Zitao is oddly quiet at dinner, which immediately has Yifan and Yixing suspecting that something’s wrong. The five-year-old has been ecstatic about going to school everyday, except when Sehun was absent. Considering how excited he was to start learning “big kid things,” he’s oddly quiet about how his first day of kindergarten was. During winter break, Zitao had convinced them to give him the same mohawk Yifan has, minus the blond, of course. He’d even planned out his first day of school outfit to show off and wouldn’t leave the house until he thought he looked pretty.

 

Now he seems nothing like the little boy who ran into the school that morning. He’s picking around the vegetables as usual, but he’s not even eating the banana pudding Yixing bought specifically for him. “Are you okay, baby?” He reaches out to wipe away the bit of food that somehow made it’s home on Zitao’s cheek. Zitao shrinks away from Yixing’s touch and goes back to picking at his food. “Taozi, tell me what’s wrong.”

 

Zitao glances up quickly before returning his attention back to his plate. “Sehunnie’s not in my class anymore.”

 

“Oh… well this is a good time to make new friends. And you’ll get to see him at recess, right?” Yifan gives Zitao a warm smile and rubs his back.

 

“The other kids don’t like me,” Zitao quietly admits. Yifan can’t suppress that parental feeling of hunting down those little kids, but he composes himself and asks why the five-year-old might think the other kids don’t like him. “They laugh at me when I ask questions and none of them wanted to play with me.”

 

“I’m sure they’re just nervous about being in kindergarten. They’ll warm up to you, I promise.” Yifan kisses his son’s cheek and tousles his hair.

 

“Okay…” The five-year-old only eats a few more bites before he slides off his chair to go play in his room.

 

Yixing stands up to toss out Zitao’s uneaten food and wash the dishes. “The kids will warm up to him, right?” No matter how confident he sounded when talking to his son, he has no idea if things will actually turn out okay. Neither him or Yifan have any personal experience with bullying so he really hopes that it won’t come to that. “I mean, they’re only five, and kids usually all get along with each other.”

 

“Maybe we should talk to his teacher?” Yixing shakes his head.

 

“It hasn’t gone on long enough to be considered a problem; this was just his first day. But aren’t these the same kids he went to preschool with? Why did they suddenly stop talking to him?”

 

Yifan comes up behind his husband and wraps his arms around his waist. “Well, if you think about it, he didn’t really play with the other kids besides Sehun. He’s loud, but he’s not very… sociable.”

 

“Yeah… but maybe he’ll start playing with the other kids.” Yixing puts the clean plate in the dish rack to dry and uses a towel to dry his own hands. “I should go. Jongin and I are going for a run.”

 

“You’ve been hanging out with Jongin a lot lately.” Yifan releases his hold on his husband, but not before kissing his cheek. “Should Chanyeol and I be worried?”

 

Yixing rolls his eyes. “He’s a good person to work out with because he keeps me going when I want to quit. And I needed someone to hang out with on a regular basis with Baekhyun gone, and he needs someone to talk about Chanyeol with because he’s never been in a serious relationship.”

 

“You know I don’t care about your weight, right?”

 

“Yes, I know, but I want to do this for myself.” He gives his husband a quick peck on the lips and scurries off to put on his running gear.

 

An hour and a half, Yixing’s doubled-over with his hands on his knees, panting as he gives up trying to keep up with Jongin. Notice that the older man has fallen behind, Jongin jogs back to him and pats his back. “Just one more 5k, and we’ll be done for the night.”

 

Yixing lets out a noise that’s a cross between a chuckle and a sob. “You run 15k everyday?” Jongin nods, looking nowhere as exhausted as Yixing feels. “Wait until you have kids, and you’ll see how little time you have to exercise.”

 

“Did having Zitao keep you from your job?”

 

“Well, I voluntarily took three years off for him, but if I hadn’t been so against daycare when he was younger, I could have gone back to work when he was still a baby. Why?”

 

Jongin shrugs and takes a moment to retie his shoes. “My older sister just had a baby girl, and my parents absolutely love her. And even though they didn’t like the idea of me being in a serious relationship with someone who has a child, they’re excited to have a step-grandson and are wondering about more grandchildren.”

 

“Take your time and just get married first. Baekhyun is so gong ho about being in this wedding, and if you don’t get married soon he’s going to come back and kill your fiancé.”

 

“Can I tell you something personal?” Jongin leads Yixing to a bench a little ways down the sidewalk they’ve been jogging on. Yixing nods and gestures for Jongin to continue. “I don’t want to sound mean; I know Baekhyun’s your best friend. But I’m not really looking forward to Baekhyun back. Not that I dislike him,” he quickly clarifies. “Just… you know that when Chanyeol and Baekhyun talk with each other, they kind of naturally flirt with each other. I don’t even think they realize they do it, but it happens and… I know he’s marrying me, but I still don’t like to watch them flirt.”

 

“Don’t you think you should talk to Chanyeol about that? If he’s doing it unconsciously, I’m sure he’ll try his best to stop.”

 

“I don’t often bring up things that bother me when it comes to Baekhyun.” Jongin admits. “I just don’t really feel that I can tell him how to maintain his relationship when they have a child together, and I haven’t had to stay in contact with an ex so intimately.”

 

Yixing rises to his feet, finally feeling like it can continue with their run. “You really need to stop thinking that Baekhyun is on a higher level than you just because of their history. Chanyeol’s marrying you, and anyone can tell that next to Kyungsoo, you’re his priority.”

 

Jongin seems to feel a little bit better and also stands up. “Ready for the last 5k?” He jobs off, and Yixing begrudgingly follows after cursing himself for agreeing to run with Jongin daily.

 

//

 

With Yixing’s newfound determination to get in shape, it’s rare that he’s still in bed when Yifan opens his eyes in the morning. Usually his husband’s already having breakfast after doing his morning yoga (from what Yifan can tell from the grunts in the living room, yoga is painful). But he’s pleasantly surprised when the sleep finally leaves his body and he sees Yixing half on top of him, snoring lightly. He pushes Yixing’s hair out of the way so he can kiss his cheek, which makes Yixing stir.

 

“No morning workout?” he asks once Yixing pops an eye open.

 

Yixing lets out a contented sigh and moves Yifan’s arms so they’re around him. “Jongin said I should take the day off since he won’t be taking his regular run tonight; his sister’s visiting for a few days along with his baby niece.”

 

“So this means I get you all day?” Yifan shifts so his husband’s lying completely on top of him. “And Tao’s gone so we could…” he trails off as he leans up to kiss Yixing. They kiss for some time, not going any further as they both fall back asleep. When they finally wake back up, both their stomachs are growling. Yixing rolls off Yifan to make a healthy breakfast while Yifan still lies in bed.

 

A knock of the door makes Yixing jump a little as he’s not expecting anyone so early in the morning while he’s still dressed in pajama pants and one of Yifan’s shirt. But he figures whoever’s knocking knows that it’s too early for real clothes and answers the door.

 

Jongin looks flustered as he holds an infant car seat in his arms. The diaper bag on his shoulder looks very out of place with its pink fabric and bright green stitching, and generally Jongin with an infant is an awkward sight. The baby in the carrier is awake, making little noises as she on her pacifier, content for now. Yixing immediately starts cooing at the baby, making her smile and flail her limbs. “Sooo, why do you have a baby?”

 

“I promised my sister I would give her a day off from the baby, and I have no idea why I did that because I have no idea how to take care of kids.” He walks into the living room and sets the car seat on the kitchen table so he can pick the baby up carefully and he holds her like he’s holding a bomb.

 

“What’s her name? How old is she?”

 

“Jung Hee. She’s five months old.”

 

“And she’s fine with strangers?” Yixing’s hands are itching with the desire to hold her.

 

Jongin nods and freaks out a little when the baby starts to wiggle in his arms. Yixing quickly swoops in and bounces the happy baby in his arms. It’s been so long since he’s gotten to hold a baby, but making the infant smile and laugh comes naturally to him. Yifan enters the room, still half-asleep, and he freezes when he sees Yixing with a baby. His face immediately softens, not the usual way it does around Yixing but one that reminds Yixing of how he looked at Zitao when he was still a baby.

 

“Whose baby?”

 

“She’s my niece.”

 

The baby seems very comfortable in Yixing’s arms and snuggles into his chest as she yawns cutely. Yixing practically squeals from the cuteness and pouts at his husband. “Yifaaaan. She’s so cuuuute.”

 

“I know, but we agreed that Tao would have a complete meltdown if he had a sibling.” They’d come to that decision when Yixing had held Taeyeon in front of Zitao, and the then-3-year-old cried for nearly an hour, begging his parents to not leave him for another baby. Still though he takes Jung Hee from Yixing and expertly holds her in one arm. She blinks sleepily up at Yifan and rubs her eyes.

 

Jongin sighs and slumps onto the living room couch. “Why am I so awkward with kids? I swore that I would never be one of those adults that doesn’t understand kids but I am.”

 

“Kids aren’t for everyone,” Yixing misses. “And some people don’t really become good kids until they have to. For example, when Yifan and I were dating we went on a lot of picnics, and when a two year old wandered off from her parents to give Yifan a flower, he shook her hand.” Yifan scowls. “You’re much better now, Fan.”

 

Jongin spends most of the day with the couple who’s more than happy to watch over the baby. Jongin even holds Jung Hee a few times, awkwardly, but he doesn’t look as panicked as he did at first. Oddly enough, he significantly improves in holding her when Yifan suggests pretending he’s one of his dogs. When Jongin’s sister calls to tell him to come back, Yixing almost doesn’t let Jung Hee go and hugs her tight before handing her over. Jongin lives with a promise to continue their daily run, making Yixing groan.

 

After Jongin’s gone, Yixing pouts at Yifan again and nuzzles his head into his neck. “Faaaan.”

 

“Nope.”

 

Yixing whines like a little kid and stalks into his studio, but not before grabbing a bag of jelly beans.

 

//

 

It’s unusual for the three boys to walk home in silence, but after Luhan started brushing off every conversation he’s tried to start, Minseok’s stopped trying. Kyungsoo trails behind them a few steps, his usual quiet self. He’d always been a quiet child around strangers, but in the past few years he’s grown to be reserved even around those he knew well. Luhan and Minseok stopped trying to engage him in conversation very soon after they started walking him to and from school.

 

“Luhan…” Minseok starts. “Are you seriously gonna stop talking to me because I made a friend?  This is stupid because I’ve made tons of other friends and you’ve never ignored me before.”

 

“Yeah, well, this is different.”

 

“How is this different?” Minseok pulls on Luhan’s forearm. “Jongdae’s really fun to hang out with, and I think you’d like to be his friend too.”

 

Luhan pulls his arm away and picks up his speed. “Except he only talks to you.”

 

Minseok sighs and falls back so Kyungsoo doesn’t get left behind. “His Chinese isn’t that great, and he needs help. Sometimes he doesn’t really get what we’re talking about so I have to repeat it in Korean.”

 

“I know Korean too.” At this point, Luhan knows he being super childish but refuses to back down.

 

“Yeah, but sometimes your accent is off, and I’m the only person who can understand you.” Luhan shrugs and goes back to being silent. Minseok sighs as the approach Kyungsoo’s apartment building and go inside to make sure that he gets in safe. After they drop Kyungsoo off, they continue their silent journey towards home, but Luhan doesn’t seem as upset as before.

 

“So, Jongdae’s fun to hang out with?”

 

Minseok nods a little. “When we first moved here, it was really scary because I didn’t know how to talk to anyone, but I had you to help me. I just want to help him like you helped me.”

 

Luhan’s expression softens slightly and he nods in understanding. “I’m sorry I got mad at you. I just don’t want you to get another best friend.”

 

“Of course I won’t find another best friend; who else would put up with you?” Minseok playfully shoves Luhan who smiles and shoves back a little. “So you’ll try to be nice to Jongdae?”

 

“Aren’t I always nice to your friends?”

 

“No.”

 

//

 

Yifan can’t help the way his eyes scan his husband’s entire body as Yixing tries on the suit he’s planning to wear to Chanyeol and Jongin’s wedding. After one of Jongin’s friends couldn’t get his passport in time to get to China, he’d asked Yixing to fill in for the role of best man, which drove Yixing more to get back in shape.

 

Now, Yifan is honestly attracted to Yixing no matter what he looks like, but since Yixing started running everyday with Jongin and lifting weights in his spare time, Yifan hasn’t really been able to keep his hands to himself.

 

“Do you think I need to have the pants tailored a little more?” Yixing turns to get a better look at his black dress pants in their full-length mirror. “I wore these to some music event, but- Can I help you?” Yixing stops his ramblings as Yifan hugs him from behind and starts to un-tuck his shirt.

 

“As much as I love you in this suit, I would love you out of the suit.” He pulls back to remove the black jacket and kisses Yixing’s neck, making him squirm.

 

“We can’t,” he half-protests, but he turns around and quickly s Yifan’s pants. “Tao’s in the next room, we don’t have time.”

 

“We’ll be quick.” And with that, Yifan sticks his hand in Yixing’s pants. Yixing’s knees buckle a little, but he reciprocates and sticks a hand in Yifan’s jeans while the other finds its way up his shirt to rest on his warm stomach.  They finish each other off quickly before their five-year-old comes looking for them and kiss each other deeply before they have to clean themselves up.

 

After lamenting that he’d have to get the suit dry-cleaned, Yixing changes back into a t-shirt and sweatpants. “Oh! By the way, I got a wedding invitation from Jongin, and it says I can have a plus one. Would you be my plus one?”

 

Yifan raises an eyebrow as he changes into a clean pair of jeans. “Was it not implied that I would be?”

 

“Well, I thought about inviting Xiu Yi.” Yifan glares. “I’m kidding! But I was thinking that maaaybe after the ceremony we could pretend that we just met at the wedding, and we could get a hotel room for the night?”

 

Yifan looks surprised. “You want to do a stranger roleplay?”

 

Yixing nods and backhugs Yifan. “I’ve been reading those women magazines-”

 

“You need to stop.”

 

“-and it’s one of the things they suggested to keep things interested and I figured we could start off simple.”

 

“Start off?”

 

“Mmhmm. There’s another one I have where I’m a power ranger and-“

 

“God please don’t finish that.”

 

//

 

On their weekly Park-Kim-Byun family night, Chanyeol decides to liven up their game of Clue by purchasing top hats, fake moustaches, and even a plastic monocle from a party store. Kyungsoo looks so adorable in his fake moustache and hat that Chanyeol wants to pinch his cheeks, but he knows the 9-year-old will swat his hand away.

 

“Mmm, I’m going to guess that it was Mr. Green in the conservatory with the lead pipe.” Jongin gives Kyungsoo a look, challenging him to say otherwise.

 

“That’s a good guess, Detective Kim, but I have a card that disagrees.” Kyungsoo smirks as he shows a card to Jongin, who scowls and makes a few marks on his game card.

 

“Good going, Detective Byun.” Chanyeol high fives his son and rolls the dice for his turn.

 

They’re just wrapping up their game that Kyungsoo’s about to win, when there’s a knock on the front door. Chanyeol announces that he’ll see who it is while Jongin and Kyungsoo put the gameboard and pieces away. “Baek!” Chanyeol’s very surprised to see Baekhyun, especially when the wedding isn’t for another couple of weeks. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I figured two days before your wedding and one day after wasn’t enough time to visit. Sooo, would you mind housing me for a few days?” He motions to his suitcase that’s sitting on the ground behind him.

 

Kyungsoo walks from the living room when he hears a familiar voice, and he face completely lights up when he sees Baekhyun. “Appa!” He immediately starts running to Baekhyun who kneels and opens his arms to scoop him up.

 

“You’ve already grown so much since your birthday! Soon you’ll be taller than me!”

 

“Which isn’t that difficult,” Chanyeol quips. Baekhyun gives Chanyeol a nonthreatening glare and turns his attention back to his son.

 

“Where’s Hyung and Taenggu?” Kyungsoo peeks around Baekhyun to see if the rest of his family is there.

 

“They’ll be here for the wedding, don’t worry.” He gives Kyungsoo a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes, but Kyungsoo doesn’t seem to notice as he’s so excited to see his dad. “But in the meantime we get to spend a while two weeks together!”

 

Chanyeol and Jongin exchange a look, both of them wondering if Junmyeon was really coming.

---

This is so late! I hit a writer's block (which actually doesn't happen that much? even though I update sporadically) and then by the time I got over it, this was already two weeks late, and then I moved irl and EXCUSES EXCUSES.

Anyone up for a wedding with lots of kid fluff?

Also, I didn't realize that July 20th was the year anniversary of this! Has it really been that long?