Father’s Day

 

 

Sehun × Luhan

 

 

 

Sunday has always been the favorite day in the house. Sehun doesn’t need to go to work, Luxun doesn’t need to go to school, which means the both of them can sleep the morning away and successfully skip breakfast. By the time they wake up, Sehun can just swipe Luxun off to the bathroom for a shower and go out to get any food the little guy wants as lunch – except if Luxun wants a bowl full of gummy bears, of course.

 

And because Sunday is their favorite day, they always wake up in good mood at the particular day.

 

Thus, it doesn’t explain the gloom on Luxun’s face when he finds the little guy sitting up on the bed.

 

“What’s wrong?” Sehun carefully asks the seven years old. “Is your tummy aching?”

 

The child doesn’t answer.

 

He goes to press a palm against the tiny forehead. “You’re not feverish either.” He sighs in relief. “What’s wrong, Xun?”

 

The tiny head shakes slowly. “Nothing, appa.”

 

The slight frown and the slightly pouted lips tells the otherwise, but Sehun just keeps it to himself for the mean time. He doesn’t want to corner his son and make the little guy more upset. The little guy is quite sensitive, just like his baba.

 

He chuckles to himself. Even at times like this, Luxun reminds him of Luhan so much.

 

At the mention of that name, Sehun sighs heavily. He hasn’t talked to his son’s baba for more than a week. Maybe Luxun’s sudden mood swing could be a topic for them to talk about.

 

It’s Father’s Day after all. A day for the both of them.

 

=

 

Still gathering the courage to talk to Luhan, Sehun decides to take Luxun for a shower before going out to get some lunch.

 

“Uh, what?”

 

But to another shock, Luxun doesn’t want to shower with him.

 

“I can do it myself.” Luxun says casually.

 

Sehun is unprepared for his son’s rejection. “But aren’t we… going to play with them?” he points at a bunch of plastic dinosaurs at the top of the sink in the bathroom.

 

Luxun shrugs. “Maybe next time.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Sighing, Luxun looks up at his appa. “Can I go in first?”

 

“Huh? S-sure.” Sehun steps aside to make a way for his son. Luxun mumbles a ‘thanks’ as he walks into the bathroom, leaving the door opened a little.

 

Sehun scratches the back of his head.

 

=

 

The ride to their favorite pizza restaurant is awkward. It’s not that Luxun was usually talkative, but having the child as silent as the air before the storm while knowing that he is not in a good mood is making Sehun more anxious as the second passes by. Sehun tunes in the radio, and for the first time ever since Luxun started knowing what he wants and doesn’t want, the little guy doesn’t ask him to play songs instead. Luxun just stares through the car’s window in boredom.

 

Sehun wants to cry. What should he do with his one and only child?

 

The lunch is less awkward, thanks to the quite crowded place. Maybe it’s because the pizza is very delicious that Luxun finally brings himself to speak a little. He would comment about the topping, ask Sehun to put some ketchup on his plate, and offer Sehun the cheese filled crust because he knows his appa loves them. Sehun wants to just break into tears and hug his son. Even in such a foul mood, the little guy still thinks about him like that.

 

He and Luhan really are blessed with such a great son.

 

Even at this moment, he wonders how could Luhan live without Luxun by his side, because if it was him, he wouldn’t survive it.

 

Sometime after their lunch, Sehun takes Luxun to the nearest park to enjoy some fresh air. There are other kids roaming around the swings and slides there. Some are occupying the tiny tables and chairs, randomly babbling about stuffs and even sharing toys they brought themselves.

 

“Do you feel like playing with them?” he asks. “You can sit with me if you want.”

 

“I’ll play with them.” Luxun answers before looking up at him. “Will appa be okay here?”

 

Holding back a sappy smile from breaking on his face, Sehun nods. “I will. Have fun!”

 

As his son walks further away from him, he fishes out his phone and finally dials the other father.

 

“Happy Father’s Day.” Luhan greets him.

 

“… yeah, you too.” He coughs. “Luxun has been upset since this morning.”

 

“What? Why?”

 

“I don’t know either. I woke up before him and did some cleaning, and when I got back to the bedroom, he was awake with this sour look on his face.” Sehun sighs. “He looked like you when I had to cancel our trip to Tokyo a few years ago.”

 

Luhan’s laugh rings like Church’s bells in his ears. “Is it that bad?”

 

“You have no idea.”

 

“Well, whoops, I don’t know what to say either.” Luhan finally sounds worried. “Did something happen recently?”

 

Sehun thinks for a while. “Nothing that is supposed to upset him, at least. Everything has been okay.”

 

He hears Luhan’s soft sigh. “What could be wrong?” he asks rhetorically for the both of them to think about.

 

It’s another moment when Sehun finally drops it. “I think… maybe… he misses you.”

 

Luhan is silent.

 

“I mean, of course he misses you every day, but… I guess everything has finally come down to him today. Maybe he knows today is Father’s Day, and maybe he understands it pretty well to the point that he’s finally aware that you’re not here to celebrate today with. Maybe he misses you that bad but he doesn’t want to tell me so.”

 

Luxun misses his baba, of course. Maybe even more than his appa does.

 

“Sehun-ah,” Luhan finally speaks, voice weaker than it was a moment ago, “I don’t know… what to say. Should I book a flight today? I should do that. If I book now maybe I can get there by night. Let me just –“

 

“Luhan.” He calls softly. It successfully silences Luhan. “You don’t need to do that. It’ll be too much of a hassle.”

 

“But you just said Luxun misses me.” Luhan states.

 

“And I told you, he misses you every day. He always told you he misses you. Have you ever thought of flying here because of that? Why today?”

 

“Then what should I do? If I can’t at least do that then what should I do?”

 

“Nothing. You stay there. Bear with it. Just like what you’ve promised us.” Sehun tries so hard to stay calm. “That’s what you’ve promised me and yourself when you decided that pursuing your career is more crucial than watching your son grow.”

 

Of course, Luhan has nothing to say to that.

 

“We’re okay.” Sehun says in a softer way. “We would be better with you, but we’re okay without you. If you come today, it’ll be hard for you to leave again. It’ll be hard for Luxun too.”

 

“Then what should we do with him?” Luhan asks; he’s crying

 

“I’ll talk to him. Somehow.” Sehun sighs. “There’s no easy way out of this but I have to get this done sooner or later.”

 

“I’m so sorry.” Luhan whispers. “I’m so sorry.”

 

Sehun stares over the view in front of him, finding Luxun playing with some kids. “Take care. Be safe. Don’t beat yourself too much.”

 

There’s a silence between them, making Sehun thinks that the conversation is over. But before he hangs up, he hears it; a soft whisper. “I love you.”

 

Sehun closes his eyes, calming himself down.

 

“Thanks.” He replies before he disconnects the call. He knows he’s going to regret not saying the same to Luhan later, but he just couldn’t bring himself to say it. Not when he has too many words to say to Luhan; words that would hurt the both of them.

 

He decides to just stroll around the park until Luxun is done playing.

 

=

 

By night, as they’re fresh from the shower, complete in their pajamas, Sehun finally asks the question.

 

“What are you upset about since this morning?” Sehun asks in his ‘stern appa’ voice. “You can’t answer ‘nothing’. You know that never worked on me more than three times.”

 

Luxun blinks at his appa, looking calm, as if he knows it’s the dead end for him.

 

“Do you miss baba?” Sehun braves himself to ask. “You miss baba a lot?”

 

His son stares at him at first. “I miss baba. A lot.” He nods. “But… it’s not that.”

 

Sehun frowns, confused. “Then…?”

 

After a moment, the little guy finally starts off. “Today is Father’s Day.” He says.

 

“And?” Sehun probes, nodding along.

 

“A few days ago my teacher was talking about it in class,” Luxun bites his lip, “and told us we should do something for our appas. Something we never did or didn’t usually do for them before.”

 

“And I thought of how appa doesn’t know how to tie ties. Appa always asks Uncle Kyungsoo’s help every morning. So I asked Uncle Kyungsoo to teach me how to do it, so I can tie appa’s tie when it’s Father’s Day.”

 

Sehun holds himself from melting down onto the floor. “And?”

 

“And I’ve been practicing for days and I really become so good at it!” Luxun looks up at him with watery eyes. “But when I woke up this morning, I realized something I should have known.”

 

“W-what is it?”

 

Luxun looks over his shoes. “It’s Sunday.” He finally breaks into sobs. “Appa doesn’t go to work on Sundays.”

 

“… which means you can’t tie my tie for me on Father’s Day?” Sehun finishes it for his son.

 

Luxun nods brokenly.

 

“You’re upset this much because of that??” Sehun gasps. “You know you can do it for me tomorrow, right?”

 

“But it’s not on Father’s Day!” Luxun stomps his feet. Sehun almost cries seeing his son being so disappointed of himself; he also wants to cry because his son is just so, so, so adorable it’s breaking his heart.

 

“Xun, hey,” he tries to suppress a giggle and a sob as he gets on his knees to get on the same eye level with his son, “look at me.”

 

Wiping his tears, Luxun stares back at his appa.

 

“Have I told you, you’re the biggest gift I’ve ever received in my life?” he smiles. “Be it Father’s Day, my birthday, Christmas, New Year, Valentine, Chuseok, every other day in a year, you’re my biggest, most precious gift. Seeing you every morning, knowing you’re my son, is a gift. You, being here with me, is a gift. There’s nothing that can top that!”

 

His words only make Luxun cry again.

 

Sehun sighs. Luhan really inherited his dramatic trait to Luxun.

 

“You don’t have to do something for a special day just because everybody does it.” Sehun puts a hand on his son’s tiny shoulder. “You’re already special. I don’t need anything more.”

 

The crying child gets engulfed in a tight hug. “I j-just,” he says against Sehun’s shoulder, “I want to help appa in something.”

 

“You’ve already helped me in so many things, tiny man.” Sehun laughs. “You’re the best kid ever, you know that?”

 

“Appa is also the best appa ever.” Luxun only tightens his arms around his appa’s torso, struggling to do so because of his short limbs.

 

After a moment, Sehun releases the embrace and wipes the tears stains from Luxun’s face. “But hey, you miss baba, right?”

 

Luxun nods weakly.

 

“Do you want to see him?” Sehun asks hesitatingly. “I mean… if you really miss him, I can let him know, and he might come back here for a few days to be with us. What do you say?”

 

Bright eyes shine up at him. “Can he really do that?”

 

“Well, it’s quite difficult for him to do that, but I bet he’ll do it right away for you.”

 

Luxun looks at him for a moment. “Then why didn’t he do it before?”

 

To that, Sehun loses all the words in his mind.

 

“It’s okay.” Luxun’s tiny lips smile up at him. “Baba said I should be passion.”

 

“Patient.”

 

“Be patient. Baba told me to wait for him. I will wait.” The little guy gets back to hugging him, circling his arms around his neck. “If appa waits, I wait too.”

 

Sehun fights back the tears from running out of his eyes. He picks up his son and walks to the bedroom. “Time to sleep your swollen eyes away. You crybaby.”

 

“I’m appa’s son after all.”

 

“No. You got those tears from your baba.”

 

“Baba is cool. Appa is a crybaby.”

 

“Take that back, you meanie!”

 

“Appa is a crybaby!”

 

=

 

“Are you done?”

 

Securing the tie around his appa’s collar, Luxun’s serious face morphs into a triumphant one. “Done!”

 

Smirking, Sehun walks towards the tall mirror at the corner of the bedroom. “Let’s see your work.” He says. When he finally stands in front of the mirror and sees his own reflection, he blinks at how neat the tie around his neck. “Whoa, what th – what a wonder – how did you do this?”

 

Luxun’s laughter rings in his ears, as beautiful as his baba’s.

 

Sehun looks at his son, sighing in awe. “You’re really the best kid ever.”

 

Luxun doesn’t get to reply with ‘appa is the best appa ever’ because his appa immediately scoops him up and tickles him mercilessly.

 

 

 

[A/N]

Was written for Father’s Day <3