Jongmin clung to his mother’s leg as he eyed him warily.

He, the boy who his father had called Jonghyun, was only slightly taller than him, his face half-covered by his mushroom-like black hair. He looked young, and he resembled the shorter of the two strangers his parents had also introduced to him – his father, Jongmin thought. But while Uncle Baekhyun seemed friendly and lively, Jonghyun was the exact opposite. There was a shy look to his dark eyes as he gazed back at him now, blinking innocently.

The little family had came to visit their newest neighbor, who had just moved in the previous month. Coincidentally, it had been Jongin and Baekhyun. They had met the young couple during their reunion three years ago, but they hadn’t brought their son with them. Now, with their houses barely 200 meters apart from each other, Jongdae and Minseok had agreed in spending the day with them to catch up.

Jongmin felt his mother nudge him gently. “Say hi to your new hyung, Jongminnie.” He murmured, and the little boy gave a start of surprise. Hyung? He stared at Jonghyun in wonder, then, feeling his mother nudge him again, bowed politely to him. “Hi, Jonghyun hyung! Nice to meet you!”

“He’s such a sweetie!” Baekhyun squealed, pinching Jongmin’s cheeks. Minseok nodded and turned to kiss his husband. “Just like his daddy.” He said, smiling happily, then gasped in surprise when the younger man returned his kiss passionately, his lips twitching into a smirk.

“Go get a room! Don’t taint my son’s eyes!” Jongin yelped, covering the bewildered Jonghyun’s eyes quickly before glancing up to glare at the grinning Jongdae. “Do you two always do this at home?! Baek, cover Jongmin’s eyes too!”

“Considering that this is Kim Jongdae’s kid, they probably did.” Baekhyun gestured at his husband to calm down before picking Jongmin up and taking Jonghyun’s hand, leading them away from the room. “Jonghyunnie, why don’t you give Jongmin a tour around the house? You can show him your Pororo collection.”

Jonghyun nodded eagerly and Jongmin was amazed at how soft his voice is. “Okay, Daddy. Come on, Jongmin!” He took the little boy’s hand and dragged him up the stairs, away from their parents. Baekhyun watched as they disappeared around the corner, then stalked back down the corridor. He isn’t going to let the trolling Kim Jongdae walk away after nearly tainting his son’s innocence.

He’s going to give the latter a piece of his mind.

 

“This is my room.”

Jongmin peered inside. He could see that Jonghyun was an avid Pororo fan. His bedroom was literally Pororo Land: his wallpaper illustrated the familiar scene of Porong Porong forest, where Pororo and his friends lived. Pororo merchandises and DVDs lined the shelves of the cupboard at the far wall, and there were various stickers of the nation’s beloved penguin on his wardrobe. And though he couldn’t see Jonghyun’s clothes, he was sure that the older boy owned at least several Pororo-themed shirts. The bedsheets and covers didn’t escape Jonghyun’s Pororo fever as well.

“It’s nice.” Jongmin said carefully as he flashed a cute smile at his new friend, determined to stay away from the room for as long as he can. He found the prospect of spending the day rewatching the whole four seasons of Pororo a very unpleasant prospect. “Can Min see the other rooms first before we play, hyung?”

Jonghyun bobbed his head in agreement before continuing down the hallway. Jongmin noted with some confusion that he had passed by one of the doors on his way. He stopped by it now, then reached towards the door, curious of what may lay behind it. Just before he could wrap his fingers around the knob, another hand reached up to pull his hand down hastily and he turned to face Jonghyun.

“It’s locked.” He said, tugging Jongmin away. His voice had a telltale quaver to it. “Daddy says I can’t go into this room unless I ask him first or he’ll be really angry. So you can’t, too. Okay?”

Jongmin wrenched his hands out of Jonghyun’s grip and shook his head stubbornly. “No.” The younger boy looked back at the door, his lips twitching into a small smile as he spoke. “Hyung, don’t you know?”

“Know what?” Jonghyun looked at him quizzically, then widened his eyes when Jongmin toddled back towards the door and reached up to grasp the doorknob again. He looked around in panic, afraid that Baekhyun would suddenly appear and catch them breaking the rules. But his father was too far away to hear any of the noises the two boys might make. On top of that, he was busy strangling Jongdae and he didn’t have the slightest inkling that Jonghyun might disobey him.

The three-year-old gazed back at him, his eyes twinkling. “Don’t you know that when grown ups say that we can’t do something, it means that we have to do it?” He said mischievously, and before Jonghyun could reply, he twisted the knob and the door creaked open.

 

Jongin calmly took a sip of his coffee and leaned forward, a bright smile on his face. “So, how are things, hyung? I heard that your vocal training school went over the top when Kyungsoo hyung and Chanyeol hyung agreed to become teachers there.”

Jongdae coughed, still in the process of regaining his breath after Baekhyun had nearly choked him to death. Fortunately, Jongin had pulled his husband away before he had done any real damage. “Great.” He managed to squeak, then cleared his throat. “And you’re right. The number of students waiting in line to enter tripled when I put the announcement up. I’ll have to raise the standards for the entrance tests.” He nodded to himself, then smiled at the bronze-skinned man. “How about you? How is the dance institution nowadays?”

“Awesome, as always.” Jongin grinned. “Especially after I got Taemin hyung to come over and hold a special dance practice session for twenty lucky students.” He paused, pursing his lips. “It would have been better if I could recruit Yixing hyung as a full time teacher but he was such a popular songwriter nowadays he doesn’t have the time to mentor anyone.”

“He and Joonmyun were always pushing themselves way too hard. It’s even more difficult to persuade them to take a vacation.” Minseok said in a soft voice, his lips pursed. Jongdae took the older man’s hand, interwining their fingers together, then spoke in a comforting tone. “Joonmyun hyung is more laid back now, though, although he’s still against the ‘taking a long break’ idea.” He added as an afterthought, sighing quietly.

Sensing the drop in their mood, Baekhyun deftly switched into another topic. “So, which one do you think is better for lunch: homemade spaghetti and chocolate fudge cake as a dessert, or should we just order some Chinese takeout from that restaurant close by?” He glanced at them, already knowing what their choice would be.

Already having experienced the extreme aftereffects of eating Baekhyun’s cooking, they glanced at each other and made their decision in a split second. “Chinese takeout!” They yelled in unison and Jongin immediately scrambled towards the phone, shooting Baekhyun an apologetic smile as he dialled the number of the restaurant.

Baekhyun eyed them as they began chattering about the food they were going to choose with each other. “You faithless wretch.” He muttered under his breath, more embarassed than annoyed as he was well aware of his ability to burn down the kitchen. Silently vowing to take cooking lessons from Kyungsoo later on, he turned to look at the stairs, wondering what the boys were doing right now.

They’re probably watching Pororo. He thought to himself, shaking his head to clear his mind before walking over to join the others.

Little did he know just how wrong he is.

 

“Hyung, turn on the lights.” Jongmin tugged at Jonghyun’s shirt, pouting, and the older boy reached up the wall, his long fingers finding the switch. There was a click as he pressed it and the lights flickered on, illuminating the whole room. He heard the younger boy’s sharp intake of breath and turned, his eyes widening in surprise.

The room was a vast one and he could see that it was meant to be a wardrobe and changing room. Endless clothes – color coded and all looking as if it was newly bought, lined the walls. Alongside them were an impressive collection hats, bags, shoes and other accessories, most of them Jonghyun recognized to be from his fathers’ EXO era. He found himself walking towards the red coat he had seen Jongin wear in one of their music videos, touching the fabric lightly. He could almost imagine himself as his father, sitting on the bench and holding the small dog against his chest, the snow falling around him.

A soft giggle snapped him out of his reverie and he glanced back to see Jongmin teetering towards the mirror, a black ‘XOXO’ cap perched on top of his head. It was too big for him and now it slid over his eyes, covering them and causing him to crash into the row of clothes. Jonghyun rushed over to help him and hastily pulled the dazed little toddler up. “Don’t make any noise!” He hushed him, looking back at the door fearfully.

Jongmin removed the cap and jutted out his lower lip. “Uncle won’t hear us.” He nodded reassuringly before toddling away, exploring the room once more. He didn’t go far. He stopped by what looked like a makeup kit, his interest piqued, then turned to grin at Jonghyun before opening the latch.

The two boys stared at the contents in mixed surprise and awe. There were rows of powders, eyeshadows and lip glosses of every color, neatly arranged on one side. On the other, tools such as tweezers and eyelash curlers were carefully placed inside a box. But what attracted their attention most was the collection of eyeliners, ranging from the cheap-looking ones to those that cost more that 50 thousand won, that nearly filled half of the box.

Jongmin’s eyes lit up as it always did when he came up with a brilliant idea, and he hurriedly adopted a haughty expression. “My mommy has a bigger box at home. He taught me how to use it already. I bet my makeup is better than yours, hyung.” He snorted, praying that the latter would take the bait.

Jonghyun narrowed his eyes at Jongmin, who had been testing his patience for the past fifteen minutes. On another occasion, he would have simply shrugged the comment off. But his father had trained him how to use the makeup kit several times when his other father wasn’t looking, particularly the eyeliner, and now he felt his confidence rising. I’m going to show this cheeky little brat who’s boss, he thought grimly to himself, then smirked at the other boy. “Why don’t we have a contest and see who wins?”

“Fine!”

“Fine!” The older of the two shot back, folding his arms across his chest. “We’ll makeup each other’s faces and let the grown ups decide who does better.”

Jongmin nodded in agreement, then gestured at the box. “Can I use everything?” He cocked an eyebrows in question and Jonghyun shook his head. “No. Everything will be messed up then and Daddy will be angry.” He hesitated, then pointed at the eyeliners. “Only this.”

The three-year-old pursed his lips, then grimaced when he remembered that the alternative was a torturous three hours of Pororo movie marathon. “Anything to keep this hyung from bringing me to his room.” He muttered under his breath and raised his voice. “Okay! So should we get started?”

Jonghyun picked one of the pencils up and turned to Jongmin, his lips curling into a sweet smile that never reached his eyes. “Let’s.”

 

Jongdae touched the frame and smiled softly as he stared at picture.

He could still remember that day. The twelve of them had snuck out without their managers’ permisson and had gone biking by the Han River at three in the morning. The park was mostly empty, as they had hoped, and most of the vendors had closed down, so they brought several bags of hot snacks with them and had a picnic.

It was the first time that year for them to be alone, away from the long schedules, the mass of screaming fans and reporters, the endless vocal and dance training and their company’s constant demand for perfection. It was the first time they could strip away their carefully constructed idol image and just be who they really are.

They were chattering and laughing from Chanyeol’s joke about their newest music video when Minseok pointed at the sky, streaked with a variety of vivid colors as dawn approached. There was chaos as Baekhyun practically yanked everyone up, urging for them to take a photo with the first sunrise they have ever seen together as a group. A kind uncle offered to take the picture for them and they scrambled into place, jostling each other and giggling as they posed for the camera. Surrounded by his friends, all of which he had considered his brothers now, Jongdae had never felt any happier.

Lost in his own thoughts, he hardly noticed the tall man barrelling towards him until he felt someone leap up his back, clinging to him. It took all he had to keep himself from pitching forward onto the tabletop and scattering the frames, and he swayed to the side before toppling down on the couch along with the laughing younger man. He slapped the latter’s arm. “One day I’m going to kill you for breaking my bones if you keep doing this, Kim Jongin.” He chuckled, a wide grin breaking across his face.

Jongin stuck out his tongue at him, his lips twisting into an equally wide grin. “No, you won’t, hyung. You love me too much to do that.” He smirked, earning himself another slap on the arm. Jongdae smiled mischievously at him. “Oh... do I? I guess I don’t.” He grabbed Jongin’s shoulders and they rolled, dropping to the floor in a fit of laughter as they wrestled each other.

Jongdae widened his eyes when he felt Jongin stop struggling, his hands dropping to his waist as he pulled the older man closer. He could feel Jongin’s breath tickling his neck as he whispered seductively. “Are you sure you don’t love me, hyung? Should I try and... convince you?” He grabbed Jongdae’s chin and tilted his head up to meet his eyes, playfully his lips as he leaned closer.

“W-What...” Jongdae stammered, then yelped in surprise when Jongin abruptly twisted him around, locking his head in an arm bar and rendering him helpless within a mere three seconds. The younger of the two snorted in laughter and whispered in his ear once more, mimicking the seductive tone he had used earlier. “My dear, beloved hyung, you’re so gullible, I swear. Even more gullible than Hyukjae sunbae.”

Jongdae kicked, growling. “Why you little...”

Minseok watched as they continued to bicker, chuckling in amusement, and turned to Baekhyun. “Do you feel that, sometimes, you’re taking care of two kids instead of just one?” He winked and the other man nodded solemnly. “Perhaps ‘all the time’ would be a more fitting term.” Baekhyun grinned, jumping when he heard the doorbell ring.

“That must be our food.” Minseok hurried away, gesturing at Baekhyun with his free hand as he reached out to open the door with his other. “Baek, call the kids and tell them to come down and eat.”

The younger father turned and was about to yell for them when he heard a soft patter of footsteps. A moment later, two small figures burst into the room and Baekhyun froze. “J-Jonghyunnie?” He stammered, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn’t dreaming before staring at the two boys once more.

And he gaped in astonishment.

Both of the boys’ faces had been drawn on. Jonghyun, on one hand, had the tip of his nose blackened and there were three slightly curled lines that looked like whiskers drawn on each of his cheek. On the other, Jongmin looked like a panda. He had his eyes and the area around it painted black, and he was even wearing an overly large black hoodie with round, panda-like ears on top of it to complete the look.

Jongmin grinned cheerfully as if nothing had happened and ran to his bewildered father, throwing his small arms around his neck. “Daddy, Daddy! Does Jonghyun hyung look nice? I turned him into a cat!” He said excitedly, and Jongdae stared at his panda-like son before reaching up to touch the black circles around his eyes. “Kim Jongmin!” He gasped. “Can you even wash this off your face?! What did you use?”

“Oh, don’t worry, Daddy! Hyung says I can wash it off with soap. It’s not too thick, anyway, Daddy.” He pouted then reached into his pocket, pulling out a couple of familiar-looking pencils, now reduced to stubs. Jongdae could hear a thud as Baekhyun sank onto his knees, his eyes wide from shock and horror. “We used eyeliners, Daddy.” Jongmin nodded, smiling innocently, completely oblivious to Baekhyun’s already white face.

Jonghyun rushed over to Jongin as well, nestling himself in his arms and looking up at his father. “Daddy, don’t you think Jongminnie looks like a real panda? Did I do a good job?”

The speechless young man patted his son’s head, swallowing. “Yes, Jonghyunnie. You did a good job.” He paused. “Too good, in fact.” He added as he glanced at his horrified husband. Baekhyun, having already recovered from his shock, now rose to his feet once more and stormed towards them, shrugging off Minseok’s attempts to hold him back.

Jongin released Jonghyun and pushed the little boy towards Jongdae before running towards him. “B-Baby boo...” He begged, his stomach twisting itself into knots in nervousness as he took Baekhyun’s hands. “They were just children. They make mistakes someti–”

“They. Destroyed. My most. Expensive. Eyeliner.” Baekhyun growled and Jongin squeaked, aware that Jongmin and Jonghyun was on the brink of being hurled out of the house. “It’s a limited edition and I took two months to find it. Two months.” He hissed.

“You should have kept it somewhere safer.” Minseok shook his head and patted his back. “Calm down, now. They’re still young, remember? And I promise I won’t let my son repeat the same mistake again. I’ll give him a scolding after this, see?” He spoke in a soothing voice. “Because I know Jonghyun would never dream of disobeying his father.”

Baekhyun closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Fine. I’ll let them both off the hook this time.” He spoke quietly, and Jongin sighed deeply, relieved that his husband had finally calmed down. He smiled warmly at the older man as he turned to meet his eyes, and to his delight Baekhyun’s own lips curled into a smile almost identical to his own. His next words diminished Jongin’s momentary happiness.

“But, honey, you’re going to replace all of those broken eyeliners, right?”

And the tight feeling was back.