Taecyeon woke around eight the next morning to a slew of text messages from his mother and sister. Apparently after he sent the picture his mother forwarded it to his sister and now the two women were using his phone to group message a gushing session. Ignoring the two women’s questions he put his phone in his pocket and went to check on the quiet room across from his. Wooyoung and Junho were still asleep curled up next to each other. Satisfied nothing was amiss, he slowly shut the door and made his way into the kitchen. Looking through his stocked fridge he decided to make steamed eggs, rice and bacon.

As he cooked he thought about his discussion with Wooyoung from the night before. He was surprised at how angry he got over Minjun being hit by his grandfather. Minjun was capable of defending himself but Taecyeon wanted to protect him. The reason for the assault surprised, thrilled, and pissed him off all at the same time. He actually had a chance of being together with the man in the way he dreamed about. But he wondered how much of an influence Minjun’s grandfather had on his life.

The beeping from the rice maker alerted him to pay attention to his almost burning bacon. He maneuvered the pan away from the stove and almost fell over a sleepy Junho. Quick reflexes were the only thing that saved the child from a horrible grease burn.

Pan out of his hand Taecyeon picked up Junho and brought him over to the couch. Setting the boy down, Taec brushed the ruffled curly hair out of his eyes, “Junho. You can’t come up behind me like that when I am in the kitchen. I nearly dropped something really hot on you and it would have hurt a whole lot.”

Junho yawned, “Sorry hyung. I heard noise in the kitchen and wanted to see what happened.”

“Well breakfast is nearly ready. Stay here until I call you to the table, alright?”

He nodded and was soon drifting back to sleep using Nuneo as a pillow. Taecyeon shook his head, walking back to the kitchen. He had not even heard the boy enter the room. He quickly whipped up the eggs and herbs for steaming. If Junho was out here he doubted Wooyoung would be long behind.

Sure enough when Taecyeon turned away from the microwave he found the older boys standing by the table. He held Bbiyak by the wing and rubbed his left eye to get rid of any sleepies. “Good morning Wooyoung.”

“ Goo‘mornin,” he mumbled as he climbed into the same chair as last night. Taecyeon had a feeling neither child would be fully awake so he set the table before he started cooking. Junho came to the table as well when he heard his older brother come out of the bedroom. Taecyeon placed full plates in front of the half-asleep children before serving himself. The smell of the bacon roused them enough to eat. Soon they devoured everything, even the extras Taec made just in case, and downed the glasses of orange juice, smacking their lips as they finished.

“If you are done, go brush your teeth and get dressed. After lunch we will go to the park and Vic-noona and Chansung invited us for dinner tonight.” Excited cheers erupted as the boys raced to the bedroom. Taecyeon chuckled and gathered up the dishes to be washed.

 He spent most of the morning going over a new sponsor contract for one of the company’s actor while Junho and Wooyoung occupied themselves with cartoons and legos. When it was time for lunch he made kimbap, making sure to grab his portion before the two growing boys could eat it all. The food was woofed down and they ran to the bathroom to wash up. By the time Taecyeon had everything clean and put away, Junho and Wooyoung were waiting impatiently by the door.

Wooyoung had his hands on his hips, “Hyung, let’s go.”

“Yeah hurry hyung!” Junho called bouncing in place next to his brother.

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” He finally approached the door, keys in hand and bag of snacks and essentials on his shoulder.

“Race you to the elevator!” Wooyoung called as he took off down the hall.

Junho stumbled a little as he tried to follow, “Hyung! Wait up!”

Taecyeon chuckled and followed them to the elevator.

*     *     *

When they arrived the two practically bolted once they undid their seatbelt. Wooyoung beelined for a small field where three other boys were playing soccer. Junho carried Nuneo to a swing and called for Taecyeon to come and push him. After a while Junho announced he wanted to go play with Wooyoung, so Taecyeon slowed the swing to a stop. The boy scrambled down and after quick thank you he ran to the field. Taecyeon followed behind and found a bench nearby to sit on.

Junho walked back to him with slumped shoulders and almost dragging his loyal penguin by its wing. He pulled himself onto the bench and stared at the group. Taec wanted to coo at how adorable the boy was but he looked too dejected for him not to do anything. “Hey, what’s the matter buddy?”
“Hyung and his new friends won’t play with me. They said I’m too little,” Junho had a serious pout on his face.

 “Do you want me to ask them to let you play?” He nodded and Taec took his hand. They walked over to the group of older boys. “Hey guys.” The group of four slightly bowed to the adult, “Who are your friends Wooyoung?”

“This is Jaebum-hyung, Doojoon, and Jinwoon.”

“Annyeonghaseyo.” They greeted him properly and he heard the women sitting on the bench nearby compliment the boys’ manners.

“Junho was feeling a bit lonely. Even though you are older it would be nice of you to play with him even for a little while.”

The three nodded and Wooyoung grumbled along with them. Junho lit up with his brightest eyes smile and immediately went to his brother.

Taecyeon sat back on the bench and watched the quintet play a game of tag. Junho was ‘It’ and he was trying to catch the bigger boys with Nuneo held tight. Everything seemed to be going well except for the intense summer sun.  Taecyeon rummaged in the bag he brought and realized he left the sun lotion in the car. He looked at the women noticed one who looked similar to one of the boys playing with Junho and Wooyoung. He walked over and greeted them, “I’m sorry but are you Doojoon’s mom?”

“Yes, Yoon Soobin. And who might you be?” She titled her head and moved her hair to show her neck.

It annoyed him that even with a wedding ring she had the gall to flirt with him. Acting like he was oblivious to her obvious flirtation, Taecyeon smiled, “I’m Wooyoung and Junho’s hyung. Could you do me a favor and watch the boys for a minute? I need to run back to the car for something.”

“Of course sweetie.”

He almost shuddered at her tone, “Thank you. I’ll be right back.”

Not wanting to leave the boys under her care for long, he rushed to the car. During the drive over the bag had fallen on the floor in front of the front passenger seat. Figuring the lotion must have rolled under the seat he crouched down awkwardly trying to find the bottle.

“No!” a shrill scream echoed through the park. Even with the high pitch Taec recognized the voice as Junho’s. He turned from his car, catching the end of a mean game monkey in the middle. Wooyoung’s friends tossed his brother’s penguin back and forth, keeping it just high enough the smaller boy could not catch it. “Give Nuneo back! He’s mine. Please give him back.”

The boys continue to toss the plushie until Jaebum missed and it fell in the dirt. Junho reached for it but the older boy stomped it into the ground. Even from where he was Taecyeon could hear Doojoon and Jinwoon laughing as Junho tried to save Nuneo. Wooyoung stood slightly off to the side not participating but not helping his brother either. Leaving the bag behind, Taecyeon stormed over.

Seeing a large man moving to their children the moms finally reacted. One woman grabbed Jaebum harshly by the arm and swatted his behind. The other mothers pulled their boys away from Junho and Wooyoung and scolded them. Taecyeon scooped the crying boy into his arms and Junho buried his face against the man’s neck. Wooyoung slowly walked over and picked up the dirt covered penguin almost reverently, no doubt feeling slightly ashamed for making his brother cry.

Yoon Soobin came over, “Sorry about them. But boys will be boys.”

“Yes, but hyungs should take care of dongsaengs.” Taecyeon’s tone was full of ice, “If you will excuse us.” He took Wooyoung’s hand with his free one and marched them to the car. He strapped the boys into their car seats and took Nuneo up front with him. He put the car in gear and drove to Nichkhun’s apartment. He glanced at the boys in the rearview mirror when they reached a red light. Junho was still sniffling but his tears had stopped. Wooyoung was staring at his lap looking positively contrite. Taecyeon knew he should talk to him about his behavior but he did not want to scold the boy. Having your younger sibling always trailing after you could be frustrating. Taecyeon’s sister hated having to bring him with her when she wanted to play with her friends. She always did her best to ditch him until one time he got lost and no one knew where he was until dinner time. The light turned green and Taecyeon turned his focus back to the road.

*      *      *

At the apartment, Victoria immediately gathered Junho in her arms. The little boy hugged her neck and started crying again as she asked, “What happened?”

Wooyoung’s guilty pout deepened when Taecyeon summed up the incident at the park and showed her the dirt crusted penguin.

“Oh dear. Well it shouldn’t be too hard to get clean. Wooyoung why don’t you go play with Chansung while we clean the penguin.” Wooyoung nodded and ran off to find Chansung. With Junho still in her arms she led Taecyeon back to the washroom. She placed Junho to sit on the dryer and tore a few sheets of paper towel. “What is your penguin’s name?” Victoria asked as she brushed the top layer of filth off the toy.

“His name is Nuneo. My umma and abeoji gave him to me.” He watched her precise movements through red-rimmed eyes. After brushing she put together a mixture of baking soda, water and a little bit of laundry detergent. Taecyeon also watched, fascinated by the quick work of the mother of one.

“That is a nice name. I bet you two have a lot of adventures together.”

Junho nodded happily, “Yep! And Woo-hyung comes up with the best games. What are you doing now?”

Victoria finished with her solvent and was now placing Nuneo in a spare pillow case. “He needs to hide in this bag so he won’t get lost in the washing machine. And when he’s finished in there he can go in the drier.”

“And he’ll be all better?” his eyes pleading.

“Yes,” she reassured. “But it is going to take a while. You should go play with Chansung and Wooyoung while you wait.”

“Okay.” He reached for her to let him down then scurried off.

Taec was in awe of her ability to handle the situation so calmly. Victoria couldn’t help but tease the younger man, “Don’t stare Taec, I’m a married woman.”

“How did you do that? You calmed him down and sent him off playing all in five minutes. Not to mention saved the plushie.”

She smiled at him, “It’s the practice of a parent. I’m not perfect but you pick up a few tricks along the way. I discovered that mixture when Chansung decided his banana toy could be covered in mud like it was chocolate.” Victoria shook her head at her son’s childish ideas. She put the bag in the washing machine, “The cycle will take about thirty minutes so come and talk to me.”

They settled at the kitchen table. Taecyeon shifted in his seat while his best friend’s wife stared at him with knowing eyes. “Uh, what did you want to talk about?”

“You and why you are doing nothing to win Minjun’s heart.”

“What do you mean?” he tried to evade her.

She just looked at him pointedly, “Taecyeon. You have done nothing to let Minjun in. You have not fully told him who you are nor have you shared your feelings.”

“I’m afraid he’ll reject me,” he muttered, his eyes focused on his lap.

“You are not some school girl on her first crush.”

“Still. I like being around him. Even if we are just friends, I just want to be around him.”

Victoria sighed at his stubbornness, “Fine but at least tell him who you are. If he finds out later, Minjun might just hate you.”

“Ye, noona.”

“Then go get the boys. It’s time for afternoon snacks.” She stood up and went to the fridge.

Taec went in search of the trio. He found them sitting in the living room watching the end of Peter Pan. He waited until the credits were rolling before announcing it was snack time. Chansung cheered the loudest and the bigger boy pulled Junho into the kitchen with him. Wooyoung however stayed where he was. Taecyeon knew he felt bad for letting the older boys make Junho cry. But letting him stew in his guilt would not be good. “Hey Wooyoung. Don’t you want so snacks?”

“No. I’m not hungry,” he mumbled.

“Your tummy hurts right?” Wooyoung looked up startled. Taecyeon smiled gently, “You feel bad for not helping Junho earlier.” After a moment’s hesitation, the boy slowly nodded his head and Taec rubbed his hand, “I understand why you did it.”

“You do?”

“You wanted to play with your friends without Junho tagging along.”

“Just for a little bit,” he defended. “I was going to play with him after, but I wanted to play soccer with the older kids by myself. I didn’t mean for Nuneo to get stomped on. I didn’t mean to let Junho cry.”

Taecyeon moved his hand to rub the boy’s head, “I know. And Junho doesn’t blame you. Just remember you are his hyung and you need to take care of him.”

“I’ll remember.”

“But,” Wooyoung looked up at him again, “if you want to have time to yourself and friends without Junho, tell him. I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“Are you sure?”

“I didn’t when my sister told me. Although he doesn’t need, I think if you apologize to him it will make you feel better.”

“Okay.”

“Hyung!” Junho called as he ran from the kitchen with Chansung right behind him. He had a bun in his hand, “Here we saved you one!”

Wooyoung looked at the bun then Junho then back at Taecyeon. The man nodded and Wooyoung accepted the bun with a small smile. “I’m sorry I didn’t help you earlier Junho.”

His brother’s eyes disappeared with his sweet eye smile, “It’s okay Woo-hyung. Noona’s making Nuneo all better.” The older boy nodded and took a big bite out of the bun before offering the rest to Taecyeon.

*     *     *

The rest of the evening went by fast. First the boys pulled Taecyeon into a game of pirates. According to their vivid imaginations, he was a bad pirate aligned with the Pirate Queen out to steal the ancient Emperor Penpen’s treasure. But, Captain Wooyoung and his piratey crew vowed to find it first. The game lasted until Victoria announced it was time for dinner. The boys rushed to the table claiming they found the treasure, Victoria-umma’s jjajangmyeon. The black bean sauce ended up everywhere on the boys’ faces, but none was worse than Chansung. Before he could eat his mother removed his shirt and soon enough his chest was covered courtesy of his hands using it as a napkin. All three received a quick bath before Taecyeon took them home for the night.

By the time they entered his apartment the boys were yawning up a storm and could barely walk straight. After a quick stop in the bathroom he helped them dress then tucked them in for the night. Taecyeon then went to his desk and opened up his e-mail. He may have taken the days off but he still had residual work to keep up with.

He did not know when but he developed a horrible crick in his neck from falling asleep at his computer. Stretching to try and relieve it, he was puzzled to see a light on in the spare bedroom. Curious he went over to the door and heard loud shuffling and not so quiet whispers. Taecyeon tried to listen through the door as the whispers and rustling increased. Then there was a big thud followed by a little voice crying out in pain. Taec rushed into the room and found Junho in a different pair of pajamas crying on the floor with his hands on his head. Wooyoung was wrapped up in half undone bed sheets. Although he had guess, Taec still asked, “What happened?” He picked up Junho and cuddled him until the tears stopped.

“We were trying to change the sheets and Junho fell,” Wooyoung explained once he was untangled from the sheets.

“Where does it hurt?” Taec kissed where Junho pointed, “Why did the sheets need changing?”

“Junho wet the bed.” Considering the day he had I am not surprised. Maybe he should call Minjun tomorrow.

“I’m sorry,” the small boy apologized drawing his attention. There was guilt in voice but also a tinge of fear in his eyes.

Taecyeon smiled softly and carried Junho to his room with Wooyoung in tow. “Wait here. I will clean up in the other room.”

“You’re not mad?” Junho’s tear filled eyes now held surprise.

“It was an accident right?” Both boys nodded. “So there is nothing to be angry at. I’ll be right back.”

After washing the spot off the mattress, he put the soiled sheets, towels, and pajamas into the washing machine. He also put new sheets onto the bed. When he returned to his room, the boys were asleep. Rather than wake them, Taecyeon softly rolled onto his bed and slept next to them for the rest of the night.

A/N: This chapter turned out longer than expected because I wrote it in a flurry of excitement.Not only did Llya-unnie start a new story yesterday but one of my close friends gave birth to a healthy boy last night! I can't wait for pictures! I am in a different state so I cannot see them in person for a while, but I am so happy for her.

Anyway let me know what you think. That means comments please ^_^