A/N: Okay, so, I haven’t updated for 2 months. I’m so sorry about that. I had most of this chapter written by the end of June, but I wasn’t able to write at all during July. I entered a Harry Potter Quiz Bee that was held at the end of July (in celebration of Harry’s and J.K.’s birthday), and I spent July preparing for that. Again, my apologies for the long wait.

Anyway, here’s the next chapter! We’ll get to hear about Minhyun’s 1st birthday! :D And yeah, I know Book 2’s titled “The (Crazy) Baby Years,” but it sounded weird to end it with just “Year,” so “Years” it was even if I knew that it would cover just Minhyun’s first year. Lol.

Well, enough with my rambling… I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! :D

P.S. Again, dialogues in italics are in Chinese.

Book 2: The (Crazy) Baby Years

Chapter 10: Birthday

If Time could be personified, Kyuhyun probably would have killed that person already. Well, alright, maybe “killed” was a bit extreme. Kyuhyun, true to his evil maknae self, might have just maimed or seriously injured the person.

Kyuhyun did not like being tricked (he was the one who was supposed to do the tricking!), and it really felt as if Time was playing tricks on him.

It seemed as if it was just yesterday that Kyuhyun had been yelling for his hyung when he felt the labor pains (Kyuhyun still shudders at the thought of labor and the fact that he, a man, actually went through that). Yet now, Minhyun was already over 11 months old and toddling on his unsteady, wobbly little legs all around the apartment, pulling down everything he could and causing his own brand of chaos.

Seriously, how did that happen? Where did all the time go?

Of course, as Minhyun’s first birthday approached, Kyuhyun needed to start making plans. And for once, they weren’t the “take over the world” kind of plans.

Minhyun was going to be a year old already!

There was no way that Kyuhyun would let that occasion pass without a “birthday bash” for his little dumpling!

“Birthday bash?” Hankyung repeated incredulously when Kyuhyun had called him to demand that his hyung take some time off to help him plan for Minhyun’s birthday. “Just how big of a party are you planning?”

Sure, Hankyung had already discussed with his manager about taking some time off even before Kyuhyun had called. There was no way he would miss his nephew’s first birthday, after all! But really, a birthday bash? Hankyung could only imagine in horror what Kyuhyun might be planning (so maybe he was being a bit paranoid, sue him!).

“It’s Minhyun’s first birthday, hyung! That has to be celebrated with all the flair and everything!” Kyuhyun insisted. “My son’s going to be a future ruler of the world! He deserves the royal treatment!”

Hankyung fastidiously chose to ignore the “rule over the world” thing. “Kyuhyun. You’re in hiding. How can you have a birthday bash for your son?” the older man pointed out. As idols, they’ve attended and even held extravagant parties. However, Kyuhyun was no longer living the idol life, and Hankyung thought it best to remind Kyuhyun of his current “in hiding” status.

“I know that,” Kyuhyun huffed through the phone. He wasn’t about to forget such a big change in his lifestyle and career, duh. “I can still have a bash for Minhyun, though. I don’t have to invite people who’ll recognize me as Cho Kyuhyun.”

“Who will you invite, then?”

“Xiari and I will take care of the guest list—”

Hankyung had to bite back a groan at those words. The thought of Kyuhyun’s plans already had him shuddering. Add Xiari to that, and Hankyung felt that he himself should also go into hiding. Away from Kyuhyun’s and his dedicated fan’s crazy plans.

“—Just get over here to help with everything else!” Kyuhyun continued before Hankyung could make any form of protest.

Minhyun’s first birthday was special! And Kyuhyun was determined to give him a birthday party that would put all past and future first birthday parties to shame!

As Hankyung looked around the boxes of party favors, streamers, and other decorations that seemed to fill Kyuhyun’s living room, the Chinese man thought that he really should have gone to hide in a cave while he had the chance.

Instead, he had to be the fool that came to assist Kyuhyun and Xiari with Minhyun’s party.

The two crazy (in Hankyung’s opinion, at least) adults were currently seated on Kyuhyun’s couch, poring over very, very long checklists of things that they had to get ready for Minhyun’s “birthday bash.” And Hankyung wasn’t even exaggerating with the length of the lists. The longest one rolled out from Kyuhyun’s hands all the way to the kitchen!

Sweet Merlin.

“You’re gonna have some party, huh, Minhyunnie?” Hankyung said wryly to his nephew.

Minhyun, who had been holding himself up by grabbing onto the side of one of the cardboard boxes, paused from trying to grab the streamers inside the box upon hearing his name.

“Unca’ Han-nie!” Minhyun yelled out happily as he turned to Hankyung. The baby grabbed a fistful of the streamers and then walked (still unsteadily, but at least he didn’t fall this time. Good job, Minhyunnie~) to Hankyung.

Hankyung grinned at being called “uncle.” Well, okay, technically, it was still “unca,” but same thing! He reached down for Minhyun and carried the baby in his arms, tickling Minhyun’s tummy and making the baby giggle happily.

But Hankyung’s sweet bonding moment with his nephew was interrupted by Kyuhyun, who brought his hyung crashing back to reality. And reality was the crazy and horrendous planning for the “birthday bash.”

“Hyung, you will make Minhyun’s cake, okay?” Kyuhyun instructed his hyung, looking up from his super long list to Hankyung. “One layer. Make it really, really, big.”

Hankyung rolled his eyes. “Whatever size you have in mind, I don’t think it can fit in your oven, Kyu.” Kyuhyun’s oven in the apartment was just the regular size. Not really capable of making a “really, really big” cake.

“You can use the one at the baker’s. The one that I improved. I already asked; the baker says he’ll happily let you use it for Minhyun’s cake.”

“You mean the one that doubles as an inferno?!”

“Yes. So, be careful not to fall in it yourself. We can’t afford any delays with so many things to do for Minhyun’s birthday,” was all that Kyuhyun said offhandedly before he went back to his list.

If Hankyung wasn’t just holding his nephew, he might have smacked Kyuhyun already for his “thoughtfulness.” Of course that was what Kyuhyun was worried about if Hankyung fell into the inferno. The delay it would cause to the party. The goddamn evil maknae wasn’t even worried that his hyung would fall into a fiery pit! Grrrr.

As sad as it was, Hankyung was used to Kyuhyun’s attitude, so he just shook his head and changed the subject. “I’m surprised you just want one layer.” Kyuhyun could be such a slave driver to Hankyung, so the older man was honestly surprised that Kyuhyun didn’t want him to make a cake with a crazy number of layers. Like a hundred layers.

“Nah, just one layer,” Kyuhyun replied, looking at Hankyung again. “I’ve thought it out. It’s just Minhyun’s first birthday, so we’ll stick with just one layer for now. And then every year, we’ll add a layer. So, for Minhyun’s 16th birthday, for example, you’ll be making a cake with sixteen layers.”

Hankyung’s eyes widened in horror. Say what now?! He turned to Minhyun. “Please don’t grow up too quickly!” he all but begged the baby.

Minhyun just happily swished the streamers around, paying no attention to his uncle. Pretty! Swish! Weeeeeeee!

“So, a one-layer, really, really big cake,” the evil maknae repeated his instructions. He wanted to make sure that his simpleton hyung understood. “Oh, and make it blue, of course.”

Hankyung groaned again. “Kyuhyun, just because Minhyun is a boy doesn’t mean—”

Kyuhyun glared at him. “We’ve been over this before! Blue is not for his gender! Blue is for Super Junior!”

And that answer just made Hankyung even more exasperated. Kyuhyun was in hiding and not an active member of Super Junior, yet he still insisted that his baby take on the color!

But of course, Xiari was backing up Kyuhyun.

“Yeah, Minhyun’s ELFs’ little prince! Of course he has to take on Super Junior’s and ELFs’ color! Blue all the way!” the Chinese woman cheered happily, even holding up some of the paper plates and cups that she and Kyuhyun had shopped for Minhyun’s birthday. All of which were of course blue.

“Well, if we’re going with fandom colors, maybe I should make the cake red. You know, for DBSK and Cassiopeia,” Hankyung suggested just to infuriate his dongsaeng.

Which was a big mistake.

“Do that, and you’ll experience just how well I’ve turned the baker’s oven into an inferno,” Kyuhyun growled threateningly.

Hankyung gulped loudly. “Blue cake all the way, it is.”

The guest list for Minhyun’s party was also frightfully long. Not long as Kyuhyun’s checklists, thankfully, but still quite long.

“What did you do? Invite the whole town?” Hankyung asked one night as he saw the guest list for the first time. Whe