"This is awesome!!!" Jaejoong's ecstatic yelling is met with equally joyful babbling from the back of the Hybrid. "I get you're happy but you need to slow down." Yunho instinctively grabs the steering wheel when Jaejoong seemingly drove too close to another car.

Jaejoong doesn't really notice though he does slow down. He can't really help it though. He's just too excited about his first car.

Today Changmin is six months old and Yunho gifted him this car so now Jaejoong doesn't have to depend on Yunho to drive him around or push Changmin in a stroller through public transport. Of course, Yunho was always willing to let Jaejoong drive his Tahoe. But Jaejoong found it too big for his inexperienced self and never tried to drive it again after nearly scratching it pulling out of their garage.

He could have bought a car himself but he and his sisters have put off most of such expenses. Their parents had taken a lot of financial burden on themselves to raise nine children, letting them pursue their dreams and not letting the costs of it impede them. That included supporting Jaejoong through culinary school in New York. Since becoming independent the Kim children have focused on paying off their parents’ debts and support them wherever possible. Yunho knows that too and it's also why this present its special.

"So where are you driving us to in our new car?" Yunho asks while looking at the passing scenery. They've rarely been around this part of town and he can't guess where they're heading.

"Taemin said there's this new Vietnamese restaurant with a view of the river."

"Sounds like a great place for dinner. But it's still early." Yunho checks his phone for something to do. "There's a mall 10 minutes away. Future overlord needs new clothes." Jaejoong drives where Yunho tells him to and is soon pulling over in the parking lot of a mall.

"We forgot the stroller." Jaejoong realises just as he's getting Changmin. Yunho merely puts on the backpack that doubles as a babybag. "You'll just have carry him them." Yunho may sound teasing as if Jaejoong doesn't like the idea but both know Jaejoong is always ready to carry Changmin like he's his teddy bear. So Jaejoong hitches Changmin on his hip and follows Yunho inside the mall.

"It's really crowded." Just as Jaejoong mutters that a person accidentally bumps into hits his shoulder while walking past them. "Stay close." Yunho reaches for his hand and tugs him along much to Jaejoong's surprise.

Even as his feet move in step behind him his eyes are fixated on their intertwined hands in amazement. Yunho can feel his distracted gaze and halts to ask him about it. "What?" Jaejoong shrugs, the giddy smile not leaving hits face. "Just thought how you used to have your guard up in public. You wouldn't do anything beyond walking beside me. But Ever since Changmin you've become a lot more comfortable with holding hands in public. You've grown a lot. It's cute."

Yunho didn't realize that he had become more natural at showing affection to Jaejoong in public until Jaejoong mentions it. He acknowledges that he used to be very conscious earlier. Perhaps as Jaejoong said being a dad broke that wall around hits mind. "Stop making me blush." Yunho complains halfheartedly before they head to the department store, their hands still linked.

As usual Jaejoong picks up anything in sight he likes and puts in their cart. Yunho is afraid of Changmin picking up that habit one day. "Jae, this is way too much." When he says that Jaejoong glances at the cart that's filled to the brim. For once Jaejoong has to admit he's bought a lot. "Fine. We just need a new towel and we'll call it a day."

"I'll get it." Yunho takes Changmin and nudges the cart towards Jaejoong. "Lord knows you'll pick ten different things along the way. You get a headstart at billing. We'll get the towel." Jaejoong agrees, taking the cart and heading to one of the queues for the cashier. Yunho goes to the section of the department store housing towels.

Yunho picked up a set of washcloths for the kitchen and held it in the same hand that was holding Changmin while looking among the selection of baby towels. A restless Changmin squirmed in his hold causing the rolled-up washcloth to slip out of Yunho's hand.

"Here you go." A lady next to him swiftly picked up the item and returned it to Yunho.

"Thanks." Yunho thinks he should hurry since Changmin is getting tired being carried around and picks up the topmost towel, a purple one with stars he's sure Jaejoong is going to love.

As he made to leave the woman from earlier suddenly speaks "Jung Yunho?" Yunho halts to look at this woman. She's observing him with a studious frown obviously finding him familiar. She just called his name so she deinitely knows him from somewhere. The longer he looks the more familiar she seems to him too. "You're Jung Yunho right?" Yunho nods slowly. "Oh my god! It's me, Kwon Boa. From high school."

As soon as she said that Yunho's mind conjured the image of his old lab partner who looks like this woman, but younger and wearing their school uniform. "Boa, from chemistry?"

"The very same." They hug cheerfully, though it was a bit difficult for Yunho while holding Changmin and Boa being as short as he remembered. "So..." Boa looks at the baby with dark eyes on her that made her uneasy in a way babies don't usually do. "New dad?"

"Uh, yeah. This is my son Changmin." But Changmin was in no mood for socialising, looking away with a shrill whine. "Sorry. He has the tendency to get 'hangry.'"

"I would too if my dad was a fancy chef. At least that's what I heard."

"You heard right. What about you? You wanted to be a lawyer right?"

Boa snorts, "I dropped out of law school within six months. It wasn't for me. I work in advertising now. Cutthroat, but I love it."

"Good for you. You were always a more creative fit." Yunho remembers Jaejoong is waiting for him.

Boa understands and walks with him to the cashier. "So... I never knew you got married."

Yunho is clueless till Boa gestures at the baby in his arms who she doesn't want to believe is glaring at her. "Oh... uh, there wasn't a wedding exactly..."

"you dog!" Boa playfully punches his bicep but jumps when Changmin squawks not liking the stranger touching his Appa. She tells herself she's imagining things because this baby can't be that old to freak her out like that. "I'm surprised you're in a committed relationship. You were so clueless you couldn't tell when someone is flirting with you."

Yunho is mildly affronted by that accusation. "What! I was not that dense. Whose hint did I not get?"

"Mine." Yunho is now genuinely stupefied. But Boa waves it off with a laugh. "Yeah. I had a huge crush on you. And so did a hundred other girls. I even flirted with you and you never figured it out."

"Damn I was clueless."

"It's okay. I'm happy that you found someone who doesn't have to try so hard to get you to notice her." Yunho would like to say there's no way anyone can't not notice Jaejoong but instead asks about her love life. "Nothing really. Dated here and there but nothing clicked."

"That's not a bad thing either. Better to find someone you're happy with than just settle."

They're a few steps away from the cashier and Yunho can see Jaejoong is only one person away from his turn. "You know what, stop by my restaurant someday. Remember Hojun? He's there too."

Yunho asks for her number too but Boa is hesitant. "Really? Would your wif-girl- partner," Boa struggles to decide on one word since Yunho said he and his baby's mother aren't married, "…be okay with me there? I wouldn't be comfortable if my boyfriend met the girl who used to like him."

Jaejoong is the jealous type Yunho muses. But there's also something that he never has to worry about. "You don't have to worry about that. My 'partner' could never feel threatened by a girl."

 Boa couldn't resist her eyebrow quirked up in scepticism prompting Yunho to point in the direction of Jaejoong. "See that guy with blonde hair and super baggy shirt?" It wasn't difficult to spot the guy who had just moved to the counter. Boa looks at him and then at Yunho inquisitively. When Yunho gives her a telling look she gasps. "What the- are you serious?!" Yunho can only shrug. "Damn! I never really did have a chance."

"If it's any consolation, no girl did." Boa made a face that she didn't find his joke funny. "He's a chef at my restaurant too. Come over. It won't be awkward. I promise."

"Oh hell no! Now I feel foolish for being so presumptuous."

"Stop overreacting and come to my restaurant. I'm shamelessly promoting my business here. Better yet, come say hi to Jaejoong. That will convince you." Yunho drags her to the counter only letting go of her hand when they're a couple of steps away from the cart Jaejoong is unloading.

"About time." Jaejoong takes the towels from Yunho's hand without a glance at his surroundings. Changmin had grabbed a tiny handful of his sleeve then. But Jaejoong merely switches the towels to his other hand and drops them on the counter. He continues to empty the cart with one hand not doing anything to get Changmin to release his sleeve. Boa has an inkling they're used to this from their son.

"By the way Jae," Yunho gets his attention and gestures at the woman behind him. "This is Kwon Boa. We were in high school together."

Boa smiles at him awkwardly while Jaejoong is disturbingly blank-faced. "Or were you together in high school?"

Boa chokes on air while Yunho an eyebrow. "Really, Jae?"

"Kidding." Jaejoong drops his act and plucks his sleeve out of Changmin's grip, much to his displeasure. But he cheekily ignores his baby and goes around the cart while Yunho pays for their purchases. "I'm Jaejoong. Nice to meet you."

"Hi..." Boa shakes his hand. "So Yunho tells me you're a chef too."

"Pastry chef." Jaejoong glances at Yunho, "I hope you invited her to the restaurant."

"Do I ever miss the chance to tell people to come to my restaurant?" Retorts Yunho, a little snippy because the bill's more than he expected.

"You know what," Boa interrupted, "I meet clients at restaurants a lot. I've got a meeting next week. So just get me a reservation for eight."

"Great!" Cheers Jaejoong. "So Boa-ssi were you one of the girls in Yunho's legion of fans?"

 "What!" Yunho and Boa shrieked startling the people around them. Not like Yunho cares. "Jae!"

"What? Hojun tells me stuff okay."

"Jaejoong, we discussed the line between poking fun and being blunt. People get uncomfortable. Look at her. She's mortified." Yunho scolds Jaejoong who's far from remorseful.

"It- it's okay." Boa coughs to cover her cracking voice. "I know he's just joking."

"I promise he'll be tame when you have your business meeting."

"Trust me. I don't want to be around you boring guys." Jaejoong picks up the bags and playfully huffs before making a big show of leaving.

"See you next week then." Yunho takes the two remaining bags Jaejoong left behind and walks to the exit. Yunho caught up with Jaejoong in the parking as they were walking to his new car.

"So, high school friend huh..." the teasing evident in Jaejoong's voice makes Yunho groan. "You know normal people get jealous in such situations."

"Meh... I'll be jealous when I have a reason to be." Jaejoong's lack of insecurities is something Yunho greatly admires. But he'd also like Jaejoong to be worried about competition like he sometimes does. So he petulantly blurts out. "You know she had a crush on me."

Jaejoong snorts at his obvious attempt to rile him up. "Babe, I'll only need to worry if she has a brother who's half as good looking."

"That's not fair!" The grown man carrying a baby whines. "Why am I the one who has to constantly be on alert for every guy that stares at you longer than necessary?"

They've reached the car and Jaejoong dumps their purchases in the boot. By now Changmin is getting secondhand embarrassment and is reaching for Jaejoong to save him from it.

Jaejoong takes Changmin and shoves the car keys in Yunho's hands. "If you're thinking of everyone around me as a threat, then you're not seeing the real problem here." If Yunho didn't know any better, he'd say there's a hint of disappointment in Jaejoong's voice. And it stuns him. "I'm feeling a little sick. Let's just go home. You drive."

With that Jaejoong sits in the backseat and gets Changmin settled in his car seat. A clueless and defeated Yunho can only put the bags he has in the passenger seat and drive them home.

~~~

While everyone is preparing for the evening service Yunho goes to the spare room they recently turned into a nursery and breakroom.

Changmin is mostly at the cafe with Heechul, extremely pleased to be surrounded by the sugary aroma and take a nap in the small bed in this room when he can. The staff would relax between shifts in this room if they're not getting some fresh air on the rooftop.

Everyone is busy preparing for the next restaurant service or in the cafe's late afternoon rush. That leaves the room to himself and his thoughts. So Yunho slumps on one of the two lounge chairs Yongin got fr