This is a request fic for: Locket-BlingerMVP13

Enjoy.

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Caring, feline shaped eyes appear from behind the large pile of ironing as she places it atop the sturdy oak table. Her lithe and delicate fingers reach up to push shining brunette hair gently behind her left ear. Her hair is cut in a short bob that falls only just below the chin which gives her an air of sophistication, something that she has always carried as second nature – it suits her so well.

Jinki smiles a little behind his coffee cup as he remembers how the woman used to have long, flowing hair that fell in ringlets across her shoulders. He remembers how it would constantly change colour from blonde tips, to pink highlights. There was a time when the woman before him had dragged him to the salon, demanding that he did something with that ‘god forsaken’ hair of his. He came out with a handsome trim and a few flecks of chestnut brown which made him stand out in the best way possible. She said his eyes sparkled brighter with this hair colour and the look of happiness on her face made him break out into a wide, toothy grin.

“Jagiya?” Jinki is broken from his trance as he hears his wife’s voice calling his name. “Jinki-ah?” he shakes his head lightly before moving his eyes from the slight, curvy figure folding the washing and looks ahead to his wife sitting across from him.

“Yeah?” Jinki asks, though his heart isn’t really in it.

“I asked what you were smiling about?” She enquires innocently and Jinki finds himself smiling for a final fraction at the memory before he speaks up.

“I was just thinking back to when Hyukjin was little and how much he has changed.” ‘Partly true, not quite a lie’ Jinki convinces himself at just the exact moment that Hyukjin comes running into the kitchen, his feet skidding across the floor in his pristine white socks.

“NOONA!” he screeches as he envelopes the woman who is folding the washing in a tight hug.

“Good morning Jin, make sure you say good morning to your mother and father too. Oh, and don’t run in the kitchen.” The woman scolds.

“Yes Noona.” The young boy pouts and walks sensibly over to the other half of the long, varnished, oak table.

“Good morning Appa! Good morning Umma!” The little boy smiles, his grin outshining the sun just like his father’s equally bright smile.

“Morning Jin, Appa has to head to work in an hour so what do you want to do until I have to go?” Jinki asks with big expressions and a kind tone.

“I want to play castle with Appa and Umma.” Hyukjin asks as he pulls on his father’s sleeve and reaches his small hand out for his mother’s dress.

“Jin honey, Umma has to go to work now but you can play with Appa okay?” His mother smiles lightly before placing a soft kiss to the tip of his nose. The boy shakes his floppy brown hair and pouts his lips.

“But I need Umma and Appa for the castle, I will be the king and Appa is my old father and Umma is the old but beautiful mother!” He grumbles at his plans being destroyed.

His mother has already left the room without a response to the petulant child standing next to the kitchen table.

“Come on Jin, you know Umma is busy. Let’s you and I play together instead okay?” Jinki tries to turn his son’s pouting mood around but the young boy only crosses his arms and stamps his foot in response. Jinki lets out a loud sigh, resigning his hour before work to coaxing the younger out of his bad mood. “We can still have fun together without Umma” Jinki begins and this time Hyukjin screams and sits down on the kitchen floor.

Just as Jinki is about to lose his patience with the boy, he sees cropped black trousers and a white vest crouch down beside his son. Gwiboon has finished folding the washing and now holds a bowl of cereal in her hand.

“Lee Hyukjin! You are going to stand up, sit at the table and eat your breakfast. Then you are going to apologise to your father and stop this bad attitude!” Gwiboon scolds, not shouting but using her firm tone that always amazes Jinki.

“B-but I…” Hyukjin begins.

“No! Breakfast now, or you won’t get any time to play with Appa at all and you won’t get any more food until lunchtime.” Gwiboon scolds firmly once more before placing the bowl on the dining table and standing beside the chair with a firm expression. She watches as Hyukjin’s face weighs up his options before he finally resigns.

The young boy stands up, brushes off the imaginary dirt from his pants and walks over to the chair. Gwiboon’s face smiles lightly again as she his hair and kisses the top of his head. “Good boy, now eat up, come on. Then you can play with Appa.” Gwiboon’s gaze flickers briefly to Jinki’s face which is a picture of thankful expressions. She shrugs with a smile before walking back to the kitchen to put away the cereal box.

“Sorry Appa… can we still play after I eat?” Jinki hears quietly after a few minutes and his face breaks into a joyful smile as he agrees.

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“Noona?” Hyukjin asks as he continues colouring his pages neatly.

“Hmmm?” Is Gwiboon’s answer as her eyes flicker from her own sketching and to the boy next to her.

“Why can’t you be my Umma?” He asks, tongue poking out as he concentrates on staying in the lines. The red crayon is moving slowly and carefully in his tiny hand.

“What do you mean?” Gwiboon asks, her heart aching for a moment and eyes threatening to let free the tears she knows will soon well up. This isn’t the first time this conversation has happened.

“Well, Noona always plays with me and dresses me and puts me to bed. Noona loves me more than Umma and spends time with me. Can’t you be my Umma instead?” The little boy asks, not once letting his eyes stray from the paper in front of him, this time a green crayon is whirling quickly across the page to colour the large expanse of grass.

“Appa is married to Umma, Jin. That’s how it works for grown-ups. We have been through this before.” Gwiboon speaks flatly, rehearsed and robotic.

“I know, but I was thinking…” the boy pauses his colouring for the first time, his eyes finally looking up to meet Gwiboon’s hazel eyes. “…you could just marry Appa! Then you can be my Umma right?” Smaller hazel eyes scrutinise every inch of Gwiboon’s face as he waits patiently for an answer, an unmistakable excitement evident in his expression.

“It doesn’t quite work like that Jinnie… now come on, finish your colouring.” A flash of disappointment flutters through the features of his small face – a look that Gwiboon is used to seeing, but not on the young boy before her. A look she sees reflected in the mirror too many times to count.

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“It’s not fair Gwiboon, you can’t possibly be considering this?” Jinki pleads, his eyes swollen from the crying.

“Listen, it’s for the best. We both want what is best for Hyukjin right?” Gwiboon smiles sadly, the tears streaming a silent river down her sharp porcelain cheek bones.

“They can’t just do this…they know…they…there must be another way!” Jinki is screaming hysterically now, Gwiboon is desperately trying to calm him down and the baby in the bassinette in the corner of the room is picking up on the atmosphere, stirring and borderline crying.

“Shhhh….Jinx, calm down. You need to breathe please…try to calm down. For Jin’s sake at least, please.” Gwiboon is soothing and holding her lover as they sit on the edge of the bed. Jinki’s shoulders shake with the effort of containing himself. His fists are clenched tightly into Gwiboon’s night shirt and they both cry. The rest of the evening is spent this way, with Gwiboon reassurin