“First one done,” Kihyun sighed in satisfaction as he finished his first box that was full of pictures and picture frames, managing just barely to fit everything in one large box. Minhyuk liked to take pictures and that was evident by how many they had hanging around the house and the number of photo books they had on their shelves. He would need to move the box to their small sitting room by the front door, but that was the extent of the packing that was done and Kihyun was pretty proud of himself so far. He had some time to pack all their belongings before they would have to rent a moving truck and move everything to their new house that hadn't even been bought yet. They had a few months to do so but they were hoping to find a house within the month just so they could get a head start and settle down in their first house together. They were upgrading from an apartment to a house, but they had to build up to that still. 

Kihyun was currently packing away the things they didn't need or use every day, and the books in their small office that were read years ago and now sat collecting dust were next. Kihyun had an extensive book collection and most of the shelves stacked were all his since he had such an affinity to reading. He was regretting spending so much time and money on extending it at the moment with the thought that he had to take a few out at a time and stack them neatly into more boxes awaiting his attention. It would be hell to pack them away, but at least they had a good three months before they had to move and he had Minhyuk to help him pack everything up. Not today though, or the rest of the week because Minhyuk was gone for the time being. 

Minhyuk was a patissier for a local bakery in town and due to his pure passion to create new and exciting treats and their extraordinary quality, he was given a job offer up in Seoul with the promise of working for a high-end restaurant. He had accepted it, a good salary lined up and a promising career that would be long-lasting, a guarantee he couldn't pass when he had two children and a husband at home. Upon accepting the offer he was invited to run a trial week to get a feel for the dynamic of the workplace and as a short training for what he was supposed to expect when he was full time. Minhyuk tried to turn it down at first but Kihyun insisted he go and take a look. He would regret it otherwise. 

The trip was entirely paid for and paid work and he would be doing bundles of paperwork to confirm his employment with the new company. It was an intense process to attend to and due to the new job and relocation, they would, of course, need to move from their humble apartment in Gwangju and to a house in Seoul. This left Kihyun and their almost three-year-old fraternal twin sons behind for a week. 

They had no house picked out yet but they were going to look around within the next few weeks and hopefully settle on something they liked. They were supposed to be moving into some house before December when Minhyuk was going to be a full-time chef and they had a home purchase agreement already signed. They had plenty of time to figure that out. 

Minhyuk had just left yesterday and Kihyun knew that his husband was going to have a good time out in Seoul doing what he loves, but Kihyun already missed him so much. 

And it was obvious that their sons did, too. It had been hard to adjust to at the beginning, evident by the way Dongju first reacted to his father’s absence. It started the first morning that Minhyuk was gone. He had behaved fairly well the first night Minhyuk wasn’t there and had gone to bed easily with a goodnight kiss for Kihyun and even his brother Dongmyung who wasn’t near as snuggly as Dongju was. He was perfectly fine and hadn’t had an issue before. 

It was in the morning when he finally threw a fit at not having his father home with them. Minhyuk never worked early in the mornings and was always awake to make his sons breakfast while he let Kihyun sleep in. He spent the whole day with their energetic and young children so he deserved the sleep, especially when Dongmyung liked to stir trouble sometime in the night that Kihyun always tended to. Kihyun did the most for their family, including carrying their children to full term and birthing them, and Minhyuk appreciated it so much, loving everything about his husband. He was so thankful for him. Kihyun deserves the extra half hour of sleep, sometimes if he’s lucky, a full hour. 

And then to not have Minhyuk home to wake up, it had thrown Dongju for a loop. It had been routine to crash into their parent’s room to wake Minhyuk up and start breakfast bright and early, but to find his mother sleeping in the bed alone with his father’s side still made was upsetting to him. Poor Dongju had forgotten that his father was out of town and the sudden change was a bit too overwhelming and left him feeling confused. 

Dongmyung was improvising and continued on his merry way onto the bed, crawling towards a still sleeping Kihyun to pat him awake. Before he could do so, Dongju interrupted him with a very hurt voice and a deep frown, “Papa’s gone! Why he gone?” his eyes were starting to water and with that came crying and his cries were very loud. He was such a sweet boy and the slightest inconvenience could have him in tears in seconds and this was no good for either Minhyuk or Kihyun. He wasn’t easily consolable and he required several kisses and plenty of hugs from both mom and dad before calming down. This time around, he had only mom to cry to. 

The distress in his voice was enough to have Kihyun stirring without Dongmyung having to wake him up. He hated when his babies cried for any reason, the sound hurting his heart and wanting to act immediately and resolve the issue. No matter how ridiculous. He jumped out of bed and bolted towards his crying son, stomach churning and nausea picking at his stomach. That had been pretty typical the last few weeks, ever since Minhyuk had told him about the trip and since he started planning for it. Stress did funny things to his body. 

“Hey hey, what’s wrong, Button?” Kihyun cooed, circling his arms around the little body in a warm embrace. Dongju was quick to hug back, wrapped his arms around Kihyun’s torso and resting his head on his mother’s shoulder. Kihyun felt his heart break as his son cried into his neck, “Button, can you tell me what’s wrong?” Kihyun tried again. 

“Papa’s gone,” he reminded Kihyun, moving one arm around the shoulder that wasn’t occupied by his head, “He’s not here to make breakfast and now we’ll be hungry,” he sniffled, thinking that this was the end of the world that his father wasn’t there to make breakfast. 

“I’m hungry!” Dongmyung offered, now beside Kihyun and his twin. He was on the floor on his knees and was patiently waiting for Kihyun to repair the situation. Dongmyung wasn’t going to stay so patient and he was soon going to get a bit more demanding. 

Kihyun chuckled, still groggy from the aftereffects of sleep, more at Dongju than Dongmyung, “Button, Mama is still here and I can make you breakfast still. I make your lunch and dinner, you don’t think I can make you breakfast?” 

“No!” Dongju sobbed, holding his mother a little tighter than he had before. The headache Kihyun was starting to gain was hurting at his temples, another something that had been bothering him for the past week. He was getting headache after headache with the occasional migraine. 

“Mama, I’m hungry,” Dongmyung supplied again, now standing on his knees and getting closer to Kihyun, holding onto one arm and starting to bounce, “I want toast and cheese. And avocado!” that was one of his favorite foods and he ate maybe half an avocado every day due to his love for the fruit. 

“Mama can’t make breakfast,” Dongju sniffled, refusing to let go and adding insult to injury as though Kihyun was incapable of making food when he indeed made two of their three meals a day every day, “Don’t know how.” 

“Baby, I do know how to make breakfast,” Kihyun informed as he turned to tell Dongmyung to wait just a little bit longer. His bouncing was becoming incessant and there was a frown on his face now, his attempt at patience humble albeit short-lived, “I made breakfast when you were little but Papa makes it now because he wakes up before me. I promise you with my whole heart that I can make breakfast,” with a crying toddler and one who was repeatedly asking for food, it was stressful and a bit overwhelming but something that Kihyun had to handle by himself. Once seeing Minhyuk’s courtesy as a blessing was now a curse as he found himself ill-prepared to handle this by himself again. How did Minhyuk do this every morning? “Do you believe me?” 

Dongju was slow to answer but he eventually did with a small nod buried into Kihyun’s neck. He was still sniffling and attempting to catch up to his air again, small chest gasping for air every now and then. 

"Can I get a kiss?" Kihyun asked gently, rubbing his son's back comfortingly as he eased his breathing. Dongju could never pass up on a kiss and instead of responding verbally, the young boy pulled his face out of his mother's neck and pursed his lips, eyes all red and puffy. Kihyun giggled at his son and leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on his oldest son's lips. Noticing the exchange, Dongmyung couldn't resist a kiss either and in front of Kihyun who gave him a kiss as well, "Thank you so much, Dimples," he affectionately named, dedicated to the dimples he had inherited from his mother. Kihyun had central cheek dimples which weren’t very noticeable until he smiled very large, mostly hidden within his smile lines. Dongmyung’s were very noticeable for now since he didn’t have smile lines, but they would grow less prominent as he got older. For now, he had the cutest dimples and thus was born his nickname. Dongju didn't inherit any dimples and instead looked a lot like Minhyuk did while Dongmyung looked a lot like Kihyun. He still needed a nickname and this came ‘Button’, "Should we go get breakfast now?" he asked, hoping and praying that Dongju didn't remember his last dilemma and start crying once more. To his luck, Dongju nodded and Dongmyung cheered and rolled with the punches. 

Kihyun had needed to carry Dongju to the kitchen even though he was fully capable of walking on his own and seeing that his twin was being held, Dongmyung demanded he be carried as well and so Kihyun had needed to struggle with both almost three-year-old twins in his arms into the kitchen. They were moving into a house when in Seoul and they were going to have stairs as per Minhyuk’s request. That was going to be a little harder to do and Kihyun would need to stop carrying his sons whenever they wanted him to. His mother had told him he should have stopped carrying them a long time ago, but it was hard when he had two cuddly boys who loved their mother and father. 

The rest of the day had been far easier for Dongju since he spent most of his day with his mother anyway. Kihyun worked from home for a small company and he was more than thankful that they were willing to let him continue working with them through online options even when he's up in Seoul. At least until he found another job. He did bookkeeping and accounting and there was always a shortage in his department so work would come relatively easy. For now though, he was going to continue with his current job until he found a new one in Seoul. It would be hard to find a job when he was stuck at home with his twins. Minhyuk could provide for his family enough with his one job but Kihyun used his own work as a sort of escape to keep him from going inKihyune with his twin boys at home. He loved his sons with all of his heart but babies and young children were a lot of work, and twins were a lot of money. They could use the extra income, especially later if the twins were to choose to go to college. That isn't cheap at all and they would need the money to get them through it. 

Anyways, the day went fairly smooth, Dongju getting upset for a few minutes when Minhyuk couldn't eat dinner with them that day, but that was something that happened often as well, and he responded the same way every time even when Minhyuk wasn't out in Seoul. Kihyun was able to calm him down and get him to eat his food which was easier than it was to get Dongmyung to finish his. Dongmyung was the pickiest eater out of the two and maybe the pickiest child Kihyun knew in general. He was the one that made it hard at dinner time and liked to play with his food rather than actually eat it. Food spent more time in his hands than in his mouth and while it was frustrating, Kihyun loved his son and was always willing to help and encourage him to eat, even if that meant his own dinner went cold in the process. Kihyun couldn't remember the last time he had eaten a hot meal that remained hot long enough for him to eat it while still hot. It was something he had adapted to and something that no longer bothered him. 

When bedtime came around, Kihyun was thankful that the boys had gone down fairly easily and it helped that they hadn't taken a nap during the day. The twins had been high energy and were running around all day with no signs of stopping. Refusing to nap was typical as well and Kihyun would handle the situation, but he had been too exhausted to climb that mountain. It was easier to play with them than wrangle them into their beds. He let the boys play all day and it was two hours before their scheduled bedtime that they started to slow down and get tired. Kihyun took his chance and changed them into their pajamas and nighttime pull-ups, since they hadn't yet advanced that far into potty training, and tucked them in with kisses on the cheeks. They would be up by six in the morning but he really didn't care. He was exhausted now and this was going to be the week's routine until Minhyuk came back, but he also supposed he should lose that habit if Minhyuk would need to leave earlier in the morning for his new job. He would worry about it later but right now, he had all the time in the world for himself and that was a rarity when he was a mother to three-year-old twins. 

Now alone for the time being, Kihyun was going to take some initiative for self-care and take a long and soothing bath, something he hadn't done in a very long time. Time for himself was rare and a luxury and with the kids out of his hair and asleep he was going to relax and not worry about anything and if he could, not think about anything at all. But he knew his thoughts would wander to Minhyuk eventually, it was just a matter of when he would. He would try not to and instead let his body melt into the water and not take responsibility for anything, not even his own emotions. 

Wrapped in his robe and locked in his bathroom, Kihyun the hot water to the bathtub and waited for it to fully heat up, steam filling the room and warming his body. It was chilly in the house from the weather outside and the small, enclosed space was making him feel warm and safe, eyes closed to take in the tranquility he was feeling. Nothing about his life was ever tranquil, so he was soaking it up now while he could. The soft beats of the song he had put on to play rocking in the background, setting the tone for what he was trying to feel in the moment. When the mirror was entirely fogged up and steam was rolling through the vents, Kihyun finally shed his robe and dipped into the bath, sighing as he was engulfed by hot water. Kihyun really only ever had hot baths on nights like these. Other nights, he took mostly lukewarm or cold showers to save time so the boys weren’t without him for too long. Minhyuk was the same way, taking a shot shower in the morning before he went to work. Twins were a lot of work. 

But it was his life. He was so used to all the noise and running around, everything that comes with young children, and to not have it now and then not have his louder than life husband with him was torturous. The silence was deafening and a moment before Kihyun was thinking that he should turn the music up or choose a more energetic song, his phone was ringing from its spot on the edge of the tub, vibrating a little too close to the edge and before it could take a plunge into the water, Kihyun grabbed it and glanced at the screen. It was Minhyuk and the smile that was now decorating Kihyun’s face was blinding and still was when he answered. It was a video call and Minhyuk’s face was soon filling his screen with that goofy grin and shining eyes. 

"Kihyunnie!" Minhyuk shouted when he was met with his husband's face, already exaggerated features growing more so, “Kihyunnie, Kihyunnie, my other half, the love of my life! How are you doing?" that booming voice was all too cheerful and that was familiar with Minhyuk. He always spoke a little too louder than necessary and without thought, spewing whatever came to mind and no remorse for what was said. He was the way he was and Kihyun loved it immensely. 

Forgoing the question asked, Kihyun responded with a deep pout, "I miss you so much, Minhyuk. Skip the rest of the trip and come back home now," he was joking but a slight part of him wasn't. He wanted nothing more than to hold Minhyuk and kiss those lips that were now pursed in a stifled giggle. 

Minhyuk quickly gave up though as he snorted and laughed so flawlessly, hitting Kihyun right in the chest where it hurt the most, "You know I can't do that, you'll just have to wait a little longer," he chuckled and moved so that he was lying down on his hotel bed, smile even goofier with the new angle, "What will a patient person receive?" he asked Kihyun with that knowing smile. 

Kihyun rolled his eyes in mock annoyance with an exaggerated groan but answered anyway with a muffled, "Blessings," something he had heard many times from his husband before. It was something his mother had beat into Minhyuk’s head as a child and it was something that he was passing down to their own children. Dongju and Dongmyung were still too young to fully grasp the context of patience but it was indeed something they were going to have to improve on. Evident by this morning. 

"That's right, love," Minhyuk cooed, changing tactics once his jokes were done with and switching to his genuine concern for his husband, "How are you doing? The boys didn't give you a hard day did they?" he would ask where the boys were now but seeing that Kihyun was in the bath and it was fairly quiet, he would guess they were in bed already. 

Kihyun sighed, recalling that morning, "Dongju had a bad morning. He was so sad that you weren't there and genuinely didn't think I knew how to make breakfast food," thinking back now, it was funny and he laughed to himself, humor increasing as Minhyuk started to laugh. His laugh was so warm and hearty, touching Kihyun’s soul, "He cried about it! And Dongmyung just wanted to eat and was pestering me about it and, oh Minhyuk, it was a disaster," a hand came out of the water to rub at his forehead, the stress of the memory tingling in his brain. 

"It's just been a while. He was panicking, you know how he is," Minhyuk assured and this was true. Out of both twins, Dongju was the most nervous and worried over the little things. They were hoping it wasn't something that would develop over time and was instead something his mind manifested as it learned daily. He didn't have to be so anxious about everything, "And Dongmyung just likes to eat avocado. He gets so excited just thinking about it,” Dongmyung had eaten another avocado for dinner after Kihyun told him to eat some rice and meat first. He only ate that to get his precious fruit and Kihyun was only mildly annoyed, expecting the outcome anyway. He was sure a child couldn’t live off of just avocado, but here his son was beating the odds. And it was frustrating when Kihyun was such a good cook and his sons won’t eat anything other than simple foods, “Don’t worry too much about it.” 

“I’ll try not to,” Kihyun sighed, sinking further into the bathtub so the water went up to his chin. The warmth was so cozy and he felt like he could fall asleep right there. Exhaustion had been very prominent recently and he was sure it was the stress of moving, packing, and Minhyuk in the process of getting a new job. There was a lot happening and change was a scary thing, “But I have to keep him alive somehow.”

Minhyuk hummed, “I think you’re doing a pretty good job. They’ve lived this long and God knows it was you doing most of the work.” 

“Most of the work. You helped too, I guess,” Kihyun reminded with a smirk before changing directions, “You do so much for them, give yourself more credit. You make them breakfast every day and you do it so often they think I don’t know how to cook breakfast,” he reminded, suddenly feeling a bit too warm in his bath. He cleared his throat to flush the sick feeling out of it but it just made it worse, then lifting himself further out of the bath to lower his body temperature. His brows furrowed and a frown made its way onto his features, maybe even a groan as he shifted in the bath, an ache in his neck and back making his expression worse. He'd felt this way for a week but it was only getting progressively worse. 

Minhyuk was quick to notice, always attentive and observant, “Are you okay?” there was obvious concern laced in that statement and Kihyun didn’t want to worry him, especially when he was so far away. Knowing Minhyuk, he would panic and cut his trip short claiming he had a family emergency to attend to. Kihyun was probably too warm and needed to drink more water. He wasn't sure if he had managed to do even that today. 

“I’m okay,” he answered with a nod of his head, adding one of his award-winning smiles for good measure, "Just tired. I need to go to bed soon."

"I would say it's too early but you'll need your rest for tomorrow. It won't be any easier to handle the boys since you're by yourself." 

"It will be better tomorrow because Jooheon and Changkyun will be here," he reminded, having scheduled their visit while Minhyuk had been in the room, "It's been a while and from what I've heard their daughter is pretty antsy and has been begging her parents to stop by and play with her oppas," Daeun was only a few months younger than the twins but she insisted on calling them both oppa, "They'll be here pretty much all day and so they'll help out. And I wanted them here before it gets too busy, and this weekend was the perfect time to have them come over," the thought had him frowning, leaving behind his best friends to move North. Both Changkyun and Jooheon had been ecstatic to hear that Kihyun and Minhyuk were staying in Gwangju after their marriage and so they moved from Daegu to move back to Changkyun’s home town to be closer to them. And then they both had children and it got complicated, visits being far and few due to their availability. The two younger can't move again now that they have a daughter, it would be too much of a hassle. It was already a hassle for Kihyun and he had two small boys to handle, "I'm going to miss them." 

"Me too," Minhyuk admitted with his own frown to match Kihyun's. He'd given that same frown when he heard his friends were going to be in his house when he wasn't going to be there with them, "But we can always visit. We can take the train down and visit for a weekend, or they come up to Seoul. We can call them too, we won't be saying goodbye. It's more like 'see you later'. Okay?" 

Kihyun smiled because Minhyuk was trying so hard, but he did have a good point, "Stop being smart, it doesn't suit you," Kihyun's statement and expression was enough to send him into a fit of laughs, warming Kihyun's heart to join in the laughing as well. 

A good half hour passed before Kihyun needed to get out, the bath growing too cold to sit in much longer. They continued talking, Minhyuk whistling every time he saw a little more than Kihyun’s chest as he dressed in pajama bottoms and a large t-shirt, courtesy of Minhyuk. The slightly older thought about teasing him for it, but seeing how content Kihyun was, he thought it best to not say anything to annoy him. 

Another hour and Minhyuk was considering ending the call, not that he wanted to. He could talk to Kihyun for hours about nothing and everything, but Kihyun needed the sleep and he was the one keeping him from doing so. Saying so, Kihyun would complain and whine and Minhyuk couldn't end their call like that. He quickly came up with an excuse and spoke up when Kihyun yawned, "I should go to sleep baby, I have to start an early shift tomorrow and I need the sleep. Can't show up exhausted when I have to be on my best behavior." 

Kihyun pouted but understood. This was an important trip and Minhyuk needed to tend to himself even when Kihyun knew he would throw everything away for him, "Okay, I love you," Kihyun wished, placing a quick kiss to the camera and watching as Minhyuk did the same, cheekily so. 

"I love you too, Kihyunnie. Good night, love." 

"Goodnight," Kihyun wished, feeling his heart grow heavy as he ended the call. Not being able to talk to his husband as much as he wanted was disappointing, but he would need to give him a break or he would grow sick of him. He was sure of it. He placed his phone on the nightstand after plugging it in and to his side, burying his nose into Minhyuk’s pillow so he could fall asleep smelling his smell. Kihyun wasn't sure if he had done so, but he remembered smiling into the soft material before settling in fully and letting his consciousness slip into the dark. 

———— 

In the morning, Dongju handled his father's absence much better than the day before but didn't go without an upset frown marring his face the first hour after the woke up. A permanent pout found its way onto his lips, looking so much like Minhyuk’s, and Kihyun made sure to kiss it away as much as he could when he wasn't occupied with his other son or something else. Seeing how many kisses he was giving Dongju, Dongmyung was starting to ask for kisses and Kihyun was happy to deliver. It may be obvious which parent was each twin's favorite, but Kihyun was playing both roles this week and the boys still loved him immensely. He would need to brag to Minhyuk about it later over their next call. 

After breakfast, they busied themselves with cleaning up the living room and the boys' room to ready for their friends visiting, arranging everything to make it look like they had a firm handle on their life. One of the most difficult challenges of packing things away to move was the fact that his children wanted to rip everything already packed out to show Daeun, even when they hadn't touched them in a very long time. The photo books Kihyun had already packed away were promptly removed so the twins could show Daeun their baby pictures. It was Dongmyung who had snuck behind Kihyun’s back to grab the biggest photo book they had with leather binding and gold lettering. Kihyun watched as he ran to hide by the piano, hoping to conceal the book in the piano bench without his mother noticing noticing, but he had and Kihyun had to intervene, "Dongmyung, Daeun has already seen your baby pictures, you don't need to show her again," while Kihyun often came back to the photo books and looked through them himself, Daeun wasn't as involved in the imagery as an adult would be. She would lose interest and insist they go play and the book would be thrown on the floor, forgotten and likely to be in harm's way. It had happened many times before, evident by the bent corners of the pages and some of the pictures. 

"But Daeunnie forgot what we look like," Dongmyung defended his actions, holding the photo book to his chest to keep it in his safety. He adored looking back on old pictures and seeing how 'little' he was. But to Kihyun, he was still little and always would be. Receiving a reminder that his twins were growing up always hurt Kihyun's heart, "I want to show her again so she'll remember.”

Kihyun couldn't argue with that, especially with how insistent and cute his son was, "But Mama has to pack," Kihyun retaliated, patiently holding his hand out for the photo book, "She can look at them next time okay? For now, we need to clean up so we can move houses," he reminded, something that was still a bit hard for Dongmyung to understand, and it was always easier when he didn't understand the full details and continued in childlike bliss. It made Kihyun’s heart ache to promise next time because he wasn't sure when that would be. Kihyun was rolling through loads of emotion today already and he didn’t know why, maybe due to stress and his lack of control over the situation, "And we need it even cleaner for when Daeun and uncles Jooheon and Changkyun come here." 

Dongmyung huffed and glared, scarily looking just like Kihyun. Kihyun mirrored with his own frown, more menacing than his son's, and Dongmyung received the message within a few seconds as his stance weakened and his features softened back to innocence. He handed the book back to his mother with eyes lowered so he didn't have to make eye contact and Kihyun smiled in relief that Dongmyung was so quick to listen. His son was a good listener sometimes, "Thank you, Dimples. I appreciate it," even though he had been reprimanded, Dongmyung still asked for a kiss by puckering his lips and Kihyun was not one to turn that down, happily returning it with enthusiasm. Kihyun had to put his foot down as the mother so his children would learn obedience. Kihyun would prefer they learn and not associate demand with anger but they really needed to clean up for their friends and Kihyun was losing a bit of his patience. He wanted the illusion that he had his life together when Jooheon and Changkyun were so organized in their own home, yet it was easier for them since they had one child and she was so well behaved. 

Speaking of whom, there was a knock at the door and Dongmyung was excitedly gasping and running towards the front door with Dongju in tow, photo book forgotten in Kihyun’s hands. They had been taught to not open the door by themselves and instead to grab Kihyun or Minhyuk to answer it for them for fear of the twins letting a stranger inside, but Kihyun knew who was coming and so did the boys so he had no qualms about it. but he did make sure to tell them to, "Slow down! Wait for Mama!"

They were early, typical, and the house was still a war zone with obstacles that Kihyun hated seeing piled up on his floor. Kihyun was already feeling embarrassed but there wasn't much he could tidy now that his friends were literally at the door. He placed the photo book back in its box and walked towards the front door, picking up and tossing a few stray shoes onto the shoe rack as a last minute attempt at organizing before finally opening the door to let the Im-Lee family in. He was sure Dongju would open it before he showed up but he had surprisingly waited, "Thank you for being patient," Kihyun praised, running his hands through his son's hair that was starting to hang in his eyes. He wasn't a fan of haircuts and so it was hard to get him to sit still long enough to get one. Kihyun would schedule an appointment when Minhyuk was back so he had two sets of eyes and hands on their twins. Dongmyung would need a haircut too. 

Kihyun took a deep sigh and opened the door, letting his long-time friends in with a large and genuine smile. Dongju and Dongmyung were cheering as their uncles walked in, followed by a very enthusiastic Daeun who was ready to see her best friends after so long. Much to Kihyun's pleasure, neither Jooheon nor Changkyun paid mind to the mess that was still in the entryway, not really caring if the place was neat for them since they were there to visit their favorite family. Hugs were exchanged immediately among everyone, Daeun starting with the twins while Jooheon and Changkyun hugged Kihyun. But before Kihyun could greet Daeun or Jooheon and Changkyun could greet the twins, Dongju was quick to speak up, "We're going to play now!" he gave no time for a response before he was running off with Dongmyung and Daeun to play, leaving the adults to themselves. 

"She's getting so big," Kihyun spoke, amazed at how tall Daeun was now since the last month he had seen her, "How did that happen? She’s at least an inch taller," he was maybe exaggerating but after not seeing them for so long, he felt like there was a huge change, especially since children grow so fast. His own twins were growing right before his eyes. 

“Right? She’s growing like a weed and I hate it,” Jooheon pouted, “I want her to stay little forever and to not grow up so fast. I’ll cry the day when she doesn’t want me to hold her in my arms, and also the day when she can’t fit in my arms. I’ll be an emotional wreck,” he pouted, a typical reaction he had when things didn’t go his way. Jooheon's pouts were trademarked since he did it so often and it was something Kihyun had missed. It had been far too long without a visit. 

“It’s been a long three years,” Changkyun uttered with a laugh, loud and sporadic, almost sounding careful. It was incredibly distinct when he laughed and it was something Jooheon had fallen for when they first met, "Constantly saying how big she i