All exhaustion was forgotten when they finally reached the beach and Taemin watched his son’s face glow up the moment he first set eyes on the waves. After all those years of having the kid obsess over it, he had finally been able to grant him his biggest wish.

It wasn’t the first time he himself visited the beach, but he didn’t remember it affecting him as much as it did now. The way Chanho ran towards the water, almost tumbling over in excitement on the foreign ground, his feet not used to walking on sand, was enough for him to crown this one of the best days of his life.

He almost forgot Minho who stood right next to him – the man who made all of this possible. He was only pulled back into reality by the older’s voice who made it through his thoughts:

“Wanna go into the water as well?” the latter asked and Taemin immediately started running.

“Let’s see who catches up with Chanho first!” Taemin shouted over his shoulder, his melancholy suddenly forgotten.

“How dare you.” he heard Minho say before he immediately ran after him.

It was no surprise that Minho managed to catch up despite the head start, his feet meeting the waves mere seconds before Taemin’s did, shoes getting soaked.

“Damn you’re fast.” Taemin said panting for air while Minho did the same.

“Likewise. You’re faster than I thought on those legs.”

Taemin didn’t have time to reply to the older man’s teasing words, a wet child suddenly latching itself onto his leg.

“Daaaaad!” Chanho said, looking up to his father who picked him up immediately.

“You like it?”

“I LOVE IT!!!!” The boy answered with the brightest smile he had ever seen, eyes wide and sparkling while there were drops of seawater running along his face. It almost seemed as if he had gone for a dive.

“Did you go for a swim?”

“No. I fell.” Chanho admitted with lowered eyes. Before Taemin knew what was happening, a big hand was ruffling through the boy’s wet hair with a heartful laugh accompanying it. With wide eyes, he turned around to see Minho who now stood right next to him, his eyes fixed on Chanho while his mouth was pulled apart into a wide laughter.

The moment felt unreal, waves playing around their ankles as they were laughing as a family of three, Minho putting his arm around his shoulders while smiling at Chanho as if he was his own. Taemin was almost afraid to move or say anything, the thought of the bubble of this moment bursting, reminding him of all the hardships he was going through in life. But it didn’t happen. Taemin placed a kiss on Chanho’s cheek and shortly felt lips on his, Minho following his example by pressing his lips on the young father’s cheek.

“Wanna go find some seashells?” Minho was the first one to speak up, Taemin still dazed from the fairytale he suddenly found himself in.

“YES!” Chanho shouted, wiggling that his father would put him back on the ground where his trousers were immediately immersed in the salt water once more.

Chanho found uncountable seashells in the following hour, Taemin collecting them by pulling up his shirt, creating a makeshift bag out of it. His eyes fully focused on his son running around on the beach, the young father didn’t notice Minho who struggled to avert his gaze from the his exposed tummy.

Minho wondered if Taemin did it on purpose. Teasing him like that. It wasn’t as if they had never been intimate, but it always felt like Taemin was avoiding the topic as well as he could, barely ever initiating anything. It made Minho wonder if the young father was actually attracted to him in that way.

Then again, the evening they had spent together proved otherwise. Taemin was anything but unaffected by his advances. Maybe he was just good at hiding his desires while Chanho was around – Which was basically every moment they spent together.

“I am looking forward to tonight.” Minho whispered into Taemin’s ear when he walked up behind him.

“Nothing’s happening tonight.” Taemin said back through gritted teeth, eyes fixed on Chanho who was playing in the sand, unbothered.

“Ouch.” Minho said, grabbing his chest. “I’ll prove you so wrong Lee Taemin.”

They arrived back at the hotel at around 8pm having had dinner at a local seafood place, all of them were content and Chanho most definitely tired enough to fall asleep almost instantly after Taemin had made him wash the seashells after his shower.

“Good night honey.” He mumbled, placing a soft kiss on his son’s forehead, pulling the blanket up to the little boy’s chin.

“Good night dad. Will Uncle Minho also come and say good night too?”

“Do you want that?”

“mhh” Chanho hummed in agreement, his eyelids closing slowly.

Taemin chuckled slightly, walking out of Chanho’s room to get Minho. What he found on their shared bed was nothing he could have expected.

“What the are you doing?!?!” Taemin shouted in whispers when he set his eyes on the older male’s frame.

“Waiting for you.”

“Chanho could have come out again?!? Oh god. Grab yourself some pants. Now. He wants you to say good night.” Taemin said, trying to hide the fact that his heart had sped up quite a bit. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to touch his boyfriend, he wasn’t too shy to do so. It just felt wrong to do it while his son was in such close proximity, the chance of him walking in on them being incredibly high.

“Damn.” Minho mumbled, hurrying to put on some pyjama pants before disappearing into Chanho’s room.

Taemin didn’t even have time to do anything before the older returned to the main room with a sly smile on his lips.

“He’s already deep asleep. Not a chance of waking him up.” He said, approaching the young father with fast steps.

“We shouldn’t.” Taemin said the moment Minho’s hand circled around his waist, pulling him in for a kiss.

“Do you really not want to, or are you afraid Chanho might wake up and see?” Minho mumbled, pressing his forehead on Taemin’s.

“Maybe…”

Minho pulled Taemin closer, hugging him tightly before speaking into his ear: “Ever heard of a DILF?”

The young father pulled away, looking at the taller with an estranged face, clearly unable to make sense of the expression.

“You are one.” Minho hinted and the younger looked even more confused than before, raising an eyebrow while he wiggled out of the taller’s hold.

“Whatever Choi Minho. I am gonna get ready for bed.” Taemin said walking over to the bathroom to brush his teeth and take a shower to get the sea salt off his skin.

When he came back, he found Minho curled up in a ball, still wearing his pyjama pants, turned away from him, facing the window instead of the bathroom. Unsure if the older was already asleep, Taemin got on the mattress carefully, trying his best not to disturb the other in case he was trying to fall asleep.

“Are you only in this for the money?” Minho spoke when Taemin pulled up the blanket, his voice sounding broken, but he didn’t move an inch.

 “How could you ever think that?” Taemin immediately replied, popping himself up on his elbows, hoping to see the older’s face.

“Are you even attracted to me?”

Taemin almost felt the pain that was swinging in Minho’s words, unsure why the other even questioned it.

“Why wouldn’t I be? I mean look at you.” He tried but the older stayed unmoving, releasing a deep sigh into the cushion.

“Then why are you acting as if you weren’t? I understand that you want to take it slow. That’s fine by me. But the night you were at my