Soo was curled up next to Kai in their bed, the ecstasy of the last few days together echoing in every part of his mind.

Since they'd decided to give in and be together, everything had began blooming again, a beautiful spring following such a short and bitter winter. Good riddance, because flowers are always so much prettier than snowflakes.

He'd kept his ... purity ... thus far, but that didn't stop Kai and him from trying different things now that they had the freedom to. Okay, so they hadn’t done much, but Kai had been sleeping without his shirt on and so the temptation was always lying in wait.

It would happen … eventually. God, sometimes he felt like such an amateur.

But on that particular sweet and innocent morning, his head resting on Kai's bare chest, hearing the sound of his mother, father and their Chattel bursting into the house was the last thing he expected.

"Kai," he couldn't imagine what his parents would think if they saw he and this new person looking so cozy and romantic. They knew about Kai, he'd told them as soon as he'd gotten the younger, but they hadn't formally met him yet and this was not the first impression he wanted to make.

"Soo," he ran his hand up Kyungsoo's back and up to the top of his head, "what are you doing up so early? Isn't it saturday?"

"Kai ... Kai my parents are home and we don't have clothes on."

The younger's eyes flew open and he immediately started to untangle himself from the sheets and Soo, " ... , I thought you said we had another week of just alone time."

"They must have come home early," Soo was climbing out too, but not nearly in as much a hurry, "It doesn't sound like they're coming up the stairs, don't hurt yourself freaking out ... we just need to not be asleep when they come to my room."

"Too risky," he could hear Kai going through his little section of clothes in the closet, "way to risky because your hearing is really shoddy."

"My hearing is not shoddy!"

"Soo!" They heard a woman's voice a little ways down, "Soo honey, are you up?"

, when had his hearing became so shoddy?

He dashed for the closet too and found his old Pororo pajama pants just in the nick of time because her footsteps told him she was just a few feet from the door. Kai was pulling on jeans and it was taking forever, but luckily he had gotten a shirt on already.

Soo still needed to take that step and pulled down his cute matching Keropi shirt from the same collection as his pants. He got it on right as the knob turned and she let herself in while he was laying himself back down on the edge of the bed.

"I hope we didn't wake you sweetie," she seemed so nice.

This was always the way she acted when she first came home … not that she was ever specifically rude, but she was never around, so she made an effort to be sweet every time they’d arrive back from a long campaign.

"No ... I was with Kai ... he was just reorganizing my closet."

"Ahhh, Kai's in here right now ... so early?" she looked around and saw that Soo also had a second set of pillows, "Who's ar-,"

"Umma ... Kai sleeps in here with me," Soo bit his bottom lip and tried his best to mimic his Noona's expression when their parents found out about her situation with Seunghyun.

"Oh ... OH," her eyes got big and then she winked at Soo which made him want to burst from awkwardness, "so when will I get to meet this Kai?"

"I am here Hyomin Ahjumma," he peaked out of the closet and flashed a charming smile before stepping out completely into the open.

The look on his Umma's face told him that she'd fallen for his smile just as easily as Soo did and she stepped over to the younger.

"Neither Baekhyun nor Kyungsoo said you'd be so handsome," she hugged him, and he tried to respond and not seem weird at the same time, "Soo, why didn't you mention this?"

"I didn't think it was that important of a detail."

"Of course it's an important detail," she looked over Kai again, "he'd make the perfect example for your father's talks on why the current system works so perfectly. Look how happy and healthy he looks ... and dashing, everyone would love that."

He could see Kai starting to grimace and he was genuinely concerned the younger might growl at his umma for the things she was saying. Kai felt very strongly about his independence from the system, afforded to him by Kyungsoo, so being a tool for enslaving more of his people was the worst insult someone could hurl at him.

Soo stood up and promptly pulled Kai with him, "I don't think so ... he's mine and Appa has no authority here."

"Appa paid."

"No, I paid with my own money," It was true, that total he'd spent had been money he'd deposited himself.

"It was just an idea."

"Don't speak of it again," he hated being harsh with her, but he hated anyone hurting Kai more, "I need him ... how would I get anything done if he wasn't here to do it for me?"

The younger did his best impression of submissive, which meant him not making a repulsed face when he felt Soo petting his head like a puppy, and somehow it convinced the older's Umma.

"I didn't know you were so dependent on him."

"Aren't you dependent on Duho?"

"Well ... yes ..."

"So it shouldn't be so shocking."

"I guess not ..."

He was so thankful that his Umma was easy to persuade right now because if that argument got questioned it would have blown over in a second.

She smiled one last time and left and Soo let himself fall back into bed as soon as she was out of the room, "I swear she had good intentions."

"Your Umma is gullible ... also I don't like her," Kai laid down and positioned himself so he could look at the resting older.

"She's just not very sensitive about things ... just try not having any preconceptions before you really get to know them ... try giving Appa a chance, maybe?"

"Too late," Kai blew air out of his mouth dramatically, "I'm already sure I'm going to hate your Appa."

"Well ... at least none of this is coming as a shock to you," They both chuckled.

"The only good thing your parents ever did was make you," Kai said it