Part Three: Baking Cookies

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The kitchen is a happy mess. Jongin spreads the almond and cinnamon dough evenly across the table for them to cut into shapes while Taemin is already taking the first batch of cookies out of the oven. Yukhei is singing something nobody can understand while playing with his star cookie cutter, and Baekhyun is still kneading the next batch of dough, a honey-flavored one.

It's Sunday, and the whole family is excitedly baking Christmas cookies together. Yukhei keeps messing up at cutting his dough, but since both Jongin and Baekhyun spent ten minutes trying to show him how to do it properly, to no avail, they’ve decided to let him do as he pleases. Nobody minds anyway.

The smell of freshly baked cookies invades the whole house as they gather around the table, each with a different cookie cutter to press into the dough that Jongin proudly spread.

They're all wearing Christmas aprons, but that hasn’t prevented Baekhyun from getting flour in his hair.

"Will we have enough cookies so that I can give some to Taeyong?" Baekhyun asks.

"Of course, sweetheart," Taemin answers.

"O'course," Yukhei nods.

Baekhyun rejoices for a moment before he starts singing a Christmas carol, and the whole family is soon joining in and giggling to each other. When there isn't enough dough left to cut into shapes-even for Yukhei who doesn't seem to care that his cookie cutter is bigger than the remaining dough- Baekhyun starts begging to please let him spread the next one.

"I'll be careful! I'll do it right!"

With a happy smile, Jongin hands over the rolling pin while Taemin proceeds to put the new batch in the oven. When he turns around, he is facing three butts in the air as their owners are bent over the table, trying to work the dough. Taemin can't help but smile.

"Yok! Yok!" Yukhei whines.

It's a little too difficult, Xuxi. We'll cut forms together later, but let your brother do this part," Jongin says as softly as he can to avoid upsetting his toddler.

Yukhei blinks a couple of times before he smiles broadly, and Jongin sighs with relief. Then a short melody rings throughout the house, causing the four of them to freeze for a moment. Then, Taemin's shoulders drop. He can see how Baekhyun is looking up at his father with pleading eyes, and Jongin winces as he straightens up. Without a word, he leaves the kitchen, throwing an apologetic glance to his husband, and Taemin just nods as he takes Jongin's place between their kids.

It's silent in the kitchen for a little while, and Baekhyun goes back to spreading the dough with far less energy. When Jongin comes back, he looks somber.

"I have to go to work."

"I know," Taemin hums and forces a smile. "Come back quickly."

Jongin swallows hard and moves closer to press a couple of kisses to Baekhyun's forehead.

"I'm sorry, guys," he whispers before he leans in toward Yukhei and kisses him the same way.

"It's okay, Papa," Baekhyun states bravely.

Taemin watches as Jongin puts his coat and scarf on before he turns back around with an apologetic grimace.

"They really need me," Jongin whispers, and Taemin walks over to him and his husband's hair away from his forehead.

"I know," Taemin says again.

He tilts his head up to reach Jongin’s mouth and kisses him softly, his hands tightening in Jongin's shirt. When Taemin pulls back, his husband looks reluctant to part from him. Jongin leaves a few more kisses on Taemin's lips, cheeks, and nose before he murmurs a soft goodbye and disappears. Taemin sighs and closes his eyes; he's trying to calm down the furious beating of his heart by breathing slowly. He then feels two arms circling his waist, and he gasps as he looks down at Baekhyun, who is rubbing his face against his father's hip.

"Yok, Yok!" Yukhei whines as he tries to waddle to them as fast as possible so he can wrap his body around Taemin's leg.

And Taemin starts laughing, albeit a little nervously.

"Hey," he says, "Why this sudden attack?"

Baekhyun cranes his neck to look up at him and purses his lips.

"It's okay, Dad... Papa will be back soon."

Taemin's smile falters slightly, and he slowly squats down to hug both of his kids tight.

"Yes, he will. And you know what will make him very happy?"

"Cookie!" Yukhei exclaims.

"Exactly. We should finish the cookies for when Papa gets home," Taemin nods.

"I think Papa will be very happy if we order chicken too."

Taemin starts laughing and pats Baekhyun's softly.

"Yes, he will. But for now, the cookies!"

They get back to the table just in time for Taemin to take the latest batch of cookies out of the oven. They keep baking until the whole kitchen is filled with trays of Christmas trees, Gingerbread men, moons, stars, reindeer, and snowmen. Yukhei ends up getting tired of cutting shapes and just plays with the cookie cutters while standing on a chair since he refused to go in his high chair, but Baekhyun is still working hard as if their whole Christmas depended on those cookies.

Once they're all done cutting shapes, Taemin and Baekhyun start preparing the icing, and Yukhei finally joins them again as they decorate all of the cookies. Baekhyun is sticking his tongue out in concentration as he tries to make his cookies as pretty as possible, while Yukhei uses his fingers to paint his cookies and eats more icing than he puts on the cookies. He ends up with green and red icing all over his face, and Taemin takes a few pictures in between two fits of laughter. Immediately after, he sends the pictures to Jongin.

Eventually, the two children get tired of decorating cookies; even Baekhyun starts pouting and sighing, and Taemin takes that as his cue to free them. It takes a little while to clean them both up, especially Yukhei who suddenly finds it very amusing to fly around the bathroom instead of having his face rubbed with a washcloth, but once both of them are clean as a whistle, Taemin puts them in front of a Disney movie and goes back to the kitchen to finish the cookies.

Baekhyun is very attentive to his favorite movie, but Yukhei keeps running from the living room to the kitchen, waving at his father, giggling, going back to his brother, poking his thighs, laughing some more, and then waddling back to Taemin.

Once the kitchen is clean again and the cookies are done, Taemin joins them in front of the TV, catching a running Yukhei in his arms to watch the end of Mulan. Baekhyun is reciting half the lines and singing each song by heart, even standing up sometimes to perform some moves just like Li Shang.

They order chicken, but Jongin still hasn’t come home, and Taemin is doing his best not to show his worry to his kids. He should be used to it by now, but no matter how many times he sees Jongin teleport away in urgency, there's still a rock setting deep in his stomach anytime he’s gone.

They play Robin Hood next because it's Yukhei's favorite Disney movie. They save a whole bucket of chicken for Jongin, while Baekhyun and Taemin feast on the other one together around the coffee table. It makes Baekhyun ecstatic because it always feels like a party when they eat anywhere that isn't the kitchen table, and Yukhei rejoices in turn while sitting on Taemin's thigh.

"Dada! Yok want cookie! Please!" Yukhei asks with a big smile, halfway through his bowl of mashed potatoes, carrots, and chicken.

"Once you're done with your supper," Taemin tells him as he keeps feeds him another bite.

"No," Yukhei says with a frown, still eating every bite that Taemin gives him.

Taemin smiles.

"You don't really get that whole 'no' thing, do you?" Taemin whispers.

"I can't eat anymore," Baekhyun says suddenly with a dramatic sigh and a little burp.

"Oh really? No cookie then?"

Baekhyun glances sideways at his father, snorting at the smirk on Taemin's lips.

"I still have a very small space left for cookies."

"As expected."

"Papa can eat what's left of the chicken, right?"

"Oh yes. I’m sure he will."

After, they binge on cookies, they retreat to the couch for another movie. Once Robin Hood comes to an end, Yukhei and Taemin are both asleep on each other, and Baekhyun swiftly takes the opportunity to change the DVD and start playing Monsters Inc.

He falls asleep mid-movie, and that's how Jongin finds them when he teleports back home with a tired sigh. The sight makes him melt, and very quietly, he takes off his coat, his scarf, and his shoes. Jongin turns off the TV and picks Yukhei up to take him to bed, then does the same with Baekhyun. He cleans up the coffee table before he sits on the couch next to his husband and slowly pulls Taemin into his arms, smiling as he watches him stir with a pout.

"Jonginnie?"

"Hey," Jongin kisses his nose.

"You're back," Taemin breathes out, straightening a little with a quick blink.

He's suddenly awake, relief written all over his face. Then he looks around, frowning.

"What-..."

"They were already asleep when I arrived. I put them to bed."

Taemin winces.

"They haven't brushed their teeth though..."

"I didn't have the courage to wake them up for that."

Taemin hums softly as he snuggles closer to Jongin.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No, everything's fine," Jongin whispers.

Taemin tilts his head to get a kiss, and Jongin holds him close.

"What did I miss?" Jongin asks softly.

Taemin shifts to sit on Jongin's lap and cuddles up to him as he narrates the events of the afternoon and evening, and Jongin laughs sweetly at his kids' mischief.
Jongin keeps Taemin curled up in his arms as he takes him to the kitchen. Only then does Taemin peel himself off of Jongin to let him eat as Jongin tells him about his latest mission and assures him that everything is alright now. None of his friends got hurt.

Jongin eats the entire bucket of chicken saved for him as well as Baekhyun's leftovers and steals a few cookies before they call it a night. They lie curled up together in bed and catch a little sleep before Yukhei wakes them up at dawn the next morning, demanding cookies for breakfast.

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