Taemin peeked inside his son’s room and found the small boy sitting on his bed wide awake. “Yoogeun? What’s wrong?”

“I can’t sleep,” Yoogeun replied looking up from his hands as Taemin sat on the small bed next to him. He had been thinking about something for a really long time now.

“What’s on your mind, baby?”

“I’m not sure. Taemin appa once told me I had a baby brother…” Taemin nodded slowly. “W-where is he? Why do other kids have two parents… and I… don’t?” he asked tilting his head in curiosity.

“Well, it’s kind of a long story-” Taemin tried to explain.

“I like stories. Will Taemin appa tell Yoogeunnie?”

“Hmm,” Taemin contemplated. He slowly pressed his back against the small head board. “Arasso,” he pulled his son’s head onto his lap and ran his fingers through his hair. “A long time ago when I was just a kid, a bit older than you,” he smiled. “I met your father.”

Freshman year. Taemin was starting a new chapter in his life. He was a little nervous to start a new school, but found confidence in himself and was eager to make new friends. Taemin was never good at looking at where he was going and had a knack for bumping into things… as well as people. It was the first day of school and he was too ecstatic to notice someone walking towards him. Taemin found himself bending down to pick up his books. It wasn’t until he came face to face with a Junior did he find himself speechless.

“Gotta watch where you’re going,” the other chuckled.

“N-ne,” Taemin replied standing up.

“What’s your name?”

“Lee Taemin.”

“Choi Minho”

“Wah, sounds like you and Minho appa hit it off so well.” Yoogeun interrupted.

Taemin chuckled remembering it like it was just yesterday. “Well not right away. We disagreed a lot, but I think that’s what I liked about your father the most.”

Time passed quickly and the two boys grew fond of one another with each passing day. Hanging out turned to dating. The I like yous turned into I love yous and the rest was history. They were too young to notice and too young to care about anything. All that mattered- all that they saw was each other. Often they would get drunk and end up in Minho’s back yard looking up at the stars.

One night they found themselves lying out there. Taemin laughed as Minho just finished tickling him and pressed their lips together before laying down next to the redhead. “What are you thinking about?” Taemin inhaled deeply looking over his boyfriends handsome features. Minho was now a sophomore in college and Taemin would be graduating soon.

“I’m wondering what your answer will be…”

“My answer?” Taemin asked confused. Minho never ceased to surprise Taemin, but that night was something extremely special.

Without saying anything else, Minho helped Taemin stand and quickly kneeled on one knee. Minho heard the other gasp, but he didn’t let that faze him. He revealed a little black box and opened it. “You know I at these kinds of things, but I love you more than anything.” The older male began. “I had a whole speech prepared and now I can’t remember any of it. I just know I want to spend the rest of my life with you… Lee Taemin, will you marry me?”

Taemin tried as hard as he could, but he couldn’t hold tears back. “Yes.” He whispered so quietly that Minho almost didn’t hear it.

“And then Minho appa and Taemin appa lived happily ever after?” Yoogeun asked clutching onto the blanket.

“Hmm?” Taemin said realizing he was telling a story. He lost himself as he caressed the side of his son’s face. He looked just like Minho. “For a while we did,” Taemin continued. “But like all like all grown up, your father and I had our augments… and our obstacles.”

“I can’t believe you did that!” Taemin screeched.

Minho pinched the bridge of his nose. “How many times do I have to tell you we weren’t doing anything? We were just talking!”

“She touched you!”

“She was handing me my coffee, Taemin! That’s what assistants do! What the hell is with you lately? First you develop this habit of eating all the food in the house and end up puking it all out. Now you can’t go a day without going on a hormonal rampage! I swear to god it’s almost as if-”

Minho stopped and widened his eyes when he saw the young boy crying again. He didn’t even know how to finish his sentence. By the way Taemin stayed quiet, Minho knew. He just knew. If he hadn’t been so distracted by work he might’ve noticed sooner.

“Taemin-… are you-…are you pregna-”

“Please don’t leave me!” The redhead cried, throwing himself at his husband, clutching onto Minho however best he could. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! Please!”

Minho wrapped his arms around the crying mess. “Shh,” Minho said quietly trying to calm Taemin down. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t know! I was scared. I didn’t know if it was the right time- I just- I mean you work and I-”

“How long?”

“…a m-month.” Taemin sniffled.

“Don’t apologize, Taemin.” Minho said pulling away to look at the boy he loved so much. He caressed his face and wiped his tears away with his thumb before kissing him lovingly. “Pabo, don’t apologize. This is the best news you could ever give me… Taemin, we’re going to be parents… we’re going to have a baby.”

They didn’t fight once after that day. They would lie awake late at night hands on Taemin’s small swollen belly talking about all the things they wanted to do. “Have you thought of any names yet?” Taemin asked.

“Not yet,” Minho confessed. “But we have plenty of time to think of one.”

But Minho was wrong. Taemin cried for nights on end when he heard the news. He refused to eat or leave his bed.

We couldn’t find a heartbeat. I’m terribly sorry.

There wasn’t a day where Minho would come home to a puffy eyed boy. “It wasn’t your fault, love.” Minho tried to comfort him. “He’s in a better place now. We’ll see him again.”

“Appa…what’s a miscarriage?”

“It’s when the baby inside me… is no longer alive, Yoogeun.”

“…did it hurt?” Yoogeun asked quietly pressing his small palm to his father’s stomach.

“Very much…right here,” Taemin demonstrated on Yoogeun’s chest where his heart was.

They believed the unborn child still deserved a name. So they gave him one and he would always be in their hearts. It was a while for both of them to get over their lost. But time passed and life went on and it wasn’t long until Taemin was with child again.

The 9 months flew by so quickly. If either parent would’ve blinked, they might’ve missed it. The next thing Minho knew he was waiting outside the waiting room. Pacing.

“It’s a boy,” the nurse announced. After having the infant cleaned off she brought him back swaddled up in a blue blanket. “Babe, look, he looks just like you.” Minho said happily showing Taemin their son.

Taemin grinned weakly raising his head best he could. “He does, doesn’t he?”

“What should we name him?”

“Jongin. Choi Jongin.” Taemin smiled lips pale they looked almost blue. The color was drained from his face and his touch was cold.

“Taemin?” Minho asked as soon as he noticed the other breathing irregularly.

Child birth was a blessing and curse. So much blood, so much pain. Taemin was just one of the unlucky ones.

 “You were the best thing that ever happened to me, hyung…”

“Don’t...” Minho pleaded tears escaping and running down the side of his face. “Don’t you say your goodbyes. Not yet… Taemin, look at me. I can’t do this without you…”

“I… know you’ll raise him well, Minho.” Taemin said quietly, voice raspy and dry. “You were always so strong…”

“Taemin…please…”

“Don’t be sad, Minho, I’m going to see our unborn son, ne?” Taemin used the bit of energy he had left to smile for his hyung. “I…I love you, hyung.” And just like that, Taemin let his eyes flutter close and exhaled for the last time.

“Taemin! No, wake up! Open your eyes! Taemin! Don’t leave me!”

“So you see, Yoogeunnie, your baby brother is fine. Your father is taking care of him.”

“You left Minho appa…” Yoogeun said tears starting to well up in his small eyes.

“I came to take care of you. Don’t feel bad for Minho appa. He’s happy.”

“Do you think… Minho appa and Jongin ah… miss us?”

“I know they do and we’ll see them again. Not for a while, but we will.”

Yoogeun nodded as he let his eyelids droop to the sound of Taemin’s quiet hummed lullaby. "Good night, appa..."

"Good night, Yoogeunnie." Making sure he was asleep, he stood and stepped out on his balcony, smiling softly down at earth into a little house in the suburbs just outside the city.

“What are you doing?” Minho chuckled as he watched his 4 year old son, Jongin hide under the sheets.

“I’m hiding from the monsters under my bed!” he squealed. Minho pulled the covers off the child’s head and tucked him in neatly. “There are no monsters under the bed, silly. There are far worse things than monsters.”

“There is?” Jongin asked widening his eyes. “Like what?”

“Life…” Minho trailed off and sat for a moment examining his son. He was the spitting image of Taemin.  

Never in his life did Minho think he was capable of loving someone like that. He was so happy he had taken the wrong hallway to class all those years ago. It was fate that had brought them together and it was fate that had ton them apart, but it left them both with something to remember the other by. Something so beautiful that no matter how much either tried to deny it, it was now part of their lives. So lost in thought and memories, Minho almost didn’t hear Jongin calling to him.

"Huh?" the young boy asked confused. Minho knew his son was smart for his age, but he didn't expect him to understand the terrible and cruel things life was capable of doing. No, Jongin would learn on his own, but now it was bedtime. 

“It’s a long story…”

“I like stories,” Jongin informed his father, eyebrow raised.

“I know you do,” Minho chuckled softly at the gesture. It was something Taemin did whenever he didn't understand something. “Maybe I’ll tell it to you when you’re a little older.”

“Yay!”  

“C’mon gimme a kiss goodnight.”

“Good night, appa.” Jongin said kissing Minho on the cheek. “Good night, umma.” Jongin said kissing the small picture frame on his bed stand before lying down and closing his eyes.

"Good night, Jonginnie," Minho leaned down to place a small kiss on his son’s forehead before walking out of the room.

Once he was in his own bedroom, Minho stepped towards the dark window, rain drops dripped all over the glass. He crossed his arms and sighed lightly looking up at the sky. For 4 years every night it hadn’t changed and maybe someday in the future Minho would find someone to change it, but for now it would remain the same.  

“Good night, Taemin.”

“Good night, Minho.”

Malkom’s Note
Another plot twist.
For those that didn’t get it Yoogeun was the miscarriage
and Taemin died after giving birth.