After they had all washed up, Seungcheol and Jihyo started working on making dinner in a comfortable silence. Eventually, though, Seungcheol sighed and turned towards Jihyo.

“You know...I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t mean to just break down on you,” Seungcheol’s voice was soft and when Jihyo turned around to face him, too, she saw that he genuinely looked regretful. Jihyo placed a gentle hand on Seungcheol’s arm and gave it a squeeze. When Seungcheol looked down at Jihyo, it was like he was seeing her for the first time; her eyes were big and shining, her smile was small and soft, but she left him more than a little breathless this time. It didn’t help that she did look great in his oversized clothes, if the unintentional off-the-shoulder look she was sporting was anything to go by.

“Don’t worry about it, Cheol.” Jihyo stepped closer to Seungcheol and she wrapped him up in a hug. She did her best to wrap her arms around Seungcheol’s neck, getting onto her tiptoes and all. Seungcheol’s chuckles turned into laughter and he raised Jihyo up as casually as he could so she could hug him comfortably. Jihyo groaned, though she was chuckling happily as well. “I know you probably like to think it, but you’re not Superman. Also, I did kind of break down on you to, so…”

“Okay, first of all—I’m totally a Thor kinda guy, secondly ,” Seungcheol started, but Jihyo burst out into laughter at Seungcheol’s statement, and he quickly followed. He didn’t resume speaking until after they had both calmed down. “Secondly...thank you, for everything. You’ve helped me out a lot, too, you know? With the way you treat Hansol like he’s your own, giving me some time to myself for a little bit, how you always supported me and never pushed me to talk about things I couldn’t bring myself to talk about. Especially how you helped me realize that I’m also still young and I’m allowed to hurt, and feel lost. Just—there’s so much to be thankful for,”

“It’s what friends are for, especially friends that understand what you’re going through better than anyone else would.” Jihyo nudged at him, and the two of them continued talking—with Jihyo encouraging Seungcheol to open up more, and Seungcheol actually doing so—as they made dinner.

Once dinner was finished and everyone had their fill (of food and fun), Seungcheol and Jihyo finished getting the children ready for bed.

“Daddy, can Tzuyu and I sleep together?” Hansol asked and when Seungcheol looked down at him, he and Tzuyu were looking back up at him with the biggest, silently pleading eyes possible.

“Of course, Sol, what’s a sleepover if you’re not sleeping with your friends?” Seungcheol bent down to the children’s eye level, smiling softly at them. Hansol and Tzuyu beamed at each other before jumping onto Seungcheol to hug him. Seungcheol lifted the children up as easily as ever and carried them both to Hansol’s room with Jihyo following him. The two parents tucked their children into Hansol’s bed, Seungcheol made sure to put up the rails to secure them in (Hansol had a bit of trouble adjusting to his Big Boy bed when Seungcheol had first got it for him, but he was doing better now).

Seungcheol pulled up one of Hansol’s tiny chairs for his desk and took out a book to read for the children; it was a new book about how things worked (for kids!) that Hansol wanted, and with everything that had been going on lately, Seungcheol never had the chance to read it to him. It was expected when Tzuyu slowly began nodding off while Hansol was enthralled with all of the new information he was learning, yet Hansol couldn’t keep his sleepiness to himself, and he ended up dozing off as well. Seungcheol and Jihyo kissed the two children goodnight and quietly left the room.

“Wait, mommy,” Tzuyu’s tiny voice called from the bed and the two parents turned around.

“Yes, sweetie?” Jihyo answered the little girl sweetly, going back over to the bed. Jihyo took her place in the chair that Seungcheol was just sitting in.

“You didn’t sing us a song yet,” Tzuyu slowly turned towards her mother, careful not to stir Hansol too much, since he was still drifting in between consciousness. Jihyo made a sound of realization and smiled, her daughter’s hair as she began to sing softly.

Seungcheol relaxed against the door frame, and let himself get lost in Jihyo’s voice since it was the first time he was hearing it. For the first time since they met, Seungcheol didn’t stop himself from imagining more of them—he imagined the four of them as a little family, and he how this could be their everyday life; how, after they tucked in the children for the night, they would head off to bed together. He imagined himself kissing Jihyo goodnight, kissing her good morning, kissing her always , like it was the most natural thing in the world. And it did seem natural, it seemed palpable, and that made Seungcheol have to take a breath.

“I think they’re finally sleep,” Jihyo whispered to him after she made her way back over to the door. She gave Seungcheol a smile and two thumbs-up and Seungcheol didn’t even think twice before returning the gesture. Seungcheol let Jihyo leave the room first before he closed the door slightly behind them; afterwards, the two of them stood in the hallway for a few moments, making last-minute conversations, trying to hold onto the night for a little bit longer. Eventually, though, Jihyo let a yawn slip so they figured they’d start heading to their rooms now, but Seungcheol sighed and pulled Jihyo back to cup her face and kiss her softly.

“Sorry.” He apologized breathlessly. “I mean, I’m not sorry, actually. It’s just—doing that has been on my mind for a while, but if it made you uncomfortable—”

“It’s okay, I’m not uncomfortable, just...shocked,” Jihyo replied before Seungcheol could panic and the older let out a long exhale.

“I don’t mean for anything to immediately come from this, since we both have a lot to work through, but maybe...maybe it can be a promise, for the future. Or maybe, something just for the night, I don’t know…” Seungcheol held his breath as Jihyo actively contemplated his words, probably her feelings, but then she smiled as she always did and leaned forwards into his chest. The two of them don’t say anything more, they just hug each other tightly, once again stalling in an attempt to make their time together for the night last longer (because they don’t know if they could handle sleeping together just yet; there were so many things they had figure out—about themselves, about each other—before that).

Seungcheol and Jihyo only parted from each other when two tiny, almost missable gasps came from behind them. They pulled apart and turned around to the sight of Hansol and Tzuyu scrambling back into Hansol’s room in a fit of giggles. Seungcheol and Jihyo chuckled awkwardly, somewhat embarrassed to have been caught by their children, and they shared a look before going back to put their children to sleep once again.

After another chapter of Hansol’s book and two songs later (Jihyo was accompanied by Seungcheol this time, who put his rusty vocals from his high school band experience to good use), Hansol and Tzuyu were finally, undoubtedly asleep. The parents leave quietly once more, half-closing the door behind them, and this time they head further down the hall before talking as to not wake the children again. The two of them said their goodnights to each other, Seungcheol pressing another soft kiss to Jihyo’s lips and then her forehead (both of them blushing like lovestruck teens dating for the first time), before they finally parted ways and went to bed themselves.