Seven

***

“Dad! Hyung! I can’t breathe.” Mark whined when he woke up in the morning. At first, he was confused because this was clearly not his room but then he remembered the storm yesterday and smiled warmly. No matter how scary some thing was, his dad always made it better. Mark felt how Ten was hugging him tightly from behind and tried to turn around a bit. When he succeeded, he touched his hyung’s fluffy ear and felt happy about Ten now living with them. He now had two people who loved him like the other kids!

But as nice as it was, it was getting stuffy under the blanket. His dad and Ten were hugging him tightly, not letting him any room to move.

“Daaaaaaad.” Mark tried to wiggle out of their arms and huffed when he failed.

“Hmm?” Johnny tried to stop his son from moving. It was too early to get up!

“I have to pee.” The father sat up so quickly that he felt dizzy.

“Ok, please hold it in.” Johnny mumbled and groggily got out of the bed, helping his son out. Once, Mark was on his feet, he raced to the bathroom, emptying his bladder. He happily washed his hands and face and maybe, just maybe he wetted everything in his reach.

Johnny on the other hand laid back down and felt how he drifted into sleep in the same second. Don’t blame him, having a child meant sleeping late and waking up at 5 am every morning. The poor man needed more sleep! The father shivered slightly and missed his son’s warmth. Blame it on his sleepiness or on his grogginess but the next thing he did was…rather dangerous? He wrapped his arms around Ten’s waist and pulled him to his chest. The hybrid purred quietly and rubbed his face on the father’s chest before he nestled his head in his neck. With a satisfied sigh, he buried his face in the hybrid’s hair and let the sleep overtake him.

***

Mark tugged at his soaked pajamas and made his way into his dad’s room. Playing with water was fun until you got all wet. Pouting, he entered the room and stopped in front of the bed. Mark felt various emotions when he saw how his dad and Ten were cuddling in the bed. He was happy that his hyung wasn’t afraid of his dad anymore but he also felt weird? Like his Ten hyung and his dad always only loved him and now they also loved each other? Will his hyung now sleep in his father’s bed and not in his anymore?

He put the thoughts aside because his belly was freezing. Slowly he climbed on the bed and stood in front of the pair.

“Dad, I’m wet.” Ten stirred in his sleep and blinked lazily. Something broad was blocking his view and he tried to turn around but he couldn’t.

“Dad, I’m cold.” Mark started to whine cutely and accidentally stepped on his father’s leg.

“Ouch.” Johnny sat up for the second time that morning, pulling Ten with him in the process. Surprised, he looked at the hybrid in his arms and noticed how flushed his cheeks were.

“Dad, stop hugging Ten hyung! I’m cold.” The experienced dad could tell that his son was going to throw a tantrum. Quickly, he shot Ten an apologizing glance and removed his hands from around him.

“Mark, how did you get all wet?” Sighing, he got out of his bed and took his son’s hand, leading him to his room.

Ten didn’t move for at least five minutes. He was laying in bed and was staring at the ceiling, wondering what happened during the night. Sleeping in Johnny’s arms and being pressed to his chest wasn’t something Ten could do voluntarily, even if he would want to. He couldn’t deny that he liked the feeling of being held but he didn’t know how to interpret the father’s actions. Was he holding him because he was scared or did he intend on doing something ually? The poor hybrid’s thoughts were running wild as he laid there restlessly.

“Ten hyung, look I’m Spiderman!” Mark hopped on the bed and started to do weird hand gestures. Ten sat up, tilted his head adorably and stared at the little boy with wide eyes.

“Spiders are scary. Why are you calling yourself a Spiderman?” Mark stopped his posing and opened his mouth but closed it again.

“DAD! Ten hyung doesn’t know Spiderman. Can we watch the movies?” Ten flinched and covered his aching ears.

“Oh, sorry hyung.” Mark smiled sheepishly but frowned when his dad didn’t answer. Carefully, he climbed down and put out his hand for his hyung to take. Said hybrid yawned for a last time and took the boy’s tiny hand.

When the boys entered the kitchen, they saw a still shirtless Johnny standing in front of the stove, preparing breakfast.

“Good morning.” The father quickly looked away when he made eye contact with the adorable kitten, suddenly very aware about his clothing, or the lack of it. He wanted to change but Ten was sleeping I his room and to be honest, he was to embarrassed to face the hybrid. Johnny still felt bad for taking advantage of the sleeping boy. Ten had trusted him and what did he do? He betrayed his trust.

“Uhm…Ten, can to take over please? I need to change.” The hybrid blushed lightly and stood up to take the father’s place. Johnny smiled at him, trying to ease the awkward tension between them, before he walked to his room.

“Dad said that Jaehyunnie hyung will come later!” Mark swung his short legs under the table and watched his hyung.

“He was the barista at the small café, right?” Ten recalled the handsome yet soft looking male who seemed to be very close to the family.

“Yes!” Mark nodded and started to call for his dad. He wanted to see his Jaehyunnie hyung as soon as possible.

***

“Ok, we need to hurry now since Jaehyun will be here in a short while.” Johnny was standing in front of Ten and Mark who were cuddling comfortably on the sofa. “We have to rearrange things in the spare room and cut holes in Ten’s pants before we leave for IKEA.” The boys nodded and started to move the neatly packed boxes while Johnny worked on Ten’s pants. Mark tried to help his hyung as much as he could but he rather opened the boxes and rummaged around.

Johnny helped the boys after he was done.

Shortly after the last box was moved, the bell rang.

“JAEHYUNNIE HYUNG!” Mark screeched and ran to the door with his dad to welcome his hyung. Ten stood back, nervous about their guest since he didn’t know anything about him.

“My favorite little boy!” the man said as he lifted Mark up, hugging him tightly. Said boy giggled happily and promised him to not tell the other boys.

“Hyung, look Jaehyunnie hyung is here!” The boy said when they made their way into the living room. Ten just waved shyly and put as much distance between them as he could.

“Hi, Ten.” The hybrid didn’t know whether he could trust the dimpled boy since it seemed so easy to trust him.

“Ok, we have a lot to buy. Let’s go!” Johnny grabbed his keys, took his son’s hand and offered his other to Ten. Even though the hybrid was still embarrassed, he gladly took the father’s hand and pressed himself to his side.

“Don’t worry, Jaehyun is really nice, he wouldn’t harm you, ok?” he whispered lowly, clearly knowing that Ten could hear him. Ten glanced at the dad and saw nothing but the truth in his eyes. He pressed himself closer to Johnny when they entered the elevator, but he never the less squeezed his hand, signaling him that he understood.

“Dad, can I have a plushie?” Mark tried to look as cute as he could since he knew that his dad couldn’t resist it.

“Yes, Jason needs a friend!” Jaehyun decided to play along, making Mark happy. “I think I’ve heard something about Fred needing a new home.” Johnny laughed loudly and shook his head. At times like this, Ten could see him as a young boy rather than a father. Again, he wondered why Johnny was a father being this young and where Mark’s mom was but he never asked since he was too afraid.

“I’ll buy you Fred, don’t worry.” Jaehyun winked at Mark and got out of the elevator when the doors opened.

“Lucas hyung, we’re going to buy furniture for Ten hyung!” Mark said as soon as he saw the tall security guard at the door and embraced his leg.

“That’s great! Oh, and Kun hyung told me to invite you to Xiaojun’s birthday party as well.”

“Uhm me?” Ten was confused, Lucas was looking at him but what he said didn’t make any sense. Him being invited to a party? That’s ridiculous. But Lucas nodded quickly and looked at him with his wide eyes.

“He was very sad that he couldn’t meet you because Lele was sick. And since you’re a part of Johnny hyung’s family now, he wanted to invite you properly.” Ten needed some seconds to process the younger boy’s words. A gentle squeeze of Johnny’s hand brought the hybrid back to the earth and he hurried to answer.

“Thank you for the invitation.” Lucas smiled widely and waved his huge hands.

“Lucas is such a great guy.” Jaehyun said and before he started a race to Johnny’s car with Mark.

Johnny slowed down his steps and cleared his throat. He needed to say sorry for some of his actions.

“Uhm, Ten…I wanted to apologize for my actions today. I wanted to talk to you sooner but Mark was around…so, yeah. I’m sorry for making it uncomfortable for you.” The father was looking at his shoes and Ten could see how his cheeks reddened with every passing second. He felt a little bit bad for assuming things earlier.

“It’s ok…I- you…you didn’t do anything wrong, I guess. I was scared…uhm yeah…thank you.” Ten knew that they both looked like ripe tomatoes talking to each other.

“Oh, and about our shopping later...” Ten could feel how Johnny strengthened his hold on his hand. “I don’t exactly know what happened in your life until now but I want you to know that we’re not like those people you met in your life. Mark and I are both very happy that you joined our family and we want you to feel comfortable. I want you to decide on our own and tell me what you like and what not. We’ll buy the furniture you like, ok?”

Ten felt how his eyes filled themselves with tears and he pressed his body closer to Johnny’s.

“Thank you, Johnny. I really mean it. I- I’ll try to change b-but please…”

“Hey, look at me. It’s ok, Ten we have time. I know it’s impossible to change right away. It’s enough when you try. We’re going to succeed together.” By now, the hybrid was hugging the tall male tightly, pressing his face in his shoulder. Johnny rubbed the hybrid’s back and mumbled soothing words in his ear.

After a short while, Ten stepped back and rubbed his puffy eyes with his sleeve, trying to smile reassuringly.

“Are you ok now?” The father tried to not coo at the adorable cat as he smoothed his hair. Ten nodded and took a deep breath before they started to walk to the car again.

***

“Hyung, what are they doing?” Mark confusedly asked while he watched how his dad and the hybrid talked a few meters away. Jaehyun turned around, a small smile tugging his lips when he saw how flushed his friend was. Don’t get him wrong, he loved his friend and didn’t like to watch him suffer but he still enjoyed the view of his flustered friend. He quickly got a grip of Mark’s jacket, stopping the boy from dashing away.

“How about another race?” Jaehyun needed to distract Mark since the little boy wanted to go to his dad.

“YES! But I’ll win again.” He wiped his nose with his sleeve before he started to run, after his hyung counted down to one. Jaehyun laughed loudly and ran after the little boy, ready to lose the race.

“I WON!” Mark giggled cutely and threw his hands in the air, exposing his chubby tummy in the process.

“You’re too fast for me!” Jaehyun pretended to pant while he rested his hands on his knees, looking like he had run for hours.

“You’re just too slow!” Mark puffed his chest out, looking extremely proud of his accomplishment.

“Boys, what are you doing there? Come here!” Johnny watched them with a smile on his face, shaking his head as the boys started to run again.

Johnny opened the door and gave Ten a signal to get in. The hybrid was confused about sitting on the passenger seat when another human would also be in the car. But of course, he complied and fastened his seatbelt, once he was seated. Johnny waited for his son to arrive in order to help him into his chair.

“Hey, that’s not fair! Why’s Ten sitting in the front?” Jaehyun pouted childishly and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Because he’s older than you.” The father stuck his tongue out and laughed, when Jaehyun’s pout intensified.

“You- you can sit in-in the front.” Ten stuttered, a little bit scared of the boy’s reaction. He nervously bit his lips and flinched since he bit down harder than he intended to. Johnny didn’t need a second to think about his action since his body moved automatically. He took the hybrid’s small hand in his big one, hoping to spend some security. The hybrid stopped worrying his lips and glanced at the father.

“Hyung, I’m just joking! I like sitting here with my friend Markie.” Jaehyun laughed and high fived the little boy. Dumbfounded, Ten nodded slowly without taking his eyes off the father.

“Is-“ Johnny cleared his throat and let go of the hybrid’s hand. “Is everybody ready?”

“YES!” Jaehyun and Mark shouted, giggling afterwards.

“Let’s go then!”

***

Ten looked around, overwhelmed from all the people and furniture. Jaehyun and Mark were looking for Fred -Ten found out that they were talking about a snake plushie- and Johnny was at his side, holding his hand and showing him around.

“Do you see something you like?” The father asked while he shielded him away from a passing family.

“Uhm…I don’t know there are so many things.” Ten couldn’t concentrate since distractions could be found everywhere.

“Ok, let’s start with a bed first.” They turned to the left and walked for some minutes before they found the beds.

“Wait, how will Mark and Jaehyun find us? What if they get lost?” Ten started to look around, panicking a bit.

“Calm down, Ten. They’re playing at the child section. I asked Jaehyun to look after Mark since we need some time to choose the things we need.” Ten nodded but he never the less worried his lip.

“Jaehyun is my close friend and he loves Mark as much as we do. He’ll take care of him, don’t worry.” The father couldn’t stop the warm feeling that spread through his body as he noticed how much Ten cared for his little son.

“Do you wanna test the beds?” Johnny grinned brightly as he jumped on the beds, having the time of his life.

***

“Fred, nooooo.” Mark laughed loudly as Jaehyun got attacked by the snake.

“I’ll save you!” He took the snake by its tail and pulled it away from his hyung.

“Thank you, prince Mark my savior.”

“Boys, we’re done.” Jaehyun and Mark looked up when they heard Johnny’s voice.

“Dad! Hyung!” The boy dashed to them and kissed his father’s cheek when he lifted him up.

“Did you have fun with Jaehyun?” He nodded playfully and stretched his arms to his hyung’s direction, making grabby hands at him. Ten took the boy in his arms and giggled when Mark smothered his face with kisses.

“I missed you.” His tail curled around Mark’s thigh, making the boy squeal in delight.

“Now I’m jealous. I thought I was your favorite hyung? Even better than Yuta hyung.” Jaehyun pouted childishly and Johnny wondered how this boy could be 19 years old.

“I still like you very much Jaehyunnie hyung but Ten hyung is my favorite!” It would be a lie to say that Ten didn’t feel proud and happy.

“Now stop fighting and let’s get home. We need to fix up the furniture.” The boys nodded and walked to the cashier to pay for their purchase. As they walked there, Johnny proudly glanced at Ten who had tried his best today. There was still room for improvement but the family had time and patience.

***

“Thank you for your help, Jaehyun. You really saved us today.” Johnny hugged his friend tightly even though his muscles were aching. Setting everything up was harder than he had thought.

“No problem, I had fun playing with Mark. Thank you for the delicious meal, Ten hyung.” Jaehyun knew that the hybrid was still scared of him so, he just waved.

“You’re welcome and thank you.” The handsome male smiled, showing his charming dimples.

“Good night hyung. And welcome to the family.” Ten’s cheeks flared up at that comment and he hurriedly nodded. Being called a part of Johnny and Mark’s family was still new for him. But it sounded good…very good.

Johnny returned to the kitchen after sending Jaehyun off and yawned loudly.

“We should sleep. Mark is going to wake us up early.” The boy was already asleep after the exciting day with his hyung.

“Yes…uhm thank you again, Johnny and good night.” Ten looked at his toes, too embarrassed to face the father.

“Good night, Ten.” The hybrid made his way into his new room. He stood by the door frame and looked around. Everything was so pretty and he felt giddy knowing that it belonged to him! He even chose the furniture -with Johnny’s help- by himself. But no matter how pretty and nice it was, Ten missed the family’s presence. The room was cold and he shivered as he changed into his pajamas. He also felt bad for the boy sleeping alone but he knew that he couldn’t sleep next to him for eternity…

Never the less, he got under the sheets and sighed at the softness of the mattress. A smile appeared on his lips when he remembered how Johnny had tested them.

As if on cue, the father knocked softly and got in.

“Hey, you’re not sleeping, right?” Ten shook his head but affirmed when he remembered that Johnny couldn’t see as good as him. Johnny made his way into the room and sat on the bed.

“I’m sure that you feel a bit lonely, right?” Ever so often, Ten wondered how Johnny knew what he felt.

“A little bit…Mark is very warm and it’s cold here.” Johnny laughed and nodded.

“I know he is. But I’m sure you’ll get warm after a while. Just relax.” The father watched the hybrid adoringly and decided to run his fingers through his hair. Ten sighed deeply and pressed his head against Johnny’s hand, asking for more pets.

“Would you like to listen to a story?” Ten’s ears perked up and he quickly nodded. He moved over, making place for Johnny and lifted the corner of his blanket.

“You want me to lay down?” Johnny was very surprised but he quickly complied and tucked himself in. Ten was watching him with big eyes, wishing that the father would understand what he wanted. And of course, he did.

“Come here, I can also spend some warmth.” Ten quickly lay his head on Johnny’s arm and faced him, waiting for the story.

“Ok, since you’re a part of our family now, you deserve to know our story. I’m sure that you’re curious, right?” Caught, he bit his lips and looked away.

“It’s ok, Ten. I would be curious too. I want to tell you the truth from the beginning.” Said hybrid nodded and took Johnny’s hand, ready to hear about his family’s past.