Aron didn’t know how he was going to survive this.

Why did Minhyun agree to this potential disaster anyway?

Sure, Aron liked kids. He could faintly remember playing with his younger sisters when he was eleven and before it was lame for a boy to have tea parties and play house. That didn’t mean he knew how to take care of a hyper, grabby two-year-old.

Any minute now Baekho and Ren would ring the doorbell to their cozy apartment with the source of Aron’s mental breakdown in one of their arms. The couple needed a night to themselves and JR – the friend they usually dropped their adopted daughter off to – was busy tonight. Therefore, Minhyun being the overly nice person he was, agreed to have them bring the trouble child over to their place for the night.

Aron had already figured out why Minhyun had said yes. He couldn’t miss the very meaningful and often pleading glances his husband was giving him whenever they saw anything having to do with children. The younger male wanted to adopt but Aron had continuously managed to avoid the topic. Sure, he might want kids in the future but he had only just married his boyfriend of four years ten months ago. He was still basking in the “happily married” glow and wished to enjoy the peace of living with his lover alone for a while longer.

That and he had seen first hand what Baekho and Ren went through every day since adopting their bundle of joy. The “terrible twos” was an understatement.

The doorbell rang, effectively doubling Aron’s worry and reluctance to have the responsibility of taking care of someone else’s kid.

The brunet could hear voices from his current hiding spot and a tiny squeal rang out. “On-cle Min! On-cle Min! Where On-cle A-ron? Where?”

Aron tensed, hearing a pair of quick feet pattering down the hallway. “On-cle A-ron!”

Moments later the door was pushed open and a little girl with twin pigtails on either side of her blonde head shot towards him like a bullet. The male was nearly knocked over from his sitting position on the floor in front of a small table and his laptop.

“On-cle A-ron! Aecha here!” The child immediately latched her small arms around Aron’s neck and he sighed, carefully standing with the girl safely supported in his arms.

“I can see that.” He couldn’t help but chuckle. The girl always managed to make him smile.

Aron held her a little away from him to see how much she had changed since he had last seen her. Aecha’s hair had grown longer, the blonde tips curling naturally. She would have looked just like Ren if not for the obvious lack of Korean features. Baekho and Ren had adopted her from America when she was only a few months old. Aecha now had pretty much everyone she had ever come into contact with wrapped around her finger, especially her “Papa”.

“Are Daddy, Papa and Uncle Min in the other room still?”

Aecha nodded eagerly. “Air!” She tugged on one of her pigtails.

Aron assumed she meant her hair. He carried her into the other room and realized just what she had meant. Since the last time the couple had visited, Ren had cut off all his long blond hair and dyed it back to his natural brown colour. Minhyun was currently gushing over how good he looked.

“So she found you?” Baekho asked with a grin on his face.

Aron sighed. “She’s awfully good a finding me. I see your husband looks more like a husband now and less of a wife.” The brunet joked, smirking.

Baekho chuckled. “I sure know how to pick them.”

“Indeed. How long is she staying? Minhyun keeps refusing to answer.” Aron adjusted the toddler on his hip a little.

The tall blond adverted his eyes. That was never a good sign.

“You two are coming to get her tomorrow afternoon, aren’t you?”

Baekho smiled a little, looking guilty. “Min said it was fine.”

“Of course he did. Has it really been that long since you two have enjoyed each other alone?”

“With the possibility of an innocent pair of eyes bursting into the room at any moment at any time during the day, we haven’t exactly had the time to do much.”

Aron laughed at Baekho’s put off expression. “Hasn’t JR been taking her off your hands during your date nights?” Aecha’s hands poked one of the lenses of the pair of glasses on Aron’s nose. She giggled delightfully when her finger didn’t go through the glass.

“Ren doesn’t like keeping her with him overnight and I just feel bad for dumping her on him all the time.”

“What makes Min and I so different? JR’s probably better with her than Min and I combined. You don’t feel guilty dumping her on us?” Aron raised his eyebrows questionably.

Baekho chuckled. “There’s two of you and one of JR. That’s plenty difference.” Aron didn’t know how that really made much of a difference. “Plus, Minhyun was just so damned excited when Ren called him.”

The shorter brunet sighed and shifted the little girl in his arms again. She wouldn’t stop moving. During his conversation with Baekho, Aecha had managed to take Aron’s glasses off his face and she was now wearing them, the thick black frames sliding down her small face.

“I On-cle A-ron! Tap, tap, tap, tap!” She made motions with her fingers that Aron assumed were meant to resemble tapping on computer keys.

“Tap, tap, tap, tap!” Minhyun repeated, pressing a kiss to the little girl’s cheek. He and Ren had finally finished their conversation; Aron had long ago learned to drown out their gossiping.

Aecha let out a squeal when her “Uncle Min” tickled her side playfully. Aron struggled to hold the squirming toddler in his arms.

“We’ll be back to pick her up around noon,” Ren promised.

“No guarantees,” Baekho chimed, a dirty grin stretching across his lips.

His husband smacked him, kissed his daughter’s head and said his goodbyes before pulling a very willing Baekho out the door behind him.

“Tonight is going to be hell,” Aron muttered, rubbing his free hand down his face. He felt about twenty years older already.

Minhyun smacked him upside the head. “Language,” he scolded.

“It’s not like she can understand me,” Aron defended himself but apologized after the look Minhyun gave him.

Aecha swung her legs and hit the arm Aron had wrapped around her. “Dow-n!” The male obeyed and set her gently on her feet. The toddler immediately marched over to the bag Ren had left at the door filled with various things his daughter might need for her stay. Aecha managed to get the top zipper open and pulled small plastic toys out and a few pieces of pink fabric, proceeding to carelessly toss them onto the floor. The child found what she was looking for and held up a small plastic plate and spoon. “Food! Food! Food!”

Aron exhaled. “I’ll go start making dinner.”

“Ren said that she won’t eat vegetables unless they're cut up into shapes,” Minhyun called over his shoulder, already starting to entertain the small girl.

Aron grunted in response and started getting dinner ready.

“Aecha, you have to eat your peas.” Minhyun’s voice was gentle, coaxing.

Aron was ready to rip out his hair. They had only been at the table for ten minutes but already Aron had been pelted with carrots, noodles and a spoon. First mistake he made was to ask the two-year-old for his glasses back. She threw a flower shaped carrot at him and stuck out her tongue. There was no doubt in his mind that she had picked up that habit from Ren. Next, Aron had unknowingly made the mistake of serving her carefully shaped vegetables mixed in with her noodles which was apparently a big no-no. She expertly hit him in the face with a sauce covered noodle. At this point the brunet was very close to his limit. Minhyun fixed the food problem with ease and gave his husband a pointed look. The last straw was when Aecha started to mash her little fingers into her food, getting sauce and bits of chicken everywhere. Aron had asked her to use her spoon instead of her hands but as it seemed, the girl preferred to pureed her food. She chucked her spoon across the table, narrowly missing Aron’s forehead.

“Aecha!” Minhyun gasped with his eyes wide.

Aron put his chopsticks down on the table and exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself down. She was only a child. The brunet stood and walked around the table, crouching down to come face-to-face with the toddler that was making him age faster than he should be.

The girl looked worried, probably sensing the irritation rising off of her “Uncle Aron”. Aron stared right at her, his face serious. “That was not nice. You do not throw food or eating tools.”

It started with a sniffle and then a cry and then the tears were flowing. The two-year-old wailed; her voice shrill and ever so loud.

“Aron!” Minhyun was next to his precious niece in a millisecond, softly shushing her and petting her head affectionately.

“She has to be told that what she did wasn’t right! She can’t be allowed to do things like that without being scolded!”

Minhyun glared at him, actually glared! “You didn’t have to be so harsh about it!”

Aron couldn’t believe it. Minhyun was getting angry at him! He had been perfectly in control of his voice and he used gentle words. Just because Baekho and Ren were at their daughter’s every beck and call – and now apparently Minhyun was too – did not mean that the girl should be able to get away with everything. She’d end up growing up as a spoiled, snotty child who expected the world to bow to her feet. Aron had grown up in school with enough students like that to know that that wasn’t how to raise a child.

The shorter brunet threw his hands up in surrender and left the room, grumbling under his breath. Aron fell into the cushions on the couch and glanced up at the clock, groaning internally. It had only been an hour; eighteen hours to go, at least. The fuming male stared at the people on the television for a little while, not really paying attention to the drama that was playing.

He glanced down when he felt a small pair of hands tugging on his pant leg. Aecha looked down at her feet when she noticed him looking at her and his glasses slid down farther on her nose. She took the spectacles off her face and handed them out to Aron like a peace offering. He took them and patted his lap. The two-year-old grinned and scrambled onto her uncle’s lap.

“What does Ava have to say to me?” Aron asked, using her English name. The girl was American, just as Aron was and he felt it was only right that she have the opportunity to keep a hold on her culture in any way possible. He often spoke to her in English, slowly teaching her phrases she learned to understand and simple words she could practice saying. Aron had also convinced Baekho and Ren to try using the English that they knew around the house to familiarize her with it.

“Sowy,” she mumbled in English, eyes downcast. The kicked puppy look she was sporting had Aron kissing her forehead.

“Thank you,” he replied in his native tongue. “Are you all full now?” He switched back to Korean.

Aecha nodded.

“Are you too full for a treat?”

The little girl shook her head vigorously. “Teat! Teat!”

Aron chuckled and set his glasses down on the coffee table, standing up with the toddler in his arms. “Let’s go see if Uncle Min has a treat for us.” Aecha clapped excitedly and wrapped her little arms around Aron’s neck and he walked into the kitchen.

“Have you two made up now?” Minhyun asked; his shirt sleeves rolled up as he washed the dishes in the sink. Aron felt a little guilty for not helping clean up.

“Ava and I were looking for a treat.”

“I do believe your papa left you a treat,” Minhyun mused, smiling when the little girl bounced in Aron’s arms. Knowing Baekho, it was probably done without Ren’s knowledge.

Aron walked over to the cupboard Minhyun was tilting his chin towards and Aecha immediately reached for the familiar box of cookies on the shelf in front of her.

“Coo-coo!”

“Let’s sit at the table and eat them okay? You can sit in the big girl chair again.” Aron set her down in the chair she had used earlier. It excited her since she normally sat in a high chair at home.

Aron opened the cookie box for her and handed her two chocolate cookies. Aron snatched one for himself to humour her and laughed at the blissful look on Aecha’s face as she devoured the treat. Minhyun finished washing the dishes and graciously accepted the cookie that was held out to him by crumb covered fingers.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you. You were right,” Minhyun admitted, apologizing for the earlier dinner spat.

Aron gave him a gentle kiss. “It’s okay. I forgive you.”

Minhyun smiled and Aecha giggled. “Kiss, kiss!”

Aron chuckled and made a kissy face at the toddler, reaching across the table to wipe the cookie remains off her cheeks. Aecha puffed out her cheeks and shoved the rest of her second cookie into . 

"Aren't children just precious?" Minhyun sighed and Aron knew exactly where this conversation was headed. 

"Min, we'll discuss this later, okay?" 

The younger brunet frowned and crossed his arms across his chest. "That's all you've been saying and yet we haven't talked yet!" 

Aron exhaled and placed his hands on the table. "I know how much you want a kid. I can see it in your eyes every time we pass a woman pushing a stroller down the street. But adoption isn't an easy thing. We need to discuss things first." 

"I understand that but-" Minhyun was cut off by a loud yelp that came from the living room. Both of them sprang up immediately and rushed to the other room. They had taken their eyes off of Aecha for a moment and already she had moved. 

Aron sighed heavily at the sight on the middle of the floor. Aecha had a small brown and black Dachshund squished in her little but surprisingly strong arms. Aron didn't want to admit it but he had temporarily forgotten that he even owned a dog since the animal hid every time the toddler visited. He also had had more pressing matters on his mind since the child had been unleashed inside his home.

"Oh, did you find Mel?" Aron asked, crouching down to talk to the child. Aecha nodded and giggled as the dog struggled in her grip. The dog whined and Aron held out his hands. "Why don't you let me hold Mel and you can help me feed him, okay?" 

The blond girl quickly released the dog, suddenly excited to feed him and Aron grabbed the Dachshund before he could scamper away. Minhyun chuckled at the scene and Aron glanced at him with a small frown on his face. Of course the taller male found a kick out of the torture of Aron's dog. Minhyun had never liked the animal when they started dating and he only tolerated him now since Mel had learned to steer clear of him. 

Aron kissed the top of the dog's head. "Was my poor Mellie hurt? Did the little terror scare you?" The brunet snuggled the animal. "I'm sorry baby," he cooed, scratching behind Mel's ears, "I'll give you an extra treat to make it all better." 

Minhyun snorted and Aron smirked when he saw the small glint of jealousy in his husband's eyes. Aron knew that most of Minhyun's dislike towards his dog was from the jealousy he always felt. It was a little strange to feel jealous about a dog but secretly, Aron liked Minhyun's jealous streak, even if it caused him to want to kick his precious pet to the curb. He never actually would so Aron hadn't done anything to ease Minhyun's distaste. It was amusing to see how Minhyun reacted to Aron babying his dog.

"On-cle A-ron! Food!" Aecha impatiently pulled on Aron's leg, her little face scrunched up in annoyance. 

"Alright, alright. Let's go feed Mel." The brunet carried his dog into the kitchen with the two-year-old on his heels and he opened the cupboard where he kept all the pet necessities. "Do you think you can lift it?" The bag wasn't that big and Aecha managed to pull it out and open it. 

Aron had to somehow keep a squirming Mel in his arms while making sure Aecha didn't make a mess. He used one hand to tip the bag above the bowl and Aecha scooped out the kibble with her hands. Of course some of the dog food missed the bowl but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Once the bowl was full, Aron set the dog down, keeping a grip on Mel’s collar.

“Gentle, okay Ava?” He took the girl’s wrist and slowly moved her hand in a gentle down the dog’s spine. “Mel likes when you pet him softly.”

Aecha giggled and patted the animal’s head and Aron exhaled in relief when she actually did it gently. Mel’s whined, his big dark eyes staring up at Aron with a pleading look. The brunet let go of his collar and the little Dachshund took off, disappearing around the corner.

Aecha’s shoulders dropped and her lower lip jutted out. Aron placed a hand on her head. “It’s okay. He might just not be hungry right now.”

The blonde switched gears quickly and wrapped her arms around Aron’s neck. “On-cle A-ron, ‘orsey!” She eagerly bounced, her little fingers grabbing the hair at the back of Aron’s neck.

The crouching male was pretty sure she meant horse so he exhaled heavily and got down on all fours. “Get on my back then.”

Aecha squealed in delight and crawled onto Aron’s back, gripping the back of his t-shirt in her little fists. “Go! Go!” She impatiently kicked his side with her foot like you would a real horse and the brunet started walking forward on his hands and knees.

“Fast! Fast!”

Aron listened to her demand and walked through the threshold into the living room. Minhyun stopped picking up the toys Aecha had thrown all over the floor earlier and he covered his mouth with his hand. Aron could still hear his snickers.

“Not a word,” the kneeling brunet warned, narrowing his eyes.

“I like that position for you,” Minhyun commented, his laughter growing louder.

Aron grumbled and Aecha pointed forward, kicking Aron again. “Go!” Her horse obeyed and started forward, heading towards Minhyun.

The taller brunet grinned and knelt down in a bow. “Princess Aecha. It is an honour.”

The toddler giggled and patted Minhyun’s head. “Pincess Aecha!”

Minhyun nodded and held out his hand for her to take. “Would you like to dance?”

Aron could feel the child excitedly nod while on his back and he sunk lower so she could step off easily. He held back a yelp when her little foot landed directly on his hand and he sat up with a scowl. Minhyun had whisked the little girl off her feet, carrying her in a waltz fashion. They spun around the room a few times while Aron rubbed his hand. They finished their dance while Aron was still stretched out on the floor. Minhyun bowed to the two-year-old and Aecha kissed his cheek sweetly.

“Thank you,” Minhyun replied and smiled. “You are a very good dancer, Princess Aecha.”

The blonde beamed at the praise and took Minhyun’s hand, pulling him over to her bag. She rummaged through it and pulled out a colouring book and box of crayons. She sat down on the floor where she was standing and Minhyun soon followed, laying out with his long legs swinging up above him. Aecha picked an uncoloured page and grabbed a pink crayon. Minhyun picked his own colour and the two began colouring in the image.

Aron got to his feet and met Minhyun’s questioning gaze. He tilted his head towards their bedroom and grabbed his glasses off the table. While the terror was happily colouring with his husband, Aron might as well continue working on what he was doing before Aecha interrupted him. The brunet headed for his bedroom and sat himself down in front of his laptop. He preferred working like this over sitting in front of a desk. Sure his neck and shoulders killed afterward but Minhyun often gave him massages that Aron absolutely loved.

The brunet worked for a good twenty minutes in peace, only hearing the two in the other room speaking to each other a few times. He was completely relaxed, tapping away on his laptop when suddenly Minhyun threw the door open, a helpless expression on his face.

“What is it?” Aron asked, growing worried over what possibly could have happened with the tiny terror in the house.

“Aecha has to go to the bathroom. Ren said she was potty training but I don’t know what to do.”

Aron felt dread fill his gut but he kept his face calm and collected. “Have you tried calling Ren and Baekho?”

“No, I don’t want to interrupt their date night. It’s seven already, they’re probably done dinner and already in bed. There is no way I’m interrupting that even if they do pick up!”

Aron ran a hand through his hair. “Have you tried calling JR then?”

Minhyun paused, realization dawning on his face. “No…”

“I’ll call him. Go make sure Aecha doesn’t decide that our hardwood floor is an ideal spot to go.” He shooed the taller brunet out of the room and reached for his phone, dialling JR as quickly as he could. He was not as calm as he looked to be but at this point, one of them needed to think clearly and Minhyun seemed to be having a nervous breakdown.

Please let him pick up, Aron prayed, pacing the room impatiently.

“Hello?” A masculine voice asked.

“JR, I need your help.”

“I was honestly expecting your call earlier. I’m surprised you held out this long.”

Aron rolled his eyes . “Please just help.”

“What do you need? I’m busy.”

“Get off the phone. I’m trying to fin-” Another male voice came through the speaker but was cut off and Aron could hear rustling on the other end.

“I have no time to ask you about what you are up to at this very moment, nor do I think that I want to know. Aecha has to go and Minhyun is having a mental break down. Ren said she’s potty training but neither Min nor I know what to do.”

“That really doesn’t surprise me. Okay, she can go fine on her own but she’ll need some assistance washing her hands and you need to sit in there with her.”

“Seriously?” Aron groaned. “Fine, is that all?”

“Yeah, and give her a treat if she’s successful.”

“Alright, thanks JR. Continue on with whatever it was that you were doing.”

“Finally,” the mysterious unfamiliar male voice groaned and the line went dead before JR even said goodbye.

The brunet tossed the phone on the bed and entered the living room.

“Aron, what took you so long?” Minhyun’s voice was strained and Aecha was doing a very amusing dance, her little face scrunched up.

“Sorry, JR had very interesting company that kept interrupting. Come on, Aecha, let’s go to the potty.” Aron held out his hand and Aecha ran towards him, squeezing his hand tightly. He led her to the washroom and shut the door behind them.

The toddler lifted the toilet lid and Aron averted his eyes while the little girl situated herself. He gave her a few minutes, taking his time to study the design on the hand towels. He could hear the two-year-old finish up and slide off the toilet, flushing.

“All done?”

“Yup!” Aecha replied, grinning.

The brunet lifted her up under her arms and held her up to the sink. “Wash your hands good.”

Once she was all done, Aron opened the door for her and she ran out, immediately heading to her “Uncle Min” so that they could resume colouring. Aron washed his hands in the kitchen and grabbed Aecha a cookie for a reward.

“Ava,” Aron called, entering the living room again. The toddler stood up and rushed over to him, ramming into Aron’s legs and nearly pushing him over.

He chuckled and held out the cookie to her. “Good job.”

Aecha beamed and hugged the male’s legs, taking the cookie. “Fank you!” she spoke in English, happily returning to her spot on the floor, munching on the cookie.

Aron noticed his husband smiling at him with a knowing look on his face. Aron childishly stuck his tongue out at him and plopped himself down on the couch, turning the television on.

“Alright Aecha, it’s time for a bath and then off to bed,” Minhyun announced.

The two-year-old let out a whine but dropped her dolls on the floor. Aron silently thanked his husband for ending the torture of playing dolls with the little terror. He had had enough doll experience to last a lifetime after surviving his two younger sisters.

The blonde turned to her other uncle with a pout on her face, as if looking for his support. He wouldn’t fall for her puppy dog look. “Go take a bath and then Uncle Min will probably sing you a song before you go to bed. How does that sound?”

The little girl’s face lit up and she got to her feet, cheering as she ran into the bathroom. Minhyun chuckled and blew his husband a kiss, disappearing into the bathroom as well.

Aron began cleaning up the evidence of his unwilling Barbie play and could hear loud giggles coming from behind the bathroom door. Curious, he peeked inside and couldn’t help snickering. Minhyun was drenched in so much water and bubbles that it looked like he as the one taking a bath. Aecha was seated in the tub, clapping her soapy hands together. Minhyun glared at his husband, wiping suds off his face. Aron openly checked the younger male out, his eyes enjoying the way that Minhyun’s thin cardigan stuck to his frame.

“On-cle A-ron! On-cle Min has bath too!” Aecha squealed, splashing in the bathtub.

“I can see that,” Aron replied, giving up on stopping his laughter.

Minhyun stood up carefully so he didn’t slip and he grinned widely. “Come here, Ronnie. Let me give you a big hug.” He opened his arms wide, water dripping from his clothes.

“Uh, I think I’ll pass.” Aron held up his hands to ward off his soaked husband.

“But I want to hug my cuddly, very dry husband!”

Aron backed up towards the door, reaching behind him for the doorknob. “No, that’s okay. I much rather enjoy being dry right now.”

Minhyun didn’t allow him another moment to get the door open and escape. Aron squirmed when a pair of long, wet arms wrapped around him. Minhyun pressed himself right up against the shorter male, making sure to thoroughly dampen whatever part of Aron he could.

“Min,” Aron whined, wrinkling his nose at the uncomfortable way his t-shirt now stuck to him.

Minhyun stepped back, surveying his work with a smirk on his face. “Ah, now that’s better.” He teasingly ran his fingers down his husband’s defined stomach, eyes zeroed in on the display Aron’s see-through white shirt was giving.

Aron shivered and swatted Minhyun hands away, rather unwillingly. “Finish washing Princess Aecha so she can go to sleep and we can get into bed ourselves.”

Minhyun smirked and captured his husband’s lips for a moment. “Alright, go get ready for me then.”

Aron grinned and opened the bathroom door, jumping a little when Minhyun playfully smacked his as he was leaving. He could hear the taller male laughing from within and he rolled his eyes, heading to their bedroom. In record time, Aron changed out of his wet clothes and threw on a pair of dry, warm cotton pyjama pants. It was barely nine but really it never mattered what time it was, Aron was always willing to jump into bed with his husband. He could hear Minhyun start singing from down the hall and he decided to go pop in and say goodnight to his niece as well. Aecha would be sleeping in their spare room for the night, which lucky for them was on the opposite side of the hall, far enough from their bedroom that they wouldn’t have to be as quiet.

Aron poked his head into the room and smiled at the sight of Minhyun sitting on the edge of the bed wrapped up in Aron’s black bathrobe, softly singing a lullaby to the blonde toddler. Aecha’s various stuffed animals lay around her and she perked up when she spotted her “Uncle Aron”. Minhyun stopped singing and looked over at his husband. “I just about had her asleep too,” he grumbled.

“Sorry, I thought I should come say goodnight too.” Aron walked into the room and leaned over the girl, kissing her on the forehead. She sleepily wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. “Goodnight, Princess Ava,” he murmured in English.

Aecha yawned and pecked Aron’s cheek. “Goo-nite,” she mumbled in English.

Aron settled her in the bed again and smiled. Minhyun began singing again and Aron felt his husband’s fingers reach up and thread through his. After a couple more minutes of singing, Minhyun stopped and gave a slumbering Aecha a kiss on the forehead. Aron led him out of the room silently, carefully closing the door until it was only open a crack just in case the girl woke up crying.

“I suspect that you have absolutely nothing on under that robe, am I right?” Aron asked, giving his husband a sultry look.

Minhyun just winked and allowed Aron to pull him into their room. The shorter brunet kicked the door shut behind him and pushed Minhyun back onto the bed. The younger male immediately spread his legs, challenging his husband with a look. Aron crawled up onto the bed, situating himself between Minhyun’s legs, set his glasses down on the night table and captured the other male’s lips.

They made out slowly, enjoying the feel of their lips and tongues moulding together. Minhyun’s fingers wandered Aron’s , light enough to be ticklish and then hard enough to leave bruises. Aron’s mouth travelled down Minhyun’s throat, kissing and nipping a path to his collarbones while his hands pushed the black bathrobe off his shoulders.

“Mm, Ronnie,” Minhyun moaned and then gasped when Aron hard on the skin below his left collarbone, no doubt creating a mark.

Aron kissed the bite he left and continued down Minhyun’s chest, his hand wandering to the knot that held together the fabric Minhyun wore. His hands passed the knot and unfolded the draping cloth, teasingly travelling up Minhyun’s inner thigh.

“Quit teasing and just touch me already,” Minhyun demanded, grabbing the hair at the back of Aron’s head.

Aron was just about to happily do just that when the door creaked open and small sniffles could be heard from the hallway. Both men groaned in unison and Aron moved away from his husband, looking towards the door.

“Aecha?” he asked, only able to see the little girl’s silhouette from the light of the lamp.

“On-cle A-ron,” she sniffled, wandering further into the room.

Aron helped the toddler onto the bed and he rubbed her back soothingly. She had been crying and was clutching a stuffed rabbit in her arms. “Did you have a bad dream?”

The two-year-old shook her head. “Dada, Papa,” she mumbled, lower lip trembling.

“You miss Daddy and Papa?”

Aecha nodded pitifully and Aron pulled her into a hug.

“Do you want to sleep with us tonight?” Minhyun asked, the girl’s blonde hair softly.

Aecha nodded again and wiggled her way under the sheets in between the two men. Aron sighed softly and Minhyun got out of the bed to go change into actual clothes. The older male climbed under the sheets himself and the toddler immediately latched her short arms around his torso. He patted her head and caught Minhyun’s look when he came out of the bathroom now changed into a pair of plaid pyjama pants and a white t-shirt. A knowing smile appeared on his lips and Aron gave him a look that told him to keep whatever he was thinking to himself. The taller brunet climbed into the bed on the other side of the sleeping two-year-old and he leaned over her to kiss his husband goodnight. Aron returned the kiss and intertwined their fingers.

It would be a while still until Aron was able to make himself find some kind of sleep.

Aron groaned in pain when a pair of feet landed on the small of his back and a peal of squealing laughter met his ears. He buried his head farther into his pillow and winced when the feet landed again on his back.

“On-cle A-ron! Up!”

He lifted his head a little and peeked open an eye to see a very hyper toddler dressed in her pink frilly nightgown, jumping on his bed. Minhyun was no where to be seen. Aron turned his head the other way to check the time on his alarm clock and he groaned loudly. He already had a headache forming and his back would probably need professional medical attention and it was only 8:30 in the morning.

“I’m awake now. Is Uncle Min making breakfast?” Aron wouldn’t be able to get up unless he was promised a cup of coffee as soon as he stumbled into the other room.

Aecha nodded and was preparing to leap onto Aron’s back again when the brunet gained back some sudden energy. He struck, reaching up to grab the child and holding her in a tight hug, under the weight of his body.

“Ah! On-cle A-ron, let go! On-cle Min!” The toddler began practically screaming which didn’t help Aron’s headache but he didn’t let her go, even after Minhyun entered the bedroom and began laughing.

“Where did Aecha go?” the younger male playfully asked.

“I have no idea. I don’t hear her anywhere.” Aron played along, sleep still in his voice.

“On-cle Min! ‘Elp me!” The blonde struggled, being smothered under Aron’s chest.

“Did you hear that, Aron?” Minhyun asked, approaching the bed.

“Nope.”

The little girl squealed, smacking Aron’s chest with her little fists. Aron laughed and finally rolled over so she could escape. Aecha tackled the unsuspecting brunet and started making roaring sounds, acting like a dinosaur. Aron fought her back playfully, ignoring his headache and soreness in favour of amusing the little terror.

Minhyun laughed from the doorway. “Come on, Aecha. Breakfast is ready.”

The two-year-old slid off the bed and followed her “Uncle Min” out of the room. Aron exhaled and struggled into a sitting position. He just wasted the last bit of his energy on playing with Aecha and now he was absolutely exhausted. Not that he wasn’t exhausted before, but now it was just that much worse. Aron hardly slept all night, uncomfortably laying in silence while his niece refused to let go of him. Usually he fell asleep holding or being held by his husband but there was a barrier between them in the shape of a two-year-old girl.

Aron exhaled heavily and got out of bed, running a hand through his hair. He shuffled into the kitchen, glasses askew on his nose and his hair probably in disarray. Minhyun snickered at his appearance and placed a mug of coffee in front of him when he sat down at the kitchen table. Aron smiled in thanks and threw back a big gulp.

“Feeling more alive?” Minhyun asked.

Aron nodded and yawned. “I hardly slept a wink.”

“I know, I didn’t hear you snoring last night so I figured.”

Aron pouted. “I don’t snore unless it’s after .”

Minhyun gave him a look, probably about the language. “You snore every night.”

“No I don’t,” Aron replied, nursing his coffee. Aecha sat across from him, effectively puréeing her scrambled eggs.

“You’re asleep when you snore. How do you know whether you snore or not? You don’t; I on the other hand listen to it every night.”

Aron’s pout deepened. “Well I’m sorry my snoring annoys you so much. Maybe I’ll just stop breathing at night. Will that make it better?”

Minhyun rolled his eyes at his husband’s dramatics and he leaned over the table to peck Aron’s head. “I’ve been dealing with your snoring for four years already. If it bugged me that much I would have made you sleep in a separate room years ago. It really isn’t that bad, sourpuss.”

The older brunet tilted his head up to quickly give Minhyun a kiss on the lips. “Sorry, I’m a little grumpy.”

Minhyun just smiled and set a plate of food down in front of his exhausted husband. Aron dug in and watched Aecha follow his actions from her spot across from him. Her brown eyes watched the brunet’s every move and she mirrored the action, shovelling her own food into . Aron could help but chuckle a little and he took a long sip of his coffee, watching her sip from her own plastic lidded cup. With food and coffee in his system, Aron felt a whole lot better.

“What am I going to do with you two?” Minhyun sighed, sitting down with his own food to Aron’s left.

Aron just grinned and continued eating his food. Aecha followed his actions again but managed to slop her eggs right down the front of her. Minhyun sighed and moved to clean her up.

“Messy!” The little girl giggled, banging the end of her spoon on the surface of the table. Aron laughed a little and finished off his breakfast, standing to put his dishes in the sink.

Minhyun finished cleaning the toddler and continued eating.

“All done!” Aecha slid off her chair and reached for her plate on the table. Aron rushed to keep the plastic dish upright so that she didn’t spill the rest of her unfinished food.

“Want to help me clean the dishes?” Aron asked, helping the blonde girl carry her plate and spoon.

Aecha excitedly nodded and Aron lifted her up in front of the sink, having her kneel on the edge. He kept her upright against his chest as he the tap and began filling the sink with sudsy water. Aecha couldn’t wait and immediately stuck her hands into the bubbles, clapping them together and hitting the lenses of Aron’s glasses with soap.

“Hey, you’re supposed to be cleaning the dishes, not me.”

The toddler giggled and Aron took her wrists, showing her how to scrub her plate with the dish cloth and rinse it. He put the plastic plate and spoon in the drain rack and Aecha helped him wash his own. Once they were done, Aron let the two-year-old down and she eagerly ran into the living room, probably to go find her toys.

Aron followed her, quickly stopping to give Minhyun a proper good morning kiss and to thank him for the food. “Dolls again?” Aron asked, seeing the child already taking out her Barbie dolls and their clothes.

“Play!” she demanded, holding up one of her dolls to Aron.

With a sigh, the brunet sat down next to her and began to play, wishing for the remaining hours to go by quickly.

The doorbell rang and Aron felt both relieved and apprehensive. That doorbell meant that Baekho and Ren were here and would take their overactive and exhausting daughter home and Aron could get some much needed sleep and maybe some Minhyun time. That doorbell also meant that Baekho and Ren would see what Aron had been up to for the past two hours and the state his face and hair were in after an unwilling makeover at the hands of a two-year-old.

Minhyun answered the door and Aecha ran towards it, running into her fathers’ legs. Aron tried to remain unnoticeable, slowly cleaning up the mess of hair bands, combs and lipstick left all over the floor.

“Dada, papa! On-cle A-ron! Face!” She excitedly pointed in Aron’s direction and Baekho and Ren stared, almost immediately bursting into laughter. 

Aron resisted the urge to curse at them since young ears were within hearing distance. He got to his feet with Aecha's bag and silently handed it to a still cackling Ren. Baekho hadn’t stopped laughing either, holding his daughter in his arms. 

"Not a word. I am not in a good mood today," Aron growled, removing the random elastic bands and flower clips from his hair. 

"Aw, was Aron denied y time with Minhyun?" Baekho teased, smirking. 

Aron shot him a glare but Minhyun answered for him, his voice holding its own grumpy tone. "Thanks to your daughter, this is all either of us got last night." Minhyun pulled the collar of his shirt down, flashing the sight of the purple love bite Aron left on his chest. 

Baekho snickered. "She walked in crying, didn't she?" 

"She slept with us, refusing to let go of me all night. I hardly slept." Aron ruffled a hand through his hair, trying to get a few pieces to stay down. He accidentally caught his reflection in the gleam of one of the pictures hanging on the wall and he groaned. He looked like the murdered corpse of Ronald MacDonald who reanimated only to be thrown up on by Tinker Bell. 

"Sorry, Min," Ren apologized, going to hug his friend. "Thank you for looking after her." 

"No problem. We may complain but it was fun." 

"For you maybe," Aron grumbled, wiping lipstick off his cheek. 

"On-cle A-ron!" Aecha reached for him with eager fingers and her father let her give Aron a hug. 

"Looks like at least Aecha had fun," Baekho commented, grinning. 

Aron sighed and hugged his niece. "I'll see you soon, Princess Ava." 

Aecha gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek and went back to her father's arms. 

"I'd hug you man but you're covered in just a little too much glitter for my tastes," Baekho admitted, chuckling. 

Aron wiped off some of the sparkles on his face and smeared them across Baekho's forehead. "Look Ava, your Papa is all pretty now." A twisted smirk appeared on Aron's lips. 

Baekho gave the shorter male an unimpressed look, especially when his daughter squealed in delight and wrapped her arms around his neck in a strangle hold. 

"Alright Princess, say goodbye to Uncle Min so we can get you home," Ren spoke up. 

Aecha gave Minhyun a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. The minute the door shut behind the little family, Aron let out a loud groan and briskly escaped to the bathroom to wash off his clown makeup. 

Minhyun poked his head inside a minute later. "Are you planning on going to sleep now or are you going to finish what you started with me last night?" 

Aron took one look at the seductive expression on his husband's face and replied with a very demanding "get in bed". 

Kids could wait for another few years. Aron preferred to be able to ravish his y husband anytime of the day he wished, exhausted or not.