“Dae ajeossi!” Bambam launches himself into Daehyun’s arms, squealing excitedly as the elder swings him up in a hug.

“Bam! How’s it going kiddo?” he exclaims happily, placing a sloppy kiss on the child’s cheek. Bambam clings tightly to his neck, starting to babble excitedly.

“I’m here too!” pouts Taehyung, tugging on Daehyun’s pant leg and Daehyun grins, scooping Taehyung up in his other arm.

“You’ve gotten bigger, kiddo,” he teases. “Have you been eating more?”

“Umma’s been trying out your recipes,” Bambam says brightly. “Am I big too?”

“Yes Bam, you’ve gotten bigger too.” Daehyun shoots a glance over their heads as they start to talk to him, shouting over each other, and he raises an eyebrow at Baekhyun.

“Have you been using my recipes?” he asks over the children’s chatter and Baekhyun shrugs one shoulder.

“Occasionally.”

“You don’t have any arms for me,” pouts Sungoh and Daehyun laughs, squatting down just a little to be at eye level with him.

“I’m sorry kiddo, but maybe Jae ajeossi does.”

“I wanted him anyway.”

“Oh Sungoh, that’s mean!” Daehyun gasps, pretending to be hurt and the other Park kids giggle. “I always knew you liked him best.”

“Jae ajeossi, I’m as tall as you!” Taehyung exclaims when Youngjae comes out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel.

“You sure are, Tae. You might even get to be taller than me,” jokes Youngjae, ruffling Taehyung’s hair. “Hey Bambam, you’re getting almost as big as your brother.”

“I’ll be taller than him,” declares Bambam and Taehyung sticks out his tongue.

“No you won’t!”

“Yes I will!”

“You’ll never be as tall as me!” adds Sungoh, reaching his arms out for Youngjae, who scoops him up easily, even though he is eleven.

“I’m sorry it’s been so long,” Baekhyun apologizes over the kids playful arguing. “We’ve just been really busy lately.”

Youngjae waves it away, shifting Sungoh in his arms. “So have we. We just finished remodeling the bathroom down here. It’s taken forever to do!”

“Oh yeah, I remember Dae mentioning that before,” Baekhyun says, shrugging his coat off and letting Youngjae take it. “Can we see?”

“You used the company I recommended?” asks Chanyeol, taking Baekhyun’s jacket from the other and hanging it up, along with his own. “I had told

Daehyun about it earlier, over lunch a while back.”

“I hope he paid for it,” chuckles Youngjae, looking over fondly to where Daehyun had set the kids down and was now playing a hand game with them happily. “Since he was the one who probably dragged you there in the first place.”

Chanyeol shrugs. “Half and half. Though he did order a lot more than me. And ate it all, too.”

“I heard that!”

The other three adults laugh and Youngjae sets Sungoh down as he scampers to join his siblings and Daehyun. Youngjae then leans the Parks to the bathroom.

“Yeah, he tends to do that,” he says. Minutes later, after the Parks are done admiring the new bathroom (complete with a fancy sink that Chanyeol seems to have taken a shine to), they join once again in the living room, sipping wine and talking over the kid’s chatter.

“Tae just turned nine, right?” Youngjae checks when Daehyun goes to the kitchen to bring in some snacks. He’ll probably end up eating most of them but it’s the thought that counts.

“Yeah,” answers Baekhyun proudly. “And Bam will be turning six in May.”

“Oh, so not far from now,” comments Youngjae as his husband returns, setting down the platters on the coffee table. The three kids scramble towards it before hesitating, looking towards their umma for permission.

“You can ask, you know,” Baekhyun tells them and they gaze at Daehyun and Youngjae hopefully.

“Can we have some, ajeossis?” asks Sungoh sweetly.

“Please?” adds Bambam.

“We won’t make a mess,” promises Taehyung and Daehyun laughs, patting him on the head.

“Of course! You should know by now you can always eat when you’re at Dae ajeossi’s house.” The three kids say thanks cheerily before starting to eat, even offering some to their parents in their tiny hands.

“You’ll be pleased to know Jongup has a new girlfriend,” Daehyun says, leaning back into the couch cushions. “He met her at the dance studio and they seem to have hit it off.”

“It’s about time,” snorts Baekhyun. “I’m really surprised he hasn’t had one sooner.”

“Too oblivious,” chimes in Chanyeol and his husband glares at him playfully.

“Like you?”

“What?” Chanyeol seems confused and Baekhyun just shakes his head.

“Never mind.”

One of my favorites, honestly.