Date of Disaster: October 2, 2033

 

“She…she’s mine?” He squeaked out as he stared at the woman who had been a friend of Chenle’s extended family and had agreed to be the surrogate mother of their child. “Really?” He asked again as he let his eyes wander to the tiny baby in his husband’s arms that was currently in a tiny towel and looked uglier than he could have ever thought new born babies could.

“She’s all yours, Donghyuck, both of yours,” Meilin - his child’s surrogate mother - breathed out in accented Korean before she sighed happily and leaned back into the bed. “You might want to name her already.” He nodded, staring at the tiny human who was currently crying as if the world was ending.

 

However, Donghyuck knew that his world was only beginning as he stared at his husband’s brilliant side profile - a simple sweater that was probably stolen from Donghyuck’s cupboard again - and the bright smile that was plastered on his husband’s face.

 

“Donghyuck, can we name her after Meilin?” Renjun suddenly asked him, causing him to flinch slightly before smiling and wrapping his arms around Renjun’s waist. “Is that alright with you, Meilin?”

“Do what you want with your kid,” Meilin whispered before the doctors told her to sleep to gain some energy as they cleaned up the blood to which she complied to. 

“How about Mei?” He suggested, smiling down at his daughter who cried even more. “Huang Mei?”

“I don’t even use my last name so why would you make her take my last name?” Renjun asked in exasperation, shooting him a slight glare before the other was turning towards the doctor who would fill out the baby’s certificate. “We’re naming her Mei. Lee Mei.”

“So she takes my last name?” He asked for confirmation, feeling a warm feeling spread in his stomach as Renjun rolled his eyes.

“She did come from your so…” Renjun shrugged as he handed over their daughter for her weight to be recorded alongside many other measurements to ensure that she was healthy. “Hyuck, we didn’t really think this through.”

“What do you mean?” He asked the other, furrowing his eyebrows at Renjun’s worried look since Renjun was the one who insisted that he wanted a child that would be theirs. “We both wanted this, Jun,” He whispered, wrapping his arms tighter around the other’s waist as Renjun’s bottom lip quivered.

“We…we’re parents now,” Renjun whispered as if it was a huge secret (it wasn’t since many of their friends were married with children - Mark and Eunji were living happily with twin sons while Jaemin and Jeno had a son of their own as well). “We’re…Mark-hyung and Eunji-noona are like the perfect hetero couple and Jaemin and Jeno are just so parent-like and-“

 

“Injunnie, breathe,” He said patiently, cutting Renjun off before he had the chance to ramble. “Mark-hyung and Eunji-noona have twins and are doing fine. Also, if it weren’t for Jaemin being a godfather, Jaemin and Jeno wouldn’t have a son either and they’re doing just as well as Mark-hyung and Eunji-noona.” He held Renjun closer and watched as Mei was delicately placed on a scale with bustling doctors that wrote the number on a piece of paper. “Plus, aren’t you happy? You have a loving husband and a crying daughter, now!”

“But…I mean…Hyuck, neither of us are female…” Renjun mumbled, cheeks turning a light pink in embarrassment as Donghyuck laughed at how ridiculous but adorable the other was being.

“I would hope not, I don’t like girls like that,” He said cheekily, laughing even more when Renjun glared at him. “But we do have a bunch of female friends and Eunji-noona so we’ll be fine.”

“But Hyuck-“

“You’re going to be the best father to her, Renjun,” He said softly, the sentence coming out so sincere that he was shocked at how much he believed that statement. “She may have my genes but I’m sure that she’ll come to have your personality.”

“I…Hyuck…”

“See, she wants you already,” He pointed out as Mei’s cries could be heard once more through that delivery room before a nurse was asking who would like to hold their daughter. Smiling wide, Donghyuck gestured for Renjun to take her and felt pride when Renjun smiled softly and shyly took Mei into his arms. 

 

~ ~ ~

 

Date of Disaster: July 24, 2034

 

“Dinner’s ready!” He heard Renjun call from the kitchen, quickly pulling his head away from where he was nuzzling Mei’s nose and hoisting her on his hip, smiling when she clung to him like a koala. “Hyuck? Mei?”

“We’re here,” He replied, giving Renjun a short kiss on the cheek before strapping Mei into her high chair as Renjun placed her bowl of baby food in front of her. “What’d you make?”

“Pork belly for us,” Renjun started, grabbing two more plates from the counter before coming back to join him at the table. “And some apple flavoured mush for the princess.”

“Sounds like Mei’s dish took the longest to make,” He joked, not resisting his urge to wrap his arms around Renjun and give him a slow yet loving kiss. “, I love you so much.”

“Language,” Renjun joked back, kissing his nose before wriggling out of his arms and sitting down on Mei’s right, mixing her bowl and coaxing her to open with soft words in Chinese. 

“You need to eat too,” Donghyuck stated as he put some pork belly in his mouth, humming in relief when the burst of flavour hit his tongue. “This is really good, Jun!”

“It really isn’t,” Renjun replied, turning his head away but not succeeding in hiding his smile from Donghyuck. Fondly, Donghyuck put down his cutlery and grabbed the bowl off Renjun to feed their daughter. 

“Grab a few bites and then we’ll talk,” He stated, smiling devilishly before holding his mouth open for Mei to copy (she seemed to stare at him in confusion and disappointment as if to say that she wasn’t that dumb). “Open up, Mei,” He chimed, humming a soft lullaby when Mei’s lips parted and she laughed. Shrugging, Donghyuck took the opportunity and placed the spot in , relief flooding his bones when his daughter didn’t choke or struggle to swallow. 

“Who knew that the day would come where I would see the Lee Donghyuck being soft for a baby?” Renjun asked himself, smiling softly at him while leaning on his left hand, right hand poised with his spoon and getting ready to grab another spoonful of rice off his plate. Donghyuck simply snorted in reply.

“Who knew that the day would come where I would be married to my crush of ten years and feeding my daughter?” He asked back, enjoying how Renjun’s cheeks became red and the older became quiet once more, shoving more food in his mouth as he thought of a reply. 

 

“Appa!”

 

The small cry that wasn’t meaningless baby babble shocked him, prompting him to turn to look at the baby (who wasn’t even ten months old yet) alongside Renjun. 

 

Donghyuck was met with the sight of Mei giggling before pointing to the bowl in Donghyuck’s hand.

 

“Appa!”

 

Bewildered, Donghyuck looked at the bowl before Renjun was rolling his eyes and taking the bowl off his hands with the spoon.

 

“She wants food, you idiot,” Renjun stated, scooping out some more mush and feeding it to Mei who eagerly ate the mush. 

“She…she spoke…” He mumbled, elation very quickly filling his body to the brim as he jumped out of his seat and hugged what he could of Mei without her choking. “Junnie, she spoke!”

“Um…yeah…that usually happens at around this age, Hyuck,” Renjun replied amusedly, wide smile resting on his face as Mei piped up once more.

 

“Baba!”

 

Screaming, Donghyuck quickly ran over to Renjun and cradled his head to his chest, knowing that the other would be touched at being called the Chinese equivalent to ‘father’. 

 

“Hyuck…she…” He heard Renjun mumble, his voice wavering and causing Donghyuck to hold his husband closer in an attempt to stop his husband’s tears (he was pretty sure that he only opened the dam even more).

“I know, Jun…” He mumbled back, tightening his arms around the older male as he felt his shirt slowly become damp. “I know.”

 

“Appa! Baba!”

 

“Hyuck!” He heard Renjun wail and pulled back to see tears streaking down Renjun’s face, so much happiness in his eyes that he looked just as beautiful as he did on their wedding day. 

“I know, Junnie,” He whispered, kissing Renjun’s forehead quickly after. “I know.”

 

“Appa! Baba! Food!”

 

~ ~ ~ 

 

Date of Disaster: August 2, 2034

 

“Seems like Minkyu and Minsoo like her a lot.” He hummed at Mark’s comment as he watched Mark’s twin toddlers stare at Mei curiously as she crawled around on the floor of Mark and Eunji’s home. The twins resembled Mark when he was child but had Eunji’s almond shaped eyes and soft jaw.

“She tends to have that effect on boys,” He replied, remembering the awestruck look that was on Renjun’s face ten months ago. “Especially cute ones.”

“Who has an effect on cute boys?” He heard a high pitched voice ask and turned to see Eunji in all of her glory handing them a plate full of fruit. “Come on, this is a party so we have to make it feel like one. Are you like this because Jaemin and Jeno are on holiday in Japan?”

“He probably is…Oh! Presents! Here’s our present!” He heard Renjun exclaim as he watched the other reach into the backpack that they had brought that carried all of Mei’s necessities before pulling out a small wrapped gift. “Happy 35th birthday, hyung!”

“Yeah, happy birthday, loser,” He said, earning a light slap from the older who had fallen victim to ten years worth of rants about his best friend. 

“This better be payback for having to listen to your sob stories,” Mark mumbled out, causing Donghyuck to glare and slap him back harder. “Thanks though.”

“Open it, hyung!” Chenle screeched from where he was on the floor, crouching next to the kids and teaching them how to play some random hand game. “Then you can open our one!”

“Yeah, it’s right here,” Jisung piped up, holding a small envelope as Eunji smiled and gestured for her husband to open the gifts. Watching intently as Mark opened up the small gift that they had gotten, Donghyuck couldn’t help but smile wide at the shock that coursed through Mark’s face when he saw exactly what was inside the box.

“Lee Donghyuck,” Mark hissed out, hands clenching the box as Renjun and himself were on the floor and laughing their asses off. “Why the did you get me this?!”

“Mark! The kids!” Chenle screeched, immediately wrapping his arms around the twins as Jisung patted Mei who was attempting to eat random balls of unknown substances off the floor. “Jisung! Don’t let her eat that!”

“What the- Crap!” Jisung exclaimed, hurriedly swatting the dirt out of Mei’s tiny hands and panicking when she began to cry. Donghyuck continued laughing as he got up and crawled to where his daughter was, sitting up and placing her on his lap while making funny faces until she let out a small giggle. Amused, he looked at Mark who was still seething beside a laughing Eunji with the box in his hands that read ‘Fluffy Handcuffs For All Those y Times!’. 

“Lee Donghyuck and Huang Renjun,” Mark hissed out, reflexes causing the older to address Renjun by the wrong name. Donghyuck saw his husband’s eyes light up with mischief at Mark’s words. 

 

“Who is Huang Renjun, Mark-hyung?” Renjun asked, sitting up and laughing as he showed off his wedding ring that matched with Donghyuck’s own, the simple band sparkling underneath the living room light. “I only know a Lee Renjun.”

“I will kill you.” Was the reply that Mark settled for, causing Renjun to stick out his tongue before retreating to Donghyuck’s side and kissing Mei’s forehead - much to her disapproval since the baby let out a high pitched whine, much like how Renjun often did when Donghyuck distracted him during his designing sessions.

“Open our one now, hyung!” Chenle screeched in a pitch similar to Mei, letting go of Minkyu and Minsoo as Jisung handed over the small envelope. “You’ll like it!”

“I’m freaking 35…I doubt I will,” Mark grumbled, opening the envelope and the contents making his eyes grow comically again. “Guys…you know we can’t…”

“Chenle…Jisung…we really can’t accept this…” Eunji joined in when she saw the contents of the envelope, staring at Chenle and Jisung in gratitude but also in guilt. “You deserve this much for your own child.”

“We’re looking for a surrogate and we’ve got enough money saved for us,” Jisung replied, sitting down next to his husband and patting Minsoo’s hair. “Plus, these guys have to go to school soon and we wanted to help.”

“Why? What did they get you?” He asked out of curiosity as Mei began to play with Renjun’s fingers, her small feet tapping his thigh as she sat. 

“It’s a print out of a transfer receipt of around nine hundred thousand won that happened this morning when we were busy preparing…” Mark replied, looking at Donghyuck in worry. “From Chenle and Jisung’s joint savings account to mine.”

“Chenle, Jisung,” Eunji started, sitting down on the floor with the youngest couple and patting their heads like the older sister she was. “We really appreciate this but we just can’t accept it.”

“I’m not refunding it,” Chenle stated childishly, furrowing his eyebrows as he pouted. Donghyuck heard Mark sigh from where he was on the couch, watching as the older got up and sat next to his wife in front of the two.

 

“Since you’re stubborn, I guess I have to accept it,” Mark sighed out, shooting a grateful smile at the both of them. “But how did you guys even get this much? The restaurant jobs don’t pay enough.”

“I’m a choreographer for idols now,” Jisung explained, shrugging while pointing at Chenle. “And he started a pretty popular Chinese restaurant chain.”

“Kun-hyung manages it and makes the menu,” Chenle stated, turning towards Mark once more. “I just learn the recipe and train others.”

“To think that the two youngest would be the most successful,” Eunji commented while shaking her head and cuddling Minkyu who had waddled over to her. On Donghyuck’s own lap, Mei had grown tired of playing with Renjun’s fingers and had begun to randomly pull at his shirt.

“Hey, what’s wrong, princess?” He asked, earning a bunch of happy blubber that Mei usually used when she wasn’t in her home.

“Appa! Kiss! Kiss!” He heard his daughter exclaim, chuckling at her before planting a kiss on her forehead, Renjun his fingers through his hair as he conversed with the rest of the adults. When he pulled away, he saw Mei pouting and giving him a disapproving stare that seemed to resemble Renjun’s too much.

“Don’t look at me like that,” He chastised his daughter who simply blinked at him with her chubby cheeks that resembled his own when he was younger. “Or you’ll end up always being mad like your Baba.”

“I am not always mad,” Renjun countered, scoffing at him before giving Mei a kiss of his own on her forehead. “And you’re beautiful, Mei. Don’t listen to your Appa.”

“Appa! Baba! Kiss! Kiss!” The baby screamed, clapping her hands and pulling at their shirts, bringing the fistfuls of fabric closer together.

“Guess we have to please the princess,” He commented before slipping a hand behind Renjun’s neck and leaning in to give him a sweet and innocent kiss, earning cheers from the baby in front of them.

“Can I not witness this kind of PDA at my own party?” He heard Mark complain, pulling away at the older’s words and sticking his tongue out. 

“We had to watch you and Eunji-noona be all disgusting when Minkyu and Minsoo asked for it,” He retaliated, tickling Mei shortly after and smiling when he heard her delighted laughter. 

“Minsoo! Minsoo!” Mei screamed, hopping off his lap and crawling to the twin who was currently being fascinated by Jisung’s large hand. “Play! Game!”

“Mei! It’s ‘Minsoo-oppa’!” Renjun called after his daughter, sighing when Mei ignored him and started to play a random hand game with Minsoo as Jisung watched. “She never listens to me…” He heard Renjun mumble as he felt the older’s head rest on his shoulder. 

“It’s because she’s too much like you,” He pointed out, chuckling at Renjun’s high pitched whine of disapproval that was followed by Mei’s own high pitched whine when she lost the game. “See?”

“Shut up,” Renjun stated, slapping his thigh and proceeding to create a thin line with his lips, hints of a smile showing.

 

~ ~ ~

Date of Disaster: November 25, 2034

 

“Baba! Appa!” 

 

Looking up from where he was reading the latest case file in the stacks of divorces that he had to sift through on the couch, Donghyuck caught sight of Renjun spinning Mei around in delight (like an idiot) in the middle of the living room. Mei was currently bubbling with laughter, loud squeals and giggles escaping her lips as Renjun continued to smile and spin - they truly were a beautiful sight. 

 

“You having fun there, Mei?” He asked amused, prompting Renjun to stop and let out a small laugh of his own as Mei nodded. 

“Meimei! Fun! Baba! Fun! Appa! Fun!” Mei shouted, the words coming out distorted but enough for both of them to understand, causing pride and joy to bloom within his chest.

“Nice to know you’re having fun, Mei,” He commented with a smile before sighing and looking through the stacks of paper that came with being a lawyer who specialised in family law. Where is that one file?

“Hey, you’ve been at that for hours.” He heard Renjun state gently, sensing the other sit down next to him after moving some papers and resting Mei in his lap. “You should take a break.”

“Is this your way of inviting me to a make out session?” He asked without thinking, not even sparing the other a glance but could tell that Renjun was rolling his eyes. He heard something - probably Mei - land on the floor and felt a frown rest upon his lips when he realised that he couldn’t find the specific document he needed to solidify his argument for the case. 

“You wish it was.” Came Renjun’s reply, the short words sounding like heaven and home but also words that must have been hard for Renjun to say for they were true - he knew that Renjun always had trouble with the truth. “Hyuck, you’re going to overwork yourself-“

“It’s okay, Jun,” He reassured his husband, finally tearing his eyes away from the streaks of black on white and giving his husband a small smile. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“I’m always going to worry about you,” Renjun stated with a small frown, causing Donghyuck to smile at how adorable Renjun looked in that moment and lean over to place a chaste kiss on the other’s lips. 

“You really don’t need to worry-“

 

“Appa! Baba!”

 

Both of them turned to look at their daughter who was a total age of one year and a month, her legs wobbly as she struggled to stay upright on them. Slowly, Donghyuck watched as one of her legs moved slightly forward, her weight stabilising it before the other leg did the same.

 

“Oh my god, Hyuck!” He heard Renjun exclaim and smiled wide, giving Renjun a peck on the cheek before he pushed away the papers out of his daughter’s way and crouched a few steps away from her.

“Over here, Meimei!” He called, clapping his hands in front of him and saw his daughter stare at the distance between them before something akin to fear passed through her eyes. 

“Meimei, you can do it!” Renjun called from where he was on the couch, giving Mei a little smile that must have encouraged her enough to bring her leg forward once more. It was the third time that she had brought her leg forward that she promptly fell backwards and landed quite harshly on her backside, the frilly dress that she was wearing spreading out around her like a blooming flower. 

“Eh, you can always improve,” He commented as Renjun rolled his eyes and got off the couch to attend to their crying daughter. 

“It’s okay, Meimei,” Renjun started to talk to their daughter, cradling her head to his chest as she continued to cry. “Appa is just being a bully.”

“I am not a bully!” He protested and looked at Mei with pleading eyes when she had turned to him at his outburst. “I am not!” Mei’s judging stare didn’t seem to change, no matter how many times he blinked and stared with those same pleading eyes. 

“Appa no catch Mei,” Mei mumbled, more tears forming in her eyes as both of her parents looked at her in confusion. “Appa, meanie.”

“Yeah, Appa is a meanie,” Renjun joined in, cradling Mei’s head once more and glaring at him until he sighed and put his hands up in surrender.

“Appa is sorry,” He replied flatly, watching as a little giggle erupted from the baby in his husband’s arms and Mei was pulling back to smile at him.

“Appa, okay!” Mei exclaimed before she was whining at Renjun to be lifted up, whining even more when Renjun lifted her off the ground. “Meimei try!”

“I think she wants to try again, Jun,” He stated, earning yet another eye roll from Renjun who was really about to pass on his bad mannerisms to their daughter. 

 

Before Renjun could reply, Mei was screeching and putting one leg in front of the other (albeit, tantalising slow but that didn’t stop the pride in Donghyuck’s chest from rising) until she collapsed in a heap in his arms, her head nearly knocking on his folded knees. 

 

“Meimei, good?” His daughter asked him, her little head lifting up to show curious eyes that resembled his, tanned skin that resembled his, full lips that resembled his…it was as if Mei had chosen to acquire his features instead of a mix of his own and Meilin’s when she was in the womb. 

“Meimei did great,” He replied, watching as Mei’s lips curved up into a smile and she squealed, turning around to shoot the same smile at Renjun who was making his way over to them. 

“Appa like Mei!” Donghyuck couldn’t help but chuckle at how adorable Mei was being in that one moment, savouring the way that Mei smiled up at them with so much happiness that he couldn’t bring himself to feel any other emotion despite having felt hopeless moments before surrounded by fallen trees. 

“Baba likes Mei too,” Renjun replied, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to Mei’s forehead and causing Donghyuck to stare at him in expectation, Mei still clutching onto his arms to stay upright. “What do you want?”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” He asked cheekily, tilting his head and sticking out his chin so that his left cheek was presented to Renjun. “Something very important?”

“The fact that I’m married to the dumbest person alive?” Renjun asked, quickly pressing his lips to Donghyuck’s cheek and doing nothing to stop his heart from beating in overtime. “I wish I could forget that.”

“You love me,” He replied smugly, feeling Mei hit his forearms to say that she was bored. 

“Sadly, I do,” Renjun said, smiling softly at him before tickling their daughter, Mei’s squeals and Renjun’s chuckles filling his ears and his heart with pure joy.

 

Maybe I can work on that argument for the case tomorrow.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Date of Disaster: August 16, 2038

 

“Mei, no!” He screamed in frustration, chasing the child around the apartment’s living room before catching her and slipping her shoes on. “You have to wear shoes.”

“Mei no like shoes.” He heard his daughter mumble and sighed at how much she resembled Renjun when he was caught doing something that he shouldn’t be doing. 

“I know but you have to wear them so you can go to school, okay?” He asked, keeping his voice gentle and chuckling as Mei grumbled and harshly put the tiny school shoes on her feet. “Come on, let’s get you to your first ever day at school. Baba will pick you up, okay?”

“Why Baba not here now?” He heard Mei asked him and patted her head as she took his right hand into her left, swinging them as they walked down the apartment’s stairs and towards their car. “Baba busy?”

“Yeah, he’s very busy right now,” He answered, praying that Renjun was doing fine. He vaguely remembered a stressed Renjun telling him that he would have to be at the company early so that he could do final edits for the latest forest design they needed.

“Appa pick me up later?” Mei asked, looking up at him adorably and he smiled, taking out a hat from her backpack and placing it on her head to block out the sun that was shining in her eyes. 

“No, Baba will,” He answered, fishing out his car keys from his pockets and unlocking the car, opening the backseat for Mei to crawl into. “I have to be at work.”

“Mei no like work,” Mei stated as he locked her seatbelt into place, her frown resembling his own whenever he had to do something he didn’t like. “Work steals Baba and Appa.”

“Without work, we wouldn’t be able to be with you,” He gently replied, kissing her forehead and closing the door after making sure her bag wasn’t going to fall off the seat. “Ready for school?”

“Ready!” He heard Mei chirp and smiled to himself as he adjusted his mirrors, carefully reversing out of his parking and driving down to the primary school where Renjun had registered Mei to be at. 

“Remember how to introduce yourself?” He asked, seeing Mei light up in the rearview mirror and sit up straighter in her seat.

 

“Hello!” She said, smiling wide before continuing. “My name is Lee Mei and I am five years old!” Mei exclaimed, holding up four fingers and making Donghyuck chuckle at her antics.

“Mei, that’s four fingers,” He said, seeing confusion appear on her face before holding out his hand that was not on the wheel and showing her the back of his outstretched hand. “This is five.”

“Oh!” He heard his daughter exclaim, seeing her hastily correct her hand before letting out a sound of accomplishment when she had successfully opened up her full hand. 

“Do you remember your Chinese one?” He asked, hearing Mei whine since he knew that she had struggled with the intonations of Chinese. It was at Donghyuck’s insistence that Renjun hired a tutor for Mei to learn Chinese since her surrogate mother and father were Chinese. 

“My name is Mei…I am five years old,” Mei slowly said in Mandarin, her intonations becoming better to the point where it didn’t resemble Donghyuck’s choppy Korean accent. “It is nice to meet you.”

“Good girl,” He praised, seeing delight overtake Mei’s face before the gate of the school before he pulled into a parking spot and got out of the car, making his way to the backseat. “Have fun at school, yeah?”

“Meimei want Appa to come,” Mei piped up when he undid her seatbelt and let her slide down to the ground, her skirt ruffling a bit as she put on her backpack. 

“Appa can’t go with you,” He replied, adjusting her hat once more before walking to the gate with her and kneeling in front of her. “You have to be strong enough to do this alone.”

 

“Hyung?”

 

The deeper voice surprised him, making him turn around cautiously only to be greeted with a very tall and very questioning Park Jisung. 

 

“Appa?” He heard a curious voice from a boy around Mei’s age ask, the boy looking up at Jisung who stared down at him in wonder. “Appa, who this?”

“This is actually your uncle, Junki,” Jisung told the child, pointing to Donghyuck. “This is Uncle Donghyuck.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” The boy said politely, bowing slightly with his strong Chinese accent before coming back up with a smile. 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Junki…right?” He asked, seeing the boy nod the tiniest bit and took in how the boy did not seem to be of Korean heritage - more importantly, there was no resemblance to Jisung or Chenle in his features. 

“I am Mei! I’m five years old!” Mei cut in, stepping forward and bowing politely as Junki did the same, albeit less enthusiastically. “We should go school now! Appa, bye bye! Tell Baba I say ‘hi’!” He heard Mei exclaim before his daughter took Junki’s hand in her own and ran inside the school gates, going to a teacher to probably ask where they were meant to be.

“I didn’t know you had a kid,” He said nonchalantly to Jisung who was still beside him. “Surrogate?”

“Adopted, actually,” Jisung replied, turning towards him with a small smile. “I was in China with Chenle when we got lost and found ourselves in the shady area. There was this e and she…god, hyung…she was begging us to take him because she didn’t want him growing up to be like her.”

“So…all paperwork is done?” He asked and saw Jisung smile mischievously, a certain glint in his eye shining. 

“His given Chinese name is Zhong Liu Jun but his given Korean name is Park Junki. He didn’t want to keep his old name and kept making a fuss when we called him by it,” Jisung explained, smile softening before he turned around and was bidding Donghyuck a farewell. 

 

~ ~ ~

 

Date of Disaster: August 30, 2038

 

“I don’t think this is right.” 

 

Those were the first words that he heard when he entered his apartment and saw his husband lying down on the couch in the middle of the day while their daughter was at school. Amused, he chuckled to himself and set took off his shoes, tossing his bag with multiple case files on the floor next to them before strolling over to where Renjun was. He carefully lifted Renjun up into a sitting position before taking a seat next to him and cupping his cheeks in his hands.

 

“Why don’t you think it’s right?” He asked, watching in concern as Renjun sighed and puffed up his cheeks in an adorable way that made Donghyuck’s heart soar. 

“I just…Mei is beautiful and everything but what if we can’t give her enough?” Renjun asked, worry evident in his eyes as Donghyuck felt himself become slightly angry at the thought of Renjun thinking that he had not been given enough. “Like, what were we thinking?”

“What do you mean? Mei is happy, I’m happy and I hope you’re happy too,” He replied, sliding his hands down to met Renjun’s own hands that were fidgeting in his lap. “Tell me if you’re not happy and we can change it.”

“It’s just…I don’t know,’ Renjun let out, frustration lacing his words as his eyebrows furrowed. “You’re busy with your cases and I’m always drawing…it’s like we barely give time to her. It’s like I barely give time to you.”

“Junnie, you give me everything,” He replied without wasting a second, sighing before he put his hands on Renjun’s waist and led him to straddle his hips. “You don’t realise it but you give me everything and I’m sure you give Mei everything as well.”

“I’m sorry.” He heard Renjun whisper, the older leaning down until his face was squished against Donghyuck’s neck and Donghyuck could feel every exhale that he performed. “I’m sorry for being like this.”

“Never apologise for this,” He comforted, rubbing slow circles on his husband’s back to soothe him. “Never.”

“I miss you.” He heard Renjun mumble against his neck, the fabric near Renjun’s face slowly becoming damp. “I know it’s stupid but I really do miss you. We haven’t really had a lot of time for just us two, you know?”

“Oh I know, alright,” He replied, carefully lifting Renjun’s head up and thumbing at his tears, smiling softly at the thought that the man in his lap - someone as perfect and savage as Renjun - was his forever. “I miss you too.” He watched as Renjun turned around and glanced at the clock on the wall above their TV.

“We still have over an hour until we have to pick Mei up,” Renjun stated, turning back and smiling sheepishly at him. “What do you want to do?”

“Anything as long as it’s with you,” He replied without thinking, pressing a light kiss to Renjun’s lips. “But I was thinking of watching another episode of ‘To The Beautiful You’.”

“I love you.” He heard Renjun say in reply and chuckled to himself, pressing another chaste kiss to the other’s lips and humming in content when Renjun began to kiss back. 

“I love you too,” He mumbled against the other’s lips, the kiss becoming hotter, sweeter and Donghyuck found himself needing more. 

 

Time seemed to blur, their interactions becoming a mess of hands on skin and lips on lips until an obnoxiously loud alarm resounded in the apartment, ripping their atmosphere to shred and causing both of them to groan and pick up their daughter.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Date of Disaster: October 2, 2039

 

Donghyuck didn’t realise how grateful he was for his friendship group in university stayed in touch until now.

 

“Happy birthday, Mei!” He heard Chenle and Jisung’s son, Junki, exclaim as the small boy gave Mei a ridiculously large gift. It had taken a while but Junki was finally starting to open up to the rest of them - it had only taken the first day at school for Mei and Junki to be inseparable. 

“Sorry it’s so big, hyung,” Jisung apologised as Chenle grabbed the present and set it where Renjun and Donghyuck’s own present lay. “Chenle insisted on making it big.”

“Wait until Renjun reacts,” He commented, already seeing Renjun staring questionably at the large wrapped gift. “How long do you think-“

“Chenle! I told you not to make it big!” Renjun screeched, rushing to Chenle and placing him in a headlock.

“There he goes,” He stated, smiling softly as he saw Renjun tighten the hold he had on Chenle’s neck.

“Yeah, I should probably stop him from murdering my husband,” Jisung mumbled, making his way over as Mei and Junki conversed quite animatedly. 

“Mei-yah! Happy birthday!” He heard a bright boyish voice greet and saw Minkyu run towards his daughter, enveloping her in a hug as Minsoo shook his head and quickly placed their gift next to the pile. The twins had grown up well and were still quite difficult to tell apart but Donghyuck knew that the more extroverted one was Minkyu and the more introverted one was Minsoo.

“Happy birthday, Mei-yah,” Minsoo greeted, settling for patting Mei on the head to which the younger whined. 

“Hyuck!” He heard a very familiar voice greet him and he couldn’t resist the smile that was settling on his face at that moment. 

“Hyung!” He shouted, greeting Mark with a hug since it had been at least half a year since he had seen the older. He had frequently seen Eunji but hadn’t seen Mark in a while since the older had been busy organising a lot of events. 

 

“Sorry for the ruckus,” Eunji apologised and he shook his head, glancing at Renjun who was currently having a conversation with Chenle and Minkyu. 

“It’s okay, noona. We’re just happy you could make it,” He replied, smiling at how they had decorated their small apartment for Mei’s sixth birthday party. “Thank you for coming.”

“No, thank you for inviting us, Hyuck,” Eunji replied easily, smiling her motherly smile before she was being called over by Mei as the doorbell rang - Mei had always had a liking for Eunji and Yeri despite Hina and Kouen being the ones who doted on her the most. 

“We have arrived!” Jaemin’s booming voice filled their apartment the minute Renjun opened the door for them, the shorter male promptly ignoring Jaemin and inviting Jeno and their son, Minho, inside. “Junnie, you can’t be mean! Minho, tell him I can’t be mean!”

“Happy birthday, Mei-yah,” Minho, a kid who was two years younger than Mark and Eunji’s twins, greeted, handing over a small gift to Mei who smiled and thanked him politely. “Ignore my dad, he’s just annoyed because he couldn’t listen to SNSD on the way here.”

“Minho!” Jaemin shrieked before Jeno was pulling him inside, hushed harsh whispers being exchanged between them and making Donghyuck revel in the feeling of being younger - the feeling of the time before he had been married to Renjun and was pushing the other to meet different types of guys in hopes that his best friend would be satisfied with someone else who wasn’t him since Huang Renjun would never be satisfied with him.

 

He had never imagined that he would be the only guy that Renjun would be satisfied with.

 

“Hyuck!” Jeno called, smiling wide as he gave Donghyuck a tight hug, Jaemin staring before joining in and jumping while laughing.

“I know, I’m happy to see you two as well,” He let out just as they were about to break apart, only to be stopped by Renjun joining in on the group hug.

“Thousand line hug!” Renjun exclaimed, pressing his tiny body more into Jeno’s side and placing more of his weight on all of them, laughter bubbling out of all of them. 

“Appa! Baba! Minyu-oppa and Minsoo-oppa want to play game!” Mei shrieked, causing all of them to break apart from one another. 

“It’s ‘Minkyu’!” Minkyu protested as Mei blinked up at them, completely ignoring the older male’s outburst. 

“She’s a lot like Renjun,” Jeno commented, causing Donghyuck to chuckle as Renjun hit his shoulder as hard as he could. 

“Yeah, she ignores people a lot,” Jaemin agreed, earning a hit as well from the Chinese male and causing Donghyuck to laugh even more. 

 

~ ~ ~

 

Date of Disaster: November 28, 2040

 

“You made it!” Chenle’s exclamation greeted them when they arrived at the other’s house, Mei holding Renjun’s hand as his own arm was wrapped around Renjun’s waist. He could see Jisung playing with Junki in the background, the small boy laughing and squealing Jisung showed him some popping dance moves. 

“We were just waiting for you, everyone’s already here,” Jisung said once he saw who was at the door, causing Junki to squeal in delight. 

“Mei! Mei” Junki shouted, running forward and grabbing Mei’s hand before dragging her back in the house and around a corner before a chorus of shouts and screams were heard. 

“Junki! Careful!” Jisung scolded, hurriedly running behind the corner as several other shouts from adults were heard - Eunji’s being the most piercing. 

“Let’s go meet up with the others, yeah?” Renjun proposed, not before ruffling Chenle’s hair in affection and inviting himself into the house, leaving Donghyuck to smile in apology before doing the same. 

“They’re just in the lounge,” Chenle called after them, his footsteps heading towards the kitchen to probably grab some snacks for them. When Donghyuck and Renjun entered the lounge area, hand in hand, they were met with the sight of Jisung lying down on the floor with all of the kids on top of him. Minkyu and Minsoo were sitting on one of Jisung’s legs each, laughing so much that they were clutching their little stomachs, as Mei and Junki were currently fighting on top of Jisung’s chest with Minho sitting on Jisung’s stomach and watching everything with curiosity.

“No! He’s my Appa!” Junki shouted, yelping when Mei pushed him and they both toppled off Jisung’s chest, landing in a heap on the floor.

“But I want him!” Mei shouted back, groaning when she stood up only to dive and attack Junki once more. Doghyuck secretly thanked Renjun who had dressed her in some loose jeans and a shirt as opposed to his idea which was a dress. 

“You can’t have him! You have your own Appa!” Junki protested, hitting Mei right back and doing nothing to quell their fight. Donghyuck wondered why the kids were allowed to do something like this until he looked towards the couch area where the adults were all laughing and leaning on each other for support. Eunji and Mark were both leaning towards each other, giggles erupting from their lips, as Jaemin filmed the ordeal with Jeno shaking his head fondly at the fiasco.

“What on earth is going on?” He heard Renjun exclaim, watching as his husband rushed forward to pry his daughter off Jisung and Chenle’s son. “Did you start this Mei?” Renjun asked in a low voice, causing Mei to freeze and frantically shake her head. 

“What was going on?” Chenle’s question came from the entrance of the lounge area, Junki’s eyes lighting up at the sight and making him rush over to Chenle. 

“Baba! Mei wants Appa!” Junki shouted, clutching Chenle’s leg and hiding behind him, glaring and Mei who looked offended. 

“Your appa is cool! And han…han…Baba, what was the word?” Mei asked, turning slowly to Renjun who raised an eyebrow in amusement and patted her head. Donghyuck felt a smile tug at his lips at the sight.

“I think you mean ‘handsome’, princess,” Renjun replied, running a hand through her loose shoulder length hair. “But that doesn’t mean you should start attacking Junki.”

 

“Mei wanted marriage!” Minho piped up, still sitting on Jisung’s stomach, bouncing slightly with every word as Jisung stared at the kid in wonder. “Mei wanted to marry Jisung!”

“Minho,” Jaemin chastised before the kid bowed his head and mumbled a soft ‘Uncle…Jisung’. Donghyuck watched as Minho slid off Jisung’s stomach and ran to Jeno who immediately shook his head while smiling and comforted the child, staring at Jaemin who eventually sighed and whispered something to Minho. 

“Why did you fight back, Junki?” He heard Chenle ask his son who pouted and clung even tighter to Chenle’s leg as Jisung sat up. Donghyuck couldn’t help but feel amused at the whole situation.

“My Baba, my Appa,” Junki said seriously, causing all of the adults, including himself to erupt in laughter once more. Smiling in amusement, Donghyuck made his way over to where Jaemin was sitting next to Jeno and Minho on the floor, setting himself beside them and watching as Renjun pinched Mei’s cheek.

“Mei, you can’t want to marry people this soon,” Renjun lectured as Mei whined and hit Renjun’s wrist numerous times with her small palms. “What did we say?”

“Books before boys,” Mei mumbled once Renjun released her cheek, her right hand coming up to massage the reddening area. 

“And you can’t marry someone who already has someone,” Renjun continued, leaving Donghyuck to watch as his husband knelt down and looked at Mei in the eyes. “Your Uncle Jisung already has someone he loves just like your Baba and Appa, okay?”

“No, he doesn’t,” Mei disagreed, frowning slightly. “Baba and Appa love each other more than any other…two people. Baba and Appa are special.” Okay, that’s pretty heartwarming. 

“And you’ll find someone special too, Mei,” He cut in, after seeing Renjun freeze in shock with his mouth slightly open. “Just not now.” He heard Mei whine and saw her run towards him, burying her head in his stomach as he ran his fingers through her hair. 

“You have to apologise, princess.” He heard Renjun whisper once the older had come close to them and knelt down beside his sulking daughter. “Come on, say sorry to Junki.”

“Sorry,” Mei huffed out, her face still against the fabric of Donghyuck’s shirt. 

“Do it properly,” He coaxed, letting Mei lift her head and take a deep breath before turning towards the one who she had just fought with.

“Sorry,” Mei huffed out again, tone still the same as Junki stepped out from behind Chenle.

“It’s okay,” Junki whispered, slowly walking forward and sticking out his hand to her. “Friends again?”

“Best friends again,” Mei corrected him, shaking his hand before tackling him in a hug.

“You know what I realised?” He heard Renjun start from beside him, humming to indicate that he was listening. “She’s a lot like you in fights. Sulky, petty, actions first and think later…”

“She’s a lot like you when she whines,” He shot back, looking to the side to see Renjun’s judgemental face. “She judges, she glares and she- ow!” Pouting, he cradled his shoulder that Renjun had just abused, furrowing his eyebrows as Renjun chuckled at him and kissed his pout. 

“Mark-hyung…Eunji-noona…can your twins please get off me?” Jisung asked from where he sat on the ground with each twin on each leg. “I can’t feel my legs.”

“I think they’re comfy, Jisung-ah,” Eunji replied, chuckling when Jisung groaned and looked at Mark who shrugged in response.

“They just do whatever they want,” Mark explained, laughing along with Eunji as Jisung sighed and laid back down on the ground.

 

“So who wants a video of Mei saying that she wants to marry Jisung?”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Date of Disaster: May 14, 2041

 

“I am personally offended.” He heard the woman opposite him state as she stared at Mei who was sitting next to him. Beside her, Renjun simply looked confused in that small cafe - the same one that they frequented at before they were married.

“Meilin, you helped give her life and we can never be more grateful,” Renjun said, putting his arm around Meilin who hadn’t been able to visit them since Mei’s birth. “Thank you.”

“Oh no, it’s not because of that,” Meilin assured them before pointing to Mei who was staring at her in confusion. “She looks nothing like me. That’s offending.”

“How?” He asked, sensing Mei’s confusion when she glanced between the three of them, a napkin between her teeth. 

“I don’t know…it’s like she doesn’t have any memory of me…not even any genes,” Meilin explained, shrugging before staring at Mei who blinked owlishly. “I find it a bit sad.”

“Are you my Mama?” Mei asked in Chinese, her grasp of the language being more prominent than before and the Korean accent barely being heard. 

“Something like that,” Meilin replied sadly, smiling slightly at his daughter as Mei sat up straighter with an outrageous and childish thought in mind. 

“I want you to be my Mama,” Mei declared, Korean accent slipping out more due to nervousness and Donghyuck found himself Mei’s head to ease her bundle of nerves. “Will you be my Mama?”

“I can’t be your Mama,” Meilin replied, shaking her head as Renjun frowned at her. 

“You can be,” Renjun stated, frown widening when Meilin shook her head.

“I think you should be,” He piped up, sticking to Korean since he wasn’t that confident in his Chinese despite his husband being Chinese. “Mei needs a constant female figure and Renjun and I can’t provide that for her.”

“Not all women are nurturing,” Meilin protested, shaking her head and smiling sadly at Mei who frowned. “Not all children like me.”

“I do!” Mei shouted, putting her palms on the table to emphasis her point as Donghyuck smiled slightly at how fierce she was - he knew that she got that aspect from him. “I really do!”

“You barely know me,” Meilin replied and Donghyuck couldn’t help but see how Meilin seemed to want to be Mei’s mother-figure. 

“I can get to know you!” Mei insisted, pulling out a chuckle from Donghyuck himself.

“She’s pretty stubborn,” He stated, smiling slightly at Meilin who raised an eyebrow at him. “And if you want to, she’ll be more than happy to have you.”

“Mama is pretty!” Mei piped up, leaning across the table even more. “Very pretty!”

“You can’t compliment me and expect me to be your mama just like that,” Meilin stated, causing the child to pout and whine. “God, she’s just like you, Renjun.”

“Why does everyone say that?!” Renjun exclaimed, groaning in frustration and leaning back in his seat fully. 

“It’s true, you have to admit that at least,” Donghyuck replied, his husband’s groan replying to his statement. 

 

“Okay.” He heard Meilin say softly, a very small smile on her lips as a wide smile broke out on his daughter’s face. He felt a smile tug on his own lips and saw Renjun who was smiling brighter than the sun yet again. 

“Really?” Renjun asked for confirmation, probably not realising that Meilin was very unlikely to pull out.

“Yeah, really,” Meilin replied, smiling at all of them so wide that she looked just as radiant as the brightest star in any sky. “You two haven’t had a break for eight years now…you guys should have some time to yourselves.”

“Thank you,” He whispered, feeling Mei tap his arm and bringing her to sit in his lap. “It really means a lot.”

“So you’re my Mama now?” He heard Mei ask and saw how Meilin’s smile simply brightened in response, eliciting the the same response from his own daughter and Renjun. “Mama!” Donghyuck couldn’t help the fond laugh that had come out from within him, hurriedly giving Mei a light kiss to which she squealed at. 

“She’s so cute…” He heard Meilin mumble and smiled warmly at her, seeing the resemblance in Meilin and Mei. 

“She is, just like you,” He replied, seeing Meilin and Renjun’s confused faces staring back at him. “She has your smile.”

“Now that you mention it…she does!” Renjun agreed, dramatic gasp being heard as he pointed to his eyes. “Your eyes give off the same energy when you’re really happy. It’s like…it’s like you’ve been given all the answers to everyone’s problems in the world.”

“I…I’m happy you think that,” Meilin said shyly, lowering her eyes just before Mei let out an inhuman shriek.

“Mama! Don’t be sad!” Mei shouted, banging on the table with her hands once more. “Mama should be happy! Like Mei! Like Baba! Like Appa!”

“It’s okay, baby,” Meilin whispered, reaching across the table to press Mei’s small nose. “Mama is happy because she can now get to know you.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Date of Disaster: July 7, 2041

 

“Hyuck…” 

 

His husband’s small mewls and whispers gave him all the energy he needed to keep giving him what he wanted - a searing kiss here, a slow and tantalising there. The gasps were all he needed in that one moment and he knew that Renjun was being especially pretty for him in that one moment, making a show since it had been a while since Mei and Meilin went out together.

 

“So pretty, Jun,” He mouthed against the elder’s skin, letting his hands wander lower than before and relishing in the warmth that he was greeted with. “So good for me.”

“Only for you, Hyuck.” He heard Renjun whisper breathily before he gasped at a specific feather light kiss that Donghyuck had pressed to the sweet spot that he knew so well on Renjun’s neck. “…more…” Chuckling, Donghyuck pulled away and let his forehead rest on the other’s, their noses brushing and their breath mingling together. 

“We’ll get to that, baby,” He whispered, letting his eyes rake over the image of Renjun covered in a thin layer of sweat, his button up shirt for work undone and revealing his smooth skin that looked so enticing to Donghyuck in that one moment. Without wasting another breath, he leant down to capture the other’s red and swollen lips once more, humming when Renjun eagerly kissed back with just as much vigour. 

“I love you so much.” He felt Renjun mumble against his lips, bringing a hand to tangle his fingers in Renjun’s hair to show how much he loved him as well. “Hyuck, I love you.”

“I love you more,” He whispered, pressing a trail of kisses down to Renjun’s collarbone that he found so pretty and biting it lightly, smiling at the tiny gasp that escaped the man beneath him. “So much.”

“Hyuck, please.” He heard Renjun whine, the other’s fingers reaching to tangle themselves in his oversized sweater that he probably stole from Jisung years ago. “I need you.”

“As you wish,” He teased, lightly trailing his fingers on Renjun’s chest and stopping only when they reached the button of his work pants. “Anything for you.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Date of Disaster: September 1, 2045

 

“Appa, I think I need more art supplies,” Mei said in greeting when she arrived home from school, Renjun walking through the door shortly after and tossing his keys on the coffee table in the living room.

“We’ll get some more on the weekend,” He replied, smiling at her and sticking out his left cheek for a greeting kiss as he cleaned the kitchen after putting a cake in the oven. “Forgetting something?”

“The fact that my dad is very stupid?” Mei asked, smirking but kissing his cheek shortly after. “I wish I could forget that.”

“You’re too much like your Baba,” He complained, furrowing his eyebrows as Mei laughed brightly, her laugh resembling Meilin’s own - the thought made him smile.

“It’s because I’m the better one out of us two.” He heard Renjun state, the other sneaking an arm around his waist and pressing a greeting kiss to his lips. “Admit it.”

“Never in my life, Huang,” He shot back, seeing a glint of mischief flash across Renjun’s irises. 

“Don’t know a Huang, only a Lee,” Renjun replied, pressing a light kiss to his nose before sliding towards the fridge and pulling out the carton of milk. “Get me my tea bags, will you?”

“I’m not your slave,” He stated, handing the box of tea bags anyway since they were in reach, Mei smiling softly at them. “What’s got you looking like that?”

“Nothing,” Mei sang, sitting on a counter stool on the opposite side of the bench. “Just wondering what it’ll be like to love someone like how you two love each other.”

“Are you kidding?” Renjun asked, scoffing and pointing at him with a tea bag. “I hate your Appa’s guts.”

“That’s not what you were saying last night,” He retaliated, earning a groan from Renjun and a bright laugh from Mei, her long hair swishing around her prettily with every shake.

“Hyuck! There’s a child here!” He heard his husband scold and raised an eyebrow at him.

“She’s old enough to make jokes like that,” He defended, sending a wink to Mei who gave him a finger heart in return. 

“No, me! I’m the child!” Renjun shouted, huffing and angrily pouring some milk into his tea. “Honestly, one would think that my husband would be caring and-“

“Okay, I’m sorry, I love you,” He quickly apologised half-heartedly since Renjun was adorable while mad but also painfully annoying. He rushed to drop the towel he was using to clean and wrap his arms around Renjun’s waist and resting his chin on the other’s shoulder.

 

“…forgiven.” He heard Renjun mumble and smiled wide, pressing a light kiss to his husband’s jaw and going back to clean the kitchen bench with his towel. 

“See! Exactly like this!” Mei pointed out, her fingers tapping on the kitchen bench. “Mama hasn’t found anyone yet and-“

“I thought Yangyang-ge was courting her?” Renjun asked, staring at him in confusion as he thought back to a conversation where Meilin vaguely said that she found Mei’s private Chinese tutor, Liu Yangyang, funny. 

“Last I heard, he was,” He replied and glanced back at Mei who had open in shock.

“I had no idea! Oh my god!” His daughter exclaimed as she fished her phone out from her pocket, earning a slight chuckle from himself and his husband next to him. “I am so setting them up!”

“How?” He asked, seeing a devilish smile spread across his daughter’s face while she tapped frantically on her phone. 

“I’ll tell Mama to go shopping with me but I’ll tell Liu-xiansheng that I want to meet up at a cafe!” Mei narrated, locking her phone with ease and widening her wicked smile even further. “Then BOOM! Together!”

“I don’t think it’s meant to work like that…” He mumbled, laughing sheepishly as Mei rolled her eyes.

“And what would you know, Appa?” Mei asked, narrowing her gaze at him. “Baba told me that it took ten years for just one of you to confess!”

“Okay, in my defence,” He started, dropping the towel again and pointing at his preteen daughter. “Your Baba is probably better off with someone else so sorry for wanting my best friend to live his best life!”

“I’m living my best life now, .” He heard Renjun state, the feeling of something weighted - Renjun’s head, probably - resting itself on his shoulder. “I can’t ask for more because I have everything now.”

“Like?” He prompted, earning a look of disgust on Renjun’s face. “Come on! You know I’m awesome!”

“Appa, you’re just an idiot,” Mei stated, giving him a stare of disapproval that he glared at.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Date of Disaster: February 14, 2049

 

“Happy Valentines Day,” He whispered to his husband who was currently curled up against him on the couch, Renjun’s back pressed flush to his chest as a Chinese drama (Meteor Garden was what Renjun called it by) with Korean subtitles played. 

“Happy Valentines Day, baby,” Renjun whispered back, his hands covering Donghyuck’s own where they met in front of his stomach. “This is the best.”

“Cuddling and watching Chinese dramas from our late teens?” Donghyuck asked, resisting the urge to outright laugh at the situation. “Your standards must be so low.”

“I meant spending time with you, idiot,” Renjun retaliated, slapping his hands and causing Donghyuck to laugh and tangle their legs even more. He shoved his face into Renjun’s neck and let out a breathy laugh just as the door opened to show Mei holding a bouquet of roses. 

“I’m home,” Mei called, dropping her bag near the couch before promptly sitting on their hips that were protruding because they were on their sides and facing the TV. He groaned in sync with Renjun, promptly shoving his daughter off who was quite heavy since she wasn’t a five year old kid anymore - she had grown more beautiful and was starting to resemble Meilin’s figure. 

“Why do you have a bouquet of roses?” He heard his husband promptly ask once Mei was off them and standing in the middle of the living room as they continued to cuddle, the roses were shyly pressed to her chest as she smiled.

“A guy gave them to me,” She replied quietly, faint pink dusting her cheeks as tried her best to hide behind the red flowers. “He was super cute.”

“Was he?” He asked, trying his best to hide his disappointment since he really wanted Mei to get together with Junki, her best friend, since it was obvious how much the other adored her. However, Mei was just as oblivious to Junki’s feelings as Renjun had been with his. 

“Yeah, he’s friends with Minkyu-oppa and Minsoo-oppa too!” Mei exclaimed, biting her lip lightly before she took a deep breath and looked at them in the eyes. “Appa, Baba…the guy who gave me these…it was Junki-yah…”

 

Donghyuck swore that he hadn’t felt more relief in his entire life than in that one moment since he knew that Mei would be taken care of well. 

 

“Finally!” He shouted, smiling wide like an idiot as Renjun gaped like a fish out of water.

“Jun…Junki?! As in…as in Park Junki?! As in Chenle and Jisung’s Junki?!” Renjun asked as Mei nodded along to every single question.

“Baba, I like him so much and he’s just like,” Mei started, taking a break but settling for a scream after her sentence to describe her feelings. “You know?”

“Oh yeah, definitely,” He replied instead of Renjun who was still trying to process the fact that their daughter liked her best friend. 

“But like…that’s Junki!” Renjun shouted, weaselling his way out of Donghyuck’s hold and standing up to grab Mei’s shoulders. “How long?!”

“Um…a few months now?” Mei asked, shrinking away and prompting Donghyuck to stand up as well and calm his husband down. Placing a hand on Renjun’s shoulder, Donghyuck carefully guided him to take a step back before smiling wide at Mei.

“He’s been waiting for a year, you know,” He stated, seeing her eyes widen in shock and chuckling at the action. “I was really shipping you two together.”

“Appa!” Mei whined, hiding behind the flowers once more just as he laughed and held his free hand out, the other still resting on Renjun’s shoulder. “Let’s find a vase, shall we?”

“But she’s too young!” Renjun shouted, glaring at Donghyuck before tearing his eyes away and pointing at Mei. “You’re way too young!”

“You were going on disaster dates at that age,” He defended his daughter, slapping Renjun’s back lightly before walking into the kitchen to find a suitable vase. “You have no right to say that, Renjun!” He shouted when he stuck his head into one of the bottom cabinets to look. 

“But…but!” Renjun exclaimed, footsteps becoming quicker before they stopped right next to the cabinet that he was searching. “They’re both too young!”

“They really aren’t,” He reasoned, sticking his head out to see Renjun’s disapproving stare, his fringe falling down and leaving Donghyuck to catch a glimpse of his husband’s rarely shown forehead. “They’re not getting married at fifteen. Plus, it’s Junki. That boy is too precious for this world.”

“I still don’t think they should date,” Renjun mumbled, frowning down at him. “What happened to ‘books before boys’?”

“Let her have some freedom,” He insisted, standing up and closing the cabinet’s doors. “You don’t want her to wait ten years like we did, do you? Do you want her to have as many disaster dates as we did as singles?” He watched as Renjun’s face scrunched up in immense dislike, a sound of disgust escaping his throat. “That’s what I thought,” He mumbled, flicking his husband lightly on the forehead.

 

“So…I can go on a date with him?” Mei asked, bouquet in her right hand as she held a vase carefully in her left one. “Because he also asked if I was free tomorrow…”

“Depends on where you’re going,” He stated, crossing his arms as Renjun nodded along, face grave and serious. 

“We were going to go to the movies…” Mei trailed off, glancing between them when they both brought their hands to their face in frustration. 

“How goddamn basic,” He let out, sighing and shaking his head as Renjun did the same.

“This generation really has no hope…does it?” Renjun asked, shaking his head even more before they exchanged a look and both giggled at the terrible choice of a first date. 

“Hey! Mama and Liu-xiansheng’s first date was the movies!” Mei argued, pointing the bouquet of flowers in their general direction. 

“And look at where they are now,” He wistfully said as Mei and Renjun looked at him in confusion.

“Hyuck…they’re married,” Renjun stated, a look of disbelief on his face as Donghyuck froze and sighed.

“Okay, not my best argument but that sounded better in my head, okay?” He let out and worried that their eyeballs would become permanently stuck from how hard both of them rolled their eyes. 

“Either way, Junki-yah is cute and I want to give him a chance,” Mei stated, pouting and holding on tighter to her bouquet. “So can I please go with him to the movies tomorrow?”

“As long as you don’t reach for popcorn at the same time,” Renjun stated and Donghyuck couldn’t help but feel shock at the innocence of the apparent ‘worst-case scenario’ that his husband had thought of. 

“That’s what you’re worried about?” He asked, scoffing in disbelief when Renjun slowly nodded to show how serious he was. “I was thinking more long the lines of ‘as long as you don’t make out when the lights go out’ but you know…apparently that isn’t the worst thing that could happen because touching while grabbing popcorn is worse.”

“Do I need to remind you that you slapped me in the face because you touched my hand when we went on a movie date?!” He heard Renjun shout and laughed sheepishly at the memory of panicking when Renjun’s hand brushed his while reaching for popcorn that he had been holding and, subsequently, hitting the older in the face when trying to smoothly jerk away. 

“So can I go or not?” Mei asked, obviously fed up with their quarrel. Glancing at each other and smiling, Donghyuck couldn’t help the quickening of his heartbeat when they answered in sync.

 

“No.”

 

Mei’s groan was about the funniest thing that they had heard all day, possibly that entire year. 

 

~ ~ ~

 

Date of Disaster: February 15, 2049

 

“How was the date?” He asked when Mei came home, looking up from his case files just to see that Junki had arrived with her. “Oh…hi, Junki. Renjun’s still at work.”

“Good afternoon, Mr Lee,” Junki cheekily greeted, bowing politely before they all erupted into laughter. 

“Cut the formalities, Ki!” He exclaimed, laughter bubbling between his words as Junki and his daughter laughed along. “But seriously, I will kill you if you break her.”

“I would honestly let you,” Junki replied, smiling charmingly - just like how Chenle smiled whenever he wanted something - before Mei grabbed his arm and started dragging him to her room.

“We’ll be in my room!” Mei called as she dragged herself and her boyfriend-to-be to her door.

“Door open!” He shouted, smirking when Mei let out a sigh of frustration and Junki simply laughed at them.