Hyungwon sighs heavily, pressing the cellular device to his ear as the makeup artist walks away once she finishes doing the necessary touchups. He doesn’t particularly want to speak with that man… well… ever again. But, one can’t always have what he wants.

“Hello,” the strangely familiar voice answers after only the second ring.

“Hi,” Hyungwon greets, “this is Chae Hyungwon, calling for Shin Hoseok.” There’s silence on the other line, and Hyungwon can almost hear the wheels in the other man’s mind turning at trying to figure out who he could possibly be. “You ran into me in the parking lot yesterday,” he prompts, and he’s pretty sure the other drops his phone judging by the sounds on the line.

“Oh!” the man says in realization at last. “S-Sorry about that, again.” There’s a nervous chuckle, and Hyungwon has to roll his eyes. Otherwise, he’d smile at hearing such an oddly delightful sound, and he doesn’t need such an observation to cross his mind. He needs to be cool and collected, because this is for his son.

“I’m sure you know our sons are science partners for a project at school,” Hyungwon continues, ignoring the apology. There’s a hum from the other, so Hyungwon goes on. “Apparently, they didn’t get enough time to work on the project today. My son called me, and asked if I’d be okay with him going over to your house after school today…”

“Um,” Hoseok muses, clearly taken aback by the request, “are you sure you’re okay with that? It’s awfully sudden.” Hyungwon can’t help but chuckle at this, nodding his head.

“I agree,” Hyungwon says, his tone much warmer than before, “but my Kihyunnie always has a way of getting what he wants, anyway, so I might as well agree.” Hoseok chuckles as well, as if he knows all too well the struggle of raising a spoiled only child.

“If you’re sure you’re okay with it,” Hoseok says at last, “then I don’t mind. In fact, it could be good for Changkyun-ah to have a friend over after school like this.” Hyungwon hums, getting the sense that the other’s son isn’t typically all that social and not knowing how exactly to respond to this. Or, if he even needs to respond.

“I’ll go over to the school on my break to add you to the list of people that can pick Kihyun up from school, then,” Hyungwon tells him. 

“Sounds good,” Hoseok comments. “Do you need my address to pick him up once they’re done, or would you like me to drive him home?”

“I can come pick him up,” Hyungwon replies, admittedly surprised that the other had thought of the pickup arrangements after the day without him mentioning it. Perhaps he isn’t as ditzy as he had seemed at first…

Hoseok proceeds to tell Hyungwon the address, but has to go soon after to get back to work. Hyungwon hangs up the call and frowns confusedly, pressing a hand to his chest.

Why is his heart beating so fast?

“There’s my Changkyunnie!” Hoseok greets, hugging his son tight as he comes to the car. He releases Changkyun, glancing over to the chubby brunette boy with glasses. “You must be Kihyun-ah. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He extends a hand to shake, which Kihyun takes with a raised brow, seeming surprised for whatever reason.

“Thank you for inviting me to your home, ahjussi,” the boy says politely. 

“It's not a problem, Kihyun-ah,” he tells the boy in a lighthearted tone, despite how on-edge he feels for being responsible for another man’s child. “Any friend of Changkyunnie’s is welcome any time at our home.” He then turns and opens the back door for the two, and reminds them to buckle in before closing the door and moving to his own seat. He takes a deep breath to steady his own anxiety, having never been responsible for any kid other than his own, and slides into the driver’s seat. 

The kids rush off to Changkyun's room to begin working as soon as they arrive at the apartment. Hoseok feels obligated to make a snack for them, which he does, luckily, manage to do. He listens in on their discussion every so often from the living room, a feat easy in a small apartment like theirs, and can't help but chuckle at noting each time that schoolwork seems to be the last thing on their mind. They bond over anything you can imagine two boys could bond over, and Hoseok honestly doesn't find himself minding all that much. 

Ever since Changkyun's mother left them to become a movie star in America, the poor boy had never really opened up to anyone other than his father. Being in advanced classes hasn't exactly helped Changkyun's popularity, either, but Hoseok won't even entertain the notion of dumbing down his brilliant son just so he could make friends. However, Changkyun seems to have no issue speaking with Kihyun, and the older seems to almost enjoy talking with the boy. Hoseok can't help but sigh, hoping desperately that this could be the beginnings of an actual friendship. 

Seemingly all too soon, there's a knock on the front door. Hoseok goes to answer it, and can't help but smile nervously at seeing Kihyun's father standing on the other side. 

“Hyungwon-ssi,” Hoseok says surprisedly, glancing down at his phone to check the time. “Wow, I didn't even realize the time. Please, come in.” Hoseok moves to allow the taller entrance, mentally thanking the heavens for how coherent he's coming across. Hyungwon smiles thankfully, and bows his head as he enters. 

“Thank you,” the other man mumbles. He glances around, a simple smile adorning his features. “Is, uh, Kihyunnie ready to go?” 

As if on cue, Kihyun and Changkyun come rushing into the room, the older grasping the younger boy’s hand tightly in his own. 

“Appa!” Kihyun says excitedly, a bright smile coming to his face. “Could we have chicken for dinner tonight?” 

“You can eat with us!” Changkyun immediately offers, causing Hoseok to tense up ever so slightly. “That’s what we’re eating tonight.” Changkyun then turns to his father, dropping Kihyun’s hand as he latched himself onto Hoseok’s hand and peers up at him with the most adorable little pout you could ever see on a little boy. “Can’t they stay over for dinner, Appa? We always have too much food for just us.”

Hoseok is take aback by the question, glancing up with a stunned gaze at Hyungwon. He his lips nervously, unsure of how he should respond. He can’t ever say no to his son, especially when he makes that face. 

“Can we, Appa?” Kihyun asks excitedly, batting his eyelashes in an effort to look cute. Hyungwon shifts on his feet, a conflicted light dancing through his doe-like orbs. Something about the expression humbled the other male, makes him seem much more relatable. Clearly, he isn’t very used to saying no to his son, either. 

“You two are welcome to stay, if you don’t have plans,” Hoseok finds himself saying, trying to make it easy for the other to decline if he’d prefer to not eat dinner after a day of work at a stranger’s home. 

Hyungwon glances between his son and Hoseok a couple of times before finally chuckling, patting his son’s head affectionately. 

“As long as you’re sure it isn’t an imposition...” Hyungwon says, a gentle smile overtaking his thick lips. Hoseok hums as he shakes his head, earning a yell of delight from the two boys. 

“Of course not,” Hoseok assures him,  chuckling at their sons’ excitement. 

“Thank you, Appa!” the two boys say to their respective fathers, and then run off to play in Changkyun’s room. Hoseok and Hyungwon share a helpless glance. 

“Come on in,” Hoseok says jovially, gesturing towards the living room. “I’ll just go order the chicken.” Hyungwon nods, removing his shoes and placing them in the shoe rack before moving further into the apartment. He swallows thickly as he walks, unsure if this was really such a good idea after all.