Betaed by Fubuki, 04/04/2019

Jaehyun tried to remember when his heart was beating that fast the last time. His hands were trembling on the door handle. Maybe this was a bad idea. It wasn’t late to turn back yet. But Yuta’s words echoed in his head and a firm will surged into his eyes. He opened the door.

Mark heard the door open. He had taken Jisung out of the bath, wrapped in a big blue towel. The youngest was now standing on the soft bathroom carpet, while Mark was kneeling to be on eye-level as him.

Mark looked up. It was Appa. Mark looked back at his little brother, rubbing the towel softly on his skin to dry him. Chenle was still in the bath playing with the bath toys as he liked to bath more than Jisung. Jaehyun looked at the 13 year old child who ignored his presence by taking care of Jisung. And that’s when it hit him.

“How do you know he has forgiven me?” Jaehyun asked while arranging the blocks that were now on the ground. Jaemin wanted to make a house and needed more blocks so Chenle decided to sacrifice his tower.

Yuta snorted. “You are so cautious around him, to the point you didn’t notice that.”

“Notice what?”

Jaehyun suddenly knew what Yuta had been talking about: Mark wasn’t ignoring him anymore.

He was avoiding him. In the past, Mark would have looked at him with a straight face before turning back to Jisung. Yet, now as soon as he saw his face he had avoided eye contact and had turned his attention back to Jisung. Jaehyun felt encouraged from the change, although some people wouldn’t really call it a change. Ignoring someone or avoiding someone, the difference was a little detail. But for Jaehyun, who knew Mark best after Taeyong, it was a great difference. Before Jaehyun had been standing before a wall, he was now standing before a wall, where a door had appeared.

Yuta was right, he needed to reach out to Mark. So with taking all the courage he had, Jaehyun went besides Mark who was kneeling down to dress up Jisung.

“Can I help? Your dad thought you would need some help to take them out.”

Mark looked up, trying to suppress the surprise he felt seeing his Appa talking to him up so closely.

He quickly recollected himself, “I am fine.” Was all he said, answers short as usual.

Normally Jaehyun would have left him, giving him space to accept him. But not this time. So, for once without a trace of guilt he decided to use Mark’s only weakness.

He nodded towards Chenle: “He will catch a cold if he stays longer in there. Let me dress up Jisung while you take him out.”

Mark was slightly taken aback by his Appa's perseverance. But the water was indeed cold by now, Chenle wanting to play much longer than usual. He hesitated for a second before Jisung's sleepy head (the kid was always sleepy after a warm bath) touched his chest. He better put him straight to his bed as quickly as possible. So, Mark nodded, slowly detaching his youngest brother out of his chest and stood up leaving him to Jaehyun.

Jaehyun had a hard time to conceal the excitement he felt, as this was his first time he was allowed to help Mark, out of the own kid’s consent.

“Chenle, let’s go out”

Chenle looked up from Mister Dolphin and Mister Blue Duck, with a cute pout and pleading eyes.

“Not yet?” he asked hopefully.

Mark smiled a bit at his brother’s habit to use all his weapons when he wanted something. Renjun would have swooned for sure. But Mark had been through his brothers' cute antics since he was 5 and it didn’t really work on him (the most that they would get out of it was his smile).

“The water is cold now. You will catch a cold.” Mark said softly.

Chenle dropped his toys in defeat. His Mark-Hyung wasn’t strict, usually he didn’t mind giving in. But just like Daddy his words were soft but firm. Chenle had only tried once to see what his Hyung would do if he didn’t listen. Once was too much.

So, with a pouty face he stretched his hands out. Mark grabbed his hands carefully to not hurt him, making Chenle stand in the bathtub before he wrapped him in a big towel and took him out.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jaehyun had already dressed Jisung into his pyjamas and he stood up reaching for the hair dryer that was in one of the closets near the sink. Jisung eyes widened at the sight of the hairdryer and before Jaehyun could put the plug, he quickly grabbed the legs of his Appa, whining.

Jaehyun looked puzzled at him: “What’s wrong Jisungie?”

Mark, who was already finished drying Chenle, turned back at the sound of his whiny brother.

Seeing the hairdryer in his Appa hands he quickly understood what was going on.

“He hates the hairdryer. We usually dry his hair with a towel.”

Jaehyun looked back at Mark who had already turned back to Chenle.

“Oh. I didn’t know”

Mark wanted to remark that Jaehyun had no reason to know. He had long left his Dad when Jisung had been brought to his home. But Mark didn’t say anything, as he quietly took care of Chenle.

“Sorry Jisungie, Appa will put it back.” Jaehyun took the towel after putting the hairdryer back to its place. He dried Jisung’s hair but not being used to it he didn’t know if he was doing a good job or not. (He had always used the hairdryer on Mark back then. And Taeyong had usually been the one to bath the kids.)

Jisung whined, not being used to the clumsy treatment as well. Mark who was done dressing up Chenle turned around.

“I will do it. Chenle is fine with the hairdryer.”

Jaehyun nodded, feeling sorry towards Jisung who went to his Mark-Hyung. Mark lifted him up and sat down on the edge of the bath, his hands skillfully and softly using the towel to dry his brother's hair, who leaned back to his Hyung's chest. Mark's quick movement showed that it was not the first time the child had taken care of his brother’s hair, which made Jaehyun secretly a bit sad.

Jaehyun understood all too well Taeyong’s worries towards Mark. Of course, he too had felt guilty about it. If his marriage with Taeyong had held, Mark wouldn’t have had to take the burden of being Taeyong’s only pillar. Jaehyun remembered clearly, his first meeting with a not even 5 year old Mark…

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Tae, are you sure about it?”, a slightly nervous Jaehyun asked.

Taeyong chuckled at the sight of his nervous fiancé.

“Why do I have a feeling you are even more nervous than when you were kneeling asking me to marry you?”

Jaehyun smiled at the memory of 3 days ago, when he had decided he would take all his courage out to propose to his one and only true love. His relationship with Taeyong had been one of the strangest Jaehyun had experienced: there was just a connection that made everything so intense, so overwhelming. Their relationship had evolved so fast, and neither of them knew how things had evolved like this. Granted, Jaehyun had to be a little patient in the beginning, as Taeyong still struggled with a bit of a distrust towards true love.

Taeyong had said it, the day Jaehyun had asked him out.

“I will pretend I didn’t hear your question and tell you something. If it changes your heart than let’s pretend nothing happened. If it doesn’t then ask your question again.”

But Jaehyun had been more determined to make Taeyong happy once he had heard his story. Sure, he had been a bit surprised that Taeyong was already a father (and who could blame him as Taeyong looked so young and well,... so damn pretty) but he had already been a lost case since the day he had met him.

Taeyong smiled as he saw his fiancé in a dazed state and he softly tugged at his arm sleeve. Jaehyun blinked and smiled sheepishly.

“What were you daydreaming about?”

Jaehyun smirked: “Try and guess. I will give you a tip: it’s very pretty.”

Taeyong giggled and playfully slapped his shoulder: “So cheesy. You better don’t say such cheesy words to me when we enter.”

Jaehyun smile faded: “Why? I thought you told him about us?”

Taeyong looked at him, his intense gaze staring straight into his soul. He smiled sadly before he softly sighed, his eyes downcast.

“I did. Mark took it quite well. But he is rather…sensitive. I think things are changing too fast for him. It’s only been a year since…”

Jaehyun looked at Taeyong who didn’t finish his sentence. He intervened his hand in his and squeezed it softly.

“Alright. I will give him space, don’t worry.”

Taeyong was right, it was quite fast. They had only been dating for seven months, yet Jaehyun had already proposed to Tae. He just knew he didn’t want anyone but him. In the short period Jaehyun had known Taeyong, one of the things he had learned was that Taeyong greatly loved and cared about his son. So much that he had not been willing to let Jaehyun to meet him, up until now as their relationship wasn’t fresh and fragile anymore.

Taeyong smiled at him, one of his gorgeous blinding smile. He nodded.

They arrived at the front door of his apartment, and Taeyong took his key out to open the door.

“I am home.” Taeyong loudly announced.

He wasn’t yet finished taking out his shoes when some little rushing footsteps could be heard.

Jaehyun watched as a adorable 5 year old  rushed towards Taeyong’s arms. The first thing he noticed was the kid’s blond straight hair. Taeyong had told him Mark resembled his partner more than himself, the kindergarten teachers never believed him when he said Mark was his as the kid looked anything but Korean. Jaehyun wondered if Taeyong’s previous partner had been an American. The name "Mark" could also be European.

The second thing he noticed were his hazel big round doe eyes. The rest of his face still reminded him of Taeyong: it was cute and pretty as a delicate painting. Jaehyun was sure that if Mark’s hair and eye colour had been black, his eyes and chin had been more sharp, he would have had a copy of Taeyong.

Mark who had gotten his “I am home” kisses turned back, aware of someone’s stare and he saw the man he had had seen a picture of on his daddy’s phone.

“Mark, this is Jaehyun. Remember the one I told you about?”

Taeyong his hair and indicated him with a gesture of his head to greet him. Mark bowed before quietly hiding b