag me down if you need anything else,” the waiter grins.

“Thank you…” Donghae glances at the nametag on the man’s grey shirt, “Tao.”

Tao’s panda eyes turn into half-moons, “You’re very welcome. Enjoy.”

Donghae takes a sip of his latte and a bit of his croissant. There’s an awkward silence while he eats; Han Geng doesn’t touch his food, a reminiscent look on his face as he gazes into the distance. Donghae thinks he appears almost human. Well, that’s what he is, isn’t it?

“I got a better modeling job here. So I moved.” the man pauses to bite into his scone.

“That’s not a very long story,” Donghae says nonchalantly, drinking a few more sips of his latte. He wonders if he’s consuming so much of it in preparation of a story that just might put him to sleep.

Han Geng chuckles, a light sound that breaks from how tired he has sounded so far. “It’s not over yet...I wasn’t very happy in New York. At least, not after my last boyfriend broke up with me.”

Donghae cringes; this is going to be a breakup story? He isn’t sure whether he cares or not, but the pity that he felt for Han Geng earlier is seeping back in.

“He had a very lovely son named Kibum. Fourteen years old and full of energy. He was a daily reminder...of you.”

Donghae’s eyes widen, “So?”

“So I started missing you even more. I still think of you as my son no matter how little you think of me as your father. I am truly sorry for what I did in the past. And I understand that it was unforgivable and no outing that I have taken you on thus far has made up for that, so I won’t ask you to forgive me. I get the feeling that you won’t, anyways.”

Donghae wants to tell him he’s wrong, to take that sad smile off his face, but he can’t. Because Han Geng is right. Donghae’s chest tightens at that fact, reminded of the choking abandonment he felt as a child.

“I’m not here to ask Heechul to take me back. Please don’t think that,” Han Geng sighs, “I only want to have a relationship with you...I can’t have moved all the way out here for nothing.”

Donghae presses his lips into a straight line, “But you have your job. That’s not nothing.”

“I was lucky to get that job. Originally I was going to work odd jobs here, but Heechul’s agency called me in for an interview,” Han Geng shrugs, “I’m not modeling for him, so don’t worry. I’m here to spend more time with you.”  

Donghae has forgotten about his food, scarfing the croissant down once he lays his eyes on it, anything to keep from looking at Han Geng’s melancholy face any longer. He is caught in between being super awkward about this whole situation, and feeling ashamed, even though what Han Geng did to him and Heechul was totally wrong. At this point, Donghae doesn’t understand his own feelings, nor does he understand Han Geng.

Scratch that. In some way, he does understand him. Well, why Han Geng left is still a mystery, but...Donghae understands why Han Geng wants to get to know him more now. It’s hard to explain, but for some reason, Donghae feels no resentment for him in this moment. He doesn’t exactly feel fatherly love, but he definitely feels pity. And he hates seeing the man, who used to look so strong to him, look like such a miserable wreck.

“I’ll…” Donghae whispers, “..try to.”

Han Geng meets his gaze, eyes much brighter, “You will?”

Donghae shrugs, “Sure. What did you have in mind?”

“I have two tickets to Disneyland that you absolutely cannot refuse...and maybe some day we can go rock climbing, or hiking. I was thinking Big Bear?”

The guilt Donghae is completely filled with is momentarily subdued by the want for adventure.

~

Heechul sinks into the warm water in his most favorite part of the house: his larger-than-normal bathtub. Or, as Siwon puts it, “the bathtub we really don’t need, are you serious Heechul?” The rose-perfumed water rises, lifting the mounds of shiny pink bubbles and luscious red petals up with it. He immerses in it, smoothing his hands over his now-soaked hair, and then comes up for a breath.

“Enjoying yourself?”

Heechul looks up and there is his husband, dressed in nothing but a fluffy striped towel wrapped around his waist. Siwon walks from the open doorway to the bathtub, perching on the porcelain edge of it.

Heechul smirks, cupping a pile of fragrant bubbles, “Yes, I’d say so.” He admires his warped reflection in them, pursing his lips and making funny faces.

Suddenly, Heechul gets a faceful of those bubbles, sending him sputtering and blinking. “Siwon!”

Siwon laughs so hard he almost falls into the tub with his towel still on. “Sorry, I had to.”

“No, you did not,” Heechul says, splashing some water in the younger’s direction, to which Siwon jumps away, “Well, are you gonna get in or not?”

Siwon gives him a soft smile, one that always makes Heechul melt, and lets his towel drop so he can join Heechul. They settle together against the wall of the tub, Siwon’s arms around Heechul. The younger’s broad chest feels warm against the elder’s small back.

Heechul blows some bubbles out of his hands, “Sungmin said a new word while you dropped Donghae off this afternoon.”

“What did he say?” Siwon asks, running the tip of his nose in trails on Heechul’s shoulder.

Heechul snorts before continuing, “Hamburger.”

“Hamburger?”

“Hamburger.” Heechul cranes his neck to view the incredulous look on his husband’s face, “Well, it was more like ‘am-booger’, but it was pretty close.”

“Seriously?” Siwon shakes his head, “Of all things...Why hamburger?”

“There may or may not have been a McDonald’s commercial playing before he said it,” Heechul says sheepishly.

“Heechul, I thought I told you to always change the channel when a commercial plays. You know very well that those are no good for our baby’s developing mind.”

Heechul shrugs, “I was too busy.”

“Doing what?”

“...watching the microwave clock tick down until my Hot Pocket was ready.”

“Kim Heechul!” Siwon slaps the elder’s back, scolding.

“Ow!” Heechul whines, hunching over, and then whipping his head back to give his husband a scowl. “What? It was just one commercial! I changed the channel right afterwards.”

Siwon grimaces, “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean it.” He reaches over and rubs the pink mark on Heechul’s pale back.

“I’m sorry, too, but we can’t seriously keep shielding Sungmin like this,” Heechul huffs, leaning back against his husband, “He’s going to find out the wonder of Geico commercials and Nationwide jingles sooner or later.”

Siwon chuckles, running his fingers through Heechul’s wet hair, “Okay, okay. I promise not to be so strict on that anymore...But no Spongebob for him, ever.”

“Of course,” Heechul sighs. He won’t fight his husband on that one because Siwon is particularly adamant about not letting Sungmin watch Spongebob for some reason.

“Want me to wash your hair?” Siwon asks, reaching for the lavender-scented shampoo.

Heechul nods, adjusting his seated position in Siwon’s lap. He shakes his hair back, pushing it behind his ears. The soft sounds of water sloshing in the tub remind him of something.

“You know where we haven’t been together in a while?” Heechul feels his husband’s fingers brush through his long hair.

“Where?” Siwon asks, lathering the shampoo gently.

“The beach.”

“You know it’s still winter, right?”

“I don’t mean to swim. Just to walk on the pier. It’s not that cold for a February in L.A.,” Heechul turns around and gives his husband pleading eyes, “Pretty please?”

Siwon shakes his head, a smile on his lips, “Fine, okay. I’ll think about it. Maybe we should have a get-together and invite Jungsu, Youngwoon, and Shindong.”

“And the kids, of course.”

“Right.”

Heechul lowers his hair under the water and rinses it out well, Siwon combing the shampoo out. He looks back at his husband, upside down. Siwon smiles and Heechul giggles in response. Just before the elder sits up, Siwon bends down to peck his plump pink lips.

“Thanks for washing my hair,” Heechul winks.

“Anytime. Will you wash my back?”

“Of course. I’m done anyways,” Heechul gets out of the tub carefully, taking his fuchsia pink towel off of the rack and wrapping it around his waist. Some of the rose petals cling to his skin. His hair drips all over the tiled floor, but he doesn’t stop to wipe it up. He grabs a loofah from the bath caddy and drizzles soap over it, standing behind the tub at Siwon’s back.

“You’re dripping all over the tiles,” Siwon comments.

“So?” Heechul shrugs, leaning over and scrubbing his husband’s muscular back, “Man, how does a simple businessman like you have such muscles?”

Siwon snorts, “I’m not that buff. And it’s called ‘the gym’. Maybe you should try it sometime?”

“I’ll pass. I’d rather stick to my jogging routine than work out with a bunch of sweaty beefcakes,” the elder runs his fingers through Siwon’s dry hair, “Do you want me to wash this mop, too?”

“It’s not a mop!” Siwon exclaims, hand shooting protectively to his short but shiny hair, “And I can do it myself, thank you.”

“Always happy to help,” Heechul says cheekily, kissing Siwon’s cheek before rinsing off the loofah and putting it back.

“Please dry the floor,” Siwon says, washing his hair with Old Spice shampoo.

Heechul rolls his eyes, and then an idea pops in his brain.

“Sure,” he drops the towel from around his waist, “Happy to.”

Siwon blushes, looking away to focus on his hair instead. Giving up on Heechul’s defiance in keeping his own house clean, he changes the subject, “How do you think Donghae is doing down there with our baby?”

“Just fine,” Heechul wraps his hair up in a towel turban and puts on his crimson bathrobe.

“Aw, man!” As if on cue, Donghae’s voice suddenly sounds throughout the house.

Heechul exchanges a questioning glance with his husband before exiting the bathroom, and going down the stairs to the living room. He is met with the startling sight of his eldest son kneeled on the carpet in front of baby Sungmin, who is and giggling uncontrollably.

“Dad~” Donghae whines, looking to him with glistening, shell-shocked eyes, “he peed on me!”

Heechul can’t help but smile as he realizes that there is nothing more precious in the world than his two sons always getting along perfectly.

---

A/N: Cute ending? hehe...So EXO has made their appearance. Lol dont expect them to be in this much at all, but i got inspiration to start another fic. In the near future, perhaps. I have just begun my second year of college. Wish me luck! I will try my HARDEST to keep up with my fanfics. They are super important to me and to you, my readers, after all.

*~Lunaii Dolls~*

ART NOT MINE (from www.lunaii-dollmaker.com) but i arranged them to look like my SuJu family au characters.

Feel free to download from Deviantart if you like them: http://nathaliafl123.deviantart.com/art/SuJu-Family-au-Lunaii-Dolls-627016126?ga_submit_new=10%253A1470720815

Left to Right: Row 1: Siwon, Heechul, Sungmin
Row 2: Youngwoon, Jungsu, Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, Yesung
Row 3: Shindong, Henry, Zhoumi
Row 4: Donghae, Hyukjae

Comment below which one is your favorite one!!! <3