Reality Check

"Just one, buddy. For the love of God, just pick one." 

Mark could feel all the exhaustion he had from the moment they have set foot inside the mall. After eating the breakfast which he had prepared this morning, the three of them: him, Jinyoung and Jio all drove to the mall. Jio is too excited and it's obvious that the little guy finds it hard to contain all his excitement. Inside the car while they were driving, Mark lost count of how many times Jinyoung has to tell Jio to remain seated. If Jinyoung didn't use the if you don't behave we're going back home card on his son, Jio would have never sat still on the backseat. 

And now they're inside the bicycle shop and they're letting Jio pick his first ever bike. Mark really thought it'll be easy as pie- making Jio choose but apparently, he got it wrong. Because they've been walking around for almost an hour now and Jio still hasn't pick which of the displayed bicycles does he want. Mark feels a bit sorry for the saleslady who has been assisting them since they entered the shop. It's a good thing the lady finds Jio irresistibly cute that's why she's able to lengthen her patience and is still with them until now. 

"It's alright, sir." The saleslady beside him spoke, giving him a smile of understanding. "This little bub can take all the precious time in the world in choosing his bike. Your son is so adorable."

Mark found himself almost stuttering to give a response. Did she just call Jio his son? "U-uh.. I'm not-" 

But Jio was already running towards the other aisle, before he could even correct the lady's mistake. The sales lady followed right after bowing at them. That leaves him with Jinyoung who has this apologetic smile. "Jio is a handful when he's this excited. I should've never asked you to come."

"Am I that bad of a company?" Mark asked, wanting to make it sound like a joke and he's glad it was able to wear off that apologetic smile Jinyoung had. "And besides, are you sure you'll be able to handle that ball of excessive energy on your own?" Mark gstured towards the direction where Jio had run off to. 

Jinyoung only shrugged. "If it was only me and him, I would've really brought him home an hour ago."

This response from the younger made him laugh. "Now, I am sure Jio would not want that. Come on, let's catch up with the little guy and just treat me to some ice cream and pizza later."

*⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*

It took them another hour before Jio finally chose his bike. Of course the kid was thrilled upon seeing a Lightning Mcqueen bike and that moment, he and Jinyoung knows Jio will not look for a different one. They bought the one with training wheels since Jio will just start to learn. Once Jio is fully able in riding his bike, they can remove the training wheels.

By lunch, they ate at KFC where Jio has feasted on four chicken drumsticks. Afterwards, they drove to Hangang Park but didn't forget to pass by Domino's to buy a box of pepperoni pizza for their snacks later. They spent their afternoon at the park, where Mark fulfilled his promise to Jio which is to teach the kid how to ride a bike. Being the always worried dad that he is, Jinyoung didn't leave them alone and made sure to stick around and watch over his son. Mark tried to pacify the younger saying he'll be careful with Jio but of course Jinyoung still stayed with them. 

They all had fun. 

And it shows in the smile Jio has on his face while being craddled by his appa on his lap. Mark glances once in a while, every chance he gets at Jinyoung who was seated beside him, as they drove home. "Are you still comfortable holding Jio like that? You can transfer at the back."

"No need. I don't want you looking like a family driver, okay." Jinyoung said with a giggle.

"Okay then." Mark just smiled and went on driving.

It was fifteen minutes later when they reached the younger's house. Mark was the first one to get off the car and walked to the side of Jinyoung's seat, opening the car door for him. He also took the courtesy to unfasten the younger's seatbelt since he's pre-occupied with Jio snoring in his arms. Mark stiffled a smile.

"There you go." He said in a whisper when Jinyoung was able to get off the car. "I'll go get his bike."

Holding Jio's bike on his left side, and the kid's backpack strapped on his right shoulder, Mark walked them both inside. Jinyoung handed him the key and Mark opened the door for them. Once inside, he put down the bike first before putting Jio's bag on the couch. Jinyoung also made his son lay on the couch and put throw pillows around him. "Do you want juice or something?"

"Water would be nice." He answered as he sat down on the couch adjacent to where Jio is lying. Jinyoung nodded and walked towards the kitchen. Mark busied himself with watching Jio sleep soundly while he waits for Jinyoung to emerge from the kitchen. And soon he did.

"Here's your water." Jinyoung says, handing him the glass of water, taking a seat beside him. "Thank you so much for today Mark. You could've spared yourself from all the stress but you still chose to go with us."

"Well, Jio wanted this so much and he made me promise. You do know I am a man of my word." When he was saying that, Mark was certain he didn't mean it to sound like any other way than he originally intended it to. But when he saw how Jinyoung's eyes lingered at him a bit longer than it should, Mark sensed that his words came out in a way different than what he has in mind. 

And now he's staring back at those brown eyes and Mark isn't sure how he is supposed to feel. He wasn't aware that he's holding his breath until Jinyoung withdrew his eyes and stared at the glass of water he's holding, fingers fiddling around it. "Yes, you are." Jinyoung said, nodding more to himself and not at him. "You are."

Mark started to dislike the thick air surrounding them bit by bit so he cleared his throat, catching the younger's attention. "Anyway... you did tell Jaebum about this, right?"

Jinyoung seemed to look a bit lost, like he doesn't know or understand what he's saying. The way the younger's brows furrowed is enough to tell him that. So he rephrased his question. "About Jio getting his own bike. You told Jaebum about this?"

And only then did Jinyoung nod. "Yes, I did. I told him that night when Jio first brought it up."

"And he's fine with it?"

Jinyoung nods again. "You see, between us, I would say Jio enjoys being with Jaebum more since he gets away with things easily and he gets what he wants, all he need to do is ask. This little guy right here is really spoiled by his