8 MONTHS LATER

OCTOBER

Chanyeol crosses his legs, clearly regretting his decision to wear a black wool sweater as he runs a hand through his damp, silver hair. He goes on to complain about how 'goddamn scalding' it is outside (for October, anyway) before the red leaves to one of the trees rustle, a flash of orange suddenly appearing and hitting the ground with a thud, causing him to flinch. "How many times have I told you not to do that?" he huffs with an eye roll. "Bastard."

Baekhyun only chuckles after Luhan sends Chanyeol an (un)apologetic look. "You're just sensitive," Baekhyun chuckles and pats Chanyeol's shoulder, before he takes a bite of his ice cream. Baekhyun goes on to (only half jokingly) remark that Luhan's 'crazy antics' will most likely get the latter killed in the future as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

Sehun hums to himself as he watches Jongin and Jonghun lying on their stomachs whilst looking at insects a few feet away. They've been sitting on the same bench for half an hour now with the sun beating down on them, and Sehun is sort of really glad that he brought several juice boxes along with them before leaving the house this morning (after unsuccessfully convincing Jongin to wear a hat, which the latter refused whilst repeatedly informing Sehun about adult cats being unable to die of heatstroke).

As Chanyeol complains about how he'd rather not sweat to death on his only day off, Sehun finds himself staring at the tiny, white sun hat resting atop Jonghun's head, which Jongin picked out last week, after Jonghun turned ten months old. At first, Jonghun would throw a hissy fit whenever Sehun made him wear it, until Sehun proceeded to cut two small holes in it to accommodate his fuzzy ears (after which Jongin took at least six photos with the camera). Chanyeol and Baekhyun immediately fell in love with it as soon as Sehun placed it on top of Jonghun's head, with Chanyeol even going as far as to gently pinch Jonghun's chubby cheeks, to which Jonghun responded by latching onto Chanyeol's finger and not letting go for a full minute. Even though Chanyeol clearly didn't want to punch Baekhyun in the head right in front of a baby, Sehun figures Chanyeol came dangerously close to doing just that after Baekhyun erupted into a series of unattractive guffaws.

Even though Sehun knew right away that Jonghun inherited Jongin's wide, innocent eyes and bright smile, it didn't take long for Sehun to realize that Jonghun also inherited Jongin's godforsaken habit of touching every single thing he laid his eyes on, which became apparent after Jonghun began taking his first steps. At first, Jonghun would attempt to stand up, only to wobble before flopping back down on the floor (and once on Jongin's tail, which had Jongin jumping straight through the roof in surprise). However, Sehun figures that hybrids must have a gene that allows them to learn to walk in an astonishingly short amount of time, since Jonghun was soon scamping all around the house, occasionally toppling over as he curiously grabbed and yanked at everything in sight. Sehun and Jongin eventually had to rearrange the books within every bookcase in the house, by moving the ones on the bottom to the top shelves, as well as constantly make mental notes never to leave anything unattended just about anywhere. Anything not moved would end up strewn across the house, which Sehun learned the hard way when he checked over a few reports in the living room with Jonghun one evening, only to find them torn to shreds on the carpet after turning his back for less than five seconds.

At first, Jongin found himself annoyed with Sehun and the latter's dislike towards Jonghun's supposed "natural instincts," but Sehun figures that Jongin probably changed his mind during their second trip to the pond, during which Jongin nearly tumbled off the bridge in surprise after Jonghun picked up the camera (which Jongin had placed in the stroller with Jonghun in spite of Sehun's protests) and proceeded to toss it in the water. Sehun doesn't think he can thank Luhan enough, since Luhan's lightning fast reflexes caused him to fly over and grab the camera when it was just inches from plummeting beneath the surface. 

One thing Jonghun didn't inherit from Jongin, though, was the latter's intense fear of strangers. Specifically, groups of strangers, which Sehun came to learn minutes after they settled down by the playground earlier this morning. From his spot on the monkey bars, Luhan watched as an entire class of (upside down) first graders, consisting of at least thirty children, stormed the playground shortly after. The next thing Sehun knew, Jongin was cowering behind their bench after he scrambled to his feet and darted towards them, which wouldn't have been an issue if wasn't for Jongin promptly abandoning Jonghun in the middle of the sandbox, and Sehun jogged over to Jonghun as the latter happily waved at the children staring right at him.

Jongin refused to emerge from his hiding spot until the playground was entirely empty again, and he (and Luhan) proceeded to beg Chanyeol to play with him whilst Jonghun munched on animal crackers in Sehun's lap, which Chanyeol miraculously (albeit very, very reluctantly), agreed to. The following ten minutes consisted of Luhan repeatedly trying to convince Chanyeol to climb one of the trees near the sandbox, all whilst Jongin and Baekhyun laughed their faces off. Much to Chanyeol's relief, Jonghun was ready to resume playing five minutes later, and Jongin gleefully scooped him up (like a puppy, Chanyeol thought) from Sehun's lap before he skipped them over to the sandbox to look at insects, but not before Sehun placed Jonghun's hat on the latter's head after realizing that every single cloud had disappeared from the sky.

Sehun watches as Jongin picks up what he assumes is an ant off the ground before handing it to Jonghun, who gleefully pops it in his mouth (As long as he isn't feeding him rocks, Sehun thinks). A red butterfly appears, seemingly out of nowhere, and Jonghun follows it with wide eyes after Jongin gleefully points to it as it flies by. Sehun quickly pulls out the camera and snaps a photo after Jonghun stands up on wobbly legs and pounces (or rather, throws himself right at it). Jonghun misses it by an inch, causing his stumpy (yet fast-growing) tail to sway in agitation, much to Jongin's disappointment. Sehun only chuckles as he carefully places the newly developed photo in his pocket for Jongin to add to the scrapbook later.

Baekhyun chuckles as he watches the yellow butterfly make its way up towards the sky, only for Luhan to pluck it out of thin air before he shamelessly stuffs it in his mouth. "Luhan's been teaching him well," Baekhyun chuckles, gesturing at Jonghun, who erupts in a fit of giggles after Luhan sticks out his tongue at Jongin from his spot in the tree. "I knew from the day I first saw little his face that he'd grow up to be a swell hunter," he adds before finishing the rest of his ice cream and tossing the wrapper in a nearby trash can.

Chanyeol nods whilst fanning his face, seemingly missing the cold nights he spent in France last year. "Same here," he mumbles before sending Sehun a sly look. "Have fun scraping dead mice and birds off your floors in a couple months," he sniggers and yelps when Baekhyun slaps the back of his head. After sending Baekhyun a murderous look, Chanyeol feels a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips after he watches Jongin point to another butterfly, which Jonghun eagerly gobbles up after grabbing it with tiny hands. It's not until Jongin proudly squees and scoops Jonghun up in a hug that Chanyeol huffs. "Man, kinda makes you want a tyke of your own, huh?"

Humming low in his throat, Baekhyun watches as Jongin rushes over to Luhan, presumably to tell the latter about Jonghun's first ever successful catch. "You're not the only one," he hums after a moment's worth of silence. "I doubt it's as easy as it seems, though," he adds and promptly ignores Chanyeol's squawk of 'At least you've got a boyfriend!' before he sighs upon seeing Luhan swinging upside down by the legs on the monkey bars, with his head inches from a cluster of stones. "He's so gonna get himself killed one day, I swear to God--" 

Sehun chuckles as he absently fidgets with the camera in his lap. He knew from the very start that if he and Jongin ever had a hybrid child, he would make it an indoor cat, since Sehun isn't all that excited about the idea of Jonghun returning home with dead birds and rats when he's old enough to hunt without Jongin and Luhan's help. Even though Sehun knew that trying to get Jonghun not to hunt (and thus possibly bring home) anything living was entirely out of the question, after Jongin and Luhan began discussing their upcoming plans to make Jonghun the world's greatest hunter - mere minutes after finding out about Jongin's pregnancy, Sehun is set on teaching Jonghun to solely hunt and eat outside as he grows older.

After Luhan gracefully hops down from the monkey bars (without cracking his head open, much to Baekhyun's relief), after complaining about his head feeling all woozy, Jongin wipes his hairline with the hem of his shirt. Sehun finds himself biting his lip after seeing the darkened scar on the right side of Jongin's belly button, where they made the incision nearly a year ago. Much to Sehun's relief, it's practically healed at this point, which he learned after he gently ran a hand across it whilst he and Jongin made love last night. Even though Jongin barely even pays it any thought himself (since he figures it's utterly pointless to freak out over something he wasn't even awake to experience), Sehun finds himself unable to shake the five months of physical and emotional anguish Jongin had to endure every time he looks at or thinks about it. Despite Sehun being utterly unable to recall the amount of times he found himself wishing, throughout Jongin's pregnancy, that they had settled for a (human) surrogate instead, a part of Sehun is glad they didn't, because they wouldn't have been blessed with Jonghun in that case. Sehun hopes Baekhyun and Chanyeol don't notice him tightly gripping the camera as he watches Jongin skip towards the swingset with Jonghun rushing after him on stubby legs. 

It's not until Jongin calls Sehun over to give them a push that Sehun stands up (and nearly topples over as a result of both his legs having fallen asleep). Jonghun emits an excited squee upon seeing his father approaching, and Sehun playfully tugs on one of Jonghun's twitching ears before kissing Jongin's forehead. Whilst Baekhyun, Luhan and Chanyeol proceed to engage in a game of kickball with a soccer ball Luhan found in the bushes, Sehun gently pushes Jongin and Jonghun back and forth on the swing, and it's not until Jonghun bounces up and down in glee in Jongin's lap that Sehun moves to stand in front of them. Jongin places a loving kiss between Jonghun's fuzzy ears just as Sehun presses down on the button, and Sehun has to stop himself from screaming at the top of his lungs as he waits for the photo to finish developing.

"I wanna see, I wanna, see, l wanna see," Jongin squees and grins after Sehun holds up the photo in front of him (and out of Jonghun's reach after the latter tries grabbing it). "Don't drop it, okay??? I need it for--" Jongin is nearly knocked off the swing after Luhan accidentally kicks the ball right into the side of his head, and Sehun quickly picks Jonghun up before he can tumble to the ground. It's not until Jonghun bursts into tears that Jongin's ears flatten in hostility, and Chanyeol only blinks when Jongin proceeds to tackle Luhan to the ground as the latter walks over to apologize. They end up rolling around on the sandy ground for minutes, clawing at each other's faces and emitting loud hisses, seemingly ignoring Baekhyun repeatedly urging them 'not to argue in front of the baby' (after Jonghun proceeds to clap his hands in a fit of amused giggles). At one point, Chanyeol attempts to intervene, only to take a step back after Sehun sends him a look.

It's not until Luhan is suddenly struck with 'a genius idea' that he gracefully gets to his feet and brushes himself off. "I know the perfect way to make Jonghun the greatest tree climber on Earth!" he excitedly says (seconds after Jongin threatens his life for the eleventh time for scaring his child), tail swishing back and forth as Jongin looks up with a puzzled look.

Jongin sort of hates just how contagious Luhan's excitement is, because he soon finds himself scrambling to his feet whilst ignoring how wrinkled his blouse is. "Really???" he asks, eyes twinkling and ears twitching as he bounces up and down in anticipation (because if there's anybody Jongin knows he can trust when it comes to climbing trees, it's Luhan and Luhan only).

"Y'know you can trust me on that," Luhan says with an alarming amount of confidence before he points to the nearest tree, its green leaves rustling in the wind. He skips over to Sehun before asking to "borrow" Jonghun for 'just a sec', which Sehun (reluctantly) agrees to. Luhan skips over to said tree with Jonghun in his arms (which only has Chanyeol figuring that Luhan has never held a child before in his life, ever), Jongin following suit, before they come to a stop beneath the thick branches. In his fired up state, Luhan seemingly doesn't hear Sehun telling him to be careful with Jonghun from his spot ten feet away, and Luhan looks up at the large tree before nodding in satisfaction and turning to face Jongin. "Y'know how like, you wouldn't climb a single tree when you were younger since you were scared of being too high up and falling and dying and whatnot?" he asks before he goes on to remark how Jonghun's eyes reminded him a 'freakishly whole lot' of Jongin's, after Jonghun looks up at him. "Kinda weird to think that we used to look like this like, 20 years ago, huh?"

Jongin nods, and he suddenly recalls Sehun saving him from getting permanently stuck in a tree a little more than a year ago. He shivers as he tries not to think about how certain he was that he would ultimately fall to his death up until that point. "Yeah, so?" he mumbles, watching as Jonghun squirms in Luhan's grasp. His temple still aches, but Jongin restrains himself from decking Luhan in the face in fear of Jonghun getting scared again.

"So like, let's say he somehow inherited your fear of heights," Luhan says and gestures at the trunk with his free hand. "You wouldn't want him to climb his first tree at 23, would you?" He sends Jongin a knowing look after the latter only responds with a meek shrug. "Exactly. So like, why not teach him when he's young and fresh and stuff?? He'll get used to it faster that way, it's totally foolproof!" Luhan places a proud hand on his chest before sending Jongin a grin. "Well???"

Jongin blinks before he reluctantly bites his lip. "I dunno," he mutters, tail anxiously swaying between his legs as he watches Jonghun fuss. Even though the mere idea of teaching Jonghun how to be a basic cat at the age of twenty makes Jongin want to scream, he still finds himself shrugging. "What if...what if he doesn't like it?" he asks, scratching the back of his neck.

"Then you'll be saving yourself the humiliation of finding out when he's in his mid thirties," Luhan snorts before sighing impatiently. "It's basic logic, right??? I mean, my mother always said that all cats need to learn to climb trees like a fish needs water, it was like, one of the first things she told me after I came out of her-- Nevermind." He clears his throat, only to squawk when Jonghun playfully bites down on, and slobbers all over, his hand. Luhan goes on to talk about how much he hopes Jonghun's canines will grow 'nice and sharp, but not as sharp as his', before he huffs upon noticing Jongin's tail swaying in reluctance. "What do you want him doing in the near future, anyway???"

Jongin shrugs before he suddenly remembers what Sehun sat him down and talked about last month. "Sehun said Kindergarten-" He blinks when Luhan emits a loud scoff. "But he said it's dangerous to-- I mean-"

"You've told him that this is like, a bare necessity, right?" Luhan asks in exasperation, but he doesn't even give Jongin a chance to respond (or rather, nod) before he brushes a leaf off the top of Jonghun's head. "People and reason are like oil and water, anyway," he adds and eyes the milk stain on Jonghun's dark blue shirt, which is nearly camoflauged by the white stripes trailing across his torso. "You can't raise a cat without teaching it to be a cat, you just can't-"   

"But what if Sehun doesn't want us to??" Jongin blurts out before he turns around. He watches Sehun and Chanyeol helping Baekhyun retrieve the soccer ball from a nearby ditch before he turns back to face Luhan. Despite the hesitation coursing through his veins, Jongin figures, no, knows that Sehun will be proud after they teach Jonghun how to climb a tree before his first birthday (Not to mention Sehun won't be able to blame him for being irresponsible, since Luhan will be doing the teaching). "What if-- What if Jonghun doesn't want us to???"

"Dude, if anything, Sehun'll be proud," Luhan says, seemingly reading Jongin's mind as he throws his free hand in the air. "I mean, I doubt he'll have time to teach him anything since he's constantly wrapped up with work, anyway," he adds and Jongin fights the urge to remind him that Sehun won't be back at the office until February. After remarking how much heavier Jonghun has gotten since he last held him (which was ten months ago, twenty minutes after Jonghun was born), Jonghun eagerly paws at the wooden trunk with chubby fists, which only makes Luhan send Jongin a knowing smirk.

After Jongin's tail (inevitably) begins to sway back and forth in contentment, Luhan proceeds to stand on his tiptoes before lifting Jonghun above his head. As Jonghun flails his arms everywhere (and tickles Luhan's face with his tail, causing the latter to get a mouthful of black fur, much to Jongin's amusement), Luhan pouts after realizing that the branch is much too high up for him to place Jonghun on it. He goes on to curse his lack of growth hormones before he tucks Jonghun under his left arm, and Jongin feels his ears twitch in awe when Luhan proceeds to ascend the tree, with one hand, before Jongin can even blink.

The next thing Jongin knows, he's waving at Luhan from his spot on the ground as Luhan perches himself, and places Jonghun, on the branch. Jongin figures that Jonghun must have been born with an amazing sense of balance, because Jonghun doesn't even fall over once as he gleefully bounces up and down and tries catching insects nine feet above the ground. Even better, Jongin now knows that Jonghun isn't, in fact, acrophobic, which sort of makes Jongin want to leap for joy after Jonghun waves at him. As Luhan proceeds to scan the tree for any signs of birds and or squirrels, Jonghun grabs a bright orange leaf after it falls from one of the branches, before he stuffs it in his mouth and chews loudly.

Luhan proudly puts his hands on his hips, swinging his legs back and forth as his orange hair blows in the wind. "See? Didn't I tell you it'd work?" he chuckles, and it's not until Jonghun grabs his hand before swatting his palm (which Luhan interprets as a gesture of gratitude) that he grins. "I'm the best teacher you'll ever have, right?? Say it, say it, say it," he sing-songs, squishing Jonghun's chubby cheeks together with each word. "Think Sehun would agree to let y'all have like, a hundred more babies anytime soon? Y'know, so I can put my skills to good use." Luhan grins even wider as he looks at Jongin, who is sitting cross legged on the ground and playing with a few leaves. "What're you doing down there, anyway? Get up here!"

After looking up, and momentarily getting blinded by the sun, Jongin hums something in response before he resumes tearing the yellow leaf in his hands to pieces. He has no idea where Sehun (or Baekhyun) currently is, but Jongin is pretty much dying on the inside to show Sehun how great of a climber Jonghun is. It's not until Luhan asks him to climb up and join them for the sixteenth time, since Jonghun apparently misses his father, that Jongin gets to his feet. As he places a hand against the hard, uneven wood, Jongin realizes that has no idea how to tell Luhan that the latter won't be able to put his skills to use anytime soon, considering Baekhyun informing both Jongin and Sehun that male hybrids were solely capable of birthing once in their lifetime (due to the extraction of the entire sac during surgery, which Jongin would be lying if he said he understands), after Sehun worriedly questioned Baekhyun on the phone about the likeliness of Jongin becoming impregnated a second time (given that Jongin insisted on solely ing ever since the night of their engagement). Jongin recalls Sehun subsequently being both crestfallen yet utterly relieved at the same time, but he shoves the thought away before preparing to jump six feet, whilst Luhan reassures a fussy Jonghun that 'daddy's coming in just a sec'.

Except Jongin doesn't even get a chance to make it an inch off the ground before he whirls around to the sound of approaching footsteps, only to be met with the sight of Chanyeol frantically asking them 'what in the actual goddamn bloody hell they think they're doing with the baby' as he flies towards them. Luhan proceeds to scold Chanyeol for cursing in Jonghun's presence whilst Jongin merely plops back down on the ground, lowkey hoping Chanyeol might say something about how proud he is of Jonghun for being a natural born climber. Instead, Chanyeol goes on to panickedly tell Luhan to get Jonghun down from the tree 'right this goddamn instant before Sehun gets back', much to Jongin's surprise. After Luhan simply accuses Chanyeol of knowing nothing, since the latter isn't even "part cat", Chanyeol tries climbing the tree on his own, only to give up after questioning the sturdiness of the branch. The thought of it breaking off any second only makes Chanyeol that much more anxious as Jonghun paws at the hard wood with tiny fists (which Chanyeol would have found drop-dead adorable if Jonghun wasn't essentially trapped nine feet above the ground).

It's not until Chanyeol, in the darkest tone any of them has ever heard, eventually threatens to tell Luhan's mother about Luhan putting Sehun and Jongin's baby in danger that Luhan loudly huffs in defeat (since Jongin knows all about her variety of weird punishments). Chanyeol seemingly ignores Jongin's remark about tree climbing being healthy for cats before demanding Luhan bring Jonghun down to the ground. Although Chanyeol figures he probably should have specified that by 'bringing Jonghun down', he meant along with Luhan, and Jongin only watches as Luhan proceeds to lift a squealing Jonghun up by the back of the shirt like a newly caught mouse, dangling him in mid air before lowering him three feet down into Chanyeol's arms.

Chanyeol frantically holds Jonghun as close to his chest as he can, and subsequently checks every square inch of the latter's body for injuries, after Luhan hops back down on the ground. Jongin only blinks in surprise when Chanyeol proceeds to harshly shout at both him and Luhan for 'being so goddamn airheaded all the time' (which Jongin finds unfair, given that he personally doesn't think Jonghun looks all that scuffed up as the latter playfully tugs on Chanyeol's silver locks), to which Luhan only responds with a scoff. Jongin attempts to take Jonghun back from Chanyeol, and Jongin figures that all the yelling, combined with the intense heat, must be getting to him, because he feels his tail to swaying in agitation after Chanyeol shakes his head and says something about not trusting any of them with the baby until Sehun returns. It's not until Jonghun latches onto Jongin's shirt with grabby hands that Chanyeol sighs and carefully hands him over to Jongin, and Luhan definitely doesn't miss the way Chanyeol keeps a (very, very) close eye on Jongin as the latter cradles a squealing Jonghun in his arms.

Sehun and Baekhyun return a minute later (after finding Baekhyun a band-aid, as a result of him colliding with a tree branch whilst chasing after the ball), and Chanyeol only groans when Sehun praises Jongin and Luhan for not getting into any trouble while they were gone. They make their way towards the stroller, which thankfully hasn't been stolen, before Sehun removes the camera from around his neck and places it, along with the photos he took earlier, in the basket. As Jongin feeds Jonghun a handful (which soon, much to Sehun's dismay, turns into the whole bag) of animal crackers, Baekhyun sends them all an apologetic smile when the clock strikes half past one, signalling the start of his shift, and he quickly pinches Jonghun's cheeks before sending them all a wave and disappearing in the opposite direction.

"Can we play something else now?" Luhan asks as he skips next to the stroller, to which Sehun replies by saying something about Jonghun probably being too a little too tired. "But he doesn't look all that tired to me," Luhan huffs with a pout, only to beam after seeing a sparrow flying towards them. "Hey Jonghun, watch this!!!" He whirls around before jumping and grabbing it in mid air as it flies by. Luhan holds it up in front of Jonghun, who stares at it with twitching ears, and it's not until Luhan proceeds to tear it in two pieces, before biting down on them like candy bars, that Sehun attempts to distract Jonghun with his rabbit plushie. "I hope y'all saw that, by the way, cause that's how it's done."

It's not until Jongin repeatedly whines about wanting to go home that Luhan goes on to complain about how 'frickin' tired' Sehun and Jongin always seem to be nowadays, which is closely followed by Chanyeol informing Luhan that raising a child is, in fact, an around the clock job (at which Luhan fires back by telling Chanyeol that he wouldn't know unless he had children himself, which makes no sense to any of them). Luhan shrugs before he tells Jongin that he doesn't believe that Jonghun is actually tired, only to take it back when Jonghun bursts into a fit of tears after he drops his plushie on the ground. Jongin immediately scoops Jonghun up in his arms, gently cradling him as they make their way down the street (which is closely followed by Luhan's jaw hitting the ground after Jonghun, inevitably, stops crying in under a minute). Luhan asks to hold Jonghun, and Sehun misses the subsequent look on Chanyeol's face when Jongin places Jonghun in Luhan's waiting arms.

After they approach the busy intersection leading up to Sehun's house, Sehun makes sure to strap Jonghun in his stroller after seeing the cars rushing by (way over the speed limit). As Jonghun chews on the ear to his rabbit plushie, Sehun sees (and hears) Luhan impatiently slamming his hand against the call button before Chanyeol walks over and promptly puts a stop to it. Upon seeing the massive amount of people surrounding (and standing across from) them, Jongin frantically clings to Sehun's arm, as opposed to Jonghun, who Sehun repeatedly catches leaning forward, as much as the straps will allow him to, and grabbing the hems of people's shirts and shiny, silver pendants dangling from women's handbags.

While they wait, Sehun's gaze soon begins to drift, and it doesn't take long until he's staring at the thirty or so people standing across the road. Their faces are mostly forgettable, and Sehun is about to ask Jongin if he would be willing to prepare Jonghun's afternoon bottle before getting to work with the scrapbook, when his gaze suddenly stills. For a second, Sehun is unable to move, and he's suddenly glad that Luhan is busy bickering about God knows what with Chanyeol, before he swallows. Sehun keeps his head hung as low as possible, choosing to keep his eyes locked on Jonghun slobbering all over his plushie, but he soon finds himself lifting his gaze ever so slightly.

Over the sounds of incoherent murmuring and pedestrians shuffling about around them, it takes Sehun a moment to realize how tightly he's gripping the handles to the stroller as he continues to lock eyes with Jongdae. Even though there's a fifteen foot distance between them, Sehun clearly makes out Jongdae staring right at him (which is slightly difficult to tell, due to Jongdae's bangs covering majority of his eyes) with an unreadable look on his face. Sehun finds himself unable to look away even after Jongdae breaks eye contact, and Sehun is suddenly glad that there's an entire road (and hundreds of cars) separating them when Jongdae quickly lays his eyes on Jonghun, as the latter plays with his own tail in his stroller. Sehun immediately notices the way Jongdae scowls upon seeing Jonghun's twitching ears, and Sehun doesn't even notice that the light has turned green until a woman subsequently walks right into him from behind.

Sehun ends up practically flying across the road, glad he doesn't end up colliding with anybody (and that Jongin and Luhan are too busy racing each other across to notice) as the two clusters of people merge into one large mass of blurry faces. Sehun doesn't turn around until he's safe on the other side, just in time to catch a glimpse of Jongdae's jet black hair blowing in the wind, until he disappears into the incoming crowd of pedestrians rushing to cross the road. Sehun ends up staring off into space for what feels like an eternity, not even realizing how fast his heart is racing until he eventually lets out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding. Sehun figures he must have been standing in the same spot for a little longer than necessary, and it's not until a little girl runs up to him and hands him Jonghun's plushie, which the latter must have dropped in the commotion without Sehun noticing, that Sehun mutters a low thanks and jogs to catch up with Luhan, Chanyeol and Jongin.

"Just so y'all know, I'm an expert at looking after babies, so call me anytime," Luhan says with a grin after Sehun appears beside them, ignoring Chanyeol's irritated groan. "Y'know, you'd think Mom would insist on having more babies since Dad left, but it is what it is, I guess," he mutters before kicking a pebble out of the path. "By the way, when you two go on your Disneyland honeymoon thingymajig, I get full custody of Jonghun, right??? At least for a little while?" Luhan grins as he gestures at Jonghun, who is busy laughing at Jongin pulling funny faces behind the camera. "He's the calmest baby I've ever met, so it shouldn't be a problem!"

Sehun nods with a smile, not wanting to bring up the time he found Jonghun fussing in his stroller unsupervised whilst Luhan tore a few sparrows to shreds fifteen feet away, after Luhan claps his hands together in joy. Sehun shoves the thought away after Jongin tugs on his sleeve and asks what a honeymoon is, which Chanyeol explains to him after Jonghun, in an incoherent string of garbled baby noises, demands Sehun take a photo of him. Luhan absently tells Jongin that they should probably teach Jonghun the most important things in life, such as catching fish and spotting birds from a certain distance, before the latter's first birthday, which has Jongin squeeing with excitement (and Chanyeol shaking his head in exasperation).

---

"Look how cute he is!!" Jongin squeals after he finishes writing today's date underneath the picture Sehun took of him and Jonghun on the swings earlier. Holding it up, Jongin's eyes trail over his own hair blowing in the wind, as well as the tiny, dark blue shoes on Jonghun's feet (mere seconds before Jongin nearly suffered a concussion, which has his temple throbbing just thinking about it). After Jonghun begins fussing from his spot inside his playpen (where they would usually place him after he got a little too grabby), Jongin watches as Sehun retrieves a half empty bag of animal crackers from the pantry before he walks over and feeds some to Jonghun. "I wish I could get whatever I wanted just by crying," Jongin sighs with a pout, mostly to himself, to the sounds of Jonghun happily chewing away.

Sehun walks back to the stove, fighting the urge to remind Jongin that that's literally how it is (In fact, Sehun would even go as far as to say that that's how Jongin gets his way 90% of the time, but he decides to keep his mouth shut) before he resumes stirring the small pot with a spoon. "Don't forget there's still some film left," he chuckles after Jongin complains about there only being a single empty page left in the scrapbook. Sehun gives the milk a taste before turning the stove off and walking over to Jongin, who is busy carefully gluing the picture down on said page. "You're doing such a good job with all of this," he hums, ruffling Jongin's hair.

"You think???" Jongin grins, only to blush ever so slightly when Sehun kisses the back of his neck. "Don't be gross in front of the baby," he groans and swats Sehun's hand away (seemingly forgetting that he saw nothing wrong with loudly begging Sehun 'to let him sit on his lap and make him feel good' after he got up and sung Jonghun lullabies at two o'clock this morning, much to Sehun's dismay). Jongin ends up swinging his legs back and forth as he hums to himself, and it's not until Sehun walks back to the stove that he reaches for the camera. Thankfully, Jonghun emits a loud string of garbles just as Jongin snaps a photo of Sehun as the latter stirs the pot, and Jongin discreetly glues it inside the scrapbook before closing it, leaning back in his chair and stretching out his tail muscle.

After Jonghun begins to fuss a few feet away, Jongin gets out of his chair, careful not to step or slip on the sea of toys and stuffed animals scattering the floor as he makes his way across the room. A loud squeal of adoration leaves Jongin's lips after Jonghun frantically waves at him from behind the wooden bars, shaking the entire playpen as he eagerly hops up and down on stubby legs. It's not until he's carrying Jonghun towards the kitchen that Jongin notices that Jonghun's hands are entirely covered in drool, and Sehun pretends not to notice Jongin screaming internally when Jonghun reaches out and touches every square inch of Jongin's face.

Jonghun squirms in Jongin's grasp after seeing Sehun pouring milk into his bottle, and Jongin carefully sets Jonghun down on the floor before the latter rushes over to Sehun, tripping twice before he collides with Sehun's shin. It's not until Jonghun tries climbing up Sehun's leg (which has Jongin mentally praising Luhan's teaching skills), only to fail, that he hops up and down whilst eagerly tugging on the hem of Sehun's jeans. Jongin watches with stars in his eyes as Sehun sits down and places Jonghun in his lap, the latter nearly tumbling to the floor after trying and failing to grab the bottle from Sehun's hand. As Sehun wipes Jonghun's hands with a tissue, Jongin takes the opportunity to grab the camera, and he proceeds to snap fifteen (identical) pictures as Sehun feeds Jonghun, who is too busy practically inhaling his milk to notice the camera.

After a moment, Jongin's ears droop, since he figures Sehun has forgotten about him, only to beam after turning around and seeing the tall glass of milk sitting on the counter. With the camera around his neck, Jongin skips over to Sehun, glass in hand, before he moves into a cross legged position on the floor. Jongin watches Sehun bounce Jonghun up and down in his lap for a minute, as Jonghun clutches the sides of the panda shaped bottle with chubby hands. In his peripheral, Jongin notices the doors to the hallway closet sitting open, and it's not until he makes out Sehun's leather gloves peeking out from inside the top drawer that he suddenly finds himself thinking about how they're going to be spending Jonghun's first winter once December comes around in two months. Jongin easily imagines Jonghun, dressed in a puffy coat, winter hat and tiny mittens, running around the yard whilst he helps him and Sehun build snowmen. A low, whirring noise nearly makes Jongin jump straight through the ceiling in surprise, and it takes him a minute to come down from his shock before he looks down at his lap. 

Sehun turns his head to look at Jongin after hearing the (many, many) pictures develop, before he resumes feeding Jonghun. "I'm afraid that's it," he chuckles after Jonghun turns the bottle upside down after finishing every single drop of milk. Sehun kisses Jonghun's tousled, black hair after the latter starts fussing, before standing up and cradling him in his arms. "What have I told you about wasting film?" Sehun asks and shakes his head with a small smile, to which Jongin only responds with a sheepish chuckle.

"There's still a lot left," Jongin says, nearly spitting out his mouthful of milk from laughing after Sehun only sends him a look (because he, too, doesn't think that five pieces of film equates to 'a lot'). "And it's not a waste if they're all of you," he adds and misses the way Sehun blushes as he downs the rest of his milk and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. Jongin gets to his feet and stretches, figuring he must be a carbon copy of Jonghun, given their shared tendency to feel drop dead exhausted after consuming warm milk. Jongin watches Sehun cradle Jonghun for another minute before skipping over to the freezer.

Sehun only sighs after Jongin shamelessly throws the freezer door open. Despite what anybody, even Baekhyun, might say, Sehun still doesn't believe Jongin that all cat hybrids are obligated by hybrid law to consume strawberry ice lollies after drinking milk, but he doesn't even bother protesting when Jongin proceeds to rummage through the bottom drawer. "Just one, okay? You'll-"

"I won't spoil my appetite," Jongin whines before unwrapping the ice lolly in his hands. Up until Jonghun was born, Jongin hadn't eaten anything sweet (ever since the day they found out that sugar had a tendency to prolong his hormonal outbursts by at least two hours), so he figures he's obligated to make up for all the months he spent entirely sugar deprived before biting off the tip. As he chews, Jongin skips over to Sehun, who is in the midst of lulling Jonghun to sleep. "Can I???"

Not wanting another repeat of the time Jonghun experienced his first (five hour long) sugar rush (as a result of Jongin feeding Jonghun an entire ice lolly last week while Sehun wasn't looking), Sehun shakes his head and kisses Jongin's forehead after his ears droop in disappointment. If Sehun is going to be honest, he's surprised that Jonghun is even able to lie still, given all the crackers he ate earlier (and God knows what else Jongin and Luhan must have fed him at the playground). Jonghun soon falls asleep, and Sehun cradles him in his arms whilst he watches Jongin work on the scrapbook, surrounded by scissors and uncapped glue sticks as he hums to himself.

After gluing all fifteen pictures on the same page (some on top of each other to save space), Jongin brushes his hands together before beaming up at Sehun. It's not until Sehun asks him what he's planning on the very last page that Jongin grins. Even though he hasn't told Sehun, Jongin knew exactly which photo he'd be putting on the very last page before they even finished purchasing the scrapbook: their wedding photo, which Jongin has already planned out inside his head, and has him squeeing with excitement whenever he thinks about it. Jongin sees it in front of him every time he closes his eyes - him and Sehun standing at their (Disney themed) altar and posing for a photo just after getting married, whilst holding Jonghun (clad in a tiny tuxedo) in their arms. Jongin finds himself staring at his ring with twitching ears, not even realizing he's spent fifteen minutes daydreaming about the look on Sehun's face as the latter told him they'd be together forever (after which Jongin doesn't remember much, save for there being tears - a whole lot of tears) until his ice lolly is reduced to a red, goopy mess in his hand.

It's not until Sehun sends Jongin a funny look that the latter simply grins. "You'll see," he sing-songs before proceeding to his hands clean (which as Sehun grimacing in disgust). It doesn't seem to work, though, and Jongin hops off the chair and fetches the entire roll of paper towels. "It's a secret," Jongin giggles after Sehun raises an eyebrow, and he's thankful he didn't up spilling ice lolly juice all over the scrapbook as he wipes the table clean. "You're not supposed to tell-"

"Alright, fine," Sehun chuckles, voice laced with curiosity as he cradles Jonghun, who stirs in his sleep. His eyes trail across the sea of (mostly cat) toys and stuffed animals on the floor (which makes Sehun realize that he barely recalls what the floors and carpets used to look like without toys scattered absolutely everywhere) before he looks at Jongin. "But I'll find out sometime, right?" he asks with a wink in Jongin's direction.

Jongin closes the scrapbook with a nod. He figures that the only reason Sehun wouldn't find out is if they were to end up not getting married, which Jongin doesn't even want to think about as he throws his arms around Sehun's neck, nearly causing the latter to drop Jonghun. "Me and Luhan are gonna teach Jonghun how to play video games after you get back!!" Jongin squees, repeatedly poking Sehun's shoulder as they make their way upstairs. "Isn't that good???" he asks at least five times, and suddenly feels a wave of fatigue come over him. It takes every fiber of Jongin's being not to cling to Sehun's leg, since he figures tripping Sehun, and thus causing all three of them to tumble down the stairs and break their necks, wouldn't be a good idea.

Sehun hums low in his throat, resorting to carrying Jonghun on one arm and holding Jongin's hand with his free hand after the latter begins dragging his feet. "As long as you remember to change his diaper every now and then," he chuckles. At first, Sehun thought that there was no way his boss would let him bring Jonghun to work with him (at least until the latter turned two and started kindergarten) after his leave was up. However, it wasn't until they stopped by the office so Sehun could fetch a few papers, two weeks after Jonghun was born, that Jongin got the idea to hold Jonghun up in front of her. Given the look of pure adoration her face (even after Jonghun yanked her glasses off), Sehun figures that, for the time being, he probably won't need to worry.

"Fine," Jongin huffs before he skips into the bedroom, careful to avoid landing on one of Jonghun's bouncy balls after practically diving head first into the blankets. Stretching out his legs and tail, he rolls onto his side and watches as Sehun gently places Jonghun inside the crib. Jongin suddenly remembers Sehun telling him that Jonghun would (most likely) no longer be in need of his crib after he e, and Jongin excitedly thumps his tail against the mattress at the thought of him, Sehun and Jonghun all sleeping together in their king sized bed (or Sehun inside the crib, depending on how things turn out) in less than two months. "I wanna do that!!!" he exclaims way too loudly and races towards the crib.

Sehun watches as Jongin excitedly spins the baby mobile, which he had to remove after it came loose a few nights ago (and fell right on top of Jonghun, whose loud, wail-like shrieking had Jongin scrambling underneath the bed in a blind panic). "Careful, or it'll break again," Sehun chuckles and places a hand on Jongin's wrist. It's not until Jonghun falls back asleep that Sehun promptly shushes Jongin, after the latter goes on to squeal about how he wishes Jonghun 'would wake up already' so they can head to the petting zoo together. Sehun, on the other hand, just prays that Luhan won't be doing any teaching once they get there as he opens the window ever so slightly to give Jonghun some fresh air.

"Luhan said there's lambs there," Jongin says and flops back down on the bed (whilst Sehun hopes Luhan didn't mean it as a dinner invitation). Staring up at the ceiling, he goes on to think about how much fun they're all going to have (especially since Sehun promised he and Luhan could ride a few horses) as he listens to Jonghun stirring in his crib. Jongin lets his mind drift for a bit as he recalls the pride that swelled in his chest earlier, after Jonghun caught (and ate) his first butterfly. "Can we do it here??" he asks after a while, pointing to the empty space next to him after sitting up. 

Sehun sends Jongin a pointed look from his spot beside the crib. "I thought I said I wanted it quiet," he says but there's no bite in his voice, and he only shrugs (un)apologetically after Jongin squawks. It's not until Jongin asks him again, this time with those godforsaken doe eyes of his (which has Sehun looking away before he can cave), that Sehun promptly shakes his head (mainly because he doesn't want a repeat of last night's session, during which Jongin was reduced to a sobbing mess as he tried somewhat to remain silent, and Sehun still thinks it's a miracle that Jonghun slept through it all).

Jongin pouts. "I'm not that loud," he sighs, not even believing his own words, before Sehun goes on to explain just how grouchy Jonghun would be if they woke him up mid nap. Jongin lies on his side before eyeing their shared bedside table. Specifically, the top drawer to their bedside table, containing all six ultrasound copies from each one of their appointments. Jongin still feels fuzzy on the inside just thinking about the rush of emotions that flooded his system (and caused him to vomit, which he sort of hates) when the pretty doctor cheerfully told him 'that he was having a little one on the way', seconds before Sehun entered the room.

Feeling Sehun staring at him, Jongin reaches out and grabs the Eeyore plushie lying on the floor. It smells just like Sehun (even after a year), and Jongin doesn't even realize that he's kneading the soft, blue material until Sehun lies down next to him and his hair. Jongin fels sort of guilty as he abandons the plushie and rolls over, a wave of fatigue coming over him as soon as he nuzzles his face in the crook of Sehun's neck.

They both fall asleep to the sound of the baby mobile spinning in the gentle breeze, with Jongin resting his head on Sehun's chest and Jonghun tossing and turning inside his crib a few feet away.