“Daddy. Daddy.”

 

Sungyeol groaned, “Hm?” He rolled over in his bed, pulling his quilt higher over his chest. He sniffed loudly as he peeked an eye open. “Who is it?” he asked.

 

Jiseon giggled as she rested her head on the edge of the bed. “It’s me, silly!”

 

“Me? Who’s me?” Sungyeol asked in mock confusion. He rolled over again to face the other way. “I don’t know a me.”

 

He felt her hop onto the bed and hit him softly with her small fists. “Daddy,” she whined. “It’s me, Jiseon!”

 

“Jiseon who?”

 

“Jiseon me!” she laughed.

 

With a playful roar he popped up from his covers and grabbed her effortlessly. She squealed happily as he brought her back down to the blanket, tickling her sides mercilessly. “Jiseon? Jiseon who?” he continued to tease.

 

“Jiseon me!” she said with uncontrollable giggles. “Lee Jiseon! I’m your daughter!”

 

“How do I know you’re the real Jiseon?” he asked her.

 

“Because there’s only one Jiseon in the whole world like me!” She grinned playfully. “And because today is my birthday! Only the real Jiseon has a birthday today!”

 

Sungyeol raised an eyebrow as he stopped tickling her. “Oh, really? And how old is the real Jiseon turning today?”

 

“Six!” she cheered excitedly. “I’m six today!”

 

With a happy grin, Sungyeol lifted Jiseon up from the bed and into the air with a fake gasp. “You are the real Jiseon! I’m so lucky that she didn’t disappear!”

 

“I’d never disappear, Daddy!” she squealed as she raised her arms in the air. “I’ll stay with you forever!”

 

“Even when I’m old? And you’re old?” he asked her playfully. He stepped off the bed with Jiseon in his arms. “You’ll still want to stay with me?”

 

Jiseon nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! I want you to bake for me every year on my birthday!”

 

Sungyeol laughed as he brought the both of them to the bathroom. They got ready together as usual, their matching pink toothbrushes looking more pristine for some reason. Maybe it was because it was Jiseon’s birthday and everything seemed to be glowing just a little bit more. Together they made their way to the kitchen in their wrinkled pajamas with their clean faces. Jiseon immediately hopped up onto a chair as Sungyeol took his spot behind the stove.

 

“So,” he said with a smile, “what do you want for breakfast, princess?”

 

“Waffles!” she replied excitedly, kneeling up in her seat. “With chocolate chips!”

 

“You want to come help me make the batter?” he asked as he pulled out their waffle iron from under the counter.

 

She nodded happily as she bounced off her seat to pull it over to Sungyeol’s side. Standing up on the seat and resting her elbows on the counter she said, “Of course! We can put in extra chocolate chips, right? Because it’s my birthday?”

 

“Absolutely.” Sungyeol winked as he began pulling ingredients from every corner of the kitchen. “Getting older means more chocolate chips in your waffles every year.”

 

“Yay!” she cheered. She held onto the large mixing bowl that Sungyeol placed on the counter as he began to pour the ingredients in one by one. Jiseon giggled gleefully as she watched the waffle batter come together.

 

Sungyeol sighed happily as he let her pour mini chocolate chips into the batter. He watched the bittersweet chocolate fall in like rain and he couldn’t help but feel that this moment in itself was bittersweet as well. Jiseon was here, and she would cook special birthday breakfasts every year. But someday, Jiseon would leave and he wouldn’t wake up to his daughter waking him up with her sweet words anymore. Someday, she’d be off to college and starting a family of her own.

 

The very thought of his small daughter growing up made him feel so sadly sweet. But it was alright because as long as Sungyeol could be there for her now and so long as she grew up to be a good person, he would be okay.

 

It was a very belated realization, but while the two of them were filling their waffle iron with batter, Sungyeol thought to himself that he really couldn’t have hid Jiseon from Myungsoo for much longer. Jiseon was honestly too precious to him to ever keep a secret forever. He felt like such an irresponsible father for trying to conceal her from his boyfriend. But he took a deep breath and cleared the negative thoughts away. Myungsoo was helping him get through this now -- everything was going to work out.

 

By the time Sungyeol and Jiseon were done making and eating their stacks of chocolate chip waffles, it was time to decorate the house. Sungyeol had to make sure that her surprise birthday cake was safely hidden away in a high cupboard where she’d never look. He felt lucky that she was still six and small. Otherwise, her curious hands would have found her cake too quickly and Sungyeol would never be able to explain why an Avengers birthday cake was sitting in their cupboard.

 

“Daddy,” she started slowly as she taped up a streamer. Sungyeol glanced over in response and she smiled. “You didn’t forget, right? What I asked for my birthday present, I mean…”

 

He smiled softly and turned away. “You mean that Civil War plate set you saw at the store?”

 

She giggled. “No, not that! Well… that too, but… I’m talking about my special present.” She bit her lip as she waited for her father to answer.

 

“Oh you mean,” he said, “Daddy’s…? What did you call him?”

 

“Prince Charming!” Jiseon exclaimed.

 

Sungyeol laughed as he stapled the edge of a banner down. “Yeah, I talked to him. Mr. Myungsoo says he’s coming.”

 

Clasping her hands together, Jiseon squealed, “Really?!”

 

“Really, really.”

 

“Wow!” she squeaked happily. “I’m so excited to meet him! And we can do all the activities together too!”

 

“Are you sure?” Sungyeol asked, laughing at her enthusiasm. “You’re going to be playing with all your friends, you know. And need I remind you that you kind of invited twenty kids over.” His head already hurt at the thought of it. “You’re lucky that Dongwoo so kindly offered to help out, otherwise I would not have let you invite that many of your friends over at once.”

 

“But Daddy! I need to invite all my school friends so they can meet my friends from dance class! Which means I also need to invite my girl scout troup because they have to meet my other friends too!”

 

“Alright darling, I get it,” he said in mock exasperation. “Just don’t come crying when there’s no leftover cupcakes tonight.”

 

“Well… we can always hide some, right?” she asked hopefully.

 

“Lee Jiseon, where did you learn to be this sneaky?!”

 

The little girl just smiled sheepishly in response before making a hasty exit.

 

 

Myungsoo sat in his car nervously, wondering if he actually had the courage to get out of it. His leg shook as he clutched a badly wrapped gift in his hands. He couldn’t remember the last time he actually wrapped a gift in paper. For as long as he could remember, he was always shoving Christmas presents into gift bags and stuffing them with tissue paper, or better yet, not wrapping them at all.

 

So he didn’t understand why, of all occasions, he chose today to try a hand at gift wrapping again. The shimmery pink paper did very little to hide all the stray pieces of tape that was barely holding the paper together in the first place. Maybe he should go back to his apartment, re-wrap and wait a little bit longer before coming back.

 

He shook his head decisively. No. There was no point in delaying it. Besides, coming late would make it seem like this birthday party wasn’t important to him but it was, it really was. When Sungyeol had asked him to attend his daughter’s birthday party, Myungsoo was beyond elated. It was such a good feeling to know that Sungyeol was thinking of him and his daughter in the same universe finally.

 

It meant it was a big step for the both of them. Myungsoo saw it as Sungyeol stepping out of his comfort zone and he appreciated it a lot. Even though he said it was his daughter’s idea, Sungyeol seemed to be trying to bridge that gap between Myungsoo and his family. It made Myungsoo’s insides warm up.

 

But it didn’t really strike him how little he knew about Sungyeol’s daughter until he went to go buy a last minute birthday present and he realized he had no idea what to get. The only time he had ever seen her was really through Sungyeol’s pictures or the time she had answered the door. He had no idea of her likes or dislikes. He almost asked Dongwoo for advice but he figured Dongwoo would have been a bit preoccupied.

 

So Myungsoo stared at the awfully wrapped stuffed animal in his lap and bit back another sigh. He shouldn’t have been so nervous! It was just a little kid’s party, after all. But as a twenty-something year old man, a kid’s party seemed to be the most intimidating one he had ever attended. Especially when too many little people were going to get a big burst of energy from Sungyeol’s sweets.

 

“Get up, you fool,” he muttered to himself. He yanked his key out of the ignition and sighed as the hums of his car came to a halt. What was he doing?

 

With a sharp intake of air, he opened his car door and stepped out bravely. By doing so, he nearly rammed his door into a familiar face he knew.

 

“Dongwoo!” he exclaimed. He rushed to stand up straight. “Sorry, I didn’t even see you there!”

 

Dongwoo just grinned at him brightly, having seemingly no troubles balancing the multiple boxes in his arms. “Oh, don’t worry, it would have just been an accident. Besides, there’s nothing fragile in these boxes.”

 

Myungsoo looked nervously at all the boxes and looked down at the miserably wrapped gift in his hands. “That’s… a lot of presents,” he commented.

 

“Oh these? These aren’t presents!” Dongwoo chuckled. “These are just more party favors. Sungyeol needs an extra hand with the actual execution of the party so that’s what I’m here for.”

 

“Oh, you’re not attending?” Myungsoo asked in surprise. He blinked as he followed Dongwoo up to the apartment building. He laughed inwardly at the irony of his life - the last time they had walked to this apartment building together, things hadn’t ended well.

 

Dongwoo shook his head. “Nah, Hoya and I decided that a busy party filled with little girls might not be the best environment for Sooyong. He and I will drop by later tonight for a more… intimate gathering, I guess you could say.”

 

“Oh…” Myungsoo murmured. He wanted to smack himself. It was like ‘oh’ was the only word he could say. “That’s sweet.”

 

“Mm-hm,” Dongwoo agreed. He turned to him then with a knowing look in his eyes. “So, what about you?”

 

“What? What about me?”

 

“Isn’t it sweet that you’re attending, as well? You’re a guest of honor, aren’t you?”

 

“I-I wouldn’t say that,” the other stammered, feeling the tips of his ears heat up. “It was a pretty last minute invite so…” He held up his lumpy present sheepishly. “I couldn’t even get a decent birthday gift for her. I hope she likes stuffed animals…”

 

“Jiseon is a simple girl, she’ll like nearly anything you get her.” Dongwoo smiled at him reassuringly as they reached Sungyeol’s apartment door. “So I wouldn’t worry too much about presents. Besides, I’m pretty sure that she’ll be more thrilled about seeing you than receiving another gift.”

 

Myungsoo’s chest lifted in relief and he smiled. “Really?” he asked.

 

Dongwoo hit the doorbell with his elbow and Myungsoo belatedly thought that he probably should have rang the doorbell instead, since Dongwoo was carrying so many things. He brushed the thought away as Dongwoo spoke to him again. “Believe me,” he said, “Sungyeol is pretty excited to have you meet his daughter.”

 

“I’m really excited too,” he admitted. He swallowed nervously. “Although… I’m not sure how I feel about hanging out at a kid’s party…”

 

“Aw, are you too much of a big kid to have fun at these parties?” Dongwoo teased.

 

Myungsoo laughed. “No, no, it’s just… I feel like being a male adult in a swarm of small girls is a little, uh, frightening, don’t you think?”

 

Dongwoo let out a loud burst of laughter. “This isn’t my first time helping out at Jiseon’s birthday,” he said knowingly. “But yeah, it can get pretty frightening.”

 

“...Oh.” There was the word again.

 

The door swung open then, allowing the sounds of laughing little girls and running to be heard. Sungyeol was there, his grin wide and his eyes sparkling. Myungsoo’s heart sped up a little just at the sight of him glowing so brightly.

 

“Dongwoo!” Sungyeol exclaimed in relief, pulling his friend into a hug. “Thank goodness you’re here, I really need those party favors. Thanks for pulling through.”

 

“Always.” Dongwoo winked as he headed inside.

 

Alone, Sungyeol turned to Myungsoo with the biggest smile on his face. His eyes positively sparkled as he looked at him and Myungsoo could feel himself beaming back. He pulled him into a tight hug and kissed his cheek.

 

“Hey,” he said softly as he pulled away.

 

Sungyeol held back a giggle and pulled him inside by the hand. “Hey,” he responded. “I’m really glad you made it.”

 

“Me too,” Myungsoo responded. He slipped off his shoes and walked in. “Uh, where can I put her present?”

 

“Over there.” Sungyeol pointed to a corner of his home where a pile of nicely wrapped gifts sat. “Sorry if I look a little messy, handling a bunch of small girls is not an easy task.”

 

“Easier now with Dongwoo, right?” Myungsoo asked with a smile.

 

“Definitely not,” Sungyeol laughed. “This many girls is still too many girls. But you don’t need to worry about that, since you came for one girl in particular, didn’t you?”

 

“Yeah.” Myungsoo nodded and smiled. “I’m… I’m really excited to meet Jiseon. And admittedly a little bit nervous, too.”

 

Sungyeol smiled at him so genuinely, he was radiating with glee. “Well, I’m really excited for you two to meet. And she’s been looking forward to meeting you. Uh, formally, that is.”

 

Myungsoo was going to respond when a herd of small females came trampling past them. Sungyeol sighed and called out. “Jiseon! I said no running in the apartment, please! Sorry, I have to go make sure they don’t break anything. Jiseon!”

 

“Um…”

 

The junior detective stood alone awkwardly as Sungyeol ran off, following the gaggle of girls to make sure they weren’t going to do too much damage to his small apartment. He looked around, very lost at what to do. With an awkward cough he decided to just place his gift in the back of the pile so that his awful wrapping wouldn’t stand out in this mountain of pristinely covered gifts.

 

Sungyeol came back just as he walked away from the pile. Myungsoo smiled at him and was about to open his arms for a hug until he noticed who Sungyeol had on his arm. Or more specifically, behind his leg.

 

“Jiseon,” Sungyeol said gently. He smiled up at Myungsoo. “Sorry, it seems like she’s a little shy to greet you. She…” he laughed slightly, “she kind of thinks you’re like my prince charming. Or something.”

 

Jiseon was peeking at him interestedly while holding her father’s fingers. She wore a pink fluffy tutu skirt and a Captain America t-shirt. It didn’t necessarily match her sparkling tiara, but it was cute. Myungsoo wiggled his fingers at her as a small wave and delighted when she smiled and waved back.

 

“She’s not usually this timid,” Sungyeol told him. “She’s been really looking forward to seeing you, I swear.”

 

Myungsoo smiled and came closer. “Don’t worry, I’m sure she just needs to warm up to me.” He knelt down to match Jiseon’s eye level and smiled invitingly. “Hi,” he said gently.

 

Jiseon’s eyes glittered at him. “Hi,” she responded clearly. She smiled up at him.

 

“Do you know me?” Myungsoo asked, smiling kindly.

 

She nodded hesitantly.

 

Myungsoo chuckled at her. “I’m… I’m the man that looks like Tadashi, right? Or am I Prince Charming?”

 

Jiseon made a face and laughed. “No,” she said, “you’re only Daddy’s Prince Charming. So to me, you’re Tadashi.”

 

“Jiseon,” said Sungyeol firmly but gently. “His name is Mr. Myungsoo, remember?”

 

“Oh, right.” She smiled sheepishly. “Mr. Myungsoo, I mean. Not Tadashi.”

 

Myungsoo chuckled and ruffled her hair. “No, it’s okay, you can call me Tadashi if you like. Call me anything you want.”

 

Jiseon grinned but shook her head. “No, I can’t!” she sang cheerfully. “Because Tadashi’s not your name! Besides… Tadashi doesn’t get a happy ending. But you will.”

 

Raising an eyebrow, Myungsoo laughed. “Is that so? I’m very glad you want me to have a happy ending then.” Jiseon just looked back at him happily and Myungsoo cleared his throat. “Jiseon… today is your birthday, right?”

 

“Mm-hm,” she hummed. Myungsoo laughed. It sounded so similar to how Sungyeol would hum it. “I’m turning six!”

 

“What? That means you’re a big girl now!” Myungsoo exclaimed.

 

Jiseon nodded excitedly. “Six is more than five! I’m more than halfway to ten now! So I’m definitely a big girl!”

 

Sungyeol squatted down then, kissing the crown of her head affectionately. “A big girl, so that means you can start doing things without Daddy now, right?”

 

Jiseon stares at him curiously. “Like what?”

 

“Like… maybe showing Mr. Myungsoo around? Daddy is going to be busy,” he tells her in a loud whisper, “so I can’t take him around to enjoy all the fun stuff at your party. Dongwoo and Daddy are going to be setting some stuff up for a surprise. So maybe… since Myungsoo is still a guest at your party… you could show him all the games?”

 

Jiseon broke into a grin immediately and nods excitedly. “Of course, Daddy! Don’t worry, I’ll help him!”

 

Myungsoo snickered into his hand and glanced at Sungyeol with a raised eyebrow. Sungyeol shoots him a look back as they both stand up. “Make sure that Mr. Myungsoo has a lot of fun. Okay, honey?”

 

“Yes Daddy!” Jiseon nodded with a bright smile. She slipped her hand into Myungsoo’s and grabbed onto it tightly. Myungsoo’s eyes widened in surprise but he couldn’t stop the giant smile spreading on his face. “I’ll make sure he has lots of fun with me and my friends!”

 

Sungyeol placed a hand on Myungsoo’s shoulder and grinned. Whispering, he said, “You’re going to have lots of fun. You’ll be just fine.”

 

Myungsoo’s smile faltered slightly. “Wait, you mean you’re not coming--”

 

“Nope. Gotta take care of the guests, after all. But it’s okay -- it’ll be like a bonding session for you two.” Sungyeol winked.

 

Jiseon started tugging him away then, her bright smile and twinkling eyes beckoning him wordlessly. With a supportive glance from Sungyeol, Myungsoo followed Jiseon to wherever she wanted.

 

 

“How’s the party looking?”

 

“Looking good.” Sungyeol grinned. “Things are going very smoothly.”

 

Dongwoo smiled back, leaning on his kitchen counter. “That’s good. I’m glad. I wonder if you even need my help.”

 

“Oh, no -- please stay!” Sungyeol exclaimed, his eyes going wide momentarily. “I need to finish the rest of these cookies. And I can’t control these children and bake at the same time.”

 

“Nope, which is why you have me!” Dongwoo sang. He hopped over to embrace Sungyeol tightly. “Your lovely assistant!”

 

“So lovely indeed,” Sungyeol snickered, hugging him back tightly.

 

Dongwoo stared at Sungyeol’s face perceptively. His eyes were searching Sungyeol’s own, as if looking for some sort of affirmation for something. Smiling gently, he let out a short, content sigh. “You look a lot happier,” he commented knowingly.

 

Sungyeol’s eyes began to sparkle. “I… feel happier,” he responded.

 

“I’m really happy to see you like this,” Dongwoo told him softly. “I’m really glad that things worked out favorably.”

 

“Me too. After making up with Myungsoo… it feels like everything is just so much brighter. I feel lighter and breathing just seems so much easier!” Sungyeol smiled so brightly. “I’m just so happy right now, Dongwoo.”

 

Dongwoo poked him. “Could’ve been easy from the start if you didn’t keep a secret,” he sang teasingly.

 

“I get it,” Sungyeol chuckled. “No more secrets from now on, I promise.”

 

“Good.” Dongwoo pat his shoulder proudly. “Besides,” he shrugged, “everything is going so well, what could there be to hide? Absolutely nothing, right?”

 

Sungyeol rolled his eyes and pushed Dongwoo’s hand away. “Dongwoo,” he said, turning away to put on mitts and pull some more cookies out of the oven, “if you have cornered me in a kitchen to get me to talk, again, I think you’ll be pleased to find that I’ve got no secrets to share.”

 

Dongwoo smiled at him. “And that’s exactly what I want to hear from here on out.”

 

“I think that’s doable,” Sungyeol replied with a smile. He set his chocolate cookies onto a cooling rack and sighed happily. “I just hope I won’t need to tell you any bad news.”

 

“I doubt it,” Dongwoo snickered. He glanced out the kitchen and spotted Jiseon sitting on Myungsoo’s lap, decorating some paper with glitter glue and rhinestones. “If you ask me, things look to be going really well.”

 

“The one thing that would make me happier than I already am is if Jiseon loves Myungsoo as much as I do.”

 

Dongwoo grinned at him. “Trust me, I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

 

 

Jiseon figured that this was her first time really meeting Mr. Myungsoo. It wasn’t her first time playing with adults, but it was her first time with someone like Myungsoo. Her Daddy’s boyfriend. The thought of it still managed to make her giggle. But he seemed very fidgety -- like he was afraid to do something wrong. Jiseon laughed to herself because he was so careful. It was funny seeing an adult so nervous. Usually the big people she was around were very happy and confident.

 

They had started out very simply. She had dragged him over to a table laden with accessories. Granted, most of them were party hats and little wands doused in glitter. Myungsoo laughed because there didn’t seem to be a cohesive theme to the party. It was all ballet and sparkles, but at the same time it was superheroes and villains. But there were still headbands with animal ears on the table as well.

 

Jiseon was a girl of many interests, after all. Either that or she and Sungyeol had gotten carried away with the theme.

 

“Here!” she said, picking off a headband from the table. “Come down here!” she beckoned with a giggle.

 

Myungsoo complied easily, his face breaking into a smile as he knelt down in front of her. Jiseon still kind of had to tiptoe to securely put the headband down onto his head. He reached up to touch it. “Cat ears?” he asked.

 

Jiseon grinned at him and nodded. Myungsoo noticed that she had a lovely eye-smile. It was curious, because Sungyeol himself didn’t have an eye-smile. “You look like a cat now,” she giggled.

 

“Yeah?” Myungsoo laughed at her, her head. There was something about her that reminded him of her father, but he couldn’t seem to put his finger quite on it.

 

“Yeah!” she nodded excitedly. She took his hand tightly and tugged him along. “Now that you look like a kitty, we can go have fun!”

 

Myungsoo smiled down at her. Jiseon was very full of energy, bright and sparkling, just like Sungyeol. It was easy to fall for her also.

 

So Myungsoo was willingly dragged around Jiseon’s party, playing all sorts of games. Jiseon thought he was so funny. When they were making little crowns, he had made his out of black construction paper. It made her laugh because princes didn’t wear black crowns, but Myungsoo insisted that he was the type of prince that did. Jiseon liked the way his eyes became little moons when he grinned and the dimples that showed up on his cheeks. Nobody she knew smiled like that and it made her so happy.

 

He played games with her afterwards, helping spin her around before she pinned the tail on the donkey and being her partner for small musical games that her father was in charge of. Jiseon decided she really, really liked him because his hands were big and warm like her daddy’s, but also so soft and gentle. He would squat down to look into her eyes when speaking to her and would wipe away any frosting or crumbs that decorated her face when she snacked on her dad’s treats. Myungsoo would always say nice things to her and made her feel like a princess.

 

She liked feeling like a princess on her birthday. She liked Myungsoo. He even had a sword fight with her and dramatically let her stab him to death as she laughed and laughed at him. She really enjoyed his company.

 

So when Jiseon sat down in front of her birthday cake, her friends surrounding her and Myungsoo sitting by her side, she felt like the world was lighting up around her. Her father lit the candles on her homemade Avengers cake and everyone began singing Happy Birthday around her.

 

As the song ended she glanced over at Myungsoo and his kind eyes and sweet smile and then looked over at her father with his bright gaze and warm grin; she squeezed her eyes tightly and clasped her hands together. She knew exactly what to wish for.

 

Opening her eyes she blew all six candles out confidently and smiled widely as everybody clapped.

 

“Happy birthday, princess,” Sungyeol told her, hugging her tightly. “What did you wish for?”

 

She grinned at the two of them. “Can’t tell you!”

 

 

 

 

Myungsoo walked back into the apartment, dropping his keys on the countertop after finding Sungyeol cleaning up the mess that was Jiseon’s birthday party.

 

“How was the drive? Are Dongwoo and Sooyong back home safely?” Sungyeol asked, sweeping up what felt like a never ending supply of glitter left behind on floor.

 

“Yup.” Myungsoo popped out the word before walking away to steal the broom from his boyfriend’s hands. Before Sungyeol could protest he leveled him with a stern look. “You’ve been running around nonstop. Take a seat and just relax for a moment.”

 

“Yes, officer.” Sungyeol said cheekily, and Myungsoo resolutely ignored the way that made his cheeks heat up. “But really, thanks for driving them home. As much as I know Jiseon adored seeing her friends and family today, I have to admit it was kind of nice to have a little one on one time with my baby girl.”

 

“I’m sure it was. And come on, Dongwoo’s my partner. Giving him a ride home is the least I could do for him after how much he’s helped me out at work. It just really that Hoya got called into the hospital. I guess I never really realized how… inconvenient that could be for their family. Especially on a special occasion like this.”

 

Sungyeol nodded solemnly. “Yeah. And don’t let Dongwoo fool you; it bothers him sometimes, no matter how much he tries to pretend he isn’t affected. But he knows how important being a doctor is to Hoya so he accepts it. But it doesn’t happen everyday so it’s not too big of a deal.”

 

Myungsoo emptied out the dustpan into the trash and put the broom back in the closet before collapsing in the wooden chair next to his boyfriend. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders, grinning into his neck. “Well lucky for you, my job doesn’t require me to leave you alone at night.”

 

Sungyeol squealed, Myungsoo’s breath ghosting over his neck in a ticklish way. “Damn straight. I’d kick Sunggyu’s myself if he started stealing you away from me at odd hours of the night for your cases.”

 

“Hey, no bad words in front of Jiseon. She’s young and impressionable.”

 

“More like she’s tired and asleep.” Sungyeol motioned his head to the living room where his baby girl was resting.

 

“She’s knocked out, isn’t she?” Myungsoo said with a warm smile.

 

Sungyeol chuckled with a grin. “Yup, she’s totally exhausted.”

 

Myungsoo and Sungyeol were in the kitchen, staring at how Jiseon had completely fallen asleep on the couch in her birthday clothes. The party was long over and the floor was littered with paper, streamers and the inevitable crumbs. At some point he would need to get up and actively do something about the catastrophe that was his apartment, but for right not he was pretty damn content to relax in the arms of his boyfriend after a long, happy day celebrating his daughter.

 

Earlier in the night Hoya had come over with Sooyong to wish Jiseon a happy birthday personally. She had played with Sooyong as much as she could before she passed out from the all the fun she had during her birthday party. So now Myungsoo and Sungyeol were left alone in the silence afterwards; the quiet seemed so calm after such a hectic day.

 

“Jiseon is the sweetest thing alive,” Myungsoo murmured, staring at her in awe. “You raised her really well.”

 

Sungyeol broke a chocolate cookie in half and smiled down at the floor. “Thanks,” he murmured. His cheeks heated up as he handed Myungsoo the other half of his cookie. “It’s been a rollercoaster but she’s turning out great.”

 

“She’s beautiful.” Myungsoo smiled at him as he took the other half.

 

Sungyeol smiled down at the floor as he stole glances at his sleeping daughter. “You know,” he began, “she loves the present you brought. She’s even sleeping with it right now.”

 

Myungsoo chuckled as he saw for himself. “The fox? It’s alright… It was the only thing I could find last minute,” he admitted. “I wish I knew what she liked so I could have gotten something more for her tastes.”

 

“Don’t worry, I can tell she adores it,” Sungyeol reassured. “She adores you, too. And I think that might be why she loves that little fox so much.”

 

“I’m so glad she likes it. I was nervous when she got to it, since all the other presents seemed so nice but… Jiseon looked really excited when she saw it. It made me really happy.” Myungsoo grinned at the thought. “She’s so sweet.”

 

“She really is,” Sungyeol agreed with a fatherly grin.

 

Myungsoo bit down onto the cookie as it was quiet between him and Sungyeol again. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, not even a little bit. It felt peaceful. And maybe it really was a peaceful silence knowing that all the trust between them had been restored.

 

Sungyeol was looking down at the floor, turning his half of the cookie over and over in his hands. He seemed to be contemplating something, as if thinking of what to say. He looked like he had a lot on his mind and wanted to talk but didn’t know where to start.

 

Finally he opened his mouth and slowly said, “You know… it was hard. Celebrating her birthday? It wasn’t always so joyful.” He looked up at Myungsoo with a smile. “Because, you know, her birthday is also when Sarang… left.”

 

Myungsoo was quiet, chewing on the chocolate cookie as he listened respectfully. His silence was an indicator for Sungyeol to continue.

 

“She was so precious to me yet for a couple of years, I used to get pretty sad on this day. All those rushing feelings of guilt and pain. It was tough to get over it all but one year I baked chocolate cookies for Jiseon and her smile was so bright I… I couldn’t bear to be sad.” He grinned at the fond memory. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, even though I wasn’t completely healed, Jiseon was a big part of my healing process. She’s my treasure and,” he looked up at Myungsoo, “I’m so glad I got to share her with you.”

 

Myungsoo could feel his face breaking into such a wide grin as he wrapped his arms around Sungyeol and pulled him into a tight hug. He kissed his cheek brusquely. “Thanks for letting me meet her. I really love her. She’s the sweetest little girl I’ve ever met.”

 

“Thank you for coming,” Sungyeol told him warmly. “Her eyes absolutely lit up when she saw you arrive, I won’t ever forget it. I hope every birthday of hers can be as great as today’s.”

 

Myungsoo smiled as he pulled away, kissing Sungyeol on the lips gently. “It will because from now on, I’m going to be at every single one of them.”

 

Sungyeol’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. “Really?”

 

“You can count on it.”

 

Sungyeol hugged him tightly again and it was the warmest he had ever felt in a while. When he pulled away, he looked over at his daughter again, his smile growing on his face. Jiseon looked so calm with her eyes closed, her knees bent as she hugged the toy fox close to her body. From the looks of it, Jiseon had really enjoyed Myungsoo’s company and Sungyeol could only hope that their relationship would deepen.

 

If he could selfishly wish for one thing, it would be for his daughter and his boyfriend to love each other as much as he loved them both. And though this was their first meeting, he felt like he didn’t need to wish too hard.

 

“Hm,” he hummed out loud.”

 

“What is it?”

 

Sungyeol chuckled. “Oh, it’s nothing. I was just wondering Jiseon wished for when she blew out her candles this year. She usually tells me when I ask her but she didn’t today. Wonder what is was…”

 

Myungsoo smiled as he reached up to hold Sungyeol’s chin. “I think I might have an idea,” he whispered as he leaned in to kiss his boyfriend sweetly.

 

 

 

 

Dongwoo collapsed on his bed, throwing an arm over his eyes. He was so far past being tired that he could barely think straight. What had originally been planned as drop off a few things and come back to celebrate later with Hoya and Sooyong quickly turned into stay the entire time and run around fulfilling little girls requests without ever sitting down to take a breather.

 

He couldn’t help it; it was just in his nature to be helpful. First a girl needed help glueing her flower crown and then another girl needed her cup of punch refilled and then a girl person needed help washing off finger paint and then it was time to cut the cake and on and on and on.

 

It didn’t help that by the time his beautiful baby boy and his husband showed up he was two seconds away from falling asleep where he stood. But of course Hoya got called into the hospital thirty minutes into his visit, because the universe was working against him today. Hoya had to take the car so he could get to the hospital in time, and thankfully Myungsoo had enough presence of mind to remember to get the car seat out of the vehicle before Hoya took off.

 

His partner really was the sweetest; taking the time to drive him and Sooyong home when it was clear that he didn’t really want to leave Sungyeol or Jiseon’s side for a second. Dongwoo felt immensely pleased with that entire situation; he had known that if Jiseonnie had the chance to meet the junior detective that she would be just as smitten with him as her father.

 

And really, the fact that the little girl had managed to have him wearing a cat headband and doing her bidding all within the first five minutes of meeting him just proved that world domination would someday be in her future. She knew how to get what she wanted. She was kind of like her mother in that way.

 

Dongwoo smiled a wistful smile at the thought of Sarang, before turning over in his bed to face the baby carriage. Thankfully all the activity at the birthday party and the travelling had worn out his little guy, and Sooyong was sleeping soundly in his tiny bed. Dongwoo couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to caress his soft cheek, whispering a quick I love you before dragging himself out of bed.

 

He grabbed the baby monitor, turning it up to full volume as he headed towards the master bathroom. A nice, warm bath with tons of bubbles sounded like heaven right about now. Maybe he would even run downstairs to the kitchen and pour himself a glass of wine to take with him into the water. Now that would be absolutely perfect-

 

His thoughts were jolted by the sudden ringing of the doorbell, making him almost drop the baby monitor in his surprise. He set it down on the bathtub’s edge, before making his way back to the bedroom. He peeked at Sooyong, who was thankfully still sleeping soundly despite the noisy interruption. Dongwoo grabbed his phone off the charger, pressing the home button to check for any missed calls but there were none.

 

He rolled his eyes, only one culprit coming to mind. He slipped the phone into his back pocket jogging down the stairs with a smile on his face. His husband always did have a flair for the dramatics, but he’d still give a little scolding for ringing the doorbell and disturbing Sooyong’s sleep.

 

“I know you’re excited that you’re back early from the hospital,” he stated loudly once he got downstairs. He reached for the doorknob, unable to hide the smile on his face. No matter what, he never missed the chance to welcome his husband home. “But that’s no reason to risk waking up-” The door swung open but instead seeing his husband in a pair of faded scrubs, his social worker was standing there with a tight smile. “-the baby.” Dongwoo finished lamely, blinking his eyes a few times to ensure that his tired mind wasn’t playing tricks on him.

 

“Hi Dongwoo.” Sungjong started, and Dongwoo stepped out to join him on the doorstep, softly closing the front door behind him.

 

“Sorry, Sooyong is sleeping. But- what are- why are you-” Dongwoo shook his head, trying to straighten out his words but unable to do so. Sungjong clasped his hands in front of his waist and opened his mouth to start but Dongwoo cut him off.

 

“Actually, no. No offense Sungjong, I honestly do like you but showing up at my house at nearly midnight? That’s a little extreme, even for social services. If you need to perform a house inspection, you can do so when the sun is out in the sky.”

 

Sungjong blinked at him, and honestly Dongwoo was a bit surprised at himself. He was normally so easygoing but the day had been too long and he missed Hoya and this entire situation was making him feel antsy in a not so good way. The look in Sungjong’s eyes had warning bells sounding in Dongwoo’s head, and he just wanted this to be over so he could go back inside and go to sleep.

 

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. We need to talk. Now.”

 

“Sungjong-”

 

“Mr. Jang.” Sungjong said sharply, and Dongwoo rose his eyebrows. “I’m not asking. Now we can either do this inside or we can do this here. I’m not trying to be insensitive but I do have a job to do.”

 

“I’m fine right here.” Dongwoo stated, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He felt like he had a fight on his hands and he had no idea why. On any other day he would be kicking himself because him and Hoya had gone out of their way to be nice to Sooyong’s social worker, to build a rapport with the man so that he wouldn’t have anything negative to say about them or Sooyong’s living situation to DHS. But right now his skin was tingling in a way that had a ball of dread building in his stomach, a sixth sense letting him know that something was very, very wrong for Sungjong to be here now.

 

“Mr. Jang. Dongwoo. I… I want you to understand that you and your husband have been model parents to Sooyong. You are the ideal situation that DHS hopes for whenever an adoption placement is made. You love your son unconditionally and you’ve basically taken care of him from the moment that he entered this world. His health has improved tremendously under your guidance and he’s blossomed into a beautiful young boy.”

 

“But?” Dongwoo interrupted him, tears inexplicably building up in his eyes. This wasn’t normal. This was not normal. “You’re standing here and you’re saying all these nice things but you don’t look happy. Why don’t you look happy?”

 

Sungjong grimaced, looking down at his hands. He spoke softly, his voice carrying so much emotion that it made Dongwoo breathless. “Everyone has aspects of their jobs that they hate. There are certain cases… certain things that happen that are completely out of my control. And I cannot express how sorry I am that I wasn’t able to stop this from happening. But the law, is the law and we must respect that. I’m sure that if anyone understands the fallacies of the legal system, it’s you. I’m so, so sorry that I am doing this. And if I honestly had the choice, I wouldn’t be doing this. But they’d just send someone else if I refused and I’d rather… I want to be there for Sooyong, throughout this entire process. That’s the least that I can do for him. And for you and your husband.”

 

“What are you saying?” Dongwoo asked, even though deep down in his heart he knew what was happening. He just didn’t want to believe it. He couldn’t believe it.

 

“The state of California allows the birth mother one year to change her mind after an adoption. And Sooyong’s mother has contacted DHS…”

 

“No.” Dongwoo gasped. His hand clutching the door.

 

Sungjong continued on, his voice slightly shaking. “To let us know that she would like to exercise her rights and take back full custody of Sooyong.”

 

“No!” Dongwoo wailed, crumbling to the ground as the sobs tore out of his body. “There’s been a mistake, there has to be, she can’t, she didn’t-”

 

“I’m sorry Dongwoo, but she did. And the law says that it’s her right.”

 

“But she gave him to us… she didn’t want him.” Dongwoo tried to argue, his voice breaking with his emotion.

 

“The only thing that matters is that she wants him now.” Sungjong bit his lip, unable to meet Dongwoo’s eyes. “I’m afraid that means that I have come to collect Sooyong-”

 

“Collect? He’s not a piece of property Sungjong! He’s a person! He’s a sweet, innocent baby who doesn’t deserve this! You can’t, I can’t-”

 

“Dongwoo, please.”
 

“No. No! You can’t take him. He’s my son. He’s mine and Hoya’s and oh God. Hoya isn’t even here, he’s not here so you can’t. You can’t do this.”

 

“Hoya’s presence isn’t legally necessary-”

 

“Isn’t necessary? Sooyong would be in foster care if it weren’t for Hoya! Hell, Sooyong might even be dead if it were for Hoya and the other doctors. But suddenly he’s not needed? How dare you? How dare you do this?”

 

“Dongwoo, I don’t have a choice. This is the law.”

 

Dongwoo pressed his hands to his eyes, unable to stop the tears. “But the law is wrong.”

 

“Sometimes it is. But that doesn’t change what has to happen. I have to take him tonight and put him in the birth mother’s care.”

 

The blonde shook his head, clumsily grabbing his phone out of his pocket. He tried calling Hoya but he didn’t pick up. “Damn it.” He cursed, calling him again and again. “Damn it, pick up Hoya!”

 

“Dongwoo-”

 

“At least let me have this. Can’t you wait a god damn minute and let me talk to my husband? He’s going to lose his son and because of your ing rules he might not even have the chance to say goodbye.” Dongwoo curled in on himself, his heart breaking into a thousand pieces as he realized that he wouldn’t be able to reach Hoya. “There- there has to be something you can do. Can’t you wait? At least until the morning?”

 

Sungjong shook his head sadly. “I can’t. The paperwork has already been filed. Truthfully I was supposed to come earlier but I tried to give you guys as much of this day together as possible. You can call your lawyer if you want, but he’ll just tell you the same thing I did.”

 

Dongwoo didn’t care about Sungjong’s words. He still dialed the number, brokenly describing what has happening to his lawyer over the phone. But to his dismay what Sungjong had said was true. His legal advice was to cooperate with DHS at moment, and then in the morning they could start processing their options. Dongwoo hung up with a heavy heart, knowing that he couldn’t delay this much longer.

 

He looked at the social worker with malice in his eyes. His head knew that it wasn’t Sungjong’s fault, but his heart didn’t care. All it knew was that this man was going to take away Sooyong, and that made him the enemy.

 

“I could run. I could knock you out without even breaking a sweat and me and Sooyong would be gone.”

 

Sungjong nodded, acknowledging Dongwoo’s words. “You could do that. But then you’d be a criminal. And so would your husband because there’s no way he’d be away from either of you. But you’re a cop and you know better than anyone that eventually the law would catch up to you and you’d be caught. And then you would never, ever have any chance of getting Sooyong back.”

 

“So what the hell am I supposed to do?” Dongwoo asked, feeling more lost in this moment than ever before.

 

“You’re going to go inside. You’re going to pack up a bag with Sooyong’s favorite toys and his best outfits. You’re going to hold him in your arms, hug him and kiss him and tell him that he is very, very loved. You’ll tell him that Hoya will be thinking about him every single day. And then you’re going to give him to me because that’s what you have to do. But you don’t say goodbye to him, because there’s no way this is the end. I meant what I said earlier; you and Hoya were wonderful to him. You were everything to him. And you may not have given birth to Sooyong but in my eyes and in my heart, you are Sooyong’s parents in every way that matters. So please, don’t ever forget that. When it’s hard and you feel like giving up, hold onto that.”

 

Dongwoo allowed Sungjong to help him up, and he stumbled into the house blindly. He grabbed the purple diaper bag that Hoya had picked out, and he filled it to the brim with as many of Sooyong’s things that he could fit inside. He watched with lifeless eyes as Sungjong loaded it into the trunk of his car. He tried calling Hoya’s cell one more time but he still couldn’t get through. Sungjong returned, a soft look in his eyes.

 

“Are you ready?”

 

“No. But I never will be.”

 

Sungjong nodded. “I’ll give you five minutes of privacy with him. I’ve already got a car seat so I’ll just be waiting outside.” He turned to go but he placed a comforting touch on Dongwoo’s shoulder before he walked out the front door.

 

Dongwoo trudged up the stairs, pulling Sooyong out of his bed with a clinging desperation he couldn’t shake. He squeezed his baby boy tight, apologizing for not being able to prevent this, wishing with all his might that things could be different. Sooyong woke up, his big brown eyes blinking sleepily at his father. Dongwoo rested his forehead against the baby’s, his cries strangely soft in the still room as he sobbed. “I love you. I love you, I love you.” He repeated, unable to fathom what his life would be like without his precious son. “Daddy loves you. Hoya loves you. So, so much. Your daddies love you so much. You’re perfect. You’re absolutely perfect because you’re my son. You’ll always be our son.”

 

He kissed him, feeling his son’s baby soft skin on his lips in a moment of stolen intimacy. He grabbed the plushie that his son slept with every night and began the final walk down the stairs.

 

The beginning of the end.

 

Sooyong was strangely quiet, almost as if he could sense Dongwoo’s growing distress. His little arms just wrapped tighter around the blonde’s neck, his tiny head cradled under Dongwoo’s chin. Dongwoo clung just as tightly back, his arms pressing his son’s body as close as possible to his own, feeling his warmth for as long as he possibly could.

 

He stepped outside where Sungjong was waiting by the car, taking a deep breath before moving forward. Sooyong started to put up a fight when he tried to pass him over to the other, his little voice started to crack up in sobs, his tiny fingers catching on Dongwoo’s shirt as he tried to hang on.

 

“I know, I know.” Dongwoo tried to soothe him but he failed miserably, his own cries betraying him as he tried to let his son go. “It’ll be okay sweetheart, it’ll be okay.” Sooyong’s wails increased in volume when Sungjong had him in his arms, his legs kicking as he tried to squirm back to his dad. Dongwoo sobbed into his hands as Sungjong buckled the baby into his car seat, unable to control himself. Once Sooyong was secure Dongwoo moved forward, his arm outstretched.

 

“Please… please make sure he always has this. He needs it to go to sleep at night. The tiger reminds him of Hoya and sometimes when he cries if I give him this it’ll make him stop. He loves his father so much. Please, he needs this.”

 

“Okay. Okay, I will. I promise.” Sungjong took the little tiger and tucked it into the car seat with Sooyong.

 

“You have my cell number. You have to give it to her… he’ll be upset at first. It’ll be a new environment and Sooyong’s going to miss us. He’ll probably cry a lot so you’ll have to tell her to be patient with him. Tell her she can call me. I’ll know what’s wrong with him. I’ll know just by his breathing. I love him so much, I know his breathing.”

 

“I know Dongwoo. And I understand. Remember what I said. I have to go now. I’ll be in touch.” Sungjong gave him one last sad smile before climbing into the driver’s seat. Dongwoo reached out to touch the window, his heart aching when his son returned the gesture, his little hand reaching for the thing he needed the most that he couldn’t have.

 

The car pulls away slowly and Dongwoo watched it drive away, watched his son be taken from him until there was nothing left. He fell to his knees in the driveway, unable to move on from the reality that the family he and Hoya had worked so hard to build over the past year had been ripped apart in one single evening.

 

 

A/N:

finally an update after so long!! and so much has happened!

jiseon and myungsoo finally meet! it was so sweet, they're the sweetest people on earth

and holy crap, sungjong's sudden appearance! literally had us crying omg

did you guys cry? tell us how you felt in the comments below! and let us know what you're anticipating!

 

till next time!

 

♥rayquin×