“You may think you like someone,” Jongdae pauses dramatically; Jongseok stares at him expectantly, and Yixing sighs because really? “But you could be wrong.”

“Seriously, Jongdae? You’re going to quote Mean Girls as a form of relationship advice? That’s low – “

Jongdae ignores him, as usual. “Alternatively, it could go the other way. As in, you don’t think you like someone, but actually, you do.” Jongseok blinks. He’s not entirely sure how this happened – one minute he was telling his dads about the girl at school he likes to throw paper aeroplanes at, the next, he was getting this strange talk about liking people. He does not like this girl. No way!

Yixing heaves yet another sigh, but Jongdae’s not done yet. “That was how it worked for your bà and me. I realised I liked him after…some stuff, and he still didn’t get it.” Yixing would like to interject – especially as that’s really not representative of the trajectory of their relationship at all (though he concedes that the concept of buddies is a little too risqué for a five year old) – but Jongdae is talking again. “Of course, he’s still not sure he likes me, but hey, what can you do – “

“Fourteen years, Jongdae.” Yixing rolls his eyes. “We’ve been together fourteen years and you think I’m not sure of my feelings for you?”

Jongdae shrugs. “How am I supposed to know what’s going on in that head of yours? I’m only going by what you put out.”

By this point, Jongseok is completely confused and would really rather be playing spies with daddy’s phone and his brother’s invisible ink pen, but he’s not sure how to get himself out of this situation. “But girls are icky.” He makes a face; the only girls he can just about stand are mummy and his baby sister – and Sunhwa only because she screams for hours on end when she doesn’t get what she wants, and he can respect that. “I don’t like them at all!”

His fathers turn to actually look at him. “Oh, well done, Jongdae.” Yixing’s rolling his eyes so far back that he’s not sure he’ll ever be able to see properly again. “You’ve gone and ruined our son’s chances at love.”

Jongseok kicks his feet upwards, staring down at the floor. They keep using the words like and love, but he’s not actually sure what they mean, so how is he supposed to make sense of any of this? “What is love?” His parents say he loves his brother and sister and the rest of his family, but that’s kind of because he has to. He’s not sure that’s the kind of thing they’re talking about.

“Uh,” Jongdae shares a panicked glance with Yixing, because when they started out on this quest to explain feelings to their youngest son, this was not what he expected. “Love is – “

“Special,” Yixing finishes for him, elbowing Jongdae in the ribs when he snorts; this is not the picture they’re going to paint for their children. Their children are going to grow up nice and normal, and have healthy, functional relationships that don’t rely on games to realise you actually love someone. At least, that’s what he’s aiming for. “When you love someone, you care about them and want to be with them – “

“Even when they piss the living hell out of you.” Jongdae adds cheerfully, unaware of the murderous glare Yixing is giving him because he’s gone and sworn in front of the children again, and been completely inappropriate.

But when has Jongdae ever tried to be appropriate?

“So you and dad do love each other?” Jongseok asks, just for clarification. Yixing frowns, because why are the children always questioning their love for one another? Is it not obvious that their endless teasing is just a result of them knowing the other far too well, and still loving them for it?

He guesses not.

“Of course we do.” Jongdae scoffs, leaning over to squeeze Yixing’s hand. The other man raises an eyebrow at such uncharacteristic sweetness, but squeezes back anyway. “Your bà’s just terrible at showing it.”

He should have known Jongdae is incapable of being nice for longer than five seconds.

This is what happens when I'm sick and procrastinating an essay; one of my housemates loves Mean Girls a little too much and...yeah. I'm sorry. I have another...thing but I might post it tomorrow. Depends on whether or not my exhausted brain remembers to. >.>