A film of sweat formed on his forehead, his hair sticking onto his skin which made him feel hot all the more. The humid weather didn’t help to better his current discomfort as he struggled to get to himself to the taxi bay. He felt his arms getting sorer by the second and his hands started to hurt as the plastic bags that he was currently gripping started to narrow and slice his fingers, leaving red marks in the process.

The groceries that he just purchased seemed to get heavier as he approached the long queue of people waiting for their turn for a cab and his brows furrowed. By the looks of it, he would be the 20^th person to get a cab. He sighed dejectedly and scowled inwardly, “Just my luck.”

When he was about to give up to the idea of wasting his time by pointless waiting, a black SUV stopped somewhere to his left and beeped a horn which surprised him. He stared for a few more seconds and found the vehicle utterly familiar. Before he could read the vehicle’s plate number for identification, a window of the SUV rolled down and shouted his name.

“Gyu!”

Sunggyu squinted through the sharp noon sunlight that bathed his surroundings and smiled as he recognized the person who had called his attention. He deemed himself lucky enough even when the taxi bay had a long queue line. His husband came to save the day.

Sunggyu put the bags at the back of the car and ran his way to the front to sit shotgun beside his spouse. He gave the other a peck on the cheek, meaning to put his gratitude into actions rather than words, before he strapped himself in the safety confines of his seatbelt.

Sunggyu reached out and pushed some buttons to adjust the air-con’s thermostat while his husband changed gears and started to hit the road on their way back home. “Good thing you got on the right time, Hyun-ah. It was very hot out there.”

Just after Woohyun rounded a corner, he glanced at Sunggyu and gave a cheeky smile towards the older. “Consider yourself lucky. I’m just so amazing that I decided to take that street from the auto shop because I felt you were there waiting for your Prince Charming,” he ended as he looked back on the road.

Sunggyu raised a brow as he watched his husband who maneuvered the steering wheel single handedly. “For your information, Nam Woohyun, You are so not my Prince Charming.”

“That hurts a lot, Gyu.” Woohyun deadpanned and smiled that showed his dimple.

“Besides,” Sunggyu continued, “how could you try to steal Tannie’s throne when you have your own?”

Woohyun found himself grinning upon the mention of their eldest son. “Oh right. I forgot he’s the crown prince,” he playfully admitted, “but I think we should stop calling him that. He’s been complaining lately how he’s already grown up for such cheesy titles.”

Sunggyu lightly chuckled as he found it rather amusing that his eighteen year-old had been complaining to his father. “Yeah, he complains but he definitely makes an exception when his sister uses it on him.”

As if on cue, Woohyun snorted and laughed at the stated fact that left his wife’s lips. “Well, everybody knows that Tanshik is a total er for Haera -- even for a no-brainer.”

“Yeah,” Sunggyu breathed as a comforting silence embraced both him and his husband.

Sunggyu turned to the window and watched as the scenery rushed by as it changed from the busy heart of the city to a silent and calm community with lush greens here and there in a matter of minutes. It was so fast that Sunggyu couldn’t help but think. Did time really fly this fast?

Sunggyu continued to gaze at every tree that they happen to pass by as they neared the gates of an executive subdivision that they had lived in for sixteen years.

Sixteen years passed by like a blur. Sunggyu recalled the day he and Woohyun decided to leave their mother land and migrate to another country for peaceful living – two years after the Infinite members decided to move on to the next chapter of their lives.

After their 10^th anniversary, the members decided to make a showcase to show their utmost gratitude to the Inspirits that had supported them all the way. Two years after that, their idol life was over. Infinite never did disband; it just so happened that each of the members already had other priorities. What more if they were married to each other?

He remembered when there was one time when he logged-in to their fancafe and read as much entries made by Inspirits as he could. Inspirits were genuinely worried that what if after so many years of being apart, they might turn out to be estranged with each other. Sunggyu inwardly smiled at the thought because that was definitely not the case.

Sunggyu was pulled out of his reverie when Woohyun suddenly pulled up in front of a convenience store that was just in their subdivision’s commercial building which was situated beside the grand gates that guarded their community. “Why are we here?”

Woohyun unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed his wallet with his smart phone from the dashboard and turned to Sunggyu. “I’ll just buy ice cream.”

Just before Woohyun was able to close the door, Sunggyu asked, “I thought you were going to bring the kids out for some ice cream?”

Woohyun leaned on the car’s door frame and inserted his left hand into the pocket of his khaki colored square pants. “They changed their mind. They wanted to eat ice cream at home while they wait for their other cousins.”

At the sudden reminder, courtesy of his husband, Sunggyu couldn’t help but to start worrying for he forgot what was supposed to be the time of arrival of the family that they were supposed to fetch in the airport which was relatively far from where they were residing. “Oh, good heavens! What time are we supposed to get there? Are the kids even ready? Are they already dressed up? Is the house already clean?”

Woohyun bent and reached out, grabbing one of Sunggyu’s hand and kissed his fingers lightly. “Calm down,” he dragged, “Myungsoo and Sungyeol’s flight was seven o’clock in the morning, it's still ten in the morning; the flight takes about four hours plus the immigration procedures. Everything should take about six hours, more or less. It’s safe to say that they’ll be here by two o’clock in the afternoon.

There’s plenty of time to prepare, and Dongwoo hyung and Hoya are very much taking care of the kids right now. So, we better hurry buying the ice cream or else, I’m afraid, Yanhee is bugging her parents endless. Don’t worry about the house; Shinha, Taehoo and Tanshik are being responsible hyungs that they are, right now.”

Sunggyu listened as he bit his lower lip, suddenly feeling shy of his sudden outburst. It turned out that he somehow managed to catch the attention of the few people that lounged outside the convenience store for some fresh air. “Okay,” he lightly squeezed Woohyun’s hand, “Don’t take too long.”

~oOo~

Three heads were busy playing with their game consoles when a sound of a steady car engine resonated from the hall of the garage as a car was parked to its bay. They waited until they heard the imminent momentary roar of the machine that would signal the impending rest of the vehicle. Once silence had consumed them, the boy sitting in the middle burst out exclaiming, “Go!”

Upon the release of the verbal signal, the two girls that sat on his either side jolted up into a stand and dashed their way to living room; both of them squealing their throats out as they dragged on their words. “Ice cream!”

The male teen was left alone in the entertainment area and could hear the front door opening. He soon followed the two girls at the front door and made a bee-line to his mother who was obviously having a hard time with carrying the plastic bags despite his father carrying some of the bags. He grabbed the bags off of his mother’s grip and grunted at the heavy weight. “Did you just buy the whole store?”

Sunggyu immediately wringed his hurting fingers, soothing the reddening marks on his fingers which started to stung. He was thankful that his eldest son took the bags from him but he definitely would not let the teasing slip. “Thanks for your help, Crown Prince, Nam Tanshik. My humblest apologies sire, but I did not buy the whole store.”

“Eomma," Tanshik dragged, "Will you stop that? I was hoping appa already talked to you about that…” Tanshik huffed in utter displeasure as he walked across the living room to get to the kitchen. Tanshik placed the grocery bags on the kitchen’s center island and took out the items one by one and had them put on the granite coated counter top.

“Yes, he did talk to me about it,” Sunggyu pointed as he took the bag of fruits and had them washed by the sink. “But I don’t have plans of stopping though,” he teased.

Tanshik didn’t have the time to retort when his father came into view with his non-biological cousin in tow. It was unlikely to find Yanhee without Haera and vice versa. The two were attached to the hip every time the Jangs would spend their vacation in their home. He looked at his father and asked for the whereabouts of his sister. “Where’s Haera?”

Woohyun placed the remaining bags that he was holding and subsequently answered Tanshik’s hanging inquiry. “She ran all the way upstairs calling her two princes,” he stated with a huff as he pulled Yanhee up and placed her on one of the high chairs by the kitchen counter. “Seems like you’ve been replaced now, Mr. Grown Up.”

Sunggyu almost doubled over to laugh at how his son looked constipated when Woohyun said those words. Sunggyu thanked his self-restraining skills and years of practiced facial expressions that he managed to hold back his bubbling snort and maintain a straight face.

Tanshik didn’t know how to make a blowing comeback at his parents. It was so unfair that his mother and father teamed up to . They even used their ultimate card: his dongsaeng, Haera.

The building silence was broken by the rustling of plastics as Yanhee started to help herself by rummaging through the grocery bags in search for her favorite cold dessert. Once it was found, her tongue ran across her plump lips as if a person being deprived of ice cream for hundreds of years.

Sunggyu managed to snatch the bag away and stowed the ice cream into the refrigerator. Yanhee pouted, trying to get Sunggyu with her aegyo skills, but Sunggyu wasn’t fazed. After many years of being able to take care of children, Yanhee’s technique was already old news for him. “We will eat this together with the others, Yanhee-ah. Okay? Go get your brothers upstairs and you’re eomma and appa as well.”

Yanhee sighed. Her uncle seemed to be way too immune than what she had expected. Nevertheless, she jumped off her seat and saluted to Sunggyu like a soldier before marching out of the kitchen “Roger, Captain!”

“What’s with her?” Woohyun asked, completely amused at how Dongwoo’s daughter acted.

Tanshik chuckled, completely forgetting the earlier goading of his parents, “She must have heard it while Shinha hyung played with me and Taehoo with Black Ops.”

“She’s takes after her father. So random.” Sunggyu said, chuckle in between his words.

The three of them laughed at each other as various scenarios flashed in their minds. They were in the middle of catching their breaths when a voice popped their happy bubble.

“Who takes after whom?”

Speaking of the devil.

Dongwoo walked in, sporting ripped pants paired with a white muscle shirt. “It sure is getting hotter in here, Gyu hyung. It’s just been three days since we came here. Are you sure were spending Christmas here? It feels like summer.”

Sunggyu, Woohyun and Tanshik looked at each other and understood that it wouldn’t be important to tell Dongwoo about things that were already obvious. Sunggyu instead paid attention to Dongwoo’s latter statement.

Sunggyu grabbed a glass and poured ice cold water and handed them over to Dongwoo. “Don’t act as if you’re a first timer. You know that this country has summer for the whole year,” he placed a bowl of ice cubes, “Besides, we’re approaching noon. That’s why it’s hotter.”

Dongwoo downed the cold drink and felt as if heaven opened its doors when the water ran down his throat; just enough to quench his thirst and make him feel less hot—temperature wise.

Multiple steps could be heard approaching the kitchen. Shinha came into view first and immediately had his widened upon the sight of all the goodies scattered on the countertop. “Whoa! Uncle Gyu, did you sack the whole store?”

“I just told him that when they arrived,” Tanshik seconded.

Not long after Shinha showed up, Hoya, Taehoo came with Yanhee and Haera trailing behind them. Hoya was about to voice his thoughts when Sunggyu beat him to it.

“Again, for the last time, I didn’t buy the whole store, okay?” Sunggyu picked up an apple and took a bite, “I’m just making sure that there’ll be enough for all of us.”

“No worries, Uncle Gyu,” Shinha started, “When Team Kim’s already here, I’m sure you’ll give yourself a pat on the back. Especially, when there’s Jinkyeong.”

“Aha! I’ll tell Jinkyeong noona that you said that!” Taehoo said as he pointed at his elder brother and ran to his mother’s side.

“Yah!” Shinha scolded. “This kid.”

Hoya glanced at his second born who was hiding in vain behind his back. He chuckled at the hopeless act; his sons were taller than him that there was no use in hiding anymore. “I think we should get ready now, the airport is not that near, you know.”

“Yeah,” Sunggyu agreed and turned to get back to their two-door freezing cabinet. “We’ll do that after this,” he said as he took out the large tub of ice cream.

And everybody cheered.

Ice cream to fight the hot weather just sounded perfect in so many ways.

------------------------------

[A/N]

MY.

WOOGYU.

FEELS.

GAAAAAAAAAAAH m(___)m

*raises white flag*

Please leave a message after the beep. *beeeeeep~*

<3