“Mama!” squealed Moonbin as he glanced over his shoulder and spotted his brother running towards him “They’re here!”

Jaejoong, dressed in a comfortable white v-neck and slim-fit blue jeans, looked over the rim of his glasses just in time to catch the two boys embrace in a tight, happy hug. Jaejoong couldn’t help but feel a soft pull on his heart as he took in the faces of the two boys, so elated to see one another again, lite up like fireworks on a beautiful night.

Moonbin, since the moment he learned to talk, had always had a way of making friends. His warm personality and his genuine care for others was something that Jaejoong had always been proud of. He was kind, loving, and forever genuine with his feelings, almost as if he was born with his heart on his sleeve. He was so proud of his son, and even a little envious of his carefree and sweet look on life.

Contrary to the impression he seemed to give off when someone saw him for the first time, Jaejoong knew that those good qualities everyone saw in Moonbin hadn’t really come from him. Jaejoong may have been a little softhearted and loving towards his son but he had his own issues that always seemed to rear their ugly head when someone got too close. It was always the same. He had been through a lot in the last few years before Moonbin was born and afterward, his life had literally fallen apart right before his eyes. His life had become a mess, but he still had his beloved little man and he knew he had to do all he could to make sure his son had a good life. He worked hard, dealt with the emotional issues because of his past as best he could, and focused diligently on giving his son the support and love that he had never really had as a child. He was tarnished, he knew it, but he was overjoyed that Moonbin hadn’t been affected by all the darkness that had stalked his own life.

“Hey…” said Yunho softly, pulling Jaejoong out of his innermost thoughts.

“Oh…” breathed out Jaejoong, slightly surprised, as he shook his head softly for a second and looked up at the smiling face of the man he had met so strangely the day before standing beside him. “Hey…”

“Are you ok?” questioned Yunho gently. “You seem…distracted.”

“I am fine…” answered Jaejoong with a forced smile. “Good morning.”

“Good Morning…” replied Yunho before he felt a gentle tug on his grey suit jacket.

“Daddy?” called out Seungie. “Can brother and I go play now?”

“Sure…” smiled Yunho as he bent down to address his son. “Seungwoon, I want you to have a good time with your brother today but you have to promise me that you will be a good boy and listen to Mama Jae, ok?”

“No arguing or talking back, make sure you clean up after yourself and be good,” added Yunho lovingly. “Ok?”

“I promise. I’ll be good.” beamed Seungie.

“Ok…” smiled Yunho as he patted his son on the head. “You go have fun.”

“’ K.” answered Seungie.

“Mama?” interrupted Moonbin.

“Go on…” smiled Jaejoong with a nod. “I’ll be right here…”

“Yay!” he cheered before he grabbed Seungie’s hand and ran off towards the jungle gym.

“Are you sure about this?” questioned Yunho as he watched the two boys immediately climb the steps for the slide and he sat down beside Jaejoong on the park bench. “Seungwoon can be a handful sometimes.”

“I am sure we’ll be fine,” reassured Jaejoong. “He’s a smart, loving, and capable little one. I think we’ll all get along just fine.”

“Ok.” agreed Yunho, a little pleased that Jaejoong thought so well of his son.

“I have to head to work,” he stated with a sigh as he glanced down at his watch.

“Alright.” acknowledged Jaejoong with a nod. “Do you have any idea how long you will be?”

“Probably pretty late,” answered Yunho with a shake of the head, the worry in his voice evident. “This is usually our busiest day so I might not be back till well after dark.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re not too happy about leaving Seungie with me?” question Jaejoong perceptively.

“It’s not that I am suspicious of you or anything,” Yunho admitted. “It’s just…”

“I am a little worried, honestly,” admitted Yunho.

“Why?” he questioned in response.

“Well…” stammered Yunho as he reached up and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I mean…we just met yesterday and all of a sudden I am burdening you with my son for almost an entire day. I don’t normally let just anyone watch Seungwoon, but when we got home last night all he talked about was the two of you. He likes you both, which is a real surprise considering, but I feel like I am taking advantage of your kindness or something.”

“Nonsense.” dismissed Jaejoong; a little dismayed. “You’re not taking advantage of my kindness. I offered to watch the little one, didn’t I?”

“Well…yeah…” stammered Yunho a little more. “But…”

“Don’t worry about it,” advised Jaejoong with a smile. “Binnie has been looking forward to this play date ever since yesterday and if it lasts longer than I had thought it was going to, it’s completely fine. If it makes Binnie and Seungie happy, I am happy. So, don’t worry about it at all. I’ll make sure he’s looked after, well-fed, and has a great time.”

“You’re really sure about all this?” questioned Yunho for confirmation.

“Absolutely.” smiled Jaejoong as he looked a Yunho over his glasses and pushed his shoulder gently. “So just go to work.”

“Alright.” sighed Yunho, with a slight smirk of acceptance tugging at the corner of his mouth, as he stood up. “I guess I will see you later on tonight.”

“Ok,” answered Jaejoong. “You still remember my apartment number, right?”

“Yeah…” nodded Yunho with a smile.

“See you later,” added Yunho as he turned to leave.

“Bye.” waved Jaejoong gently.

The beautiful morning gave way to early afternoon as Moonbin and Seungwoon spent the day playing and bonding like true brothers. While the children had their fun, Jaejoong rested and relaxed on his favorite bench and read quietly. While the prose in his hand tried its very best to keep his attention, he couldn’t help but spend more time watching the kids play than anything. To see them so happy, playing together and working together, warmed his heart. He loved his son to pieces and he could see in Seungwoon’s face that he too had taken a serious shining to his son. They were so cute together that Jaejoong noted several occasions where other mothers had stopped to watch them. “They are so adorable.” one mother had said, to which another replied “They are. They make me want to have another little one of my own.” “They remind me of my brother’s when they were little.” said the third “Too bad they didn’t stay that cute forever.”

It wasn’t long after their picnic lunch in the park was over that their sunny day gave way to dark clouds. Afraid that they would get rained on if they stayed any longer, Jaejoong gathered the boys together and headed back home. When they finally arrived home, it was pouring outside. Disappointed, that their playdate had ended so soon, Moonbin couldn’t help but pout.

“It’s not fair,” whined Moonbin as he kicked off his tiny sneakers and moped into the apartment. “I wanted to play in the park all day.”

“I know,” answered Jaejoong as he watched Seungwoon meticulously take off his shoes and set them right beside Moonbin’s scattered ones. “But look at it this way, with the rain you and Seungwoon can play with the toys in your room.”

“That’s even more fun, isn’t it?” questioned Jaejoong as he looked up at his son to instantly see a smile chase away his disappointment.

“Video games!” squealed Moonbin when the thought of the game system his Mama had gotten him a few months ago popped into his head. “Seungie, let’s go play games!”

“I…I don’t know how,” answered Seungwoon apprehensively. “Daddy says games are bad for you. I’m not supposed to play video games.”

“Bad for you?” questioned Moonbin slightly confused. “How can games be bad for you?”

“Daddy says that it’s better to use your imagination than waste time on video games.” pouted Seungwoon.

“And your Daddy is right,” answered Jaejoong with a smile. “So instead of playing video games, why don’t you two make up some games yourselves?”

“Can we play…?” questioned Moonbin curiously. “Mama, can we play hide-and-go-seek in the house?”

“If you want to…” answered Jaejoong with a nod. “Just promise not to run in the house, ok? We don’t want to disturb our neighbors.”

“Ok, Mama,” answered Seungwoon. “We won’t run.”

“Mama…?” thought Jaejoong with a smile “I went from Mama Jae to just Mama in a day?”

“This little one must be quite lonely.” he thought with a sigh.

“Ok.” nodded Jaejoong as he reached out and patted Seungwoon on the head.

“Binnie…” he added as he looked at his son. “You know the rules about the house –when it comes to visitors, right?”

“Yes Mama.” smiled Moonbin. “We’ll be good and I will take good care of him, I promise.”

“Alright…Go play then,” answered Jaejoong with a permissive wave.

As the two little boys scurried down the hallway towards Moonbin’s room, Jaejoong walked over to the small end table in the living room at checked his answering machine. As the tone played, and the voice of his editor filled the room with complaints about his last submission, Jaejoong just rolled his eyes and sighed.

“He can’t even give me a break on my day off,” mumbled Jaejoong disappointingly.

“Well….” he huffed with a resolute nod as he reached over and deleted the message. “I am not going to let him ruin my day. He can just wait until tomorrow.”

As Moonbin opened the door to his room and walked in, he heard a gasp of surprise from behind him. Turning around to see his brother completely dismayed by the site of his own room, he felt almost unsure. Seungwoon had been the very first person to ever be in his room beside him and his mom and even the little one had worried if his brother would even like it.

“This is so…” breathed out Seungwoon as he took in Moonbin’s room decorated with blue walls –covered in pictures and posters, light brown furniture, a set of bunk beds, a computer, television, game system, and large toy box bursting at the seams with toys. “Awesome!”

“Do you like it, brother?” questioned Moonbin happily.

“Yeah,” he replied as he walked further into the room and giggled to himself.

“Good. I am glad you like it.” nodded Moonbin with an even bigger smile. “As Mama says, what’s mine is yours, so you can play with anything you like.”

“What do you want to do first?” questioned Moonbin as he watched his brother take in his room inch by inch. “Toys? Play games? Watch a movie? Draw? Color…?”

“Color!” squealed Seungwoon as he clapped his hands together.

“Ok…” smiled Moonbin as he walked to his desk and pulled out two large coloring books and a medium-sized wooden box filled with crayons, chalk, markers, and colored pencils.

As Moonbin sat everything out on the small area rug in the middle of his room, Seungwoon took in more and more of his surroundings. His new brother’s room was like a fairy tale land to him. His father, while a kind and understanding parent, wasn’t one to overly spoil him with toys and things so seeing a room with so much to play with left Seungwoon a little awestruck. While Moonbin began to color a page in the book with a bright red crayon, his newfound brother walked around his room and took it all in but it wasn’t long before the little one’s eyes settled on something, sitting on Moonbin’s bedside table, that made his curiosity pique.

“Who is this?” questioned Seungwoon as he reached out and grabbed a small, mirrored picture frame holding a photograph of Jaejoong, a very small baby Moonbin, and a mystery woman sitting in, what looked like, a hospital room.

“Oh?” questioned Moonbin as he looked up from the floor to see his brother holding the item in his hand and suddenly shot to his feet. “Don’t touch that!”

Moonbin ran across the expanse of his medium-sized room and instantly snatched the picture frame from Seungwoon and clutched it to his chest.

“Sorry…” apologized Seungwoon instantly as he saw a tear well up in his brother’s eye. “I didn’t mean to.”

An awkward silence descended around the two boys for a few longing minutes as Seungwoon tried to ascertain what he had done to make his brother so quietly upset. The way he clutched that picture frame certainly foreshadowed a story but he wasn’t sure what it was about. The more he looked at his brother, the sadness in his eyes, the more Seungwoon felt that sadness deep in his own heart.

“She’s so pretty…” sighed Seungwoon gently. “I’m sorry. I was just curious.”

“Who is she, brother?” questioned Seungwoon softly.

“My mother,” answered Moonbin quietly, a few moments later, as he sniffled back a tear and pulled the picture frame from his chest. “The woman who gave birth to me.”

“Where is she?” questioned Seungwoon hesitantly, a sneaky tear sliding down his own cheek as his mind subconsciously realized the answer before it was spoken.

“She died…” sniffled Moonbin sadly.

“Just like my mom.” thought Seungwoon.

“How did it happen?” stammered Seungwoon slowly.

Several hours had passed since Moonbin and his new brother disappeared behind the bedroom door and after some coaxing by Jaejoong, the two boys ended up sitting on the couch side by side watching an animated movie in the open living room while Jaejoong worked on dinner. Earlier, they had had a very stern debate on what he would make for the boys that night. Jaejoong wanted to make vegetable curry but Moonbin and Seungwoon insisted on spaghetti. It was a fierce discussion but, unfortunately, Jaejoong was thoroughly defeated by not one, but two pairs of sad puppy dog eyes.

“Where do kids learn to do that?” he muttered to himself as the sound of boiling noodles filled the air around him and he stirred his spaghetti sauce.

Turning down the sauce to a low simmer, Jaejoong checked the time and noted he had about ten minutes before the noodles would be ready to drain and serve. Taking that opportunistic amount of time to get a few chores started, he walked into the open floor plan of his kitchen and dining room area and began to clean up. Moonbin’s backpack, the Spiderman one that he always took to daycare when he went, was still sitting on the dining room table –its papers were strewn all over, and a couple of the little one’s toys had managed to find their way onto the dining room chairs and on the floor underneath.

“He knows better…” mumbled Jaejoong as he glanced over at Moonbin and Seungwoon, giggling at something funny on the television, and smirked. “What a mess…”

Deciding against scolding his young son on the merits of being tidy and putting everything in their proper place, Jaejoong cleaned up the mess himself. He put all of Moonbin’s papers back in his bag and gathered up all the toys from the chairs and floor, silently, as the arrant thought of Seungwoon’s father flittered across his mind.

“What’s his story…” thought Jaejoong as he walked from the table and hung up Moonbin’s backpack.

It had only really been a day but Jaejoong couldn’t deny the fact that there was something about Yunho that interested him. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, like that of a high-society aristocrat. Maybe it was the way he spoke, eloquent and refined. Maybe it was the way he looked at you in the eyes as if your existence mattered. Or, perhaps, it was that flicker of self-doubt and sadness that had shown itself when Seungwoon had lied about his parentage. Jaejoong did know for sure why the man had piqued his interest so fully. But there was definitely something about the man that had him quite curious. There was a story there, he was sure of it but as he softly wondered if he would ever find out what, he was pulled out of his thoughts by a gentle tug on the hem of his shirt.

“Mama…” called out Seungwoon softly.

“What is it, Seungie?” questioned Jaejoong as he looked down at the young one.

“I’m hungry,” he whined softly. “Can we eat now?”

Glancing up at the wall clock, Jaejoong smiled.

“It’s almost time,” answered Jaejoong.

“How much longer?” impatiently whined Seungwoon.

“A few minutes more,” answered Jaejoong as he took in the face of the persistent child. He could tell that the little was growing more and more impatient as the seconds passed by and as he heard the boy’s stomach growl loudly he chuckled.

“I tell you what…” added Jaejoong as a thought crossed his mind and he glanced up at the dinnerware stacked on the kitchen counter. “Why don’t you get your brother and the two of you set the table while I finish making dinner?”

“By the time you're done…” he smiled lovingly. “Dinner will be ready.”

“Ok…” beamed Seungwoon with a bright smile as he quickly turned and darted towards the living room.

“Such a cutie…” Jaejoong chuckled to himself as he walked back into the kitchen and checked on the noodles.

It wasn’t long after that that the little family sat down to a delicious meal. The atmosphere was light and cheerful as they all talked to one another about this and that. Jaejoong couldn’t help smile every time Seungwoon talked about his dad. He could tell that the boy was very proud of his father but that there was still something there that seemed to be missing. He wasn’t sure what but there was a little sadness in Seungwoon’s voice sometimes and that bothered him. When the little boy mentioned about how bad his father’s cooking was, in comparison to Jaejoong’s, he instantly made a mental note to make some side dishes later for the boy to take home. When he talked about how his dad was always stressed out about work and how he was always so busy that he often had to put their plans on hold, Jaejoong couldn’t help but shake his head in disappointment.

“He seems to be a workaholic.” thought Jaejoong with a deep sigh.

“But, daddy’s getting better at it.” the little one had reassured. “Now he doesn’t work so much.”

While Jaejoong never really bothered to ask Seungwoon what his father did for a living, the question still remained. The little one wasn’t very forthcoming on the subject either, being very non-specific, and Jaejoong wondered if the boy even knew himself. Children, when very proud of their parent’s careers, usually don’t hesitate to be prideful and tell everyone around them about it. But, Seungwoon just wouldn’t.

“Perhaps he really doesn’t even know.” thought Jaejoong as he reached out and handed Seungwoon another piece of buttered garlic toast.

“Mama writes stories.” offered up Moonbin proudly, tearing Jaejoong from his thoughts.

“Stories?” questioned Seungwoon, suddenly excited. “What kind of stories?”

“All kinds.” beamed Moonbin.

“Mostly stories for adults,” answered Jaejoong. “But I have published a few children’s stories as well.”

“Can I read them?” questioned Seungwoon instantly.

“Can you read?” questioned Jaejoong curiously; he was a little young after all.

“Yeah,” he answered. “My daddy and Auntie Jihye taught me.”

“That’s wonderful.” breathed out Jaejoong, slightly impressed with the boy’s father. “Ok.”

“I have a few copies lying around,” informed Jaejoong with a smile. “You can borrow them if you like.”

Seungwoon instantly nodded, happily, in agreement before shoveling another fork full of spaghetti in his mouth.

When the two young boys had finished up their dinner and polished off the last few slices of chocolate cake leftover in the fridge, Jaejoong sent them back into the living room while he cleaned up. When he was finished, and the last of the dirty dinnerware was cleaned and put away, he ventured into the living room to watch the rest of the movie with the kids. It was a cute movie, one that Moonbin had watched so many times that he could easily quote every bit of the dialogue but it was also one that Seungwoon had never seen. Jaejoong couldn’t help but feel uplifted by the children’s smiles and laughter as the main character of the story, as a small curious kitten that he had created when he was in college, sprung to life on the screen and danced around happily.

“This is one of Mama’s stories.” he heard Moonbin say. “The TV man liked it so much he made it into a movie.”

“That’s so cool.” he heard Seungwoon reply softly.

Half an hour later, when the movie came to an end, Moonbin glanced up at the wall clock and noticed the time.

“Mama…?” he said with a smile. “It’s almost eight.”

“That it is,” answered Jaejoong with a nod.

“What happens, at eight?” whispered Seungwoon curiously.

“Bath time,” answered Moonbin with a smile.

“Mama?” questioned Moonbin as he looked back up at his mama. “Can me and brother take a buddy bath?”

“Don’t you think you should ask Seungie if it’s alright first?” questioned Jaejoong. “You know you shouldn’t assume that it’s ok.”

“I’m sorry,” replied Moonbin before he turned and addressed Seungwoon. “Do you want to take a buddy bath with me?”

“What’s a buddy bath?” questioned Seungwoon curiously, obviously unfamiliar with the term.

“Have you never been to a bathhouse before?” questioned Moonbin, a little surprised.

Seungwoon shook his head no.

“A buddy bath…” explained Jaejoong. “is where you and your buddy take a bath together in the same tub.”

“You play and talk while you get clean together,” added Moonbin with a smile. “So, do you wanna?”

“I don’t have any pajamas.” frowned Seungwoon.

“That’s ok…right Mama?” answered Moonbin as he glanced up at his mom and back to his brother. “You can borrow a pair of mine.”

“What do you say?” prompted Moonbin. “Do you want to take a buddy bath with me?”

“Ok…” smiled Seungwoon with a nod.

“Alright then.” smiled Jaejoong as he stood up from his chair. “I’ll go get the water ready. Binnie, why don’t you take Seungie to your room and pick out your pajamas for the night.”

As the two boys scooted off to his son’s room, Jaejoong made his way to the bathroom opposite the boy’s bedroom and the water. Setting it to the temperature he knew Moonbin liked, he reached over and grabbed a bottle of strawberry-scented bubble bath. Pouring a heavy amount into his hand, Jaejoong reached down into the water and swirled it around until the soap dissolved and a bunch of fluffy white bubbles began to appear. Removing his hand and grabbing a hand towel from the towel ring on the wall near the sink, he dried his hands and went to check on the boys. Moonbin was already partially undressed, his shirt carelessly thrown to the floor, when he stepped in the room while Seungwoon was giggling at the sight of the cute superman pajamas in his hands.

“Are you two ready?” questioned Jaejoong with a smile.

Seungwoon and Moonbin both nodded.

“The water’s ready when you are,” informed Jaejoong. “Come on then.”

Jaejoong followed the two little boys out of the room and across the hallway into the bathroom. When they got near the edge of the tub, Seungwoon looked almost weary.

“What’s wrong?” whispered Jaejoong worriedly as he knelt down and looked at the boy. “Are you ok?”

“I’ve never done this before…” whispered Seungwoon apprehensively. “I don’t know what to do.”

“That’s ok…” chuckled Jaejoong softly. “You’ll learn. It will be lots of fun, I promise.”

“Ok…” answered Seungwoon shakily.

Standing up Jaejoong smiled as Moonbin asked Seungwoon to turn his back while he got undressed. The little one did as his son had asked, and in a manner of minutes, Moonbin was in the tub with his eyes closed.

“Your turn.” prompted Moonbin with a smile.

Seungwoon looked up at Jaejoong for a second and after receiving an encouraging nod stripped himself of his t-shirt and soft brown shorts and climbed in. When the sound of sloshing water hit Moonbin’s ears he opened his eyes and smiled.

“Ok…” said Jaejoong with a nod. “I am going to put all your clothes in the wash while you two play and get clean. Try not to get water all over the floor this time Binnie.”

“Ok.” laughed Moonbin playfully as he flicked his hand across the water’s surface and splashed Seungwoon gently.

“My poor floor…” thought Jaejoong as he shook his head in disbelief, turned, and walked away.

.A/N: In the fanfic world: "Mama Jae" usually equals Mpreg, but as you may be aware, I don't write mpreg stories. Its the whole thing about not being able to wrap my head around something that's not medically possible unless the person is hermaphroditic. While this story is NOT mpreg, I can guarantee you that the explanation of Moonbin's and Jaejoong's relationship will still be interesting. Remember, I am very well known for writing "checkered past" scenarios for Jaejoong's characters. So, I hope you will look forward to the next update. ^_^