Age: 6

Jongin stepped off his bright yellow school bus and hurried home, back pack bouncing behind him and lunch pail in his hand. He had just reached the steps to his front door when he noticed a moving van in front of the house next door. Seeing a figure of a boy on the other side of his white picket fence he curiously waddled over.  Dropping his belongings on the grass and stuck his little feet over through the spaces and hoisted himself up to look over the wood to find a boy playing with his toy trucks.

“Hello!” He smiled brightly.

“H-hi,” a smaller boy around the same age looked up at him with big round eyes in surprise.

“Hey, you were that new kid in school today! What was your name again?”

“K-Kyungsoo. Do Kyungsoo. You’re that kid that got a time out for taking the hamster out of his cage.”

Jongin giggled happy Kyungsoo remembered who he was. “Yup!” He said proudly. “It was funny watching all the girls scream.”

Kyungsoo simply shrugged because he couldn’t help admit it was really funny how the teacher ran around trying to catch it. “Ne,” he smiled.

“You’re pretty cute!” Jongin said boldly. ”Wanna be my boyfriend?”

Kyungsoo stood and tilted his head. “W-what’s a boyfriend?”

“I don’t know.” Jongin shrugged. “My sister has a boyfriend and they’re always holding hands. I wanna hold your hand. Can I hold your hand?” Jongin asked enthusiastically reaching his short arm through the fence best he could.

Kyungsoo had never met anyone who had wanted to hold his hand before. “Okay!” He replied excitedly. He came closer and slipped his hand into Jongin’s causing Jongin to get butterflies in his tummy.

“Now what?” Kyungsoo asked thinking that something was supposed to happen.

“Now you’re my boyfriend, silly! You’re not allowed to share your lunch or go down the slide with anyone but me, arasso?”

Before Kyungsoo could answer an all too familiar voice spoke calling him inside for dinner. It was his dad. “Young man, what are you doing?” He asked when he found his son holding hands with the boy next door.

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow! Bye, Jonginnie!” Kyungsoo ran off with wave.

“Bye! Excuse me, Mr. Do?” Jongin called out to the adult causing the latter to step closer to the young boy. “I like your son.”

“That’s nice,” Mr. Do smiled.

“I’m gonna marry him someday.”

Mr. Do simply chuckled. “Who are you?”

“I’m Kim Jongin. I’m 6 years old and I live next door.”

Mr. Do nodded. “Go home, punk.”

 

Age: 8

 

“Mr. Do, I’d like to take your son out on a date!” Jongin announced one day while he accompanied Kyungsoo’s dad by the grill. They had invited him and his family over for a BBQ.

Since that fateful day, Mr. Do had refused to acknowledge his son’s friend’s presence. “Tough break, kid.”

“My name is Jongin.” Jongin pouted when his neighbor didn’t even think it over.

“I don’t care, go eat.”

 

Age: 10

 

“Can I date your son, Mr. Do?” Jongin asked one night while he came down stairs for a glass of water wearing his batman onesie. He was sleeping over since his parents were out of town for the weekend.

“No, Jongin. Go away.”

He sighed but did so with a shrug thinking that at least this time Mr. Do remembered his name this time. Maybe he was wearing him down.

 

Age: 12

 

“Can I date your son today, Mr. Do?” Jongin asked while he watered the bushes. Mr. Do had come outside to get the morning paper.

“No, Jongin.” He said with a sip of his coffee before walking back inside, paper in hand.

 

Age: 13

 

“My goodness! Mrs. Do did a lovely paint job in the kitchen,” Jongin examined as he took a freshly baked cookie off the cookie platter that was left on the window sill to cool off.

“You still can’t date my son, Jongin. Go home.” Mr. Do said before taking the boy’s cookie and shutting the widow.

“Hey--” The boy’s protests were drowned out by the glass and Mr. Do ignored his pounding pouring himself a glass of milk to go with his cookies.

This was getting ridiculous.

 

Age: 14

 

“I WANT TO DATE YOUR SON!” Jongin yelled as he rode his bike past the Do family’s house.

“TOO ING BAD!” Mr. Do yelled back from his porch earning strange looks from his other neighbors.

 

Age: 16

 

It was a pretty spring morning when Jongin decided it would be a good idea to greet Mr. Do in his drive way. “Can I—” Jongin opened his mouth only to be drowned out by the sound of an engine roar.

“I will run you over with my car.”

 

Age: 18

 

“How do you keep getting in here?” Mr. Do asked when he found Jongin sitting in his chair watching his TV.

“Front door.” Jongin said. After all these years you’d think the head of the Do residence would have gotten used to the teenager by now.

“Get out!”

“Okay, but first—”

Mr. Do threw Jongin out with a swift kick to the already knowing what he was going to ask. “No means no, punk!”

“What was that sound?” Kyungsoo asked coming downstairs when he heard a thump.

“I threw the trash out,” His father replied patting his hands together before returning to the living room.

“Rude,” Jongin groaned rubbing his as he limped home.

 

Kyungsoo sighed leaning back against Jongin’s chest as they sat at the top of the slide in the park watching the sunset. “I don’t get why this is such a big deal to you.” Kyungsoo said while he played with is boyfriend’s hands that were around his small waist. “We’ve been together for as long as I can remember. So what if my dad doesn’t approve?”

“You’re dad is old fashion. I love you, but I just don’t like the fact that he doesn’t acknowledge me as a man. Don’t look at me like that,” Jongin pouted knowing Kyungsoo was giving him a certain look when he made no sense. “It’s a pride thing.”

Kyungsoo shook his head, chuckling and turned to press his lips to the younger’s lips. “I love you, too, you idiot.”

 

Age: 20

 

It was a Saturday morning when Jongin showed up in front of Kyungsoo’s door. He was out shopping with his mother and wouldn’t be back until noon. Dressed to the nine and a whole speech in his head, Jongin was determined to make Mr. Do understand his undying love for his son.

“Did someone die?” Mr. Do asked when he opened his front door.

“Mr. Do I have to talk to you. May I come inside?”

“Sure, kid.”

No sooner did they reach the living room Jongin turned to face the older gentlemen with a stern face. “Can I have your son for the rest of my life?”

Mr. Do’s was taken aback at the sudden question. He knew the boys had been dating because his son had told him and made sure Mr. Do would be nicer to Jongin. However he never thought Jongin would keep his promise he swore to him the first day they met all those years ago. Mr. Do’s gaze soften and patted the spot beside him on the couch after he sat. “You’re not going to give this up, are you?”

Jongin shook his head. “I love your son. I have since I was 6.”

“What are you intentions exactly?”

“I want to make him happy. I can’t live without him. I don’t want to live without him. We’ll run away if we have to, but I don’t want to do that. I want to be accepted into this family, and eventually start my own with Kyungsoo. My whole life all I’ve wanted was your approval to show you that I am the man for your son. Is a chance really too much to ask for?”

Mr. Do shook his head. “Jongin, no parent really wants to accept the fact that their son is gay, and I’m sorry. I know I haven’t been the nicest person to you over the years—”

“You shot me with a bb gun once.”

“Yeah..”

“You left me stranded in a tree.”

“I know..”

“You tried to convince the circus to take me with them, you dropped a bee hive on me one summer, broke my arm, locked me in a shed—”

“Okay, I get it!” Mr. Do said raising his voice slightly.

Jongin curled his lips inward to shut up.

“My point is. If I were to ever allow anyone to marry my son.. It’d be you. You’re a good kid and no matter how many times I've thrown you out of this house you always seem to find your way back in. I can see how you've found a way into Kyungsooo's heart." Mr. Do sighed softly. "I trust that you’ll make one hell of a husband. You have my blessing. Go get him, Champ.”

 

 

Kyungsoo helped his mom unpack the shopping bags from the car when his father pulled him aside.

“Jongin was here earlier.” He informed him.

“He was? Should I be afraid as to what you did with him?” He squinted at his dad.

“Ani,” his father chuckled. “He told me to tell you to meet him in the park when you got back.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. He said he had to talk to you about something.”

Taking off down the street, Kyungsoo ran all the way to their neighborhood park. There at the bottom of the slide stood Jongin with a rose in hand and a smile. “My dad told me you were at my house earlier. Is everything okay? He didn’t say anything bad to you, did he?” Kyungsoo panted as he made his way over.

Jongin smiled and shook his head. “Quite the opposite actually.”

Kyungsoo sighed relieved. “Good. What did you guys talk about?”

“This,” Jongin said getting down on one knee. “Do Kyungsoo, will you marry me?”

A smile spread across the shorter male’s face. “Yes.”