Ewon

"It's the next left, Nichkhun-ssi." Jessica called from the back of the car where I sat next to her.

Since I got out of the hospital, Nichkhun had been driving her daily until I got the okay to drive, not that I understood why driving had been restricted over a miscarriage. This was the first day I tagged along, not out of lack of desire, but because initially I had been sleeping like I was catching up on a lifetime's worth of sleep deprivation. The doctor said it was because of my red blood cell counts and gave me iron to help it along.

After that first two weeks of sleeping nonstop, I started to feel better. The two alphas spent the entire time being overprotective in a way that should've annoyed me, but I found oddly endearing. As I got better, they insisted it was best I only come for pickups and to work my way back into the routine, and I allowed it, selfishly, enjoying being taken care of for the first time in many years.

It was nice to see the two interact in their morning routine from Nichkhun making her favorite waffles, something she swore he didn't do as well as Taecyeon, earning her a pout, followed by extra maple syrup to try to tip the scaled in his favor, to him making sure she'd had her backpack. The bantered, laughed, and acted like family, which as wonderful as it was, was equally terrifying. Because we weren't family. We were guests.

"Just Nichkhun." he corrected her for the third time that ride alone "And I know where it is. I've been driving you for three weeks now." she stuck our her tongue, giving him raspeberries, which he returned.

"I just don't want to be late. Today I have art." art was good at this school, not as good as her old one, but given that everything else was a thousand percent better, I tried not to dwell on that. Yoona-ssi made that easier by giving her lessons occasionally.

"What are you working on?" I asked.

"We are doing color blending. It's pretty cool, but I prefer three-dimensional projects." that sounded about right. She had always been one to make things out of other things.

"What kinds of tree-dimensional art pieces do you prefer?" Nichkhun asked from the driver's seat as he made the final left turn of our trip. Art was his thing, and listening to the two of them talk art was never boring. I could ask what she was doing and nod and smile at her responce. Nichkhun could not only understand what the terminology was, but could then turn it into a fascinating discussions on the topic, and often the two of them planned to work on something related.

"My favorite was when we got to go to the town recycling center and pick things out to create whatever we wanted." we had pulled over at the drop-off point, but once she started talking about something as exciting to her as this was, no nuisansce like punctuality got in the way "But I also like working with clay and have this idea about breaking down pinecones and using the pieces to make animals. I haven't thought that one all the way through yet. The texture just seems right."

"I would love to talk with you more about that, but it's time for you to get to class."

I could almost see his wheels turning. If I had a spare won, I'd bet that when she got home after her lesson with Yoon-ssi, he was going to have those pinecones sitting and waiting for them to mess arounf with and probably create something brilliant "Don't want to be late for art class."

"Thanks for the ride and thanks for the lunch." she unbuckled her belt and leaned to the front to kiss his cheek goodbye. From the look on his face, it was the first  time. It was such a tender moment. And then she channeled her inner me and added "Lunchables ."

"True story. Not that you should be talking like me." even if those cold pizza ones with the sort of kind of cheese were made of the nasty "Have a good day at school, Sica. Yoona-ssi is picking you up today. Maybe run that pinecone idea by her?"

"Good idea, Oppa." she cracked open her door, backpack and lunch in her right hand "Who's picking me up from art class?"

"Hopefully me. We will see what the doctor says about driving. Now off with you." I shooed her out the door as I climbed out the other side.

"Ugg, you're not coming in with me, are you?" she rolled her eyes as shut her door with a little too much force.

"No, I'm going to the front seat. Nichkhun-ssi is not our chauffeur." although he probably felt like it after the past few weeks.

Jesus. I'd allowed us to impose on them for three weeks. We stayed at their house, ate their food, and utilized their transportation. We were imposing to the nth degree. Although they never once made me feel that way and, more often than not, it felt comfortable, like we belonged. Which was the biggest reason why we needed to get out of there. It was one thing for Jessica to not have what all her fich friends at school had, it was another to get a taste of that then go back to mac and cheese as a food group.

As it was, she was going to have a rough time. She was so spoiled by both men, although Taecyeon tried to hide it better than Nichkhun, pretending HE wanted the fancy ice cream or to play chess just one more time. Not that he fooled Sica. She knew she had them both wrapped aroung her finger. They never stood a chance, she had me there too.

"I wish he was out chauffeur."

I closed the door, mortified he might have heard her brattiness. Thank goodness I did because then she added "Then we could keep him. Bye."

"Bye." I half waved, my mind on her desire to keep him. Of course that was going to be an issue. She lost her parents, had a recent scare where she though she almost lost me...Goodness, by us living at their house she also lost Sohyang-ssi in a way.

I truly hoped I hadn't messed up all things up by allowing things to unfold the way they had. That seemed to be my life since losing my parents, constantly second-guessing everything I did for Jessica, hoping one day I'd feel like I was a good father type figure for her.

"What was that about?" Nichkhun asked as I climbed in. Stinks. He heard what she said. Of course he did.

"Oh, that was just Sica being almost eight. She got used to us staying with you, having fancy lunches, and having me around is all." and being spoiled and given the attention she deserved and having a house with a yard she could run around in.

"Not that, but we'll get back to that. The Nichkhun-SSI bit. It's bad enough Sica keeps doing that, now you start."

Jessica called him that because I insisted. There were few things I stood my ground on, especially when she batted her long eyelashes at me and stuck out her lip. Calling grown-ups -ssi or -ajumeoni or -sunsengnim or whatever was appropriate, it was one of those things.

"Nichkhun. I called you Nichkhun-ssi to model to Sica so she didn't start disrespecting you, that's all." It was my way of reminding her to not take him up on his offer, never once had it crossed my mind it hurt his feelings.

"I'm fine is calls me just Nichkhun." he pulled away from the curb, the road finally voide of small humans racing to get to class "It's not like we're strangers. We live together, at least for now."

"About that. We need to go back home. I need to get back to work and Sica needs to be back to her normal, as wonderful as this has been." and it had been