Honeymoon

Since they'd gotten married at the beginning of Jinyoung's school year, the two of them had decided not to go on their honeymoon until a good deal after their wedding. Since they were having Lou for Thanksgiving this year and Allison and Jackson were having him for Christmas, they settled on the week before the Christmas holidays for their honeymoon. They'd go to Hokkaido in Japan to enjoy the winter snow and hot springs the same week Mark's parents were planning a visit to Taiwan. Then they'd all convene in South Korea to spend the holidays with Jinyoung's family for the Park-Tuan get together they'd promised.

It was covered in snow when they arrived in Hokkaido and was incredibly cold, but Mark didn't mind. Even in spite of his annual colds (which hadn't hit him yet this year; he hoped it would wait until January), Mark loved snow in winter and how different it was from the sunny and warm climate he'd grown up in. Since Christmas was only a week away, everywhere they drove past on the way to their hotel was covered in lights, illuminating the night sky with a multi-colored glow. Maybe it was because of the cold air, but for once Mark didn't feel overwhelmed by travel lag. All he wanted to do was go out and explore the wonders waiting for them in Sapporo.

As soon as they checked in and threw their suitcases on the bed, he and Jinyoung went out to Odori Park to check out the German Christmas Market their guidebook recommended. It was like stepping into a winter fairy tale. All the booths looked like little German cottages and were filled with everything from little toys to hot wine and homemade goods to baumkuchen. Mark filled up a shopping bag full of kitschy things to bring home for Lou, and Jinyoung bought them some wine to enjoy when they went back to the hotel. When they were finished shopping, they wandered over to the “White illumination” area of the park and snapped a handful of photos of them posing with the gorgeous display lights surrounding them.

“Are you staying warm?” Jinyoung asked, wrapping Mark's scarf more snugly around Mark's neck. He still used the red one Jinyoung had bought him for Christmas before they'd started dating, a favorite Mark was still very much attached to. He'd wanted to wear it especially this year because it was close to the fourth anniversary of the first Christmas Eve they'd spent together, the night of the mistletoe kiss that had led them to start dating on New Year's Eve. Since they were married now, they'd switch over to celebrating their anniversaries on September 2^nd, the date of their wedding, but Mark still held their previous anniversaries in his heart. It was still one of the most precious Christmases he'd ever celebrated.

“I'm okay,” Mark said, playfully adjusting Jinyoung's own scarf. “You?”

“Perfect. This whole place is like a magical wonderland. I'm half expecting reindeer to frolic by or Santa to show up.”

“Remember our first Chistmas Eve together? This feels like the full version of the indoor winter paradise you made me then.”

“You're right. It took me four years, but I finally got you your Christmas vacation.” He linked his arm through Mark's. “I suppose I don't have to give you another gift this year, then.”

“Excuse me? After all the money I spent on you?”

Jinyoung narrowed his eyes. “I thought we said no expensive gifts this year? We're saving money after taking two international trips and paying off the wedding, right?”

“I was just joking,” Mark said, bumping him on the hip. “But I know you got me a gift. You literally asked me if they would unwrap it at the airport if you wrapped it before we left.”

“Why are you observant when it comes to dumb things, but are oblivious about everything else?”

“Hey, you know I don't like it when you call yourself a dumb thing, babe.”

Jinyoung rolled his eyes, but still squeezed Mark's arm. “If I'm a dumb thing, I wonder what that makes you?”

“The best dumb thing you've ever done in your life, maybe.” He grinned at Jinyoung. “I love you, you know that?”

“I do,” Jinyoung said solemnly. “And you know what? I think you're pretty OK.”

Mark threw his head back and laughed. It was going to be a beautiful honeymoon.

0

They were too tired by time they made it back to the hotel to try the hot springs, but the next day, after hitting Mt. Okura to see the Olympic ski jump and touring the nearby historical sights, they finally took full advantage of their resort package. Mark was still a bit uncertain of the prospect of bathing outside in the frigid winter, but he was at least one step ahead of Jinyoung, who was oddly caught up on the “” part.

“You know, considering how often I've seen you , getting into a hot spring with me without your clothes on seems to be a very odd fear to have,” Mark reminded him.

“It's not that,” Jinyoung said indignantly. “It's the principle of the thing. I can't just be outside where someone could see.”

“Is this like your hangup about having to wear a shirt when we go to the swimming pool?” Mark asked. “Don't worry, it's a cultural norm here to do this. No one, least of all me, is going to think anything of it.”

“Easy for you to say, Mr. Nice Body.”

“On what planet is your body not nice or potentially even better than mine?"

Jinyoung smiled a little at the flattery. “It's not like yours.”

“Yeah, and I can't say I'm interested in sleeping with my body double, so why would it matter if it's different? Besides you have certain ets I don't.”

Jinyoung sniffed in mock offense, but did finally it up and take off his clothes.

Mark had no reason to be worried about the cold air and snow when he stepped outside. The water was so delightfully steamy that he didn't feel any of it. Even Jinyoung, who was self-consciously trying to cover himself as he sank into the water, eventually calmed down and just leaned back and relaxed.

“Now this is a grade A honeymoon,” Mark said, exhaling. “I like it when getting to play in the snow doesn't cancel out outdoor bonding.”

“I didn't even know outdoor bonding was your thing.”

“Apparently it is now.” He rested his chin on Jinyoung's shoulder. “Mmm. I'm so glad we came here.”

“Me too.” He sighed in contentment. “Although it feels a bit weird doesn't it? Giving ourselves a self-treat even though being married is a treat enough in the first place.”

“You're looking through rose colored glasses. Four more years of me, and maybe you'll start thinking vacations are a great way of shaking up the monotony.”

“Oh, were you planning on being boring?”

“Boring is exactly the word I would use to describe myself before I met you, yeah.”

“And yet I've had more fun these years I've been with you than I've ever had. The only thing I really did before was study and work and read and maybe go to karaoke sometimes.” Jinyoung shrugged. “It wasn't until you and Lou that I actually went out and started making an effort to do fun things. Since you didn't see who I was before, I don't think you even realize how much I changed. So whether it's five years or ten years, I'm not planning on getting bored, okay? I know what life was like before, so I know how to be grateful that it isn't like it used to be anymore.”

Mark nodded. He felt the same way. Jinyoung had been the biggest and most important change of his life, and he had absolutely no plans of looking back.

“So, I have to ask since we're taking this honeymoon a few months after the fact,” Jinyoung said. “But married life with me: is it everything you dreamed of?”

“Hmmm,” Mark said, pretending to consider seriously. “Do I have someone who picks up my socks and feeds the fish when I forget and sometimes cooks dinner and gives me massages after work? Check, check, and check.”

Jinyoung gave him a smack on the arm. “Be serious.”

“I just wanted to be with you,” Mark replied, gentler this time. “And since I can do that, I feel like the most fortunate person in the world that when I go to sleep, you're there, and when I wake up, you're there, and when you need me, I can be there for you, and when I need you, you can be there for me. And when I want you...” He trailed his finger down Jinyoung's shoulder and arm. “You give me something I can't get with anyone else. And I keep wanting it and wanting it, and I don't think I'll ever be able to get enough.”

Jinyoung hummed lightly under his breath, shivering at Mark's touch. “You should be careful with what you say,” he warned. “We're supposed to be enjoying the hot springs right now.”

“I am very much enjoying the hot springs right now.”

“You should still be extra careful. Don't forget who seduced who first now.” His voice was breathy, bringing goosebumps to Mark's skin. “And who was nervous the first time we did it and who I needed to keep tempting so he couldn't hold back anymore. If you push me too much, I may just do a little more tempting and force us to get out of the hot springs a little earlier than planned.”

“We are going to be here for a week,” Mark said, running his tongue across his lips. “We can always come back later in the day. Or tomorrow. Although getting you again might be tough.”

“Oh, I don't think getting me is going to be a problem,” Jinyoung said lowly.

“And this is our honeymoon, after all.” Mark grabbed his hand. “Might as well get to the fun part.”

“Let's.”

Mark shook his head. “And you had to ask me if I was enjoying married life with you? As if I wouldn't be over the moon about someone who's constantly doing these things to me.”

“I know. But it's nice to hear it all the same.”

Siblings

Allison arrived at Mark's apartment at 6 PM, dressed in a nice cocktail dress and holding a squirming Regina in her arms. Lou had already rocketed into the apartment, making a beeline for the toys he kept over at Mark's place, after a quick “Hey, Daddy!”.

“So,” Allison said, trying to balance Regina on her hip. “Ready for babysitting?”

“You know me,” Mark said. “I just wait around for you to go on dates so I can babysit my niece.” He crouched down a little so he was level with Regina. “Hey there, sweetie.”

Regina raised her little hand in a wave and made a happy noise. At one years old, she couldn't say much other than “mama” and “dada,” but she was still very expressive. You could usually read her emotions from her face and gestures, if not her experimental attempts at language.

Jinyoung poked his head out of the kitchen, where he'd been making them their dinner for the night (he'd gotten a lot better over the past year, thankfully). “Is that Regina I hear?”

Allison waved at him with her free hand. “Just dropping the kids off for the evening. How are you doing?”

“Fine, thank you.” Jinyoung hurried over and took Regina into his arms when Allison offered her to him. “Hey there, Princess,” he cooed. “It's Uncle Jinyoung.”

“Ooo,” Regina gurgled, pulling his ear. She had a thing for ears, which was easier on Jinyoung and Mark than it was for Allison, who had previously liked wearing hoop earrings.

“So, I can't guarantee the speed of service at the restaurant, but we'll definitely be back before ten,” Allison said, adjusting her purse on her shoulder. “Is that fine?”

“Yeah, take as long as you want,” Mark said with a wave. “You know we're more than happy to handle things here.”

“Thank you so much. You're a real saint!” After leaning down to kiss Regina on the cheek, Allison gave a wave and headed back to where Jackson was waiting on the street in his Prius.

Lou came back into the room, his hands full of his favorite monster truck cars, as well as a tiny bag Mark hadn't noticed earlier which Allison had presumably packed for Regina. Inside was Regina's comfort toy (a stuffed frog named Fu) and a little pink Barbie convertible car. To Mark's knowledge, Regina hadn't started playing with Barbies yet, but the car was something she liked to put Fu in so she could race around with Lou's Hot Wheels and growing collection of radio control cars.

“Check this out, Gigi,” Lou said, plunking down the latest in said collection in front of his sister. He'd decided that 'Regina' was too long for a baby and had dubbed her Gigi for short. “It's the Redcat Racing Sumo Electric Crawler. It's green, just like Fu!”

Regina perked up at the sound of Fu's name. “Fu! Fu!” she said, clapping her hands. Lou pulled Fu out of the bag and handed him to Regina. Jinyoung set her down on the ground so she could play with the car together with Lou. The monster truck wasn't that big compared to some of his others, but he still managed to balance Fu on top and race him around the nearby arm chair a few times, much to Regina's delight.

Mark grinned as he watched them. He had been a little worried that Lou, who had grown up as an only child for seven years, wouldn't like sharing his attention or play time with his new sibling, but thus far it hadn't been a problem. The only time Allison reported that he ever got envious of his sister was when Kit, who was the youngest in his family by a huge margin and had zero baby experience, paid more attention to her during their first few playdates after she was born.

And even though she wasn't the baby brother he still really wanted, he treated her a little bit like an honorary bro. Whenever they came over, he'd introduce her to all his favorite car toys and action figures, and even let her play with his favorite NASCAR Jimmie Johnson action figure. Jimmie Johnson usually wound up riding on Fu's back rather than his 48 racecar whenever Regina got her hands on him, but Lou would always work with it, inventing a story where Jimmie ended up stranded in the jungle, befriending a member of the giant frog race that lived there, and building his own monster truck to escape (sometimes with Transformers coming to save him and turning into semi-trucks to help him escape).

And Regina always seemed to enjoy their little games. Like her brother, she wasn't a shy little kid. She laughed and shrieked a lot, and it took big things like thunderstorms and vacuum cleaners to turn her fussy.

“Want me to take over dinner for you so you can play with them?” Mark asked Jinyoung.

Jinyoung shook his head. “I'll finish. It'll only be fifteen more minutes or so. Just enjoy yourselves.”

“So, Lou,” Mark said, grabbing one of the remote control cars his son wasn't using. “How about a race?”

“You're on!” Lou said. He plucked Fu off his Sumo Electric Crawler and handed him back to Regina. “Gigi, too. Put Fu in your Barbie car and race him like this!” He showed her by pushing the Barbie car along the carpet. “Race!”

Mark placed a nearby bookmark on the other side of the room. “Here's our finish line. Ready? On your mark, get set....GO!”

Mark and Lou shot off, Regina following after and slowly pushing Fu in the Barbie car. Just like he never went easy on Lou in Trouble, Mark didn't always let his son win at racing, either—Lou was at an age where he realized if you weren't taking him seriously, anyways. However, one year olds were a little different, and they both halted before the finish line, pretending like their drivers were stopping to get into a fight so that Regina could catch up. They let Fu take first place, and since Lou had gone further than Mark had before stopping, his driver took second while Mark got third.

“He's Number 1, Gigi!” Lou said, putting the frog plushie on top of the makeshift podium they'd made with DVDs. “The best!”

“Bebebe!” Regina yelled. She seemed to recognize that this was a good thing.

Right after Lou finished the winning ceremony and showed off how he could make his monster truck turn donuts, just like NASCAR drivers did, Jinyoung called them in for dinner. Regina had her terribly appetizing mashed veggies and applesauce, while the rest of them had turkey burgers and potatoes.

“So, how is school, Lou?” Jinyoung asked. “Is being a third grader fun?”

Lou nodded. “We're learning about animals in science class. We did water animals today, and talked about how fish breathe. But I knew all about it already because of Sammy.”

Sammy was the replacement fish for Fishy, whose fourth version had finally died while Lou was in the apartment, preventing Mark from continuing the “Fishy can live forever” lie. This time, they'd gotten him an angelfish and an updated aquarium for his birthday.

“Were you able to learn anything new about water animals?” Mark asked.

Lou nodded. “We learned about frogs and tadpoles. I didn't know how the tadpoles turned to frogs, but we watched a video about it.” He smiled brightly. “Maybe Mommy and Dad can get me and Gigi take us to the aquarium to se them!” After a year of having three daddies, Lou had finally started differentiating them instead of calling them all “daddy.” Mark, the original, was still Daddy, but Jackson was now “Dad,” and Jinyoung was “Papa.”

“That's not a bad idea,” Jinyoung said. “You should ask them.”

"Or you could take us sometime!”

“I wouldn't mind,” Mark said. “We could do that next time you come over.”

“Yay!” Lou said. “Gigi loves frogs.”

“Fu,” Regina agreed from her high chair.

After dinner, the four of them went to the family room where Jinyoung pulled out a puzzle kit he'd bought for the kids. It had puzzles available for a big range of age groups—Regina's puzzle had six giant pieces forming an elephant, while Lou's was a 200 piece puzzle of a pirate ship. Jinyoung settled by Regina to help her with the pieces, while Mark fished out all the border pieces for Lou to make it a little easier for him.

It felt so cozy that Mark wished every night could be like this. Sure, they had Lou every weekend, but Regina usually only came over when Allison and Jackson needed a babysitter or they were having a family event. Usually it was just Mark and Jinyoung at home—which certainly wasn't bad and had a lot of benefits in its own way—but a lot of times he really missed having the kids around to play with in the evenings. Unlike Jinyoung, he didn't have the benefit of spending the first half of his weekdays with kindergartners.

Next to them, Jinyoung and Regina had finished their elephant picture, Regina cheering in delight at the completed image. Jinyoung scrambled up the pieces so they could try again, this time with Regina taking the lead.

“So, how do you like having a baby sister?” Mark asked Lou quietly. “It's a lot of fun, isn't it?”

Lou nodded. “Yeah. Gigi's cool. But some of my friends say little sisters get annoying when they're older than three.”

Mark snorted. “Regina isn't just any little sister, OK? You'll help teach her how to be well-behaved and polite, and she'll be just fine. You were a little angel when you were three, did you know?”

“Of course I was,” Lou boasted.

“But when you were two...” Mark paused dramatically. “Well, there's a reason they call it the terrible twos. You were so fussy.”

“Hmph.” After a moment, a stricken look appear on Lou's face, and he lowered his voice to a hushed whisper. “Is that why you and Mommy got divorced, because I was bad?”

Mark stared at him. In all the years he and Allison had been divorced, Lou had never brought it up outside of it just being a simple fact of his life. He'd never tried to assign blame or figure out why it had happened because Allison and Mark were never contentious, and they'd both married people Lou had loved.

“No, Lou, of course not,” Mark said, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. “You're what makes Mommy and Daddy happiest. Even when you were bad, which wasn't often, taking care of you made us so happy.”

“Oh,” he said. “One of my friends said parents get divorced because they hate each other. But you and Mommy don't hate each other. So I thought maybe it was because I was bad and maybe you fought and maybe that's why you didn't love each other anymore.”

Mark shook his head. “Oh Lou, it's not always about hating and fighting. Sometimes it's about doing the best thing for yourself and your family. I could never hate your mommy. I love her a lot. It's just that the person who loves Mommy the most is Jackson and the person who loves me the most is Jinyoung, and it's happier for us all to be together this way. This way, you can have two more fathers who love you and a cute baby sister. So it's not about hate, Lou. It's about love.”

Lou thought about that for a moment, then nodded. “OK. My friends are wrong about a lot of things. That's why Kit is the best. He's never wrong.”

“And not just Kit,” Mark said, ruffling Lou's hair. “You know you best, and you know Mommy and Daddy and your Papa and Dad better than your friends. So what you think is the best. And you know I love you very much, right?”

Lou nodded.

“Good. Because I love you the mostest.”

“Not Papa?”

“Well...I love you both the mostest. How about that?”

Lou grinned. “OK. When Gigi's all big, I'll teach her important stuff so her friends don't tell her stupid things.”

“I'm sure you'll be her best big brother ever.”

“I'm her only big brother ever!” Lou turned back to his puzzle, putting a piece with the pirate's eye patch in place. “Maybe...maybe she can have a little brother, though.”

“You can talk to Mommy about that.”

“I won't believe you and Papa can't do it until tell me where babies really come from.”

Mark was spared from answering by Regina toddling over and tugging on Lou's sleeve. She wanted to show him her puzzle. Saved yet again. He wished he could just reassign the task of explaining the facts of life to Jackson, who'd probably do either an amazing or horrific job of it, but either way it would be entertaining.

“Such cute siblings,” Jinyoung said with a sigh, scooting over to Mark. “The Tuan-Wangs are makers of angels. If only all the kids in my class were like this.”

“Your job shouldn't be too easy or you'll get complacent,” Mark said.

“True.” Jinyoung glanced over at the two kids. “I wish we got to do this every day, though. I really do.”

“Me too,” Mark said quietly. “Me too.”

Nature

“What did we get ourselves into?” Jinyoung groaned as he tried to figure out how the tent poles went together. “How did Allison and Jackson get the easy, fun family birthday party for Lou while we got the set up tents on the campgrounds and survive the wilderness birthday party?”

“Well, it was what Lou wanted,” Mark said. “And there isn't actually wilderness other than squirrels and chipmunks and a handful of innocent birds in this area, so...”

“But we have to sleep on the ground.”

“In tents.”

“Yes, which offer no protection from the ground. Which is hard. And bumpy.”

“Can't you it up to make our son, who is only going to turn nine years old once, happy on his birthday?”

Jinyoung clamped his mouth shut, but still grumbled as he forced the tent into position.

After a few more minutes, Lou and Kit ran back from where they'd been feeding ducks at the nearby artificial lake. “Daddy, we're hungry. Can we have burgers now?”

“As soon as I set up the fire pit, OK?” Mark said. “Do you want hot dogs, too?”

“One hot dog and one burger!” Kit declared.

“And s'mores for dessert!” Lou chimed in. “Papa, are you almost done with the tent? Kit and I want to set up our sleeping bags.”

“Just another minute,” Jinyoung said, trying to get the tent to stop leaning to the side. “By the way, Kit, is your big brother busy today?”

“He invited Yugyeom over to play video games.”

“Figures,” Jinyoung grumbled. “I called him to ask him to help set up the party, and he fed me a line about grading homework. What a liar. But what should I expect from a single twenty-seven year old who still lives at home?”

“Bammie's a bum,” Kit agreed cheerfully. “Mom's always telling him to get married, but I bet no one will marry him.”

“Harsh,” Mark said, not without a smidgen of appreciation for Kit's savagery.

At long last, he got the grill fired up and served them their hamburgers and hot dogs. Both the boys gobbled up their food quickly—Mark was dreading seeing what their appetites turned into when they became teenagers, since it was already pretty frightening to behold at the moment.

As they ate, a massive family with about six kids walked by their area on their way to their own campsites. Naturally, it was like a loud chorus of whining and shrieking, which made Mark appreciate all the more that Lou had only wanted to invite Kit to the camp out.

“Wow, that lady had a lot of kids,” Kit said after they'd walked past. “We had ed in fifth grade and-”

“-and Lou only just finished fourth grade which means he hasn't so you don't really need to be talking about it here,” Mark said loudly.

“Oh come on, Daddy, you already told me where babies come from,” Lou said, rolling his eyes. Mark had eventually had to tell him so Lou could be fully convinced that Jinyoung literally could not get pregnant—he simply hadn't gone into the finer details of , just walked him through a picture book which showed how men and women were different and how women were the only ones who could carry children based on how their bodies were designed. He'd be having ed in a few months in fifth grade, anyways.

Kit ignored Mark's interjection. “They told us what grown up girls and boys do when they love each other, but when I said my friend had two daddies, the teacher didn't want to tell me what you do.”

Mark started coughing. “Um....”

“I want to know,” Kit said, folding his arms across his chest. “And what two grown up girls do. I saw Bammie watching an anime about it, but he kicked me out of his room.”

Good lord, no one had included giving ed to Lou's friends in Mark's job description as a parent. Much less gay and lesbian . He tried to remember how he had figured out about it when he was younger, but he was drawing a blank.

“Kit, I don't think Lou wants to hear about private details about his parents,” Jinyoung tried. “Not on his birthday.”

“But in ed, we all figured out our parents had to do what they talked about for us to be born. He'll find out about it next year anyways, so why should it be a big deal if we know what you guys do, too?”

“What did your teacher tell you?” Lou asked curiously. “I wanna know.”

“Kit, we'd really prefer it if Lou learned everything in ed rather than you telling him,” Mark said quickly.

“I know. The teacher explained if we learned from other kids, we might get things messed up.” Thank god Kit was smart, even if he was being difficult. “But you're grown ups who know about things, so it's all right if you tell us! What if me or Lou don't fall in love with a girl and we don't know how to do it with who we fall in love with because no one told us?”

God. Mark wished he could just brush Kit off with a “you won't have to worry about this for another ten years and by then you'll figure it out,” because really, you couldn't just bank on teens not having until they were adults, and it was just as dangerous to leave them uneducated as it was to just leave them to go at it when they were emotionally underdeveloped.

“Okay, okay, it's similar what two grown up guys and girls do,” Mark said quickly. “Just...the positioning is a little different. Guys don't have the same parts women do, so...”

Kit's forehead wrinkled. “So...you just put them together and it feels good?”

Well, technically... But there was no way in hell Mark was going to explain the array of manual, oral, and penetrative to a ten year old.

“WAIT!” Kit yelled triumphantly. “I GET IT! It's like what my dog Trevor tries to do with my dog Felix sometimes but mommy yells at him to stop. You put it THERE.”

Mark and Jinyoung both made a face. Being compared to dogs was a little unpleasant, but at least it seemed to be going over Lou's head, since he'd never had dogs.

“Wow, grown ups are so complicated,” Kit said, wrinkling his nose after thinking about it a little. “It just seems easier to kiss and stuff.”

Mark was relieved Kit had decided to come to that conclusion. He'd be thrilled if both of them completely decided to drop thinking about for several more years.

“Kissing is still kinda gross,” Lou said. He was still in that phase, though he'd stopped shrieking whenever he caught Mark and Jinyoung or Allison and Jackson kissing. Kit just shrugged.

“You know what's less complicated to talk about?” Mark said in a fake chipper voice. “That monster truck commercial we saw the other day. Lou, if you help us out again with leaf raking this year, we'll give you an allowance to help you buy it.”

That, luckily, steered the conversation back on track. Both Kit and Lou reverted back into still quite little kids whose main interests were cars, trucks, and fart jokes. And for now, Mark wouldn't have it any other way.

0

“So, um, good job with that,” Jinyoung whispered to Mark as they settled into their own sleeping bags. Lou and Kit were in the next tent over, telling ghost stories back and forth. “I didn't know we'd have to do Birds and Bees: The Gay Version.”

“Out of curiosity, how did you find out about all that stuff?”

“Let's see...dirty manhwa?”

“In that case, I'm glad I could give them a tamer answer.”

“Yeah. Actually, the fact that Kit compared us to his dogs will definitely calm him down from getting any ideas. When I saw that manhwa, I was kind of like...how cool would it be if a hot manhwa guy wanted to do that to me?”

“And was it as cool as you thought?”

“Did you just outright compare yourself to a hot manhwa guy?”

“Sure did.” Mark shrugged. “Anyways, it was probably rhetorical. They're just kids, and kid boys on top of it, they probably don't have a lot of thoughts about their uality yet.”

“Who knows?” Jinyoung said. “Some people don't recognize or confront their uality until they're in their late teens or even as adults, but then you have people who have crushes as early as pre-school and kindergarten. And that includes the gay kids. Like me, for example.”

“You had a crush before Jaebum?”

“Oh yeah. The lead actor in one of my mom's TV dramas. I used to have this fantasy that I'd marry him when I grew up and bring him around to all my school reunions and rub him in everyone's face.” Jinyoung edged a little closer to Mark. “You wound up being a pretty good alternative.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“It felt perfectly natural when I was younger. But it's strange to think as a parent that it's only a few more years before Louwill start having more adult thoughts. Before his brain is fully developed, no less. We'll be lucky if we escape without an episode similar to what I put my parents through after my rejection.”

“Oh please, god, no.”

“Honestly, I'm not too worried about Lou. Kit, on the other hand...”

“Is the Bhuwakuls' to deal with. Tonight's -ed thing was a one-off. Not happening again.”

“He's the Bhuwakuls' to deal with, yes...unless...”

“I do not like where you're going with this.”

“Hahaha. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.” Jinyoung wrapped his arms around Mark. “He's right though. Grown up stuff is really complicated. Better to just kiss and stuff.”

“Are you asking?”

Jinyoung puckered his lips, and Mark laughed lightly and took a little peck. “With the kids next door?” he whispered. “I thought we were trying to put that out of their minds.”

“I'm pretty sure it's out of their minds for time being. But definitely not out of mine. Plus, it's easier to think about then the cold, hard ground massacring my back.”

“Allrighty, Mr. Drama.” He leaned in for another kiss. “Feeling better yet?”

-PART THREE END-   

A/N: OMG guys, just one part left! But it's a long part with 11 chapters, so I'll hope you'll anticipate. I've finished writing it, so once again there will be no gap between this part and the next. You'll be able to read it next week, same time, same place.

In the meantime, if you haven't already, please take a moment to vote in my poll for which fic you want me to work on next while Cinnamon & Ginger is wrapping up. More details are in my blog!

Thank you all for loving and enjoying Part 3! I love reading all your comments, and I can't wait to move on to Part 4 with all of you!!