‘Should we try adoption?’ Yunho asks one day.

’Absolutely not’ Changmin answers, stuffing a sausage inside of his cheek. ‘I cannot deal with the lot of you as you are, I don’t need a little bastard running around bothering my life’

Yunho looks at him skeptically while Jaejoong just laughs.

’Excuse me but isn’t this something me and my husband should decide?’

'Nah'

Yunho is a good person.

He’s been treating Jaejoong's family as his own, supported and helped them with jobs and money and everything they thought he could do but he couldn’t.

Yunho is also a good husband.

He comes home earlier, he brings Jaejoong roses (he prefers lilies but Yunho’s allergic to those. Jaejoong still prefers lilies), he calls him beautiful and he’s even gotten over the awkwardness in the bedroom.

Yunho’s trying his best to be a good friend.

He accepts that Jaejoong has a lot of male friends who he shouldn’t get jealous over. He helps out Junsu when he cries over yearly reports and talks to Yoochun when he has relationship problems.

Yunho's doing his best to be good and supportive but he cannot and never will accept the tall, senseless creature that's wormed itself into their lives. Changmin.

’We can try?’ Jaejoong says as he gets up and goes to the kitchen for more side dishes.

Changmin flares at Yunho who flares back.

‘You wouldn't’

’I will’

They look at each other threateningly until the older returns from the kitchen.

’I'm glad we all get along so well. We won’t have any issues accepting one more among us’

Yunho feels a bit queasy when he hears that.

—

They try to adopt a little one soon after but the reaction is quite negative.

Not from the kids, though. The kids at the orphanage absolutely adore Jaejoong and he adores them back. He fits right in and Yunho think he should have become a kindergarten teacher instead.

’Jae, we have to go’ Yunho tells him, softly, when he’s surrounded by a number of four-year-olds listening to him with their mouths wide open.

’I know, I just-‘ he says and suddenly looks lost. Yunho knows it’s because his husband wants to give a loving home to all of these little sweethearts but that’s impossible.

‘I’ll come back soon’ he promises and is buried by an army of tiny hands trying to hug him all at the same time.

—

When they receive their rejected application, Jaejoong cries for hours. He calms down within short periods where he tries to think relationally about it, but then the tears flow again and he’s sobbing uncontrollably. Yunho sits at his side helplessly, his own sorrow buried deep inside his heart.

’It’s ok, Jae, that happens’ he comforts him, softly threading through the back hair. His heart breaks at each new sob coming from the person he loves most.

—

For the next couple of days Jaejoong acts distant. He barely talks and almost never smiles.

’Are you still sad about it?’ Yunho asks him as they sit on the couch, watching some movie. They aren’t watching anything in particular, just enjoying each other’s company, and it’s the first time Jaejoong has let him close since the letter.

’I don’t like to see you hurt’ Yunho tells him, kissing his lips softly, and Jaejoong smiles in the kiss. His eyes are still sad when they part, making Yunho desperate.

‘Jae, listen, we can try again and look for other solutions but just- please don’t be sad about it anymore. I hate seeing you sad, I hate not being able to chase the pain away, I just-‘

’Yunho, shhh’ his husband puts a finger on his lips, this time giving him an honest smile full of warmth. ‘Please don’t feel that way. I’m not sad that I cannot adopt a kid, I’m sad because I cannot give you the family you deserve’

That evening Yunho breaks down in front of his lover for the first time, clinging to him like his life depends on it as heavy sobs rock his whole body. Jaejoong holds him through his pain, caressing his head and whispering sweet confessions to him.

‘I love you. I love you, Yunho’ he whispers in his skin until the words are engraved in his heart and nothing hurts anymore.

—

‘Jae, I need to talk to you about something serious’ Yunho overhears a conversation between his husband and one of his sisters when he comes home.

He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t stay there and listen, because he doesn't want to hear it. He closes the door behind himself and gets in his car. Whatever this is about, Yunho believes in Jaejoong. He has promised he will never doubt him and he’s not about to start now.

He starts the engine and goes for a long drive, letting the nightly streetlight take his mind off of everything, returning home only late at night.

He hopes the other will be asleep but he probably won’t. Jaejoong always waits for him home.

‘Yunho’ he hears as soon as he closes the door, the raven-like hair making an appearance in front of him. ‘We need to talk. This is really serious’

Yunho takes his jacket off, nudges his shoes somewhere in the corner and follow his lover to the sofa. He looks at him, the wide, doe like eyes looking back at him, and he knows it cannot be anything that bad. They will not break, even if they bend, he’s sure of it, and everything else pales in comparison.

’My sister offered to become a surrogate mother for us’ Jaejoong says as he looks him in the eyes ‘I want you to become a father, Yunho’

—

We.

The only condition that Yunho had was ‘we’.

It wasn’t about him or what he wanted. It was about the two of them. Together.

the moment Jaejoong agreed that they will become fathers, Yunho accepted the proposal in a heartbeat.

Nine months later and he cannot believe that this is really happening.

He’s easily agitated and hasn’t slept well for a couple of days, his nerves strained to the max. He’s ready to snap at anything and everything except for Jaejoong.

’What if she-‘

’No’ his husband says, angry eyes directed at him. ‘Don’t start doubting my family now. She’s my sister, Yunho. Even if she decides to keep the baby, you have no rights to taint her intentions. It’s still going to be our child even if we only have the role of two awesome uncles in his life, right?’

’Right’ Yunho nods and holds Jaejoong’s hand. His husband is right. He cannot understand how can his husband always be right.

They stay in the hospital until the morning light, until their baby arrives at exactly eight minutes past four.

__

‘I still can’t believe he’s here’ Yunho whispers as he looks at the tiny thing in Jaejoong's arms, his eyes never leaving the little boy's face.

’And I cannot believe my sister ditched him with us so soon. What if we do something wrong?’ Jaejoong whines in a very uncharacteristic manner that he hasn’t done in a long time. Yunho enveloping the smaller male in his arms, carefully pulling him close.

’She knows you’re going to be an awesome mother’ he teases, earning a death glare in return.

‘Don't you even start’ he warns and Yunho kisses his cheek in return.

‘Let’s not fight now’ he says as he looks at the baby, his face softening into a smile. ‘You don’t want your parents to fight, little Jonghyunnie, right?’ he coos, earning another disapproving look from Jaejoong but it doesn’t stay there for long as his face softens into the same loving expression when he looks at the little bundle in his arms.

’I guess we will finally have to live in harmony, eh Yunho? You will not come home late, bring me only lilies and never tell me I have too many skin products. Right, honey?’

‘Right’ Yunho smiles at that, nodding his head happily while thinking that the other's demands are ridiculous. If Jaejoong gets any more beauty products, he will have to buy them a bigger house.

’I still love you nonetheless, you know that?’ he says, pinching his husband’s cheek who yells in surprise.

He turns to him, takes a long look at him, and nods.

‘I know. Everyone knows. Thank you for loving me, Yunho. I also-‘ he wants to say but the baby stirs in his arms and they both panic.

Only much later when they are lying in the bed dead tired and waiting for the next yell, Jaejoong turns to Yunho with a tired but happy expression on his face.

’You know I also love you, right? Never forget that. You’re my perfect next door neighbour and we were destined to be’ he grins, pulling his husband into a kiss. The baby starts yelling the moment their lips meet.

’Alright alright' Yunho groans and gets up 'with a voice like that the kid is going to be an amazing singer one day’ he sighs, shuffling off to calm down their tiny bundle of joy.

End

a/n: This finally is the end. Thank you again for everyone reading, upvoting or commenting. You’re all cool people. Also, yes, a little bit of tribute there. You did well, hunny.

Thank you for reading and, if you’re looking for something of mine to read in the future, may I suggest Teenage Dreams? It’s a personal favourite.