Taemin doesn’t know why he bothers trying another time after leaving 17 missed calls, 8 voice mails and 48 messages on his husband’s phone but with 10 minutes left before their son’s preschool graduation ceremony is scheduled to start, he finds himself leaving his seat and deciding he’ll make one last effort to contact his husband.

“Kim Jonghyun, if you don’t answer this call…”

The threat is left hanging in the air as Taemin stands in the quiet hallway and listens to the dialing tone, already expecting to be directed to voice mail. It’s as if Jonghyun can hear him though because oddly enough, his call finally gets connected on what feels like the hundredth ring.

“Where are you?!” Once the call is answered, Taemin shouts with both worry and anger in his voice, “You idiot, what’s the point of carrying a phone if you don’t actually use it?!”

“Sorry, Taem, I’m so sorry-” Jonghyun’s voice is breathless on the other end of the line and instantly, Taemin can hear the panic in his husband’s voice.

“What’s wrong?” Taemin is getting more worried by the second.

“I’m stuck in the middle of a highway, my car broke down and I thought it’ll be faster if I tried to fix it myself but I can’t. I think the engine completely died and so I was busy searching for the contact numbers of the roadside assistance services-”

“Stop. Save that for later.” Taemin cuts Jonghyun short and holds his breath after he asks the all-important question, “All I want to know now is if you can make it in time?”

When only silence replies him, Taemin sighs into the phone, crestfallen and hopeless. Of all days Jonghyun can be down in luck, it just has to be today.

“Taem…”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Trust me, I’m doing all that I can to rush there right now.”

“I know you are.” Taemin smiles bitterly, “Look, I have to go back in now. It’s starting soon… At least one of us have to be there watching our baby.”

“I’ll try to be there as soon as I can alright?”

“Alright.” Taemin says as he ends the call but both he and Jonghyun know he’ll be missing out on most of the ceremony already; and that includes the opening performance where their son would be standing in the first row, singing the graduation song that they have been practicing as a family for the whole week leading up to this day.

When Jonghyun finally reaches his son’s preschool, excited parents and kids are already streaming out of the auditorium, all ready to carry on the celebration at home. That certainly doesn’t make him feel any better as he continues to beat himself up while searching for his husband and son among the crowd. The moment he finds them waiting in one corner seemingly searching for him too, Jonghyun’s heart sinks.

He is almost running towards them when Taemin spots him and sends him the best smile he can muster. Jonghyun then watches as Taemin points him out to their son. The moment his son finally sees him, all of his 102cm tiny being dressed in the cutest dark blue graduation gown complete with the same colored cap on his small head comes rushing straight into Jonghyun’s already open arms.

“Appa!” His son greets with the warmest of all smiles as he wraps his arms around Jonghyun’s neck, “You’re here!”

“I am… I’m sorry I’m late, adul ah.” Jonghyun says while he looks up at Taemin and smiles bitterly, “I tried but-”

“It’s alright, Appa!” His son releases his hug around him and looks up at his other father with a mischievous smile before he looks back at Jonghyun, “Dad and I are going to show you everything when we get back home!”

“What?” Jonghyun directs the question to Taemin, wanting his husband to explain more.

“What he means is that we’ll have our own graduation ceremony at home… he’ll sing the song again, I’ll be the one to present his certificate to him and you’ll be our one and only audience… we’ll put up a special show that only we’ll know about.” Taemin smiles, first at his son who is literally jumping up and down with excitement and then at his husband who is obviously feeling guilty as hell for missing their son’s first major graduation ceremony but touched that they’ve thought of something to make up for what he has missed.

“Let’s go!!”

Before either of the young parents can say anything else, their son reaches out to hold both their hands in each of his small hands and drags them towards the car park where Taemin’s car is. And suddenly, Jonghyun finds it amazing how this little gesture from his son (which probably means nothing to his six year old boy) can make everything better in an instant. Looking at his husband and son as they walk side by side with smiles on their faces, Jonghyun decides he shouldn’t let the breakdown spoil the rest of his day.