I

"Are you crying, Minho?" He touches his face, tears drowning, falling, fingers wet. "You know it's only for a few hours...," Jinwoo says, closer, hands sneaking, fingers around his fingers, interlocked. It's good that the other parents are too busy sending off their kids to notice Jinwoo wipes Minho's eyes, the other hand cradling his cheek. When a little voice comes from the window, a hand waving joyfully, Jinwoo smiles and waves back, beaming. "See? She wants to go."

"What if she forgets us?" Minho asks, strangled. Jinwoo looks at him, laughing.

When the bus is finally out of sight and Jinwoo has returned to his side, Minho is still sobbing. People around are glancing at him but he ignores them, intently watching the spot where the bus was a minute ago.

"She is just going to school, she will be back at five," Jinwoo recalls to him gently, holding him, his hands on the small of his back, diffusing the pain inside his heart - the missing, the worrying, all the stupid ideas lying on his mind.

"What if something happens and we aren't there to help?" he is helpless, Jinwoo sighs, hoping that tomorrow Minho will be working by the time they have to go catch the bus – he won’t survive if Minho is this pitiful forever.

Minho is restless at home. Jinwoo doesn't know why he decided to take the day off. He has to stop him, for the fourth time, from calling the school to ask about Mei's whereabouts.

"Minho, it is all OK. If something happens," he says, rubbing his hand with care, "and nothing will happen," he rushes to add after the frown on Minho's forehead, "they will contact us". But that doesn't ease Minho's worries. He walks with his phone in hand, down the corridor, barging in to check on Jinwoo who is quietly doing the house chores. Jinwoo will be working from home after a sabbatical year to take care of little Mei. That was their agreement. Minho was too busy running his business that it was impossible for him to take time off. Jinwoo, on the other hand, wanted to do it, not a sacrifice for him to work from home or to look after their kid. A pleasure: Jinwoo always loved children, and kids were always soft for him, so it was just great that he stayed in when Mei first came to their lives.

She was only four when they adopted her. Minho wanted a baby but Jinwoo opposed. Because babies were so easily picked up and older kids were abandoned, never chosen. He wanted to change someone's life. And he did. Mei only laughed with Jinwoo, only slept on top of him. She was a happy girl but she was always delighted and beamed when Jinwoo was around. It took him a week to get her settled, for her to be comfortable in the house. But she cried when she was alone with Minho for over four months, even when Minho was the one spoiling her the most. Even Rei and Bei beat him on snatching Mei's affection. She was the cats' terror but the pair seem to be content with her chasing after them, pulling their wailing tails. Jhonny opted to hide well whenever Mei was in the room. She was scared of the little girl who was always on her fur or dancing with her. It took Jhonny a week to learn to stay away from Mei. Minho kept on trying, but he wasn't home, he was working and travelling, expanding his brand over the country. So it was just natural that Mei and Jinwoo bounded together. And it was natural that Minho was a bit jealous, trying to overcome the situation with presents and long days visiting the zoo - that ended with him sobbing because Mei stuck with Jinwoo, asking him about all the animals and flowers.

“We should have to wait a little bit more before sending her to school,” Minho mumbles, his laptop on. He is fumbling through websites about schooling kids at home. Jinwoo sits next to him, his head on his shoulder, looking at the screen.

“She is five, it’s the perfect time to start,” Jinwoo patiently explains for the nth time today. Minho is so concerned about Mei, he has been arguing with Jinwoo for over a week about it. In the end, Jinwoo was right and Minho gave up because, as stubborn as he is, he didn’t want to end sleeping on the couch, far from Jinwoo’s touch and kisses, from the warm of his hands caressing his skin, on top of his ribs, over his heart-beats. But he is still uneasy and worried because he has never been without her for so long – even when he is working, he knows that she is alright because she is with Jinwoo and he only trusts Jinwoo to be in charge of his daughter. “And we can’t be trusted to teach her at home,” he smirks, knowingly. That makes Minho frown again.

“Why not?”

“Because we will end doing anything but studying. We aren’t prepared for it. Beside Mei needs to be with kids her age, not with her parents all day,” Jinwoo points out. And it makes sense, really, but Minho doesn’t want Mei to be with strangers. What if she dislikes the professors or the other children? He can’t stop thinking about it and it’s an agony.

“We don’t know the teachers,” he provides, sulking.

“If you came to the school visiting and the class meetings, then you would know,” Jinwoo replies, trying to hide the disappointment on his voice. Minho, again, was too occupied working to attend any of the meetings. It was all on Jinwoo and he liked what he saw – the building, the playgrounds, the teachers and the other parents. Mei, too, bubbled at the sight of her new surrounding, at the idea of having to take a bus every day, of going to school with other kids that would, soon, become her friends. She was thrilled, she talked about it non-stop for days, counting the hours left until the first day of class.

Minho mopes more, sullen over the fact that Jinwoo has a valid point – that, in the end, it’s his own fault.

“Are you completely sure that she will be alright?” He asks finally, still pouting. Jinwoo kisses his forehead and his sulky lips.

“Yes,” he says, peppering kisses over him, comfortingly, “she is very happy and the team there is great,” he adds, smooching the lonely freckle on his nose. “She is very well and so are you because now we are alone,” his voice is sultry, warming his ears like melted chocolate. Jinwoo smirks, crawling on top of him, his hands wrapping around his nape. Minho pulls him in, holding his hips, fingers swirling under his shirt. “We are finally alone after so long, don’t you think we have better things to do than to worry about Mei who is saved and sound at school?”

At this proposal, Minho can only nod, instantly agreeing. It’s been so many months since he last had Jinwoo like this, so arousing, so charming, so sweetly his. It is so wholesome to have Jinwoo again, to feel his hands on his body, tracing his face, his lips everywhere; to listen to him his name – oh, he has missed it so very much, the lust blearing the stars of his eyes, leaving only the reflect of Minho . He has been so worried to even think about the opportunity that this, Mei going to school, will bring to them – that they can be a couple again, do the things they couldn’t with her at home and Minho is mentally thinking about all the others days he can stay home.

Jinwoo curls on his chest, looking at his reverently, with all the love colouring his face. He smiles at him, gleaming, hair a mess his fingers aren’t tired to and caress. It is late and they haven’t moved from the bed.

“It is time to collect Mei,” Jinwoo says, stirring. “You bring her, I’ll tidy the room,” he adds, beaming at him. He stares at his exposed body, drinking all of it, delighted with what he sees. “You are gorgeous,” he gasps, in awe. Minho wants to paint him right now, with all he lacks and all he is: perfect, a wonder, his heart.

“Do we have to?” he asks, pouting cutely. He latches onto him, arms around his frame, his voice cuddling him like a dream. “I don’t want to leave you again,” he sulks and Jinwoo laughs.

“You were the one who didn’t want to let Mei go,” he recalls between a cascade of chuckles, bemused. “What with this change of mind?” Jinwoo is a teaser, Minho knows. He punches him softly, kisses his neck intently until its withe skin turns red.

“You, my gorgeous, sinful love,” his voice is muffled, his lips covered by Jinwoo’s hair. “But now that you mentioned her... I’ll better go, check she is in one piece!”

“I’ll take tomorrow off, too,” he promises, once he is back, holding Mei’s hand and carrying her little bag. Minho looks scornful. “I’m still unconvinced about this whole school thing.”

Mei, on the other hand, is delighted and stays until late talking with Jinwoo, explaining him all she has done, everything about her news friends and her teachers. She is so excited to come back she can’t fall asleep despite that she is exhausted and had has a warm bath before bedtime. It takes hours for her eyes to close and her respiration to settle down, relaxed.

Jinwoo puts her to her bed and sneaks back to his room. Minho is there already, looking dejected, abandoned. He pouts when Jinwoo tries to kiss his cheek.

“Tomorrow. I’ll be all yours tomorrow again.” And this is a promise – and Minho has already called work to let them now he will stay home tomorrow as well.