Word count: 1574w

Prompt: can i request a prompt for parents!au where kaisoo breaks to their children about their adoption because apparently not all of them understand that concept- being surrounded by children with parents of both genders?

Kim Jongin has always been a meticulous planner. Well, at least he was pre-Kyungsoo. Before Kyungsoo his life revolved around checklists - to do lists that ranged from a day’s activities to a week’s, a month’s, years at most. He remembers (with the mildest of shudders) the day Kyungsoo waltzed into his life and threw all of that planned caution out the window - remembers how easily Kyungsoo breezed in, unannounced, and decided to throw Jongin’s entire life off balance. He’d thought, then, that Kyungsoo was the most unpredictable thing life could have possibly thrown at him, thought he was the only thing he’d have to face surprises for, that is, until -

‘Daddy, how come Minji has a Momma?’

- he had children. Sunyoung’s eyes blinked innocently up at Jongin’s, a chubby hand wrapped securely around his middle and index fingers. Jinri and Soojung were close behind, both of them with lollipops in their mouths. Jinri’s eyes widen with interest.

‘I, um - ’ Jongin’s words catch in his throat, unable to fight their way out of his mouth. He’d known, sooner or later (especially after Sunyoung hadn’t wanted them both showing up at her first day of school) that the question was coming.

‘Daddy?’

He just didn’t think it would come this soon. He clears his throat.

‘How about I tell you when we get home, hm?’ he asks, bending down to ruffle his girls’ hair. ‘We can sit down with Papa and… And he’ll tell you a story, alright?’ Jongin says, and relief temporarily pushes a smile on his face when his daughters react amicably. He starts off on the way home, his daughters trailing after him.

This was going to be a long day.




Soojung bounds into the house as soon as Jongin throws the door open, kicking her shoes off by the doorway and skipping inside to find Kyungsoo. ‘Papa!’ her voice is a high pitched shriek, and Kyungsoo almost slips when he comes rushing toward her, socked feet slipping against slick parquet flooring. Soojung just spreads her arms wide and throws herself at Kyungsoo, ignoring the small oof sound he makes when he grunts.

‘Papa, Daddy said you’d tell us a story!’ Sunyoung says, beaming as she wraps arms around Kyungsoo’s thigh. She’s only up to his waist, and she screams when Soojung almost kicks her by accident.

‘Soojung, stop that, don’t hurt your sister,’ scolds Kyungsoo, before he sets her down. ‘A story?’ he asks, eyeing Jongin suspiciously. His husband just picks up their daughters’ shoes and arranges them in the shoe rack, pointedly ignoring Kyungsoo’s gaze. ‘What story is that, Daddy?’

‘He said you’ll tell us why Minji unnie has a Momma and we don’t!’ says Jinri excitedly, hopping on one leg, and then the other. ‘He said so!’

‘He said I’d be the one to tell you why?’ Kyungsoo asks, already beginning to see red. He was nervous, upset - and was not going to let Jongin get out of this one. Over his dead body.

All three daughters nod.

‘Well, I can’t tell you this story by myself,’ Kyungsoo begins, making his way over to Jongin. He puts his arm around his husband’s waist, hand on his side. ‘I’m going to need an assistant! Right, Daddy?’ Kyungsoo says, aiming a discreet pinch in Jongin’s side. The younger does a good job of covering up his wince, only letting out a bit of a high pitched of course in response.

They gather their daughters on the floor in front of their sofa, Kyungsoo and Jongin themselves sitting on it. ‘Before we tell you this story,’ says Kyungsoo, taking a deep breath - ‘Just remember that Daddy and Papa both love you very, very much, and that’s a fact that isn’t going to change. Okay? No matter what we tell you, we’re still your fathers and we still love you.’ Kyungsoo makes it a point to emphasise the last few words, afraid his daughters would think things have changed after he and Jongin explain that they aren’t - biologically, at least - theirs. Jongin’s finger’s snake between his.

‘We love you too, Papa,’ says Jinri, her small voice soft and sincere, and Jongin can feel his heart beating a mile a minute in his chest. He’d read articles about this day, practiced in the rearview mirror by himself on the way to work, but nothing, nothing, could have prepared him for this feeling.

This feeling of absolute uncertainty. Of fear.

‘Okay - do you know where babies come from?’ Jongin asks, deciding to take the lead. Kyungsoo looks deathly pale by his side.

Sunyoung nods proudly. ‘From their mummies’ tummies!’ she exclaims, and Jongin reaches out to pat her on the head for a job well done.

‘That’s exactly right. And mummies are girls, right?’ he asks, and gets a round of nods in return. ‘And what are Daddy and Papa?’

‘Boys!’ announces Soojung proudly.

‘That’s right, and boys don’t have the right kind of tummy for babies to grow in,’ says Jongin. This is as far as he can go - his fingers start to tremble in Kyungsoo’s hold, the skin of his palms turning damp from nerves. He’s trembling just a little, and Kyungsoo knows it’s time for him to take over. He his lips.

‘See - when two boys really love each other, they want to have a family. But like Daddy said - boys don’t have the right kind of tummy for babies, so for us to get one, we had to go and see a special lady.’ he clarifies.

‘Will the lady give you the baby?’ asks Jinri. Kyungsoo nods. ‘The baby in her tummy?’

‘No, no - she helps find other ladies with babies in their tummies, and when the baby is born, we get them. That’s how we got you,’ he says. The girls blink at him, and he takes it as a silent urge to go on. ‘When the lady gives us the baby, that’s called adoption.’

‘Does adoption mean the baby isn’t yours?’ Sunyoung’s voice creeps quietly out to greet Kyungsoo’s ears, and the sound of it makes his heart shatter. Her words make him recall the time he’d first held her in his arms - all the love he felt, all the care. He remembers thinking she was absolutely perfect, remembers being overwhelmed by how much love was welling in his chest for her, amazed at the strength of it, given he’d only met her a minute prior.

Does adoption mean the baby isn’t yours?

He can’t control himself. He lets Jongin’s hand slip from his, seats himself on the floor and lets his daughters pile into his lap, into his arms, cuddles them close because he never wants to let them go. Never. Jongin presses his lips together, only able to watch as a single tear comes down Kyungsoo’s cheek. Kyungsoo’s throat has closed up. He can’t speak.

So Jongin speaks for him.

‘Just - just because you didn’t come from Daddy or Papa’s tummies, it doesn’t mean you aren’tours,’ he says, opening his arms for Soojung to clamber into. He hugs his youngest close to his chest, fingers through her hair. ‘We love you. Just as much as we would have if you werefrom our tummies,’ he mumbles gently, pressing lips to Soojung’s head. She just buries herself further in her father’s warmth, hands clutching the front of his shirt.

‘Nothing’s changed,’ Kyungsoo manages to say, Jinri reaching up to wipe the tears off his face. ‘We’re still Daddy and Papa, we still love you just the same. It doesn’t matter to us where you came from - you’re our princesses, nothing can change that,’ he says, before he gets choked up again. ‘We love you. All three of you, so much,’ he croaks out.

‘We love you too, Papa,’ whispers Sunyoung gently. She gives them her most genuine smile, and Jinri and Soojung follow suit. ‘We love you soooooooooo much!’ she exclaims, throwing herself at Kyungsoo’s chest, making him laugh, the sound coming out a little wetter than usual.

Jongin watches as the girls - his daughters - try their best to cheer his husband up, lets Soojung slip off his knee only to watch her press a kiss to the tip of Kyungsoo’s nose. It’s been yearssince the girls walked into his life, brightening up every dark corner, putting music in every silent crevice. His life was taken by storm in such a short period of time by these girls, by his angels - and, looking at them now, fussing over his tearful husband, he decides it’s all worth it. This is life, and life is about love and loving, and most importantly, being loved.

Jinri stands and hurriedly tries to pull Jongin into a group hug, and he lets her. He fake shrieks when they push him into a sandwich, their weights on him making his breath come out a little shorter. He can see how red Kyungsoo’s face has gone underneath him, and he can’t stop himself from leaning down to peck his husband on the lips.

This was his family, and nothing was ever going to change that.