a/n; this seemed a bit rushed and so basic for me. wasn't satisfied but i'm vvv tired so i'm gonna edit it later ;; i deeply apologize for everything.

"Ah, my little boy is already turning into a man," Luhan sighed wistfully as he was fixing Shixun's pink bow tie. Today marked the seventh birthday of his beloved son. Raising a kid like Shixun, hyper like most of the children these days, into one perfect young lad was quite energy-draining, especially when he was doing this all alone. Luhan deserved a pat on the back. But the cheeky grin Shixun was flashing him right now and the kiss on the cheek that he had received was more than enough.

"Thank you, Papa," sweet Shixun uttered and Luhan could only pinch his cheek fondly.

"You're always welcome, Shixun," he beamed, swiping invisible dust off his son's baby blue shirt. "Now, go to your room and play with your Kyungsoo-hyung. I'll call you when your friends arrive here, okay?"

And with that, Shixun trudged out of his dad's bedroom, probably on his way upstairs to where the other kid was.

"You look so happy," a voice softly interrupted.

Luhan tilted his head up just in time to see his loyal best friend sauntering inside his room. The smile that was already gracing his lips stretched wider into a bright grin. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't be happy then, Min."

The lad, Minseok, just shook his head in response while he settled down beside the other. "Won't give you anything because I'm certainly not against it."

Luhan just chuckled and rested his head against Minseok's shoulder. "It's just that Shixun has grown up."

"Well, kids actually do grow up, Lu."

"I know that," Luhan rolled his eyes playfully. "But seeing Shixun like that... it makes me feel old."

"Well, you are old."

Luhan just clicked his tongue and lightly shoved Minseok's shoulder, earning a laugh from the lad.

"Just stop thinking, Lu." He grinned and ruffled Luhan's hair.

Luhan was about to retort back, only to get seized as a muffled yet booming voice resonated inside the house.

'What the are you doing here?'

"Was that Chanyeol?" Minseok inquired in confusion. "Why is he shouting all of a sudden?"

Luhan visibly flinched at the sound, doe eyes slowly widening in realization. "Yifan is here."

"You invited Yifan?!" Minseok exclaimed before he pushed himself up and tugged Luhan to his feet, pushing him towards the living room. "Go welcome him instead. I'll deal with Chanyeol."

Clutching Jongin's tiny hand in his, Luhan gently ushered the boy inside, leading him upstairs while Yifan closed the door shut and followed their tracks. To say that he was surprised was an understatement. After all, he never expected to meet his ex-husband's son anytime soon.

Luhan doesn't hate Jongin, no. It wasn't his fault that Yifan had him, that he filed a divorce to the boy's father. Jongin was just a product of an unexpected circumstance. A miracle that wasn't planned.

Luhan sighed softly. This will surely be a long day.

Pushing one of the bedroom doors open, Luhan peeked inside and flashed a bright grin at the two kids focused on playing the XBox.

"Shixun, Kyungsoo!" he called, effectively gaining the children's attention. He then urged Jongin to step inside, who did it rather unwillingly. "This is Jongin. He's your new playmate. Do let him join you guys, okay?"

And with that, Luhan exited the room, carefully shutting the door close.

"Hey."

Luhan flinched at the sudden all-too-close deep voice. He turned around instinctively, only to be met by the gorgeous sight of Yifan's glory. And man, Yifan seemed like he never changed after all these years.

"... Han? Luhan."

The smaller exhaled a deep breath he never knew he was holding. A frown began creeping on Yifan's lips. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright," Luhan nodded, flashing the other a small smile. "Just- I was just a bit surprised."

"Oh, I see. Are you sure it's okay?"

"It's okay what?"

"That I could leave Jongin inside," Yifan bit his lower lip in worry, his eyes darting at the closed door.

"Oh, yeah. It's all fine. Shixun and Kyungsoo's inside so I'm sure Jongin will do just fine."

"Ah, okay. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Yeah, okay."

And uncomfortable silence made its way surrounding the two. It was rather awkward that Luhan found himself getting suffocated.

"L-Let's just- go down to the kitchen and help Minseok prepare the food?" Luhan offered in a way to escape the moment.

"O-oh, sure. Great. Lead the way."

"...on't get why he has to be here anyway, Min," was the first thing Luhan heard as soon as they stepped inside the kitchen.

The owner of the voice was talking to his cousin, his tense back facing them. Minseok was sporting a frown, his eyebrows a bit furrowed as he tries to make sense to his fiancé.

"Because it's his son's birthday, Chanyeol. I think we all know that."

"Son?" Chanyeol scoffed. "Really? Tell me now, Minseok. Since when did he treat Shixun as his son? For all I know, he never did. It was always Luhan who took care of the kid. How shameless of him to show upㅡ"

"Chanyeol, stop!" Minseok exclaimed. "Why are you so angry at himㅡ"

"I nearly lost you because of him! Have you forgotten that?!"

The other men froze at the sudden statement. Of course, they would never forget about that incident.

Yifan was frozen on his spot. Luhan pursed his lips, deciding to remain silent. Minseok's breathing was laboured. And Chanyeol only then realized what he had said.

"I-I..." he began but Minseok was quick to cut him off.

"Maybe you should learn how to forget the past and forgive. Just like what I did with you and Luhan."

Luhan flinched at the mention of his name. And soon memories of the past and the guilt it brought began flooding his mind yet again.

Silence was filling up the room. The tension was suffocating and it felt like Luhan could barely breathe.

Yifan, noticing this, let out a tired sigh and decided to lighten up the atmosphere. This was supposed to be a birthday party anyway, not some kind of a funeral.

"Minseok," he remarked with a small smile, letting their presence be known. He stepped in the kitchen and trudged his way towards the male, purposefully ignoring Chanyeol. "Long time no see."

Minseok turned his head to the so