“Quick, Hun-ah, we’re gonna be late!”

Sehun zips his raincoat up and fixes his little yellow kindergarten hat, flashing his reflection a bright grin. He salutes the mirror a goodbye and trots out of the room and down the staircase, gripping tightly onto the banister in case he slips and falls.

“Sehun-ah!” the sweet voice of his mother calls out.

“Coming!” Sehun hollers. He’s halfway down his trek when he feels something vibrating and the thumping of something heavy going down the stairs. Sehun looks behind and grins when he sees his daddy coming downstairs as well, fixing his tie.

“Oh, Sehun-ah, you’re going to be late,” Yifan smiles, patting his son on the head. “Don’t you want to hurry up?”

“I do!” Sehun pouts. “But the stairs are big!” he whines, gesturing to the remaining stairs he has left.

Yifan tsks, shaking his head. “I see. The stairs are indeed a menace to today’s toddlerkind. Luckily, you have a daddy who can carry you down.” He grins. “Come on, don’t wanna be late on your first day of school.”

Sehun nods his head as agreement, wrapping his arms around daddy’s neck as Yifan brings him down. He doesn’t want to miss a single playdate with Jongin, and he’s sure that if he makes Luhan late, he won’t be able to play with Minseok, and Luhan won’t talk to him for the rest of the day. The thought of his twin not talking to him alone is enough for him to urge Yifan to hurry up.

Yifan laughs and pats Sehun’s back. “All right, all right, we’re already here.” He steps off the last stair and sets Sehun down, the toddler instantly running to the front door where his mommy and brother are waiting.

“Wow, Sehun! You were able to go down by the stairs yourself?” Zitao asks, crouching down to give Sehun his backpack. Sehun nods once. Zitao smiles. “Did you do it by yourself?” Again, Sehun nods. “Really? Nobody helped? Not even daddy?”

Sehun goes red at this. “Daddy helped,” he mutters.

“Of course he did!” Luhan chirps, his blue backpack clashing horribly with the bright yellow uniform. “Daddy always helps! He’s always there with us!”

Yifan comes in at that moment, a grin on his face. “Really? Well, I don’t hear mommy saying that.”

Luhan shoots his mother a look of distraught. “Mommy! Mommy, tell daddy that he’s always there with us!”

Zitao rolls his eyes and turns to face Yifan, his husband’s grin turning smug. Zitao sighs and smoothens Yifan’s shirt, patting him on the chest. “Oh, honey, daddy doesn’t need to hear that from me. He already knows that.”

“But are you sure he knows?” Sehun joins in, an accusatory look in his eyes. “Tell him!”

Zitao sighs once more, smacking Yifan’s wrist that was starting to creep up Zitao’s back. “You are brainwashing our kids,” he chuckles, shaking his head. “Sooner or later, they’re going to forget who bathes and cooks for them every day. All they’re going to remember is Superhero Daddy.”

Yifan laughs and wraps an arm around Zitao’s waist, dipping him and capturing his lips with his. Zitao goes bright red and Yifan pulls away, kissing the tip of his nose. Zitao weakly slaps his chest.

“Ew,” Luhan has pure disgust on his face, his tongue sticking out.

“Ew,” Sehun echoes, both hands covering his chubby face.

“When you both grow up and find someone like mommy, love them like how I love him, all right?” Yifan smiles.

“Okay!” comes the twin chorus.

Zitao rolls his eyes for what seems like the nth time. “Seriously, Yifan, the kids’ll be late for school. Stop kissing me and get your briefcase.” Yifan smiles and goes off to the kitchen. Zitao opens the door wide, only to scream when a sudden shower of rain hits him. He slams the door right behind him, eyes wide and face already drenched.

“Zitao?” Yifan comes running back, alarm in his features. “Zitao, what’s wrong?”

“Mommy got attacked by the rain monster!” Luhan says cheerfully, Sehun doing a poor imitation of a roar and flopping on top of Luhan.

“It’s a downpour outside, Yifan, I can barely see two feet in front of me and I just only opened the door,” Zitao pushes past Yifan and peeks through the window, groaning when the rain doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. “The kids are going to miss school, aren’t they?”

“I’ll call Yixing to see if the school’s still open,” Yifan says, already flipping open his cellphone.

Zitao sighs and stares out the window. He doesn’t mind if the twins don’t go to school – it’ll be like taking care of them on an extended weekend. What worries him is that Minseok and Jongin will be there, and that his two boys won’t be able to play with them. He glances down to his kids, Luhan jabbing Sehun’s tickle spots and Sehun screaming out bloody murder. Zitao chuckles at the sight.

He’s interrupted from his thoughts when Yifan wraps his arms around him, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck. “School’s cancelled area-wise,” Yifan murmurs. “A typhoon’s coming up. It doesn’t look to be serious, but if it doesn’t die down tomorrow, then school will be cancelled for a whole week. I went ahead and called Chanyeol. Work’s cancelled too.” He spins Zitao around and kisses him. “Looks like we have the whole day together.”

Zitao laughs into the kiss, only pulling away when something tugs on his sweatpants. Sehun’s looking up at him with teary eyes, a pout on his lips. “Mommy, are we not going to school?”

Zitao releases himself from Yifan’s hold and crouches down to the twins’ level. “Sorry, sweetie, but school’s cancelled from a typhoon. Looks like you’ll have to play with In-in some other day.”

“‘In-in’?” Yifan echoes, confused.

“That’s what Sehun calls Jongin,” Zitao explains, taking off Sehun’s hat and uniform. “If it makes you feel any better, they won’t be going to school either, so you can play together on the first day of school when it starts.”

Sehun seems to perk up at this.

“And Luhan,” Zitao turns to a now sad-looking Luhan, “I’m sure Seokkie will bring his chocolate pudding for you to share on that day too. Don’t be sad, all right?” He grins at Luhan, ruffling his hair. “Smile for mommy.”

Luhan smiles a small one, his smile growing when Sehun takes his hand and presses a sloppy kiss to his cheek. “Okay. Does that mean we can go play?”

Zitao thinks for a while. The kids had cut their playtime short yesterday, too excited about the new school day to continue playing. They must be feeling toy-deprived. “All right,” he says slowly, “but keep your toys afterwards, okay?”

“Okay!” the twins scream, ripping off their school uniforms and dashing to their rooms to search for their pajamas.

Zitao stands up and laughs as he’s pulled into, once again, a back hug. “You’re amazing,” Yifan praises, kissing his ear. “But I expected as much, seeing that you’re their mother and all. I just want you to keep praising you.”

Zitao turns around and smiles, focusing on Yifan’s lips as he fingers his jawline. “Well, we have the whole day. I’m sure you can think of different ways to do so.”

His yelp goes unheard over the twins’ excited chattering of what they’re going to play next when Yifan suddenly lifts him up and hauls him over his shoulder.

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