≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

71. REALIZATION (BYONG’S WEDDING - 8)

While we were still busy wondering about Leeteuk’s sanity, Yunho found his own way to settle his argument with Jaejoong by sealing the younger boy’s lips with his. Sobering up in an instant, the two of us nearest to the boys – Leeteuk and Sehun, took hold of each teenager’s shoulders and pulled them away.

Teukkie tucked his son in his arms and growled at the older boy, “Yunho, I have not yet given you permission to court Jaejoong, let alone to keep kissing him. If you want my blessings, you need to keep all your body parts to yourself and away from Joongie.”

Jaejoong looked at his father with his mouth agape and his wide-open eyes completely dominating his face. Yunho’s downcast eyes spoke volumes about his repentance. But before he could utter his apology, Joongie burst out, “I am not a little baby appa. I am old enough to kiss if I want to. You will not threaten Yunho.”

“Yes I will, Joongie. I will threaten him all I want,” Leeteuk wouldn’t allow himself to be browbeaten by the youngster. “You are only 14 years old. Both you and he will listen to me if you want to date. Otherwise, I will ground you till you come of age.”

Yunho’s words halted Jaejoong’s mini-mutiny-in-progress, “I accept your conditions. I apologize about my thoughtless behavior. I am sorry for not having better control over myself, Joongie looked so adorable and enticing with his flushed face while threatening to unman me with his knee. It will be hard but I will definitely try.”

“Don’t be an idiot Yunho,” Joongie yelled at the older boy. He struggled in his father’s grip and broke free to go and aim a kick at Yunho. Well acquainted with Joongie, Sehun quickly moved back, pulling Yunho with him. When Joongie’s foot did not meet its intended target, the boy did not hesitate and in a flash punched Yunho’s shoulder. “How dare you promise my father that you will not kiss me anymore? I cannot understand what’s the big deal about kissing? First Changmin threw multiple sissy fits. Now, appa.”

Joongie paused for a moment to glare at all of us, “I think all of you need to grow up. We are not living in dark ages and I am not a girl. Don’t confuse me with Minx noona and Sehun hyung. Ground me and see if I don’t run away. Try such tactics with Junsu, not me. I will kiss Yunho all I want, whenever I want. And if he wants to continue to be my boyfriend, he will kiss me back.” Joongie put his words into action and quickly pecked Yunho’s lips before any of us could think of stopping him.

Watching Leeteuk’s face turn red in anger, I moved near him to calm him down, while Puppy put an arm around Joongie’s waist to separate him from a shocked Yunho who kept shaking his head and looking in fear at fuming Leeteuk. Thankfully, Teukkie knew he was on verge of losing control over himself and remained silent to avoid saying anything regrettable.

Puppy kept a tight hold on Joongie’s waist and stood next to Sehun, effectively placing both boys away from each other. He softly whispered in a calm tone, “Joongie, I am not threatening you or Yunho, but simply stating some facts. If you both want to kiss, go ahead. Your father will give his permission. But not for anything else. Do anything more and I promise you that you will face my wrath then. I always keep my promises Joongie. You can date as much as you want. You can kiss as much as you want. But that is all you can do. In return you have to promise to be an honor student in school.”

All eyes were on Puppy then. I felt Teukkie begin to breathe normally and calm down. Yunho continued to look afraid. We knew he was an average student in school. Sehun’s hands relayed to Yunho to hold his tongue and let Joongie and Puppy sort it out. Yunho looked at Sehun and nodded his understanding.

Jaejoong pouted at Puppy, “This is unfair Puppy appa. When will I have time to study for high grades if I am dating Yunho as much as I want? How can you ask me to keep such impossible conditions to be with Yunho? Not fair Puppy appa. Not fair at all.”

Puppy smiled indulgently at the young teenager, “Joongie, life is rarely fair. How will you bring up your six children if you do not have a good career to earn the needed money? How will you have a good career in the future if you do not work hard at your studies now? Kiss all you want but keep up your grades.”

“Puppy appa!” Jaejoong turned pitiful eyes at his uncle to soften him. When Puppy didn’t give him the desired response, Joongie thought for a moment and then smirked, “Fine. I will keep your condition about my academic performance. In return, you need to give us permission to have .”

“Fine, you can have when you turn 18, if you remain an honor student.” Puppy grinned as Joongie stared at him speechlessly.

“I meant in the present, now. You are just being mean now Puppy appa,” Joongie began whining the moment he regained his power of speech.

“How was I to know you meant now? You said you want permission and you have it for when you are 18. The matter is settled. Let’s go have something to eat before the breakfast is cleared away,” Puppy smiled happily at his easy victory over the innocent boy. Sehun cracked up in laughter once more when Joongie just stared at Puppy trying to think of any argument. Yunho turned pink in embarrassment and kept shaking his head towards Leeteuk to indicate he had nothing to do with it.

I whispered in Teukkie’s ear, “You can easily deal with Junsu and Yoochun on your own. Congratulations, you have gotten yourself two future son-in-laws at one go.”

Teukkie sighed deeply and looked even more worried than before, “How did you and Puppy manage your two without strangling them? I never realized till today how difficult your position has been. Jinki? What am I going to tell your sister? She wanted the boys to be like me and focus only on their studies. Appa was feeling so relieved at the thought of Byong’s wedding bringing an end to pre-marital affection display in our family. He was not too worried about Junsu’s obsession with Yoochun. And Joongie never showed the slightest interest in anyone.” Teukkie took another deep breath and continued as I patted his shoulder, “Jinki, over the course of one night, Joongie has not only gotten himself a suitor but also many kisses. Do you see the size of the hickey on his neck? Soo will skin me alive for it.”

I looked at Jaejoong’s neck and the love bite he sported near his Adam’s apple, the exact place where Yunho had been when we separated the boys some time ago. It was about an inch in diameter and bright red. I tried to soothe Leeteuk’s troubled mind, “I might have a solution for that hickey. Don’t say anything about it to Soo. Just pretend you have no idea whatsoever how it happened. Puppy and Sehun also won’t whisper a word to anyone. Have faith in us.” Teukkie smiled in relief.

“Sehun, check in our room and get Puppy’s turtleneck. If you can’t find it, run down to the clothes shop and buy one and have Joongie change into it before going anywhere near our family. Till you find a turtleneck, tie a handkerchief bandana style around his neck,” I instructed my son-in-law who was watching a silent Jaejoong pout and moot over his next course of action. Sehun inspected Joongie’s neck and immediately understood the situation. He took out his handkerchief, twisted it and tied it around Joongie’s neck to hide the hickey. Then he sped off towards our room, pulling the boy along with a tight grip on his arm.

Puppy turned to Yunho who was standing paralyzed in his spot and spoke in his sternest voice, “Young man, you are forgiven this time. But if I see another hickey on Joongie anywhere on his body, trust me, you will need cosmetic surgery and a year in hospital to rebuild your face.” When Yunho looked at him with panic-stricken eyes, Puppy hissed, “Do you understand me clearly Yunho?” The boy shivered in fear and nodded his head in agreement. Puppy bit out, “Say it aloud. We cannot hear you.”

“No more hickeys,” Yunho mumbled, his eyes moving from Puppy’s to Teukkie’s to mine before looking at his shoes again.

“No making out and no till Jaejoong is 18,” Teukkie quickly got the hang of asserting his authority over their relationship. “No matter what Joongie says or does, if I even get to hear a whisper of it before then, I will not only set Chan Yeol and Jonghyun after you but also DongHae and Siwon. If you want my permission to court my younger son, you keep in mind that you also get us as a package deal and we will not tolerate anyone hurting our Joongie, or taking his innocence till he is mature enough.”

Yunho looked at the normally mild Leeteuk and his sudden change into a ferocious lion protecting his cub. The teenager thought for a few minutes as the three of us stared at him and patiently waited for his decision. We watched as he softly mumbled to himself thinking he spoke too low for us to hear. He was wrong. We heard every single word of his monolog.

“This family is crazy. It would be crazier to willingly put my neck in the noose. No one in Chun’s family said anything to him or me, even though we’ve dated for years. Chun never argued with me. But then he never kissed me also. Joongie’s kisses are so sweet. But, he has a sharp tongue in his mouth. I wonder how it would feel to have it in my mouth.”

Teukkie’s body tensed on hearing Yunho’s thoughts, but my hand on his shoulder kept him in his place. He looked at me and I shook my head in negative, silencing his protests. Yunho continued his mutterings.

“Oh god! I better not even think about Joongie’s tongue. Only my dead body will leave this hotel, if his father comes to know. Who could have thought the mild old doctor’s words could pack such a terror. And his uncles? Why does he have so many family members in the police force? I should have let Changmin marry him. No. Only I can touch him. Only I can kiss him. He is mine. Only mine. How stupid I was to never realize how adorable he is. And when he is arguing with me, he is super adorable. I’ve been so stupid. A complete idiot. Why didn’t I see before how beautiful he is? I was so blind. I hope his father and uncles are blind and did not see the huge hickey I left on his neck.”

Suddenly the boy giggled to himself like a girl. I kept a tight hold on Leeteuk to stop him from decking Yunho. Standing near to the chuckling boy, Puppy was having a hard time controlling his urges to choke the life out of “another dweeb.”

Yunho kept mumbling in a much happier tone, “I am glad I marked him as mine. No one will think of making a move on him during the wedding. And it will be my last mark on him till he is 18. I wonder if his horror family will allow me to give him a token to show the world he is my boyfriend and future wife. A ring or a bracelet? Maybe I can kiss him three times a day and bite his lips instead? But it will hurt him. No that will not do. I can’t bear the thought of him in pain. Did it hurt him when I gave him that grandfather of all hickeys? Ah! Why does my heart ache at the thought of Joongie in pain?”

Sehun returned by then with Joongie wearing one of Puppy’s turtlenecks, a little oversized for him but perfectly covering the hickey. Yunho lifted his head and smiled at the younger boy. But the smile quickly turned into a frown when he saw his mark on Joongie all covered by the turtleneck. Leeteuk cleared his throat loudly to get Yunho’s attention again and very softly asked, “What do you say Yunho?”

Yunho realized he had still not given his final answer and faced Leeteuk and me again, “I accept.” The two words made Leeteuk relax once more and smile.

Sehun grinned at Yunho, understanding the events during his absence, “Welcome to the family Yunho. Don’t worry, you can come to me when these old men give you too much trouble. I am the most experienced beau in this family. I courted my Minnie for 12 years before I was even allowed to kiss her. Be glad you got it in 12 minutes and have to wait only a little over four years to do more. I hope you realize how lucky you are. You will be the envy of all of us who married into this family.”

“Sehun!” Leeteuk groaned in annoyance.

The younger doctor gave his patented smile to Teukkie before teasing him further, “Wait! The one with the shortest courting time was Beagle gomobu. He got to marry Ji noona in the span of only two short months. But then both of them were already old enough. Wait till Byong hears about you two. Kai will be so happy to know you got kissing rights immediately. Ah! I can’t wait to see the look on Hae appa’s face. Imobu-harabeoji will also be a delight to watch.”

Puppy tried to silence our son-in-law but to no avail. Sehun kept crowing in delight at the thought of the reaction of all our family members who had given him a hard time before his marriage to Minx. “Oh, I had better run and tell Minx the news. I don’t want her getting upset with me. Come on Joongie or Changmin will finish all the food.”

Joongie pried Sehun’s fingers from his upper arm and approached Yunho with concern written all over his face, “Are you okay Yunho? Why are looking so worried? Did these old grouches give you a hard time in my absence?”

“Watch who you call an old grouch. I am the one who got you kissing rights,” Puppy grinned as he ruffled Joongie’s hair.

“Thank you Puppy appa. But what did all of you do to my Yunho? Why is he not smiling anymore? I have heard of your promises. They are a legend in our family.”

We ignored Joongie’s ramblings and Puppy chose to advise Yunho instead, “Yunho, a bracelet will do for now. You can give a ring after four years when you are more certain of your feelings.” Yunho glanced at Puppy who gave him a gentle smile of encouragement.

Jaejoong squeaked in horror, interrupting any further advice from Puppy, “Yunho, you are not sure of your feelings for me? I fought with my father and uncle for no reason at all? You don’t love me? Maybe, you just want someone to kiss. Maybe, you think I am easy because I allowed you to kiss me. I am so stupid. Sehun hyung is right, I am really stupid and naïve.” Joongie choked on the last words and a huge tear rolled down his cheek.   

Before we could say a comforting word, Yunho wrapped one arm around Jaejoong and rubbed a thumb on his cheek to wipe away the wetness. “Joongie, baby, don’t cry please. It hurts me to see tears in your eyes. I love you. Don’t ever doubt it. I know I am saying this for the first time to you. But, it’s the truth. I love you.”

Jaejoong raised his wet eyes to look into Yunho’s and smiled a little when he only saw tenderness. Yunho wrapped both his arms around the young boy and pulled him into his embrace, bending his head slightly to whisper into his ear, “You misunderstood Joongie.” When Joongie felt ticklish, Yunho moved his head further down and spoke into Joongie’s neck. “I was thinking earlier what would be the best way to show the world that we are together – a ring or a bracelet. All your uncle meant was that we should exchange rings when you are old enough to marry me. Would you like that? Show everyone that we are together by wearing couple bracelets for now?” Joongie rubbed his blushing cheek on Yunho’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around Yunho’s waist, leaning his weight on him. He nodded his consent.

Yunho lifted up his head to place a soft kiss on Joongie’s hair and spoke into them, “I am afraid of losing you to someone else. Now that I have realized my true feelings for you, I don’t want to lose you. You’ve always been by my side. My best friend. And now, also my love. There is not a secret of mine that I have not shared with you. I don’t know what I will do if there ever comes a day when you are not besides me. You are not the stupid one, it’s me. I am the one who failed to realize I love you. I have loved you all along. Baby, we belong together. I promise I will never let another tear come in your eyes. You don’t have to fight with anyone for me.”

“Yes I do, when they stop me from loving you, I have to fight with them,” Joongie shifted his head to glare at his father before putting it back on Yunho’s shoulder.

“No baby, you don’t. I have realized my love for you for less than a day and don’t want anyone to hurt you or touch you. They have loved you since your birth. How can they tolerate anyone hurting you or touching you?” Yunho was proving more thoughtful than we gave him credit for. He softly tried to make Jaejoong understand and continue his loving relationship with us, “Forget your anger baby. You should be happy that they love you so much and care enough to want only the best for you. I will prove to them that there is no one better than me for you. Four years will pass in the blink of an eye. I am willing to wait a lifetime, as long as you are by my side or in my arms like this. Do we really need more to prove our love for each other?”

Joongie whined, “But I like kissing you. I have never felt like that. It’s different from when I kissed Changmin or anyone else. I love you. Why can’t I kiss you? It makes me feel very good.”

Yunho chuckled once again, “Oh my sweet innocent baby. It’s exactly because of that they don’t want us to continue kissing. You really are naïve Joongie. But I like it. Promise me you will not kiss anyone else, even to comfort them. Your lips are mine. You are mine. Like I am yours. Only yours.”

“Promise Yun? You will not break up with me like you did with Chun?” Joongie looked into Yunho’s eyes seeking assurance.

Yunho kissed his forehead and smiled, “Do you see Chun and me wearing couple bracelets or couple anything? We never even wore couple t-shirts. I was wrong about my feelings for him. I admit my mistake. I thought I was in love. But now with you, I know what love feels like. I realized I am in love when my heart ached at the thought of you in pain. When I felt despair at your words berating your innocence. When I almost lost my senses on seeing tears in your eyes. When I just wanted you to be happy, even if it meant not kissing you till we get your father’s permission. I want to announce to everyone in the wedding party that we love each other. I want to push your brother and his fiancée aside and take their place to promise my lifetime to you. What can I say to make you believe I will only love you? I was stupid before. I promise I will never break your heart. Never ever.”

Listening to Yunho, I suddenly realized the danger that Leeteuk was in. Signaling to Puppy and Sehun, I quickly pulled Teukkie away from the teenagers. Walking away, we heard Joongie question his father, “Appa can we-”

This time it was me who interrupted my nephew with a stern “no you can’t” and walked Teukkie out of their calling range. Once we had reached the elevator, Teukkie dug in his heels and refused to move any further, “What did we just refuse Joongie?”

“You just prevented Soo from fainting away. You know how Joongie is and how stupid his questions can be. Why are you still breaking your head over everything he says or asks? Leave them alone to sort out their feelings for each other in privacy. We need to check on Junsu and Yoochun before their hand holding creates chaos in the dining room,” I firmly steered Teukkie into the open elevator and warned Sehun in the next breath, “Sunshine, not a word to anyone about their kissing when drunk. Or about Joongie’s hickey. Or about Puppy giving permission for more in another four years. The four of us will be skinned alive by imo and Uncle. Not to mention, Junsu demanding the same rights in another two years.” I looked in horror at Puppy, “How could you forget about Junsu? He is already 16.”

Puppy put an arm around my shoulder to pull me closer to him and kissed my shoulder. “I didn’t forget yeobo. I know that Junsu and Yoochun will easily give in to our promises and keep their distance. Joongie is a completely different matter altogether. He is more like Duckie. I didn’t want him harassing Doc and Soo all the time for intimacy rights. We all know he is quite capable of sneaking out every night to be with Yunho. Do you want his first time to be in some dinghy love motel?”

Leeteuk moaned in distress, “No, he is my baby boy.”

Sehun patted his should to calm him down, “We know gomobu. He is my baby brother-in-law. But we all know what he is capable of. Puppy appa struck the best bargain possible with Joongie. Do you want Kai and me to talk with Junsu and Yoochun? Please say yes. We have waited so long for our turn to make promises. Trust us that once we are through making our promises to Yoochun, he will not even think of doing anything more than hold hands with Junsu.” The devilish gleam in Sehun’s eyes was all that Teukkie needed to nod his head in permission.

“Take Beagle and Byong with you as well. They will not forgive Teukkie for excluding them,” I smiled at Puppy while instructing Sehun. My love tightened his arm around me, knowing exactly what I was thinking.

Where had the time flown? The little boys and girls, whose innocence we had protected till they were the right age, were now old and mature enough to protect their younger brothers and sisters.

Our family might be crazy, but it was crazy for each other’s well-being and happiness.