Halloween Antics

It’s the morning after Halloween, the house should be dead silent, everyone sleeping comfortably in their beds after such a long evening. However, the house is not silent. Someone is up and someone is definitely interrupting Seungho’s sleep. Said male is beginning to feel his temper flare to life even before he’s fully conscience. A loud bang is heard from somewhere outside his bedroom door; the veins on his temple become more prominent.

Groaning, the beast is finally awoken from his much needed slumber. Dragging a hand over his face to wipe off the remnants of sleep, Seungho glances up at the digital clock beside his bed, his eyes narrowing into slits at the bright red numbers displaying, 6:15 AM. His hands immediately ball into deadly fists as he slugs out of bed, murder on his mind.

Not bothering to put anything besides his long boxers on, Seungho transitions into hunting mode. His movements become almost stealth-like, despite just waking up moments ago. It’s the urge to catch his prey in the act that gives him the gracefulness that he normally lacks. The sounds of giggles and hushed whispers fuel his determination to find the culprits, though by now his sleep ladened brain has begun to defrost and he’s able to identify the voices to their owners.

The light from the kitchen is on and shadows move across the floor, creating an almost eerie mood. Thankfully, Seungho is not one to be deterred, he continues on like a brave knight, his posture straightening as he stands directly outside the kitchen entranceway. He can see two figures giggling into their hands as they go through piles of candy.

However, the most important thing to note is that this is not just any ordinary candy, it’s Seungho’s candy. He had hidden his secret stash of candy securely last night after an exhausting evening pillaging every home on the block and hoarding it away from the other two residents of his humble abode. Leave it to the two criminal masterminds in front of him to figure out his hiding place within the span of six hours and raiding it successfully. Their only mistake was thinking Seungho could sleep through their ‘quiet’ covert mission.

From his vantage point he can see the two males picking at the candy they want, making cute faces at each other, and smiling at the thought of getting away with eating Seungho’s precious candy. Despite being the day after Halloween, Seungho isn’t below giving the two a last minute scare.

Standing very still, he shakes off the fondness that had replaced his previous disgruntledness and restores it with his signature scary aura. Clearing his throat, he keeps his face blank, staring down at the two candy thieves.

Byunghee whips his head towards the sound, immediately spotting his husband in the doorway of their kitchen. His adam’s apple bobs as he gulps in fear at seeing Seungho’s glower evident on his face. He can hear the smaller male beside him gasp in theatrical fear; not a second later a giggle overtaking him.

“Seungho.” Byunghee prides himself on not stammering over his husband’s name, his eyes crinkling as he smiles in a cute manner to placate his sleep deprived looking husband. “This can all be explained, my Love.”

The sound of the barstool rocking back and forth from his companion’s excited movements cause him to temporarily lose focus on Seungho. That split second is all it takes for Seungho to make his move. In two large strides the older male wraps his arm around Byunghee’s slender middle, bringing him up against his chest. He immediately kisses Byunghee’s temple, feeling the short-lived tension in his shoulders give way as his husband practically melts in his arms at the familiar gesture. “You’ll have to be reprimanded later, Darling~.”

“Appa!” Their six year old son is staring up at Seungho. He’s making his eyes big as he can, trying to feign innocence with a practiced sad puppy face. “We were just picking out the bad ones and leaving you all the good ones, right Papa?” Seungho easily manages to wrap his other arm around his tiny son.

Without missing a beat, Byunghee agrees. “Yes, all the yucky ones were disposed of, the ones you don’t like.”

“Is that so?” Seungho’s voice is smooth, easily covering up his amusement. Both males in his arms nod their heads, looking ever the picture perfect angels they often claim to be. He glances over at the pile of “good” candies in the center of the table. He hates every single one from the bunch, another problem of living with a chocolate lover like his husband. Grimacing at the leftovers, Seungho reaches up to rub both of his boys’ hair, both of them groaning in annoyance. “Next time come up with a better lie than that, boys.” Chuckling softly, he lets his hands fall to their shoulders, leaning more against his husband’s back as he rubs his son’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Appa.” Taekwoon’s eyes shift over to his Papa’s as he points accusingly at him, “It was Papa’s idea!”

“Hey! You were the one pleading with me that you didn’t get enough candy last night. Next time don’t fall asleep so quickly. You’re a big boy now, you should be able to stay up longer than ten. Your candy would have melted if we left it out, eating it was the only solution.”

“I knew you ate it! You lied, Papa!”

Seungho sighs, he knows his husband and son too well already. They’re play fighting, trying to distract Seungho from punishing them. As if he could ever do such a thing. He is too easily swayed by them, gone are the days of having a strong character. He’s currently a proud pushover. Byunghee has trained their son so well, it’s actually frightening how well they’re acting. They’ll have to be careful when Taekwoon gets older, they might be creating a monster. “Alright, that’s enough from both of you.” Letting his hold on his husband go, Seungho scoops up their little monster and brings their faces close. “Taekwoon, next year, I’ll teach you how to hide your candy from your Papa-”

Byunghee interjects with a loud, “HEY!"

Seungho pays him no mind as he cooly continues, “He’s sneaky, but together, I think we can outsmart him.” 

Taekwoon giggles cutely, his small hands clapping in a rare scene of aegyo. He may not be their biological child, but his ability to act cute like other children his age is practically non-existent. Seungho thinks it’s funny how similar they are, but Byunghee says, ‘It’s because he looks up to you. He wants to be just like you.’ 

“Traitor.” Byunghee’s barstool slides across the floor as he stands, coming up beside Seungho to lean over and lay a big, wet kiss on his squirming son’s cheek.

“You should have known our son would sell you out for candy.” In actuality, Taekwoon rarely sides with Seungho. While trying to be like his appa, Taekwoon also developed a soft spot for his papa. In Taekwoon's eyes, Byunghee can do no wrong. 

“He gets that from you. Stop teaching him bad habits." Byunghee mock tuts, "Acting as if food is the most important thing in the world.”

“It is if you want to live.” Seungho leans back to press a kiss across Byunghee’s cheekbones, running the tip of his nose along his husband’s prominent jawline before pulling away to look down at the feisty child in his arms. “Come on, Taekwoon, let’s go watch some morning cartoons.” Without putting their son down, Seungho makes his way out of the kitchen, stopping only when he doesn’t sense Byunghee following behind him. “Aren’t you joining us?”

Byunghee is already opening up the cabinets, his arms filling with ingredients for breakfast. “Hmmm? Oh, yes, later. First, I’m going to make us something less sugary to eat.”

“I thought you two had your fill already, I’m surprised you’re still hungry.”

“Not all of this is for us, silly. I know my husband, and you have the appetite of a starving, wild bear. Most of this is for you.” Byunghee bestows a dazzling smile to him, “Think of it as a delicious apology for raiding your treasure chest.”

Laughing, Seungho continues on his way towards the sofa, his son already pliant in his arms, exhaustion from waking up so early catching up to his small body. Before he turns on the television, he yells back, “I’m still going to punish you later tonight, Byunghee.”

Musical like laughter follows back, with a nearly inaudible, “I’m looking forward to it.”

 

Christmas Memories

All throughout the house, not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse. That’s a lie of course. Someone is stirring and hopefully there’s no mice, Byunghee would have a fit if mice lived in their house. The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, one in particular overflowing with presents.

A child currently nestled snug in his bed, a panda plushie pressed up against his chest, thumb in his mouth. Visions of turkey sandwiches, kimchi side dishes, bowls of fixings, and plates of pies dancing around in his head. The family dog is perched lightly near the boy’s feet on the bed, his ears twitching from the noises coming from the living room.

It’s past two in the morning and two men are fighting off sleep as they litter their living room with presents for their baby. Said baby is six and they’re pulling out all the stops this year.

“Seungho” Byunghee whispers softly so as not to wake up their tiny terror. A grunt follows in acknowledgement from somewhere under their Christmas tree. “Don’t hide the presents too far under the tree this year. I don’t want to have to yell timber while our son searches for his presents.” Last year their tree had shaken and rattled, almost falling on top of their son as he searched for his hidden presents.

“I know, I know, I put them all towards the front. I’m just fixing the skirt. I don’t know why you still insist on having a real tree every year, it’s so much work.”

“Because your husband enjoys waking up to the smell of fresh pine everyday.” Byunghee steps around his husband’s prone form on the floor to look outside the window. Snow covers their front yard, it had snowed yesterday, much to Seungho’s chagrin and Taekwoon’s delight. Their son played in the snow with their dog Yeol for almost an hour before Seungho ran outside to collect them both. ‘The last thing we need is a sick little boy during Christmas.’ Seungho was never a person to enjoy the cold weather, Byunghee on the other hand enjoyed having the excuse to cuddle up to his otherwise grumpy husband. “Seungho, should we go outside and build a snowman for old time's sake?”

Seungho answers as he sits up, his hair in a messy array. He already looks grumpy, his eyebags more pronounced than usual. “And risk waking up the tiny terror that took nearly two hours for me to put to sleep? Nah, I’m good.” He rolls his shoulders back, an unpleasant ache already making itself known along his shoulderblades.

“We could be really quiet. Come on it’ll be fun.” Byunghee approaches his husband, a coy smile on his lips as he easily descends on Seungho’s lap, curling his body inward to appear smaller. His hands fist the front of Seungho’s sweater, his voice honey sweet as he whispers, “We can build a cute snowman family, not big, medium sized. It won’t take long either, I promise. And afterwards, I’ll be sure to warm you up.” Byunghee bites his lower lip, gazing up at his prickly husband with big, pleading eyes. “Come on, Seungho … I’ll make it worth your time.” Letting go of his husband’s shirt, Byunghee starts running his fingers through Seungho’s hair, slowly working on the tangles.

The whole time, Seungho merely listens quietly, waiting for his husband to finish. Closing his eyes, he enjoys the gentle fingers prying his tangled hair loose. He's never one to deny Byunghee’s whims, he just plays the grinch card to get extra affection. Sighing in contentment, Seungho keeps his eyes closed as he responds with a breathy voice, “The big jackets are in the hall closet, be sure to open the door fast or it’ll creak.” 

Byunghee rewards his husband with a quick kiss before he’s scurrying off of his husband’s lap and towards the hallway to retrieve their jackets. Seungho chuckles softly, lifting himself off the floor with thoughts of more rewards to come after they build their snowmen.

Later that morning, after presents have been unwrapped and gift paper scattered across their carpet, Byunghee finds himself smiling contentedly. He’s settled on their couch, cradling a cup of hot chocolate in his hands while he watches his husband and son try to figure out how Taekwoon’s new karaoke machine works. It’s times like this that Byunghee relishes the feeling of having such a wonderful family.

He feels rather than hears their dog, Yeol, scamper his way onto the couch, heavy paws later landing on his thigh. He automatically reaches out to rub the dog’s left ear affectionately, hearing the canine rumble in happiness not a moment later. This is the life, he thinks.

“Papa! Appa won’t let me sing first!”

“I’m only going to do a test run, he’s just exaggerating.”

Taekwoon's bottom lip juts out, a sign he's about to be 'brave.' With a mighty roar, Taekwoon pounces on Seungho's back, his short arms trying to reach the mic in his appa's hand. Seungho easily lifts the mic further away. "Papa!"

Byunghee sighs, that didn’t last long at all.

 

A New Start For A New Year

“Appa!” Seungho’s head whips at attention when he hears the loud cry of his son. He nearly slips on the ice in his haste to skate over to where his six year old son is fighting to stay upright on his own skates. Seungho manages to grab a hold of his precious child in time before Taekwoon’s face meets the ice. “Appa!” Taekwoon whines again, clinging desperately onto his father’s larger frame, his small hands grabbing fistfulls of Seungho’s jacket. “That was so scary, Appa!”

New Year’s Eve normally marks the ending of the year, so Seungho and Byunghee had decided to start the new year off with a new experience for their six year old. Unfortunately, they did not expect Taekwoon to take so poorly to ice skating. For the past thirty minutes, the small child has been yelling and crying at his parents to ‘not let go of my hand!’

Seungho has stayed glued to his son’s side the whole time, save for a few seconds ago when he gently backed away to allow Taekwoon to try it on his own. A sort of letting go of the bike to let the child ride on his own test. However, before even a minute was up, Taekwoon was already crying out for help. Seungho doesn’t mind, he knows it’ll take time. Besides, he enjoys the fact that he’s his son’s hero, someone he can always count on. With a grin plastered on his pink-blotched face, Seungho rubs Taekwoon’s arms, trying to keep his son warm in the freezing wind.

Byunghee sits off to the side, eyeing the pair with affection and a small amount of frustration. He loves how sweet Seungho is being with their son, but at the same time he wants to be able to ice skate with the pair. He glares down at his skates, hating how just like their son, Byunghee is having difficulties adjusting to the frozen lake beneath his feet. Not wanting to hinder Seungho from giving Taekwoon his full attention, Byunghee has chosen to stay on the sidelines until Taekwoon is more comfortable at skating.

Feeling a little lonely without his boys, Byunghee adjusts the red scarf around his neck, trying in vain to keep his mind off of the fact that he can’t join his family on the ice. The wind picks up and Byunghee cries out as the strong wind sweeps his beanie off of his head. Just as quickly, he feels a small child crash into him. He looks down to see a smiling Taekwoon staring up at him in delight. All thoughts of his beanie go out the window as his son slowly skates backwards to show his papa he's learned to balance himself.

“Wow, what an amazing child I have, look at you Taekwoonie, already skating better than your papa.” Byunghee coos in sight of his son smiling happily at him. “Such a cutie.” Laughing, he reaches out to bring Taekwoon closer to him, trying to keep both of them warm. “Where’s your appa, hmmm?”

“Behind you, love.” Seungho’s warm rumble comforts him as a warmth covers his head and ears. Byunghee sighs in relief, thanking Seungho for finding his beanie and rewarding him with a kiss for his troubles. “It was my pleasure, love. Can’t have you freezing your ears off before the new year even begins.”

With his husband holding his left hand and his son holding his right, Seungho begins to slowly skate away from the sidelines, carefully avoiding the fast-paced skaters. Despite the low temperatures, they are warm, their hearts overflowing with love and anticipation for the new year ahead of them. It’s with wide smiles and soft laughter that the family of three greet the New Year.