Baekhyun opened their front door and Donghae expected that he’ll be welcomed with a bright smile but all he saw was the younger man looking plainly at him.

“Where’s Hyukkie?” He asked when he closed the door and noticed the whole house too quiet for a place where Henry was currently staying.

“He’s sick and Henry’s with him.” Baekhyun answered. Together, they made their way towards the blonde’s room and silently peeked inside it. There on the bed they saw Hyukjae peacefully sleeping with a sad-looking Henry beside watching over him.

Silently, Donghae closed the door and turned to Baekhyun. He noticed his clothes and remembered how Chanyeol had been ranting the whole morning about the movie the two had been dying to watch.

“I take it that you’re supposed to watch the movie today.” He stated and the other nodded at him.

“Yeah but I couldn’t leave hyung like that.” The younger answered him and looked at his brother’s closed door.

“You go and I’ll just take care of him.”

Baekhyun gave him a disbelieving and distrusting look to which Donghae just shrugged off. He’s already used with that look that it didn’t bother him anymore. After minutes of persuasion, the younger finally gave up and after a few (or a lot) reminders, he finally bid the brunette goodbye.

Donghae opened the door and contrast to what he expected, he now saw the little kid looking at him.

“Appa…”

The brunette hid a smile. Mochi always call him that way when he’s going all baby on him. Hyukjae had always been his ‘umma’ while he’s the ‘appa’. They only argue when their possessive side on the blonde kicks at the same time.

He strode towards the bed and sat beside the still sleeping blonde and pulled the kid to his lap.

“Appa… Umma’s not feeling well.” The kid stated and frowned cutely at him. “How are we supposed to go outside and play?”

“Well,” Donghae paused as he though hard on how he should handle things like the grown-up man that he is. “Umma is sick and Appa needs to take care of him and since our Mochi is a big boy already I’m sure he will help.” He said and chuckled when he noticed how Henry’s eyes shone at his preposition.

He lifted the kid into his arms and slowly bent down closer to his best friend. He placed the back of his hand against the latter’s forehead and automatically frowned when he felt how hot his skin was. He placed a chaste kiss on the forehead and finally walked out of the room towards the kitchen, careful not to wake the blonde up.

Placing the chubby kid on the countertop, Donghae proceeded to the cabinets to find a pair of aprons. He beamed when he found a pink and blue one and placed the former color on Henry and the other one on him. He beamed brightly when he noticed how the color suited the little kid making him more adorable that he couldn’t stop himself from taking pictures with his phone.

After assessing the available ingredients, they decided to make strawberry waffles for their breakfast (which was quite easy to make for Donghae thank goodness), making the blonde’s extra special by adding lots of the red fruit. The brunette then cut the oranges and under his supervision Henry used the manual orange juicer. He grinned when he was able to make two full glasses of pure juice and like the proud father that he is, Donghae patted the little boy on his hair, an equally bright smile on his face.

The ‘Appa’ settled everything on a tray together not forgetting the medicine. The two went upstairs with Henry leading the way and took the liberty to open his ‘umma’s’ door silently. He peeked first before he motioned Donghae to go inside.

They both smiled when they noticed the peaceful look on Hyukjae’s face and decided to just let him sleep longer. They’re sure he’ll just wake up on his own accord once he got hungry.

Donghae placed the tray on the bedside table as Henry slowly hovered over Hyukjae, a bright smile on his face. He lowered his face and placed a big kiss on the blonde’s cheek.

“Get well soon Umma, Mochi and Appa will take good care of you.” He whispered.

Donghae heard everything and with a smile, he scooped Henry up and placed a soft kiss on his chubby cheek.

“You look over Umma first while I prepare everything okay?”

The little boy nodded as he was placed back on the bed and with his eyes he followed Donghae as he disappeared through the bathroom.

Minutes later he reappeared with a small basin filled with lukewarm water and a small cloth. He placed it on the floor by the bed and once again sat beside Hyukjae. Wetting the cloth, he squeezed it thoroughly and started wiping the blonde’s face then his arms. Once done, he then arranged the blanket over his torso and rolled his pajamas up to his knees and wiped them as well.

Henry all the while could only stare at the brunette, awed on how serious he looked. He may only be a kid but he knew how childish his ‘Appa’ is that they could be competitors. It may be annoying, true, but despite that childishness he saw how Donghae really cares for Hyukjae that he already accepted it. That’s why he also decided to make the brunette his ‘Appa’.

Donghae sighed once he made sure he was finished as he placed the cloth back to the basin. He picked it up and discarded it to the bathroom.

He was currently rinsing it when he looked up and saw his reflection at the mirror. A smile was seen despite the worry in him. He’s worried because Hyukjae rarely gets sick and when he does, it was usually Baekhyun who takes care of him. Sure he’s in the medical field despite it being about animals but, it is a lot harder for someone like him to take care of people he cherishes a lot. Many people under his field feel the same; they’d rather take care of thousands of strangers than to take care of that one very important person in their lives. It may sound absurd but it’s true.

But then, with Henry by his side, why does it seem like everything’s worthwhile and not that tiresome? All he could feel was like they really are a small family and he as the head of the family took charge of taking care of the mother. A silly grin made its way to his lips and that giddy feeling started to build up inside him.

Maybe having a family with Hyukjae is not bad at all.

Hyukjae opened his eyes with so much effort. His body felt heavy and was aching everywhere. He glanced at the clock and bolted from his bed when he saw the time: 10:42am. His sudden movements though made his face scrunch in pain when he felt his head like it was splitting into two.

Looking at the table beside him, he noticed a tray with strawberry pancakes and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. He also saw the small pill next to it. Thinking it was Baekhyun who prepared it he mentally thanked his brother and started eating the hearty breakfast.

The blonde decided not to take a bath for his body's not yet fully well so, still clad in his pajamas, he made his way down to the stairs bringing the tray with him. He passed by the living room and heard the low volume of television.

"Do you want to build a snowman~?"

Raising his eyebrows, he hurriedly put the used utensils to the sink and silently made his way to the source of sound and peeked behind the wall. A small smile graced upon his lips when he saw the scene in front of him.

Donghae was sitting cross-legged on the sofa with a drink on his left hand, his eyes focused on the movie. On his right was Henry, his body curled while snuggling against the brunette, looking very comfortable. The two boys giggled cutely when a rather cute scene came up. And when the little boy was telling the next scene, Donghae will patiently listen, his eyes staring lovingly at Henry like how a father would do