A lot can happen in five days.

Daehyun doesn't feel like he's home- until Youngjae comes for a visit.

Jongup splutters. “Shouldn’t you be following the instructions, dad?” He asks hesitantly, glancing at his twin. Junhong just looks horrified. "I don’t need them." "You’re not even using the hammer right!" 

Daehyun has learnt from experience that Youngjae can be pretty frightful when truly mad, and he doesn’t want to awaken the beast. 

He’s still struggling to realize that he’s a father now when they bring Yongguk home for the first time.

In which Daehyun spends the entire night blogging and Youngjae is literally done with everything.

It feels like listening to the instrumental version of your favorite song for the first time and waiting for the lyrics to start, only they never do- that’s what it feels like. Falling in love, that is.

"What," Daehyun starts as soon as he’s in front of his petrified son, his eyes menacing and his hands on his hips, "the hell happened?"

The morning of their twentieth anniversary is light and soft and it feels surreal when Youngjae opens his eyes.

A fresh morning rises on New York, and they welcome it like the good old American boys they are.

Daehyun thinks that this is, by far, the happiest he’s ever been in his entire life.

"What I still don’t get is why they call it the birds and the bees," Jongup remarks lightly, and all hell breaks loose.

The door to room 269 is shoved open and Daehyun walks in, nearly sobbing at the sight in front of him.

Green light hits the white covers and draws small patterns on Youngjae’s skin, and Daehyun breathes in and smiles. It feels like spring in his ribcage.

He knows he’ll be alright.  

Cicadas drone on and the air conditioning’s on full force, huffing through the vents in the walls like a careful whisper. 

It’s not the first time this happens; anxiety attacks visited Youngjae once a month at least, and every time they did Daehyun did his best to help Youngjae fight through them, because he promised to stick to him in sickness and in health, and he’ll stay true to his word, goddammit.

It’s a clear Sunday morning and they’re all sitting together when Jongup drops the question.

The first time Daehyun sees him, it’s on the first day of twelfth grade. 

Confetti falls down like rain and everything’s too bright and so incredibly loud for a change.