Warning: This chapter is SAD (at least I think it is - I was kinda teary-eyed from writing it). You don't have to read if you don't want to, it's simply a chapter about how Yixing was brought into the world

It was a heartbreaking sight to see. Yifan was sat in front of a horrible machine, his most recent child trapped inside. He looked on with sad eyes that were glistening with unshed tears; some tears had already spilled from his eyes, leaving unattractive streaks down his cheeks. He sniffled as he studied the tiny baby lying on his back.
    The tiny boy had thick tubes and thin wires connected to all parts of his small, delicate body. A breathing tube was attached at his nose, and the straps were wrapped around his small head. Another tube was hanging from his slightly parted lips as well, and he had small monitor pads on his chest that were hooked to heart monitors and blood pressure monitors.
    The doctors had said that he was only twenty-five weeks old, barely old enough to survive outside of the womb; therefore, he needed to be monitored twenty-four-seven for multiple weeks, hence all the tubes, wires, and monitors. He would have to remain in his incubator in the NICU for at least ten weeks. He and his husband would be able to visit whenever, but the small baby wouldn't be able to join their family for quite some time, if he even made it.
    The way the doctors had described it; it had sounded as if their son's chance at living was just so small. They had performed so many tests, and it seemed every time they came back with more problems and more illness that were added to his son's long list.
    The little boy had been born at only one-point-four pounds with a multitude of health issues. Just short-term wise, he had trouble breathing along with other issues. It made sense since his lungs were still being developed, and the doctors are watching him to see if he'll develop a lung disease called bronchopulmonary dysplasia (the word alone ignites fear deep inside Yifan). There's also the possibility that he could have heart problems (either PDA or low blood pressure). And the doctors have confirmed that he does, in fact, have blood problems. Having the most common, infant jaundice (a majority of infants have this whether they're born at term or before), along with anemia and hemophilia (the latter not a normal disease for premature infants, but simply a disease that seemed his son would have had no matter what). The anemia was worsened by all the blood they kept taking form his son for tests, and it sounded like it would stay in the long run, causing the father to shudder.
    Yifan sniffled again, wiping the massive amount of tears away with the sleeve of his shirt. “I'm so sorry,” he whispered to the small child. “It's my fault,” he sobbed, hands coming up to dig into eyes.
    He was imagining the worse, he couldn’t help it. His brain had thought of every single bad scenario. He could just see his son being forced to stay inside that small machine, having more and more tests performed on him. He could see how his son's health would get worse and worse, each test coming back with another disease to add to his list. He sat there sobbing with his head in his hands as the doctors words replayed through his head. He heard the doctors talking with themselves, saying that premature babies with ELBW (extremely low birth weight) were at an increased risk of SIDS.
    SIDS scared him more than anything. The name “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome” ignited a huge spark of fear inside him because how would he ever react if his son simply just died. His son could just die at any point, and he wouldn't be able to prevent it. He sat there in silence, slowly drowning in the pain and fear before he broke down and sobbed for what felt like hours.
    He was such a strong and confident man on the outside, giving off an aura of cold professionalism, but his husband knew the true him, the man hidden deep inside. That man was gentle-hearted, warm, and soft in every sense of the words. That man would break from stress, dig his fingers into his hair, pulling and ripping out the small fibers. That man would cry when he spoke to his mother on the phone after being away for so many years. And that man now was sitting in front of his most recent son, sobs racking through his tall frame.
    Yifan only glanced up through his fingers and haltered in his incessant sobbing when he felt a calming presence enter the room. He noticed his husband sitting in a wheelchair in front of him, looking heartbroken and tired, sadness filling his eyes. “Yi?” he called softly.
    “Joonie,” he answered in a pitiful tone, voice cracking at the end.
    “It's not your fault, you know,” he answered softly, slowing wheeling himself closer.
    “But it is, Joonie. If I hadn't stressed you out so much, if I hadn't put so much pressure on you then-then maybe he wouldn't be like this,” he choked, glancing at his small, fragile son. His hand moved up to rigorously wipe away the tears running down his cheeks, but he stopped when soft hands pushed his away.
    “Yi,” Joonmyeon called, pulling Yifan's face up and gently wiping the tears away. “It's not your fault. And if anything was your fault then it would be equally mine too. I shouldn’t have let myself get stressed out.”
    “But if I hadn’t brought my problems home then you wouldn’t have had any extra stress,” Yifan answered, looking down at Joonmyeon's lap. He felt the younger pull his face closer, moving to press soft kisses against his stained cheeks.
    “To be honest,” a voice called, breaking the slight argument between the two parents, who were drowning in blame. Joonmyeon blushed lightly at being caught in a compromising position with his husband, but he didn't let go of the other's face since he could sense that his husband needed some comfort.
    Their doctor walked towards them. She studied the father with the red puffy eyes, messy hair, tear stained cheeks, and slightly scratchy voice; as well as the mother, who was sitting in a wheelchair (a normality for all mothers since they were so weak after giving birth), body slumped, his own eyes filled with tears, and a slight blush across his cheeks. “It wasn’t either of your faults. It happens sometimes, and you know what they say, they only give you what you can handle.”
    Yifan and Joonmyeon nodded slightly, returning to their depressed selves as they both glanced over at the newest addition to their rapidly growing family. The doctor came up behind Joonmyeon, also looking at the small child. “You're lucky, you know,” she said quietly. Both parents looked up at her when she spoke, not understanding how this situation could possibly leave them lucky. “You've got a little fighter there,” she said, gesturing to the child. “Most that are born this early have many more problems, and generally, they can't fight it, but you're little guy is tough,” she said smiling. “He'll make it out and be with you in no time.”
    She turned back to the young couple, who were looking at her with hope in their eyes. “I've been doing this for twenty years,” she started. “In all my years, I’ve seen a good deal of very premature babies, but never have I seen a baby with this much fight,” she said. Her attention once again turned to the baby, who was slightly wiggling around on his small bed.
    “Really?” Joonmyeon asked, voice quivering slightly.
    “Really,” the doctor confirmed, nodding her head with determination.
    The three adults lapsed back into silence, watching the small baby again. “Thank you for coming to assure us,” Yifan whispered in gratitude, his voice still scratchy and weak.
    “You're welcome, but I actually came to ask if you had a name for the little guy,” she answered with a smile.
    “Oh,” Joonmyeon said. “What do you think, Yi?” he asked his husband.
    “I don't know,” Yifan answered. “The only thing I can think of is a Chinese name,” he mumbled.
    “What is it?” Joonmyeon asked. “I've got nothing, so you're at the upper-hand.”
    “Yixing,” he answered. “Yi is art, and Xing is prosper, so it basically means he'll prosper in art.”
    Joonmyeon hummed, “It sounds pretty.”
    “Yeah,” Yifan agreed. “Do you wan-”
    “Let's name him that,” Joonmyeon butted in. “I think he'll do great as long as we teach him,” he added, looking up at his lover through thick, black lashes.
    “Okay,” Yifan agreed softly, finally looking back at his husband. “Wu Yixing,” he said, looking up at the doctor.
    “Alright, I’ll get right on the papers.”

    It was a few weeks later when it happened. Yixing had progressively become less alert and active. He could never keep his body temperature normal – it was always dipping too low even with a blanket and the incubator. His snowy skin turned paler, almost deathly pale with a sick yellow undertone. The scariest was when he went into apnea (those were the times when he would periodically stop breathing). The doctors told them that Yixing had contracted an infection.
    Infections were extremely dangerous in babies, but in Yixing's case, it could cost him his life. His weak body couldn’t fight off the infection normally since infants' immune systems were much weaker than adults, but Yixing was weaker and sicker than most babies.
    Yifan almost broke down again when he saw how even more tubes were attached to him now. Yixing now had an IV in his small foot, giving him his antibiotics along with fluids, and some bandages on his back and opposite foot.
    To see if he had an infection and to see exactly what type he had, they had to take even more blood from his son, along with urine and spinal fluid. The last made Yifan cringe, and the bandages on his back was from that. He had watched as the doctors as they moved a long needle to draw out some of his spinal fluid, causing the small newborn to cry and wiggle.
    Yifan had barely held in his tears during that, barely being the keyword. Joonmyeon, on the other hand, had broken down instantly, and Yifan was quick to wrap the younger in his arms and comfort him as best as he could. He had bitten down on his bottom lip, sinking his teeth deep into the plush skin to keep his own tears at bay before moving to press kisses on the crown of the younger's head.
    “We'll get through this,” he chanted softly. “He's strong like us. He'll make it. He's tough,” Yifan soft tone, repeating the simply sentences in a mantra. “Just please, don't cry boo,” he added softly. He didn't notice as the tears started to fall from his own eyes; “Please, baby. You know I can't handle it when you cry.”
    Joonmyeon nodded gently against the large chest he was pressed up against. “I love you,” he mumbled against the elder.
    “I love you too,” Yifan answered. “Forever and always.”
    “Forever and always.” Joonmyeon whispered, turning to look back at his newborn son, who was already sleeping soundly under the thick blanket they had bought him.

    They were lucky. Yixing was a fighter, just like their doctor had said. He reacted positively to his antibiotics; his infection passing almost as soon as it arrived. He fought and fought, showing his strength and willpower to live.
    So every day for twelve weeks Joonmyeon and Yifan visited Yixing, sometimes they brought Luhan, Minseok, or both, others they would ask Jinki and Minho if they could watch them; but no matter what, the parents would visit their precious youngest.
    They'd brought him some baby clothes and a thick purple blanket (this was the blanket he was curled up under constantly) throughout all the weeks, so he could have bits of his parents with him at all times. Luhan had even insisted on giving his little brother one of his many stuffed teddy bears (Yifan spoils him too much), and Minseok had wanted him to have one of his small toy cars, so Yixing could be with his brothers too.
    “Hi, Xingie,” Yifan cooed to the small baby when he entered the room.
    Another side of him had continued to grow: the happy, loving father. Everyday he would smile and cuddle the twins, and he was forever making new nicknames for all three of the boys. He was always cooing at them, grinning like an idiot, and telling them how much he loved them, how much they meant to him, how important they were to their family.
    Joonmyeon loved this side of Yifan, and he could tell the babies loved it too. Yes, even Yixing, since the small boy would always gurgle at his father in an adorable way, moving his little hands to reach out for Yifan's long finger.
    Thankfully as the weeks passed, Yixing gained some weight, and the doctors had removed more and more of the tubes and wires that had originally covered his small frame. He looked much healthier now, and he even moved around more. His small arms and legs kicked and fought against his last few wires, showing more of the fighting spirit their doctor had always talked about.
    “Yixing,” Joonmyeon cooed when he moved to the other side of the incubator. He reached his hand inside to gently the small boy's tummy, causing him to wiggle and moving slightly closer to his mother. Both Yifan and Joonmyeon smiled as they watched their little boy, completely forgetting that they weren't alone.
    “Baba,” Luhan called. Today they had decided to bring the twins to see their little brother too.
    “Yes, Lulu?”
    “Wanna see Xingie,” he said, small hands making grabbing motions at the father. Yifan nodded before picking up the seventeen-month old and holding him, so he could see his little brother.
    “Baba?” Minseok now called, tugging on Yifan's pant leg. “Up.” Yifan chuckled as he picked Minseok up and held him in his other arm.
    “Can everyone see Xingie?” Yifan asked, just to make sure that everyone was comfortable and their vision of the small baby wasn’t deterred.
    “Well, actually I can't see,” a new voice called. Both parents turned, smiles appearing on their faces as they looked over at their doctor, who was smiling widely at them.
    “Dr. Kim!” Joonmyeon smiled widely.
    “Hello, boys,” she answered, walking closer to the small incubator. “How are you two doing?”
    “We're doing much better now, doctor,” Yifan answered. “But, we were wondering when we could take Xingie home with us.”
    “Ah,” she sighed. “That's why when I heard you boys were here, I had to stop by to talk with you.” She smiled looking down at the small boy. “He's fought off a lot of his health issues but some will remain I'm afraid,” she started sadly. “He's lucky. He didn't get bronchopulmonary dysplasia like we feared, but there is a high chance that he might have asthma.” She glance up at the two parents to see them both wearing matching worried looks. “It's alright. I don't believe it would be a very strong asthma.” Joonmyeon and Yifan nodded at this, slightly more relaxed knowing that even if he did get asthma as he grew older, it wouldn't, most likely, be too bad.
    “Now, he never gained any heart problems, which is an amazing feat in and of itself. But, his blood issues will remain. The hemophilia was already present, as you both know, but his anemia will remain as well, which may add to his chances of asthma since anemia will prevent the oxygen from moving correctly in his body.” The parents nodded, worry etched in their features as they took in the delicate child.
    “Now,” Dr. Kim continued, “we checked and his hearing is fine, and he doesn't appear to have the vision problems that some can have. Now, some things might not show up until he gets older, but as long as you make sure to take him to all his doctor appointments, they should all be monitored.”
    The parents nodded before Yifan turned to look back at their doctor. “Can we hold him yet?” He glanced at Joonmyeon quickly to see the desire that must be in his own eyes, reflected back at him. “Does he weigh enough yet?”
    Unfortunately neither parent had held their precious son yet. The doctors had said that Yixing could be taken out and held when he was five and a half pounds, but even as the weeks past and Yixing continued to gain weight, it seemed his body burned right through it, and he had yet to reach the required weight.
    “Let's check, shall we?” she asked, walking closer to the small machine. Both parents backed away slightly to give the doctor more room as she observed the machine to check the weight of the infant. “Now would you look at that,” she smiled. “He's not five and a half yet, but he is a little over five, so I think you should be able to hold him. You might even be able to take him home soon.”
    Yifan and Joonmyeon instantly broke into massive smiles at the news. Their precious little boy could be coming home soon, and today they were finally going to hold him. “Can I hold him first, Yi?” Joonmyeon asked, eyes filling with unshed tears as he watched Dr. Kim removing the last few wires and wrapping Yixing up in his thick blanket.
    “Yeah,” Yifan sniffled. “I held the twins first, so you should hold him first.”
    Joonmyeon nodded, smiling, before he followed the doctor's orders to sit in the chair next to the incubator. “Here he is,” Dr. Kim said, handing the small baby off to his mother.
    Joonmyeon broke at that moment, fat tears falling from his eyes and running down his cheeks. He choked on his tears, sniffing loudly as Yixing squirmed a bit in his blanket. “Hi, baby,” he cooed, Yixing's head through his small, knit cap. Yixing opened his small, deep chocolate eyes halfway, looking up at the blonde male holding him. “You're so beautiful,” he cooed before leaning down to press a kiss to Yixing's head. “I love you,” he whispered. “I love you, my precious little Yixing.”

Author's Note:

Hey~!

I got out Yixing's chapter, and I'm so sorry for making this sad at the beginning! It's just it seemed like it needed to be done..... Well, I'm going to go work on the triplet's chapter to make everyone feel better. Also, I never mentioned this, but it seemed no one got the whole 25 minutes with Minseok and Luhan, but it's because Minseok and Luhan in real life were born 25 days apart, so I made it 25 minutes.

I love you guys, and I hope you enjoyed even though it was sad...

~ Kay