There are many things five-year-old Kim Chanryu doesn’t understand. Like why the sky is blue or why flowers only bloomed after May.

 

And there are other things he doesn’t understand like why his daddy can never button his shirt properly and why he always packs him weird things for lunch. Like today he watched his daddy pack him three energy bars in one of those plastic containers that he can never find the lid to. He doesn’t find the lid today either – he just covers the open top with shiny foil instead.

 

Chanryu also doesn’t understand why the other kids at daycare laugh at him for being something called “adopted.” He used to think being “adopted” was a bad thing because all the kids would say it in a mean way. But it turns out that being “adopted” is okay because his daycare friend, Lee Seoyul, is “adopted” too and Chanryu thinks she’s very nice. So being “adopted” must not be a bad thing after all.

 

Lee Seoyul is his classmate. She’s very pretty with big brown eyes and her long black hair. Whenever Chanryu plays with it, it feels like the soft shirt his daddy wears to special parties. He likes that feeling. Seoyul is really smart too. She always knows how to fix the buttons on his shirt that his daddy can never get right.

 

“How come it’s messed up like this again?” Seoyul asks during lunchtime.

 

Chanryu looks down at his shirt as Seoyul’s little fingers redid the buttons. “I don’t know. My dad doesn’t even buy me different shirts – they’re all the same. Just different colors.”

 

“They all have the same design,” Seoyul says as she finishes up the buttons.

 

“You’re really good at buttoning,” Chanryu tells her genuinely. “I wish my daddy could button me.”

 

Seoyul grins and her eyes light up. “That’s because my daddy taught me how to button like an adult! He can teach you too!”

 

“That would be good, I think. Because my daddy isn’t good at buttoning.” Chanryu frowns because he wonders if his daddy is good at anything. His daddy is good at working; he knows that because that’s all his daddy seems to do.

 

“I don’t see why it’s so hard,” she replies as she fastens the top button smartly. “You always wear the same plaid shirts with six buttons.”

 

Chanryu looks down at his buttons in confusion. “I thought there were five…”

 

Seoyul gives him a funny look as she pulls out her lunchbox. It’s purple and pink and covered in stickers and Chanryu kind of wishes he had a lunchbox like that instead of this paper bag his dad uses for him. All that’s inside is a plastic container filled with energy bars anyways. So he just shoves his bag aside and leans toward Seoyul.

 

“What did your daddy pack you today?” he asks curiously.

 

She brings out a metal thermos with rubber pink edges that comes with a matching plastic spoon. Chanryu is always amazed at all her stuff even though it’s only been two months since they met. “My daddy made me sweet potato rice,” she tells him. She struggles with the thermos before ultimately handing it to Chanryu.

 

He swivels the top off expertly – he always opens her thermos for her. “That sounds good,” he says. The smell of the food makes him hungry and he wishes his dad packed him good foods like this.

 

“Did your daddy pack you more energy bars?”

 

Chanryu nods and Seoyul sighs sympathetically. She places her food in the middle of them and shares her lunch with her best friend. It happens like this often. Chanryu’s lunches are always really weird so she shares with him instead.

 

It’s not until she’s playing with him on the playground that she gets an idea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“How was daycare today, sweetheart?”

 

Seoyul raises her arms as her daddy fastens her seatbelt. “It was fun! Chanryu and I made a fairy house today.”

 

“Oh really?” She nods as her daddy goes up to the front of the car and starts to drive away from her colorful daycare. She sees Chanryu running into his dad’s arms and she remembers the question she wanted to ask.

 

“Daddy,” she starts.

 

“Mm?” he replies.

 

Seoyul tilts her head and kicks her feet a little bit. “Can you make me two lunches from now on?”

 

“Two?” he asks as he stops in front of a red light. “Why two? Am I not packing you enough food?”

 

“No, you are,” she insists. “It’s just, Chanryu never has a good lunch and I share with him. So I was thinking that maybe you could make two so I can give one to him.”

 

Seoyul sees her daddy’s eyebrows furrow in the mirror. “Who’s Chanryu?”

 

“He’s my best friend!”

 

“Oh, that’s good. And… why doesn’t he ever have a good lunch?”

 

“His daddy never packs him good food like you do for me. His daddy is always busy.”

 

“…Really?”

 

“Yeah and he can never button Chanryu’s shirt right too. I don’t know why, since there are only six buttons on Chanryu’s shirt.” Seoyul shakes the thought out of her little head before asking again, “So can we make him a second lunch? I’ll deliver it to him every day!”

 

“Of course we can do that sweetie,” her daddy smiles.

 

Seoyul thinks that her daddy has the best smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Chanryu, Chanryu!”

 

Chanryu looks up from the sandbox at the sound of his name being called. He finds Seoyul running towards him looking excited. “Mm?” he calls back as he returns to digging his fingers into the sand.

 

Seoyul hops into the sandbox and giggles, “I brought you food today! My daddy made extra sweet potato rice for you.”

 

“Wow, really?!” Chanryu exclaims, his eyes going wide. “Your daddy is the best daddy in the world!”

 

“I know!” Seoyul replies back excitedly. Her eyes glint some more once she realizes her father is walking over amiably. “He’s coming right now.”

 

There’s a tall man walking towards Chanryu and he can’t help but notice that the man has really pretty eyes. They’re big and brown just like Seoyul’s. Chanryu feels mesmerized as the tall man with big eyes comes over to kneel by the two of them.

 

“Hi there – are you Chanryu?” the man asks him.

 

Quietly, Chanryu nods. He fidgets with his plaid shirt awkwardly because he’s never been in the presence of such a handsome grown up before. Except for maybe his own father.

 

“You’re friends with Seoyul, right?”

 

“Best friends!” Seoyul pipes up as if it makes a world of a difference what kind of friends they are.

 

The man chuckles. “Yes, yes, best friends. She told me to pack you extra food because your daddy doesn’t pack you good food? Is that true?”

 

Chanryu nods shyly and wiggles his feet. “My daddy packed me dried fruit today.”

 

“For lunch?” The man looks surprised and almost upset.

 

“Yes.”

 

Seoyul’s daddy purses his lips and smiles calmly. “Is your daddy still here, Chanryu?”

 

“Mm-hm! He’s supposed to kiss me goodbye before he goes but he had an emergency phone call. He’s talking on his phone over there.” He points to the other side of the playground, where there’s an adult male pacing around in his own circle.

 

“Can you bring your daddy to me, please? I need to talk with him.”

 

Chanryu nods and stands up. “Okay,” he says obediently. He’s not sure why he feels so calm in the presence of Seoyul’s daddy. Maybe he’s got magic powers or something.

 

With absolutely no hesitation, Chanryu plods across the playground to get to his daddy. He tugs on his father’s sleeve with his tiny hands and whines, “Daddy, daddy – I need you.”

 

He’s greeted with a small hush and an apologetic smile. Chanryu knows what that means. That means ‘five-more-minutes.’ So Chanryu stands there and waits patiently as he plays with his hands and rock on his feet. During that time, he notices that his daddy is not as tall as Seoyul’s daddy. His daddy’s eyes are also not as big and brown as Seoyul’s daddy’s eyes. But Chanryu thinks his father is very handsome. He has a very handsome man for a father.

 

After some time, Chanryu’s daddy finally switches off his phone and turns around to scoop him up into the air. Chanryu’s peals of laughter fill the air as his daddy holds him close and kisses his forehead. “Sorry, daddy was a little busy. What did you need, little man?”

 

He points his small finger toward the sandbox, where Seoyul and her daddy are making turtles. “Seoyul’s daddy wants to talk to you,” he says curtly.

 

“Who’s Seoyul?” his daddy asks, furrowing his dark eyebrows.

 

“My best friend!”

 

His daddy laughs. “Oh, that’s right.” He checks his watch and bites back a frown. “I-I guess I have a few spare minutes to talk to them. Let’s go over, hm?”

 

Chanryu nods enthusiastically and demands that his father make him an airplane. He’s more than happy as he spreads his arms out as his dad makes swooshing noises from his mouth. Chanryu knows he’s not a real plane, but it is fun to pretend. Especially with his daddy, since all his daddy does is work, work, work. He likes when his daddy plays with him.

 

Together they stop in front of the sandbox and Seoyul’s daddy looks up at them. “Are you Chanryu’s father?” he asks.

 

Chanryu nods and looks back to his father, who hasn’t said a word. His daddy’s eyes are wide and his mouth is open. He looks very silly to Chanryu, who giggles and pokes his daddy’s cheek. “Daddy,” he says, waving a hand in front of his father’s eyes.

 

Seoyul’s daddy stands up and looks worried for him. Chanryu laughs and wiggles his way out of his father’s arms. He lands on the ground with a light thump and rejoins Seoyul in the sandbox.

 

“Sir?”

 

“O-Oh, yes – I’m Chanryu’s father. You can call me Myungsoo.”

 

Seoyul’s daddy smiles. “Nice to meet you, my name is Sungyeol. Um, your son is friends with my daughter, Seoyul–”

 

“Best friends!” Seoyul corrects as she pushes some sand into a hill.

 

“–right, sorry honey. And she told me something that had me a little concerned. So I was wondering if I could have a word with you.”

 

Chanryu stops paying complete attention after that. They say a lot of big kid things that goes right over his head and he doesn’t bother trying to understand anyways. Instead he makes castles and dragons with Seoyul in the sand. They all look like lumps, but Seoyul says it’s good enough to be a castle.

 

“I’m sorry to hear that, but in my defense, I’m really busy.”

 

“Busy or not, you should have the time to pack your son a nutritious lunch. How else will he grow and get the energy he needs?”

 

“Well, look at him – he’s doing fine!”

 

“Packing him energy bars for lunch is not fine, Mr. Myungsoo.”

 

“Look, I’m not the best parent but he’s getting what he needs, right? After my promotion, I only have so much time for him!”

 

“I’m not trying to call you out on your parenting or anything, but that sounds irresponsible.”

 

“It might now show, but he’s doing absolutely fine. I get him dressed for bed and for school every morning and night. I button his shirt every single day–”

 

“Oh, Chanryu!” Seoyul exclaims suddenly, dropping her spade. She pulls him over by the sleeve but he’s not surprised. He’s actually very at ease. “I need to redo your buttons again.”

 

Chanryu watches her small nimble fingers undo the fumbled buttons so she could button them back properly. He also happens to catch Seoyul’s daddy give his daddy an unimpressed glance and now his daddy his blushing.

 

“Okay, in my defense the buttons are really small and I can never hold them properly between my fingers. And there’s only five, it’s not that big of a deal.”

 

“Six!” Seoyul chimes as she points to the buttons one by one and counts them. “One, two, three, four, five, six! Six buttons. Right daddy?”

 

Her daddy looks down at her and pats her head lovingly. “Absolutely right, darling.”                                                              

 

Chanryu wonders if he’ll ever get pat on the head like Seoyul does.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous! Can you believe that, Chanryu?” Myungsoo snaps as he pulls out of the daycare’s driveway. “That Sungyeol guy came up to me again with one of parenting books. That’s the fourth time this month!” He scoffs. “As if reading those things would make me a better parent.”

 

Chanryu stares out the window, looking lost in his own head. He blinks smartly at his father though and asks, “Does Seoyul’s daddy think you’re a bad daddy?”

 

“Something like that,” Myungsoo grumbles as he stops at a red light. “Which sounds fake if you ask me – I’m a pretty good dad… right?”

 

“What does a good daddy look like?”

 

Myungsoo frowns as he shrugs. “I-… I don’t know.”

 

“Then I don’t know,” Chanryu says, his eyes going wide as he shrugs. How is he supposed to know when his daddy doesn’t even know? “Is Seoyul’s daddy a good daddy?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“Then you should try to be like him.”

 

Myungsoo fakes out a dramatic cry as the streetlight turns green and clutches at his chest. “I can’t believe it – my own son has turned against me! He likes Seoyul’s daddy more than me!”

 

“No!” Chanryu laughs, shaking with giggles. “I like you the best all the time.”

 

“That’s right – I’m just as good of a daddy as Seoyul’s daddy is,” he says, mostly to himself. “I can be a good parent if I had the time…”

 

“Oh, daddy?”

 

Myungsoo snaps out of his thoughts. “Hm?” he murmurs as the light turns green again.

 

“Can I have a playdate with Seoyul this weekend?”

 

“A playdate?” Myungsoo furrows his eyebrows. “What time? Because daddy is on a tight schedule these days, so I don’t know if I can drive you.”

 

“Twelve on Saturday! Seoyul says her daddy can cook lunch and we can color together. It’ll be fun.”

 

Mulling over the idea, Myungsoo hums as he can feel himself giving in. A playdate sounds like a good idea – especially with a sweet kid like Seoyul. He’s glad that his son is out and about and is able to make friends. Even if it’s with the daughter of that infuriating Sungyeol who happens to think he’s Father of the Year or something. Maybe Myungsoo would stay back a bit to see how he parented at home. It couldn’t have been that good.

 

“Okay, I’ll take you,” he tells Chanryu calmly.

 

Chanryu’s face instantly lights up and his feet kick in joy. Myungsoo smiles because his son is definitely the cutest. “It’s going to be so much fun!” Chanryu exclaims. “I can spend the whole day with Seoyul and her daddy. Her daddy is very handsome, you know,” he comments.

 

Myungsoo snickers. “Oh, you think so?”

 

“Not as handsome as you, daddy,” his son says immediately. “All my daycare teachers say you’re very handsome. But I think Seoyul’s daddy is very handsome too.”

 

“Yes,” Myungsoo agrees without really thinking about it. “Seoyul’s daddy is very handsome, indeed.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seoyul decides that Chanryu’s father is really funny. She thinks so because when the two came over for a playdate, Chanryu’s daddy got a weird look on his face when he saw her own daddy. He couldn’t talk very well either.

 

“Is your daddy okay?” she asks Chanryu when he sits next to her at her dining table. There are piles of crayons and papers laid out in front of them, as well as glitter glue and markers.

 

Chanryu probably hasn’t seen this many arts and crafts supplies ever before in his life. He told Seoyul once that at home, all he can do is draw on the back of his dad’s old work papers with a pen. But with all the shiny markers and glitter in front of him, he mutters, “My daddy is okay… he’s just distracted.” He picks up a bright crayon and starts to scribble with it on the stiff drawing paper. “Because your daddy is too handsome.”

 

“He thinks my daddy is handsome? But your daddy is more handsome than mine,” Seoyul giggles.

 

With a shrug, Chanryu only continues to color. In that moment he decides he wants to be an artist when he grows up so that he can play with crayons all day long. It’s only after maybe fifteen minutes of drawing with Seoyul that he realizes that his daddy hasn’t left yet. His father usually never stayed very long after dropping him off. He looks up in curiosity and sees his father talking to Seoyul’s daddy.

 

“No, really – I would hate to be a bother.”

 

“You wouldn’t be a bother.” Seoyul’s daddy smiles and his teeth are very pretty, Chanryu thinks. “And I’m sure Chanryu would love to spend a day with his daddy and us. Seoyul said something about the two of you not getting much alone time…?”

 

His own daddy grumbles. “Kid must babble a lot to Seoyul. Not that I mind – he probably gets it from me anyways. But really, I should go. There’s probably a stack of paperwork I need to get a head start on, to be honest.”

 

“Myungsoo, what did you and Chanryu eat for dinner last night?”

 

“I’m sorry?” His daddy asks with a weird look on his face.

 

Seoyul’s daddy smiles sweetly. “I mean, when was the last time you had a home cooked meal together? It’s important that he’s healthy at this age.”

 

“Oh,” his daddy murmurs as he rubs his head sheepishly, “um, we had takeout last night. W-We don’t have it every night! I just didn’t have time to cook for him.”

 

“I see.”

 

“Of course, I feel bad that I can’t provide him everything you provide for Seoyul. She seems very happy and healthy and I can only hope that I can do that for Chanryu too,” he admits.

 

Seoyul’s daddy breaks into a grin and takes Chanryu’s daddy by the arm. “Come with me.”

 

“What– where?”

 

“The kitchen,” he replies enthusiastically. “I’ll show you some simple, easy recipes that are healthy and can be done really quickly. They come in handy when you’re short on time and have an extra mouth to feed.”

 

“…Oh.”

 

“Your daddy is funny,” Seoyul whispers to Chanryu.

 

Chanryu giggles back and picks up a pink crayon. “He’s only funny around your daddy.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sungyeol laughs to himself as Myungsoo fumbles around with the plug for the blender. He’s scrambling to find the electrical socket and Sungyeol thinks it’s rather endearing.

 

“The outlet is to your left,” he says, leaning against his counter.

 

Myungsoo grins. “Oh, thanks. I’ve been here so many times, you’d think I’d know by now.”

 

“Guess not, since you can’t even plug in my blender,” Sungyeol teases.

 

“Nearly thirteen playdates later and you haven’t taught me any recipes with a blender,” Myungsoo retorts back playfully after he successfully plugs in the blender. “So who is to blame for that? Oh, I believe that’s you.”

 

“Are you sassing me?” Sungyeol asks, choking back more laughter. “It’s not my fault it took you over half the playdates to learn to bake chicken . It’s the easiest thing to do.”

 

“Oh, I beg to differ – it’s not so easy when I’ve never touched an oven before.”

 

Sungyeol rolls his eyes and goes over to join Myungsoo’s side. “I don’t know how Chanryu survives. He’s living with a train wreck.”

 

“I will have you know that I cooked for him last night! I made that stir-fried chicken you suggested with the bell peppers and asparagus. Chanryu loved it, I couldn’t believe how easy it was. I remember when I first tried cooking for the two of us, it was a disaster. So bad that he wouldn’t even talk to me about it.”

 

“Well, your kids are your food biggest critics.” Sungyeol laughed lightly. “Can you rinse those berries for me?”

 

Myungsoo nodded. “Of course I will. What are we making today, chief?”

 

“Smoothies!” Sungyeol told him excitedly. “I’m going to sneak in some vegetables – the kids will never tell,” he said sneakily as he grabbed a handful of kale.

 

Neither of them know how long this has been going on. They just know that every time Chanryu and Seoyul have a playdate, they somehow end up having some sort of mini parenting seminar. Myungsoo always insists that he has somewhere to be and Sungyeol always manages to make him stay. And then they cook together for hours. It’s been like this for a few months actually. They don’t remember when it started, they just know that autumn has turned into winter and their like for each other has possibly turned into something deeper.

 

It would have been more surprising if their feelings hadn’t turned into something deeper. After all, every time Myungsoo comes over, all they do is flirt and cook and then talk some more. Even Myungsoo wonders when the time will be right enough for them to ask each other out. But with kids on their hands, they’re not sure if dating is a possibility.

 

It’s only after they’ve gotten Seoyul and Chanryu to drink the smoothies, after the two demand to go play outside, after Myungsoo messes up the buttons on Chanryu’s jacket again (Seoyul seems a little exasperated when she has to fix it this time), and after they’re walking side by side behind their children that the question kind of pops up.

 

“So… have you been seeing anyone?”

 

Sungyeol seems surprised at the question more than anything, but the look on his face is quite pleasant. “Me?” he chuckles after a moment. “I haven’t got the time to see anyone lately. Seoyul is doing a great job of keeping my hands full.”

 

“Oh, I see,” Myungsoo replied with a nod. “Me too, though. Chanryu and my job has kept me far away from a decent social life.”

 

“Well, at least we have each other. You’re really one of the only other parents I talk to from Seoyul’s daycare center. Even though we got off to a rough start.”

 

“Rough start? Oh, Sungyeol – you wouldn’t believe how annoyed I got when you would approach me with all those parenting tips.” Myungsoo laughs fondly at the memory. To think it had only been a few months ago.

 

Sungyeol blushes pink and says, “I said I was sorry! I didn’t mean to be such a nuisance, I promise.”

 

“No, I know you were just looking out for Chanryu.” Myungsoo smiles. “If I ever get married, I’d love for him to have a parent like you. I’m sure he would love that too.”

 

“They would be very lucky to have a nice kid like Chanryu,” Sungyeol admits honestly. Then after a moment, he adds, “And to have a husband like you.”

 

Myungsoo feels his cheeks heat up as he smiles down at the sidewalk they are strolling down. “I can say the same thing about you. But… have you ever thought about it? Dating, I mean. I know a kid and a boyfriend would be hard to juggle, but would you be open to it?”

 

“Hm… It’s never really crossed my mind that seriously before. But upon finding someone I really want to date, I suppose I would be open to it,” he says slowly, giving Myungsoo a strange eye. “What makes you ask?”

 

“Oh, I don’t know… Curiosity, I guess? Well, that and another reason.”

 

Sungyeol’s eyes sparkle in the biting winter air as he softly murmurs, “And that reason is…?”

 

“Um, well – I was wondering if… you would, perhaps, like to–”

 

“Ow!”

 

“Seoyul!” Sungyeol exclaims with a gasp. He’s running to his daughter’s side in a second, who had tripped on the sidewalk and scraped her knee. She was crying as Chanryu was kneeling down beside her, trying to comfort her.

 

“Poor kid,” Myungsoo whispered under his breath as he jogged over. He bit back a sigh; he didn’t get to ask Sungyeol his question.

 

Sungyeol has Seoyul lifted up in his arms in no time, asking her if she’s okay in his soft voice, over and over. Her tears stop in no time with Sungyeol soothing and kissing her and she’s simply reduced to loud hiccups. 

 

“I’m so sorry, Myungsoo,” Sungyeol apologizes as they walk back to his house. “You didn’t get to ask me your question.”

 

“No, that’s alright.” He waves it away with his free hand that Chanryu isn’t holding. “Y-You probably wouldn’t have said yes anyways.”

 

Sungyeol blinks his sparkling eyes again and Myungsoo resists the urge to melt – not in front of his son at least. “I mean,” Sungyeol starts, “you could just ask me now, couldn’t you?”

 

Clearing his throat, Myungsoo replies, “I could? I mean, I could. It’s just… not in front of the kids, maybe…?”

 

“Oh… I just thought maybe it was important enough for now.”

 

“It is important! I mean… not that important. No, that’s not what I meant either, um…”

 

“Daddy.” Myungsoo feels a tug at his hand and looks down to Chanryu, who’s staring up at him. He looks completely serious as he says, “Just ask him now.”

 

“Just ask me now,” Sungyeol agrees. The smile on his lips is rather coy as Seoyul giggles in his arms. “Unless, it’s not important like you said. And it could wait for a couple more weeks–”

 

“No! I mean– ugh, this is so awkward.” Myungsoo shakes his head quickly, as if to clear any worries away from his head. He squeezes Chanryu’s hand tightly for reassurance and then stammers out, “I wanted to ask if…” He looks down at Chanryu who nods at him and Myungsoo almost laughs because at how ridiculous it was to look to his own child for encouragement. “I-I wanted to know if you’d like to go out with me.”

 

Sungyeol’s eyes shoot open wide and the hand rubbing Seoyul’s back pauses. “Go out? Like… on a date?”

 

“Yeah. Like on a date,” Myungsoo replied in his fluster. “I-I know you said you have your hands full and so do I, what with our kids and stuff but… um, we can find a babysitter? And then… go out to dinner? Or something?”

 

“Oh, um. Yeah. Yeah, I’d really like that.” Sungyeol flushes and looks down at the floor. “So… Friday at seven then?”

 

Myungsoo blinks. “Friday at seven– yes, yes, Friday at seven! I’ll… contact my go-to babysitter.”

 

“That sounds great. And a movie afterwards?”

 

“Sounds good.”

 

Sungyeol grins. “Good. I’ll see you then,” he says as he walks away towards his house.

 

“Right, right – see you then,” Myungsoo calls back as he heads towards his car. He takes in a deep, satisfied breath as he buckles Chanryu into his car seat.

 

“Daddy?” Chanryu asks. “What does it mean if you’re dating Seoyul’s daddy?”

 

Myungsoo coughs and shrugs. “I don’t know, what do you think it means?”

 

“Does it mean you two really like each other?”

 

With a laugh, Myungsoo replies, “Yeah, something like that.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“And remember, their dinner is wrapped up in the fridge, all you have to do is heat it up. Make sure they both drink their milk before bed, but heat up Chanryu’s because he had his appendix removed a few months ago. And make sure they’re in bed by eight!”

 

Sungjong laughs and replies, “Yes, sir. I understand.”

 

Sungyeol gives him a raised eyebrow and says, “I hope so, because last time you babysat them, they were nearly up all night.”

 

“That was a one-time thing! They tricked me into giving them soda, I swear!”

 

Myungsoo grins and drapes himself over Sungyeol. “Come on, baby. Sungjong has been our babysitter for months. He’s taken great care of the kids every time we go out. And that’s like, what – nearly fifty times already?”

 

“Yeah, but Seoyul totally had her sleep schedule ruined. You remember how many days it took before she was sleeping normally again?”

 

“Oh, right, he complained about it for weeks afterwards,” Myungsoo says to Sungjong, who is watching in amusement. “Don’t worry, you’ve still got a job, Sungjong. And besides, I can’t think of anyone who loves the kids more than you.”

 

“Thank you, sir,” Sungjong chuckles as Myungsoo drags Sungyeol out of the house.

 

Sungjong has been babysitting these two kids for a long time now. It used to just be one kid, since Myungsoo sometimes needed him to watch Chanryu when he had to stay late at work. But now he is going on dates with another single father, and now Sungjong is watching two kids. They are arguably very sweet kids and they did both love him; the only problem is that their mischief seems to sometimes get the better of all three of them.

 

Like for example, Sungjong has only just locked the door and when he finds the two kids, they’re messy with rocky road ice cream covering their faces and hands.

 

“You guys!” Sungjong exclaims, rushing over to clean up the mess.

 

Seoyul giggles and shows off her sticky fingers. “Look!”

 

“I see, I see! You two have made a mess,” he chastises. “And what are you two doing eating ice cream before dinner?”

 

“We wanted some,” Chanryu says innocently. “And I know where my daddy hides it.”

 

Sungjong sighs as he takes napkins to wipe off their messy hands. “Well, there’s a reason your daddy hides it, Chanryu. Now, Seoyul’s daddy wants me to make sure you’re both in bed by eight tonight, so no sugar or caffeine. Okay?”

 

Seoyul pouts sadly as she leans on her now clean fingers. “That’s no fun. I liked staying up with you last time.”

 

“Well, your father certainly didn’t,” Sungjong chuckles and taps her nose playfully. “So I can’t let that happen again.”

 

“Where did they go tonight anyways?” Chanryu asks.

 

“The opera,” Sungjong replies. “Fancy, isn’t it.”

 

Seoyul tilts her head. “Isn’t an opera where people go to get married?”

 

“No, sweetheart, people normally get married in a church. Sometimes in fields or beaches too, it depends on the couple.”

 

“Aw.” She pouts. “I wanted them to get married.”

 

“Isn’t it a little early for them to get married?” Sungjong asks with a small smile. “They’ve only been dating for… how long?”

 

“Too long!” Chanryu tells him. “We’re almost done being kindergartners. We even went on a trip over the summer to the beach. I don’t get why they’re not married yet.”

 

“Maybe they’re just waiting for the right time,” Sungjong says. “I mean, they don’t even live together.”

 

“We lived together for a week once,” Seoyul chimes. “But then my daddy got mad at Chanryu’s daddy so we went back to our own houses. I want to live together again though, it was fun.”

 

Chanryu nods enthusiastically. “So much fun! Seoyullie and I got to play with each other all the time.”

 

“Sungjongie, can you ask our daddies to get married please?” Seoyul looks up at Sungjong with her large twinkling eyes. Sungjong can only imagine that she learned that technique from her father.

 

“I mean– I can ask them. I don’t think they’ll appreciate it though.” He winks at the two of them and sets off to the refrigerator. “Let me heat up dinner for you two, okay? And then you can get into your pajamas and then go to bed.”

 

“That’s no fun,” Chanryu whines, swinging his legs in defiance. “Can’t we watch TV? You promised us last time!”

 

“Yes, but I also promised Sungyeol that you two would be in bed on time tonight. Which reminds me, Seoyul, did you bring out the futon for Chanryu?”

 

She nods and says, “Yeah, the futon is in my room. I got the quilt out too.”

 

“So your parents are sleeping together tonight?” Sungjong asks. He pauses in front of the microwave because it was not supposed to come out like that. “I-I mean! Um…”

 

“Yeah, they’re going to come home while we’re sleeping and sleep together,” Chanryu says nonchalantly. “They always do that when they’re out too late at night. Sometimes they’re so tired that when we go to wake them up, they’re not even in their pajamas.”

 

“You mean… they’re still wearing the same clothes from the day before?” Sungjong asks hopefully.

 

“Mm-hm!” Seoyul nods. “They’re always sleepy. One time, Chanryu’s daddy had to sleep on the couch.”

 

Sungjong blinks in surprise. “Oh–” He wants to ask more but the microwave beeps and their dinners are ready.

 

He eats dinner with them amiably – they’re nice kids to dine with. They’re generally well-mannered when they want to be. Dinner continues without another mentioning of their parents. So afterwards, Sungjong sends them to go brush their teeth and get into their pajamas while he goes to grab a storybook to read to them.

 

When he goes into Seoyul’s room, she’s buttoning up Chanryu’s pajamas. Chanryu can never seem to get them just right, and neither does his dad. Seoyul meticulously makes sure that all six buttons are accounted for before hopping into her bed and Chanryu onto his futon on the ground. Sungjong settles himself in between the two beds and gets comfortable.

 

“Ready?” he asks them.

 

They both nod and he opens up to the first page of Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. He had learned a few babysits ago that these two kids did not appreciate thin books about counting sheep or talking animals. They turned out to love Harry Potter much more so now Sungjong was intent on finishing the whole series with them.

 

They are a strange pair of kids with a stranger pair of parents. But somehow, it works.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Daddy!”

 

“Daddy’s here, daddy’s here, baby. Are you okay?”

 

Seoyul cries into her blanket as Sungyeol flicks on the light. Sungyeol is by her side in a second and her hair. “I-I had a nightmare,” she hiccups.

 

“Aw, is that so? I thought first graders didn’t have nightmares anymore,” Sungyeol teases gently as he cradles her.

 

“It was scary!” she insists. She rubs her eyes and cries, “There were bad men chasing me!”

 

“It’s okay, baby, I’m here.” Sungyeol kisses the crown of her head. “Is there anything I can do to make you better?”

 

“I want a hug.”

 

“But princess, I am hugging you.”

 

“No, no – I want one from Myungsoo.”

 

The look of surprise on Sungyeol’s face can’t be rivalled at all in the moment. But Seoyul absolutely does not let up on her crying and Sungyeol knows his daughter, and he knows that she’s more stubborn than he is. So after a few more minutes of fruitless coaxing, he calls up Myungsoo on the phone despite it being two in the morning.

 

Myungsoo is over before he can even get upset over the fact that Seoyul wanted someone besides her own father. Myungsoo is sauntering in nonchalantly with Chanryu sleeping soundly in his arms and with a noticeable smirk on his face.

 

“She’s in her bed,” Sungyeol grumbles as he takes Chanryu into his own arms. Honestly, he thinks that Chanryu is already his second child by the way the small boy snuggles up familiarly into his arms.

 

He stays out in his living room, rocking Chanryu as if he’s an infant while Myungsoo goes in to comfort Seoyul. He’s out within minutes though and that smirk on his face is still there.

 

“How did it go?” Sungyeol asks as he reappears.

 

Myungsoo chuckles. “Great. She’s sound asleep.” Sungyeol is silent as he hands Chanryu back over. “Oh babe, don’t tell me you’re jealous.”

 

“I’m not,” Sungyeol insists with a huff, his cheeks turning pink. “I’m just concerned for my daughter, is all.”

 

“Don’t pout, Yeollie, you know it’s not Seoyul’s fault that I’m her favorite.”

 

“Wow.” Sungyeol turns away to leave. “Well, she’s asleep now so you can go home.”

 

Myungsoo sighs and lays Chanryu down on the sofa before quickly walking to Sungyeol’s side. “Look, baby. Let’s talk.”

 

“I don’t want to.”

 

“Listen, I know you’re still mad about last time and I don’t expect you to forgive me that easily, but you know that moment doesn’t define our relationship. We’re so much more than that.”

 

“Whatever. You said what you said, you can’t change it.”

 

“I didn’t mean it, babe, I swear! Look, I’ll make it up to you, okay?” Myungsoo whispers as he touches Sungyeol’s arm softly.

 

“Make it up to me? You made me look like a complete fool!” Sungyeol exclaims under his breath. “I thought-… I thought you were going to propose to me and you didn’t. I felt like such an idiot.”

 

“Listen, babe, I promise you I didn’t mean for it to be like that,” Myungsoo pleads.

 

“And then if I ask if you had meant to propose, you laugh at me and scoff ‘no way’? Myungsoo, how is that supposed to make me feel any better?! I feel like an afterthought.”

 

“Yeol–”

 

“I wanted to push you away so badly and I could have done it too! I totally could have convinced myself that our relationship wasn’t that serious. But tonight was just a testament of how much you’ve entered my life – Seoyul’s life – and rooted yourself.” He sighs sadly as he stops in front of his bedroom door. “There’s just no falling out of love with you.”

 

Myungsoo pulls him into a hug tightly. “Baby, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I made you feel that way. You mean the world to me, you really do. Both you and Seoyul.” He presses a kiss to Sungyeol’s lips, despite the other not returning it. “And if it means anything, you and Seoyul mean the world to Chanryu too.”

 

Sungyeol sighs as he leans into Myungsoo’s hug. “I guess I’m just… being petty. I shouldn’t have overreacted like I did.”

 

“No, I shouldn’t have said what I said,” Myungsoo replies. “So I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s fine,” Sungyeol murmurs with another sigh. “It’s pretty clear that Seoyul has learned to depend on you as well as me.”

 

“Chanryu too.” Myungsoo smiles as he whispers, “He asks for you to make his lunch sometimes.”

 

“Still favors my cooking over yours.”

 

“Yeah, well, Seoyul likes my hugs better than yours.”

 

Sungyeol actually laughs for a moment before turning serious again. “So what are we going to do about it? They clearly both need the two of us.”

 

Myungsoo only responds with a smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seoyul and Chanryu are sitting together at the coloring table like always, minding their own business. One of Seoyul’s girl-friends comes over to sit down next to them and she bears a curious look on her face.

 

“Seoyul?” she asks.

 

“Hm?”

 

“How come you and Chanryu come to school together now? I thought you went in different cars.”

 

“Not anymore,” Chanryu answers for her, trading his pink crayon for a black one. “We all live together now.”

 

“Why?”

 

Seoyul shrugs. “My daddy says it’s because we’re a family. That’s why we stay in the same house together.”

 

“Are your daddies married?”

 

“…No.”

 

“Then how come you’re a family?”

 

“We just are.”

 

“That’s weird.”

 

“No, it’s not! We all love each other like a family, so we are one. That’s all.”

 

Chanryu nods beside her. “Yup. Seoyul is like my sister.”

 

“But she’s not your real sister.”

 

“Yes she is,” Chanryu insists. “She plays with me at home and we eat dinner together. And she always buttons my shirt, see?” He shows off his primly buttoned shirt proudly. “Seoyul is the one who does my buttons now. Because my daddy is still not good at them.”

 

Seoyul nods happily. “Six buttons every day!” She pokes each button as she sings, “One, two, three, four, five and six! Six buttons in total! My daddy taught me how to button like a big kid.”

 

Violently nodding, Chanryu agrees within a heartbeat. “Seoyul is the best buttoner around. And I’m lucky that she lives with me like a sister.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Seoyul! Chanryu!”

 

Chanryu looks up from his drawing, where he’s laying stomach down on the living room rug. “Yes, daddy?”

 

“Come into the kitchen please. We have a big surprise for you.”

 

“Okay!” Seoyul hums, standing up. “What is it?”

 

“A surprise!”

 

“Do you think they got us those magic wands we wanted?” Chanryu whispers as they both plod towards the kitchen. “We asked for them a long time ago.”

 

“I don’t know.” Seoyul shrugs.

 

As they both enter the kitchen, both their daddies are standing there, hand in hand with big goofy grins on their faces. Seoyul and Chanryu are confused, to say the least.

 

“I bet you’re wondering why we called you,” Sungyeol says with a happy smile.

 

Myungsoo wraps an arm around Sungyeol’s waist and tightens it. “It’s because we have a big announcement for the two of you. Very important news that will change all of our lives.”

 

“How?” Chanryu asks quietly.

 

Sungyeol and Myungsoo share a glance with each other before pulling out their hands. They’re both adorning silver bands on their fingers and the sunlight streaming through the window glints on beautifully. It only takes about two seconds before the whole kitchen is filled with shrieks and shouts of joy and excitement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Are you ready?” Seoyul whispers excitedly. Her loose curls are falling over her baby blue satin dress gracefully as she holds a basket of various flower petals in her hand.

 

It’s the day their fathers are getting married. It was still a surreal feeling for the two of them. They never imagined that their best friend was to become their new siblings. But life is full of surprises, and Chanryu decides that he likes surprises.

 

But at the moment, he’s struggling to balance the ring cushion in his hand while he fumbles around with his shirt again. It’s probably the fourth time he’s tried to fix it but it’s just not working. Seoyul spots his struggle quite easily and sighs in the same way her father does.

 

“Let me do it,” she says, pushing his hands away gently. She redoes his buttons effortlessly and Chanryu still doesn’t really understand how. It’s six buttons but she always seems to get it right. But then again, it’s only six buttons, and his daddy never seems to get it right. Chanryu doesn’t really understand it.

 

“There you two are! My, don’t you both look amazing!”

 

The two children look up to see Sungyeol standing there in his all white suit and Myungsoo standing beside him in his all black suit. They don’t look like they could be a pair, but Seoyul and Chanryu know better. They know much better.

 

“We can’t let a moment like this go to waste,” Myungsoo says so happily. He pulls out his phone (that he had snuck into his pocket) and states, “I want a picture to commemorate this moment. I’ll frame it and place it above our fireplace.”

 

Sungyeol crouches down next to them as Myungsoo holds his phone away at an arm’s length. They all look into the camera gleefully, like today is the happiest day for all of them combined. Myungsoo snaps the picture quickly and shows it to them. Chanryu grins as he counts all six of his buttons in the photo.

 

So yes, there are many things Kim Chanryu doesn’t understand. Like why the sky is blue or why flowers only bloomed after May.

 

And there are other things he doesn’t understand like why his daddy can never button his shirt properly and why he took so long to ask Seoyul’s daddy to marry him. He’s almost a third grader now and he can’t believe it took this long for the two to get married. Even Seoyul thinks it was too long.

 

And yes, there are a million things like that that Chanryu does not seem to understand. But as long as he can count six buttons and Seoyul can button them, he thinks that he’ll be fine. And with his new formed family, Chanryu thinks that he doesn’t need to understand too much anyways because he knows now. He knows he’s very much loved with his brand new family and he doesn’t want it any other way.

 

It’s okay if he doesn’t understand at all.

 

---

 

 

 

;;;;; v ;
like i said, super cute myungyeol domestic fluff that i told mostly from the kids' pov
hope you like it! one last shoutout again to annie for submitting the prompt! it was a joy to fill out!

leave me a comment telling me what you thought and check out my stories for more myungyeol goodness~

that's it for now! <3 see you in my next piece :))

- quinnie -