can you believe it? i can't! It's been over a year!! i'm so sorry chopsticks :( with corona and lockdowns and all, i never found the time to really write. i actually did start this chapter last year and then sat in front of it a few times but words never came to me. i've found back to it though and i hope i haven't lost my touch :)

also if you're not following my twitter: I fulfilled a lifelong dream last year and got a dog!! she's the cutest fox, ehm dog, you will ever see hehe <3 she took up a lot of my free time as well. walking her three times a day + work doesn't leave me with a lot of time to write. now i'm on sick leave because i pinched a nerve (it hurts to sit here and write but i'm doing it for you guys!!) and my dog is at my uncle's place for a week because of renovations in my apartment complex (so loud ugh u.u), so i thought "NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW! GOOOOO".

good news also: i have written a page for the next chapter as well. will try to finish this soon as well, so you get a sort of double update to make up for everything. i'm getting my first vaccination shot tomorrow though, so i need to see how i feel afterwards.

i hope my lovely chopsticks are still around and well! stay healthy guys and like always i'll see you in the comments <3 you keep me going when i struggle! I LOVE YOU!!

for some reason i kept writing Eunbi instead of Sebin. i hope i caught them all sorry haha

warnings for: FLUFF AND OMG AREN'T THEY JUST SO CUTE *smooch*

Sunggyu wasn’t sure how he was feeling about this. Clearly, Haneul wasn’t sure either. They were over at Dongwoo’s place and although they had been over there twice already this month, Haneul knew this time was different. Sunggyu knew that he knew. The toddler wasn’t playing with Sebin like the other two times. He was obviously distracted and kept glancing at Woohyun and Sunggyu, who were sitting on the couch. The older man looked over to Woohyun. „So much for ‘He won’t even notice we’re leaving’. He keeps looking at us.“

Woohyun looked at his son and smiled encouragingly. „Haneul-ah, play with Sebin. Everything’s fine.“

Haneul saw this as a prompt to crawl over to them. Sunggyu rolled his eyes. Before the boy could reach them, Dongwoo appeared and swept him up into his arms. „Haneul! Look what I’ve got for you!“

The toddler’s eyes shone brightly when he eyed the toy. He reached out with eager hands and cooed in excitement. Dongwoo winked. „Use that chance. Sebin and I will keep him busy the next few hours.“

Sunggyu was in doubt but the younger man next to him was already standing up and pulling him along. „Thank you, Dongwoo. Haneul-ah, have fun! We’ll be back later.“

Haneul just glanced at him shortly before fixating on the toy again. Sunggyu eyed Dongwoo, who was putting the toddler down so he could play. „You will call us immediately if anything happens, right? And if he has even a scratch on him-“

“Don’t worry, hyung!“ Dongwoo interrupted him and gave them thumbs up. „Have fun on your date.“

Right. They were going on a date. Woohyun had suddenly asked him out, saying he wanted them to go on a proper date. To which Sunggyu had - a little surprised and embarrassed in that moment - muttered they had already been on a few. Woohyun had countered that going out to eat or take a walk with Haneul didn’t count. Sunggyu didn’t want a babysitter for Haneul though - a total stranger he didn’t know. Even if they were professionals. That was why Woohyun had suggested leaving Haneul with Dongwoo.

They had been over a few times so Haneul and Sebin could get to know each other. Sebin was a cute and cheerful little girl. She was a bit older than Haneul but took to him immediately. They were adorable together, Sunggyu had to admit. Dongwoo was surprisingly good with kids too. With his cheerful and easy personality, he could easily connect with children. Sunggyu would never really feel relaxed with leaving Haneul in someone else’s care. Dongwoo though... he wasn’t too bad. Not that Sunggyu would ever say that out loud.

He sighed shortly. „Bye, Haneul-ah. Behave, okay?“

With a heavy heart, Sunggyu left the room. „It will be fine, hyung“, Woohyun encouraged him.

“I know. It’s just...It’s weird to leave him with someone else. Whenever we go somewhere, Haneul is usually with us.“

“Let’s just enjoy this day together.“ The younger man grabbed his hand as they left the house. „No baby formula, no diaper changing or fussy crying. Just us.“

Sunggyu smiled. Wasn’t it okay to forget his responsibilities for a few hours and just have fun? „You’re right.“





Despite Woohyun telling him it was going to be alright - and Sunggyu telling himself the same - he couldn’t quite shake the anxiety for a while. Woohyun was probably the same but he tried to distract the older man nevertheless. He took Sunggyu into the city and they walked around the streets for a while, browsing the windows of shops on the way. He could honestly not remember the last time he just went out to go shopping. It felt weird. When he did go out to buy something now, it was usually stuff for Haneul or groceries. When they passed a clothing store, Sunggyu stared at the clothes in the window for a minute or two. He didn’t need new clothes, really, but when was the last time he had bought new ones?

“Anything you like, hyung? Do you want to go inside?“ Woohyun asked as he stepped closer to see what Sunggyu was looking at.

“No, I just- I can’t remember the last time I bought something that wasn’t for Haneul.“ Sunggyu smiled shortly.

The younger man frowned shortly. „Haneul hasn’t even been around for that long, hyung. Are you not the type to go shopping?“

He shrugged. „I don’t like spending money unnecessarily. I guess if I see something I like, I buy it. But I don’t need tons of clothes or shoes.“

Woohyun chuckled. „I knew it. You look like someone hoarding money instead of spending it without reason.“

“Well, you have to be prepared.. What if my car suddenly needs an expensive repair? Or breaks down completely?“ Sunggyu muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed.

The younger man smiled and nodded. „Or you might suddenly have to buy a bigger apartment for your nephew and babysitter. Who knows - maybe someday a house?“

Woohyun dropped a kiss on his cheek as the older man laughed. „Now you’re thinking too far into the future.“

“Giving those words right back to you~“

They held hands again as they continued their way through town. Woohyun led him to a cinema and they stood outside for a while, looking at the movie posters and trying to decide on a movie. Sunggyu didn’t mind horror movies, but Woohyun seemed to not like them. It made the older man want to choose one to tease the younger man, but maybe that wasn’t a good thing to do on the first date. Woohyun suggested the romance movie, as expected. The poster didn’t look too cheesy but also didn’t give away substantial of the plot itself. The next show would start soon, so that was a plus point.

“We should look up what it’s about.“ Sunggyu suggested.

Woohyun grinned. „But isn’t it fun to choose a movie only by the poster? It’s sort of mysterious - like attending a sneak preview. You never know what to expect.“

Obviously, Woohyun was excited by the idea. Sunggyu, who was originally someone to play it safe and not just plunge into uncertainty, was a bit reluctant. But going out with someone meant thinking about the other person as well. Trying new things together. Learning more about what the other person likes and doing things they could both enjoy. He wanted to make Woohyun happy, wanted to see him smile and laugh. It was a simple as that, so Sunggyu stepped out of his safety zone and nodded.

While Woohyun went to buy the tickets and snacks (he insisted, really, going as far as to kiss Sunggyu in front of the cashier to silence his arguments and the older man had retreated with red cheeks), Sunggyu received a message from Dongwoo. He was shocked at first but it was just a short message and a video. >Hello, Sunggyu-hyung! Here are Sebin, Haneul and Uncle Dongwoo. We’re all having lots of fun, so relax and enjoy the date.< He smiled and quickly downloaded the video. It was a short clip of Haneul and Sebin playing on a blanket. Sunggyu’s heart warmed up when he watched his nephew laugh happily. A heavy weight was lifted off his chest. Everything was alright.

“What are you looking at, Gyu-hyung?“

He blinked and looked up at Woohyun. „Gyu-hyung?“

The younger man pursed his lips. „Can’t I call you that? Minho calls you Gyu-hyung too.“

“Minho is...“ Sunggyu stopped when he saw Woohyun’s lips turning into a full pout. He huffed