"But Pa!" Bummie whined. "I want to be Zuko!"

Jinki looked up from the expanse of tax papers before him on the kitchen table with a sigh. The now 5 year old boy had been asking about Halloween for weeks, and normally he would sit and listen with a smile, but right now he was on a very thin edge. Work had become hectic, taxes were due in a couple days and Minho was off on a trip for his job in Japan. He had been home alone with the small boy many times before, but add on the immense worry he held within him for his partner made him feel a little stretched to his limits. 

"Okay Bummie. I'll look into it." He gave a tight smile and turned back to the part he was almost finished with.

"Halloween is in 2 weeks Pa! If I want to have a good costume it has to be started now!" The boy whined.

Jinki ran his hands over his eyes and nose before running them through his hair. "Bummie, Sweetie, please just go play for a moment. Pa's busy with something right now." He tried really hard to keep his voice calm. It wasn't the boy's fault that he was spread so thin.

"Ugh! Pa you just don't understand!" Kibum whined. "Daddy would! He'd have it done already."

"Lee Kibum!" Jinki snapped; his voice raising as he slammed the pencil onto the table. 

The boy's eyes widened as he shrunk away from the table. Not once had the man ever yelled at him, never once raised his voice. "Pa?" 

Jinki sagged against his seat, his head hung into his hands and a huge sigh rushed past his lips. "I'm sorry Bummie. Pa's just a little spread thin."  

Before he could remove his hands he felt the familiar tiny ones grasping for leverage as he moved between his legs and pushed up. Jinki opened his eyes and lowered his arms as the boy climbed up into his lap. Bummie sat down and placed his head on his Pa's chest. " 'tis okay. I miss Daddy too. I sowwie." 

Jinki took a breath and wrapped his arms around the boy. "I'm sorry for yelling. Pa needs Daddy here it seems a lot more than he previously thought."    

"I miss bedtime Daddy tickles." Bummie mumbled softly. 

Jinki glanced over at the table, "So Zuko you said? How about we go call Daddy?"

"Can we?"

Jinki glanced at his watch, "Yeah. He should be getting ready for dinner."

The boy usually would bound off of him and go look for the phone, but he was content where he was. So Jinki carefully picked him up and held him close just like he used to when he wasn't so big. He groaned softly and Bummie smacked his chin softly with his fingers. "I'm not fat Pa. Oldie."

"I'm not even 30!" 

"Oldie." The boy mumbled.

The phone was quickly found. The numbers known by heart pressed and held up to his ear. He just hoped Minho would answer.

                        -----

Jinki wasn't one to wake up at the sound of a phone call, but for the last month with Minho out of the country he had learned to do just that. The younger man sometimes got nightmares from the night of his accident and it took a phone call with Jinki to calm him down enough for him to be able to go back to sleep.

 He rushed to grab his phone from the table and almost fell out of the bed in his haste. "Baby?" 

"Jinki." Minho sound so relieved that it hit him square in the chest.

"Another nightmare?"

"Ye-yeah."

"About the accident?" 

"Not this time." He heard Minho shiver and in a harsh breath, "It was about you."

"About me? What about me Baby?" The other man fell silent, and Jinki began to worry. "Minho what about me?"

"I lost you." Minho rushed out. "Okay? I lost you. It was just a dream about me getting a call and finding out I no longer had you and it freaked me the hell out okay? I'm stupid I know."

"Oh Baby no. No you aren't stupid." Jinki reached over and pulled Minho's pillow toward him. It still smelled like the younger man. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

"I.. you were in an accident. Going to get Bummie from Jonghyun's.... it felt so real. So so real and I just.. I can't imagine losing you. I need you. You know that don't you?"

"Oh Minho. It's me who needs you." Jinki rushed out in a breath. "I yelled at Bummie this afternoon before I called you. Over his Halloween costume. I just.. I'm so worried for you, and fighting the urge to jump on a plane and be there with you and standing here to take care of Bummie like you want me to."

There was almost sad laughter on the other line of the phone, it cracking in the middle of it. "We are so messed up Jinki."

"But you will always have me. We will be messed up together forever okay?" 

"Okay."

"Do you feel better now? Do you think you can sleep again?"

"I wanna go home. I wanna be home Jinki... I don't want to be away anymore."

"I want you home too Baby, but you only have one more week and then you will be back here in my arms okay?" 

"It's so cold without you."

"At least chest is drool free."

"Jinki!"

Minho fell asleep to Jinki's soft voice. And the older man to his Partner's gentle breaths through the phone.

                        -----

 The moment Jinki caught sight of him he was pushing through the people also waiting for loved ones. Minho's face was between his hands, his lips pressed against his, as soon as he was close enough. Jinki was pulled into his lap, arms wrapped around him and pulled so much closer. It had been so long, so long, that everything else didn't matter. Their son was with his Uncle waiting back home for them . Minho was back where he belonged, and Jinki was warm and loving against him. 

Jinki's arms moved around the younger man's neck; fingers curling around soft curled hair. It was then that he realized something. His voice as breathing as he chuckled, words hot against the other's lips. "You got a haircut." 

The other man quickly closed the distance between their lips. Jinki groaned softly, his lips shifting against the other. Oh how he missed those sounds. Those beautiful sounds.

Jinki didn't care that they were probably in the way and that people were staring. He hadn't seen his Partner in person in months, let alone touch him, and that was way too long.

When they finally parted both were out of breath, a soft hazy smile adorns their faces. "You are never going away without me again."

"Wouldn't dream of it Jinki." 

                        ------ 

"Dadddddddddddddyyyyyyyyy!" 

Jinki smiled softly before walking past Minho to put away the man's luggage. He'd have tonight to catch up with him, Bummie can have the day. The boy rushed past him in a big purple blur. Jinki looked back to see him jumping up onto Minho's lap, a huge smile on both their faces.

He just smiled, took one last look, and continued his way to their bedroom. 

"I missed you so much Bummie."

The boy rubbed his cheek against his Daddy's shoulder. "Pa can't make my bananers right." Minho chuckled and wrapped both of his arms around the boy. He pressed a firm kiss on the boy's forehead.  "Daddy doesn't get to go away anymore. Okay?"

"Okay Sweetie."

                        ------

 Jinki walked out of the bathroom gently ringing out his damp hair to find the younger man already curled up in bed. The various covers were pulled up around him, even the extra ones that were usually folded on the chest at the end of the bed. Minho's back was toward him, and by the soft breaths he figured the man had fallen asleep. He just smiled before placing the towel he was using on the dresser and made his way over to the bed.

He was careful to not move the bed too much as he pulled the covers back and slipped into the bed. Minho murmured quietly, shifting a little against his pillow, and all Jinki could do was smile fondly.

He moved closer, grabbing Minho's hand softly into his own and pressing a firm kiss on the man's forehead. "Ji...Jinki?" 

"Shh Baby. Just sleep." 

Minho shifted in his arms and blinked up at him. "Don't you want to know about my trip?"

"Of course I do Baby, but I also want you to rest. We have forever remember?" 

The younger man's bottom lip jutted out. "But I don't wanna go to bed."

Jinki rose his eyebrow, "What do you want to do?" 

"I've missed being in your arms Jinki, being here with you, but...." The man's fingertips were smooth against his skin as Minho moved them underneath his white t shirt. The man's big eyes trailed up his chest and up to his face to lock eyes with his. " I've missed something else too." 

Jinki chuckled. "You're lucky I have too."

"Really?"

A smile turned into a smirk as the man moved closer. "I can never get enough of you Baby. You know that."

                        -----

When Halloween night came Bummie was almost bouncing off the walls. He had on his costume, Zuko just like he wanted and fresh from Minho's hands, sitting behind his Pa to do the man's hair. 

After a rather harsh tug and the boy asking for a ribbon from his lap that Jinki asked, "What in the world are you doing Son?"

"Doing your hair like an Earthbender. Duh." 

Jinki just sighed and let the boy do as he pleased. He busied himself with fussing with the silly green fabric of his pants that Bummie had forced Minho to make. After a moment the boy jumped off the couch and stood before him. Though Jinki didn't look up until he heard his son squeal. "What?"

"You look so good!" Then the boy was running down the hall to look for his Daddy, leaving Jinki sitting confused out of his mind. A moment later he heard happy pattering of feet running down the hallway. Minho and Bummie appeared a moment later. 

Jinki hid his mouth behind his hand as he took in the sight of his Partner. "What.. what are those ears?"

Minho scuffed. "I'm Momo silly."

Bummie popped his had from behind the man's wheelchair with a wide smile and waving something, "He even has a tail see!"

There was a knock at the door, and all of them looked towards it. "Looks like Shrimp is here."

"UNCLE JONGIE." The boy ran toward the door just as it opened.

Jinki just shook his head and walked over to press his lips against Minho's cheek. "You're such a cute Momo Baby."

"Oh bite me."

"That's for later." Jinki wiggled his eyebrows. Minho just sighed contently before grabbing his tail to place in his lap and looking up at him.

"Come on. Time to get to his school for that festival."

"Don't forget to wear that shirt!" The boy hollered from his uncle's arms.

"But.. Bummie!" Jinki whined.

"I mean it Pa!"

The earthbender groaned. Momo giggled. Zuko was beaming in the arms of Sokka.

But that was their family.